Chapter 4

She woke with a smile of relief on her face, with the sun shining through her window. The excitement of a new life struck her as she got out of bed. After a quick trip to the bathroom and brushing her long wavy hair, she walked to the closet. Anxiety rose as she looked for a uniform small enough to fit her frail frame. Finding the smallest size, she was ashamed seeing how large it still was on her.

"Maybe I should bulk up.." She bit her lip looking between herself and the size of the blazer 'small huh?' She thought to herself before sighing.

She walked out of her room into the kitchen and looked at Jarrod sitting on the couch. Hearing her footsteps, he turned to look at her. Amazement struck his own thoughts before he spoke out. "Sunshine, I think you should go put on a smaller uniform." He chuckled.

"This was the smallest one in the closet I could find.." She stuck her hands in the pockets of the oversized blazer and crossed her legs.

"Oh, uh small is the smallest that the school can provide..." He scratched the back of his head while he thought, "I can get some uniforms altered while you're in school, least till you can get some meat on your bones." He tried to lighten the mood.

"Thank you." She bit her tongue.

After a small breakfast Jarrod led Renae to her first class. They walked up to his office seeing the classrooms within an eye shot of his office doors. Once they entered the first class she would be attending, he stayed at the front speaking with her new teacher. She took a seat in the middle of the room as other students began piling in filling up the rest of the empty seats before the bell rang. Waiting for the conversation in the front to end, the students whispered and passed around papers, Renae sat completely still before a balled up paper landed at her feet.

Jarrod glanced at Renae before he walked towards the door and waving to the class. "Okay class, we have a new student. Renae, you can call me Mr. K."

Her heart pounded and she felt all eyes land on her. She nodded her head in response as Mr. K turned around grabbing some chalk. "Okay Renae, you already know this is algebra two and you might be a little behind, that's alright, just raise your hand and let me know if you don't get anything. Just pay attention and ask questions." He turned around after writing on the board.

She just sat there as she instinctively zoned out, she hadn't even noticed the paper that had been placed on her desk. Before she could notice anything, class was almost over with. She leaned forward seeing all the questions thinking how easy they seemed.

Just as Renae finished her paper she sat back and looked at the clock, class would be over soon. "Now, I hope everyone can get this turned in before class tomorrow. You're allowed to leave."

Renae ignored her thoughts as the bell rang, she got up and walked towards Mr. Ks desk and placed the paper in front of him. He looked at her in confusion and at the paper.

"Is there a problem sir?" She asked knowing there was nothing wrong with her paper.

"No, it's just... when I say turn in your papers by tomorrow, that's usually two days later. Never a day early. Thank you, Miss Riley. I'm going to enjoy you being in my class." He smiled as Renae nodded and headed towards her next class. She saw art written across the board as she sat down.

-

As the school day came to and end, Renaes excitement had fizzled into lethargy. The bell continued to ring in the background for an additional minute longer then what she had heard earlier. Renae walked along the side of the building to go home, listening to the ringing bell and sound of footsteps with satisfaction knowing she finished her first day of school with success. All until a hand met her shoulder.

"You know dorms are the other way right?" A light voice spoke while the hand tried to grab her blazer.

"I know, but I'm not staying in the dorms. I'm staying with my dad." Renae tried not to let her anger show, she never liked strangers touching her.

She shook off the hand and continued to walk along the sidewalk around the corner. Having to walk in between two buildings, Renaes vision expanded as she passed the corner of the second building, her vision was met with a group of students passing around what she guessed with her scent was a bottle of alcohol. She picked up her pace hoping they didn't see her. Just as she thought she was clear almost ten feet away from her door, a tug on her blazer stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going newbie?" A lower voice said to her, not letting her turn to meet his gaze.

"Home, I'm getting really tired of strangers touching me today." Her voice could have easily been mistaken for a growl. "Now let go."

"I don't think so. We don't know if you'll tell anyone about what you saw a minute ago. Why don't you stay a while?" He brought both his hands to meet her shoulders, rubbing them intensely. "Relax baby, you're so tense." He whispered in her ear.

"I'm going to say one more time. Let me go and get your nasty breathe away from me." Her vision began to tunnel as she turned away from his face.

"Come on cutie, have a drink with us. It'll help loosen you up." He moaned in her ear pulling her closer to him. He started to slide his hands closer onto her chest as she noticed his hands burned. Before his hands could meet with the buttons on her shirt, she grabbed his had and twisted it, spinning it over her head and twisting it behind his back. As she got into her footing, she pressed his wrist into his back feeling it crack in her hands.

"When I say let go, I meant it." She pushed through clenched teeth as he screamed in pain. "If you apologize maybe, I'll think about letting you go."

"LET ME GO!" He screamed in pain. Every other kid staring in disbelief, although some were laughing and one running back into the dorms.

"You didn't say sorry. Unfortunately, manners mean a lot to me and since you've shown me none so far-" She continued twisting his arm till she could hear his whimper. Her grin showing as she felt him start to shake with pain.

"Okay... okay, I'm sorry." He whispered to her under his breath.

"I'm sorry? I didn't catch that?" She said as she lowered herself into him pushing his arm into his back even more, cracking it that much more.

"AH! I'm sorry!" He yelled trying to move away out of her grasp. Content calmed her anger, she let go of his arm and watched him fall to the ground and his arm flop around as he was unable to move it.

"Thank you." She whispered to him dusting herself off, all while noticing Jarrod walking towards her.

"What's going on here?" Jarrod asked, anger hinting in his voice.

"They were drinking, I walked by to get home. He tried to make me join him since I saw them and even tried to grope me. I grabbed and more then likely broke his arm." Jarrods anger turned to shock as she pointed to the boy crying on the ground.

"Renae, fighting is against the rules." He crossed his arms.

"Self defense isn't fighting." Heat filled her body, she turned and walked home leaving the scene behind ignoring any attempts to catch her attention.

After walking into the house, she locked the door and felt the heat exist inside of her. She shook her head as tears tried to force their way into her eyesight.

Only a few hours had passed, Renaes emotions had settled down and her hunger grew. She walked into the kitchen after finishing whatever homework she had brought back only to be met with Jarrod walking in the front door.

"You young lady are in deep trouble!" He roared throwing his keys on the counter.

"Why?" She turned away from him and began looking for something to snack on.

"Instead of training, you broke a kids arm in six different places and while I'm out there dealing with it you're in here trying to get a snack?" He took off his coat and laid it on the leather rocking chair and crossed his arms.

"Yeah?...So? Like I said, it was self defense."

"A little excessive for self defense if you walked away unscathed." He stared at her.

"Okay? He shouldn't have touched me."

He just stood there and watched her search for food before letting out a deep sigh "I'm not mad at you. Honestly I'm actually proud, I didn't have to teach you self defense but you need to learn how to hold back a little. I'm happy you know how to protect yourself, whether it's from slacker students and especially from wol-" He cut himself off "From Wyoming jerks too!" He grinned hoping she wouldn't catch on.

Renae just shook her head hiding her smile. She turned to him before asking "So, when are we going to train?"

"Get dressed in a more fitting uniform and we'll go. While I'm waiting for you I'm gonna get something to eat." He rubbed his stomach as he walked into the kitchen and took Renaes place looking for food.

Renae ran into her room completely exhilarated, forgetting about her hunger. Upon opening her closet she saw all her oversized uniforms were gone and newer, more fitting ones took their place. She quickly removed her current uniform and noticed she had a small bruise on her collar bone. Shrugging it off, she got dressed and returned to the kitchen. "I'm ready when you are." She smirked.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" He asked eating a bowl of chili.

"Not really." She lost her smirk and was reminded of her hunger.

"Here." He handed her an extra bowl filled with chili "You'll also need this." He pulled out a small handle and placed it on the table.

"What's that?" She asked shoveling food into her mouth.

"It's the weapon your gonna be using." He placed his bowl in the sink and rinsed it off.

"Oh cool, is it a taser?" She asked excited as she put down her finished bowl of chili and grabbed the handle.

"Wait it's no-" Before Jarrod could explain anything she grabbed it tightly with excitement extending it on the table knocking over the bowl and shattering it on the floor. He let out a sigh as he leaned over and cleaned up the glass "Don't lose it. When you have it on you, you'll have to hide it under your clothes so other students won't be able to see it." He pulled a thigh holster from his back pocket and tossed it on the table so he could continue cleaning the glass.

"How am I supposed to hide a pole under my skirt?" She asked confused as she looked at the pole in her hands. She placed it back on the table, upon letting it go, it shrunk back into a handle "Woah." She whispered grabbing the holster and putting it on under her skirt.

"When you grip it, it extends. Loosen your grip and it's a handle again." He smirked. On that suggestion she grabbed it with a light grasp and placed it in the holster under her skirt.

"Awesome." She chuckled.

"Okay, let's go." He grabbed her hand after standing up. He dragged her outside after grabbing his keys and locked the door behind them. Once locked, they began walking into the trees a few hundred feet away.