His Guardian Demon

Chapter Eight

I yawned in the middle of Mrs. Murphey's lecture about using verbs in the preterite. I've only been here for an hour and I already decided I hate Spanish. Luckily the bell rang, saving me from having to listen to the lady butcher the language even further. 

I glanced down at my schedule and made my way to room 420. Just this class and then I can go home.

I walked in and immediately wanted to walk back out. It's those two idiots from math class, I thought as I looked for a seat. The desks were arranged in pairs facing the front of the classroom. The only empty desk was at the back of the class, so I sat there without a second thought. An uncomfortable pressure was suddenly placed on my chest, but it wasn't too bad so I ignored it.

A loud clapping at the front of the room startled everyone into silence. I focused on what the teacher was saying.

"Okay, so, as many of you know, I'm Mr. Dun. Today is a special day. We are going to be starting a project!"

Cue the groans from everyone in the class. My eye twitched in annoyance. I didn't want to get close to anyone at this school, and I sure as hell didn't want to do a project. I just wanted to take the kid and get out of here.

The teacher clapped his hands again. He looked in disbelief at everyone. "Did I finish speaking? I was going to say that this project will be done in pairs. And," he said loudly before anyone could start talking, "I have already selected your partners."

He walked over to his desk and pulled a sheet of paper from between two piles. He dramatically cleared his throat and began to read off the pairings. "Kyle and Stephanie, Brady and Hannah..." He droned on until he got to the last of the pairings. "Marcus and Tyler, and last but not least, Winston and Asher. Please move so you are seated next to your partner."

I frowned. Winston, like the kid I'm supposed to take back? 

"H-hey." The sound came from my left. I glanced over at the kid who had spoken without turning my head, only to snap in his direction. My eyes widened as I stared at the kid. He averted his eyes and refused to make eye contact.

His eyes are even more gorgeous than in the pictures.

"Um, I'm Winston, but you can call me Winnie," the boy said as he shifted in his seat. I knew I was making him uncomfortable with my staring, judging by the light blush that covered his cheeks. But I couldn't look away. He looked, adorable, almost, in a light pink sweater that looked two sizes too big. His eyes commanded attention, but he seemed repulsed at the thought of anyone speaking to him.

"I'm Ash," I said as I finally looked away. I could feel the pressure increase the more I looked at him.

I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Marcus giving a smile full of false sympathy. "Sorry, you got paired with the Freak on your first day here."

I stared at his hand, completely ignoring everything he said. "Get your hand off me."

Marcus blinked a few times and asked, "What?"

I glared at his hand. "I don't like being touched," I said as I looked him in the eyes, glare still in place, "so remove your hand before I break it."

Marcus quickly retracted his hand and put them up in surrender. "Okay, okay, sorry. My bad." He turned around and sat down next to his moron of a friend. I glared at the back of his head until Mr. Dun started speaking again.

"So, is everyone sitting with their partners? Good. Your job is to create an alien species. It can look like whatever you want it to be, but it has to pass down genetics. There must be at least three clear dominant and recessive traits. There must be at least two children, two parents, and two grandparents. For example," he said as he held up a past project. "This child made green skin the dominant trait and blue skin the recessive..."