The Protector

TWENTY-EIGHT

Julian sat on the edge of my bed quickly lacing up his tennis shoes. I smiled at him, still wrapped in my black silk robe.

"Are you sure you can't stay for breakfast?" I asked, pointing towards the mound of food on the writing desk. He stood and grabbed a piece of bacon from the tray but shook his head.

"No, mi novia. I have to do some paperwork and run a few errands before this afternoon."

"What's this afternoon?" I asked curiously, grabbing a piece of my own. Julian struck his forehead with his palm in an oddly human way.

"We've been so busy I forgot to tell you. I'm going to be a special guest instructor in your group combat hour today," he said proudly and I tried to hide the horrified look that crossed my face. Kyler was supposed to be a guest instructor today too, and I feel as though this is more than a strange coincidence. "I have to go," he said as he kissed me quickly before jogging from the room. My stomach rolled as the door closed. I didn't have a good feeling about what was about to happen, but I knew I needed some nourishment. I could only finish half a blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee, but it was something. I knew I should eat more after my run and fall this morning, but my stomach wouldn't settle down. It reminded me of the way I felt the morning of college graduation. Like dread was saturating the air and it grew deeper with every inhale.

I finally gave up trying to eat and decided to curl my hair and do something with my makeup. After all, I was going to see Julian later and I needed to look my best. I wasn't going to be one of those girls who lets herself go after she gets her man. I applied more makeup than usual and realized my extra effort to make myself look better wasn't because I was going to see Julian, but because I was going to see Kyler for the first time in months. My heart beat faster at the thought, and I felt a bead of sweat roll down my chest. I finished my glam session, grabbed my bag, and ran out the door, late to my first class.

***************

"Wow, don't you look like a pretty little princess today?" Avery teased me with a grin as I sat down next to him in our Introduction to Protection studies class.

"Thank you," I said as I pulled a book out of my backpack.

"Pretty for a half breed slut, I suppose," I heard Francesca whisper, but loud enough I could hear, to Brittany at the table next to ours.

"Shut up, Franny," Avery said loud enough for her to hear as he looked over at their table. "We all know you're jealous because pretty Perry will never sleep with... you." Franscesca's face twisted and she looked as though she was about to jump out of her seat and hit him. I'd heard the rumors of Francesca's preference for the fairer sex, but never knew for certain. Her reaction pretty much confirmed those rumors.

"You wouldn't know how to treat a woman if your pathetic little life depended on it," she said, much louder this time.

"Au contraire, my little orphan Franny. You simply pull out your black American Express and Bentley and take her to the nearest Harrods for an afternoon filled with shopping and champagne," Avery taunted back at her, snapping his fingers once with great panache and tossing her his best "take that, sister" look. Francesca opened her mouth, but didn't know quite how to respond. I covered my mouth to keep from giggling out loud and Brittany even buried a laugh at the burn on Francesca. Avery turned back to me.

"That's how you solve a problem like Francesca," he said as Protector Saldanha entered the room.

"Settle down, ladies and gents, and everyone in between. We have a plethora of information to cover today, and I need you to focus on me, not on throwing insults at each other," he said as he looked pointedly at Francesca and Avery. "Now, it's time to revisit a story most of you have heard, but it is important to thoroughly understand." Many in the class grumbled and slumped in their seats, but I perked up, anxious to hear what he had to say. I had not heard most of these stories, so each one was fascinating to my new Protector brain.