Chapter 2: Back to School

I walked up the stairs that led to the entrance of the sixth form college Cassie attended. With each step, my heart beat faster. It had been almost half a century since I’d last hung out around humans. Would the school be similar to how it was the last time I had masqueraded as a student? It was a good thing I still had my youthful look about me.

I smoothed down my brown messy hair before continuing through the entrance. When I got inside I rubbed the back of my neck as I scanned the area. It was a big spacious hall with stairs in the back and doorways to the sides. A few students stood in groups talking, but they paid no attention to me. My eyes landed on the information desk to my right. I approached it, my stomach tightening. “Hey.” I gave the woman behind it a smile. “I’m new. I have a meeting with the head teacher. Would you mind telling me how to get there?”

The woman stood up and gave me a warm welcoming smile. “No problem. Let me show you. It’s a bit confusing when you don’t know the way.”

I followed her through a few corridors that had rows of blue lockers on both sides, and up some stairs. Eventually we ended up in an area with chairs and a reception desk.

“Please have a seat,” the woman said, walking over to the reception desk to speak to another lady. I sat down in one of the chairs and tried to make myself comfortable. My eyes moved to the window and the sky outside. 

Her heels echoed on the floor when she approached me again. “I’ve told them you’re here. They will let you know when the head teacher is ready to see you. Good luck.” She smiled and walked away.

I looked down at the empty papers in my arms and took a deep breath. What would I do if I couldn’t persuade the head teacher to enrol me in the school? The easiest way for me to look over and make sure that Cassie stayed safe, would be to attend her classes.

My thoughts got interrupted when the woman from the reception desk approached me. “The head teacher is ready to see you now.”

I wiped my hand on my trousers before I got up from the chair and followed the woman as she guided me to the head teachers office. I entered the room, and a middle-aged man stood up behind his desk. The door shut as he made his way over to me.

“Hi Jax. Welcome to our school.” He reached out his hand to shake mine. “I’m head teacher Ryder. Please have a seat.” He gestured toward the chair and made his way back behind his desk and sat down.

I handed him the papers I had been holding, and used my ability to plant thoughts and memories in his mind, to make him believe the empty papers were all the paperwork he needed to enrol me into school.

It was a neat ability. I focused on the memories and thoughts I wanted to convey and visualised them being absorbed by the intended target. My mouth became dry. I didn’t like to mess with free will, but the effect would be temporary and wouldn’t leave any permanent scars. 

I adjusted my seat and ran my hand through my hair as I watched Mr Ryder go over the papers. The intense look on his face had my pulse pounding in my head. I didn’t know if my ability would work on him.

“Thank you, Jax. I believe this is all I need to enrol you.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding, and my muscles relaxed.

He started typing on the computer in front of him. “Let’s get your timetable sorted so you know which classes to attend.”

With a lightness in my  chest, I used my ability again, visualising him pulling up Cassie’s time table and creating an identical one for me. It surprised me how easy it had been to influence him. I had been worried about it as my mind suggestions wouldn’t work if the person was too strong minded.

 Mr Ryder got up from the chair and handed me a copy of my timetable along with some other information. “I believe that is everything you need, but if you have any questions please come and see me.” He ushered me towards the door and opened it, gesturing for me to leave.

“Thank you, Head teacher Ryder,” I said before walking out the door.

I inspected the information I had been given and found a map of the school and directions to where my locker would be. I followed the directions and shortly after ended up in a corridor filled with teenagers. They were walking in the opposite direction to me, making it difficult to navigate my way around. Eventually I found my locker and opened it. Someone slammed into me from behind. My arm pounded from the impact.

Annoyed, I turned around and found myself facing a broad, muscular guy with short ginger hair and a stern facial expression. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was part of the rugby team.

“Watch it, new guy,” he yelled as he continued walking down the corridor like nothing had happened.

I clenched my hands to stop them from shaking. Who did he think he was? Despite his build, I could take him. He was only a human. Me, a demon, and if he only knew how effortlessly I could break him, he wouldn’t dare treat me like this. I shook the tensions from my hands. It would draw too much attention to myself. He wasn’t worth it.

The day continued without anything interesting happening. I made it to my new class in the afternoon and slid into a seat in the back. I let out a yawn while inspecting the other people in the classroom, when a girl with long brown hair walked through the door. My body straightened. She scanned the classroom and when her icy blue eyes landed on me, my entire body heated up.  The classroom and everyone in it faded away and every part of me was entranced as she made her way towards me. There was something about her that I couldn’t place. A sense of familiarity. I studied her more closely. The energy that radiated from her reminded me of Nick’s. Was this his daughter that he wanted me to look after?

I wiped my hands on my trousers. The scent of spring flowers reached my nose as she sat down on the empty seat next to me. I mustered up a nervous smile. Her scent reminded me of the forest,  my safe place.

She returned my smile. “Hi, I’m Cassie. You must be new.”

I ran my hand through my hair and met her gaze. “I’m Jax.”

She sorted through her belongings and pulled out a book and a notepad from her bag. I tried to come up with something else to say, but my brain had temporarily stopped working. I had never been good at small talk.

The teacher walked in, closed the door and started the class. I didn’t remember much of what the teacher had been going through as I spent most of the time getting my brain to work again. I needed a plan. I promised Nick I would keep her safe and the best way to do that would be to spend time with her. But how do I get her to spend time with me?

I glanced over at Cassie. I wanted to say something, but I seemed to have become tongue-tied. Luckily Cassie spoke first.

“Did you just move here?”

I nodded. “Yes, I got here a couple of days ago.”

“Cool, where abouts?”

Busted. I hadn’t thought about getting a place to live yet, but I obviously needed one to be able to keep up the facade. I put my hand over my wrist and swallowed. “It’s somewhere towards the outskirts of town. I don’t know the area very well.”

Cassie turned away from me and collected her stuff on the desk. An uncomfortable silence followed. I shifted in my seat and took my timetable out of my bag to see where the next class was.

“What’s your next class? Maybe I can show you how to get there,” Cassie said, leaning over to look at my timetable.

“My next class is maths with Mr Pine.”

“Mine too. Let’s walk together,” Cassie said with a smile.

We walked through the corridor together, neither of us saying anything to each other. When we got to the classroom Cassie excused herself and walked over to sit with some other girls that had saved her a seat. Some of them were glancing towards me and whispering, but it didn’t bother me. Much.

If I wanted, I could figure out what they were talking about, but to be honest it made no difference. My objectives were to keep Cassie safe, and none of the girls had any supernatural energies radiating from them as far as I could tell.