MARIA RETURNS

We were still trudging through Day Two. Slow going, I know.

Don't complain. I'm the one living through it. You're the one reading my diary. So just deal with it.

Just my own notes from Day Two because I was too lazy to write them somewhere else:

- LOCKER entrance hall, #01-57. 1589. Buy stuff to clean and move in.

- ART in studio 2. Mrs Darleen. Buy air clay. Project due 3 weeks.

- SCIENCE lab 4. Mr Logans. Wear covered shoes. Bring graph paper next week.

- GYM. Coach. Sneakers and winter gym attire.

- MATH Mrs Hen. Homework Pg 7 to 9. Blue pen. Lined paper. Due tomorrow.

Are you crying of boredom or do you just feel my pain?

Okay, it's not that bad. Plus, look on the bright side, I'm at the last lesson block and there was NO TEACHER in sight.

Liam had to go check in the staff room, he loped back with good news. Whoever was teaching History was on sick leave today. The class whooped and the boys went out to chase the football around.

I took out my book so no one would talk to me.

I heard low subdued growling erupt behind me and turn, Maria was coming over. Why?

She stopped, careful to keep the alpha and beta behind me at a safe distance, "Let's go for a walk."

Her expression was innocent, so I knew she wanted something... Or someone? Dino?

Her eyes widened and then narrowed accusingly. I'm sure she took offence to the nickname. Dino it was and forever would be.

"Go by yourself." I picked up my book again.

She stepped closer, Henry snarled a little. She stepped back again. I felt her try to get in my head.

This pissed me off. I shut her out and growled warning.

She teared up. The tears didn't fall visibly but I could smell them, those damn tears.

I sighed, "You can take Marcus."

"WHA-" Marcus' low growling had cut off to yelp.

Maria sniffed offended at my poor choice of sacrifice, "I can't go there with a boy!"

A quick glance at Jasmine's expression tells me the poor girl won't make it back alive. Maria snorted her agreement at my assessment.

I stood up, "10 minutes."

Henry stood up, "Where do you think you're going?"

He was done leaving me to make the "right decision." Clearly, I was not. Hahaha. I wonder if Henry would follow us.

"To the washroom." Maria's answer was soft and cutting. I bit my lip so I didn't snicker at the slight crack in Henry's stony expression.

We left, just the vampire and me.

Maria took my arm in a vice like grip. I growled, the bruises she left on me yesterday only cleared this morning.

She loosened her hold.

To my surprise, we did go to the ladies. I didn't know vampires had any business there.

Maria headed to the wash basins and I was surprised again, because she did have a reflection. I saw her smirking at me in the mirror and huffed. I thought she was dying to see Dino.

She took her time to comb her doll like hair, and check her uniform. It looked like it had been altered to fit her body perfectly. Finally done preening in front of the mirror, she turned to me, "Let's go."

Then we walked the long way around back to class, slowing down outside Dino's class.

This was because I disappeared at lunchtime wasn't it?

"Where did you go?" She asked this softly.

I had brought a couple of sandwiches to school today and combined them with a coke from the vending machine. This made it possible for me to avoid the discomfort of cafeteria meals. I spent the rest of lunch taking up residence in the peace and quiet of the library. This had worked out so well for me, I had decided to spend the rest of my lunches like this.

Maria didn't seem interested in libraries. I wondered what she did at lunch? Sipped bloody cocktails and read magazines in a empty classroom?

I see the image in my head and realized too late-

Grrrrr! Her cool presence fled my mind immediately.

Time's up! I wasn't actually timing anything, so it wasn't like we were out of time. I was just out of patience.

I headed back to class. Maria hung on my arm, reluctant to loose sight of her Dino. I won't care if she let go, but she didn't.

I sealed my mind up completely. And stay out!

But she couldn't even hear that thought directed at her anymore. I've completely closed her off. I didn't like her mind games. It automatically pissed me off.

Back in class, Jasmine's seat was empty now, and I was left with the delightful company of two very pissed off over-protective male wolves. Why they cared was beyond me.

Maria returned to her seat with a satisfied smile now that she had seen her Dino.

I sat down and turned to face the music, or more specifically, low growling displeasure, "What?"

Henry glared at me, "It was past 10 minutes."

Seriously? He was timing me?

"That was dangerous, Sam. We were worried." Marcus tried the softer approach.

"I can handle it." We all knew this was a baldfaced lie. I had zero confidence in dealing with Maria. I was just winging it.

Henry's stony expression was about to break from rage at this point. He was holding it back by a thread. I was beginning to have second thoughts about messing with him, but since I've come this far, I simply pressed my lips together and kept my expression neutral.

"That is a vampire," Henry seethed under his breath.

I lifted a brow at Maria. Oh, I hadn't noticed.

"I can handle it." I repeated instead.

"NO.YOU.CAN'T." Henry seethed, his volume rising.

"I'll take care of it ok?" I tried to brush it off for another time, but Henry was already too far over the edge since enduring almost a full day of school by now.

"THAT IS NOT A PET YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF!" Henry exploded. Banging on the desk and standing up, his chair slammed backwards onto the floor. Kaboom goes the alpha!

Someone needed a mate to calm him down? Awww... Too bad. You're only 15. Three more years of unchecked rage for you buddy.

Okay, so not the best time to take a wise crack, but I was also on the edge. I also endured the same amount of school as he did. Plus, I was the one who had walk Maria.

Most of the other kids had wandered out of the classroom for one reason or the other, but the handful who remain had decided to stop and watch Henry's explosion.

It was at this point when I noticed Maria's movement. She only turned her head to look at our direction. But I had a very bad feeling.

"No." I said, my mouth forming the word before I meant to say it.

The next moment, Henry froze, he had sensed it too. He turned to face Maria, who stood silently, eyes locked on his. He snarled... Maria hissed. Fangs were flashed. Eyes glowed like headlights of two cars speeding towards each other.

Marco and I both whip our heads towards the small gaggle of student bystanders. They stood frozen.

"Stop." I said. Seriously. Stop.

And then suddenly the static air moved again. They both stopped and turned to look at me.

"That's enough." I said tiredly.

Marco moved first, dang his great sense of initiative. He picked up the fallen chair for Henry, and we all sat down.

"I am not a pet." Maria said from her seat.

Henry growled but did not look at her.

"Then don't ask me to walk you." I replied tersely.

Today was almost a good day. Almost. Not anymore.

The humans in the classroom were moving again. It was as if they didn't remember what happened.

Maria watched them, smiling to herself like the creepy doll that she was. Memory wipe? Some kind of consciousness skip? I hated vampires.

I picked up my book, but I'm not reading. My mind kept replaying what happened. And as I did, I realized two things.

1. Henry's wolf had emerged - that could only mean he already had his first shift!

2. I had just forced an alpha wolf and a vampire to stand down on command.

Cool. Give and take, for what it's worth, I guess my second day of school was okay too.