Dark Vision (Ballad of the Seer, Book Two)

Chapter 4 - The New Boy(s)

The first thing that Lily noticed when she walked into her next class was a tall boy with broad shoulders and blond hair that she had never seen before. Remembering her conversation with the Council, she wondered if this boy was supposed to be her protector. With his muscular physique he certainly looked the part. She examined him as he stared through the window at the snow covered courtyard where students ate when the weather was warmer. At the center was the fountain with the plaque that memorialized Veronica. Lily wondered for a moment if Veronica was having all of the adventures she had said she wanted to have at her funeral. Lily hoped that she was having a happy afterlife.

The boy turned his head and Lily saw a thin pale scar that ran along the line of his jaw on the right side. It was unnoticeable as soon as he turned his head away from the direct sunlight. Lily wondered what had caused a mark like that. Duncan had plenty of scars from years of falling off of his skateboard and wiping out on his bike, but none of his scars were like that. It was a clean line right along the edge of his jaw, like someone had sliced across his face with a knife or something else very sharp. He smiled when he noticed her staring at him. It was a wide toothy grin that was very open and inviting. He walked across the room towards her. His stride was full of a confidence that very few teenage boys had. "Hey, there," the boy said. "My name is Jason."

He came close enough to her that she had to tilt her head back to look into his clear blue eyes. He was so much taller than she was. It made her wonder how Hilary handled this with Eric. Jason was a little bit taller than Eric, though. "I, um . . . I'm Lily." she stammered. What was wrong with her? Why was she so flustered? It wasn't as if she had any intention of dating him. She was already completely and totally in love with Duncan.

He did that head nod thing that boys do sometimes. She never understood what that was supposed to mean. Boys seemed to be able to communicate so much with just that simple head nod. Lily had no idea what to say to him. How was she supposed to respond to a nod? It was ridiculous. Why couldn't he have just said something?

He continued to stare at her with a big dopey grin, like he was waiting for her to speak again. Even though she wasn't interested in him, she had to admit, he was very adorable. She opened her mouth to ask him a question, but the bell rang cutting her off. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, relieved that the awkwardness could be over. What is wrong with me? she thought. She was acting as if she had never seen a cute boy before. And she most definitely had. Her boyfriend being one of them.

"Well, it was nice to meet you." Jason said.

She nodded her agreement before going to take her seat. Jason went and took a seat at the front of the class. He had to cross his ankles under his chair because his long legs stuck out so far.

It didn't take Lily long to realize why she had acted so stupidly around him. She noticed the other girls in the classroom staring at the back of his head, looking love-struck. A quick peek into their minds revealed their sordid daydreams, in which Jason was the star.

After the bell rang ending the class, Jason caught up to Lily in the hallway. "Hey, do you think that you could show me around, maybe? This place is kinda confusing. I got lost trying to get to class from the main office." He rubbed the back of his neck, laughing at his own misfortune. It was very endearing.

Lily giggled. She couldn't help the smile that grew on her lips. Her hand reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, but it stopped in midair when she realized that it was happening again. She was being overwhelmed by all of the girls in the hall who had taken the time to stare at Jason and pine. She had become their proxy and was flirting with him on their behalf. She dropped her hand to her side. Now that she was aware of what she was doing she blurted out, "I have a boyfriend." She figured she should tell him so that he didn't get the wrong idea.