Edward hurled fire after the van as it sped away, but had no hope of catching it. Several of the cars already on the road swerved to avoid it, their horns ringing out in alarm. Several of them nearly drove into oncoming traffic but avoided it narrowly. Edward swore in fury, loud enough to make Will and Charlisa jump. Fire licked across his entire body now, forming a shroud nearly two feet thick. James looked to be in danger of being scorched until Edward threw him into the grass at the side of the road.
“Will!” He thundered, spinning on his heel and marching towards his newest recruit. “Tell me what happened!”
Will took an involuntary step back, his hands going up in a gesture of innocence. “I- I don’t know, Edward! They just attacked us out of nowhere, and when we beat them, that guy showed up and attacked us too!”
Edward glanced at his daughter. “Did you recognize any of them?”
“No,” she replied promptly. She didn’t show Will’s fear, but she did look deeply unsettled. “We got one name before they were rescued. Well, Will got it.”
“He said his name was Nick!” Will supplied, all too eager to help Edward get all the information he needed. At least that way he might calm down a bit. “He was about to tell us who ordered the attack when that stranger showed up.”
“I don’t know anybody in the Water Nexus named Nick,” Charlisa said. “Of course, we can’t be expected to remember all of them, but-”
Her father finished the thought for her. “She’s been recruiting. She must have a lot of new members if you didn’t recognize all of them.”
“But that’s against the rules!” Charlisa said. “Hitori said that we’re only allowed to have-”
“I know!” Edward snapped, his voice shooting back to full volume. Charlisa flinched a little at the sudden shouting, but a moment later she’d tilted her head back, staring reproachfully at him. He took a deep breath, making an obvious effort to control his temper. “Sorry, sorry, you’re right. I know.”
She nodded her acceptance of his apology. “In any event, we need to report this. Even if we can’t prove that she’s recruited more people than she’s allowed, they still attacked us. Oh, and Dad, Rachel didn’t order this attack.”
“What?” The news was enough to shock him out of his angry state. He took a step closer to Charlisa, lowering his voice so that only she and Will could hear. “Are you sure?”
She nodded in confirmation. “Will was twisting his arm, and I could feel his heat. He wasn’t lying.”
“Damn!” He exclaimed, stalking away a few steps. Just past him, Will could see James stirring feebly, lifting himself into a sitting position with a loud groan. Edward seemed to shove his anger to the side, striding over. Just barely, they could hear him talking softly. “Up you get, James. Are you badly injured?”
James shook his head, saying something that they couldn’t hear. A weak smile formed on his face and broadened a second later as he pointed at Will. Edward lifted his chin just as his daughter had. He didn’t seem angry, Will thought, so he was surprised by what James had told him. Edward glanced back to where he stood beside Charlisa, then back to James. He said something quietly, and James nodded in reply, the grin still wide.
As the two of them moved over to Will and Charlisa, Will took a step forward. He’d been worried when he saw James fall to the stranger’s attack, and felt a surge of relief wash over him as he saw that his new friend was alright. “James! How are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a truck,” James replied. He laughed, then winced and gripped the side of his head. “That guy fought like you.”
“He was way better than me,” Will said morosely, shaking his head. “I was useless. If Edward hadn’t arrived when he did, I would have gone down just like you, and Charlisa would have been in trouble.”
Edward stared at him intently as James let out a snort of derision. “James says you took down four of them yourself.”
Will tried to agree but found that he couldn’t say the words. Instead, he looked down at his feet. “It’s not like I planned it. I just didn’t want them to hurt Charlisa.”
“What about me?” James asked. The grin was still evident in his voice.
Will felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Edward’s eyes. They were the exact same color and shape as his daughter’s. They had the same light in them too, like a dangerous beast held back only because it found you interesting. Before Will could react, Edward had pulled him roughly into a hug. For several seconds, Will was only aware of the smell of singed fur filling his nostrils, then Edward released him.
“That’s a good instinct to have,” Edward said. “Thank you for protecting her, Will. Mark my words, you’ll be rewarded for that.”
Now it was Charlisa’s turn to snort. “I don’t need protecting.”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“I know that love,” Edward said. He hugged her in turn, and her arms went around his thin chest in reply. “I know how strong you are. But it’s still nice to see someone else care.”
“Ugh, you’re such a softy,” she said, smiling to soften the jab as they pulled apart. “You don’t fool anyone, you know. Mom was the real tough one.”
Edward let out a quiet laugh at that, then, one arm still around his daughter’s shoulders turned to Will and James who had been standing nervously by. “Get back to the bus as quickly as you can. I’m calling our day in town short.”
They nodded at once, and Edward kissed Charlisa on the forehead. As he made to step back into the car, he hesitated. “I mean it. Don’t dawdle. Get back, and we can go to the Hill where it’s safe.”
They wasted no time in following his order. Still nervous after the attack, Will and James kept a close eye on their surroundings, staring in every direction with Charlisa between them as she called a cab. Once she hung up, she rolled her eyes at both of them, and stubbornly stepped away. Will quickly followed her.
“Relax,” She said, glaring at him. “I’m just getting a bagel. The cab will be here in ten minutes.”
“A bagel sounds good,” he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he assumed a look of curious innocence. “What?”
“Never mind,” She grumbled. They crossed the street together, James following a few seconds behind. They walked nearly half a block over to the corner coffee shop. Will hadn’t meant to get one at first, but he remembered the last time he’d had a bagel burger, and suddenly remembered that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. He was famished after that fight too, so he thought he’d get one, on top of some more coffee.
“I don’t see how you can drink so much coffee,” James said, once they’d gotten their food and drink ten minutes later. They returned to the site of the attack at the same time that the cab driver appeared, his eyes wide and gawking as he recognized three Nexus members. “You should be bouncing off the walls with all that caffeine.”
Will grinned easily at him, most of his nerves having faded. With a mouth full of meat and bread, he threw over his shoulder. “I get tired enough dealing with you, the coffee just balances it out.”
Charlisa let out a snort of laughter as she took the front seat, leaving James and Will in the back. The cab driver cleared his throat nervously. He glanced up into his rearview mirror at Will, a small frown forming. Charlisa, noticing the driver’s actions, cleared her throat significantly. The man gave a start and fairly babbled his reply. “So sorry! Where am I taking ya?”
“Nexus Hill,” she said, her voice a little stern. She glanced back at Will. “Do you know this guy?”
Will frowned at that, not sure what she meant. He didn’t have any friends that drove cabs. But then he recognized the man, not at all surprised that it took him several minutes. “You’re the one that drove me to the Nexus Hill.”
The driver didn’t say anything, but Will knew he was right. It had only been a month and a few days since he’d arrived at the Nexus, but he already felt as though it had been at least a year. Will thought about how odd a meeting this would be for the man. The last time he’d seen Will, he’d expected him to die on the hill, or at the very least end up in the hospital. Now here was the same young man he’d driven, wearing Nexus furs and radiating overwhelming heat.
“Oh,” Charlisa said, seeming satisfied. Maybe she was just a little extra suspicious after the attack, Will reasoned. She settled back into her seat after giving him a small smile, sipping on the fruit smoothie she’d ordered. “Alright then.”
The trip from downtown to Nexus Hill was almost completely silent, save for the buzz of the dispatch radio in the car. Occasionally, the driver would pick up his handset, muttering something into the microphone, then set it down. Apart from that, he kept his eyes focused straight ahead, but he would flinch at any small movement that the others made. Will took a deep breath, doing his best to ignore the awkward air that filled the vehicle. He tried not to catch James’ eye, despite the several times that his friend stared at him.
In what felt like no time at all, the driver was making the sharp left onto the road that led up the hill. He began to slow down at the same sign that he’d left Will at before, but at one look from Charlisa, he clenched his jaw and continued onward. She cast one confused look back at Will and James, who were just as perplexed, though Will thought he knew the reason. He, after all, still remembered what it was like to be a normal person, afraid of the supernatural beings who could burn you with their bare hands.
They stepped out in front of the dorms, a little surprised to see that the van had already returned. Charlisa stooped to offer the man a twenty-dollar bill, but he shook his head firmly. She frowned, and insisted, so he accepted it. He didn’t say goodbye or gesture farewell and wasted no time getting back out. He looked especially pale, Will thought. It could have been the awkward ride, or it could even have been the sense that he didn’t belong. Either way, he put the man from his mind as they climbed the steps up to the dorm building.
Everybody else was already there, of course, waiting in the rec area for them. Will was more than a little thrown off by the evident relief on all the faces he could see as they were spotted, not to mention the outcries of joy. He simply assumed that they were directed at Charlisa and James. He was the new guy, after all. Maybe they even thought that he’d had something to do with the attack, he thought darkly. That was until a few of them got up and jogged over, slipping past both Charlisa and James, and slapping him on the back.
“What?” He yelped, suddenly surrounded by grinning faces. More hands rained down on his shoulders. “What’s going on?”
“Edward told us you took out four Nexians on your own!” One of the others said. Yet another shouted, “On your own! In your first fight!”
“It’s not that impressive,” Will said, but he was too quiet. James grinned at him, while Charlisa merely rolled her eyes and walked away again. Will wanted to follow her and avoid the spectacle, but Noratuk appeared out of nowhere, and put one arm around his shoulder, preventing his escape.
“Don’t mind them,” she said, flashing her teeth. “They’re a savage lot, and you made the best fighting debut possible. Not every day a new recruit wins a one versus five fight, let alone taking out four of the enemy.”
“I probably would have been better if I used actual fire,” he said. “But I mainly just punched them.”
“Whatever works,” she replied casually. “Now, let’s go upstairs. Gotta start preparing for an early dinner. You’re cooking today. Plus, Edward says he’s got an announcement.”
“Another one?” He asked. “I’m not sure I can take any more plot twists.”
“Oh don’t worry,” she chuckled. “You’ll like this one.”