Stay - Ridgeweld Novel 1

Chapter 6 - Evasion and Misconceptions

Chapter 6: Evasions and Misconceptions

Tamson hopped out of her vehicle lithely, her body unravelling with grace as she stepped onto the cobbled ground. The white pebbles in the parking lot of the Emerson school were covered with ice. Jesse however was not as graceful and almost immediately fell onto his behind. "Ouch!"

Tamson chuckled as she walked around to assist her cousin. Reaching down she pulled Jesse to his feet, he almost fell onto her but she kept her balance and steadied him. "See, wear normal shoes and you'll be fine!"

"I do wear normal shoes," he sniffed primly, deeply offended by her statement.

"Well, then wear practical boots instead of your alligator loafers." Tamson's head inclined as she smirked- a rare sight- and quirked an eyebrow.

Her cousin pouted, sticking out his lower lip and widening his eyes innocently. "But they look good!" Jesse moaned. "And they work with the uniform." He tried to model a little but almost ended up on his backside again.

Tamson did laugh roundly then, the worry of the Russo's momentarily lost.

"Hey, so do my sneakers." Tamson gestured to her black-shod feet and did a little jig on spot. These shoes were her babies, if she wasn't wearing them then they were nearby for a quick change.

"But I don't look nice in those," Jesse sulked childishly, crossing his in petulance.

"Not my problem."

Jesse mimicked Tamson's dance. "Then don't diss the loafers."

Tamson tossed her head, a smile supressed - trust her cousin to make her happy. "I'll do what I feel like." She smirked again, receiving an accomplished grin from her cousin.

"Mr Weston, Ms Marden," the security guard waved to them from his wooden station, the little hut perfect for his dwarfed figure. His round belly was a testament to his wife's cooking and his bright eyes glimmered with humour. "I do believe Mr Ransom was looking for you, Ms Marden."

"Thank you, Vincent. It's Tamson," she commented in exasperation.

"As you say, Ms Marsden." Tamson shook her head at the strange man and walked into school, Jesse right at her side. The bell rang and classes filtered out into the passage. She would have gone straight through the crowd but she saw a familiar mop of blonde hair so she did a U-turn and walked the long way to her next class pulling Jesse behind her and not caring if Kale saw. After Business Studies she took a chance and managed to get to her locker before Kale arrived but as soon as she caught a whiff of his scent she was rushing, using her heightened senses to get her things and praising the Luna for the wary humans as they parted for her.

She was in and out of Mathematics, just drifting along most of the time, until her teacher slammed his ruler onto her table, making her jump. She looked into his annoyed face and let her agitation show, her appearance didn't change but his did. His skin became pastier and his posture changed as he retreated slightly. Straightening up, he ignored her for the rest of the lesson and she him.

Jesse was waiting for her after Mathematics and she just pulled him along, too annoyed to ease the tension he felt in response to hers. Again she managed to get to her locker before Kale and quickly re-organized her notes.

Jesse growled audibly, moving to step in front of Lana as she walked straight to Tamson, but his Alpha hushed him and moved him out of her space.

"Listen up, Ice Princess," Lana declared, luckily just far enough away that Tamson could not sway at her face. "Kale is new here and I've decided that he's mine."