The Never Ending

Chapter 11 - Mesmerized

"There is no exquiste beauty...without the strangeness in the proportion." --Edgar Allan Poe

I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk, I feel like I have been in stasis for an eternity. Dark pools had me captured and held me prisoner to the point where it all seemed like a wild fantasy. They expressed many emotions, and talked directly to me in a language that would never be heard or deciphered by anyone else. I was not staring at a cold exterior, but a warm, riveting interior. I was no longer a part of the real world, I was encased in my own, personal haven. A haven, that I wanted to rest in forever and never leave.

All of a sudden, that haven was pulled away from me, dropping me back into the real world. The dark pools and the warm sparks that carrassed my body, were all gone. I felt cold and alone, I wanted the contact back.

"Zoey, are you okay? Answer me! Zoe-please come on, answer me!" I snapped back to reality, and tried to shake my head clear of that- whatever that was.

"I-I'm fine, Zak." I responded while trying to rid myself of that nerve-wrecking feeling, pounding inside of me.

"No! In fact, you're not fine. Look, your head is bleeding, I am going to kill you, for hurting her!" He pointed to someone behind me and I turned to see the owner of the dark eyes that had me prisoner, Andrew Knight. I couldn't help breathing in a wavering breath at the site of him in front of me.

What could this feeling mean? What was it that captured me? No. No, Zoey, compose yourself. It was nothing. I must have bit my head really hard when I fell. As I composed myself, I could see Andrew do the same.

"Pfft, please you should be thanking me for saving her. If it wasn't for me, she would have been a goner. That, little twig, wouldn't have even noticed that she was going to be hit, if I hadn't have been there." Andrew snapped back.

"I noticed it! I was going to move, but your fat self pushed me before I could do anything and then landed on top of me and then I couldn't move at all."

"Who are you calling fat? This is all muscle, babe."

"And I'm not a twig or a pig, either."

"You had me fooled."

"Excuse me?"

"How can someone be dumb enough to not see a giant ball falling out of the sky?"

"I am not dumb! And why do you care what happens to me?"

"I-I don't! I was just wondering how someone can be so slow!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Arrrgh, I hate you!"

"Hate you, too!"

In our argument, we had both failed to notice how close we had moved and we were almost nose to nose and chest to chest, at this point. I couldn't help but look at those black pools again and was captured, once again. I saw them melting as well, allowing me entrance. Again, I didn't know how long I was there for, but a cough brought me back to reality, to be specific, Zak's fake cough, which I was thankful for.

"Are you kids done?" Zak butted in as he looked up from his phone. "Zoey, we need to clean that wound."

"What wound-oh" I realized as I touched the side of my forehead and my fingers came into contact with warm liquid.

"Yeah, get in, we got to go." Zak motioned his head towards his car. As I turned towards the car I felt sparks around my wrist and turned to look at the owner of the hand.

"Shouldn't you get that checked by the school infirmary?" Was it worry that laced Andrew's features?

"Nah, I will take care of it." Zak replied hastily.

"Look, I may not know much about medicine, but I know enough and that," he pointed at my gash, "needs to be checked by a professional. She might have a concussion."

"I said, and I repeat, she will be fine and I will take care of it." Zak said while becoming angrier by the second.

"Hey, hi, she is standing right here." I said putting finger quotes around 'she' with one hand as my other was still held by Andrew. "I would much appreciate it if you guys were to refer to me and ask my opinion about whether I wanted to go to the infirmary or not."

This resulted in both of them turning towards me with a questioning look. "Zak, I think you should just take me home. I feel fine and I barely feel the cut." All the while, as I said this, I looked straight at Andrew, and I saw his features growing angry as he dropped my hand as if it burned him. I looked away for a second as I sat in Zak's car and when I turned to look back, he was gone.

***

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"For the millionth time, Zak, I am perfectly fine." I said as I looked up from my class work. It's been two hours since the incident, and Zak has somehow managed to ask if I was okay over two hundred times. I felt fine, in fact, I felt way better than fine.

"Maybe you shouldn't go to class for a day and we can hang out and watch movies in the lounge." Zak said as we were currently situated in the Anti-Council house, in my room, to be exact.

"I'm fine, dad!"

"Yeah but you can never be too sure-did you just call me dad?"

"You're sure acting like one." I giggled as he stuck his tongue out at me and made a funny face while mimicking me.

"Whatever." He muttered.

"On a more serious note, what was that thing that flew out of the sky?"

"I have no idea, but I know it can't be anything good."

"Thank you for making that clear, captain obvious!"

"Your welcome, lieutenant sarcasm!" And at that response, I threw a pillow, straight at his face, which turned into a pillow fight and then into a tickle slash poke fight.

If someone were to see us, I think we probably would look like two five year old kids who could never be serious, and by who could never be serious, I clearly meant Zak.

***

The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful, mostly because Zak wouldn't let me out of his sight. I couldn't help but think about those dark, mesmerizing eyes and what happened in the Gym parking lot. Actually, I find it sickening. How could a jerk like him be so enthralling?

On the other hand, Will and his mate have been busy doing who knows what and couldn't come over to the main Anti-Council building to see Zak. Instead, we decided to throw a little get together for the Anti-Council committee leaders and since its a private gathering, we are bound to have more gate crashers than the people actually invited. Now, if only everything goes as planned.

"Hachi, this is-" I started Zak's introduction, only to be cut off.

"Zak! I know. Nice to meet you, I always..."

She exclaimed like some fan girl meeting their celebrity for the first time. As they carried on talking, not even noticing anything going on outside their little bubble, I could tell it was time. This is it, my chance. I stalked towards the back door, avoiding any eye contact with anyone and I was almost there when-

"Hey, Zoey!" Karin chirped, giving me a hug.

"Hi Kar, what's up?" I replied back, but more than anything, my eyes were set on the door.

"Nothing, I was just getting a drink. Do you want anything?"

"Nope, even if I did, Zak would literally eat me alive." At this she laughed while I was dead serious.

"Alright, well give me a minute, I will be right out!" She said as she made her way to the kitchen.

After saying a quick 'see ya,' I was finally able to make my way out the door.

Ahhh, freedom at last!