Merely Human

Chapter 3

I walked to class idly seeing as I still had a half hour until it started. Deciding to kill some time, I walked onto campus and sat underneath a tree next to where a beautiful creek cut elegantly through the line of trees. I didn't feel the need to do anything besides sit peacefully, watching the water and listening to it's soothing, trickling sound.

I closed my eyes briefly and when I opened them again there was a face in front of mine. It was a testament to how often this has happened to me that I didn't react at all.

The small face in front of me scrunched up slightly and the large blue eyes peering innocently into mine seemed to fill with tears.

"What's your name?" I asked gently.

He blinked his eyes and a single tear ran down his ashen cheek. He opened his mouth as if to speak but nothing came out.

"It's okay, you're going to be fine." I made my voice as soothing as possible.

He reached his small hand out as if to touch my face and my eyes fluttered shut as it was almost to my cheek, but after a few seconds I couldn't feel anything and I opened my eyes to find him gone.

"Andy?"

I turned my head to find Derek coming my way. He looked slightly confused and as he approached he was searching the area as if trying to find something.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked calmly.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked cautiously.

"Forgetting how to speak."

"You're not doing it very well." He smirked.

"I know, you're not being a very supportive friend."

He chuckled lightly. "Is this your subtle way of telling me you want to be alone?"

I sighed and shook my head at him in mock shame. "Not anymore, you've already ruined it. You might as well stay."

He sat down next to me and put an affectionate arm around my shoulder.

"You didn't happen to see anything strange just a second ago, did you?" he asked.

I smiled at him and leaned into his side.

"Nothing at all." I lied.

"Okay." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "We have class in ten minutes, we should get going."

"If you were Trish you'd be encouraging me to skip." I told him as I pulled away from him and attempted to rock myself into a standing position.

"That's why I'm not her, thank God." He muttered the last part under his breath as he also stood up.

"I hate biology." I sulked. "This isn't part of my major, why did I even take this class?"

"Because you need a science credit for your gen eds."

"That was a rhetorical question." I nudged him in the arm with my elbow.

He just laughed at me.

"Come on." He tugged on my arm and I hooked my arm through his as we walked down the sidewalk.

The sound of a low growl startled me and I jerked my head up to look at the guy I had run into yesterday. I racked my brain as I tried to recall his name, but Derek beat me too it.

"Problem, Caden?" he asked him with a slight cock of his eyebrow.

Caden narrowed his eyes at Derek's challenging tone before his eyes turned to mine, flickering down to observe the way our arms were linked.