Feathers (4 page)

             
“Who told you that?” Raziel asked, looking a little surprised.

             
“She did.” I answered.

             
Raziel shook his head.  “Of course she’d have to tell you.” He muttered.

             
“I guess I’m not supposed to know?” I said, feeling a bit hurt inside.  I couldn’t believe he’d keep such a thing from me.

             
“It’s not that.” Raziel said.  He quietly opened his locker and shoved his books in there, then slammed it shut.  “I have my reasons not to let it out too much.  I guess it doesn’t matter if you know though.  At least you two can be friends.”

             
I leaned against the lockers and watched him for a moment.  He seemed like he was in a better mood now.  So I decided to take my chances.  “Hey Raziel, why do you not like Sean?” I asked.

             
For a moment, he froze.  But he quickly recomposed himself.  “You really have to ask me that?” he said, looking down.

             
“Should I not know?” I asked.

             
But he just shook his head.  “It’s nothing too bad.  He’s just dangerous at times, that’s all. And the only interest he’s showing now is because he knows who you are.” He admitted.

             
“Really?  I’m dangerous?”

             
Both of us quickly turned to see Sean Morrison standing nearby.  He didn’t look too concerned over the conversation he’d apparently over heard, though he was looking at Raziel with a bit of distaste.

             
Raziel quickly shot him a look back.  “You know it’s the truth.” He said.

             
“I don’t see where I’m any worse then you now.  And I certainly wasn’t doing anything to cause harm this morning.” Sean told him.

             
“What do you want?  I know you came looking for us.” Raziel said, moving over beside me.

             
“I did.” Sean confirmed.  “Actually, I was going to ask Mia how her first day was.  I trust she didn’t have too much trouble.”

             
I quickly shook my head, feeling myself blush a little.  It didn’t matter what Raziel said.  Sean Morrison was still very hot.  “No, I didn’t.” I managed to answer.

             
“There.  You asked and you were answered.  Now leave us alone.” Raziel ordered.

             
“You’re far too uptight Raziel.  I was hoping to ask Mia out sometime.” Sean said.

             
“Not happening!  Now leave!” Raziel yelled.

             
Needless to say, I was in shock then.  I couldn’t really figure it out.  I barely knew Sean Morrison, and he was talking about asking me out.  Maybe it was a good thing Raziel was there after all.  There was no way Sean couldn’t have been up to something with that one.

             
Sean just shrugged him off though.  “That’s fine.  Guess I’ll see you two around then.” He said.  Then he walked off.

             
Raziel shook his head, grabbing my hand.  “Come on.  Let’s get out of here before I really do hurt him.” He muttered.

             
To say I was confused with all of this would’ve been an understatement.  But at the time, the best I could do was follow Raziel out to our cars.  I didn’t see a sign of Sean as we left the parking lot, but I guessed that was a good thing.  Raziel was obviously steaming now.  I didn’t get it myself.  Just what was Sean up to?  By now, I was sure that it wasn’t coincidence that he’d come up on me that morning.  What I didn’t know was why he’d go out of his way to cause this kind of trouble.

             
After getting back home, I decided to once again try to put all of these strange things to the back of my mind.  Instead of thinking about them, I tried to keep myself busy.  I worked on homework for the first hour, then decided to fix dinner for Michael and I.  I debated on whether to mention the fighting to him though.  But in the end, I decided not to.  I didn’t want to start trouble from the beginning.  I was just starting my new life here.  And it had to get better.

             
Michael himself got home around six.  He seemed pleasantly surprised when he realized I’d fixed us dinner.  It wasn’t anything fancy, but it certainly made for good one on one time for us.  But sitting down at the table, I prepared myself for the eventual question I knew was coming.  And no doubt, it did fairly quickly.

             
“So how was your first day?” Michael asked me.

             
“It wasn’t too bad.  I have my afternoon classes with Raziel, though he sleeps through English.” I said.  No, I didn’t feel bad over telling about that one.  After all, Raziel had said that the teacher had sent notes home before.

             
Michael just laughed.  “That one doesn’t surprise me.  I’ll bet a letter is waiting for Raphael in the next few days once again.” He said.

             
“Raziel says it’s boring, so he just sleeps there.  I guess it’s not the most exciting class, especially with Miss Harris teaching.” I said.

             
“I’m sure the old woman can’t stand having our children in that class.  She didn’t like me or Raphael either.  We never slept through her classes, but we certainly didn’t do what we should have.” Michael admitted.

             
“She’s too monotone.  I was about to go to sleep with him at one point too.” I said.

             
“Some things never change.” Michael said, sighing to himself.  “Anything else interesting today?”

             
I almost felt like there was a double meaning behind that question, though I couldn’t tell what.  But I debated on telling him the whole truth about what had happened.  “Well, Raziel ran late this morning and I met someone who offered to show me around.” I said, hoping to maybe do a roundabout on the subject.

             
“Really?  Who was it?” Michael asked, looking curious.

             
“Sean Morrison.” I said, hoping I sounded normal enough.

             
Michael looked rather thoughtful at that one.  “Sean Morrison.  Well, there’s a surprise.  I wasn’t even aware he was back yet.” He said.

             
“Really?  Was he out of town?” I asked.

             
“Yes.  Sean sometimes goes to visit his father from what I know.  His mother Sara works for me.  She’s the manager of one of my shops.” Michael explained.

             
“I see.” I said.  This was a real eye opener.  Raziel’s words about Sean’s mom made a little bit of sense now.  “Are they new around here?  I don‘t remember seeing him last summer.”

             
Michael shrugged.  “They’ve been here since the end of September.  Sara actually came to Raphael when she was looking for a job, but I was the one who hired her.  Sean’s a nice boy too, though he’s a bit reserved most of the time.  Tell me, what did you think of him?”

             
How can he ask me that? I thought.  But I still swallowed the lump threatening to form in my throat.  “He seemed really nice.  But I don’t think Raziel really likes him.” I admitted.

             
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that.  Raziel tends to be jealous of Sean Morrison when it comes down to it.  I think you’ll come to know that soon enough.” Michael replied.

             
“Jealous?” I repeated.

             
“Yes.  Raziel was the most popular before Sean came here.  I’m sure you’ve noticed that he could attract a lot of attention as well.  Raziel just feels like his toes have been stepped on some.  Not to mention that Sean tends to top him in just about everything academic.  Though if Raziel applied himself more, that might change.” Michael explained.

             
“I see.” I said. Really, it did make sense when it was put that way.  Raziel did like attention.  So I decided to just let it all go for the time being.  It would probably just become normal in the next few weeks.

             
I found myself thinking that as I took my shower that night.  In fact, I was determined that come the next day, I would walk into that school without even thinking anymore about it.  After finishing up, I decided to get ready for bed.  By then, it was nearly ten.  Walking to my door, I called out a good night to Michael downstairs, then moved to climb in my bed.  I had to admit, the warm sheets felt good.  Snapping off the light, I closed my eyes and tried to shut my mind off for the night.  But that would turn out easier said then done.  Instead, I kept ending up thinking about the day’s events.  Just what had happened there with Sean Morrison?  I didn’t get it myself.  Even if Raziel was jealous, why was Sean trying to provoke him like he had been?  It didn’t make any sense.

             
I eventually did drift off, but awoke right at two a.m.  Lying there, I felt my heart racing a little.  I didn’t know why, but I had the distinct feeling that I wasn’t alone.  I curled up a little tighter, and let my eyes wander around the room.  I strained my ears to hear anything out of the ordinary.  But only silence remained.  Am I losing it?  I thought.  Normally, I didn’t have such trouble at night, or in the dark.  But for whatever reason, I felt absolutely terrified.  I worked hard to control myself and figure out just where this feeling of terror was coming from.  Slowly, it began to dawn on me that I wasn’t exactly feeling it in the room.  Instead, it seemed like that feeling of being watched from coming from one of my windows.

             
The one right over my bed.

             
I curled myself up tighter as I realized this.  Even though I knew it was completely stupid, I was certain that something was watching me from that window.  I closed my eyes tightly.  Please go away, please go away, I prayed.  Sadly, it didn’t for a long time.  And I ended up spending most of the night lying there in terror before sleep finally overcame me again.

Three

              The sound of my alarm going off was what brought me out of my sleep the next morning.  I have to admit, I felt a little more then exhausted.  Slowly, I sat up and looked around.  Bright sunlight was pouring thru my curtains now, and the feeling of being watched was completely gone.  I couldn’t help but rub my head.  I felt exhausted.  But then again, I’d been awake for most of the night when I awoke to that.  I eventually made myself move to stand on my bed and moved the curtains aside to take a look for myself.  But as I suspected, there was nothing out there.  I even opened the window to look.  Still, there was nothing out of place.  I couldn’t help but sigh.  This had to be stress.  I’d let stress completely freak me out the night before.  How pathetic.

             
After forcing myself up, I took another shower to wake myself up before getting dressed and heading downstairs.  I found Michael in the kitchen already, looking over the paper with a cup of coffee.  He was already dressed, and I had the feeling he was heading out to work soon.  I mustered my best smile as I walked in there.  “Good morning.” I said, trying to sound cheerful.

             
Michael looked up and smiled back at me.  “Good morning.  How was your night?” he asked.  It was the usual morning question.  In fact, I think he’d always asked me that since I was a little kid.  Guess it’s a dad thing.

             
“It was okay.” I lied.  I walked over and quietly fixed myself some toast for breakfast.  “Early morning today?” I continued.

             
“Yes.  I have a few meetings today that are down in Easton, so I’ll have to leave shortly.  I’m not sure of when I’ll be back this evening.” Michael admitted.

             
“It’s okay.  I think I can take care of myself until then.  Besides, I have Raziel around if anything happens.” I said, still trying to sound cheerful.

             
“That’s true.  And I know you can take care of yourself.” Michael agreed.

             
A part of me felt a little guilty for not telling him about the night before, or the whole thing at school for that matter.  But still, it seemed dumb at the time to trouble him with those kinds of things.  So I just acted normal.  But as I climbed into my car to go to school, I couldn’t help but glance around me.  I even checked the back seat like a scared moron.  I was so glad Raziel wasn’t there to see that one.  I’d never have heard the end of it.  Note to self:  make sure to keep car locked.

             
The drive to school was a quiet one, and I ended up getting there early.  Getting out, I grabbed my back pack from the passenger’s seat and locked the car.  There weren’t many cars there, but that was okay.  I’d wanted to get there early and get some studying done.  Being the new girl, I had a lot of work to catch up on in my classes. So I made my way to the cafeteria and found a seat there after stopping by my locker to put away my coat.  I actually enjoyed the silence of the place then.  It was much easier for me to study in that.  Occasionally, I heard some students joining me.  But the chatter was still quiet, beings they were studying too.  I guessed that was what most of the early birds did there.

             
I was working on some Algebra problems when I heard a familiar voice behind me.  “Good morning Mia.” Anna chimed as she sat down beside me. 

             
I couldn’t help but smile as I took in her appearance.  Anna Smith was a very pretty girl, with long strawberry blond hair and light brown eyes.  She always dressed really nice too.  That day, she had on a pretty long skirt with a red sweater.  But perhaps the greatest thing about Anna was her personality.  I had slowly begun seeing it the day before when we had our first two classes and lunch together.  Anna was a very open and sweet person.  Although she did tend to be a bit of a busy body at times.  She knew everything about everyone.  I truly believed that.   And she’d made it her business to tell me all about some of the other girls.

             
“Good morning.  Early today too?” I asked, sitting up and stretching a little.

             
“Yep.  I had to finish up my notes for this English report.” Anna said, pulling out a notebook and novel from her pile.

             
“Cruel Intentions?” I guessed.

             
“Yes.” Anna moaned.  “I really hate this book too.  It’s boring.”

             
I couldn’t help but laugh.  “You sound like Raziel.”

             
Anna laughed too.  “Guess we’re more alike then we thought.” she said.

             
I ended up debating on asking her about Sean then.  A part of me actually feared getting her started and having Raziel walk up on it.  As it turned out though, he was pretty late that day.  We didn’t see him before our first class.  But he was waiting there at lunch for us.

             
Of course, Anna’s reaction was immediate.  She walked over and smacked him on the back of the head.  “Ow!  Cut it out!” Raziel complained.

             
“That’s what you get for not showing up on time this morning!” Anna declared as we sat down.

             
I laughed in spite of myself.  No doubt Anna had him good.  Raziel wouldn’t have let just anyone get away with that stuff.  “Sleep in this morning?” I asked him.

             
“Kind of.  I was tired.” Raziel said, shooting Anna a look.

             
“So, did your dad go with Michael this morning?  I’m guessing he did if you got to sleep in.” I said.

             
“Yep.  But I still made it here by the end of first period.” Raziel said.

             
“Bet you got a write up though.  You are in Mr. Jacobs’ class, right?  He loves sending notes home.” Anna said.

             
“Wow.  Two in one week.” I added.

             
Raziel shrugged.  “It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.  Dad knows what to expect.” he said.

             
Anna looked around for a moment.  “By the way, where’s Sean?” she asked.

             
I felt myself tense up a little, but thankfully, neither noticed.  “How the hell should I know?  He wasn’t in class, so I guess he’s sick.” he said.

             
“That’s unusual.  Sean’s never sick.” Anna noted.

             
“He’s just another guy.  Of course he can get sick.” Raziel countered.

             
“I guess you know him, huh?” I said, trying to act casual.

             
“Who doesn’t around here?  Sean’s one of the hottest guys in school.  Not to mention he’s a genius.  He even beat out Raziel in our mid terms a month ago.” Anna said, grinning at Raziel.

             
“Shut up.” Raziel muttered, putting his head down.  “I just slipped up, that’s all.  It’s your fault you know.”

             
“It is not.  I didn’t ask you to stay out all night with me, now did I?” Anna countered.

             
“Too much information.” I interrupted.  “Anyways, I was just wondering.  I saw him yesterday and he helped me in the office.”

             
“Oh, really?  And here I didn’t think Sean really liked helping others that much.  Especially new kids.  Guess it must be because you’re pretty.  Maybe Sean does like pretty girls after all.” Anna mused.

             
I felt myself blush.  “I’m not that pretty.” I managed to say.

             
“Are you kidding?  You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen!” Anna declared.

             
I lowered my head to hide my face.  I was sure people were looking at me now.  Beside me, Raziel sat up again.  “Anna stop.  You’re embarrassing her.” he said quietly.

             
“Opps.  Sorry.” Anna said, smiling sheepishly.
              “Anyhow,” Raziel continued, “Sean’s out and we’re not worrying about it.  We got enough to worry about around here, so leave it alone.”

             
I tried to take his words to heart, but I had to admit that I was still thinking about it all as the day went on.  A part of me was kind of hoping to run into Sean after class.  I didn’t know exactly why.  I just really wanted to see him again.  But then again, I was also beginning to wonder if I was losing my mind anyways.  I still felt a little paranoid.  Standing at my locker, I actually found myself taking my time to sort my things.  I didn’t really want to go home yet.

             
By me, Raziel tapped his foot impatiently.  “You coming yet?” he said.

             
“All right, all right.  Just hold on while I make sure I have everything.” I replied.

             
“You can’t have that much.” Raziel said.

             
I sighed, closing my locker.  “All right.  Let’s go.” I said.  I was giving up hope by now.  Sean wasn’t there.  And he wasn’t coming.  I had to go home now, or Raziel would suspect something.

             
The two of us walked out to the parking lot together and to our cars.  Raziel had parked by me, and quickly tossed his things into the backseat.  I secretly looked at my own backseat as I put my things into my car.  Nothing there.  Good.

             
“Hey, I got to drop off something to Jameson real quick.  Want to meet me and go out for some dinner later?” Raziel asked.

             
“Sure.  Sounds good.” I agreed.  I was secretly grateful for the invitation.  I didn’t want to be home alone yet.

             
But as Raziel went to start his car, I found myself waiting.  It wouldn’t turn over.  I saw him bang the stirring wheel and cuss, then hop back out.  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” he complained, popping the hood.

             
“Is it dead?” I asked, walking over beside him.

             
“I knew this was gonna happen.  I even told that damn people it was coming.  They didn’t check the battery.” he complained.

             
I sighed.  “If you want, I’ll give you a ride.  Maybe your dad can have it picked up later.” I offered.

             
“I guess I don’t have a choice, huh?” Raziel grumbled.  He slammed the hood back down and sighed.  “A bad day just gone worse.” he muttered.

             
I couldn’t help but stare at him for a moment.  Raziel had been in a terrible mood since I’d met up with him at lunch.  Obviously, something had him upset.  “Hey, are you okay?” I asked softly.

             
He looked over at me quickly, and I watched him blink in surprise.  But he quickly shook it off.  “I’m fine.  It’s just been a rotten day, that’s all.  Come on.  Let’s go.” He said, walking back over to the side of the SUV to pull his stuff back out.

             
I just walked back to my car and hopped into the driver’s seat.  In a way, I was secretly glad that this had happened.  I really hadn’t wanted to go home alone yet for my paranoia from the night before.  As Raziel plopped into the passenger’s seat, I looked over at him.  “Do you want me to stop at Jameson?” I asked him.

             
“Sure.  I’ve got to give this to Sara anyways.” Raziel said, pulling out a folder he’d hidden in his back pack.  He flipped through it quickly before closing it back up again.

             
“What is that?” I asked as we took off.

             
“Just some paperwork my dad said she needed.” Raziel answered.

             
That was when a thought occurred to me.  He’d said Sara.  “Hey Raziel, is this woman Sara Morrison?” I said softly.

             
“Yep.” Raziel muttered.  “Why’d he make me do it?  She could’ve picked it up.  She has a damn car.”

             
“You really are in a rotten mood.” I noted.

             
“Sorry.  It was just a long night.” Raziel admitted.

             
“Did something happen?” I asked.

             
“It’s… not worth talking about.” Raziel replied.

             
I couldn’t help but wonder about that one.  Whenever Raziel talked like that, it usually meant there was something he either didn’t want to, or couldn’t, talk about it.  A part of me wondered if maybe Raphael had laid into him about something.  But I decided it was better just to let it go for the time being.  He’d probably bite my head off if I kept questioning him about it.

             
It didn’t take us long to reach the small shop known as Jameson.  It was a bit of an antique store.  Call it one of my dad’s little eccentricies, but he loved old things.  Jameson was something that was his hobby when it came down to it.  I could recall very well when he’d decided to open it several years before.  He’d been excited to tell me about it.  And from the first time I’d visited there, I had been too.  The shop was full of things that were almost one of a kind.  Michael was rather picky about the things he took and sold.  And in the end, there was a bit of everything in there, from old dresses to really old restored furniture and art.  It was all very neat to see at times.