Charlie rushed into the classroom before the final bell to ring for class to start, looking frazzled and unprepared and unkempt, which was very unlike him. He looked around the room of his stunned pupils before his gaze landed on me.
Relief filled his eyes, and he breathed a small sigh of relief while his shoulders sagged, nodding. "Are you ok?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
I blinked and blinked again, looking shocked and amused that Charlie was worried about me. "Me? Ok?" I asked, and he nodded in confirmation. I furrowed my brows and cocked my head while I studied him. "Why are you worried about me being ok, Mr. Brickson? You're the one that's very flustered." I gestured to him up and down, and he looked at himself before he looked at me again and shrugged, nonchalant.
"I am fine," Charlie said before he cleared his throat and shrugged again. "I just know that you have been outside for cross country practice, and something has been roaring near the school. It's been taken care of, for now."
I narrowed my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line. I didn't believe him for one second that it had been taken care of, meaning that the creature had been killed, for they were hard to kill and not many people knew where to strike to kill them.
It won't be long before they want vengeance against anyone that crossed their paths...
"Well?" Charlie asked and raised an eyebrow in question. He looked me up and down before he looked at me again, and I held back an eye roll while I pressed my lips into a thin line. "Are you ok?"
"Yes," I said and nodded in confirmation, knowing full well that he wouldn't honestly answer my question, especially when we are in the presence of those that are "oblivious" to the world around them. "I am fine, Mr. Brickson. We practiced inside today because of the roaring." I cocked my head and furrowed my brows, pressing my lips into a thin line. "Do you know what creature that is? It doesn't sound like anything that I have heard before, and I do not know if I want to hear it again."
Charlie smiled apologetically and shook his head. "I do not," he said, and I could tell that he was lying. He cleared his throat, interrupting me from calling out his bull shit and gave me a look that told me to shut it.
I closed my mouth and pursed my lips in annoyance but didn't say a word while I looked at him.
"Thank you, Cass," he said and nodded before he cleared his throat again and looked around the room. "Now, how is everyone else?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he looked around at the classroom. "Did you all do your homework?"
"That thing ate mine," a random student said, and I rolled my eyes and bit back a small snort. "Hey, New Girl, did you roll your eyes at that?"
"I have a name," I said and turned to look at the person that spoke to see that it was a male. I smirked and dipped my head closer to my chest. "And it's not the one that you want to call me, even though I answer that one, too." I flashed him a small wink, and he scowled and narrowed his eyes. "However, yes, I did roll my eyes and bite back a snort."
The male raised an eyebrow in question, pressing his lips into a thin line. "And why would you do that? It's the truth."
"Well, because you are still alive and look to have all of your limbs," I said and leaned back in my seat. I folded my arms across my chest and cleared my throat, tapping my finger against my arm. "That means three things. One, you crossed paths with that beast and didn't set it off, which doesn't happen that often. Two, you are some mystical being and was able to divert its attention and kill it. Or three, you are lying." I winked and smirked. "I'd go with option three if I were you," I said. "You don't want to actually come across that beast."
The male narrowed his eyes and scowled while the others jeered. "You are acting like you have crossed paths with it," he said before he raised his eyebrow in question again with a small pause. "Have you?"
I didn't respond but shrugged and from the corner of my eye, I saw Bryson leaning closer to me with his eyes flashing gold while he pressed his lips into a thin line.
"Did you?" the male asked and narrowed his eyes, scowling.
"No," I said and shook my head, "but it isn't something that I want to come across, especially since it sounded so angry and kept getting angrier and angrier with each passing second." I wrinkled my nose and pursed my lips. "I don't think that it'd be so good for my health."
Especially since I had already crossed paths with one at my old house...
I clenched my hands into fists and set my jaw, my hands shaking a little under the table. I could still feel its beady eyes on me with a sneer on its face with drool dripping down its jowls and pooling at its feet.
I could still feel its breath on my skin and still remember the smell of rotten flesh.
Oh, Goddess... Please don't make me face another one, I silently prayed and set my jaw. That was one time too many, especially since I had made that promise so long ago...
No more Worbers...
Movement to my left caught my eye, and I turned that way to see Bryson staring at me with gray eyes speckled with gold.
I raised an eyebrow in question and cocked my head, studying him. "What?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper while I narrowed my eyes and scowled. "What's wrong?"
"What do you know, Cass?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he leaned towards me. He narrowed his eyes and scowled. "What is that look for?"
I blinked and blinked again, not knowing what he meant before I raised an eyebrow in question. I didn't say a word while I stared at him, praying that he wouldn't become a Truthseeker on me, even though if he was anything like me, then I knew that he wouldn't have had a choice.
It was in our blood to be curious and wanting to know the truth about anything and everything...
However, this was one of those times where it was dangerous to be one, and even I knew that.
Bryson pressed his lips into a thin line and narrowed his eyes. He didn't say a word while he stared at me, trying to see what I was hiding and if I would tell him the truth.
I stared at him with a blank look on my face, not making any indication I knew what was happening and that I knew something was amiss.
We didn't pay attention to anyone around us besides each other, and not even a flurry of hand movement broke our concentration.
Someone dropped a book in front of us, but that still didn't break our concentration, not even the voices that followed after the book being dropped, earning a chuckle from the others around us.
Again, someone dropped something else in front of us, and we still didn't look away from each other.
However, the third time someone dropped something in front of us, there was a loud pop! that broke our staring contest with each other, and we turned toward the sound of the noise to see that Charlie was staring at us with another book in his hand and a raised eyebrow, looking annoyed but hiding the worry underneath.
"Ch- Mr. Brickson," I softly scolded while I pressed my lips into a thin line and narrowed my eyes. "What's that for? Why did you do that?"
"Oh, just making sure that you two wake up and stop staring at each other," Charlie said, gesturing between the two of us. He cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow in question. "What was the contest about?"
"Nothing," I said, interrupting Bryson from saying a word. I narrowed my eyes and gave him a look that said for him to "shut up" before I looked at Charlie again. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Brickson."
"Hmph." He pressed his lips into a thin line and narrowed his eyes a little. "Est-ce qu'on va parler plus tard? (Are we going to talk later?)" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
I shook my head and set my jaw. "Il n'y a rien dont tu dois t'inquiéter, Charlie, (There is nothing that you have to worry about, Charlie,)" I replied coldly. "Nous n'en parlerons pas plus tard. (We are not talking about this later.)" I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat while I raised an eyebrow in question. "Compris? (Understood?)"
Charlie bit back a small smirk and slowly nodded, his eyes turning darker with sadness and worry. "Compris. (Understood.)"
He cleared his throat and turned his attention away from us, growing serious. "Now," he said and started to walk to the front of the classroom. "Now, let's go ahead and get class started, so that means eyes are up front, everyone needs to be quiet, and there is no staring between the two of you." He pointed to both Bryson and I, raising his eyebrows in unison after he made it to the front of the room. "Is that understood?"
"Yes, Sir," we said in unison and nodded before we turned our attention to the front of the class, even though Bryson kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
Thank, Goddess...