Xavier flashes her one of his golden grins too, causing Sidney to melt into a puddle on the floor. He seems very happy that Sidney is being nice to me. Sidney senses this, and craftily slinks to her seat as the fat teacher finally gets up from his perch on the swivel chair.
“Hello, class,” he emits with a voice like a geek, assuming and haughty. “Today you need to turn to page 787 in your textbook…” He rambles on for a minute, then quickly concludes his daily two minute speech. “Read chapter 14, section 9, and answer all the following questions. What you do not finish is homework.” He shuffles from the front of the classroom to the back of it, plopping down on his favorite plush chair. He never actually teaches us anything, just telling us to read. No one ever does homework in his class either, because he never checks.
Except me. I’m the only one that gets annoyed with my teacher because I actually want to learn something.
I quickly flip the textbook open to the correct page, while the others all whip out their phones and start texting and shouting to their friends across the room. Sidney starts whispering to Ian, and Xavier turns to me with a reassuring smile. “You’re going to do the lesson?” he asks innocently. I nod slowly, beginning to sink into the paragraphs of knowledge, delving completely into the foreign lands I love to explore.
I can feel a set of emerald eyes focus on my face as I read, interest clearly shown. “You’re so beautiful when you are like this,” he says softly, almost mumbling to himself.
“Like what?” I almost shiver at his words, so full of caring and devotion.
“When you are reading, you seem so peaceful. Serene.” He closes his eyes, leaning back against his chair, “like an angel. I met one once, you know.” He is speaking barely above a whisper, so soft that only I can hear.
“When?” I ask eagerly.
“Well, right before I was converted, I was dying. The werewolf had practically torn me to pieces, and the pain was… well, no words can describe it. I was floating between delusions and reality. Then, right before his blood touched my skin, I had a dream,” his eyes turn glassy as time ticks back for him, “it was about heaven and hell.”
“Tell me about it,” I demand, leaning towards him. I can sense his closeness, his dizzyingly attractive smell that nearly forces me to attack him with my heavy desire.
“I was on an island, completely alone. It was basically just a patch of sand, surrounded by miles and miles of ocean. A beautiful angel descended out of the clouds, heading my way. Along with her, a set of stairs appeared, pure white and leading into the clouds. However, when she extended her long, pale white hand, I could not take it. I reached as hard as I could, but right before I could even get within a foot of those stairs and the woman, they would seemingly get farther away.
Right beneath me, however, it was a different story. The sand rumbled and turned as hot as coals. Fire was immediately dancing beneath my feet. I howled in pain, running around the island to escape the burning. Finally, though, I was trapped in a circle, fire surrounding me at every angle. The woman was right outside the circle, and I felt that if I could only escape this prison, I would finally be able to reach her. But just before I ran through the fire, the whole island began to sink. Water began to creep up at every angle, waters so red that it seemed stained with blood. When I peered into the ocean as it nearly swallowed me, I saw that beneath me was a boiling pit of fire, and I was about to sink into it. Before long, the island would disappear completely, leaving me at the mercy of whatever was below.
It was then that the woman stared at me and gave a short little smile, disappearing into the mist like a ghost. The stairs went away too, leaving only me, the ruby red ocean, and the cauldron below.”
I lean forwards, spellbound by his story. The way he speaks makes the story seem so real, as if it happened to me instead. “What next?”
“Nothing. I woke up, and found that I was a werewolf.” Xavier says laughingly, “otherwise, I think I would have sunk into the pit.” There is a buzzing sound, and he grabs his top-of the-line phone out of his pocket. Many people turn their heads to look at the expensive limited edition luxury item in his hand, Xavier casually lifting it to his head to take the call.
“Yes, Wes?” His face is first of excitement, then melts into fury. After a moment of listening, he nods solemnly. “I’ll help out,” he says reluctantly, “just send someone to get me. At this school, you have to do this strange thing called checking out…”
Within a few minutes, a robotic voice echoes through the hallways. “Xavier Rochester, please come to the front desk to check out.”
“Rochester?”
“We had to make up a last name,” he whispers quickly. “Anyways, I will be back at 3 o’clock to pick you up. Apparently there is a rogue Shifter running around, killing everything it sees. We need to capture it before the police does.”
“Can I come?” I beg. I’m sure I can bring out a Shifter from a person again; that one time was enough to convince me.
“No,” he says firmly, “this one is really bad. I don’t want it within ten miles of you until we secure it. All Shifters seem to have it out for you.” He rises from his desk, majestically heading towards the door. He gives me a little wave as he exits, not even noticing the adoring stares following him.
As soon as the door shuts, the viper strikes. “Well, look here,” the Barbie girl rises from her seat, “Mona is finally without her shield.” Everyone turns to look at us. Once again, Sidney has scored center stage, and pulled me along with her. “Now that he’s gone, why don’t you tell us who did your plastic surgery?”
“I didn’t get-”
“Obviously you did,” she laughs, tossing her curls behind her back, “so you could keep Xavier.” Sidney leans in, pure menace behind her words. “Xavier is just talking to you because he feels sorry for you. You are a weak, pathetic, ugly little loser who forced Xavier to stay beside you. We would also like to know how exactly you did that, witch. You better start confessing now. Everyone wants to know the truth.” She pushes me, and I land on the cold, hard floor. Everything around me seems so painful right now. So bitter.
“So who was it?!” she nearly shrieks, as I rise to my feet, “who did your surgery?!”
“Sidney!” I try to yell, “I couldn’t have gotten surgery! It’s only been two days!”
Sidney ignores me, madness in her eyes. She tries to kick me, but I block her movement. “Oh, so you bewitched yourself along with Xavier?” she finally comes to another outrageous conclusion. “This is true proof that you are a witch.” She snaps her fingers, and her girls come to my side. Each of them hold my arms to the wall with surprising force, though not nearly enough to stop me physically. However, it is the words that break me. I just stand there, sucked of all strength.
“Stop wishing for things that aren’t yours,” she creeps closer, her gorgeous eyes flecked with fury.
“Well, they aren’t yours either,” I squeak out, and she slaps me with all her might.
“They would be,” she hisses, “if you weren’t here.” Indignation is in her voice now, along with pure hate. Blood begins to run from my cheek, and my mind flashes back to the memory of Ms. Penn scraping my cheek also. Maybe Sidney and Ms. Penn are related.
The other boys and girls crowd around us, staring at my now marred face. Sidney continues to question me relentlessly, without pause. “Did you brighten your eye color, or did you get contacts? So pathetic, changing it just to match your slave’s eyes.”
“I don’t have a slave,” I say softly, weak as the red liquid runs down my neck. It is throbbing, the blood disgusting me. But what is disgusting me almost as much is the teacher. What the crap is he doing? Can’t he notice that I’m being bullied?
And probably killed by the end of the period, if this continues.
“Of course he’s your slave. You force him to think you’re beautiful, even though you aren’t. You force him to hang around you, even though he deserves better than a lying witch like you,” she snaps, each word like a knife stabbing into my skin.
One of the girls holding me takes a peek at my skin, and gasps. “Look!” she yells, and everyone in the room obliges.
“It’s healing! And so quickly…” the girl continues, gazing at the now lightly scabbed skin, quickly retreating into perfect skin again.
“What are you?” Sidney looks in horror at the suddenly nonexistent cut, I winced. These, out of all other words, hurts me the most.
I just wanted to be left alone. I didn’t do anything to Sidney. Just a while ago, she didn’t even know I existed. And now… I am a monster to everyone around me just because I didn’t stay in my place. Because Xavier fell for me. The queen is out to get me, and her subjects just meagerly follow.
“You know,” she says, pulling out a slender object, “I wonder if a big cut will heal as quickly… you never know with a witch.” Silence is stretched taut in the air, only her voice reigning. No one steps forward, though many look with eyes of horror. However, I can tell even the sympathetic ones are appalled by me, disgusted with the fact that I am different.
She holds the knife closer, staring into my eyes. “Where should I start? Your face? Your arms? Your boobs?” Sidney casts a glance at my slightly enlarged chest, then smiles. “I think I will give your face a makeover first, because that probably took the surgeons the longest to perfect.” Obviously she doesn’t believe I am a witch, but is just using that to make more people hate me.
I’m not going to call for Xavier. Xavier has enough things to do already. I can’t depend on him anymore.
She raises her arms and I close my eyes, waiting for it to come…
“Sidney,” a rough, attractive voice stops her in her tracks. I slowly slide my eyes open to see Ian standing in front of me, a cold expression on his features. “This has gone on long enough.”
“But Ian…” she whines, slinging her arms around his neck, “I have to teach this… thing a lesson.” She gestures to me, and then swoops in for a kiss. “You’ll let me, right?” she pouts. He stops her when she is inches from his mouth, disentangling himself from her grasp.
“Don’t you have to be somewhere else right now?” he prompts her, staring into her eyes. Her gaze becomes hazy, glassy under his gentle stare. Her next words are submissive, expressionless.
“Yes, Ian,” she gets up and walks over to her desk. Sidney picks up her backpack and walks out the door, and the girls drop me. I fall to the floor, the tears finally coming. They gush out of me like a flood, dripping onto my shirt I thought Sidney liked me. I should have known it would turn out like this.
A hand wraps around my shoulder, the same relaxing voice entering my thoughts. “Cheer up, Mona. Everything’s okay.” I look up to see the whole class staring at me, completely quiet.
“Look at what you did to her,” Ian pointed at all of them. “Each and every one of you.”
“But we didn’t hit her!” one of Sidney’s girls exclaims, almost as if she did nothing wrong.
“You didn’t stop Sidney from hitting her,” he gave her a steely gaze; “you even helped, holding her back.”
“I’m sorry!” another one of Sidney’s minions leaped out from the crowd, hugging Ian, “I won’t ever do something like that again! Sidney was just so…” she forces up a tear, looking into his eyes. It is immediately obvious that she likes him.
“Get away from me,” he snaps, and she looks at him sadly, “I don’t like liars.” She retreats into the crowd, crestfallen. I hold my hands to my face, trying to stop them, but the tears keep spilling into my palm. Ian comfortingly hugs me tighter, whispering in my ear.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier,” he apologizes, “I was in the bathroom. As soon as I got back, this was going on.” Gently he rises with me, pulling me upwards. “Cheer up.”
“I’m okay,” I choke through my sadness. I thought I wasn’t supposed to depend on anyone. Easily I could have broken free of those girls, but it was the words that were like true stabs in the gut. I can’t understand why I can’t stand up for myself.
“No you aren’t,” Ian says softly. He sneaks a look at the rock-like teacher at the computer. “Stupid teacher,” he mutters as he leads me into the hallway. Once we are alone, I subconsciously put my head on his shoulder, sobbing.
“What did I do?” I pour out my fears, not knowing quite what I am doing. Somehow his voice and presence makes me relax, makes me trust him. “What did I do to deserve this?”
“Nothing,” he gently pulls apart from me, looking into my eyes. I notice that I don’t have to look up so much anymore. His big blue eyes, so like Sidney’s, are so close… “You are a person, just like us.”
Guilt flashes through me as I realize I am not truly a person. Not anymore.
“But please tell me,” he says, “why did your cut heal so quickly?” He seems more than concerned, actually interested. My heart rate quickens as I realize that maybe he thinks I am different. Maybe a person, but still different.
I am different. Why am I so ashamed of it?
“I am not normal,” I say softly, “I am a monster.” The tears begin again, never ceasing. Ian shakes his head.
“No. Not a monster.”
I try to pull myself together. “Well, I’m definitely different,” I insist.
“I prefer calling it unique, or special,” he smiles, “and you aren’t the only one.” Carefully he looks up and down the hallway, and then pulls me into an empty room. The lights are dim, and dozens of empty desks are scattered around. Urgently he scans me, staring into my eyes. “Let me see…” he murmurs, all the while looking deeply at me. His gaze is penetrating, and I find myself begin to fall beneath them. Quickly I shake myself free of this daze, frightened. How can he do that with one look? I felt as if I was… losing myself.
“So it doesn’t work on you,” he mumbles, breaking our mutual stare. “That’s what I thought.” He breaks into an enchanting smile.
It is then that I notice how good looking he is. He has light chestnut hair, tanned skin, and a muscular body that is similar to Xavier’s attractive build. Why do all these handsome guys keep popping up around me nowadays?
“Mona, I’m just like you,” he grabs my hands. They feel soft and warm in his huge grasp, my slender hands fitting perfectly. “I’m special.”
“Special? In what way?” Xavier suddenly flashes through my head. He’s “special” too, even more so than me. However, he doesn’t regard it as a bad thing, and my classmates don’t bully him like they do me. Why am I treated so different? Why do I treat myself so different?
“Since birth, I have been able to hypnotize women,” he says, a little bit too eager for my taste. I almost leap away from him. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. But once I think about it, that would make sense. The way Sidney just obeyed Ian…
“Did you hypnotize Sidney into liking you?” I ask.
“She’s just a toy,” he shakes his head, “I don’t hypnotize people, especially my toys, into liking me. They all fall for my stellar good looks.” Ian grins, showing me a killer bicep.
I laugh. This is almost as hilarious and strangely creepy as when Xavier said he was a werewolf almost immediately after meeting me. “I thought people couldn’t really hypnotize others,” I giggle.
Ian gasps jokingly, “Mona! Hypnotizing is an art. People practice it all over the world. I just have an extra special gift for it.” He is still grasping my hands tightly, and suddenly I feel the need to escape.
“I’m going to break up with Sidney,” he says, “someone who I can’t hypnotize is much more interesting to me,” He shoots me a wink. “I like not being the controlling one.”
“What?” I am growing nervous now. What does he mean?
“I’m going to make you mine, but without the hypnotizing. I want to see if I can do it,” he grins. A hint of determination is in his eyes.
“No…” I back away, accidentally knocking into a desk. It tumbles over, hitting the ground with a clash. Fear is now in my steps. I don’t want Ian. I want…
“I’ve finally found someone as special as I am,” he tightens his grip, “this will be a fun game.” The fear immediately recedes, and now I am almost consumed with laughter. So this is a game to him. He doesn’t truly like me, but he wants me to fall for him. I smile good-naturedly. So this isn’t a love of Xavier’s caliber.
If only Ian knew how special I really am.
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