Music To My Ears

Chapter One

I knew there was something wrong with that math teacher.

Every time the light hit him at just the right angle, his skin would shift, like what it was reflecting to us was not what it truly was. His voice didn't quite match his appearance, and his heartbeat was unusually fast for someone who was just simply nervous of being a substitute teacher. Plus, he kept staring at me. Sure, I recognize that my appearance can be seen as a little odd; more than once I've been called out on my consistent use of headphones. But this wasn't like that. He was staring at me like he knew what I was, and that was what was truly terrifying.

Now, more than four hours later, I can see the guy subtly trying to follow me. I'm not sure what he thinks he's going to find. Unless he can read minds, he won't be able to find out anything. I keep my secret pretty well hidden. But, just as a safety measure, I reduce the volume of the conversation going on between Adrian and I.

"I can't believe that teacher gave us so much homework," Adrian groans as we continue to walk. I nod in silent agreement. If there was one person who I would tell my secret to, it would be Adrian. He's been my best friend for several years now. But something has always held me back, and so he, like everyone else, doesn't know.

At that thought, I look over my shoulder, looking for my clearly creepy teacher. He seems to have disappeared, but in his place there's a boy around my age, with golden brown hair and intense eyes. The fierce gaze he's throwing at me makes me a little uncomfortable, but more than anything it makes me want to know who he is. I haven't seen him before, but that wouldn't be unusual. It's not like we live in a tiny town.

Adrian has stopped, a curious look obvious on his face. "Do you know him?" he asks me, nodding his head at the boy.

I'm about to open my mouth to say that I don't, but I freeze. The reason for my clear loss of speaking skills is the fact that the mysterious stranger is walking straight over to us. When he reaches us, he (in an oddly gentle manner) grabs my hand and entwines our fingers together. "Hello," he says pleasantly to Adrian, a mischievously pleased smile on his face.

Adrian looks even more confused, and I can understand once. The manner in which this strange boy is holding my hand makes it seem like we definitely know each other, and not just as acquaintances. If I was in a relationship, I would definitely tell Adrian, and the fact that he thinks I didn't tell him causes a slight glare to be directed at both me and the stranger. "Who are you?" he asks, more than a little coldly.

If possible, the boy's smile widens at the hostility coming off of my best friend. With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he extends his hand, saying clearly, "Sorry I didn't introduce myself. I'm Wednesday's boyfriend." His eyes turn to me expectantly. Maybe he thinks I should know his name?

He closes his eyes, the smile never leaving his face. His fingers softly squeeze mine, and I have to stifle a gasp. Maybe it's the contact, or maybe he did something, but I can read his thoughts.

My name is Luke. I'll explain later, just please, play along for now.

In an attempt to seem like I'm playing along, I roll my eyes at him. "This is Luke," I tell Adrian. I hate seeing the hurt flash across his eyes, because I wouldn't hide something like this from him.

He looks at me accusingly, reaching out to shake Luke's hand. "I don't believe she's mentioned you before," he tells Luke flatly, clearly put off by the cover story. "You'd think she'd mention something like that to her best friend, don't you?"

A little awkwardly, Luke laughs, clearly not completely sure how to deal with Adrian's hostility. "Well, it's very recent," he says, tossing a wink at me.