Escaping Darkness

Chapter 2: The Men in Suits are Coming

I wasn't able to sleep at all after what happened. It all kind of feels like a dream. Maybe it was a dream. No. It was all too real to be a dream. I could always go check. Even if the janitor cleaned up the melted rubber there would still be a mark there.

I made my way into the building that holds the gym. Luckily for me, it was unlocked. The door to the gym is open too. Okay it's a little weird. I peer into the gym and am quite startled to find five men standing in there. Four of them wear black suits and black sunglasses, the other has a grey pinstriped suit with a purple tie. Obviously he didn't get the memo to only wear black. They are all gathered around a pile if melted rubber. I guess it wasn't a dream. I can hear one of the men in black speak.

"So it is true."

"She is quite powerful." Man in black number two said. Wait, are they talking about me?

"And to only accidentally do this. Imagine what could've happened if it was intentional." Number three said.

"Are you sure we should go after her Hevor?" Asked number four.

The man in grey spoke next. I'm guessing he's Hevor. "We have to make sure it is her first. Background checks, I want to know where she was three years ago.

"Yes sir." Three said.

I walked away quickly. This has to be a dream.

When I came back out of the building I stopped by the corner. There were four shadows around it. How did they get out so quickly?

"Are you sure it was Hevor?" Wait a minute, that sounded like Jackson!

"Positive." Marko? What in the world?

"Sheesh, he is all we need right now." Ryan, what is going on!

The fourth figure remains silent as they continue talking.

"How did he find us so quickly?" Jackson said. Yep, it's defiantly Jackson.

"I don't know, but there isn't much we can do, Hevor would know something is up if five students suddenly transferred schools." Ryan. Totally.

"And to make matters worse he knows what she looks like." That's absolutely Marko. No doubt.

"It would make it easier if you could tell us why we are protecting her." Jackson. And judging by the no answer, it was directed to the silent member.

"Come on we at least need something to go one." Ryan to the mysterious fourth party.

"I'm afraid I can't." No way! That's-

"Come on Carlos. Why can't you just tell us?" Jackson pleaded.

"I have my reasons." Carlos said. Why does he know why they are protecting me? And why won't he tell them?

"Do you know Marko?" Ryan asked.

"No. I'm just as clueless as you are."

"Well if you won't tell us why Carlos, why don't you tell us why you pretend to hate her so much?" Jackson said. Pretend?

"Yeah I'd like to know that my self." Ryan added.

"That's none of your business."

"If it has anything to do with Char-"

"It has nothing to do with Char so just drop it!" Carlos snapped.

His shadow disappeared leaving the three of them alone in silence. I decided to head back to my dorm and get some sleep. Please tell me all of that was a dream.

I wake up in the morning feeling great. My hectic birthday is over and done with. I guess was all just a dream after all. Me, Kim, and Alli have breakfast together without the boys. Then I go to my creative writing class, followed by study hall.

Carlos is back to normal today and is as annoying as ever in math. Our teacher gives us a test as prep for finals in two months. She plans way too far ahead. When I'm about halfway through my test the school's secretary, Mr. Kinderwaltz, walks in and announces it's the schools annual safety check and a group of health inspectors was here to check out the school. He gestures for them to come check the room.

No way! It's those men from last night! Once they spot me my heart sinks.

"Get her!" One yells.

Three and four run at me and are thrown across the room by a... White tiger? It was defiantly a white tiger, but there were three things wrong with the picture I saw. First, instead of a tigers tail it had green scales like a snake's. Second, it had the grey wings of a goose. And third, it's body was shaped like a mans. As in, it was a man fighting the men in suits, but he just had fur like a tiger, the tail of a snake, and the wings of a goose. Thank goodness he had clothes on too. But only white pants that were ripped at his mid calf and tied against his legs with rope.

The men in suits came closer to me and the man-tiger leapt in between us as screams were erupting from the class. The man-tiger flapped his giant wings knocking the men off their feet. While they were distracted he turned to me and came closer. Something in me told me to run but I was frozen in place. So all I could do was cover my eyes and protect my face.

Only he didn't attack me. Instead he scooped me up into his arms bridal style and went to the window. He broke them open and was about to jump out of the three story building when someone shouted behind us.

"Don't move!" Number one had quickly gotten to his feet and had pulled out a gun!

Man-tiger didn't even flinch. He just raised his angle like wings and beat them forward, creating a gust so strong it knocked the door off its hinges!

Returning back to the window man-tiger jumped and I covered my eyes. I could hear his great wings beating and slowly opened them. We are over a hundred feet above the school!

I quickly latched onto man-tiger and he started purring softly. His white hair was softer than his fur and kept brushing down into my face which was buried into his neck. The high altitude was making me dizzy.

As I started feeling faint I realized I hadn't really looked at man-tigers face. I pulled my face away from his neck and my eyes widened as I recognized his profile. But it can't be him, can it?

My suspicions are confirmed as he turns and looks down at me.

The high altitude is too much for me and I fall unconscious into Carlos' chest.