Can't I Fit In Anywhere?

Chapter 10: Ice and Beast

Tori's POV

"Did you say 'cute'?" Ryan asked. 

Although his eyes were a little red and shiny tracks of dried tears on his cheeks, he still managed to look cute and innocent, even though I know he isn't innocent. He's definitely not. Not at all.

I could feel my face is on fire. Gods be damned, why did I have to say that!?

"Are you alright, you look flushed." Ryan suddenly commented, looking at me. His head was tipped to the sides, and I could almost imagine him as a dog.

  Maybe a Boxer or a Malinois. He can definitely fit those breeds. I can see that.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." I huffed at him. "I should be asking you-" I made a jab at his shoulder. "-are all right."

"Better." He gave a smile, though it didn't reach as high as usual.  "Still did you say what I heard you say?"

Damn him, I was hoping he'd move on from that topic!

How should I explain this? Noooooo, why brain? Come one! 

"Tori?" He questioned out hesitantly.

"Ya, I did." I took another deep breath, now or never. Suddenly though, the words got stuck in my throat. So I went for the alternative. I kissed him. "Because, since you won't do it, I'm asking you out? Will you be my boyfriend?"

WHAT THE HELL BRAIN!

Oh god, oh god, oh god. No! Why did I do that? I'm an idiot! How could I do this?! I can't believe I did that! He's going to hate me!

I glance up at Ryan, not even noticing I looked away in the first place. His eyes were wide, but yet he was moving his head. Wait, nodding. Saying yes, to my question...

YES! OH THANK GODS I DIDN'T SCREW UP!

"You guys done yet?" A voice broke the silence.

Both our heads swiveled to the origin point, to see Tina standing on the other side of the door, her head peeking into the room but not looking at us.

Oh gods why?

"TINA! What the hell!" Ryan nearly shouted, voice still slightly raw.

"Well I was sent to get you guys by Slade! I didn't mean to walk in on your guys feeling moment!" She fired back, finally looking at us.

"Slade wants us?" Ryan asked uncertainly.

"I guess." I shrugged. 

"Ya, come on lovebirds." She replied, before she moved.

"Come on Ryan." I stood up and tugged on his hand, dragging him up.

He grumbled something out, to low for me to hear, but stood up as I dragged him up from the couch.

---

We walked into another section of the lab. Three or four computers were lined up against the wall, and that was about the only thing in the room, minus a few tables by the two doors, one where we walked into and one to the left of us.

Petra and Slade stood in there, talking among themselves, while a third person, one I didn't recognize, stood there looking absolutely lost.

Short, brown hair, and emerald green eyes stood out the most. He wore a simple orange shirt, with a black unzipped hoodie over it. He completed the look with just a simple pair of blue jeans.

No one I recognized, but that didn't mean anyone else didn't. "Tony!" Ryan exclaimed out, while Tina went with a simple, "Hey brother!"

Ryan knows him? Weill, Tina did say brother, maybe that's how he knows Tina. He was friends with Tony, that was his name right, and then met Tina. Maybe, I don't know. I need to interrogated Ryan sometime. I have some questions.

"Ah! Finally, I was wondering if you got lost!" Petra said. "This lab is a maze after all. I understand if you get lost in here. It takes years to know where you're going!"

I frowned. Wait, didn't he get lost-

"Didn't you get lost in here when we first found this place?" Ryan pointed out. 

Petra looked aghast. "Me? Lost in my own lab? Never!"

Ryan just hummed in response. I could hear the unlined words that came with that hum. 'Suuure.'

Tony gave a cough. "Is someone going to explain what this place is? Also, where the hell were you Tina, you just disappear right before dinner and why the hell is Ryan here?"

"Why am I here?" Ryan said. "I told you, I moved to a new school. Here."

Tina sighed, shaking her head. " I told you both that the other was here."

Tony gave a level stare, then looked around. "Okay then, what about the other questions. I went investigating after you disappeared Tina and found this place."

Oh great, more explaining.

----

It took about an hour, but in the end, we explained the situation to Tony, and now it was time for Tina and Tony to go into the pods to find out their runes.

One moment stuck to me though during the explanation. I don't know why, maybe because what Tony mumbled, to low for anyone else to hear it but me.

~~~Flashback~~~

Tony stood there, looking back and forth at each one of us. "So these things called Runes are in us, and that gives us powers?"

"Ya, that is the base of it." Slade spoke up. "As you go deeper into it, you can tell that it is more complicated than it seems."

"Wait, so we all have these things here?"

"Yep!" Tina chirped at her brother.

"So what do you guys have?" He looked uncertain, but held a bit of curiosity. 

I spoke up. "I have the plant/healing runes." In a flash of green light, I activated my runes. The symbol appearing on my hands.

Slade was the next one. "I have psychic runes. They tend to be confused by Shadow runes, so be careful." 

"Water!" Petra exclaimed, looking rather proud.

Tony's head moved, looking at Ryan. He lifted his hands, and in a flash of red, he held a small ball of fire in his hands. "Fire." He spoke softly, a small smile on his face.

I watched Tony's expression, and I almost missed it. Shock, horror, confusion, then back to the mask of indifference he wore quite well. "The irony." I heard him breath out, barely though. 

What is going on? Tina and Tony both reacted negatively to finding out Ryan could control fire. 

"What does fire have to do with Ryan? Do you not know what happened?!"

"The irony."

Something had to happen in the past that deals with fire and Ryan, but what?

~~~End Flashback~~~

Petra and Slade sat at the computers, monitoring the progress of Tina and Tony in the pods. Ryan and I couldn't leave the lab until all the classes finished, something about weaving a lie good enough to pass it to the other kids, so we just sat on the ground and quietly talked back and forth.

"Tina's almost out." Petra spoke out into the almost quiet room. "By the looks of it, she has a higher than average amount of mana and has the Beast Rune."

"Oh yay." Ryan spoke unenthusiastic. "She can now scare the hell out of me in any animal form." 

He seemed undisturbed by the strange looks he received from Petra and Slade, though I agreed with him. She seemed like the type to like to prank. My stomach sank.

Great, now I need to deal with pranks from Matt, Ryan, and now Tina.

"Oh." Slade said, glancing at the screen. "Tony's results are in. Average amount of runes, and he holds the Ice Runes."