Chapter 2: The Electric Shock

The next day things gets a bit more interesting. I see Cassie in all my classes but minus the smiles that she gives me as an acknowledgement, she does not talk to me. I feel a bit disappointed, but for selfish reasons, I can do my job without being involved in her life.  

During one of the breaks, as I walk to my locker to put some books down to replace with some other books that I need for my next class, the football player from before, slams into me again. I did not see him coming and because of this I am not prepared for the tackle as my mind is a bit preoccupied with other things. The books I am holding falls to the floor.

“Didn’t I tell you to watch it” the football player shouts out.

I can hear some other kids laugh and my emotions get the better of me. I can feel my eyes flashing red. I hate bullies. I look down on the floor in an attempt to get a grip of my emotions and hide my eyes while pretend to look for the books. I did not come here to get humiliated, by a human no less, but using my powers would be more dangerous, especially as no one is supposed to know who or what I am.

I bend down to pick my books up, that has been scattered all over the floor, but as I do, the football player kicks the book, that I was just about to pick up, further away. I can hear a lot of the other students laughing again.

This is just great. I have gone from being the most popular guy in school to an outcast. I am starting to realise that this is probably how Nick felt all those years ago, before I came to his rescue. Well maybe I did not actually rescue him from high school, but I used my popularity to make sure no one picked on him in high school under my watch. When we were out of high school it was a whole other deal. Nick had an ability to always ending up in trouble, him, and that mouth of his. The amount of demons we had to fight just to keep him safe. Thinking back, I am surprised no one managed to kill him. Even I was tempted in the beginning before I realised that all the insults were just a way for him to protect himself and to keep people at a distance. We have all been there, it is better to expect the worst of people and be proven right, than to hope for the best, and get disappointed when people, who you thought were your friends, turn their back on you or betray you for their benefit.

As I stand in the corridor, waiting for the football player to move away so that I can retrieve my books, Cassie comes up to me with the some of the books in her hand.

“I’m sorry about Mark. He got a bit of a temper but if you see past that he is actually a good person”

She handed me my books and as our hands touched an electric shock goes through me. Cassie jumps back and pulls her hand away. She gives me a scared look and then she is gone. Leaving me there to stare after her and wonder what the hell just happened. 

The bell rings, so I make my way to class. When I get there, I realise that Cassie is not there yet, but maybe she is just running late, however I can not shake this feeling I have that something is wrong. When she still has not turned up by the end of the class, I am getting worried.  I am supposed to look after her and keep her safe, but maybe I am the reason she is not here.

When the class finally finishes, I have made up my mind. I need to go and find her to make sure that she is okay. I close my eyes and search for her energy, letting myself drift towards it. I quickly locate her and realise that she has gone home. I am debating what to do, she should be safe at home, but I feel the need to talk to her. I do not know what that spark between us was, but it seemed to have really scared her and I have never had anything like that happened to me before.

I fly over to Cassie’s house and transform back to my human form before I walk up to the front door. I am not sure what to say to her, but I feel that I need to make sure that she is okay. While I wait for someone to come and open the door, I laugh silently at myself. It has taken me all of one day to get involved even though Nick asked me to stay in the shadows for as long as possible. Part of me blame myself, but the other part of me feels like Nick should have known better. He knows just how bad I am at not getting involved. I was only supposed to observe and not get involved when I met Nick in High school, and we both know how that went.

Cassie opens the door and I relax a bit, she looks unharmed, just a bit shaken up. When she sees me, she tenses up, I can tell that she does not trust me and that my presence seems to make her anxious. It should not affect me, but it breaks my heart a little knowing that this is how she feels about me. I shake the thoughts way.

“We need to talk, can I come in?” The words seem to make her uncomfortable, as she just stares at me in silence for a while before she recovers.

“No, I don’t want you to come inside”

She looks so fragile standing by the door, that my need to protect her intensifies. I want to take her away and protect her against all the supernatural dangers in the world and I silently curse Nick for the target he has unintentionally put on her.

I am debating what to do, but in the end, I conjure up a phone and hand her a piece of paper with the number on.

“I really need to talk to you, it’s important. Just pick a time and place where you feel safe, and I will turn up and tell you everything”

I watch as she takes the paper from my hand, she is very careful not to touch me. It makes me think back to what happened earlier when we touched, maybe I should try and figure out what it means. Cassie has not even turned 16 yet so as far as I am aware none of her powers should have manifested themselves yet, so what was that spark?

I turned away and started walking away from the house. When I am certain that she cannot see me anymore, I do a quick sweep of the neighbourhood, to make sure that everything is normal and that no one is around, then I turn into a bird and fly away. I am considering flying home to my house but decide to visit an old friend instead. Maybe she can shed some light on what is going on.