Monster Training Universe

Chapter 2

Tess Jrace

Age: 16

Date: 01-03-17

On Assignment

Location: Classified__Downtown New Capitol

I stood awkwardly by Luke/Matt. He was chugging down a coke, ignoring me completely. After he’d finished it, he turned to me. I brightened, but he simply muttered, “See you there.” and walked away. I fidgeted with my jacket and watched him leave the kitchen and walk out the front door. 

Beside me, a blonde girl was shaking her head disapprovingly. “He really needs to get over himself.” she murmured. I didn’t answer, lost in my own world, and she turned to the only guy left in the house. “Right, Coalman?” she asked

“Huh?” Coalman exclaimed, turning from the cupboard with a mouthful of chips. The girl reddened. “Coalman! Stop being a pig and get over here!” I would’ve laughed had I not felt so empty at the moment. 

The girl stepped in front of me and clapped her hands in front of my face, making me jump. “Tess, you need to snap out of it. Remember why you’re here.” I blinked, and she said, gentler this time, “You don’t necessarily need Luke. After this is all over, you can just be reassigned to something else with someone else if you really want.” When I didn’t respond, she asked, “I could suggest it to them, if you want. Would you want that?” 

I immediately shook my head. If I didn’t have Luke, I didn’t know what I would do. It’s not that I needed him… I just couldn’t imagine a world where he wasn’t by my side 24/7. 

The girl shrugged. “If you say so.” She almost turned away when I grabbed her arm quickly. “Sammy, thank you.” I murmured, forcing a smile. “We’ll work it out. We always do.” 

She smiled a half smile at me. “I hope so. You two have a connection that’s amazing…” she trailed off as she glanced at Coalman, who was staring vacantly out the window. “Unlike someone else I know!” she exclaimed. Coalman jumped, then smiled sheepishly at her. “Honestly, I don’t know why I chose him as my Protector.” she whispered to me, then she smiled again and headed upstairs with Coalman. “We’ll be waiting for you two to come back before we officially begin the interrogation.” she shouted down the stairs. 

Just then, the doorbell rang, and I breathed in deeply before rushing to it. 

Ryan stood outside in an orange hoodie with blue jeans. A beanie sat on his head, and a white cloud fanned from his mouth. Being early January, it was still chilly outside. He smiled when he saw me, his green eyes bright. “Ready to go?” he asked. I smiled warmly back, taking on Mona’s persona. “Of course! Let’s go!” 

~*Aquarius*~

The drive to the movies had been slightly awkward, consisting of Ryan insisting I choose the radio station, and then brushing hands as we both tried to change it at the same time. After that, it was pretty much a silent ride for ten minutes before Ryan began asking questions. 

“What’s Matt’s deal?” he asked suddenly. I stiffened, remembering the argument, before relaxing and saying with a sigh, “He’s protective of me, since I’m all he has left of our family.” 

“Right, I heard that’s why you moved here. You guys don’t live alone, do you?” he asked curiously. I glanced at him. It was strange that he was suddenly so interested in Matt and Mona. “We do, actually.” 

“How do you guys get the money? I mean, it’s not exactly a cheap school.” he asked. He seemed genuinely curious, but I was still wary. The Ryan that I was sometimes lab partners with in biology had never been this curious before.