4 Forbearance

The mysteries start to unfold but only leave Cori asking more questions. How to Damon and Teo know each other? Why do they seem to hate each other?

The next day at school dragged on. I spent most of the day in a daze as I thought about the message I got last night. I knew it couldn't have been Kit. I haven't mentioned it to him yet. I wanted to show him in person tonight so he wouldn't think I had just imagined it. If Erin had access to a computer I would have thought maybe she sent it as some sort of sick joke but the Farrows won't allow her to have one yet.
I walked into my final class with a strong desire to turn around and hide in the girl's bathroom until it was over. Damon was sitting in his seat next to mine with his chin rested on his hand as he stared out the window. As if he sensed my presence he turned his bright blue eyes on me. I let out a breath as I walked to the desk and sat down in the chair next to him.
"Hello." He said with a smooth tone.
"Hi." I said, awkwardly.
"So," He said as he turned his body in my direction causing me to look at him. "I guess you're my new partner. I don't think we've had the chance to officially meet. I'm Damon."
"Uh... Cori." I said, trying to look away but his warm smile and bright eyes kept me locked in place.
His smile grew wider before he turned his body back to face forward and I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding.
"What will the topic be?" He asked, sounding not even the least bit interested in my answer.
"We have to pick a famous writer. I haven't chosen yet." I mumbled.
"Might I suggest something fairly simple?" He asked, looking at me again.
My eyes were drawn in by his again and I nodded.
"Poe." He said, maintaining the eye contact.
"Poe?" I asked, unable to think.
"As in Edgar." He laughed faintly and I suddenly felt like an idiot as I looked away from him. He had a strong effect on me. What was wrong with me? Every time I looked into his eyes I practically become a very agreeable zombie.
"That's fine with me." I said.
"My house tonight?" He asked.
 I wasn't comfortable going to his house alone but I couldn't bring him to mine. Too much chaos. For some reason this crappy town doesn't have a library so there were really no other options. It was just a home work assignment. I could survive that right? But not tonight. Tonight I had to show that picture to Kit.
"I can't tonight but how about Friday night?" I asked. It was only Tuesday so that gave me a couple days to do some research on this photo.
"Friday night is perfect." He said, smiling at me again.
After class I made my way quickly to Kit's car. He showed up just a couple minutes after me.
"You look anxious about something." He said with a smirk.
"I have something I need to show you." I said too quickly.
"Uh..." He scratched the back of his head. "Should I be worried?"
"No. Just take me home. I'll explain on the way." I said as I opened the passenger side door and hopped in the car. I told him about the picture and of course his first question was if I was dreaming. He pulled up to the curb in front of my house and shut off the car. He followed me inside where we were, of course, greeted by Erin who had to give Kit her usually flirty hello. I didn't give her a chance to make it anymore awkward as I grabbed Kit's arm and practically dragged him up to my room.
He stayed quiet as I opened my lap top and pulled up the message with the photo.
"See!" I said loudly, pointing at the photo on my screen.
"Wow you weren't kidding. This picture looks old." He said squinting at the picture.
"Yeah but look." I said as I pointed at the bandannas. "The symbol is the same."
"Maybe they are your ancestors." Kit shrugged, like it was all no big deal.
"Kit. Someone found this. Someone who knows my email address. Knows who I am. Why would they send this but not tell me anything else?" I exclaimed.
I plopped down on my back on the bed and let out a frustrated sigh.  I felt the bed sink next to me as Kit sat down.
"Don't obsess over this." He told me. "It might be someone messing with you. Maybe Erin is banging a photo editor and had him make it."
"That's disgusting and I already thought about that." I sat up. "I don't think shes that smart."
"Yeah, you're right. I'm giving her too much credit." Kit put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him so my head rested on his chest. I could hear his heart beating softly in my ear and closed my eyes as I let it distract me. Then my nerves kicked in again and suddenly I was overwhelmed by how close we were. I lifted my head and looked up into his eyes. For a long few seconds he looked back at me with a look like he might kiss me. It quickly changed to a look of shame though and he turned his head away from me. A small sting of rejection pricked at my heart but I quickly  shrugged it off before he noticed.
After a few unbearably quiet seconds I broke the silence and changed the subject.
"So guess who's house I'm going to on Friday night." It sounded lame and forced in my own ears but Kit didn't seem to notice.
"Who?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Damon's." I smirked.
"Are you going to audition to be one of his basement captives?" He asked.
"Very funny!" I rolled my eyes. " Homework."
"Well make sure to practice your scream for help." He laughed.
"Not nice." I shook my head at him.
"I know. I gotta get going. I'll see you in the morning." He ruffled my hair and walked out the door.
I flopped back down on my bed and put a pillow over my face. The rush of sudden embarasement for wanting him to kiss me hit me hard. He's my best friend. I don't know whats gotten into me. Hormones. Hormones are going to be the end of me.


The bell rang as everyone found their seats in first period. I sat in the back corner on the opposite side of where Damon sat. He was sitting at his desk ignoring the world around him as usual until I walked in. Again as if sensing me he looked right at me. This time he gave me a small smile and a nod. I smiled back and then took my seat. He looked paler than usual today and a little tired.
A new kid walked into the room and immediately caught my attention. He was stunningly attractive with dark brown hair and a slender, trim build. He handed a slip of paper to the teacher and then his eyes locked with someone elses in the room. His body seemed to tense up and his gaze became intense. I looked to see Damon staring right back at him with a look of hatred. There was no way they were strangers to each other. That was a pretty hardcore stare down. No one else seemed to notice and it was over so fast I wasn't even sure I saw it.
"Class we have a new student. This is..." The new kid interrupted him by telling him something quietly that I couldn't hear. "Teo. Just Teo apparently."
What a strange name. I wondered if it was his initials. It sounded like the two letters 'T' and 'O' together.
"Thank you." Teo said. There was a very small hint of an accent that I couldn't quite place. Maybe Irish or Scottish. It was too faint to tell.
Teo walked to one of the few empty seats that was two seat in front of me. He scanned the room with his eyes and when they landed on me he stopped walking dead in his tracks. He was looking at my bandanna. I knew it. His light, honey brown eyes moved to my face and a look of confusion crossed his face but he quickly recovered with a grin that seemed all too cocky. What in the hell is going on in this school? I'm invisible my entire life and suddenly this week I'm interesting to the hottest guys in school... but it wasn't me they were focusing on. It was the cloth around my neck.


At lunch I was sitting against one of the trees as Kit sat next to me. I was replaying the events from this morning in my head. Maybe the new kid was the one who sent me that picture. But how would he have even known? No. He looked too surprised when he saw it on me this morning. He definitely knows something about it. Too many strange things all happening at once. It can't be coincidence.
"Have you seen that new kid yet?" Kit asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
"Yeah, hes in my first period class." I replied.
"Do you see the way he looks at Damon?" He asked. "Like he wants to rip his head off?" He was watching them through the window the the cafeteria. Teo sat at an empty table on one side of the room with nothing but a bottle of water in front of him and Damon sat at the opposite side of the room surrounded by a table of girls who were trying to get his attention.
"Its like watching two male lions challenging each other for territory and the girls are all female lions in heat waiting to reward the victor." Kit sounded like he was watching an actual documentary on lions.
"Gross!" I said laughing. I couldn't disagree. It did kind of have an animal planet vibe to it.
"And the way he looks at you." Kit said, sounding far off.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"He looks at you every chance he gets. Sometimes its like he recognizes you and is confused to find you here. You don't know him do you?" Kit tilted is head to look at me.
"Of course not." I replied. "I'm gonna get going. I've gotta make a pit stop before class."
"Alright. See ya later." Kit waved as I left, walking through the cafeteria.
I headed towards the girls room so I could rinse my face off real quick. I left the bathroom and went to my locker to stuff some of my books into it. I closed the locker door and nearly jumped five feet in the air when I saw that the new kid was standing right next to me.
"Hi there." He said, with a sly smile.
"Is it in your nature to creep up on girls like that?" I asked, trying to calm my racing heart.
"My apologies. I just wondered if you could tell me where room B12 is." He said.
"Its actually right behind you." I pointed at the door only a few steps away from where we stood. He looked behind him really quick and nodded as he turned back to smile at me again.
"Well I feel a bit silly now." He said with that hint of accent coming out again.
"Its understandable since its only your first day." I nervously adjusted the strap of my backpack on my shoulder.
"I'm Teo." He said and held out his hand for me to shake.
"Cori." I said as I placed my hand in his. Instead of shaking it though he held it to his lips where he placed a quick gentle kiss, making me blush.
His eyes flicked down to my neck so fast I couldn't be sure it actually happened.
"I hope we meet again, Cori." He said and then turned around and walked away. I watched him walk while I tried to come to my senses before I noticed he had walked right past the room he was asking about. This week just kept getting more and more strange.

Last period came along yet again and I sat down in my usual seat. I was the first one to come in and Damon walked in shortly after me. He sat down next to me without saying anything. He looked mad about something.
"Are you ok?" I asked.
"Fine." He answered quickly.
"Fancy meeting you here." I heard a familiar voice beside me say. It was Teo. He was smiling at me but his eyes kept going quickly between me and Damon.
"Get out of here pigeon." Damon snarled at Teo.
"Pigeon?" I asked quietly but was ignored. Teo had that cocky smile plastered to his face and Damon had a hostile glare on his. I looked back and forth between them, feeling uncomfortable being in the middle of them. I felt like a cat between two dogs that were about to kill each other.
"I just wanted to say hi to my new friend here." Teo said, without looking at me.
Damon was about to respond with something that was probably very loud and extremely inapropriate but other students started to enter the room and he kept his mouth shut but continued to glare at Teo.
Damon went back to looking out the window and as soon as he did Teo looked me in the eyes with a look I couldn't read.
"Another time then." Was all he said before heading to a seat closer to the front of the room.
"Do I even get to ask?" I asked, turning my whole body to face Damon.
"Pardon?" He asked, without looking at me.
"What in the hell was that all about?" I whispered.
He turned his eyes in my direction and then shifted his body so he was facing me. One of his legs was slightly between mine making me uncomfortable but I didn't move.
"You could say we're old friends." He said with a smile as he lowered his head closer to mine so he could whisper.
"It sure doesn't seem that way. You guys look like you're about to throw down every time you're in the same room." I said.
Damon looked down at me with amusement. His eyebrows raised and his lips forming a small smirk which I hated myself for thinking it was cute.
"Why are you so concerned?" He asked, scooting closer to me. His leg brushed my inner thigh making me blush. "Does it have anything to do with the C.H.? Or perhaps the traitorous enforcers? No. Because you don't know about these things. But you should. Maybe you should ask your new buddy what his job is. I bet you two will have a lot in common. He probably knows your parents too."
I was silent. I couldn't process everything he had just said before he grabbed his stuff and walked out of class. What did he mean about my parents? How would Teo know them? Is that why he stares at the cloth around my neck? I knew he must have known something. Damon wouldn't say all of that for nothing. I wondered what C.H. stood for and who the enforcers were. I looked up at where Teo was to find him looking at me as if he had just heard the entire conversation from across the room. Something strange was definitely going on and somehow I was a part of it all.
After class my curiosity was at an all time high and I needed answers. As soon as I was out of the room I ran up behind Teo and grabbed his elbow to stop him. He turned around and smiled when he saw it was me. I paused when his eyes looked into mine, momentarily mesmerized by their beauty.
"I need answers." Was all I said. I realized it sounded dumb and he probably had no idea what I was talking about.
He sighed and gave me a sympathetic smile.
"I can't give them to you. I'm sorry." He turned to walk away but I rushed in front of him and he stopped.
"Please. I'll do anything." I hated begging but I meant it.
He looked around the hall and back at me. He seemed to be dealing with some internal struggle and then finally he rolled his eyes and sighed.
"I can answer some but not all of them." He said firmly.
"Fine." I said.
"Tomorrow. Meet me in the parking lot of school after classes. We'll talk." He walked around me and continued out the exit.
I didn't want to let him get away. I wanted him to answer me now but I didn't want to push my luck. I'd see him tomorrow. I hoped.