CHAPTER I: HIGHSCHOOL REUNION

Almost every direction of the room has people engaged in conversations as they reminisce on their high school days. Gabriel feels left out as he cannot connect with any of Rachael's old acquaintances.

None of these people here look like they have ever seen something from his world.

There are tables around the place with no chairs and different groups of people around each table.

The table tops are covered with red cloth. He leaves Rachael and goes to get drinks at the serving table.

The hall has a stage with a DJ and some instrumentalists playing a soft song from their trumpets and French horns.

He has never been to one of these things so he wonders if it is normal to have them here; after all, they already have a DJ.

His shoulder brushes the clothes of the people he squeezes himself through to the serving table. The flickering array of colorful lights makes the hall look like the party was thrown by college kids, if this reunion is a party that is.

Maybe every adult just wants to be a kid again,  that would be the theme of this reunion if it had one.

Gabriel reaches the table where a chubby blond woman smiles at him. He can't make out the color of her eyes from the interchanging lights flashing from the ceiling. Her gown looks black but the lights displays a touch of dark green around her chest.

"You got any booze?" Gabriel asks as he adjusts his tie, he loosens the tie a little.

A suit has never been his style and the collar itches at his neck. He wonders how his brother copes with such clothes.

Before he even picked this one he searched through a lot from his collection of Samuel's clothes. Maybe stealing his brother's clothes wasn't a bright idea but they were handy when they had to be.

He mostly stole them to get back at his brother for something and when he felt like it but he never thought he would find himself trying them on.

It's not like him to push away his impulsive style for a put-together look, "Here," she hands him a bottle of beer.

"Give me another," he says.

"I don't know you. You must be someone's plus one," she says.

It sounds funny to him but he keeps his amusement to himself, retaining a stern look.

"Yes. Rachael McQueen," he says.

"Rachael? Boxing Rachael? B Ray?" the lady tosses different names around.

"What?" "Rachael was quite the fighter in high school. I thought she would be a boxer or go to prison for sure," she says as she tries to turn his request for beer into a gossip session.

"Just hand me the beer," he collects the second bottle of beer, he isn't about to entertain the company of the table woman. He hears her grunt as he turns his back to her and walks away.

He navigates his way through the old mates and finds her, she waves her black hair as she talks to some friends of hers and Gabriel smiles as her beauty outshines the lights in the hall.

He walks to join the women.

He hands her a bottle of beer and notices that Rachael is wearing a frown. "What's wrong?" he asks, "Nothing," she says. "Who is this? Is he your man? I'm surprised you can keep one without killing him," one of the women says to her.

Rachael's frown grows even more intense. She tightens her grip around her bottle and pinches the edge of her gown.

"I'd break things off with her and look for a more feminine girl if I were you," one of the three ladies in their front says.

"You don't want to be close to this one. Her last bestie was a killer," another says.

Gabriel tightens his grip around the bottle of beer in his hand before he pops it and takes a sip.

"She is more feminine than your ugly asses. Look at this one with a fucked up nose. Are you related to Pinocchio or something?" Gabriel slams words at them.

They eye him, "This one must be a killer too," one of them comments before they walk away.

"You aren't wrong, she should be grateful she gets to live for another day" Gabriel says.

"Looks like some bitches don't change," Rachael scoffs.

"What was all that about? I thought they were your friends," he says, "I had only a few friends in high school, but watching  you want to fight them for me is cute," she says and rubs his jaw.

"Look at you teasing me," he chuckles.

"What did they mean by your last bestie was a killer?" Gabriel asks as he remembers their slanders.

Rachael sighs as her mind dives into a past she'd rather not.

"It's a friend I had a long time ago," she says.

Gabriel reads the distraught in her voice and the sad look on her face.

"The party is alright but the mood is fucked up. Isn't that right, B Ray?" Gabriel sips his beer.

Rachael raises a brow and looks at him. She burst into laughter and slaps his chest softly.

"Where did you hear that?" she asks as she holds her stomach tightly.

Gabriel smiles as she finds whatever this is, amusing.

"What's the story behind that one?".

"One time, my friend was getting bullied by some dude and so I knocked him out," Rachael says with laughter.

She almost slips and spills her beer on the floor. She glances around to see if anyone saw that.

"Let's move," she says and walks away from the mess she made.

"So you just knocked him out? Maybe you should be in the UFC instead of the club," Gabriel says and she pulls a light punch to his shoulder.

"Rachael bloody McQueen," she hears a voice from the past. He stands at 6'3 feet with broad shoulders, his brown beards bury his jaw and his dark brown eyes carry a shimmer of beauty at their edges.

He wears a milk sweater on top of a blue shirt, his grey pants match his black Bruno Magli.

The sweater hugs his ripped frame and his white teeth boast a charming smile.

He makes Sammy look like a joke with his charming features, Gabriel compares him to Samuel.

 "Long time no see, B Ray" he says with a welcoming smile. "Don't call me that or I will knock you the fuck out," Rachael says with laughter as she hugs this man.

Gabriel eyes him intensely and for some reason, he gets annoyed but controls himself.

"Richard Manny," he stretches his hand forward for Gabriel. He would love to ignore it but he doesn't want to be rude to Rachael's friend. He shakes his hand but does not return the man's smile.

"Gabriel Stone," his grip is firm and tight.

The urge to crush Richard's arm echoes at the back of Gabriel's mind but he restrains himself. "Looks like you were quite the boxer in high school," Gabriel says.

"Yes she was," Richard says. He ties a green and white check scarf around his neck. His hair is styled in a silky sweepback fashion and his gel reflects some of the light.

"No, I wasn't. Fuck you," she says softly and Richard laughs hard.

"It's been a long time girl. What have you been up to?" Richard asks, "Not much," Rachael says, knowing well that it is a lie. She found herself in a world of supernatural beings, she lost her mother, she found the man that caused the demise of her family, killed him and even died.

"I work at Clouds, a club at Roosevelt but we are on a break" she says, "That is the club where some people were murdered, right?" he asks and she nods, "Hope you weren't hurt?" "No, I wasn't at work that day", another lie.

"Thank goodness," Richard says and glances at Gabriel to see a threatening gaze, "What about you?" Richard feels a sudden urge to bring Gabriel into the conversation.

"I own Clouds," he says stiffly, "Oh, so this is a boss and employee situation," "Where the boss and employee are in a relationship," Gabriel says and Rachael pinches his lap.

Gabriel glances at her and takes a sip of his beer, "What do you do, Richard?" he asks.

"Nothing fancy like owning a club," "I bet," "I am a doctor," "So you save lives," Rachael says, "When I can," Richard answers and puts his arms in his pockets, "I take lives," Gabriel suddenly says with a smile.

Richard chuckles nervously, "What?" "Through the excess drinking and partying that goes on in the club," Rachael intercedes, "Sure," Gabriel says and takes another sip.

Rachael sighs and turns to Richard, "Don't mind him. You look good," she says, "You too considering I was expecting you to be in the combat sport industry," he jokes.

Rachael sighs and wears a weak smile, "I just knocked one guy out and he deserved it by the way," Rachael says.

Gabriel observes him through hidden glances as he sips his beer. He looks like a charming guy.

"You were a total badass," Richard says.

Rachael sights one of her earlier aggressors, "Not everyone thinks so," she motions to Richard to see them.

He turns his head and sees the three women mouthing and eyeing them from a distance.

"Of course, she won't. You knocked out her boyfriend," Richard says.

"Wait, so she was dating the guy you knocked out. No wonder she's a pain in the ass," Gabriel says.

"A big one too," she adds.

"And where was your boyfriend when you were roughing up the other guy?" Gabriel asks and they both go silent for a second.

Gabriel catches them sharing a glance and immediately reads meaning into it.

"Oh shit," he mumbles.

These two dated in high school.