Rabbit Foot

Chapter Twelve - Mister Mystery

Jade sat in the corner of her room, haunted by the lingering fear of the new villain. She knew her fellow heroes were probably just as scared, but she didn't take comfort in that. As she got up to get ready for school she couldn't help worrying what would happen next.

By the time she got to school she was incredibly nervous. She twiddled her thumbs like always. While looking down at her hands she wasn't paying attention, and tripped over her own foot. Stumbling a bit, she struck out her arms and felt her hand smack into someone else's. Before she hardly had time to look over, a shiny object had gone flying out of the person's grasp.

Whoever it was stood staring at the ground, expression solemn. It was a wrist watch that had fallen. The face was cracked, the metal scratched. The person sighed. Jade clasped her hands over her mouth in surprise. It was her fault it had gotten broken, she felt terrible. 

On top of that, there was a nagging feeling at the back of her head that if the person was angry with her... they could be the next akuma victim. As they turned around, Jade looked at them with confusion. It was a boy, probably her age. That wasn't the odd part. He was smiling softly, and almost seemed to be laughing to himself.

"I AM SO SORRY!" Jade blurted out. Her face was turning an embarrassing shade of pink. The boy seemed to take note of her rosy cheeks and grinned.

"It's... it's really okay you know." He reassured. "Oh good, I would have felt cute... BAD I MEANT BAD!" Jade rambled on, flustered. She suddenly stopped talking after realizing she was embarrassing herself further. "Err, sorry, um my name is-" The school bell rang, interrupting Jade's attempt at an introduction. She scrambled away, thankful for the chance to escape.

Later in class, Jade zips open her backpack, which is still full of useless junk. Well, mostly useless. One thing was coming in handy this day. Her little pack of stickers. These particular ones were modes of travel. Jade gave a satisfied smile as they peeled off easily. Aurore peers over Jade's shoulder at the notebook she was coating in stickers. 

"Ships?" "Don't question my decisions, Aurore." Jade's face went suddenly serious. They couldn't help it, they burst out laughing. The teacher had a different view on the hilarious matter. Frowning, she pointed at the door.

"TO THE OFFICE GIRLS!" Their science teacher shouted. Jade gulped. This was her first time getting in any trouble, and why did it have to be for a stupid reason? Well, he wasn't stupid. Jade smirked and pulled Aurore out with her. She walked happily down the hallway, tracing her fingers along the lockers. Part of her wondered which one belonged to the guy she met. Or what class he was in. Or really anything at all about him...

"I FORGOT TO INTRODUCE MYSELF AURORE!!" Realization hit Jade like a punch to the stomach. She groaned. Dragging her grey Vans on the ground, she kicked a locker out of frustration. Aurore looked like her mind was wobbling on the bridge between concern and amusement. Deciding quickly, she laughed.

The pair eventually reached the principal's office. Principal Damocles, the plaque read. Jade gulped and pushed the door open. She felt relieved when she saw a friendly looking man sitting in a chair behind a desk. He looked nice enough. Before this, Jade hadn't even met the principal before. Bushy eyebrows above a thick mustache and beard. She held back a snort.

Curious, she peered around his office. Her eyes searched the room for anything interesting until they reached another person sitting down. They had a textbook open, Math from the looks of it, and were reading. Jade squinted. The person before her was none other than Mister Mystery from the hallway that morning.

"YOU!" Jade exclaimed, shock clouding her common sense. Without even noticing, her finger pointed towards him, her arm stretched out. She likely looked rather insane. Blush crept up her cheeks and covered her freckles.

~~~

"Me?" Owen turned around, sounding bored. As his eyes took in the girl standing in the office, pointing bluntly at him, he blinked. It was that same girl, the one who broke his watch. He shook his head. No, the one who called him cute. He found himself grinning.

Trying to open his mouth and make a snarky remark, Owen found himself speechless. How could that happen? His brow furrowed and he waited to see what she would say. The girl was still standing there, as if frozen.

"I-uh... WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" Her voice started out normally and squeaked at the end. Owen glanced over at the principal. Mr. Damocles seemed to taking this in surprisingly well. He didn't even seem too mad that this girl was shouting in his office and completely ignoring him.

~~~

"I'm Owen?" The boy finally spoke. It sounded more like a question than a statement. He looked at Jade inquisitively. A shiver went up her neck. Oh, he probably wants me to say my name too. She thought. Trying to calm herself down, she closed her eyes for a moment. 

"The name's Jade." With this she smiled. Opening her eyes again, he was staring at her. Feeling uncomfortable, she shuffled a few feet away and focused her gaze on the principal. Suddenly she remembered why she was even there. Aurore was stifling laughter behind her.

"Girls... if you're going to waste time, just go back to class..." Mr. Damocles sighed. Jade looked confused. Reluctantly she walked over to the door and left, bringing Aurore with her. As she closed it shut carefully behind her, she peeked through its little window. The boy, Owen, was still looking.

Jade panicked and walked away as fast as she could. She had embarrassed herself enough that day. Groaning, she told Aurore to hurry. In the back of her mind, the front of her mind, and all around her thoughts one question was wrapped. Will I see him again?