Their Wings

Chapter 6: Sharing

I was frozen by the door, my eyes glued to the pale stripe on his arm. He noticed where my eyes had travelled and he quickly withdrew his hand, pulling down his sleeve.

"What was that?" I said, trying to catch his eye. He deliberately looked away, which made me more suspicious.

"What was what?" he replied, still looking away. I frowned at him slightly.

"That scar on your arm? I saw it, where did you get it?"

His eyes briefly flicked to his arm before looking up and meeting my gaze confidently.

"There is no scar on my arm." he said.

"Yes there was, I saw it myself!" I replied impatiently.

"You saw nothing, it was just a trick of the light." he said.

"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically with an eyebrow arched. "Then show me, right now."

He seemed to steel himself, then said quietly, "Alright then, as you say Ella." I gave a little jolt when he said my name. It sounded so regal and important coming from his cupid's bow of a mouth. He lifted his arm and slowly pulled his sleeve back.

His arm was bare, not a single scar or blemish marking the flawless golden skin. My jaw dropped and I quickly looked back up at him in shock. I shook my head in disbelief.

"No, that is absolutely not possible. There was a scar, I saw it." I apprehensively lifted my index finger and touched the bare skin. An almost electrical jolt passed through my arm when our skin made contact. His aura, that had previously been a soft glow, now spiked to an almost blinding light around him. I gasped lightly at the intensity of our reactions. We were in a kind of trance now, still as statues with our eyes locked. I swallowed lightly and he blinked, breaking the connection.

"Um, I think we should get inside now, the bell's about to go." he said quietly. I nodded mutely and he gave a tiny smile before turning around and walking past me to homeroom. I exhaled and blinked, trying to get a hold on myself again. I leaned against the doorframe and shook my head, trying to clear my head. Eventually I gathered myself and followed Luke into the classroom.

Instantly I was assaulted by the gathered thoughts of the entire classroom. i pulled up my hood and walked to my desk, my head down. As I sat down, the volume of them increased and I desprately tried to tune them out. I wanted to know what I had done this time.

Then Mr. Nelson walked in, immediately hushing the room, but not their thoughts. A shiver ran down my spine as he passed my desk on his way to his table. There was just something creepy about his aura. What made it more alarming was that I could only sense strong auras. The auras of people who were different to the rest.

Mr. Nelson sat behind his desk and started roll call. Then he stood up and said clearly to the class, "Since most of you probably didn't car e to hear this in assembly, I will repeat it. Miss Sharpe is currently on leave and so the principal has given me the extreme honour of being your English sub." My head was suddenly blissfully clear as everyone's thoughts turned to the new news.

My head was still down and my eyes were firmly glued to my desk.  Mr. Nelson cleared his throat and called the class to attention, then said, "Everyone please take out your copies of Wuthering Heights and open to chapter 3."

A hand was raised next to me and for the first time I noticed someone sitting next to me.

"Mr. Nelson, I don't have a copy of Wuthering Heights." said an intensely familiar voice. My head snapped up and I turned to look at the seat to the left of me.

Luke sat there with his hand still in the air, completely focused on Mr. Nelson. I was frozen in shock. He had given up his prime seat at the back to sit next to me. The thoughts invaded my mind again. I silently let my copy drop onto my desk, my eyes still on Luke.

"There," said Mr. Nelson, "Miss James can share her copy with you. Can't you?" I heard the unspoken challenge in his voice and nodded slightly.

"If that's ok with you." said Luke, looking at me now. I turned to meet his eyes and I felt compelled to say yes. He smiled at me and then shifted his desk until we were next to each other. The whispers and thoughts simultaneously grew louder. I pushed the book to the edge of my desk so that he could see as well. I was intensely aware of his body mere inches away and Mr, Nelson's voice faded into the background. i couldn't focus and the only thought running through my head was, Sharing is way too overrated...