Chaos Legion : Recognizing The Beast

by Jada Tarrant

  “Well, you and Drew have a free day. He emailed me the presentation earlier and it looks like it's coming along great. It isn't due until Wednesday. But if I were you I'd sit somewhere else today. Doesn't look like he's in the best of moods,” she said. Biting my lip, thoughts of earlier crossed my mind. I wanted to ask Drew questions, but I guess I would wait until I get home to ask.

  Spending my time in silence, I concentrated on my other classes so Drew wouldn't appear on my mind. I wasn't in the mood to do anything more than go home and sleep right now.

  After school on the bus was the oddest part as I took a seat as far from Drew as I could. But in the middle of the ride he seemed to have hopped into it. The envious look in his eyes made me think about how much I didn't want to know what was going on in his mind at the moment.

  “Still got to work on project,” Drew mumbled under his breath. “I'll do it.” The spryness in his voice was a obvious reminder that he wasn't happy about it. “Why, is something wrong?” I whispered so no one would hear. But he didn't speak up, and once I started walking toward my house he grabbed me by the arm, swinging me to the front of his door.

  “There are so many things wrong, it's not even funny. Today didn't go the way it was supposed to,” he said and frowned, looking at the time. “Go home.”

  CHAPTER 4

  JOLIET, IL

  SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2012

  Doing things exactly the way Mr. Traffen recommended, blocking Drew out of everything I did. It didn't really seem to faze him as it looked like he didn't care. He didn't stalk me as he usually did in school. All seemed to be quiet with him, being a very dangerous silence I didn't want to get involved in.

  Biology class we all had to switch partners and I was place with the smart guy, Arthur. We seemed to get along on doing the experiments event hough the dissecting part freaked me out doing certain parts.

  “Most girls don't want to do this at all,” Arthur said, laughing at the frog. He was poking at it's intestines. “I'd feel bad if someone were to remove these from me too. But it's dead, I'll highly doubt it feels a thing.” Just the fact that he was talking about stomach guts nearly made me sick.

  “Yeah, yeah. Let's get this over with,” I said as I placed most of the organs on a paper towel. “You got the charts?” Arthur nodded. “Looks perfectly normal to me. Only thing off is it looks like it didn't completely digest a fly,” he said, pointing at it's throat. A dead fly was just sitting there. Was this guy trying to make me puke? I was gagging as I held my hands over my throat.

  The teacher then came around the room, asking questions. Then when he came to us he smiled. “It didn't finish digesting its fly,” Arthur said, pointing at the mouth. “I know,” the teacher said, nearly chuckling. “You guys were the only ones assigned a different frog. I wanted to see if my top students would notice anything peculiar.” Ah, so that's what it was.

  Arthur laughed the second the teacher left us. “He likes to pick on us. This class is way too easy,” he said. Agreeing with him, I nodded my head as he continued to speak.

  “Yeah it is,” I said and Arthur touches my hand. There had to be something he wanted to say as he looked up at me. “I have a birthday coming up this weekend. Would like you to come,” he said as he slipped me an invitation. “You don't have to get me anything.” Considering that it was an offer I wouldn't refuse, I thought about the location. Maybe it'd be a good idea since it was in the Rialto Theatre. It sounded like a lot of fun.

  “Sure,” I said with a whimsical smile. Then he gave me a cheeky grin that went from ear to ear as I headed downstairs for the gym. The faeries were put up against us humans, and it seemed like I was the only one trying anything at all. It appeared that they were using their powers, barely even sweating an inch as I barely managed to keep the scores even. Emily had walked up to me the second the game was done.

  “Good one,” she said, eyeing me with interest. “You seem to notice a lot more than we think.” Then she began to walk away as I corked an eyebrow up in confusion. What does she mean?

  The coaches proceeded to put up flyers before the bell rang. “If anyone of you ladies want to learn how to fight, wrestling would be good. And those of you that need extra credit. Get involved then,” they said and left. I walked up to the board, even though I didn't need the credit to pass. Both wrestling and dance class interested me as I thought about things to busy myself after school with. Having both of them meant I'd be taking the activity bus home everyday, and it'd keep my mind off the troublesome things. Just the thing that I needed.

  Later on would be wrestling trials today, and I was sure I'd need a physical form. Once I signed my name on the sheet the teacher smiled at me. “Hope you know you'll be running after school. Pre-warning you,” he said with a smile. “But it'll be good for you.” That's what I wanted to hear, and just maybe, I'd be able to defend myself better around the magical peeps.

  As school ended, the gym barely seemed to have anyone in it. There was maybe two other girls other than me trying out to be on the wrestling team. Other than that, there were plenty of guys. But their stares felt unpleasant as they brought shivers down my spine.

  The coach soon came out with a smile bearing down at us. “All right folks. Ten laps around the track then when you're done report to me or Ms. Zamuda,” the coach said, pointing at the woman in the back. Then he blew the whistle.

  During the run, no one seemed to be taking things seriously as only two other guys and I were in the lead in the front running as fast as we could. One of them started to smile as I took a peek back to make sure they hadn't fallen behind. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to watch my back around these guys.

  The two other guys and I finished first as I went to the teacher to sign off. He smiled as the other began to approach from behind me. “Good job you three. When everyone's done here we go to the weight room,” he said. Wondering what that was, my brows were raised questioning them. The jocks appeared to be ready to answer.

  “Where we go to work on our muscles,” one of them said, flexing his arms. “Feel it if you want.” Curious, I touched it lightly. They were hard as a rock. Impressive.

  The jocks sat all around me as I looked at one of them. He shot a questionable glance at me. “Most girls don't join wrestling at all, and it is absolutely a non faerie/witch activity. So all normal people here,” the guy said. That felt reassuring as I managed to smile.

  “Sounds good to me,” I say and let out a small laugh. “I want to learn to fend for myself really.” Now that seemed to get a smile out of them. “You chose the perfect sport then,” they said as they relaxed. “Most women that join are usually the ones that want to get laid. I wanted to see what category you were in, since it actually looked like you were trying.”

  Since they were nice, I felt completely at ease but at the same time I knew I had to be cautious. The words that came out of his mouth were a clear reminder about that.

  A few words from the coach snapped me out of my mind as I glanced over at them. “Time to go to the weight room. If anyone feels tuckered out already let me know,” Ms. Zamuda said, eyeing the girls that just finished. “You'll be dismissed and sent home.” The second she said that, they left and never came back in. So as being the only one left, Ms. Zamuda decided to help me out. She spotted me when I needed a spotter. It also seemed like she wanted to talk during the exercises which was fine by me.

  “Pretty brave of you to stay,” Ms. Zamuda said. “It'll be a merged wrestling team, but it'll be great to have you on the team this year. Most of the girls only want to impress the guys. You go far and beyond.” Accepting her compliment, I pushed a few more reps before I racked up the bar.

  “Thanks,” I said as I swung my legs around the bench, preparing to get up. “I just needed something to get out of the house and to keep my mind off of things.” And honestly, it seemed to be working right now even though I was about ready to converse all my problems to a teacher I didn't know. That was the only thing running thr
ough my mind that was able to keep my mouth shut.

  Ms. Zamuda smiled. “I hear you. High school is tough on the mind and body as it's good to get it out through physical activity which this allows,” she said, pointing at the guys. They looked like they were stressing themselves out over the machines. My eyes lit up in surprise seeing it. “The only thing these guys think about is impressing themselves more and more each day they are here. Quite calming if you ask me.”

  The way she put it made it seem calm, but it looked like everybody was having a hell of a time. Most of them smiled my way once they had finished as I saw relief flicker in their eyes. Maybe wrestling is a good idea to do for right now.

  Once it was over, there was a bus ready to take everyone home. The guys had fun trying to knock me around a little for fun. But some of them knew I wasn't there to play around.

  “Congrats,” one of them said to me, grinning from ear to ear. “At least we know you'll last a while.” Then the rest of them laughed, as I crossed my arms. I knew what they meant, and no one was going to get that close to me.

  “Yeah, yeah. Sure,” I said slyly. “Not if I can kick your ass though.” The rest of them seemed to take it as a challenge in their eyes. “We'll see,” a majority of them said before I got off the bus. “Good luck.”

  Wednesday morning the hallway was full of athletic people. Ashley was one with me when one whistled for me.

  “Miss Badass, over here!” the jocks yelled, laughing at each other. The faeries soon looked at them with weird expressions on their faces. “Come on. Save me from this bad, bad man.” Well, today sounds like it's going to be interesting.

  Drew seemed to hear them as he looked at me with worry in his features. I walked over to them as they all ushered me into a group hug. “Okay too tight,” I said, taking a gasp of air as they all broke away and gave me a high five. “Coach wants to see all of us before we head off to class,” one of them said. “All of us are going to be late to class. It's a two hour meeting type of thing. Boring-g-g-g-g.”

  That made it sound even better as Drew was walking this way. Something must not have felt right if he was coming this way. He popped right into the group beside me.

  “You need to get to class,” Drew said, looking around at the jocks. “These people are bad news.” Of course, I knew that as I rolled my eyes at him. One of the guys seemed to notice Drew annoying me.

  “Is there a problem here?” one of the jocks asked. “Nope,” Drew said, tugging my on my shirt trying to get me to go. But I stood my ground because I was going to do what I wanted. That, and I knew he was hiding something that he would probably never tell me.

  “Yes,” I said and Drew scowled at me. “This guy likes to stalk me most of the time, yet won't tell me his deal. A-hole.” Saying that took a weight of my chest as Drew's face grew pale as the guys closed in on him. His ex-girlfriend came in to save him though, casting a spell making the others not hurt him. Drew just stared at me, probably wondering what was going through my head. He was definitely not going to get an answer from me, at least not a straight one. I know I have English with him later where he could pursue to ask his questions.

  The coach then came down the hallway and motioned us all to come with him. Following the others, Drew remained motionless in thought as I began to walk away. I'm pretty sure he wants to drill me for everything I know in English class, but don't tell me a single thing about him. Unless he will or I'll probably ended up being teed off.

  Well, the principle was in the room along with a few teachers. My guess is that they're about to go over the rules in order to stay in the wrestling program, since no one passed out a flyer the other day.

  “I hope you all know the good news, a female joins the squad so we all don't have to forfeit in the semifinals. We might just make it to state this year,” the principle said. Then everybody began to bang on the tables, making out noises as he spoke. I smiled, knowing it was because of me.

  The coach then stepped up to speak next. “And we have a wrestling match about two weeks from now. So other than the days assigned, I want you all to train. We need you at your sharpest,” he said as he eyed me carefully.

  Then the teachers handed out the papers and one was the physical like I expected. The other one was about the academic standing procedures, which surely wouldn't be a problem with me.

  At the end, I looked up at the clock and everyone was dismissed. As I was the last one to spring out of the room, the coach took me aside.

  “I know you're serious about this and that's good,” the coach said. “But make some fun out of it as we go along. Good luck.” Then I slipped off to class with the pass they gave me, and the rest of the day went by fast. Drew didn't even bother me, which was a surprise to see.

  In the morning, tryouts for dancing were for before school started. Waking up at four in the morning was a challenge as I was out the door by five. The early bus had arrived, and I knew Drew was staring at me from his window. He has to give in on his little stalking game soon, I just know it.

  Tryouts were in the amphitheater as it looked like a handful of teachers had gotten there bright and early. The dance instructor handed me a sheet as I walked in.

  “Everyone makes the team. Because we will teach you,” she said, giving us all kind looks. “Just for today, show us what you know. And if you can't dance, just say so.” Hmm, that's good to know...

  Waiting for my turn, I knew my last name put me near the bottom of the list as I watched the performances. Most of them hardly knew how to dance, except one seemed to know the Irish jig. That's about how talented I saw the whole lot. Maybe her teaching will make everyone less shy to dance nicely.

  My turn. Then the music teacher asked me what song to play. I told her to choose one since I didn't know. As long as it wasn't too slow. It ended up being a pop rock song. The foot movement I got to the beat was decent as I swept my arms across my body as it felt weird but good. At the end I heard clapping, but I didn't think I did that well.

  “Just a few minor setbacks,” the instructor said. “Everything's good. You just need to pick up the pace a little. But everything flows pretty well.” Sounding like a compliment I smiled, but I wasn't sure what to think of it. I knew there was something that I needed to work on.

  Most of my weeks remained uninterrupted between class and my extracurricular activities my mom and dad became quite involved in my wrestling. They were teaching me some tricks on how to defend myself a little better. Dad wanted to see the match when I'd wrestle, which I hope I'd be participating in the match coming up.

  “I'm proud of you,” dad said and tapped me on the back. “Takes a lot to do what you're doing right now.” Then he took his eyes off of me, deep in thought. “If I see A's and B's on your report card I might just pay out of pocket for Driver's Ed for you.” Now that sounded like a good deal, and it would definitely be a great motivation for me to strive in my class other than sports.

  “Thanks dad. I won't disappoint,” I said with a smile. He returned my smile with a grin and a hug. “Love you,” he said before I slipped into my room.

  CHAPTER 5

  JOLIET, IL

  SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2012

  By the look on Drew's face over the few weeks it seemed like he couldn't take much more of me ignoring him. He was surely getting made, and his face became red each time his eyes made contact with me in the hallway.

  On the other hand, my first wrestling match was coming up in two days. It racked my brain violently as I was excited and yet worried at the same time thinking about how I could get a blow to the face. But if I recall correctly, hardly any girls ever enter the sport. Maybe I wouldn't be against anyone like coach warned me. At the same time though I didn't really care.

  After about half of the day was over, it appeared that Drew was waiting outside the classroom as I approached. Before I could even enter, he pulled me away from the door. What the hell has gotten into him?

  “What's gotten into you?” Drew asked as he whipped
me into the lockers. I let out a yelp as it hurt, but I managed to block his fist to keep him from wailing on me. He was definitely getting frustrated.

  “Entered some extracurricular activities to take my mind off school and you dumbass,” I said as I spat in his face. A mixture of anger and relief washed over his face as I spoke those words. “I'm not a dumb ass. Why would you put yourself at risk because of me? Explain that,” he said, crossing his arms. Finding it the time to say it, I was going to give him the full story I wanted him to hear.

  “Lets see, you won't tell me crap about you, but I can tell you everything about me. I wanted to know you as you compared to what you act like around here. Something does not add up. Especially since you are basically the witches whore,” I said as I got a smack across the face.

  “Wrong. They're my whores,” he said with a glare. “Why would such a thing interest you?” Mad, I covered my ears. It seemed like he was going to keep going on and on until I'd scream.

  “Maybe because you approached me. You acted like you liked me when I didn't like you. I thought of you as a friend, and once something happens you're all quiet. No explanation given whatsoever. Why am I explaining this to you? Because I am not like you,” I say as he winced. Now that seemed to make a mark.

  You are wrong in so many ways I really can't explain to you. You aren't old enough,” he said, looking away from me. Okay, I'm lost.

  The bell rang, but it didn't look like I was going anywhere as Drew was staring me down. I was nearly halfway scared out of my wits.

  Alas, Drew locked me away before I could do anything about it as for the end of the day came he came around. His witchy ex-girlfriend was with him. He then grabbed me out of there with a firm grip on my wrist.

  “We have business to do,” Drew said, answering the question that was on Sophie's face. So the witch gave me one look before she left. “Good luck,” she said and I knew I was going to need it. The thought of Drew hurting me multiplied in my head. I knew it was going to be a bad evening ahead of me. All I could feel was a danger that I couldn't escape as I had avoided it as long as I could. Maybe if I didn't ignore him it wouldn't have turned out this bad. Oh well.