The Marked

Chapter Fourteen

Zion pulls into the parking lot of Ralph's, he parks the car and both him and Lily climb out without saying anything, the car journey had been similar but Lily didn't say anything either as he didn't seem in the mood.

Once inside the Diner, Zion finally says something, "you sit where you want, while I get the food. What are you having?"

"Actually.." Lily replies, "you go find us somewhere while I get the food, it'll give you chance to get rid of that scowl on your face before I come over with the food."

Zion glares at her and instead of looking away like he expected, she glares right back. Zion tears away from their glare off to find somewhere in the far corner to sit.

"Lily, no Ryder with you today?" Ralph asks once she reaches the counter.

"He's still at school, I had a free period." Lily answers.

"You want the usual? Or not since your with someone new?" Ralph smiles at Lily.

"Two Chocolate Milkshakes with some curly fries please." Lily smiles back ordering the usual.

"Coming up," Ralph chuckles, "You head to your table, I'll bring it over when it's ready."

Lily thanks Ralph and follows in the same direction she saw Zion head in a few moments ago, she finds where he's sat and makes her way to him.

"Still a sour face?" Lily jokes as she sits down across from Zion.

Zion looks up with a smirk, "Far from, what did you order us?"

"Just a Chocolate Milkshake and curly fries, Ralph's gonna bring them over." Lily answers, suddenly feeling nervous because she just ordered for him without asking what he liked.

"I've never had a Chocolate Milkshake before or curly fries." Zion confesses.

Lily looks at him nervously, "Sorry, I forgot to ask what you wanted, so I just went for my usual. I can ask for something else."

"No need, I wouldn't have known what to order. I've never been to a Diner before, I would've just had what you did." Zion explains.

"Then why'd you suggest we come here?" Lily wonders.

"I don't know many other places around here, and I dropped you off here yesterday, seemed like the best option." Zion shrugs.

"Makes sense," Lily nods, "I love it here, we all usually come here after school. Which is why I came over during my free period, give us a chance to discuss things more before they get here."

"Two Chocolate Milkshakes and curly fries for you and your date." Ralph smiles placing the stuff down on the table.

"Not quite Ralph," Lily laughs, "we're just studying."

Ralph looks at Lily and then over to Zion, who glares back, "my apologies, I'll leave you two to study." He apologises before walking away.

"Sorry about that." Lily looks at Zion, "I brought the book and marked some pages with stuff I thought we could talk about."

"Didn't bother me," Zion shrugs, "Ask away."

Lily takes a sip of her milkshake and then opens her school bag at the side of her and pulls out the book, Zion watches her movements as she looks through the pages she's marked.

"I finished reading last night and the guy talks about a feeder but never actually explains exactly what one is, what would you say that is?" Lily asks closing the book and eating some fries.

"From what I remember, the writer says that he heard the creature call his friend taizo, which he later researched and found that it meant feeder." Zion replies.

"Yeah, he guessed that his friend fed the species somehow, but that's just the obvious and not an explanation." Lily continues.

"I would say that he was correct, maybe his friend was the source of the creatures power, or even something to make him stronger." Zion explains.

"I guess that could explain why his friend disappears at the end, and he never saw the creature again. You think the creature took him to feed on?" Lily agrees pushing for more information.

"Could have, it fits what the writer guessed about his friend, but anything could of happened to him." Zion replies, remembering what he'd done to the guy.

Lily waits a moment taking in what he said before responding, "Okay, back to a feeder, you think this friend gave power to all the creatures?"

"Maybe, but then why would the ones he met by the river treat him more like friend than foe. Seemed like they wanted to protect him, not feed off him." Zion says.

"So you think he only fed the one that followed them?" Lily asks.

"That'd be my guess, it would explain why the different types treated him differently." Zion answers.

"Different types of the creature?" Lily wonders looking at him curiously.

"I wouldn't call them creatures." Zion grunts, "My theory is that the trio he met down at the river had a different type of power and ability than the one he saw watching him. He wrote that the marks on the trio's backs looked like animals, and that each one had a different animal. Maybe the marking represented the animal inside."

"This all seems so unreal?" Lily laughs.

"Why is it so hard to believe?" Zion asks.

"Well, it depends on how you look at it. There could be an evolution of humans that have certain abilities only others could dream of, or there's a chance this guy just wanted to sell more books." Lily points out.

"Or maybe he wrote it to find people who believe him, just because he wrote it as a book doesn't mean his goal was to make a profit." Zion counters.

***

At the school Ryder rushes out of class, Tristan follows behind calling after him, "Ry, where you going? We have extra study."

"I'm not going today, I'm meeting Lily at the Diner, you know she's sometimes excused from last lesson on Friday." Ryder replies still walking towards the parking lot.

Tristan speeds up stopping Ryder, "she's already meeting that guy and you know it."

"Look," Ryder looks up at Tristan, "I need to know that she's safe, this guy he's..." Tristan eyes Ryder urging him to continue, "I don't wanna interfere, all I wanna do is be there to keep an eye on her."

"Ralph has known her since she was a kid, you honestly think he'd let anything happen to her?" Tristan argues but then sees the look of worry in Ryder's eyes and caves, "there's something your not telling me..." Tristan pauses waiting to see if Ryder says anything, when he doesn't Tristan pulls out his phone, "I'll text Casey to meet us out front. You're not going alone."