Feathers, page 10
I couldn’t help but sigh. “Fine. But seriously Sean, couldn’t you have brought some clothes with you? This feels very weird.” I said. I couldn’t believe I was being so calm about all of this. Maybe I just wasn’t letting myself because I actually feared my father killing him for this one.
Sean shrugged. “Normally I would have, but I was in a hurry tonight. And to be completely honest, I needed a place to crash for a few hours as well. A dog’s been running around out there, and I’m not one to take it on.” He admitted.
“A dog?” I said flatly. Surely he wasn’t scared of someone’s dog.
But Sean easily seemed to catch my drift. “I don’t mean an ordinary dog. I mean a demon dog. They come around the human realm from time to time, and it’s best to avoid them when they do. Besides, dogs and foxes aren’t exactly the types to get along. I’m sure you’d realize that.” He explained.
I just sighed. “Okay. Seriously, I’m not even going to ask anymore. I never knew there was this much weird stuff in the world, and I think I would’ve preferred not to know half of it now.” I told him.
“I’ll take it you had no idea of your heritage after all. How strange though. I never would’ve thought Michael would be one to keep his own daughter in the dark.” Sean said.
“He just wanted to protect me. It’s not like I came from the best place you know.” I said.
“Yes. I understand.” Sean agreed. “Don’t get me wrong. I respect your father very much. After all, if it wasn’t for him, my mother certainly wouldn’t have the normal life she does now. Honestly, if it wasn’t for me, she’d probably be much better off.”
At that, I had to look at him. He actually looked pretty remorseful as he sat there with his chin on his hand. “Sean, you know that’s not true.” I said softly.
“No. I’m sure it is. I was born an abomination. The ones like me always are. That’s why we’re so rare anyways. We’re ostracized from both worlds in the end.” Sean admitted.
“But that doesn’t change that you’re still loved and cared for. If you weren’t, I don’t think your mom would’ve been so desperate to save you after what happened with me.” I reasoned. I could recall Sara very well from that day. She’d been so scared. I could see it in her eyes. She wanted to save her son, but she wasn’t even sure of how. So she’d begged and pleaded for him to be forgiven.
Sean still didn’t look at me though. “You really think so?” he asked.
“Of course I do. Trust me, I know about real love when it comes to a parent. I see it whenever I see my dad. Especially where I came from.” I admitted. Couldn’t help but look down as I said it though. I knew how much Michael loved me. He’d been so good to me through all of this. My mother and grandmother may not have cared much, but he did. He loved me so much.
I could feel Sean looking at me now. Somehow, I had this distinct feeling that he was puzzled now. “If you don’t mind me asking, why exactly did you move up here so quickly with him? I had heard through the grape vine before that you only spent summers here before, yet you came here on Christmas Eve. There must have been a reason for you to do such so suddenly.” He finally said.
I couldn’t help but sigh on that one. “My mom and grandmother. I… lived with them in Florida up until then. But my grandmother kicked me out that afternoon. She met me at the door and gave me a ticket to come up here and live with Michael.” I explained quietly.
“I see now.” Sean said softly. To my surprise, I felt him reach over and brush some of my hair back. “So you are damaged as well.”
“Very funny.” I muttered, pushing his hand away.
It didn’t seem like it bothered him though. “I wouldn’t joke about such a thing. After all, I can understand what it feels like to not belong anywhere. Besides, I didn’t come here to argue either. I simply came because I wanted to be close, as I’ve done for a while now. And also, I wanted to keep the promise I will be making.” He said.
“Promise?” I said, making myself look back up.
Sean just smiled, moving closer and laying his forehead on mine. I had no idea why I didn’t push him away. Guess I was just memorized by the closeness. “I know you don’t believe me, but I do care about you. I will never let any harm come to you. And I will do anything in this world and all the others to protect you and keep you happy with me.” He whispered.
I felt myself blush a little, but I couldn’t pull myself away. “Sean?” I whispered.
But he just smiled as he pulled back and faced me. “I promise that I will remain with you for as long as I can. I know my truth now, and why I’ve been so drawn to you ever since the night I first saw you. I’m in love with you Mia Renaldi. And I will do anything to prove that to you.” He promised.
Now one would’ve thought this would completely freak me out, or that I’d doubt him. But I found that I was more then relieved. For whatever reason, I believed him. I knew he wasn’t lying. I smiled back, closing my eyes and leaning against him a little more. “Will you stay by me then?” I asked softly.
Sean just chuckled, finally pulling back again to face me after a few moments. “Of course.” He replied. “But we’ll have to be careful about all of this too for now. I may have to leave quickly tonight as well.”
“That’s okay. You can stay in fox form if you want. It doesn’t bother me.” I agreed.
With that, he quickly transformed back. As he laid himself down beside me, I curled up against him. His fur was actually really soft, and the quiet movement of his breathing eventually lulled me into a comfortable sleep. I’d end up sleeping against him for the rest of the night.
It was one of the most comfortable sleeps I’d ever had.
Ten
I ended up waking alone the next morning. It really didn’t surprise me too much though. Sean wouldn’t have allowed himself to get caught. But he’d moved so gently that I’d never even felt him leave, though I tended to be a light sleeper. Call it a product of coming from a hostile environment. Either way, I found myself slowly getting up as the sunlight shown in on me, and I saw that the window over my bed was once again closed tightly, though it wasn’t locked. Stretching, I decided that it would probably be best for me to get on with my day. Hopefully, Sean would show up again that night and allow me to lay against him again. As much as I hated admitting it, I had been far more then comfortable there. There was something about Sean now that just seemed far too inviting for me to pass up such opportunities.
My day actually went by pretty smoothly. Raziel had shown up to school that morning, though he seemed a little begrudging about it. Anna was back too. She actually seemed like she was feeling a lot better. I was glad to see that much. But as we sat in our first class, she passed me a note that brought everything back to me once again.
Have you gotten to talk to Sean anymore?
I took a deep breath as I wrote back to her. I knew she’d eventually ask me about this. She was far too curious to ever pass up knowing such a thing. Yes. I guess we’re starting to be semi friends now.
I saw the smile cross her face when she read that. But she didn’t get to pass the note back again, beings the teacher was watching the class like a hawk. I was kind of glad really. It worried me that I might end up saying something about the night before by accident. I had to admit, I was still a little puzzled about it all. Sean’s words echoed in my head as I sat there, making me blush in spite of myself.
I’m in love with you Mia Renaldi.
He couldn’t possibly have been serious, I thought. There was no way someone like him could ever love someone like me. Especially considering everything that had already happened between us when I’d first come there. And what would happen if Raziel found out about all of this? I was certain there could be one nasty fight then. Not a pleasant thought at all.
I must have been concentrating hard on my thoughts, because I didn’t hear the teacher, Ms. Booker, call my name until the fourth time she did it. Needless to say, that was embarrassing. I couldn’t help but look down at my book as I heard the small snickers around me. I barely noticed Anna staring at me from the corner of her eye. Of course, she’d have to say something when class was over.
“So what was up with you in History this morning? I’ve never seen you space out so much.” Anna said as we walked to lunch later that day.
I shook my head. “It’s nothing. And seriously Anna, you haven’t know me that long. It’s a bad habit I sometimes have.” I said.
“You must have been thinking about something really deep. You looked like you were a million miles away.” Anna went on.
I wish I was, I couldn’t help but think. I turned my head and looked at the hallways we were walking down. The usual signs were plastered on the walls, mostly talking about the upcoming prom. Being juniors, Raziel, Anna, and I were able to go. I hadn’t really considered it myself though. I knew I probably could go if I wanted to. There were enough guys now that seemed to show an interest in me. A few had even spoken to me in my classes now. Well, the ones who were brave enough to go against Raziel. He was my self proclaimed protector by then, and dared any of them to try anything. Guess the whole incident with Sean before had brought it that one on in the end. But it made me wonder if I even stood a chance at getting a boyfriend one day at this rate. I’d even told Raziel that, even though I blushed like mad when I did. The thought itself was doing it, but I’ll admit that I did feel a bit more comfortable in my skin by then too. After all, I was coming into my place for the fact that I was Michael Renaldi’s daughter. I was supposed to be a popular rich kid. In a way, I was becoming that. But I still found myself keeping my tight little circle of Raziel and Anna in the end. It was much easier and more comfortable that way.
As we walked by the library though, I felt my breath catch as I saw Sean sitting there. He was at one of the back tables, reading a book. Without even thinking about it, I stopped and stared at him. He really didn’t look that different from the night before, though the light was shining a bit off of his black hair. By me, Anna stopped too. “Mia? What’s up?” she asked. But then, she seemed to follow my stare. “Oh… you’ve gotten to the staring stage, huh?”
I quickly shook my head, looking back at her. “What?” I said. Honestly, I had no idea what she meant by that one.
Anna just smiled. “The staring stage. You like Sean Morrison, so now you’ve gotten to where you’re staring at him.” She explained.
“No I don’t.” I retorted. I went to move away, but somehow, I felt like I was frozen in place.
“Come on Mia, don’t be like that. I think Sean really likes you. Especially since he talked to you behind Raziel’s back like he did that day.” Anna said.
“Anna, can we please leave it alone? If Raziel hears about this…” I started.
“Hears about what?”
Both of us turned to see Raziel coming over. Damn it, I thought. Please don’t let him have heard her say that Sean spoke to me a while back. I never had told him about that one, and apparently Anna had never bothered mentioning it before. Perhaps she’d forgotten.
“Hey, you’re running late today! Where have you been?” Anna asked, putting a hand on her hip.
“I had to finish up a lab project.” Raziel told her. “Anyways, what were you two talking about?”
Anna just smiled, putting her arms around his waist. “Oh, nothing too important. Why don’t we get some lunch now? I’m starving.” She suggested.
I knew this ploy. She was trying to divert his attention. I was silently thanking her in my head. But Raziel gave her a skeptical look. “Are you up to something?” he asked.
“Of course not. What makes you think that?” Anna asked, trying to sound innocent.
Raziel sighed, apparently just giving up for now. “Come on then. Let’s get some lunch. I’m hungry too.” He told us.
I glanced back to the library as we walked away. Sean was still sitting there, though he looked up briefly. I noticed a slight smile cross his face. But it wasn’t mean at all. In fact, it seemed very friendly. I couldn’t help but blush as I turned away. Stupid fox.
“So seriously Mia, you’re not going to the Prom?” Anna asked as we sat at our table.
I couldn’t help but sigh. This had been the conversation since I’d gotten there that morning. “No. I told you that I don’t want to.” I said.
“You seriously don’t want to huh?” Raziel said, sitting back. He’d been listening with some amusement.
“No, I don’t.” I repeated.
“How can a girl not want to go to Prom? It’s the most magical night of her life.” Anna complained.
“You mean besides the loss of her innocence?” Raziel grinned.
“Stop being a pervert!” Anna complained, shooting him a nasty look. I swear, if those two weren’t going at it somewhat, I’d know something was wrong. I was just too used to it.
I shook my head and sighed. “Anyways, I just don’t see where it matters that much that I go to the Prom. That’s it. Besides, there isn’t anyone here I’d way to go with anyways.” I told them.
Anna stared at me for a moment. “Seriously? No one?” she repeated.
“Nope.” I said, holding my nose up.
“How about Sean Morrison?” Anna asked slyly.
I almost choked, even though I hadn’t been drinking anything. And Raziel just about fell out of his seat where he’d been leaning back. “Are you stupid in the head now?!” he fumed at her.
“What? I think it’s legit if she wanted to go with him. After all, isn’t Sean one of the most popular guys in school? It would fit.” Anna defended.
“She is not going with Sean Morrison!” Raziel told her.
I couldn’t help but put my head down at this. Of course Anna would open the can of worms. And she wasn’t giving up either. “Come on Raziel. Going to the Prom together wouldn’t hurt anything.” she said.
“Yes it would. He’s supposed to be staying away from her, remember?” Raziel shot back.
That made my ears perk a little. I looked up to see Anna stiffen. “Oh yeah. Sorry.” she said softly.
“Raziel…” I started. But I was interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing. I couldn’t believe lunch had passed already. But looking at my watch, I saw that it had. The three of us quickly got up with the rest of the kids and made our way to class. But as Raziel and I sat down in English, I turned towards him sharply. “Raziel, what was that about at lunch?” I demanded quietly.
“What was what about?” Raziel asked, blinking at me in surprise.
“You know what.” I said.
Raziel just shook his head. “Seriously, I don’t.” he admitted.
I looked around the room for a moment before speaking again. “You told Anna to remember that Sean was supposed to stay away from me. What did you mean by that?” I whispered.
“Oh.” Raziel said, sounding like a great revelation had occurred for him. “That. Don’t worry about it.”
I think I knew then that he’d told Anna the truth. A part of me wondered just what was going to happen when Michael and Raphael learned of this. We weren’t supposed to be telling anyone our secret. And while I liked Anna, we were still only sixteen years old. Anna could very well blurt it out.
I sat all thru English thinking about this. Beside me, Raziel was awake, but quiet. He seemed to be thinking something over. I found out after class what it was. He asked me if I was going to tell Michael about Anna. “I don’t see where it’s any of my business Raziel, but you know there could be trouble.” I said as we stood out by our cars.
“I think it’ll be okay. Besides, it not like I’m planning on losing her.” Raziel said, smiling at me.
“I guess.” I said, leaning back on my car.
“By the way, I’m not as dumb as she seems to think either. I heard what you two were talking about.” Raziel said, leaning on the car beside me.
My head immediately snapped up as he said that. “You… heard us?” I managed to say.
“Yep. But I didn’t think it was worth saying anything around Anna. Seriously Mia, why do you insist on inviting trouble?” he asked, sounding almost exasperated.
“I’m not inviting trouble. Besides, Anna’s just seeing things. I don’t really like Sean.” I lied.
Raziel just shook his head. “I’ll believe that one when I see it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, staring at him.
“Just what I said. It’s pretty obvious to me. Seriously, how’d you manage to attract a fox anyways Mia?” Raziel asked.
I felt myself frown. “I didn’t attract him on purpose. And I don’t really like him. So just lose the thought.” I said, moving to open my door.
“If you say so.” Raziel shrugged. He moved aside to let me get in. But then he leaned down to my window. “But you should listen to me too Mia. Even if you did break him like Raphael and Michael seem to think, he could still be dangerous, okay?”
This would be the first I’d hear of Raphael thinking the same as Michael. But at the time, I decided not to question all of it anymore. “Okay. I understand Raziel. But I’m not interested, okay?” I said.
“Like I said, if you want to say so. See ya later.” Raziel said, standing up straight and heading back to his own car.
Heading home, I couldn’t help but reflect on the irony of it all. Even Raziel had figured out that I actually did like Sean, though I’d never have given him the satisfaction of a real answer on it. But as I thought about this, forbidden thoughts entered my mind. What if Sean did ask me to the Prom? What would it be like? I imagined that it would be wonderful. Pulling over to the side of the road, I banged my head on the stirring wheel. This just wouldn’t do now. I had to figure out a way to get that stupid fox out of my head.
After pulling myself back together, I finally made it home. Once I got my things put away, I laid back on the couch and pulled out the book I’d been reading, along with my IPod. It was my favorite gift from my dad by now. Putting it on shuffle, I tried to lose myself for a while. I just needed to stop thinking for a bit. I was certain that doing that would help. And it seemed to work. I spent the next hour just lost in music and my book.
