Identity

Chapter One:

"Hey, Zar, why are you always waking me up during school?" I lay down in the middle of the field. The grass itching against my bare hands and feet.

"Because I don't want you to fail school. Your parents are already worried enough as it is."

"It's not your job to take care of me." I look up and shrug. "Or maybe it is. Whatever."

"I was doing you a favor and you know it." Zara sits down beside me cross legged.

"Next time just take over okay?"

"But then you wouldn't learn anything." Zara shakes her head at me.

"No, but you would. You're smart right." I smile up at her.

"It's really Tempest who is the smart one."

"Have him take over then."

"Nope. It's your school not ours."

"Cassandra, do you know the answer?" Cassandra 's math teacher tapped her foot in irritation. She knew that Cassandra had zoned out again.

"Well the answer would be..." Cassandra looked up at the problem written up on the board in black whiteboard marker. "I honestly have no idea."

"Maybe you would know the answer if you paid attention," the teacher, Mrs. Blake said with a slight laugh.

"What would be the fun in that?" Cassandra rolled her eyes and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"Pay attention or else there is no way you'll pass this class." With that said Mrs. Blake moved on to solve the problem in front of the class. She wasn't a teacher that made the work look easy, it looked hard and complicated. Cassandra wasn't one for math.

"Tempest, can you please do me a favor and just do math for me today?" I sat up from my spot in the field to smile up at the 6 foot man in front of me.

"No."

"But I zone out all the time thanks to you guys."

"You zoned out before us, Cas."

"Yeah, but it got worse when Clair and Zara showed up. Then you guys all started showing up and now I can't pay attention to save the life of me. Just take over math today. Then you can teach me what you learned. You're a much better teacher than Mrs. Blake," I plead to Tempest. I give him my best puppy eyes as I watch him shake his head.

"Today only."

"Thanks!"

"Does that make sense to you all?" Mrs. Blake scans the class. "Do you understand this, Cassandra?"

"Uh, yeah I do." Tempest smiles up at the teacher in front of him. He got use to answering to the wrong name. When he was present he answered to this name. They saw Cassandra and thought he was Cassandra. He knew better though. When he looked down he saw the long legs and tattooed arms of his twenty-one year old self. Everyone else though, they saw a small, frail, teenage girl.

"Care to answer this next problem then?" Mrs. Blake pointed at the problem on the board. Tempest read it over and did some work on his paper before answering. It was correct. Mrs. Blake shrugged and moved on.

"I'm too old for high school," Tempest mumbled while leaning back in his chair. He folded his arms behind his head and sighed. School was easy and boring. So very boring.