Same Band... New School... New Species?!

Same Band...New School...New Species?! - 18

"Who's there?!" I spun around, throwing the hand off my shoulder.

"Darren Cross."

"That doesn't tell me much," I said calmly, backing away.

All I saw in the dark of the school was a tall silhouette. He was a good 6"3, definitely muscled and the aura coming off him was menacing as hell. His voice was a deep baritone, but I couldn't guess at an age from the voice.

"You may say that I am on intimate terms on the man who ordered the death of your parents."

I stopped dead.

"Who is he?" I demanded.

"A very important power in our world," he shrugged, taking a step closer to me. I instantly took one back.

"Give me a name."

"What are you going to do Crystal Goldbridge?" there was an obvious smirk in his voice and I bristled.

"My name is Crystal Chimes." I was not happy. I was about to get out and now this, an irritating bastard stopped me and now he was taunting me.

"Whatever you say Miss Goldbridge."

Hell with this. There was no way he was going to tell me anything else about my parents. I knew in the back of my mind that he was most likely not going to let me leave the school, but I still turned on my heel and made for the door.

"Don't you want to get that shock collar off?" he fell into step beside me as I walked.

I was so surprised at that, that I missed a step and fell. Flat on my face. I hit my head on the ground, but not as hard as I may have, because I managed to throw my arms out to catch myself a little. I rolled onto my back, dazed.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he towered over me, not offering to help, just watching.

"What the hell happened to chivalry?" I snapped back.

"I never grew up on the ladies first bullshite," he knelt beside me, and I had a massive urge to shuffle away. There was just something dark about him, I wanted to get away. But I'm stubborn as hell. I stayed right where I was, until he reached towards me.

"Hey!" I started to get up, but he planted a hand on my stomach and held me down while the other hand looped through the shock belt.

"Calm down Goldbridge," he laughed, but it was a 'you're a whimp' laugh, not a happy laugh.

"It's Chimes," I snapped again.

"Whatever."

I watched him pull something out of his pocket, but in the dark I couldn't see what it was. Ice shot up and down my spine. That could be a knife for all I knew. I had no idea who this guy even was. My heart was ramming against my ribs as that mystery object got closer and closer to my midsection. It was a key. I heard a 'chink' of metal, then the belt fell away.

"Thank-"

I never got the word out. Without warning his lips crashed into mine and a dark chest pinned me against the plush carpet. I was in too much shock to respond. I knew instantly that this guy was my age, or not much older. Still, I did not know a thing about him beside his name and that he knew my parents killer, and now he was pinning me to the floor, kissing the breath out of me.

"Who's there?" a voice sounded in the dark, not three meters from where we lay.

I froze, blood turning to ice.

"I heard voices and I will be calling the headmaster if you do not show yourself and return to your room right away," the teacher threatened.

We were so still and silent we might as well have been one of the statues against the walls. A moment later I heard quiet, nearly silent footsteps walking away. It wasn't until the footsteps were completely out of hearing range that I realized my lungs were bursting for air.

I grabbed his shoulders and pushed, legs flailing. He instantly jerked his head up and we both sucked in air. His heart was thundering against my chest and I knew mine was doing the same.

"Who- the hell are you?" I panted. I was not liking how close he was, but I was just too weak to push him off and I doubt asking nicely would cut it for this guy.

"I told you, Darren Cross."

"Not your name," I grit my teeth in annoyance. "How the hell do you know me, how did you know that I was going to be here? Why did you stop that teacher from finding me?"

"Well in that order, I know you because everyone in our world knows you, I knew you were going to be here because I was on my way to rescue you and I stopped that teacher from finding you because with a planned rescue, that would just be counter-productive," he said calmly, sitting back onto his heels.

"You were coming to rescue me?" I stared up at that impassive silhouette in shock. "Why?"

"More questions once we're out of here," he stood up, dragged me up and started for the door. I didn't even have time to speak before we were out the door and running.

My feet barely hit stone with him pulling me along so fast. I had no idea who he was or where we were going, but it was away from the school and that was good enough for now. Once we were a safe distance away I'd start worrying about my present company.

My legs were jelly and I could not suck in a deep breath for the life of me by the time he stopped. I'd been pulling back at my arm for a good five minutes, I needed to stop. Usually my asthma only surfaces when there's a lot of smoke or aerosols, but this much hardcore running had my lungs yelling at me for my inhaler. He hadn't responded to any of my tugging and I didn't have enough air to speak. So by the time he stopped, I was on the verge of passing out. I barely noticed that we were on a side street out of the way when I went down.

"Hey!" Darren Cross dropped to one knee, catching me before my head hit the street. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

I didn't even have the strength glare. My chest heaved with the effort of trying to get air into me, but it was too tight to get the job done. Terror danced along my nerves. My inhaler wasn't here, I passed the stage of calming myself out of it a long ways back... I couldn't breathe. My heart thundered in my chest, there was a deafening rushing in my ears. I couldn't breathe.

"Crystal!" Darren put me on knees, holding my head low. "Breathe. Breathe damn it."

Black seeped into my vision. My world tilted and turned completely gray, the darkness still inching in. Then my lungs shut down completely. There was no breath in me, yet my heart continued to thunder and my last conscious thought was 'I am going to miss my brothers...'