School of Magic

Dangerously close

“What’s that?”

Well, ignore him, blank him, don’t glare, don’t shout at him, act like he’s not there. When he demands to know what’s wrong. Then you can tell him you know.

“Sounds like a plan.” I said uncertainly.

Oh yes. Tyler purred.

As if on que, my phone rang, the callers ID being Luke’s.

So the games begin.

                                                ***

It was hard to ignore someone who was friends with all of your friends. But I was managing pretty well. We sat at the same table at lunch and my eyes would pass over him, no one really noticed to be honest. I knew Luke did though. He would smile, I would act like he was a piece of glass.

It was going well.

We were at the table having a conversation about humans at the moment.

“I wonder what it would be like to date a human?” Brad said thoughtfully.

“What makes you say that? Why would it be any different?”

“Have you ever dated a human?” he asked me.

“Well yeah, back when I thought I was human.”

“What was it like?”

“What do you mean? They’re no different in personalities, they laugh, have feelings, they smile, they love and they have emotions.”

“Yeah, but, it’s weird, I mean, they’re pray y’know?”

“There’s nothing wrong with a hunter falling in love with his pray.” The words were out of my mouth and out of the corner of my eye I saw Luke tense.

“Maybe I should try it? Experiment?” Brad said thoughtfully.

“No.” I said

“Jealous?” he said with a wink.

“No, but messing with a Being’s emotions is like playing with fire, you could break somebody, especially if they began to have feelings for you, and if they found out they were an experiment I’m sure they’d never forgive you.”

No one spoke for a while.

“You really feel that strongly about the human race?” Brad asked

“Yes. They’re not just pray.”

“Have you ever fallen in love with a human?”

I didn’t answer for a few seconds as my memories rushed back.

“Yes.” My voice was soft and mildly hurt. I kept my face blank.

“What happened?” Rich asked

“Nothing.”

Rich took my hand, I looked at him, he was my basically the big brother of the group and I felt safe knowing he was here.

“You can tell us y’know?”

I took a shaky breath, unsure about how to word it. Eventually I decided to say it all, warning them that they asked for it.

His name was Tucker, they started going out at the age of 16. They were together for 9 months, they were getting on well, he never pushed her to do something she didn’t want. On their 9 month “anniversary” he took her innocence, telling her she was his one and only and he loved her. And she believed him. The next day Tucker had to go elsewhere, away for a few days, his granddad had died apparently. She was driving to town when she passed his house, she needed to pick something up from his house and she had a spare key. She walked up to his room and saw Tucker in bed. With Holly, her best friend. She walked out with him chasing after her. He grabbed her and asked her to forgive him, when she said no he sneered. He said that he had got what he wanted from her and they were over.