Adapt (I)

SCARLET

Heads turn as Caron, Boe and I enter Green Haven High School. We had driven Boe’s pretty black Range Rover, and that had captured the attention of the town folk. Now people are looking at Boe and I like we have come back from the grave.

I am feeling uber self-conscious walking between the future super model that is Caron, and the tall, dark, beach-god that is Boe. I am feeling like a frumpy troll. Boe has opted for his usual black jeans and black shirt. His hair is still wet from his shower this morning. Caron wears a pair of high waisted jean shorts, a beige tank top and a flowing floral printed kimono that very nearly touches the ground and flows behind her as she walks.

Me? I wear a pain of skinny jeans that have white and blue pin stripes, and a black button-down shirt with cut off sleeves. Caron had selected my outfit from my limited wardrobe. She had done well with what she had been given. Still, all of the fancy clothes in the world would not have bridged the chasm between them and me when I comes to the looks department.

We enter the courtyard and stand in a group. “Well, let me see what I can pick up.” Boe says, running a hand through his still wet hair. Internally, I melt at his nonchalant gesture.

Boe starts scanning the courtyard, eyes searching for something. Then, he closes them and takes in a deep breath. He blows it out slowly.

I scan the courtyard too, although I see nothing but teenagers milling around. Freshman playing handball; girls chatting to one another; couples locked in embraces too racy for the setting. Caron is doing the same, trying to see what Boe is seeing. Trying and failing, like me.

“Yep, one of them has been hanging around here a lot. It’s only one though.”

I can’t hide the surprise in my voice. “You can smell that?” I ask.

He nods and lifts one shoulder. “It’s kind of a combination of all of the senses. The presence wasn’t here when I first came to town. It’s all fresh.”

“Can you smell them here now?” Caron asks.

I laugh. Boe smiles and shakes his head. “No, they aren’t around now-”

“Scarlet!” A voice calls from across the court yard. I turn to see Eric jogging our way, his school bag thumping against his back.

“Eric.” I smile back at him.

“You’re back!”

I realize that he isn’t stopping. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me to him, nearly knocking me over.

“Whoa!” I say, completely taken off guard at Eric’s reaction. Eric has never hugged me before. He hasn’t even sat on the same side of the table as me before. His arms squeeze me, and I give him a light squeeze back. “It’s good to see you, too.” My voice is wavering and unsure. Over Eric’s shoulder I see Caron laughing and Boe’s confused expression.

Eric releases me, stepping back and readjusting his backpack. He smiles at me warmly. I can see that his sun-bleached hair is wet, and I can smell the faint scent of saltwater on his skin. He must have been surfing this morning. His brown eyes are excited, and for the life of me I cannot imagine why.

“How was your trip to see your family?” he asks.

The cover story that I had told Caron comes flooding back to me. “It was okay.” I lie.

“I didn’t even know that you had family. I thought Trent adopted you.” He says, his face still beaming.

“I don’t... I mean yes, Trent is my family. It was his... ahh... sister.” My eyes dart over to Boe and Caron, pleading with them to help me.

Boe comes to my rescue. “Hey man, good to see you.”

Eric’s eyes turn from me, hardening instantly when his gaze meets Boe’s. “What are you still doing here?” I have never heard Eric use such malice.

Boe responds in a calming voice. “I didn’t really get to explain myself before. I’m sorry about that. And I am sorry for losing my temper. I’m Trent’s nephew, and my mother has been sick. I needed help moving my mother into hospice care in the city and Trent couldn’t help, so I asked Scarlet to help me.”

Eric’s eyes narrow. He isn’t convinced. “Right.” He draws the word out.

“I was away yesterday too, Eric. Where is my big hug?” Caron interjects, changing the subject before testosterone spills everywhere.

Eric’s concentration shifts and his face softens. “Oh, right. I’m sorry.” He goes over to Caron, wraps one arm around her shoulders and squeezes. “Where were you yesterday? Mrs. Mathers was explaining religious pretext for Paradise Lost and,” he swishes his hand over his head, telling her that he didn’t understand any of it.

“Boy, I don’t need to tell you anything.” She adds a dash of sass into her reply.

Genius! I think to myself. Why didn’t I think to just answer Eric with attitude?

He laughs. “Okay, but you need to help me out with this Paradise Lost stuff.”

She assures him that it is quite simple as the bell rings. We all file our way to class, Caron walking with Eric, trying to explain as much about the poem as she can. Boe and I walk side by side behind them.

I loop my thumbs under the straps of my backpack. “So, how weird is it to have to go back to high school, after graduating when you were, like, ten?” I whisper, making my attempt at small talk.

He looks down to me, a lop-sided smile splayed on his face. “Weirdly, kind of fun. Before you and I went on our... trip... I was getting along really well with Chandler. You know he is kind of a mega brain when it comes to computer code?”

I nod. “Oh yeah. He has won all sorts of awards for his software programming. He even has a few apps out, I think.” I turn a quizzical look on him. “you would be a hard person to impress, what with being an electrical engineer and what not.”

We squeeze into the English classroom. “You have me confused with a Software Engineer. I only dapple in writing software, but I specialize in making and fixing the hardware.”

“Oh.” I say. “So, you are like the Geek Squad at Best Buy.” I joke.

He chuckles and my heart flutters. He finds a seat at the back, pulling the chair out for me next to him. “It’s a little more complicated than that, but yes.”

After failing to steady my heart, I take the seat next to him. “Well, it’s a good thing no one knows how old you really are.”

He gives me a look, and I can’t help the blush that rushes to my face. I really need to stop looking directly at him.

“I could say the same for you.” He jabs back, his tone still light.

I face palm. “Oh, don’t remind me.” I hadn’t even thought about his comment about my age, outside The Kraken over a week ago. It isn’t hard to believe. I’m sure I lost a year while I was living on the streets in the city. It is really going to put a dampener on my birthday in three weeks. Then I groan and put my head on the desk. My birthday. The day I hated for so many reasons, but it is also the anniversary of the day I changed. I remembered nothing of my life before I had changed, except the fact that I changed on my birthday.

Then an obscure thought comes to me. “Hey, we need to find Logan, right?” I ask Boe.

“Yeah...?”

I think back to The Kraken, the people sitting in booths. “Sam said that Cindy was a journalist that found out too much. Do you think she could find Logan?”

Boe sits back in his seat. “Um, well, yeah. There isn’t much Cindy wouldn’t be able to find out.”

“We should go and see her tonight. Maybe she can find him for us.”

He nods, but there is worry on his face. I am just about to ask what is wrong when Mrs. Mathers starts the lesson.