Silent World

by Natalie Warren

  "I don't think you want to walk back into school without a shirt," Jake snapped her out of her thoughts and she slowly took the shirt. He turned around as Raven put his shirt on and he collected her bag for her.

  "Thank you," she wiped her tears and took her bag, allowing herself to be escorted back to school. She glanced over her shoulder to where she had seen Jason stare down the beast and wondered how the green-eyed boy could have fought it off. It didn't seem humanly possible.

  She shrugged it off and Jake helped her as she tripped on a tree root, correcting her and keeping an eye on her all the way back to White Grass.

  What's The Truth?

  14. What's the truth?

  "Hey."

  Raven looked up at Der and she smiled a greeting, inviting him to sit with her. "Hey. What's up?"

  The blonde boy frowned and his eyes betrayed him before he sat down. Raven looked over her shoulder to where Elaise was sitting with her two friends, Mandy and Katie. "I don't know what I did wrong," Der muttered half to himself.

  "She claims you burnt your hand on her chain," Raven shrugged. "Then she started on the whole werewolf stuff."

  Der bit his lip. "I don't know what I'm gonna do. I asked her out and she said yes, but now… I don't know what's going on."

  "You and her have been dating all week and she's been avoiding you the whole time?" Raven blinked and Der nodded. "That's messed up. I hope things work out, I know how much you like her."

  It had been a week since Elaise started with her werewolf theory, constantly trying to convince Raven that they were real. The blonde kept refusing to believe it, but she also had other things on her mind, aside from Stephanie being dead.

  "Is Jason talking to you yet?" Der changed the subject. "Jake told me about what happened in the forest…"

  Raven shook her head. "He hasn't spoken to me since… I don't know why he's so angry at me. I didn't ask for it to happen." She glanced up at the basketball courts where she saw Jason playing with his friends. Der usually joined them, but not today.

  "I don't think it's you that he's angry at," the blonde boy suggested. "Maybe he's angry at himself."

  "For what?"

  "For not getting to your side fast enough," Der shrugged and Raven watched Jason dribbling the ball and getting ready to shoot it in the hoop. He suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Raven. The blonde girl bit her healed lip as Jason stopped in his tracks. Raven could swear she saw a hint of sorrow cross his face right before a boy from the opposing team tackled him to the ground.

  "Have you tried talking to him?" Der asked as Jason got up off the ground and scowled at his friend who helped him up.

  "No," Raven admitted. "If I did he would probably just walk off. He hasn't been in a good mood since it happened."

  "Give him a bit more time," Der smiled and patted her shoulder. "Like I said a few weeks ago; he's still learning to communicate with people properly."

  Raven nodded but grumbled. "This isn't fair. You're giving me helpful advice but I can't give you any. I feel horrible."

  Der laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry. Just think, me and Elaise are technically still dating so she'll have to stop avoiding me eventually. You and Jason are hopeless without each other."

  "We are not!" Raven objected. "We're perfectly find on our own!"

  "You're a bad liar," Der shook his head and hung his arm over Raven's shoulder. "Everyone can see it. Both of you are almost lost without the other. You and Jason are probably on the top ten list of things everyone talks about."

  "Is that good or bad?" Raven blinked.

  Der thought for a moment. "Both, I'd say. The snobby girls complain about you and the guys envy Jason. Though that's just eighty percent of the school."

  "And the other twenty?" Raven challenged.

  "They are waiting for the two of you to hurry the hell up and get together already!" Der laughed and jumped to his feet as Raven's jaw dropped.

  "What do you mean by that?" she rose from where she sat and noticed Elaise and Jason turn their heads.

  "Come on!" the tall boy chuckled. "You two fight like an old married couple but are super affectionate with each other. It's a wonder that you're not dating yet!"

  "That's not true," Raven crossed her arms stubbornly. She tried to keep a solid expression when she thought about the affection Jason had shown her; kissing her forehead or her cheeks and giving her an infinite number of cuddles. And then their first kiss… His affection for her only grew and she had become accustomed to him being a part of her life. There was never another boy that had put in that much effort to be so close to her and Jason had gone so far as to be her protector. She looked up at Jason, who was still glancing over at her, and she had to admit that she really did miss him.

  "I hate fighting with him…" she whispered and reached up for the necklace Jason had bought for her. Raven had found that she had passed her Math test with flying colors and she had Jason to thank for the support. Why wouldn't he talk to her?

  "Give it time," Der suggested and the blonde girl sighed. "I'm sure he misses you. I'll go talk to him and see if it helps."

  Raven smiled warmly and thanked him, watching Der run off to the basketball courts. She didn't hang around to see what happened and she walked off into the building to find Sally and the others. She hated walking around on her own in case Kyle tried to grab her again and she felt goose bumps rise on her arms. She would have been raped that day if not for… She stopped in the hallway for a moment and thought about it. It wasn't Jason and Jake that stopped him; it was that thing in the forest that kidnapped girls. It had distracted Kyle and would have torn him apart if the other two hadn't arrived. So was it really the beast that saved her?

  "You okay?" her shoulder was grabbed and she yelped, spinning around to face the newcomer. She breathed with relief when she recognized Jake. "Sorry," he mumbled.

  "It's okay," Raven calmed her racing heart and offered a smile. "What's up?"

  "I could ask you the same thing," Jake looked her up and down. "Jason still not talking to you?"

  Raven frowned. "How is it so obvious?"

  "Easy," he chuckled. "You're both-"

  "Lost without each other?" she finished and he nodded. "That's so not true. I can take care of myself quite easily without him!"

  "If Kyle turned up?" the brunette boy raised an eyebrow and Raven looked down at the ground. "Come on, Rich! Even I can see that you two want to be together. Why not talk to him first so you guys can get together?"

  "Why is everyone so desperate for this?" she challenged. "Why are Jason and I the favorite topic among everyone?"

  "Because it's so entertaining!" Jake grinned. "It's just like the movies; the two of them don't realize how much they care about each other until it's too late."

  "Well it's not too late for anything," Raven insisted. "And what if we don't like each other in that way?"

  "Then explain why you still smell like him."

  Raven stopped breathing and she quickly turned to her shoulder and took a sniff, confused when she didn't detect Jason's smell. But she silently admitted that, even though Jason wasn't talking to her, she still wore his shirts to bed. He had left a total of six shirts with her over the weeks and they still smelled like him. She felt safe whenever his smell was near her and she felt comforted. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and she tried to hide her face, but Jake wasn't fooled.

  "You want him back," he concluded.

  "You make it sound as though we were a couple!" Raven snorted.

  "That's the way the two of you make it seem."

  Raven rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean we are."

  "No, but you should be," Jake said and dodged out of the way when Raven went to playfully punch his shoulder. She had to admit, he had incredibly fast reflexes. She was jealous.

  "Why are you saying that when you wanted me all to yourself?" she raised her chin.

  Jake stood in front of her and leaned his arms over Raven's shoulders, leani
ng down so close that his nose nearly touched hers. "Because if I tried to take you from Jason now, I wouldn't see the next sunrise."

  "You know about him…?"

  "Yes," he nodded. "I know about Jason's past. I wouldn't have wanted to live through it and he's quite strong to have made it this far. A lot of people know about who he used to be."

  "Are you scared of him?" Raven dared to ask, surprisingly not bothered by the distance between her and Jake. It was confusing to her though, that Jason and Jake had seemed like enemies in the beginning but now they were friends. Was it all just an act?

  "Yes," the brunette boy nodded sincerely. "There's a reason why he takes his Martial Arts class, and not just because of his control issues."

  "What reason would that be?" Raven breathed, her body tingling as her skin soaked in the warmth of his breath.

  He smiled. "People like him don't change very easily," he muttered. "Jason's mind has been toyed with so much that killing," he added in a whisper as a few kids walked past, glancing at the two of them curiously, "is still the only thing he knows. The headmaster wants to keep him under control so he doesn't kill anyone else."

  Raven frowned. Jason had gone through so much torture as a child and he was turned into a psychopathic murderer like the ones in the crime investigation television shows. But several questions lingered in her mind. Why hadn't the headmaster turned Jason in to the police? Why had Jason been allowed to join the school when he used to be a killer? How could the headmaster have excused that so easily? She was happy that Jason was in the school, but she couldn't make any sense of it.

  "You'll understand eventually," Jake murmured as if he had read her thoughts. "But give things time and it will work out."

  Raven chewed her lip and nodded. Jake smiled and stood up straight, saying goodbye and taking leave down the hallway. Raven watched him for a moment and went the other way, going in search of her friends.

  *.*.*

  "I think it's funny. I told her it was all he wanted."

  "Will you shut up?" Elaise scowled at Katie. "They just had another fight, it doesn't mean Jason doesn't like Raven anymore."

  "Why are you still defending her?" Katie blinked. "Jason was only wanting sex from her. It's so easy to tell that they've done it. And now he has just ditched her completely."

  "You don't know that," Elaise scoffed but looked up at where Jason was playing basketball with his friends, Der among them. She narrowed her eyes and her hand reached for her silver chain. "Either way, I don't think Jason is a good option for you."

  "Why not?" Katie challenged. "Jason is one of the most popular boys in the school and, well," she pointed to herself, "who could resist this?"

  "Wouldn't want to be up yourself," Mandy giggled and Elaise chewed her lip. Once upon a time she used to think she was the hottest thing around. White Grass was quick to put her in her place. "If anything he'd choose me over you."

  "Both of you, shut up!" Elaise held her hands over her ears. "He wouldn't choose either of you because he's made his choice. He hasn't left Raven."

  "Let's find out," Katie got up from where she sat and Elaise watched her skip over to the basketball courts.

  "I have to see this," Mandy ran after her in a flash.

  Elaise felt her heart racing when she saw Jason already noticing their approach. The way he turned his head to look at them made the brunette's skin crawl. She knew what Jason was, and nobody else could see it. She had to stop Katie.

  She ran after the two girls and caught up to them just as Katie started her flirting routine. "I heard you aren't with Ickie anymore," she smiled.

  "Her name is Raven," Jason snorted. "And we were never together." Elaise stared up at his solid green eyes and wondered if he meant that in a way that he never cared about Raven… But Elaise thought his kind weren't like that.

  "So what would you say if I asked you-"

  "Don't bother," Jason interrupted. "You didn't understand me."

  Elaise felt her head swim with confusion and Jason glanced at her, almost making her jump and shy away. Was he angry at her for her accusations? Was he angry that she figured out his secret?

  "We don't get it," Mandy mumbled.

  "Me and Raven were never together," he stated. "But that's because I'm waiting."

  "For what?" Katie crossed her arms.

  "For her to be ready for a relationship." Elaise couldn't help the tiny smile. Despite Jason being what he was, it was incredibly cute. No boy had ever been this way with Raven, and it was nice to see that someone cared about Elaise's friend so much.

  Katie didn't think it was so cute.

  "How can you pass up this chance?!" she snapped and Elaise noticed all of Jason's friends rolling their eyes and laughing to each other. She spotted Der but turned her gaze back to Jason. She still hadn't talked to the blonde boy since she found out the truth. "I'm so much hotter than that slut so why-" Katie yelped as Jason grabbed her by the throat. Elaise's breath became hitched in her throat and Mandy hid behind her.

  "Don't talk about her that way!" he snarled menacingly in Katie's face and Elaise was fighting the temptation to turn and run. She had never seen Jason be so hostile towards a female, and the anger in his eyes was almost bloodthirsty. The way he stared at her made him look as though he wanted to tear her apart. Elaise's suspicions were only increasing.

  "Jason!" Der reached his side and grabbed the boy's wrist, ripping his hand from Katie's neck. The girl took a few steps back before she reached for Mandy's arm and the two of them raced away as fast as they possibly could.

  Jason didn't seem to hear Der as he tore his arm free and turned to Elaise, glaring at her. "As for you!" he growled and the brunette was rooted to the spot. She felt her legs turning to jelly under the boy's gaze and he raised his hand. She flinched and almost screamed when he snatched at her necklace. She fought to keep breathing and she looked down at Jason's hand as he held his hand open, palm up, with the pure silver cross sitting there, touching his skin. Elaise expected to see it burn him, to send smoke up as it sizzled away and ate his skin… but it didn't.

  Elaise looked back up at Jason and saw that he had never looked away, his emerald eyes piercing into her like razor sharp knives. "But… I…" why wasn't he being burnt?

  "I can touch silver," he retorted. "Where's your argument now?"

  Elaise didn't know what to say. She risked a glance at Der but he was watching Jason, maybe in case he decided to attack the brunette. Instead, Jason let go of the necklace and turned, stalking away. Der glanced at Elaise before running to catch up with him.

  The brunette saw Jason give his hand a shake and flexed it but she ignored the rest of the boys and ran off after her friends to see if they were okay. She tried to calm her racing heart as she entered the building and held her necklace, trying to let everything sink in. She couldn't understand it. She had been so sure! Was it just coincidence that Der' hand had burned? Or had it really been a trick of the light? Were Eliza's eyes really a deformity? Elaise wasn't so sure anymore.

  She stopped before she rounded a corner and she heard Brittany laughing. She glanced around the corner and saw Katie and Mandy with the black-haired girl. Katie was rubbing her neck but Brittany looked pleased.

  "We can make use of this," Brittany giggled. "We'll tell everyone that Jason beats up women and he's been trying to get Elaise to sleep with him by threatening her. That will put Raven off her game. If that blonde bitch thinks Elaise's been crying for Jason's attention, we'll have a field day!"

  Elaise couldn't believe what she had heard. She clenched her hands and send a quick prayer up to God that he would forgive her for her foul language. She rounded the corner and approached them, grabbing Brittany and pushing her into the wall. Katie and Mandy jumped back and Elaise glared at them.

  "So it's been you three bitches this whole time!" Elaise hissed. "You've been spreading false rumors to try and keep me and Raven fighting!"

  Brittany sighed and nodded. "But it's been fun!" she in
sisted. "Look, you know yourself that Raven is a lost cause and she's forgotten about you completely because Jason has been in her line of sight. She doesn't want to be your friend anymore so why not make her life miserable?"

  "You just want to do this because she embarrassed you in front of the class," Elaise sneered. "Because she stood up to you and punched you. That's why you're being such a fucking cow. The things that 'Raven' has been saying about me has just been you telling everyone she said it. I can't believe you would stoop so fucking low as to do such a thing! I hope Satan claims your soul and drags you into the depths of Hell for the things you've done."