𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 ━━━━ A. CHASE.

vi. COACH HEDGE

006. coach hedge !

AS JASON DRAGGED HER YET AGAIN, Willa gazed around the skywalk.

Their school group had the place to themselves. Maybe it was too early in the day for tourists, or maybe the weird weather had scared them off. The Wilderness School kids had spread out in pairs across the skywalk. Most were joking around or talking. Some of the guys were dropping pennies over the side. About fifty feet away, Piper was trying to fill out her worksheet, but her stupid fucking partner Dylan was hitting on her, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her that creepy blinding white smile. She kept pushing him away, and when she saw Jason she gave him a look like, Throttle this guy for me.

Gods, Willa wished she could hit him over the head with Coach Hedge's baseball bat.

Jason motioned for her to hang on.

Piper's eyes looked away from Jason's, met Willa's, and looked at his hand around her wrist. She gave her a surprised look. What are you guys doing? The girl mouthed to her.

Willa shrugged. This himbo boy is crazy, she mouthed back.

Before she could see Piper's reaction, Jason and her finally made it to Coach Hedge. The short man was leaning on his baseball bat, studying the storm clouds.

"Did you do this?" The coach asked Jason.

Willa's eyes widened and Jason took a step back.

"Do what?" The boy asked. It sounded like the coach had just asked if he'd made the thunderstorm.

Coach Hedge glared at him, his beady little eyes glinting under the brim of his cap. "Don't play games with me, kid. What are you doing here, and why are you messing up my job?"

"Job? " Willa cut in. "I don't think Jason can mess up your job more than you already do."

She doesn't know why, since she barely knew the boy, but Willa felt a kind of protectiveness over Jason, even if he was freaking her the fuck out.

Hedge scowled at her. "You don't know what you're talking about, cupcake."

"You mean...you don't know me?" Jason said. "I'm not one of your students?"

Hedge snorted. "Never seen you before today."

Willa nodded. "Same."

Jason looked so relieved that the girl swore she saw tears come to his eyes.

Willa patted his back lightly as he continued on, "Look, sir, I don't know how I got here. I just woke up on the school bus. All I know is I'm not supposed to be here."

"Got that right." Hedge's gruff voice dropped to a murmur, like he was sharing a secret. "You got a powerful way with the Mist, kid, if you can make all these people think they know you; but you can't fool me. I've been smelling monster for days now. I knew we had an infiltrator, but you don't smell like a monster. You smell like a half-blood. So-who are you, and where'd you come from?"

Mist? Monsters? Half-bloods? Willa's brain started to ache. Those words sounded familiar.

"I don't know who I am. I don't have any memories. You've got to help me," Jason pleaded.

Coach Hedge studied his face like was trying to read Jason's thoughts.

"Great," Hedge muttered. "You're being truthful."

"Of course I am! And what was all that about monsters and half-bloods? Are those code words or something?" Jason asked.

Willa thought hard. She swore she's heard these words before.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, slapping her head gently. "It's like Greek Mythology, right?"

Willa lowered her voice, "Did my moms' hire you to set me up on a role playing quest or something? That would be so cool."

Hedge narrowed his eyes at her and Jason looked at her incredulously.

"What?" She asked innocently, pulling on one of her braids, "I've always been into Greek Mythology."

Hedge's eyes filled with amusement, practically screaming I KNOW SOMETHING YOU DON'T!

He turned back to Jason. "Look, kid," Hedge said, "I don't know who you are. I just know what you are, and it means trouble. Now I got to protect four of you rather than three. Are you the special package? Is that it?"

"What are you talking about?"

Hedge looked at the storm. The clouds were getting thicker and darker, hovering right over the skywalk.

"This morning," Hedge said, "I got a message from camp. They said an extraction team is on the way. They're coming to pick up a special package, but they wouldn't give me details. I thought to myself, Fine. The three I'm watching are pretty powerful, older than most. I know they're being stalked. I can smell a monster in the group. I figure that's why the camp is suddenly frantic to pick them up. But then you pop up out of nowhere. So, are you the special package?"

Jason stumbled, and Willa pulled him up by his jacket, his body jerking so that he was standing straight.

"Whoa, there, cupcake," Hedsge said, "You say you got no memories, huh? Fine. I'll just have to watch you, too, until the team gets here. We'll let the director figure things out."

"What director?" Jason said. "What camp?"

"Just sit tight. Reinforcements should be here soon. Hopefully nothing happens before-"

Lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered. Kids screamed, stumbling and grabbing the rails.

"Oh, shit! " Willa screeched, as she almost lost her balance and toppled over before Coach steadied her. For a short guy, he had hands like steel.

"I had to say something," Hedge grumbled. He bellowed into his megaphone: "Everyone inside! The cow says moo! Off the skywalk!"

"I thought you said this thing was stable!" Jason shouted over the wind.

"Under normal circumstances," Hedge agreed, "which these aren't. Come on!"

author's note !

god, do i love writing about willa. i hope you guys enjoyed! <3