Mason - Archaic #4 (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 3 - Part 2

When I entered the cafeteria, I found myself searching for the Archaic girl who had piqued my interest. It didn't take long to find her. She was already seated next to Felicity at our usual table with a scowl on her face as she glared at someone across the cafeteria. My eyes followed her gaze and landed on Mr. Moron. He was seated a couple of tables away from ours. I hadn't realized he went to our school.

He sat with a few other guys who were dressed similarly to him, smiling confidently at Neve. My gaze swung back to her and I could see the tension in her face as she continued to watch him. This whole situation was worse than I initially thought. If he went to the same school as us he could corner her at any time.

"Hey," I greeted Neve and Felicity as I joined them at our table. In an instant the scowl dropped from Neve's face and she looked up at me and smiled.

"Hi," she greeted back quietly and began to nibble on the sandwich laid out in front of her.

"Hey," Felicity greeted. Her smile widened as she gave me a once-over. It wasn't surprising she was interested in me because she'd dated my twin brother for a while. I gave her a smile back, but there was no way I was going anywhere near her.

I sat down opposite Neve.

"What's with the guy you were glaring at?" I asked. Her eyes widened in surprise. I looked over my shoulder at Mr. Moron. Would she tell me the truth? I didn't think she would admit he was an ex-boyfriend, or at least if she was trying to make him an ex-boyfriend but the idiot just wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Nothing, really," she said tightly. I could see the nervousness in her eyes when my gaze came back to hers.

"He was just being an asshole in class," she lied effortlessly. Man, she was good. If I hadn't seen the interaction between the two of them myself I would have believed her.

It was clear she didn't want anyone to know about him so I dropped it. I wondered if Felicity knew the truth.

I allowed the conversation to move away from Mr. Moron. I kept an eye on Neve and every now and then I'd shoot a glance over to Mr. Moron to see him still openly staring at her. Not only was he a new level of stupid but he also had that stalker vibe about him.

I couldn't help the fierce protective feeling that I felt toward her. With all the emotions pulling inside of me, there was no surprise when I felt a dull ache of a headache.

I rubbed my forehead but the intensity grew. A gentle touch on my arm pulled my attention to Neve, who had reached out across the table. I looked down at her hand on my arm. She had such long and delicate fingers.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. I lifted my eyes back to hers. Her big emerald eyes looked at me with concern. I was used to the concerned looks, but for some reason when it came from her it felt different.

"Yeah, it'll pass," I assured her. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind, but her small hand still on my arm made it harder. I was acutely aware of the brush of her skin against mine. As distracting as her hand on me was, it was also reassuring. My headache worsened. There were too many emotions flowing through me.

I needed space, so without another word I stood up and Neve's hand fell away as I reached for my schoolbag and strode out of the cafeteria. I didn't mean for my departure to be so abrupt but I couldn't cope with all the emotions she made me feel when she was so close.

Outside the cafeteria I struggled to breathe as the pressure on my chest increased. I leaned against the wall as I tried to concentrate on clearing my thoughts. I inhaled sharply and then I released it.

My eyes glanced to the door of the cafeteria and I saw Jared walking toward me. As thoughts of Neve disappeared from my mind, my chest began to ease and I could breathe easier.

"You okay?" Jared asked as he stood in front of me, watching me carefully. Sometimes they looked at me like I was going to go crazy. Maybe I would if I didn't get a handle on all of these emotions.

"Yeah," I said. I pushed away from the wall.

"I know it's a lot but it'll get easier with time," he said as he stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He knew the emotions overwhelmed me at times. I could see by his body language he was unsure of how to act. I had to admit I felt awkward and unsure myself. We were brothers, we shared DNA, but we didn't really know each other.

"I hope so," I muttered. The headache was now completely gone. An awkward silence descended between the two of us.

"I've got to go get something out my locker," I lied, to get away from him. He gave me a slight inclination of his head and turned back to the doors of the cafeteria.

I walked in the opposite direction. At my locker I spun the lock. Once I got it open I shoved the small pieces of paper with telephone numbers into it. They were starting to pile up.

As soon as I could straighten myself out, those numbers would come in handy.

The rest of the day went by quickly and without any more sights of Mr. Moron. I didn't see Neve either even though at every opportunity my eyes would scan the halls for her. I understood the feeling of protectiveness I felt toward her; it was the same way I felt about Ava and Catherine. What confused me was my need to catch glimpses of her. It was starting to make me feel uneasy.

The bell for the end of the school day rang. I'd just finished sorting out my books in my locker and I stuffed a few more numbers into it before I slammed it closed. It was because I was scanning the halls looking for Neve that I noticed her walk in the opposite direction from the entrance of the school. My feet seemed to have a mind of their own as I followed her.

I watched her slip into a room. When I got to the door, I realized it was the janitor's closet. What on earth was she doing here?

The hallway became more deserted as students filtered out the exit. It took a few minutes for me to realize what she might be getting up to in there. I was just trying to keep an eye on her but to anyone else it would look like I was stalking her. I needed to keep my distance from her. She was capable of looking after herself against Mr. Moron. I smiled when I remembered how she'd kneed him in the balls the previous night. With my mind made up, I was about to turn around and walk away, when I heard her cry out.

The protective urge shot through me and I yanked the door open and stepped inside. In the dimly lit room, I saw Neve's crumpled form on the floor with Mr. Moron standing over her.

The sight of her on the floor made an array of emotions shoot through me at once and the overwhelming feelings nearly brought me to my knees.

Then my eyes fixed onto her attacker, who hadn't heard me come in, so he still stood with his back to me. All the different emotions inside of me swirled around and formed into one unified emotion of anger. I could feel my energy flowing inside of me. I was going to kill him.