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It was hard enough trying to get Steph off of her mind, but trying to avoid him seemed harder. Although they were in different grade levels, he seemed to manage to see her at nearly every corner she turned. As the day drove on at its slow speed, Luci couldn’t help but want to skip out on going back to the Pengy society that afternoon. After that morning, she didn’t think she could take anymore surprises from anyone.
The final bell took its toll at the end of the day, allowing the students to finally leave the prison that contained them. The one student who might have actually wanted to stay was Luci. After five minutes of silence in her classroom, the teacher finally strolled her way and escorted the young girl out into the hall. Her nerves rising, she made sure to check every corner carefully before continuing on her way.
As she made her way to the shoe lockers, she nearly fell over herself as she tried to remove her indoor shoes. Her body shook uncontrollably, no matter what tactic she tried to use to stop. As soon as her outdoor shoes were in place, she took a deep breath and turned to leave the school. The man standing behind her wasn’t too surprising, but it did make her jump far enough to cause her body to fall helplessly to the floor. As the gravity kicked in, the man stretched out his arm and helped her up.
“You ok?” he asked with a bit of concern in his voice. Luci looked up at him nervously. She had half-expected him to be Steph, but when he spoke, she knew it couldn’t be him. His face was kind and calm and he seemed to be like any other old man you’d see in a retirement home.
“Y-yes, thank you sir.” She replied and rose to her feet. The thing she didn’t get was why he was at her school. He didn’t look like any of the teachers who worked here, nor did he look like anyone she had seen on the sidewalks nearby. As she looked at him with a fake smile, he returned it with a kind one and led her out of the building, almost by force. Luci’s heart began to race as he led her out of the school building. He didn’t force her too much, but his grasp on her shoulder was firm.
“Thank you sir, I’ll be okay from here.” She said in a nervous voice, hoping the man would leave her alone. As she gained the courage to look up at him, he looked back down at her with a wicked smile. They had stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk and his hands were on both of her shoulders.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. From the rumors, I thought you’d be a lot older.” He said, his wicked smile remaining on his face. Luci looked at him, her eyes widening with every word that came out of his mouth. A slight laugh escaped his lips and as the sound grew, his body changed. The hands that clutched her shoulders turned to meaty red claws. The deep red color swallowed his entire body until he was nothing but a red beast. His nose and mouth seemed to form one as a muzzle appeared in their place. His graying hair turned dark black, his eyes following suit.
Luci stood quivering in fear at the beast that stood before her. She wanted to run, but his grasp was too strong. His claw-like fingers pierced her skin hard, causing dots of red to forms on her uniform. He noticed her fear and a maniac-like laugh escaped his muzzle as he neared her ear.
“You are so helpless, so frightened, so unaware of the amazing power you posses. To bad you’ll never know.” He whispered in a voice that pierced her eardrums in pain. As he neared her neck, he opened his dog-like mouth to pierce her neck but was forced to stop when an attack from behind him sent him sprawling to the ground in pain. He released Luci who fell to her knees as the beast lay in such pain beside her. Her eyes were still staring upwards as the blood from her shoulders crept down her cream-colored uniform jacket.
The one who had caused the attack stood before her, his wings spread out and his arms crossed as he examined the beast. A sword came from his side and rose to shine in the sunlight. It must’ve been the shine that returned Luci to reality, for as the sword dove down towards the beast, she stared at the man who was helping her in pain.
“S-steph…” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She didn't know who stood before her, but whoever it was, she wanted them to know she wanted Steph. He was the only one who could help her understand what was going on. The blade pierced the dog-like creature that let out a shriek of pain. The sword was removed from the beast, its blood staining the blades shiny steel. The man who stood before Luci knelt down and took her into his arms.
“Luci…I’m so sorry…” he whispered, and Luci knew it was Steph, even if her eyesight was blurry from her tears. He pulled her close to him and picked her up, taking her away from the bloody scene and the dying creature. His wings sped up the process as he flew her to the safety of the clubhouse. Kicking the door open, he dove down into the depths of the Pengy Society, Luci clinging onto him with each flap of his wings.
The members of the society were there to meet them, although it was hard for Luci to tell. They all seemed different in some weird way. As Steph carried Luci over to a beanbag, she soon realized why. They were all unknown creatures to her. Gaven was still Gaven, but the other members were like Steph; monsters. Keith had dog ears and a tail; his sister had cat ears and a tail. Cassandra had bright blue skin and elf ears on the sides of her face. And then there was Steph. He was in his bird form once again with a worried look on his face. Now that she actually paid attention to what was going on around her, so did everyone else.
“W-what…what happened?” she managed to ask, her throat sore from the crying as well as her nerves. Steph hushed her gently as Samantha removed her coat to reveal her now slightly torn sleeves of her shirt. She raised the first sleeve with care and dabbed the small wounds with a substance unknown to Luci. It didn’t hurt, but it did feel weird. She performed the same process to her other shoulder and slowly nodded at the outcome. The members of the club left Luci and Steph for their own work, still remaining in their true forms.
“Steph, what’s going on??” Luci asked as soon as the other members were out of hearing distance. He looked at her and shook his head as he took a seat beside her.
“That man was trying to obtain that power I told you about…it was because he had seen us in the alleyway this morning.” He replied and shook his head once again as he rested his forehead on his hand. “I’m such an idiot…allowing myself to be seen so easily to someone like that…” he mumbled under his breath, most likely trying not to be heard ranting to himself. Luci looked at him nervously then the other members of the club.
“Steph, it’s not your fault. We didn’t know-“
“I could’ve known if I was being more attentive!” he replied in agitation, his voice rising from the frustration building up inside him. Luci stared at him nervously and once Steph noticed her fear, he shook his head and forced himself to look away. “I was being careless…if I had actually paid attention, none of this would’ve happened…” he replied.
Before Luci could reply, loud footsteps were heard above them, causing everyone to stop what they were doing. As if by instinct, they all returned to their normal selves; Keith and Samantha’s ears and tails disappeared, Cassandra’s skin and ears returned to their normal forms, and Steph’s wings and hair returned to normal, although he was shirtless. Before he could retrieve his shirt, the trapdoor opened and an angry Shay appeared in the clubroom, a face of fury forming when she first laid eyes on Steph and Luci.
“What are you doing?! Where the heck is your shirt, Steph??” she yelled in a demanding voice. Steph let out a soft sigh and looked up at her.
“It’s over there.” He replied and motioned towards his corner. Shay looked at him as if he were insane, but ended up retrieving his shirt nevertheless and returning it to him.
“You shouldn’t be going around half naked, especially when there are certain people around.” She muttered, obviously referring to Luci. As Shay finally got a good look at Luci, she realized the girl had been crying and smirked. “Let me guess, you told Steph you love him but he denied your presence for me?” she asked, thinking she was right. Luci’s cheeks turned pink from embarrassment and fury but before she could retort, Steph stopped her.
“No, there was a family issue and she’s still recuperating from the pain of losing a family member. Stop being so nosy.” He replied and wrapped his arms around Luci as more tears formed in her eyes. It wasn’t because there was a family incident or because she had just been attacked by some weird beast out on the street, but because he was protecting her. She had never felt such compassion before in her life from anyone, and the feeling was exhilarating. Shay looked at the two with fury but simply folded her arms across her chest and looked away.
“Well, in case you all didn’t know, there’s a man up there who just turned up dead on the street. There weren’t any witnesses, but there’s a lot of blood.” She said, causing everyone to look at her with grave expressions. They had gotten rid of an enemy, but had forgotten to dispose of the evidence.
“Crap…” Steph mumbled under his breath and looked at Luci. “Could you all excuse me for the moment? I think I left something at my desk that I need for my algebra homework tonight.” He said and eased himself up and out of the beanbag. As Luci made her way to join him, Shay stopped her.
“He doesn’t want you, just accept it.” She said, acting as if she hadn’t heard a single word of their explanation earlier. Luci looked at her and rolled her eyes as she sat back down in the beanbag, awaiting Steph’s return.