Everlasting Bond (2 page)

“Ah, the perks of being twins,” Jake put his arm around her.

“I wouldn’t call it a perk. More like a pain in the ass,” Katrina playfully shoved his hand away. They turned and headed up the steps. At the top she said a quick goodbye to him and went her own way.

Rounding the last row of violet lockers, Katrina was able to make her way into her Geometry class in a matter of seconds. As the final bell rang, she collapsed in her seat.

Everything happened so fast, she barely had enough time to catch her breath. A pale white hand stuck itself through the door and wedged it open. In walked the most peculiar, yet attractive, young male Katrina had ever seen. Watching him saunter into the classroom, Katrina became mesmerized by his unique appearance. His auburn hair glistened vibrantly in the fluorescent lighting. Against his pale skin, his bright blue eyes reminded her of the bluest sky.

To Katrina, this handsome stranger r
esembled the statue of a Greek god, as he penetrated the somber classroom with his presence. His ivory skin complemented his perfectly sculpted features. With flawless chiseled cheeks, a prominent square jaw and broad shoulders, his godly essence was only more emphasized.

As soon as he entered the classroom
, his eyes looked up in Katrina’s direction and they met for just a brief instance. In that fleeting moment two things simultaneously happened—she felt a surge of electric currents pulse through her entire body and her mind began to spin out of control. Her body became overwhelmed by an invigorating rush of emotions. Through the spinning, Katrina noticed the pale handsome creature’s body cringe. He seemed equally stunned, as if the air was being sucked right out of his body.

For that short moment in time, there was no one else in the room. All of the other distractions around them subsided and ceased to exist. It was just the two of them, lost in their own world. Katrina could feel every part of
her body craving to touch him.

Then just as fast as it appeared, the voltage that ran through her receded, burying itself back down inside. She dropped her eyes down to her desk and let out a low sigh. Katrina’s hands trembled, as she reached in her bag for her math book. It took longer than normal for her to pull the oversized book out. Plopping it onto her desk, she was distracted by Ms. Stevenson’s gentle voice calling the class to or
der.

There was nothing teacher-like about Ms. Stevenson, with her blonde flowing hair and topaz eyes. The way she strutted made her look as though she would be more at home sashaying down the catwalk on a
New York runway, rather than the halls of Morgan Springs High School. In addition to being good-looking, she also projected a sense of warmth and nurturing that most seemed to lose within their first couple of years of teaching. Katrina watched as Ms. Stevenson flashed the newcomer one of her welcoming smiles and went through the usual introductions to prepare him for the hour he’d be spending with her each day.

Katrina’s morning was made even more uncomfortable when she heard Ms. Stevenson say, “Why don’t you take the empty seat over ther
e, Cole?”

Realizing Ms. Stevenson motioned towards the empty desk behind her, Katrina dropped her eyes down to the floor. His nearing footsteps echoed against the tile floor and tingles of anticipation swept over her. Katrina hid her face and tried to steady her heart rate to avoid adding to the sca
rlet color her skin had become.

What’s wrong with me?
Confusion washed over her as her head spun. Katrina closed her eyes to calm her nerves. Passing her desk, Cole’s hip lightly grazed the tip of her hand. Katrina’s body contracted from the pain of shock, as the electric current overtook her. The rip tide of emotion pulled her back to that point of pure ecstasy she felt only moments earlier. Goosebumps began to form on her flesh, as every hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her body became an over-stimulated mass of scarlet as her blood began to boil. Sweat began to trickle out of her pores to cool the colossal inferno her body became, but it was useless. The internal flame sweltering inside her refused to subside.

She felt Cole’s body also tremble under the spark of contact. Opening her eyes from the shock, Katrina found his light blue gems looking back at her. They deepened into a cobalt fire, as they gave her a curious stare. As his body edged away from her and stumbled his way over to his seat, Katrina felt the c
onnection between them falter.

Confused, Katrina let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. The strange emotions vanished for a second time and Katrina was brought back down to reality. Looking up
, she saw Ms. Stevenson calling the class to order. Katrina never felt so embarrassed. She looked around to see if anyone had seen what had just happened between them and was relieved that everyone else was too preoccupied with their own conversations to notice.

“Okay, guys. Settle down.” Ms. Stevenson slipped her chocolate reading glasses onto her heart-shaped face. The square, thick reading glasses were the only true hint at her aging at all. “I know today’s our first day back and we’re all excited to discuss what we did over summer, but can we please refrain from talki
ng about it until after class?”

It was more of a polite request rather than
the stern demand most teachers would give; even the simplest of instructions seemed pleasant coming from her, rather than an order of obedience. Perhaps that was why most of the students happily complied with her instructions, unlike with other instructors.

Before long, Ms. Stevenson began writing out basic mathematical equations. They were pretty basic, so Katrina assumed it was a refresher for everyone. Most students buried their knowledge over summer break.  Ms. Stevenson must have realized most of them would need the extra help retraining their brains. Concentrating seemed to take all of Katrina’s effort because a quick glance around the room revealed the others were having troubles concentrating as well. The silence in the room was deafening.

Katrina attempted to put all of her effort into Ms. Stevenson’s lesson, but part of her was still very much aware of the attractive new arrival behind her. Every so often she could almost feel his ocean blue eyes glaring at the back of her head, burning right through her. It took all of her inner strength to get through the introduction of the Pythagorean Theorem in one piece.

Half way through her math lesson, the bell rang, releasing her from her own personal prison. Trapped by her body’s strange surge of emotions, Katrina couldn’t wait to exit the classroom. She wasted no time bolting towards the door for her freedom, her sanity
, and away from the gorgeous person behind her.

As the day went on, Katrina was both relieved and saddened that she had no more classes with Cole. Part of her was glad she wouldn’t have to deal with the uncomfortable feelings that he seemed to bring, but another ached to see him again. That didn’t stop her eyes from wandering the halls in hopes of catching a glimpse of him, as images of him
danced around inside her head.

Lunchtime didn’t hold much hope for her either. There was no sign of him. It was as though he had simply vanished, a ghost that refused to reappear and make himself known to her. Disappointed, Katrina grabbed her lunch and sat in her usual lunchtime spot. Poking the prongs of the fork into her salad, Katrina tried to focus on something else. It was pretty hard, because her mind
just kept coming back to him.

Her loss of appetite finally won. She was about to throw her food away, when she heard a familiar voice shout from across the room, “Hey, Kat!”

“Hi, Stace.” Looking up, Katrina waved and gave her a big smile.

Stacy Reynolds had been Katrina’s confidant since grade school. Her soft angelic features complimented her fun-loving persona. Spiral blonde curls bounced vivaciously off her dimpled, cherub cheeks, as she ran over to Katrina. Her golden brown eyes gleamed back with an overflowing sense of warmth and understanding. It was these compassionate eyes that helped Katrina through the many obstacles she faced in her short life. Next to her twin brother Jake, Stacy was the only other person she was willing to do anything for. Stacy was always there for her no matter how
bad things became in her life.

Three winters ago, when Katrina’s father was killed in a car accident and again last year when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, it had been Stacy who helped her cope. All of her othe
r so-called friends were conveniently busy with other priorities when she needed them most. Stacy had been there to console her through the bad times and shared in every crazy moment in between. During her mother’s remission, it was Stacy who put together a “Happy Recovery” party for her.

“So, how are your classes?” Stacy’s voice chimed in, as she sat down in front of Katrina.

“Fine, I guess,” she shrugged.

“Just fine?”

“You know how it is—same boring class, just a different day.” She absently picked at a leaf of lettuce before giving up and pushing her salad aside.

“Are you telling me you can’t find one you like?”

“No, not really.” Katrina stared at Stacy, wanting desperately to ask her about the new guy. She just wasn’t sure what to say. Sighing, she decided to take a deep breath and just come out and ask. “Hey, Stace.”

“Yeah?”

“Have you noticed anything weird about that new kid Cole in Mrs. Stevenson’s class?” she asked, as she began to fidget with her bottle of juice.

“You mean other than the fact that he’s a total babe?”

“Yes, besides that,” Katrina laughed, as she rolled her eyes at Stacy’s blunt remark.

“Sorry, Kat,
I couldn’t get my eyes off his butt long enough to make any other observations.”

“You’re so bad.” Katrina hid her face in her hands to hide her blushing scarlet skin. Stacy always could make her laugh like no one else.

“I know. It’s a gift really,” Stacy giggled. Taking a bite of her sandwich, she continued the conversation. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Katrina hastily explained away. “I was just curious.”

Sitting in the rigid plum chairs, Katrina let her mind wander. Scanning the entire lunch area, her eyes strained to find any sign of the handsome stranger and prove he wasn’t a figment of her imagination, that he was indeed real and what she experienced this morning did in fact happen. This could give her some peace of mind that she wasn’t completely delusional. Lost so deep in her own thoughts, Katrina was oblivious to her surroundings. It wasn’t until a soft nudge on her shoulder snapped her back to the present.

“Kat, hurry up. Everyone’s already gone to class,” Stacy’s bubbly voice chimed in.

“Right, sorry.” Katrina followed Stacy out into the hall and ran to her next class. Not in the mood to sit still, Katrina found it difficult to focus. The last two periods of the day dragged on for what seemed like years. Even though it was the first day and most, if not all, of the periods were taken up by introductions, she couldn’t bring herself to care. She had other things on her mind that took priority.

Since lunch held no promises and her other classes also came up empty, Katrina decided to probe her brother. Jake would be sure to know more information on the strange newcomers. Her brother may be considered an outcast to most, but to her he was a river of knowledge. Jake was an ideal commodity overflowing with the town’s deepest secrets. And she knew the most opportune time to do it was right after school.

At 3:15pm, the sound every high school student anticipates happened. Wasting no time, Katrina was out of her seat and speeding towards the door before the bell could finish. Cutting a sharp left past the lockers, Katrina passed by all of the social groups that commenced in the halls. Walking out the front door and down the front steps took less than a minute for her today. She parked herself right in front of the hood of the truck and waited.

Peering over the massive clumps of students, she watched in anticipation for the only student she had any care for at that moment. Minutes began to pass, as did the hoards of students who were steadily emptying the parking lot and there was still no sign of Jake.

“What could be keeping him?” she wondered aloud.

Watching the last of the students leave the now empty parking lot, Katrina became concerned. Her brother was never late and this sent warning bells off inside her head. Many horrific images danced around in her head, as the possibilities for his absence ran through her mind.

Just when she decided to go search for him, Jake’s russet colored head appeared from around the back corner of the school. Relieved, Katrina waved for him to hurry up. Staring straight at her, his expressionless face gave no acknowledgment to the signal. Taken aback by his lack of reaction, Katrina did a second glance and noticed something she had overlooked.

Jake’s normally fair skin was ghostly pale. Even the rest of his a
ppearance was out of character for him. His hair was disheveled and his clothes were a mess. He looked like he just rolled out of bed. Then Katrina’s eyes made their way to his face. His baby facial features were swollen and replaced by huge welts. He looked like he had just finished boxing practice.

Anger pulsed through her veins like a plague spreading through a village. Whoever was responsible would be very sorry they messed with her brother. More importantly, they would have to deal with her.