6An image flashed in her mind, bold and clear. Hair down to the chin, dark eyes, and soft features, with a mind to bring massive destruction if it had the means to. A crude sense of humor, with blocked emotions. A little shorter than herself, well built, so mentally powerful he could kill.
Ranka!
Her knees buckled and she quickly whipped tears out of her eyes as a powerful football player glided past, eyeing her. He stopped and walked back, stopping in front of her. He raised an eyebrow in question at her tear-filled eyes and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a neatly folded hankerchief. He flicked his wrist smoothly, unfolding it, with a corner snagged between two fingers. He held it out to her, an offering of friendship, and she slowly took it, dabbing at her eyes gently. Seeing clearly, she groaned at the smudges of make-up on the hankerchief. She bit her lip and finally looked up at the person who made the kind offering.
He stood tall, towering above her, with an air about him. Not arrogant, but sure. He knew he was powerful. He knew he would win, but he never bragged, and never threatened with it. He had long hair, pulled back into a pony tail, brown like his eyes. But his eyes, dark shimmering pools of warmth, were captivating. He had a light tan, somehow giving her a comfortable feeling. He wore a tight black teeshirt, stretched over rippling, muscled abs, with typical baggy blue jeans. His black lettermans jacket had a patch on the arm, '05 it said. A sophmore? her puzzled mind reeled. Her eyes darted back up to his face, where a soft sile of reassurance was spreading on his big, pouty lips. She thought of how nice it would be to iss those beautiful, pouty lips.
Suddenly aware of his gaze, she coughed lightly and folded his hankerchief over. "Umm," she murmured, waving the folded cloth, "thanks. I'll, uhh, wash it and return it to you later, if you'd like."
He shrugged and held his hand up, refusing. "Nah, you keep it," his clear, gentle voice said. "Think of it as...I dunno, a welcoming gift. From a meaningless football player. I guess you're new here, huh?"
She nodded anf fished in her pocket for her schedule and handed it to him. "And lost at that too," she exhaled. She watched him glance at her schedule before handing it back to her.
"Well," he breathed out, "most of your classes are near mine, and your next class is with me, so I can show you around, if you want." He smiled warmly and held out his hand. "I'm Kunosk, and welcome to Jenova High."
She put her hand on his, expecting a handshake, but was suprised when he brought her hand up and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. His soft lips molded around her knuckles, spreading warmth up her arm. She let out a smal giggle and he smiled, releasing her hand.
He waved in the general direction of their next class, down empty hallways, and started to walk. He pointed out the computer labs and the hallways to the cafeteria, before stopping at a large crimson locker. He snatched a note off the front, saying in bright green, "I love Kunosk! By: Cheerleader Squad Queen Akene!" He stared at it growling and crumpled it up, throwing it over his shoulder.
"If you haven't guessed, this one is mine," he said, twisting the lock. He knocked on it a few times before opening it and dumping a book in. "I don't think you will get a locker until the start of next year, so your welcome to share mine, if you need to."
She waved her thin binder with a smile and said, "Oh yeah, I might be forced to take you up on that offer, with all these BOOKS, and folders! Soooo much to carry around!" She giggled and rejoiced inwardly at his wide grin, and waited while he grabbed a small reading book.
"Good thing we both have the same class next, otherwise you might get upset or something," he said, kicking the locker shut and turning to walk. "Mr. Tenua hates new students. He loves to bash them, hopefully scare them away, keep them out of his class. But if new kids buddy up with his regular students like me, he doesn't even bother. New students can report him, but are normally too scared to fail if they do, but if he picks one with a buddied-newby, he gets reported and it gets taken out of his paycheck."
They walked on down the hallway, chatting about nothing in particular.
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Akene squirmed in her seat as the bell rang, and Kunosk still hadn't shown up for class. Her best friend Neluna slapped her arm lightly, a silent warning that Mr. Tenua was watching. He took roll and turned away, so Neluna launched forward to chatter with Akene.
"So, Akene, like, where's Kunosk?" she asked in a low voice.
Akene gave an angry shrug and opened her notebook to glare at some messages from friends.
The door opened and Akene and Neluna both glared as Kunosk strolled in, followed by a girl of medium height with dark hair that came down to her waist, and bright green eyes. Her manicured nails tapped her binder as Mr. Tenua read her schedule and broke into a toothy grin.
"Ahhh, a new student!" he laughed. "Well, my darling pet, have you 'buddied up'?" His eyes were gleaming dangerously; a new toy, a new torture object!
"Yup."
Mr. Tenua faltered. Already buddied? He blinked at her and asked stupidly, "With who? You can't know about the buddying system!"
The new girl pranced lightly, with a natural grace that even the enraged cheerleader Akene lacked, and stood next to Kunosk. She smiled sweetly ad leaned against him, making Akene erupt.
"MIS-ter T!" she almost screeched. "New student or not, late is late! Discipline, discipline! And she's on MY boyfriend!" She glared daggers at the dazzling girl hanging onto an annoyed Kunosk's arm.
Mr. Tenua rolled his eyes and looked at the new student. "How long have you been here, girl? To get this airhead to shut up, please."
She held up one finger, indicating her first day. The teacher nodded and waved Jennifer back to her seat. She growled and glared at this new girl, who was the image of perfection and cute enough to steal HER Craig!
"Alright, alright, settle down!" Mr. Rodriguez called over the rowdy students. He looked at the girl. "I assume you've met Mr. McCaner." Nod. "Good. Welcome to sophmore biology. Class, this is..." he trailed off and looked at her.
"Eva Camaro," she said in a clear, musical voice.
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Eva sat in her chair next to Kunosk, listening to the cheerleader whine at him about how he was paying too much attention to the new girl, she didn't look half as good as herself, what kind of a name is Eva Camaro, and wasn't he supposed to be her boyfriend?
Kunosk whirled around to face the annoying cheerleader with an enraged glare. Squaring his shoulders, he said, "Of course I'm paying her more attention! She treats me like an equal, and she has an actual personality! She also looks ten times better than you, you tramp of a cheerleader! Her name is beautiful, with a hint of a dangerous tone to it, warning you of her real strength. And for the last time NO, I'm NOT your boyfriend!" he roared, making Akene slink back in her chair whimpering. Eva stifled a giggle and went back to her work sheet, only half listening to Craig yell at the ever-so-annoying cheerleader from Hell.
After scribbling a few more notes, Eva stood up and walked to the teacher's desk to turn in the paper. Neluna's foot swung out and tried to kick Eva in the shin, make her land on her face. Eva saw her muscles bunch before the leg moved, and jumped aside. Neluna's foot kicked a table leg and she bit her cheek to keep from screaming.
Eva smirked as she walked back to her desk, taking great delight in the mixed expression of pain and anger on the cheerleader's face.
Kunosk was clutching his stomach with one hand and had the other was clamped firmly over his mouth to keep from laughing so hard he cried. Eva sat down next to him and batted her eyelashes, listening to the growling of Akene raise in pitch. She grinned and reached into her purse for a book, and opened it up to her page to read.
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Kunosk glanced from his book to the girl named Eva, and back to the book. He looked at her once more, with her delicate fingers curled around the pen, writing in elegant manuscript, what appeared to be a letter to a friend from wherever she came from.
He wasn't aware of how long he sat in his trance, staring at the girl, but she was. She darted a quick glance in his direction every so often, to see him still staring at her, eyes held in rapt attention. Eva had the overwhelming urge to giggle, but squelched it, in light that Craig might find it childish and immediately forget about her, going back to the stuck up cheerleader. The thought made her blood boil.
She brought the letter to a close, and signed it with an elegant, "Eva, Guardian of Moonshadows" that sent images of maidens in beautiful flowing gowns skittering through his mind. Guardian of Moonshadows? His mind thought. Moonshadows? What did that mean? He watched her fold it up and slip it inside a folder in her binder, concealing whatever her heart had opened up to inside her papers and supplies.
Moonshadows? Kunosk turned the page, filing the word away for later use. I'll find out in due time, he thought.