Chapter Two

A/N: above pic is James:)

Andrew uncertainly watched him leave, but it didn't seem to bother anyone else as they all settled themselves around the table. Marie tugged on his arm, smiling up sweetly.

'Don't worry about him, he's just stressed out about... stuff,' she assured as Andrew sat down beside her.

'I didn't mean to disturb, I mean, I thought y'all were talking about something important,' Andrew blabbered, realizing this was the first full sentence he'd said since he arrived. There was something about the bubbly girl that made her easy to talk to, and Andrew relaxed in her presence.

'Oh, he's just in a tizzy. Whatever, I'll talk to him later,' she shrugged, unconcerned.

Andrew wondered what she meant by that but he didn't want to pry into whatever they were discussing. He quietly crunched on his chips while the others filled him in on what to expect from each of his classes and what the lecturers were like.

Marie dipped her hand in his chip bag unabashedly and without invitation. Although she grabbed a handful, she seemed to just be waving them around in the air as she gesticulated.

'You should make a sandwich with these,' she said.

'With chips?'

'Yea, you put one chip between two pieces of chips, like so,' she demonstrated, 'and then you eat the three layers together.'

She pretended to take a bite and then gave the rest of the chip sandwich to a very confused looking Andrew. He cautiously bit into it under her expectant stare, but there was an immediate explosion of crumbs.

'You have to shove the whole thing into your mouth,' Marie explained, 'That's just common knowledge.'

'Hmrph,' Andrew mumbled, having no choice but to heed her advice.

'Isn't it better this way?'

'I guess... the texture is different.' He smiled good-humoredly after struggling to chew and swallow it.

'It's getting late,' Evan yawned. He stretched and dropped his head onto Jesse's shoulder. All the other students milling about had long since retired to their dorms.

'Don't fall asleep here,' Jesse grumbled, attempting to push his weight aside so that he could get up.

'You can stay as long as you like, there's no bedtime curfew as long as you don't leave campus,' Evan told Andrew sleepily before he allowed his roommate to assist him back to their dorm.

Marie finished up another hour of uninterrupted, one-sided chatter, forgetting in her excitement over a new acquaintance that he was most likely tired from traveling halfway across Ather.

'I'll walk you back to yours,' she finally offered.

'Oh, you don't have to; isn't your dorm on the other side of the school?'

'That's okay, you look like you could use some company.'

Andrew guessed that she just wanted to see James again, but he was glad that he didn't have to walk the alien hallways by himself, since Evan and Jesse were now long gone.

'I haven't seen the sea in years.' Marie sighed longingly as they traipsed down the corridor. 'You must miss it already.'

'I do actually,' Andrew admitted, 'And the weather- it's freezing here! How long has it been since you visited the islands?'

'Like over a hundred years!' Marie exclaimed, 'Not that it was really an island at the time.'

'Oh? You went there back when it was Pangea?' Andrew bantered, feeling completely at ease now.

'I'm not that old.' Marie pouted. 'More like back when it was South America.'

Andrew laughed at her joke, 'Well that's definitely more than a hundred years.'

'I couldn't stay for very long. It was too sunny so I never got to go to the beach,' she explained, 'Anyway, I meant that I missed the sea here.'

'Can you see the ocean from here?' Andrew asked doubtfully, wondering why she kept referring to it as the "sea" and knowing it was impossible, but not wanting to correct her, 'The mountain range is fully closed in.... We're basically trapped.' He shuddered as he spoke the last sentence, remembering the chill he'd experienced the moment he stepped off the plane.

'Oh nevermind.' she sighed wistfully. 'I was just kidding anyway; there used to be a sea around here.'

'Geography is hard enough without it being historical geography,' Andrew groaned, realizing the girl was still continuing her joke from earlier.

'It's not hard NOW, Andrew, there's basically like four places and one ocean!'

'I'm really more into science,' he defended, 'Quantum particles are much more interesting than the geography of the "five places."'

'Physics? Gosh, maybe you should tutor me!' she joked as she reached the door and swung it open for him without bothering to first knock.

'Oh um, sure,' he mumbled, suddenly reticent again as she threw her arms around him in a friendly, though unexpected, hug. Her pointy chin poked uncomfortably into his collarbone as he awkwardly left his arms hanging limply at his sides.

'BYEE, I'll see you in class tomorrow!' she loudly said, bidding him farewell.

She left without acknowledging James who had just been standing at the window throughout, staring out into the empty darkness for their window overlooked the cliff.

Andrew quietly closed the door behind him as he stepped into the room. James did not turn or even seem to notice him come in as he gazed nihilistically into the void.

'Hi... James,' Andrew softly greeted him, in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

It was either unheard or ignored.

Andrew was dead tired after his long day but he nevertheless started unpacking all his things, being too self-conscious to crash on the bed while James had no intention of sleeping. Andrew doubted he could get much rest anyway in the tense atmosphere.

Andrew's room back home was a mess, but he arranged his things neatly for the benefit of his new roommate—who he feared would flip at the sight of a singled unfolded T-shirt, let alone an unpacked suitcase on their shared desk. Andrew carefully started folding all the crumpled clothes that he had haphazardly shoved in his suitcase in his hurry to get away. One side of the cupboard had been cleared and divided perfectly in half, but Andrew noticed that he had been bequeathed three of the five drawers.

Having nothing else left to unpack to keep himself busy, and unfortunately still unable to sleep, Andrew started putting up some posters on the wall above his bed. He hoped James didn't mind this further encroachment; he seemed like the kind of guy who was particular about his personal space and order of things. Andrew glanced at James and he seemed lost in a world of his own, chewing on his lower lip with his arms crossed across his chest.

'Are you okay?' Andrew asked tentatively, there was a long moment of silence before James suddenly swung around and fixed a deathly stare upon him.

'What reason have you to question?'

'Because your gir- Um your... Marie, she... said you were feeling upset about something,' he gulped, 'Not that it's any of my business!'

'It most certainly is not.' James glared him down with his arms crossed over his chest, a strong muscle defining itself in his tightly clenched jaw.

'Sorry, I,' Andrew mumbled, 'I didn't mea-'

'I believe it would be best if we were to stay out of each other's way,' James cut off brusquely, 'You do not need to concern yourself with me; nor I, with you.' His voice was dangerously low and his eyes maintained their steely gaze, locked firmly onto Andrew's own.

Andrew's embarrassment shifted to irritation as he locked eyes with the other boy. Although he was usually quiet around strangers, his mood was subject to change without notice—and being interrupted really pissed him off.

'How can you expect me to just avoid you? We literally share a bedroom,' he snapped, 'I mean... dorm room!'

Andrew bit his tongue after his own outburst, refusing to allow embarrassment to colour his cheeks. He felt a heavy weight settle at the pit of his stomach as he realized he'd just ruined all chances of a pleasant school life.

'So long to being on speaking terms with the boy you have to look at every day for the next five years,' he thought to himself bitterly

James looked rather taken aback by his forwardness, 'Yes, it is rather an inconvenience,' he agreed, raising an eyebrow as his gaze travelled down the other boy, sizing him up.

Andrew bristled under his gaze, feeling like his head would explode after the long and testing day he'd just had. He could feel his cheeks puffing out and turning red as he gritted his teeth to keep himself from saying something he might regret later.

There was just something that really irked him about the condescending way the other boy spoke; as if the thought of being merely civil to Andrew was beneath him, let alone trying to actually attempt any sort of friendship between the two of them.

'I never asked to be your roommate you know,' Andrew shot back, unable to keep it in. His inky black eyes sparkled with anger. He was practically yelling this as he steamed in the unfairness of it all. What right did James have to go about as if Andrew himself had joyously picked him as the roommate he wanted, and then flown all the way here just for the purpose of bunking with him and being the best of friends?

'I don't doubt it for a moment,' James replied sarcastically, completely in control of his rage.

Andrew couldn't remember the last time he'd been this enraged. He had a hot temper and the other boys coolness and couldn't-care-less attitude was only serving to fan his flames.

Andrew shut his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself, envisioning the tranquil ocean surrounding the island he grew up in. It was a technique he'd used to control his emotions after what had happened two years ago.

Andrew cracked open his eyes and found himself staring right into the ripples of the stunning turquoise ocean.

He blinked back his foggy memories and realized the ocean he was staring into was actually James's own eyes. The other boy had moved in uncomfortably close to him as he'd been lost in his thoughts, and now James stood barely a foot away.

He was slightly taller than Andrew, but the latter's hair stuck up so messily that the volume of it covered the small difference, and gave them the impression of being a similar height. James was, however, still tilting his head to glare down at him in a way that Andrew found both annoying and also highly unnecessary since he really wasn't that much shorter.

Andrew blinked and indiscernibly shook his head to clear it of the vision of the gorgeous pair of eyes. They were even more beautiful than the sparkling ocean around his childhood home, they had so much more depth to them as they rippled at times and then crashed like angry waves.

The cool air was turning warm as their breaths came fast and hard in the atmosphere still charged with their dissension. James was staring at him with what could only be described as mixed puzzlement and intrigue although he had shown no interest in wanting to get to know Andrew.

James broke the charged atmosphere as he calmly stepped back and left Andrew to get on with his unpacking. Andrew let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding since his eyes had stared into the oceanic eyes, shifting constantly between turquoise and teal with unexpected flecks of forest green.

The atmosphere was less uncomfortable now that the two boys had had it out. It seemed that they had moved past the initial awkward phase and into a silent resentment.

James looked expressionless now and Andrew wondered if he'd misread the regret on his face as he'd turned away. The day's events filled his mind as he lay awake in bed. He kicked himself for his fiery reaction earlier; he liked getting along with everyone, but that hadn't exactly gone according to plan.

Andrew bit his lip as he drew in a shaky breath and tried not to give in to the sudden homesickness that enveloped him. It was multiplied ten-fold when he compared the island folk's kindness and caring after his incident to the unwelcome hostility in his indecipherable new roommate.

He tried to shift his thoughts to the other two boys, Evan and Jesse, who were in the dorm right opposite theirs. They'd been really friendly and more welcoming than he'd expected; Andrew wished he were bunking with one of them instead.

His thoughts slid to Marie as he drifted towards sleep. She was really likeable; Andrew decided that she was exactly the opposite of James.

He wondered again whether they were just friends—but if they were dating like he thought then it would explain why James had acquired a sudden dislike towards him the moment they'd met. Marie had just been friendly towards him of course and he'd barely spoken to her, but he guessed that James was the jealous type.

He thought to himself that he didn't like Marie like that anyway as he finally fell asleep.

_______________

That night, the largest moon turned an ominous shade of hunter green. It flickered for an instant, flashing a ray of warning over an unassuming flower shop, before it transformed back to its usual cobalt shine.

It had been a long day at the florists, but Sarah still hadn't clocked out. She hummed to herself as she arranged huge vases of white lilies for an important order the next day. Sarah tenderly watered them and bubbled with excitement as she thought of the beautiful lady who had come into the shop that morning. The same lady, in fact, who'd ordered the white lilies.

Her heart-shaped face had been framed by long dark locks and held a pair of wide-set innocent eyes. Light flowy dress flattering her petite figure and trailing down to her ankles. Her scarlet lips had remained pulled up in a gorgeous smile, parting to release her girlish voice when she spoke.

Sarah wondered as to why she would need so many; it must be a grand event. She stroked the flower petals and shivered with excitement as she thought of how the lady's dark eyes under those long, long lashes had stared deep into her soul thoughtfully as she pondered Sarah's question, 'Why so many white lilies?'

'Because lilies symbolize a better future, a better world... one where everything falls into place... all your greatest desires.'

Wait, do they? Sarah had always thought that white lilies were mainly used as a funeral flower; she had been much too dazzled with her soft whispers to give much thought to it. Her dainty giggles had echoed through the shop, and Sarah still heard them reverberating around her mind.

Her long dark hair had fallen over one shoulder as she'd bent to admire the lilies. She had looked at them with so much adoration that Sarah herself had been drawn to the flower, seeing it like she was seeing it for the first time.

The lady's fingers had wrapped delicately around the stem of the largest lily as she breathed in its scent. Her long fingers were smooth and slender, devoid of nails. The skin where they should have been was instead slightly caved in and painted in a baby pink manicure that gave it the impression of normalcy.

Sarah pondered whether it was a condition she was born with; it was impossible to make out any type of scar under the pink polish. The lady was flawless nevertheless, her lack of fingernails doing nothing to take away from her breathtaking perfection.

Sarah was pulled out of her daydreams when she heard the soft tinkling of the bell above her shop door, signaling that someone had walked in. She frowned in mild annoyance, feeling quite sure that she had locked it before the sky turned indigo.

'Anyone there?' she called out, lifting the last vase and turning to look around. For a moment the lilies shone. Sarah blinked and stared at them as she visibly saw them bloom bigger and brighter than ever. She felt a whisper of a light breath against her neck... and then nothing. The vase crashed on the linoleum as she fell unconscious and let it slip from her hands.

The feasting man finished his meal and lay her down gently. He licked his fangs as he stood back up and looked down at her, feeling no remorse. He had drunk swiftly to cause her no pain and drained every last drop so as not to waste her precious life blood. He was only doing what must be done.

The long-shattered vase lay in splinters around her, the white lilies strewn around her even whiter face. The lilies bloomed and shone with the increased life force they acquired from the human's death. The man picked one up and tucked it behind his ear before vanishing away into the scarlet night.