Chapter 2

Thomas's POV

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

All the way home the only thing I could hear was the damn crunching of the fall leaves and the crumbling pavement as I walked.  It's always breaking. The leaves are shattering like broken vases the flowers long since passed. Walking home is like walking on a corpse crying out for help, with the cement all smashed to pieces.  My already unstable mind is not equipped for my dying surroundings.

I keep going till I reach a peach colored house with a white door and trimming along the windows.

"Home at last." I mutter as I walk through the door.

I was rushed by my parents the second I walked through. They engulfed me in a python type hug and just kept squeezing. I felt like I was about to pass out.

"I know you love me, but this seems like a bit much, even for you." I tell them in an attempt to escape their hold.

"When the Fae are fighting back, enough is never enough.  They're targeting schools! Your's could be next!" My dad rambled his fright in high pitch shills.  His tan face pale, with veins sticking out of his long neck.

"They haven't killed anyone yet, as far as we know, but they are kidnapping teenagers left and right." Father told me in a more low pitched tone, but still almost mimicking my dad.  His thin nimble finger dancing along the air in exaggerated motions.

It dawned on me that this must be the reason the hunters are here. I feel like an idiot to think not think of that before hand.  It's a feeling that I've been having for a while now but never gotten used too.

"That's a lot to process" is the only response I could conjure up. My brain can only handle so much at one time. They didn't even have to tell the gory details for me to get overwhelmed.

"Shhhhh, we were worried. Let us be relieved for once" One of them mumbles I didn't catch who it was.

Their words made my eyes water just a tad bit.  I haven't fully cried since my parent's accident.

In a soft voice I whispered the word  "Okay."

Later tonight I will probably sneak out to Gracie's house.  It's what I did when things got scary close to home. She made me feel safe, but I would never tell her that.  She would never let me hear the end of it.

All three of us just stood there hugging in the doorway. I don't know for how long, and I didn't really care to try and figure it out. The only thing that shoved us away from the hugfest was the fact the fire alarm started going off.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Each 'beep' going on for at least 30 second long.

"Who else votes for taking down the hell bell and burning it in the yard?" I mutter snuggling into my parents arms ( I'm too tired to move, and it's really warm so don't judge me) "all in favor say aye."

"Aye" my dad agreed squeezing my father and I tighter (we are just a huggers family we do this at any excuse we can summon).

My father nodded in approval. He pulled back suddenly after agreeing, blinked a few times his blue eyes wide in realization, and started flapping his hands wildly in a bird like manner.

"My chicken is burning! That took me a whole five minutes to pull out of a packet and shove in the oven! Five whole minutes wasted!" He started screeching along with a few other things that were too high in pitch to even try and attempt to figure out. He slapped my dad's arm and pushed him towards the kitchen "Ron go save it, I will be cheering you on from a safe distance."

"Come this way Thomas and grab a phone. Daddy volunteered for this let's not get in his way." He did quotation marks around volunteered and grabbed my hand to take me outside. Shouting words of encouragement the entire way to the outside.

Sometimes I really wonder if these really are the people I'm stuck with for the rest of my life. Then I remember that this is one of the reasons I love them.

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I couldn't get ahold of Grace last night.  I called her four times, she doesn't answer her phone unless you call at least twice.  She didn't even give me a call back. That scared me the most. If she doesn't show up to school today, I'm going to her home.  I wouldn't be able to bare it if something happened to her.

I put on my iron necklace before I left to school today. My parents wouldn't let me leave without it. It also gave me a false sense of security as I walked to school (more like child prison for the good and worse).

"Why do I even have to be here" I growl out. It's too early and schools have been attacked. School should just be cancelled so the government can figure out what to do.  Though, it's not like they were any help before, what would they be able to do now?

When I reach my destination I am gifted with the fact I didn't get jumped today. It was a bit odd though sense Grace is always here before I am. Come to think of it the whole building seems to be a bit sparse on people. There were a few people but it was all the people who never missed a day unless they were dying.

Everyone must have stayed home.

What the fuck dad, why couldn't you let me be like everyone else for once?

Now I'll have to deal with Axel all alone.  He might not be here today. That is my only sign of hope for today.

Walking into english, like I do everyday, I saw the one face I wanted to be gone.  He was gone for a month, why can't he be gone one more day?

Today Axel was smiling which was a plus. He didn't look half bad with a smile. His brown almost wolf like eyes shone with joy (for some unknown reason). His teeth impossibly white and his full brown lips looked soft and kissable.

What the hell am I thinking?

He looked normal, but a hot normal. It scared me. You can't glare at people everyday since freshman year and then decide to be all happy. It just felt off.

"Are you going to sit down or just continue to stare at me?" I heard a low rough, very hot voice say. It took me like 30 seconds to realize Axel just said something.

"You speak" slipped out of my mouth. I put my hand over my mouth. I had to be redder than a tomato. Kicking myself mentally I just stood there and continued to look stupid (I'm not good with people).

He laughed. A full on belly laugh, to the point of him hitting the table. Something is definitely wrong with this.

Note to self, if he offers to take you anywhere say no. He will probably murder you and hide you in the woods.

"Are you sick? Do you do this whole like sick h-happiness thing cause you don't know where you are?" I question still thinking about my death. Mark my words it will most likely be today.

He just calms down to a chuckle and says "No, your just too cute for words. Plus you still haven't sat down, are you scared of me?" I look down and see he's right.

"No" I announce while my voice cracks "And I'm not c-cute" I all but fall into my seat before I can say another word. I'll show him. I grab the book we're reading in class (A Tale of Two Cities) and don't mutter one word to him for the rest of the class.

After class was a bit of a different story.  He kept trying to ask me weird ass questions that there was no way in hell I was going to answer.

"When was your birthday?  It couldn't have been that long ago."

"How do you know it already happened this year?  Maybe it was last year!" Flipping him off I went to walk to biology.

He moved on, and went right to the next question,  "What do you like to do after school?"

"Run as far away from this prison as possible."  I said giving him a blank stare.

"What is your opinion about the Fae?"

We had reached my next class by this point.  Not sparing him a glance I walked, more like jogged, inside and built a wall with my textbook.

Who the hell does this kid think he is?  Why can't he take the hint that I don't want to talk?  I hope he gets patted down by the hunters.

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After my final class I was finally able to go to my locker, so I can walk home.

There weren't too many people in the hallways, but I kept my head down and stuck to the wall like glue.  It's a reflex from all the taunting I got in middle school about my stuttering. It died down in highschool, with only a few occasional snickers when I had to read in front of the class.

I start to actually take in my surroundings and see all the people in the hallway, most standing near a red locker. Nobody noticed the hunters yet. They had been here all day, and most people were scared to look at them. Their faces pale with terror, confusion, anger, and sadness. All of them appearing to be thinking of a way out (aren't we all).

Once one of the students glanced at them, all of the people in the hallway started to look. All eyes were on the hunters.

People whispered and pointed trying to figure out what was going on. Unil one hunter stepped forward, he was younger than the others with a baby face and light brown hair, almost blonde. He yelled out one word loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Run!"

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[N/A]

Thank you for reading. Any helpful tips for writing/spelling is always welcome.

Hope you have a great day :)