The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 05

Michelle was startled as she realized that his attitude somehow reminded her of Sara. Whether it was the calm confidence that he used to make his pronouncement, or the sense that he knew this was how things were, and nothing was going to change that. She still recognized her son in the logical and articulate way he expressed himself. She found she missed the shy uncertainty that would have normally clouded his speech.

They were still studying Andrew when Principal Lawson leaned forward. Crossing her arms on her desk she said, "Mr. Williams, you understand that I can't just let this go? Someone seriously hurt you, and punishments must be levied."

Andrew reached down and grabbed his bag off of the floor, wincing as he stood. Shouldering his rucksack he said, "Good luck with that." He walked over and gave his stunned parents a casual hug. "Thanks for coming, but I am OK. See you at home-"

The Principal was perplexed and frustrated as she yelled, "Mr. Williams, I didn't say you could leave. We still need to sort this out."

"Principal Lawson, I'm tired and would really like to get some lunch. I'm not going to help you, so unless you are suspending me for getting my ass kicked I'm going to go and hit the chow line."

The middle aged educator studied Andrew as she floundered to make sense of what was happening. Andrew was a weak young man who was being brutally bullied. In all of her years as an educator she had never witnessed something so confusing. Historically when things escalating to a point even close to this a handful of students took care of it themselves, leaving her hands clean.

"See you tonight, mom, dad. You have a lovely school, Principal Lawson. You're running a tight ship here!"

With that Andrew took a couple of testing steps towards the door. Realizing he was not going to get any objections he opened the door and exited the room. The sounds of his parents and the principal's heated discussion faded as the door closed behind him.

"Guess I will see you around, Will." Andrew said as he hoisted his bag further up his shoulder and walked out of the office.

"Yeah, see you around." Will said in stunned disbelief. Principal Lawson's door did little to baffle the sound and Will had heard the entire exchange. He was puzzled as he watched Andrew leave the office. Despite all of the damage he had done to the small man he knew that Andrew was not protecting him out of fear. He knew it wasn't out of respect either. Will struggled to figure out why Andrew would help him.

He settled on the fact that Andrew just wanted the beatings to stop. After what just happened, Will realized he was inclined to grant the small man what he wanted.

***** The Friends Who Say Ni *****

Andrew was thankful not to be carrying that stupid little box of broken electronics any longer, having finally been able to stow it in his locker in the Art Department. The class didn't seem to notice him sneaking in. Mrs. Rose looked curious as she watched him place the box in his locker. He laughed to himself when he pictured her surprise when she got to see what was in the box.

He was delighted to find the cafeteria was quiet and devoid of people when he entered five minutes before the end of third period. The staff were kind enough to let him load up his tray with his pizza pocket, cheese zombie, pudding and milk, despite being so early. Taking a seat at their table, Andrew rubbed his bruised ribs while he looked out the window.

Clouds blanketed the sky and a steady wind caused the tall trees to sway in discordant directions. The outside world acted as a reflection of the troubled thoughts that plagued Andrew. Despite his confidence and resolution in his plan, he was forced to consider whether he was making the right choice or not. Will was the most dangerous bully he had ever faced. Hell, Will was the first bully that Andrew had ever stood up to.

Loud voices and happy laughter filled the cafeteria, rousing Andrew from his internal debate. Looking around the room he could see many shocked and surprised faces watching him, whispering in quiet amazement. Movement at the door caught his attention and his face lit up in happiness as he watched Sara jog over to him. She seemed joyous and worried as she knelt and wrapped him in her gentle arms.

"I thought for sure they would send you home." Her face showed her concern as she pulled back, looking him up and down. Placing her hand over his at his ribs she gave him a playful pout. "Did the mean man hurt you?"

Andrew laughed and rested his head against her. "It's just a flesh wound."

Seth's loud laugh could be heard from across the table as he sat down. "Nice pull!" There was a quiet worry hidden behind Seth's pleasant smile while he opened his milk and settled into lunch.

Rubbing Andrews back Sara looked at Seth and Marcus in confusion. The two young men laughed as Andrew explained, "It was a Monty Python reference, sweetie."

Pulling back, Andrew grimaced at an unexpected jolt of pain before looking at her with a surprised smile, "You haven't seen 'The Holy Grail?'" his voice carried his disbelief while he massaged his side.

Sara looked between the three young men with concern. She sensed that they were all surprised at this gap in her cultural understanding.

"Well, this just won't do. Next week we are going to fix this injustice." Andrew finished with confidence.

"So, where are we burying Will's body then?" Allison asked with a happy tone as she set her tray down on the table with a clatter.

"We aren't talking about something as insignificant as my impending death. Sara has never seen 'The Holy Grail!'" Andrew explained to Allison who looked between them with indifference bordering on surprise.

"For once I agree with 'Micro-Nerd.' His death must wait. Monty Python first!" Allison smiled as she looked between them.

Andrew laughed at Allison's comment, before looking at Sara who was swallowing a spoonful of pudding. He looked down at his tray and found that of course his pudding was missing. The entire table exploded in laughter as Andrew yelled, "Ninja!" Sara gave him a happy smile as she enjoyed her chocolate treat.

They decided to have a movie night at Andrew's house the next Wednesday, while his parents were off on assignment.

Lunch was pleasant while they all caught up on each others day and ate. Despite a few concerned glances as Andrew reacted to periodic stabs of pain, no one asked Andrew about the fight. He was grateful for the opportunity to focus on his friends and settled into the playful conversation. His thoughts drifted away from Will and towards the merrier topics up for discussion.

Sara gave his thigh a gentle and discreet rub throughout the conversation, raising his arousal to dangerous levels. Pulling his attention inward he was happy to sense that his mental block was still in place. As they all stood from the table preparing to head to their respective classes, Andrew was grateful to find that he was still dry.

Andrew and Sara said a prolonged goodbye, concluded with a passionate but mournful kiss. Allison rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "Jesus, I think the unicorns just exploded into glitter!"

Seth smiled and shook his head, unaware of the inside joke. He was amazed at Allison's gift for finding the darkest sides to the nicest things.

Each group went their separate ways. Sara and Allison headed to "Wellness and Nutrition" while Andrew and Seth made their way towards Calculus. Seth noticed that Andrew was looking around the hall with exceptional alertness. "Settle down there champ. Will is probably going to be expelled for at least a week."

Andrew looked sideways at his friend before saying, "Not likely. I told Principal Lawson that Will didn't do it."

"What are you, fucking suicidal?"

Andrew laughed, "No. Just committed to seeing this through."

"Seeing what through? Death by douchebag? Sara told me you won't let her help. So what the hell, man?" Seth was bordering on panic as he looked at his friend with concerned frustration.

"I want Will to be the last bully I have to deal with at this school." Andrew said to Seth with confidence.

"Don't worry, buddy. He's gonna make sure of that, when he kills you." Seth was angry and annoyed at Andrew's cavalier attitude.

The pair worked their way to the back of the classroom and were quick to get situated at their desks. Andrew was surprised when Elizabeth seemed relieved to see Andrew at the back of the room. The bell rang and the entire class fell into the routine of Dr. Blakes boring lecture. Andrew noticed the hushed whispers and furtive glances he received from many of the students. He was happy when he realized he wasn't bothered by them at all. By the time the class ended he found he was excited to see what Karen had in store for them today.

Seth seemed annoyed with Andrew all through class. He tried to hide his frustration behind his humor as the two friends headed in different directions when class let out. Andrew was careful as he navigated the hall, expecting to run into Will at any moment. His eyes darted around the hallway as he made his way towards his next class. He clutched his aching ribs, finding the pressure a comfort against the anxiety of his journey

Andrew was surprised as many students seemed to nod at him, or say, "Hey, Andrew." as he passed. He returned their greetings with a polite nod or short statement. His surprise was obvious, and a few students even gave him a warm laugh as they recognized his reaction.

***** Implications *****

Entering Karen's classroom, he could see genuine relief on the teacher's face as she watched him from behind her desk.

Taking his seat at the back of the room, Sara was staring out of the window fixated on something in the tree line. Andrew tried to find whatever she was looking at, but all he saw was the random sway of the majestic forest in this light late summer storm.

"Pssst, Sara..."

Sara shook her head and looked at him with a glorious smile.

"What were you looking at, tiger?" Andrew asked with a raised eyebrow.

She looked at him with a broad smile as she responded, "Man, you are just chock full of great nicknames. I gotta step my game up, my little SD."

Andrew laughed and caressed her cheek before asking, "SD?"

Sara just looked at his crotch as she mouthed, "Sex Demon." With a happy laugh, Andrew blushed.

"So, what were you looking at?"

Looking back out the window, Sara said, "Oh, nothing. There was a white owl in one of the trees."

"Really? Shouldn't owls be sleeping or something during the day?"

Sara looked back at Andrew and smiled, "I guess. Maybe it was out because of the storm. It was really beautiful though. Wish I could have shown it to you."

"It sounds amazing, but I am already looking at the most beautiful animal in the pacific northwest." Andrew's voice was a whisper, and he smiled at the obvious cheesiness of his words. Sara blushed despite how overtly sappy his statement was, because she knew that he meant it. Her eyes flushed with arousal and Andrew was again forced to make sure his mental block was in place while she looked at him. They shared a tender kiss as the bell rang starting class.

Sara spent the class resting her head on her desk while she looked out the window at the light storm. Karen reviewed a couple of events from German history from the last class before weaving those stories into what seemed like unrelated events in France. Andrew was captivated by the teacher's grasp of the material, and the amazing way she managed to bring the events to life.

Again, Andrew paid almost no attention to the furtive glances that were sent his way. He did get a sense that most of them were a mixture of surprise and concern. Andrew was disappointed when Zack looked back and smiled as he watched Andrew rub his ribs. He had thought that perhaps Zack might be letting go of this whole jealousy and resentment thing. He was thankful that Zack was at least honoring their agreement still.

As the bell brought class to an end, Sara came around to Andrew while he packed his bag. She pulled him into a tender hug. "Alli is going to bring us to Hoquiam so we don't have to miss our appointments."

Caressing Sara's back, Andrew asked, "Does she know what your appointment is for."

Sara just raised an eyebrow. "Probably, but do you really think she would ask?"

Andrew laughed as he said, "No, but you would probably volunteer it. Little miss sleepovers."

The couple laughed as Sara pulled away and returned to packing up her belongings.

"So, are we meeting at the front of the school then?" Andrew asked as he closed up his bag and hoisted it onto his shoulder with a slow and ginger movement.

"Yeah. She drives the black Geo Metro."

Andrew smiled as he began heading to the door. "What? She couldn't find a hearse? See you in about an hour, tiger."

Chuckling to herself, Sara enjoyed the sound of Andrew's new nickname for her. She took her time packing her bag while the rest of the students left the room. Karen watched with a warm smile as Sara locked the door behind the last student and leaned across from her desk.

"How is he?" The teacher asked.

"I don't know." Sara responded as she looked at the door with concern. "I can tell he isn't as confident as he lets on about whatever this stupid plan of his is. I'm just afraid Will's going to kill him and I will be powerless to stop it."

Karen watched the imposing redhead, studying her. "What do you mean?"

Sara set down her bag and looked at her open hands. Small red marks stood out as painful reminders of when she was running to Andrew's rescue.

"When Will was beating up Andrew I could feel it. That's why I ran out of class so suddenly." Her eyes welled up as she continued looking at her bruised palms.

Karen stood and walked over to her friend. "I figured as much. You were being drawn by 'The Bond' to protect your mate."

Sara looked into the teacher's eyes. Her face was drawn in sad desperation. "I was so close to getting there. So close to stopping that last kick when Andrew's voice echoed in my head. It commanded me to stop." Her lip quivered as she pulled her hands against her chest. "I couldn't move. My fists clenched so tight as I watched Will kick Andrew against the lockers. I was unable to do anything to help him."

Karen pulled Sara into a comforting embrace, massaging her back and letting her cry herself out. For a minute the young woman sobbed into her shoulder. Karen was unsettled by what Sara had told her, realizing that something powerfully strange was happening.

Pulling away, Sara wiped her eyes and sniffled as her tears stopped and she started to feel more like herself. "Thank you." she whispered to her long time friend.

Karen looked at her with sympathy. After weighing her decision, she decided to say, "Sara, I think it's time we consider that Andrew may not be human."

The teacher was prepared for an intense, perhaps violent reaction. She was surprised when Sara sniffled and then flashed her a knowing smile. "Yeah, we actually kinda figured that out already. That was part of what I wanted to talk with you about before all of this fucking Will stuff happened."

"What else did you want to talk about?" Karen asked, deciding to try and get as much information with the limited time they had together.

"You know that ward you gave me to try at the glade?"

Karen nodded. "So, I assume it worked?"

With a nervous laugh Sara said, "Yeah, but it's a bit more complicated."

"Did something go wrong? Maybe I should have tried it... Fae magic can be a bit unstable. I shouldn't have put you two through that kind of risk."

Sara tipped her head back in laughter at Karen's peddling concern. Looking, she could see that her friend was worried.

"Sorry. It worked better than I think you will believe. Do you have a piece of paper? I will try and show you."

Fishing through the papers on her desk, Karen looked for anything blank. Sara grabbed a pen from a cup on the corner of its large cluttered surface. While the teacher continued looking, Sara began trying to explain.

"I cannot express how worried I was when I told Andrew that I wasn't human, and he just laughed and told me I was a werecat."

The older woman looked up and smiled at the relieved look on Sara's face.

"Then later, when I told him about the ward he nearly fainted when he found out that magic is real. I forgot how strange this all is since I learned about it so young, thanks to you."

Karen opened a drawer on her desk and chuckled. "Sara, you were such a wild little girl. I couldn't let you keep throwing your physical prowess in everyone's faces. People were starting to talk."

Smiling, Sara responded, "Yes, but you didn't have to spend so much time helping me. I know I was a pain, and if it wasn't for you and your spells, well, I don't know how I could have remained hidden."

"Finally!" Karen exclaimed as she pulled out a piece of paper with notes all over one side, but the other side was blank. "As usual, you aren't giving yourself enough credit, dear. My spells may have helped settle your moods, but you are the one that learned how to act more human. That was not easy, it's difficult to fight one's own nature."

Sara laughed as she thought back to those early days after puberty. "Yeah, it would have been strange if I had chased after everything I wanted to, or kept running off into the woods to patrol my house. I barely even notice those urges anymore."

Setting the paper down on a desk, Karen looked at her student with a fond twinkle in her eyes. "Well, you still get distracted easily." The teacher continued smiling as she pressed her finger against the piece of paper, sliding it closer to Sara.

"Oh god." Sara looked at the clock realizing she only had a few more minutes before sixth period. She began drawing on the paper as she continued talking.

"Andrew was super excited when he realized that magic was real, and he already knew the nature of the ward from the name you told me. He said he heard of it in a Role Playing Game or something... Anyways, he memorized the ward in about a minute, and then stood next to the pond where we usually meet, and studied the ground."

Sara inspected the piece of paper and then finished, "Until he drew this, ten feet wide on the ground." She slid the piece of paper to Karen who picked it up. There were no symbols, it was far too complicated for Sara to remember the actual shapes of everything. Instead there was S1 through S7 spaced evenly around the inside of a large circle on the paper, with a long random line that went through all seven symbols and spanned the center of the large circle.

"S1 through S7 are each about one foot wide, and every one of them is unique. They are all as complicated, or more complicated than the ward you gave me."

Karen studied the paper as the blood drained from her face. "Is this line that goes through everything meant to represent the ward I gave you?"

"Yes, except the one that Andrew drew is perfect, and everything intersects exactly. He drew the outer symbols first and the ward you gave me overlapped existing lines on all of the symbols precisely. It's absolutely beautiful." Sara finished with open admiration for her man.

The older woman's face was drawn with concern and amazement as she tried to understand what she was hearing. "Was he able to activate it?"

"It's like you said, the glade is a place of power. It activated as soon as he finished. I kinda wish you would've warned me about how violent it would be when it activated though."

Karen looked at Sara with serious concern, "What do you mean?"

"When it activated, it was like a storm fell on us. The pond glowed, hurricane force winds were pushing me away from Andrew, and then after five seconds or so it all just stopped."