Shielded

I had been paired with Hunter Tobias Eldridge to launch an investigation into Ray’s past. Not only had he ordered me to tell him everything that I knew about the female Valkyrie, but they had also forbidden me from saying anything to Ray. Years of practice of keeping things from Elijah was the only thing that enabled me to keep Ray’s more sensitive details to myself, but working with a telepath probing into my every thought was not my idea of a good time. Eldridge was extremely interested in the fact that Samuel Olsen had been a member of the Rabec Clan and made a lot of secret phone calls after he discovered that nugget of information. This is why they had me on this instead of Elijah, he at least would have been able to read the fucker’s mind back.

--Derik

At the end of English, I asked Felix what his next class was and offered to walk with him so he didn’t get lost. He looked at me like I had two heads and then said that he would figure it out himself. None of the new Valkyries were in my calculus class and I said a silent thank-you for protecting the one place where logic and numbers ruled. History was an entirely different story. Regina, Kaiden, Jonas, and Austin were all already in the classroom when I walked through the door. This class had been entirely full before and they were bringing desks so that everyone had a place to sit.

Kaiden was flirting with Maddison and from the looks of it, Connor was trying to ignore Regina as she crowded into his space. I remembered that Connor had mentioned that he had a history with Regina and wondered if they would start seeing each other again. Connor hadn’t seemed to like her very much, but right now it looked to me like Regina was interested enough for the both of them. With the royals preoccupied, Jonas and Austin came over to reintroduce themselves to me.

“Hello, my name is Jonas Pope and my parental clan is the Blade Clan,” Jonas said and held out his hand for me to shake. I took it and felt the powerful zing of the clan bond through our palms. My mouth parted and I met his piercing blue eyes. His stare was incredibly intense and if Austin hadn’t started talking I would have been trapped by it.

“My name is Austin Silva and my parental clan is the Collins’ Royal Guard Clan,” Austin said and then visibly flexed to show off his impressive shoulder muscles. I pulled my hand away from Jonas and decided not to shake Austin’s hand. I was getting a little overwhelmed by all of the touching.

“My name is Ray Olsen and I don’t have a clan,” I replied back lamely. Both of them looked taken aback and I awkwardly sidestepped them and took my seat.

“How do you not have a clan?” Austin asked harshly and took the seat to my right. Lucky Connor was to my left so I wouldn’t be completely surrounded by strangers.

“Her father died and she was abandoned to live with the humans. She has been living like one of them for years,” Regina cut in before I could answer. This chick really was going to highlight my living situation every chance she got. Austin clearly had no idea how to respond to that information so he remained quiet but kept glancing over at me like I was something disgusting he just couldn’t help but look at. Like if I had been in a horrible crash on the interstate and he felt the need to slow down so he could witness all of the wreckage.

This was going to get old real fast. I cloaked myself until Austin forgot that I was sitting next to him and tried my best to pay attention to the teacher. The class seemed to drag on way beyond its normal time limit and when the bell rang I let out a deep breath. Then I remembered that the next period was lunch. It was like my life was turning into a circus. Everyone but Connor forgot that I was there and headed out of the classroom, but he was getting pretty good at remembering me even when I cloaked. He stayed behind and when we were alone I made it so that he could see me.

“It will get easier once they adjust to things,” Connor told me but I didn’t want it to get easier. I didn’t want to get to know these people. I just wanted to survive the rest of my senior year and age out of the system. Why was that such a hard thing for these people to understand?

“Can you make some sort of excuse for me at lunch? I need to spend some time with Jack. He is pissed at me for leaving school yesterday and not explaining what happened.”

“Yeah I can do that,” Connor said and then reached out to run his knuckles softly across my cheek. “You may not end up with the Collins’ Royal Line, but Ray you will end up with one of the royal clans. It’s just how our world works. I know you don’t like them right now and they have no idea how to interact with you, but they have a lot they need to teach you if you are going to survive in our world. Please give them a chance.”

Well with a speech like that, how was I supposed to say no? He asked nicely and appealed to my survival instinct. Connor was right. I needed to play this out and take advantage of the situation to learn as much as possible. But right now, Jack was more important. The royals were just going to have to wait.

We walked to the south cafeteria and I recloaked myself before splitting up with Connor. He went to where our broken table used to sit and I joined Jack in the line to get hot lunch. Jack was used to me just showing up and didn’t hesitate to make room for me in line while eyeballing the group of Valkyrie that had taken over our lunch spot. “They are multiplying,” Jack murmured and I let out a chuckle. “Don’t you need to get to your new friends?”

“I am exactly where I want to be,” I told him honestly, and together we walked through the line to get sloppy joe sandwiches that were made out of some sort of mystery meat. After the lunch lady swiped our student I.D. cards, I led the way out of the cafeteria and out the front doors. I lowered myself on the top step of the stairs and rearranged my sandwich the best I could before taking a bite. Jack followed my lead and for several moments we ate in tense silence. I had to make things right with him.

“Jack, you know that I am not exactly normal. You have picked up on that right?” I asked while looking out at the parking lot. If this conversation went badly and he looked at me the way Austin had been looking at me earlier, I didn’t know if I would be able to take it.

“You mean how you always seem to be able to pull knives out of thin air and I have seen you take out three angry meth heads without breaking a sweat? Or are you talking about how you have this uncanny ability to just disappear into the background?” Jack said in a dry voice and I couldn’t help but turn to study his face. He had his poker face on. He wasn’t going to give me anything until I did.

“All of the above,” I admitted and felt the mystery meat churn in my stomach at what I was about to say. “I’m different from you and Amy. And I can’t talk about the ways that I am different because if I do that it will most definitely put you and her in danger. This last year you two have become my family and I would do anything to protect you. Including leaving you alone if that is what it takes. If you can’t accept that there are things that I will never be able to fully reveal to you, then I understand if you want to distance yourself from me. But know that I will always be here for you guys when you need me.” My voice cracked by the end and my eyes were stinging with unshed tears. It would kill me to have to give up Jack but I meant what I said. I would protect them no matter the cost.

Jack searched my eyes for a moment and then reached over and pulled me across the space between us. I buried my head into his chest and he wrapped his arms around me as my tears started streaming down my face. Jack was the first person I had let into my life, and I have become used to him being a part of it. I hated this. I hated that I wasn’t a normal human and couldn’t just be his friend without all the extra drama. Before I knew it I was full out sobbing. I couldn’t even remember the last time that I had cried like this.

“Shhh Ray, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. Amy is not going anywhere. I’m just worried about you, but nothing you could ever do or say could make me just walk away,” Jack told me as he ran a hand down the back of my head. I continued to cry into his chest and tried to believe his words. But really believing that anyone would want me enough to stick around was hard for someone with my history. My father and every experience within the foster system has shown me that people kinda suck and they never stay around when the shit hits the fan.

We sat there for a good five minutes while I cried myself into hiccups. Rationally I knew that it was more than just the idea of losing Jack that I was getting off my chest, but the whole ordeal was embarrassing. I was not a weepy woman. “You’ve had one hell of a week,” Jack said, on the same wavelength as I was. “Just promise me one thing, Ray. Promise me that you will come to me if you need help. I swear I won’t ask questions. I’m just afraid that you are going to get into something over your head and I won’t be there to pull you back. Please don’t let it get to that point before asking for help.”

I pulled back and looked into his face and said, “I promise.”

Jack cupped my face and swiped his thumbs under my eyes before giving me a small smile. “Good. Now, what do you say to a bonfire tonight? You can even invite your new friends and we will show them how us street kids party.” Hmm, that did sound good, but I wasn’t sure letting the other Valkyrie show up was such a good idea.

“A bonfire sounds perfect. We will see about the invite,” I conceded and used the bottom of my shirt to mop up my face. I gave myself another few minutes of peace with my best friend before heading into the building to find a bathroom. I needed to wash my face so hopefully, no one would notice that I had spent my lunch shedding tears. When I opened the front doors I found Jonas leaning within the first set of doors with a clear view of where Jack and I had been sitting. He had been watching us. The question was why.

“You often eavesdrop on private conversations?” I asked, feeling slightly hypocritical. I was the one with the ability to observe anything I wanted to from the void.

“I can’t feel you?” Jonas said with awe, taking me completely by surprise. That was not what I was expecting him to say.

“What?” I asked.

“I am a powerful empath. I live my life at the whims of the emotions of those around me. However, even with that evident display of heightened emotions, I didn’t feel any of it. I have absolutely no idea what you are feeling. How is that possible?” Jonas asked, sounding both confused and hopeful.

“Oh, that,” I said lamely and considered what to say next. Elijah had advised me not to let on how powerful I was or reveal the full extent of my powers. It was good advice and I planned on trying to stick to it. Best be direct about it. I was done trying to be political. “I don’t trust you enough to tell you about that.”

Jonas raised his eyebrows and considered my answer before replying, “fair enough. Well, I might not know what you were just feeling, but I could see it was something big. Are you okay?”

I scanned his face and wondered about his motives for being here right now. He had said that his father was a part of the Blade Clan but made a point of calling it his parental clan. I wasn’t positive but I think that means he wasn’t committed to bonding to that clan. So why was he here with the royals trying to integrate himself into my life? “Do you really care?” I asked.

“Yes,” Jonas said simply and it was the truth. This relative stranger really wanted to know if I was okay.

“I’m fine. It’s just been an overwhelming week,” I admitted.

“I’ve heard some rumors, but I never know what to believe. What’s been going on?” Jonas said and for some reason I found myself answering him.

“Let’s see, I was shot at and ended up claiming a new protected. Then the next day I had to hand her over to people I don’t know. I have been inundated with people I don’t know because my allure is growing, had a confrontation with Hunters from the Blade Clan, and ended in the middle of a fight between two groups of shifters. Witnessed my first tribunal, and now a bunch of Valkyries from powerful backgrounds are trying to get close to me so that they can manipulate me into doing what they want,” I said in the same carefully neutral voice while watching his face for his reaction.

Jonas’ eyes grew bigger as I continued to talk and at the end he let out a long whistle. “I would call that a little more than overwhelming,” he said and it felt good to have my worries validated. Considering everything that was going on, I think I am doing pretty damn good at not freaking out. I let out a deep breath and was about to ask how his week was going when Jack walked through the front doors and found us.

Jack scanned our body language and then stepped up behind me before asking, “I thought you were going to the bathroom. Everything okay here, Ray?”

“Yeah, I am on my way. See you later Jonas. Jack, I will find you after school,” I said and then walked down the hallway. I only had a couple of minutes before the bell rang. I cleaned up in the bathroom and then headed to my web design class. Computers weren’t as easy to procure as desks, and this class was already at capacity so none of the new Valkyries were in this class. I waved at Blake and then worked on concentrating because I had to make up for the time I missed in the class yesterday.

When the bell rang, Blake walked me to my next class but my luck of avoiding the royals ran out. Regina, Niu, and Jonas were in this class and I wondered why they would choose to take a human government class. Maybe the Valkyrie modeled their government off one of the human ones. I walked into the class and both Regina and Chasity called out to me, each wanting me to sit by them. Since they were in opposite corners from each other, I was going to have to decide between them.

Chasity was someone I sorta considered a friend, so I chose a seat next to her. When I sank into my seat I had the ominous feeling I had done something pretty serious by denying the royal princess. The way that Chasity smirked at Regina probably wasn’t helping things. Halfway through the class, my pen decided to explode blue ink all over my notebook and hand. The most interesting thing about the incident was that Chasity’s pen did the exact same thing at the exact same time. It took a moment for everything to click, but once I remembered that Regina had Telekinesis I figured out that she was behind breaking our pens.

I turned in my chair and looked over at the group of Valkyrie with my best are you serious with this shit glare. The whole thing was petty and Regina was acting like she was in the fifth grade, throwing a temper tantrum just because I didn’t sit next to her in class. I couldn’t believe that this was who the Valkyrie had chosen to be their next leader. I wasn’t going to stoop to her level so I reached down and pulled two new pens from my bag and handed one over to Chasity before ignoring Regina and turning back into the teacher.

The class ended without further incident and Regina was the first one out of the class once the bell rang, followed closely by Niu. “What the fuck is the Crown Princess of the Americas West Kingdom doing in our government class?” Chasity hissed the moment that Regina was out of earshot.

“Being petty and covering us in ink,” I said under my breath as I pulled some old napkins out of my bag to try to clean my hands with. But the ink had set, staining them blue for the foreseeable future.

“She feels threatened by you,” Jonas said from behind me and I turned so that I could keep my eye on him. So far he seemed pretty decent, but I had been fooled before.

I let out a sigh before giving up on my hands and looking up at Jonas. “Regina and I are just about as different as two people can be, she has nothing to be threatened by,” I said in a tired voice.

“That is exactly why she feels threatened. You don’t seem to play by our rules. Which means that you are a wild card. Wild cards always change up the game.”

“Except this is the supernatural community and our lives we are talking about, not some game,” Chastity snapped at Jonas.

Jonas raised his hands slightly in a surrendering gesture. “I know. It was just a metaphor. The Collins’ Royal Line has ruled the Americas West Kingdom for the last ten generations. Regina will be our next queen. Not even a wild card can change that.”

Chasity actually seemed a little disappointed by Jonas’ declaration, but I appreciated a fellow realist. “Alright, well while you two discuss supernatural politics, I need to get to chemistry,” I murmured before stepping around them and walking to my next class. When I walked through the door I glanced back to see that they really were continuing on their conversation. Good, I wasn’t the only one that was having to make new friends.

Chemistry turned out to be rather normal and I was glad to find that my daily time with Max was going to remain. We worked well together and I was starting to feel comfortable with him by my side. But when the final bell rang I let out a sigh of relief. Today seemed to go on forever. In fact, this whole week had taken its toll and I was happy that it was finally the weekend. I didn’t work at Polly’s until Sunday, so that meant there was no reason I couldn’t really let go and do a little partying tonight.

As Max and I were walking out of the classroom I decided to take Jack’s advice and invite the guys to the bonfire tonight. “Hey, so I don’t know what you are doing tonight, but Jack and I are going to head down to the beach where some people we know always hold a big bonfire. There are usually some people playing some guitars and a couple of kegs set up. Do you and the twins want to come?” I asked in an unsure voice.

Max waved to someone that called out his name when we walked by and said, “I don’t know, Ray. Do you really think going to a party is the best idea right now?”

“What party? And why wouldn’t it be a good idea?” Annabell asked. The girl just popped out of nowhere with her two friends, Jennifer and Isabell, and intertwined her hand with Max’s.

Max’s neck started turning red and he avoided looking at any of us. Rejection sat heavy in my stomach when I said, “Just a beach bonfire that Jack and I are going to tonight. No big deal.” I had never really invited anyone to anything before, and now that my first attempt hadn’t gone over too well I just wanted to get out of here. I turned and used the void to walk unhindered towards Jack’s locker.

“Ray, wait,” Max called out but I was too embarrassed to face him again right now. It was okay that he didn’t want to hang out with me. I mean we had only known each other for like ten days, and he didn’t owe me any explanation. Using the void definitely cut down on travel time and in no time made it to Jack’s locker. Jack was swapping out his books and talking to Felix. I had no idea how these two meet, but I could totally see them becoming friends. They had similar attitudes on life.

I waited until the flow of students opened up a spot for my physical body next to Felix and then pushed free of the void. Felix flinched directly into the metal lockers at my sudden appearance, but Jack just glanced my way and gave me a chin lift. He was used to my ways.

“Jesus Christ, warn a guy next time. You're like Casper the friendly ghost but a whole hell of a lot hotter,” Felix said and then slapped a hand over his mouth. Jack and I looked at each other for a moment and then we both started laughing. Felix took a couple of seconds to gauge our reaction and then let out a sad nervous laugh. “You’re not offended?” he asked in a hopeful voice.

“Oh Felix, just wait till you hear how us street rats talk. Nothing you say could even come close to the names I have heard Ray let roll off her back before. Plus, she’s cool. Ray’s not going to jump down your throat for calling her hot,” Jack explained and closed his locker.

“But, she is a female Va-” Felix started to say but I elbowed him in the ribs before he could finish.

“Oh come on Ray, sooner or later you had to know that guys were going to realize that you are indeed, a female,” Jack said, misunderstanding why I had elbowed Felix. “You may not be my cup of tea, but there is no denying that you are one fine example of the female form. Give the guy a break.”

This entire conversation was degrading into something I really didn’t want to talk about. “You said, wait till Felix hears. Does that mean he is joining us at the beach?”

“Yup, those other kids he’s with took off so I invited him along. Your new besties coming?” Jack asked.

“No, I don’t think they are interested,” I said while looking down at my feet.

“Oh, Ray-Ray we are most definitely interested,” Blake called from behind me and I turned to see him leading a small group that included Connor, Maddison, Annabell, Jennifer, Isabell, and Max. “You, the beach, music, and beer. We couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Friday night.”

I glanced over at Max and he gave me a little nod. Whatever had stopped him before must not matter anymore. “I have heard about these bonfires before. Some of us have even tried to get in, but we have always been turned away,” Maddison said clearly interested.

“It’s all about who you know,” Jack replied and I let out a low chuckle. We didn’t like it when the rich kids left their mansions in the suburbs to crash our parties. They always took things too far and then ditched, leaving us with their mess. Bonfire nights weren’t about drinking yourself to oblivion or causing trouble. It was about a sense of community in a world that showed us every day that it could do just fine without us.

“If we get you in, you can’t start any shit,” Jack said with an impressive amount of confidence considering this was Madison he was talking to.

“We’ll watch her,” Connor said and I started to get a little excited. This could be fun.