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Author's Note: Here's Ch.2, I was going to hold off posting until I got 3 finished but I'm kind of writing slow lol. Hopefully I'll have three done sometime today. I'd like to thank djkauf and Indy for the magical editing and everyone for enjoying this universe :)

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TWO:

A huge weight pressing on my chest woke me up. I blinked, the morning sun hitting me right in the face. I would have turned away from the window except the weight was heavier than I thought. I didn’t even have to look to see what was there. Nevertheless, I looked at the huge gray lump that was threatening to collapse both my lungs. I shifted slightly, nudging the big gray cat, hoping I could get him to move. Instead, he turned his head slowly and gave me this lazy look, his eyes half open. The small white diamond on his forehead gave him his name, me I just called him the world’s laziest cat.

Diamond was Mom’s familiar, a prize that every witch cherished. I liked cats as much as the next person I suppose but witches worshiped them or something. Ok, that wasn’t true but it sure felt like it sometimes. Diamond was treated on the same level as my sister and me and he was a cat. With him around it sometimes felt like he was the third brother---or maybe I was the third, I think he was older than me, believe it or not. Witches all over the world treated their cats like children, my grandmother’s cat---Nicodemus---was like the son she never had. I think he was the only guy that she ever really tolerated. How messed up was that?

“Diamond” I gasped. “Can’t breathe dude.”

I shifted my body again, which finally caused the cat to move.

He slid off me but not before doing that lazy stretch thing animals sometimes do when they wake up. Then he sat there and stared at me, giving me this strange look. I was certain if Diamond was human and could talk, he would either be the laziest person I ever met or the most arrogant. He just liked to sit there and stare at me. If I pushed or prodded him though, he’d definitely take a swipe at me.

“Ok Diamond, we gotta get up buddy,” I said, throwing off my covers.

I turned slightly to look at the clock, for a moment I freaked because it was nine. I thought maybe I’d overslept. It took me a second to realize it was Saturday. I couldn’t be happier, either. Yesterday was my last day of school for who knows how long. Usually these trips lasted months but with me going to Ravencrest and my parents being gone for only weeks this time; I had no idea how long I was going to be out of school. The administration knew the drill by now though. I was handed a load of reading and writing assignments, enough to last the few weeks I was gone and when I got back, I was expected to have it all done. That was this time though, other times there wasn’t much they could do but tell me to have a good time. I don’t think they liked my parents constantly pulling me out of school but the nameless and faceless man that my parents answered too seemed to have a lot of pull.

It felt kind of strange thinking my parents worked for someone but it was the truth. I never actually met the guy but I knew he was the one who told them to go here and there. I liked to call him the Answer Man because he was always sending them out to find them. Regardless of who he was though, I loved the guy. He got me out of school and he let me run around the world getting an education that no money could buy. My passport was filled with stamps from all over the world, more than twenty in the last fifteen years of my life. I had more shots and immunizations than a bubble boy. Everywhere I went I was constantly being poked and prodded---it was a small price to pay though to be me. Tommy always used to be jealous about all the places I got to go.

I left my room and started down the hall toward the bathroom. My room was at one end of the hall, my sister’s at the other. Mom and Dad’s room was in the middle of things.

As professors at the local community college, Mom and Dad made enough between the two of them to do fairly well. Our house was a two story Victorian with four bedrooms and two baths. With Jessica now in college, there was some talk of turning her room into an office for Mom---the last room was Dad’s office, after all. I was hoping maybe I could weasel my way into Jess’s room actually, seeing as it was bigger than mine. I’m not sure my sister would like that though, me trying to take over her space. I’d definitely have to redecorate though----Jess really liked her pink. It was bad enough I looked slightly like a girl; I didn’t need a room with pink walls and carpet. Now though the room sat as it was as we all tried to figure out what was best for it.

Diamond was padding down the hall behind me. He would have gone into the bathroom with me if I hadn’t slammed the door in his face. I swear that cat thinks he’s a person. I went through my usual morning routine before stripping and hopping into the shower. My sister liked long hot showers, said they helped her reflect on the day previous. Me, I liked to hop in, wash as quickly as possible and hop out. I also liked them cold, especially in the mornings before school---nothing like a nice blast of cold water to wake you up in the morning. Today however I put the water on luke warm and took my time. I found myself thinking about those guys from last night and couldn’t help but wonder what they wanted. It was clear they were after me for some reason but I couldn’t figure out why. I thought maybe they were perverts but thinking about the car they drove and the way they dressed---expensive Italian shoes---it made me wonder if they weren’t something else.

I was conflicted about what to do about it. When I got home last night, Mom and Dad were in the living room watching some TV. They both gave me strange looks because I was panting but I told them I’d been riding a little faster to get home. I’m not sure why I didn’t tell them about the creeps. Ok so I knew why---I didn’t want them to worry. It was strange really but last night I didn’t really think much of it until I had some time to think about it a bit. Now I was a bit confused about what to do. Should I tell my parents about it or should I just ignore it again? Telling them wouldn’t change anything, other than the fact that they might make me come home before dark. Ignoring it only affected me, too. I was always taught not to ignore my problems.

Damn. Why was this so difficult?

I’m going to tell them. It was stupid to keep something like this from them. That made me feel a look better too. I let out a sigh as I shut off the water and got out of the shower. I left a towel hanging close by and started to wrap it around my waist. As I was doing so, I couldn’t help but get a look at my scrawny body in the shower door. I groaned. I didn’t look almost sixteen, I looked twelve. I hated that I seemed to be allergic to puberty. I should be shaving and worrying about my voice cracking not about people calling me Miss and guys pulling chairs out for me when I wanted to sit. The sandy haired kid staring back at me looked like a little boy, not the man he should have been turning into. It was my father’s fault too. It was his genes after all. My sister took after my mother---both of them had red hair, green eyes and were tall---well, tall for girls anyway. I took after Dad---sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and really short. Looking at my reflection it was no wonder everyone thought I was a girl.

I groaned, taking a peek down below the belt as well. Things didn’t look too good down there either.

I finished wrapping the towel around the rest of me, threw my t-shirt and boxers into the clothes hamper and left the bathroom. Diamond was sitting at the top of the stairs, staring at me. I gave him the evil eye right back as I went back to my room to change. I dressed quickly, pulling on jeans, t-shirt and my usual purple hoodie---yes purple, it was one of my school colors. Mom bought it for me actually, thought I could wear it to show more team spirit.

After I got dressed, I rushed downstairs to tell my parents everything. Diamond on my heels.

But the kitchen was empty.

“Mom” I shouted and a moment later. “Dad?”

Diamond ran into the kitchen behind me and jumped up onto the counter. As he did I saw a note? I picked it up and shook my head. Kel, went to the office to get some last minute things worked out. Will be back before lunch. PS: Take Diamond to Mrs. Braddock across the street for us please. I groaned at that last part. Not that I didn’t like Mrs. Braddock but she liked to talk a lot. She was a good lady though---elderly, her husband having passed away a few years ago. She watched Diamond for us while we went on our trips. It was kind of strange that they wanted me to take him over now because we weren’t leaving until Monday morning.

I shrugged it off. Then waved the note in the cat’s face.

“See that, I get to get rid of you a few days early.”

Diamond just gave me one of his looks again.

I didn’t waste any time getting him all set. I scooped his fat butt up quickly and carried him into the living room. Mom had his carrier and his bag all set up. I swear that stupid cat got better treatment then both me and my sister combined. I stuffed the fat fur ball into the carrier, locked the door and smirked at him through the bars. He let out an annoyed meow, clearly ticked off at his newest predicament.

“Shouldn’t have crushed me this morning,” I said with a smile as I carried the carrier toward the door, his bag slung over my shoulder as I did so.

It didn’t take me more than two minutes to walk across the street to Mrs. Braddock’s. Though a little eccentric, she was one of the nicest people I knew. She was also one of the only ones I knew that didn’t think I was a girl. She and her husband used to run a florist shop in town, after his death she retired and allowed her daughter to run it. Now she spent most of her time at home, gardening and taking care of the pair of cats she had---Boots and Sam. She was more than happy to take Diamond for us when we were away. I think she kind of liked the company. Though her daughter took over the family business, I don’t think they were very close.

I held the carrier in one hand as I opened the little gate that led into her yard. Mrs. B had a green thumb. She grew most of the flowers for her shop at her own house---there was a huge greenhouse in the backyard, actually. But the flowers didn’t stop there. They were all over the front yard too, several different kinds. I knew a lot about them because I used to help her plant them whenever I had the free time. This being California, we weren’t prone to a lot of cold weather except this year. It was unseasonably cold this time of year actually. November was always a bit chilly but I couldn’t remember the last time I had to wear jeans and hoodie outside. I suppose it had something to do with Global warming and the changing climates.

I walked up the little walkway---flowers on either side of me---before reaching the door. I rang the bell once and waited. It sometimes took her a minute or two to get to door. I looked at my watch, counting down the seconds then I rang the bell again. I waited a little longer before knocking. It wasn’t like Mrs. B not to be here. After knocking a second time, I took out my cell and called her house phone. It rang a few times before an automated message picked up:
“This is Kitty, if you want me I’ll be at the shop.”

I groaned. I forgot about that. Even though she didn’t own the shop anymore, Mrs. B liked to go there every Saturday. As far as I knew, she gave the place up but it was possible that her daughter forced her to retire. It wasn’t really my place to speculate. I couldn’t help but groan at my stupidity for not remembering that. I left a message for her anyway, telling her that I’d bring Diamond to the shop. The quicker I got rid of the pain in the ass, the better.
I turned and ran across the street. When I got to the house, I cursed. I not only locked the door but I locked my keys inside. Today was not my day for things to go right.

Diamond made a scoffing sound, almost like laughter.

“Shut it fur ball” I snapped.

It looks like I was walking into town because my bike was locked in the garage as well. I cursed Dad for being so paranoid then started walking down the road. Riding a bike into town was one thing but walking was another thing entirely. On foot, it took about ten minutes to get out of the development and probably another ten just to reach the bridge. I tried to think positively though. Twenty minutes later when I finally got to the bridge, all that positive energy was long gone. I did get a chance to look at where those jackasses stopped last night though. It was pretty apparent where because there was two nasty black skid marks on the road. I looked at them for a few moments before walking over to the railing where I thought the guy was trying to spot me. I looked over the side and down, looking at the river as it trickled on by. I say trickle because it wasn’t much of a river actually, probably more of a stream---at least in this part. The further it went, the wider it opened.

I stood on the bridge for a minute or two before carrying Diamond’s fat butt off on its merry journey.

Fifteen minutes later, I was walking into town.

Carsonville was a small little burg, less than five thousand people.

We didn’t have much going for us either except maybe the mall. There used to be an old tire factory on the outskirts of town but that went out of business before I was born. It was an empty shell of a building now, home to squatters and what not. They had that whole area fenced off actually but that didn’t stop local kids from riding out there and throwing rocks over the fence, trying to bust out windows. Tommy and I used to go there sometimes but we never did anything illegal. We used to try to see who could climb the highest on the fence; the one that got closer to the barbed wire on top was the winner.

I remember getting closer than I wanted once. My sleeve got caught actually, the wire tearing into my arm a bit. It didn’t help to tug either. Tommy had to use this little pocket knife of his to cut me free. I still had the scars on my arm.

Memories like that made me miss him more than I thought.

I tried to put it aside as I turned onto Main Street. It was funny but I was certain that every town had a Main Street. Ours was no different. It was lined with little shops on either side and a lot of empty buildings. It used to be pretty booming---according to Mrs. B but things took a turn for the worse when the mall came in. A lot of places went belly up; most of the shops were now vacant because of it. The only reason Braddock’s Flowers survived was because there was no market to sell flowers in a mall. There were still a few other places standing as well like the Box and the burger place I went to last night---Carson’s.

Braddock’s was actually across the street from Carson’s. It was actually quite busy on a Saturday morning, customers coming in and out. I looked at the little tulip shaped sign above the door and couldn’t help but smile. Two years ago that sign was barely hanging in there and then Dad and I took it down. We spent the afternoon repainting it and putting it back up, it was now as good as new. I started toward the door when I stopped. Walking here left me a bit on the parched side. I looked at Diamond. I knew I couldn’t bring him into Carson’s but they had a soda machine outside. I reached into my pocket; glad I remembered my wallet and walked across the street.

I cut across the street, pulling out my wallet as I did so.

Carson’s had a lot of picnic tables outside, it fit with their summertime theme. I set Diamond’s carrier on the closest one as I fished a dollar out of my wallet. I stuck it in the machine, got a can of Sprite and turned around to find unwanted guests. I groaned as George and two of his yesterday’s football pals come walking up. It didn’t take them look to spot me.

George’s eyes went right to the pet carrier and he smirked. “Look guys, I told you Daniels had a pussy.”

The two jerks laughed. Me, I groaned. Why was it whenever George was around I felt like I was in one of those bad 50's movies. He was a clichéd bully through and through.

I got my drink, holding the can tightly. I tried making a step toward the carrier but George was blocking my way. I cursed my stupidity for at least the third time today. Why didn’t I see the three of them lurking nearby? They were always lurking somewhere and today it just so happened to be my blind spot. I’d gotten pretty good at knowing when there was a threat nearby, but today I was off my A Game for sure. I was off it last night too. First with George and then with those two creeps. Today made a hat trick of stupidness.

“I’m not in the mood,” I groaned to myself and to them I said.

“Back off.”

George laughed. “Someone must be PMS’ing today.”

Ok so I could take being called a girl every once and a while---it didn’t bother me. But I was getting a little sick and tired of his damn jokes about it.

“Why do you care so much what I look like?” I followed that quickly with. “Am I a threat to you? If you think I’m a girl, does that mean that you’re afraid of a girl?”

His friends laughed at that. George looked pissed.

I threw the final dig his way. “In elementary school when guys pick on girls it usually means they like them. So if I’m a girl like you claim, does that mean you have a crush on me?”

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I shouldn’t have said it but I was sick and tired of his crap. In hindsight, it was pretty stupid because it was asking for trouble.

His friends were laughing even more at him. George got that look---the one I was all too familiar with. I saw him ball up a fist and prepared for the punch that was about to follow. He surprised me by grabbing the pet carriage. I cursed, forgetting all about it. I tried to grab it from him but he held it over his head. Did I mention how much I hated being short. I made a jumping grab for it but he shoved me back. His two buddies stopped laughing and grabbed me as I made another lunge for it.

“The little sissy wants her pussy back, let say we leave it for her in a place where she’ll definitely find it.”

He carried the carrier over to the road. His friends dragged me along. I kicked and squirming trying to break their grip. It was one thing to despise Diamond but there was no way I was going to let someone put him defenseless in the middle of the street. George was laughing the whole time, shaking the carrier back and forth as did so. The mistake came when he lowered the carrier to his face in an attempt to mock the cat inside. Diamond had already sounded pretty pissed off. He exhibited that anger as soon as George’s face was in view, shooting one of his paws out through the bars. He caught George across the nose, raking his nails straight across the bridge of it.

George screamed in pain, dropping the carrier. It bounced once or twice then skidded to a halt. No damage to it or the cat inside.

I used that moment to throw my own tactic into the mix. I shook up my can as hard as I could, held it up to the face of the closest jackass to me and popped the top. The white liquid inside gushed forth like a volcano erupting. He stumbled back, letting me go. I drove my heel into the foot of the other guy and then I was free. I ran past George, scooped up the carrier and took off. It didn’t take long for the three of them to give chase. I think I might have mentioned how athletically inclined I wasn’t. I guess I should really get out more, do some running instead of sitting in front of my computer all day. Hell, if I made it out of this alive I would make sure to do just that.

I got a good head start on them.

I ran as hard and as fast as I could. I could feel the burn but sadly sitting in front of the computer was starting to take its toll on me. I had no endurance, no stamina whatsoever. After running for only a block, I started to slow. The only thing that seemed to push me on was the fact that they were right behind me. I used that little bit of motivation to keep on running, hoping that they’d tire faster than me even though I knew that was a long shot. It spurred me on though, fueling what little energy I had left.

Sadly, it wasn’t enough.

I forgot about the bag I had slung over my shoulder. It was a little tote; I put the strap across my chest when I left the house earlier. It was Diamond’s bag---something mom put together for him whenever we left him with Mrs. B. It had treats and vet records---things like that. The bag was my undoing. A hand lashed out and grabbed the strap. There was a violent tug and the next thing I knew I was on my back. Hitting the ground knocked the wind out of me, sent the carrier skidding from my hands. I saw George above me and then the feet came. I threw up my arms as I rolled, thankful I was thinking slightly straight. I saw it in a movie somewhere---rolling into a ball and pulling in close to protect vital organs in a situation like this.

I was a bit surprised that I remembered it actually.

“Get the little freak up” shouted George as his two friends caught up with us.

I tried to get away then but they were too fast. They dragged me to my feet and held my arms. George landed one punch to my gut then another. He was going on the third when a fist came out of nowhere. I didn’t even see the person who threw it until another fist hit George in the face a second time. That’s when I saw Tommy. I’m not sure where he came from but it was like a miracle. George dropped after the second blow then Tommy turned on the other two. They pushed me into him and took off. They didn’t even bother to grab George. It took George a moment to get to his feet after that. When he did, I saw his split lip and the huge bruise that was already starting to form from the first punch to the head that Tommy landed.

“”Reynolds, we’re through” he snapped, blood running down his chin.

Today was not the day for George and facial injuries.

“I’ve been through with you for a while,” said Tommy, puffing up a bit. “The only reason I hung out with you in the first place was to keep you away from Kelly. Look how that turned out.”

“You want the fag, you can have him.”

Tommy took a step forward. “Get lost George before I mess up the other side of your face.”

George didn’t have to be told twice. He turned and took off.

Tommy turned to me with a sheepish grin. “You ok?” I nodded.

It was then that I noticed that he had a black backpack in his hands. A very familiar one actually. I cursed. Last night I’d been so freaked about my encounter with first George and those guys I must have forgotten it. How did I not notice that when I got home? Well my brain was a bit scrambled. I took the pack from him with a smile, wincing at the pain in my ribs. I don’t think they were broken but being kicked and then punched there, it probably left some nice bruising behind.

“I was looking for you,” he said, “I tried your house first but no one was there. I thought maybe you were going to the Box. That’s when I saw you running and those guys after you.”

“Thanks for the save.”

I turned and looked for the carriage. This so wasn’t Diamond’s day either. I walked over and picked up the carrier, taking a peek inside. The cat took a swipe at me too. I managed to pull my head away before getting it in the face though.

“I deserved that.”

Before I knew what we were doing, Tommy and I were walking away from Main Street. It took me a moment or two to realize we were going in the direction of the library. Neither one of us said anything because I wasn’t sure what to say. I was certain he was done with me, that I was some dweeb that he wanted nothing to do with. But it was the complete opposite actually---he was trying to protect me. I’m not sure how to react to that. Here I thought he was abandoning me for the worse ass on the planet and all he was doing was trying to keep that ass from beating the crap out of me.

“I read the comic,” he said after a few minutes. “I know I shouldn’t have but I saw it in there and couldn’t resist. It was really good.”

“You still read them?”

“Of course!”

That surprised me a bit. Here I thought he was Tom now but he was still Tommy just a different kind of Tommy. So maybe people don’t change all that much after all.

We walked a little more in silence.

“So where are you and Diamond going anyway?” he asked, looking from the carriage to the tote and back to the carrier.

I cursed. I’d forgotten about Mrs. Braddock. “The flower shop, actually.”

“Kind of going the wrong way for that” he said with a laugh.

We stopped in front of a bench. If I walked any further in the wrong direction it was going to take me forever to go back. “I should probably head back,” I said, pointing in the direction we just came.

He nodded. “You guys leaving soon?”

Tommy knew the drill. I nodded. “Monday morning. I’m supposed to drop Diamond off with Mrs. B today.”

We started walking again, this time back the way we came.

“Anywhere exciting?”

I shook my head. “My rents are going to Africa and they’re shipping me off to Ravencrest with my grandmother.”

Tommy didn’t know about the whole magic and monsters thing. As far as he was concerned, Mom and Dad did a lot of traveling because of their jobs. It was kind of annoying not being able to tell him the truth but we had rules. The Unseen had rules. No Normals were allowed to know of their existence, if their existence was discovered the Normals were too turned over to the nearest Coven for Evaluation. I’m not even sure what that was but it sounded awful. So even though I wanted to tell Tommy the truth, I just couldn’t let that happen.

“Your grandma is like s scary dragon lady isn’t she?” I nodded.

“Good luck with that.”

We laughed.

It didn’t take us long to get back onto Main Street. We talked a little bit about what he had planned for the upcoming Winter Break. I was surprised when he said he was hoping to play some games with me. That kind of ticked me off. I got my friend back and now I had to leave. Thankfully, it was only for a few weeks this time. I told him that too, we made a promise to meet up as soon as I got back.

As soon as the flower shop came into sight, I sighed. That sigh was very short lived though because out in front was a very familiar black BMW. The color drained from my face at the sight of it. What the hell were those guys doing there?

I stopped dead in my tracks, throwing Tommy off a little bit. He was still walking and stopped to see what had startled me. I grabbed his arm instead, yanking him toward the nearest shop. I pushed him inside, closing the door quickly behind us as I did so. I caught a quick look around, groaning because we were in a girl’s clothing shop. Tommy groaned too but he had more important things to worry about.

“What the hell was that for?” he asked, rubbing his arm.

“That BMW in front of the flower shop” I said.

“What about it?”

“Those guys were in Carson’s last night. They tried to follow me home, nearly ran me off the road.”

Tommy’s eyes bugged out of his head. “Your messing with me right?”

“When have I ever tried to mess with you?”

“Shit.”

“Miss” said a snide voice from behind me. “Excuse me Miss.”

I turned around to see a snotty looking woman standing behind us dressed in a blouse and tight gray skirt, her hair piled high on her head. She had a little silver nametag on her blouse: Doris.

“I’m not a Miss” I said, annoyed.

She ignored me. “You can’t bring that animal in here,” she said, pointing to the cat carrier.

“We’re being stalked,” said Tommy.

Doris frowned. “Well be stalked elsewhere. If you don’t get that thing out of here I’m going to have to call the police.”

I groaned. Seriously. I thought about telling her off but I just didn’t feel like it. Instead, I gave her the finger and pushed Tommy toward the door. She actually stood there and made sure we didn’t come back in. The nerve of some people. Out on the street now, I was vulnerable once again. I cursed, looking around for another place to duck in to. I’m not sure why those guys were at the flower shop but it couldn’t have been good.

Tommy had other plans. He reached into his pocket and took out his knife.

“What are you doing?”

“Evening up the odds,” he said as he walked toward the flower shop.

I couldn’t stop him, Tommy was stubborn like that. Instead, all I could do was go along with whatever it was he was planning to do.

As soon as we got to the flower shop, I figured it out. Tommy dropped down next to the car, making sure that no one could see us. He went to the nearest wheel and stuck the blade of the knife into it. I was shocked. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but I never expected him to actually slit one of the tires. I looked nervously into the shop. I couldn’t see much because there were a lot of flowers obscuring the windows. I just hoped that they were in there looking for me and not out here somewhere lying in wait.

Tommy moved around to the other side of the car. He slit one of the front tires there. I looked around again, this time hoping there was no one about to notice what he just did. Thankfully, the street seemed to be pretty vacant at the moment.

“Ok, we’ve evened the odds now can we get the hell out of here?”

He nodded.

He crept along the side of the car and stood up. As soon as we did, I caught sight of the scar faced goon as he walked out of the flower shop. We all froze, just staring. He looked from the tires to the knife to me then back to the tires. I looked only at him, my heart pounding in my chest. In his hand, I saw a photo, a photo of me and my family. It was the one we had on the fireplace mantle. A cold sweat came over me at that realization: these guys had been in my house.

The shock of everything faded a moment later.

Scar face looked pretty pissed off. “That was a really stupid thing to do,” he said, flicking his wrists.

As soon as he did, two curved blades came shooting out of his sleeves into his hands.

“Kelly run” said Tommy softly.

“What?” I asked, not really hearing him all that well.

“I said RUN!” he threw his knife at the guy, causing it to whiz by his head.

Then Tommy did something that was both stupid and brave. Using the knife throw as a distraction, he charged the bastard. He caught him off guard long enough to slam into his chest headfirst. The charging tackle from Tommy took the son of a bitch out, sending the two of them flying backwards. They dropped in a heap. Then Tommy used whatever strength he had to hold the guy’s arms down.

“KELLY!” he shouted “RUN!”

His shouts were loud enough to draw attention. Suddenly Pock Face appeared from out of nowhere.

He and I looked at each other. Then he flicked his own wrists, knives coming out just like his friend. I cursed then took my friend’s advice. I turned and ran as fast as I could. I’m not sure where I got the extra bit of energy from though, especially after running for my life only twenty minutes or so ago. Somehow, I got a burst of speed. I ran away from the flower shop, away from where my best friend was struggling with some knife-wielding bastard. Thinking about that brought tears to my eyes, hoping that Tommy was going to be all right.

I tried not to think about it as I made my way to the end of the block.

Running around the corner, I saw salvation. There was a bus at the bus stop, passengers slowly getting on. I looked at the back; it said SHEPHERDSVILLE, which was the next town over. I sighed in great relief because Shepherdsville was where the college was. If I could get to Mom and Dad then I might have some protection from all of this. I put on the speed as I ran toward the bus. Pock Face was right behind me, I could hear his feet hitting the pavement as he charged after me. Luckily, I had a much bigger lead than before. I’m not sure where all this stamina was coming from now but I felt faster than before.

I got to the bus in the nick of time.

I was the last one on, slipping in seconds before the driver shut the door. The bus started moving. I turned around and caught sight of Pock Face as he slowed down, I gave him the finger, he shot me an evil glare. I sighed in relief as I watched him slowly disappear from sight as the bus picked up speed and turned another corner. As soon as that was done, I pulled out some money, stuck it in the thing and dropped into the nearest seat.

I held up the carrier and looked inside. Diamond still looked a little pissed off.

“I’m not having a very good day either,” I said with a heavy sigh.

The cat said nothing.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF