Chapter Two

Noticing things was one of Havok's least favourite activities. Unfortunately, it happened quite often. He had noticed yet another Unidentified Clothing Object on the floor of his sister's room that morning, as well as the owner of it in her bed. He had closed the door as quickly as he could without slamming it, noticing that the action was an almost daily occurrence now. He noticed, walking into the kitchen, that Adelia had not kept her end of their promise and cleaned the kitchen counters. He hated noticing the clutter. The need to get out of that house had flooded him so completely that he snatched a book off the table and made his escape right then.

It was halfway down the street that Havok realized he had no idea where he was going. He looked at the book in his hand -- Geonexus: A Complete Guide said the cover. He pondered for a moment how a book that he had never seen ended up in the house -- and then he remembered the person in his sister's room. It must have been theirs.

Hopefully I can bring it back before they leave, he thought. But he didn't turn back to the house. He was not going back in there until it was an hour that Adelia considered "acceptable" to bother her at.

As he continued down the street, Havok remembered that there was one location he knew the route to. His feet took him past cracked sidewalks and questionable alleyways until he reached the crosswalk in front of the school. On the stop sign, someone had scrawled "eating animals" under the word "stop", except the "-ing" had been added in like an afterthought. Havok found it hilarious.

In front of the school, amongst a jungle of overgrown bushes, was a bench. It was a fantastic place, where one could see out but no one could see in. It was like something out of a movie. Sitting there made Havok feel like a fairy. He opened up the strange book and was immediately captivated by the breathtaking illustrations. There were insects, mammals, amphibians, and creatures that he was sure didn't exist in real life, all on the first page. Taking this book was the beset mistake he had ever made, he was sure of that now.

Havok delved into the guide, his heart quaking in excitement. The introduction was like a gate that was keeping him from the rest of the book, but he refused to skip it. There were an entire three pages before the first chapter. He felt like a puppy behind a glass door, waiting anxiously to be let out. His eyes raced across paragraphs, snatches of sentences resonating in his head, and finally, finally, he reached the end and--

The sound of footsteps emerged to his right.

Havok peeked through the bushes, curious as to who else was crazy enough to be at school on a Sunday morning. He saw a flash of blonde hair.

Oh, it's Pretty Boy. He's alone. That is not normal.

Despite Pretty Boy's obvious position of status at school, Havok had yet to learn his name. After half a year, it was more like he was avoiding the knowledge.  His eyes followed the boy as he walked up the steps to the doors of the school.

What is Pretty Boy doing inside the school on a weekend? Havok's lips pursed. He hated noticing things. There was no way he wasn't going to follow Pretty Boy now, but this mission was going to ruin his reading time. Oh, well.

With a sigh of mourning for the lost time, he tucked the Geonexus guide book under his arm and crept to the doors of the school.