Chapter Two: Flightless Bird, American Mouth

Have I found you?
Flightless bird, jealous, weeping
Or lost you?
American mouth
Big bill looming.

- Iron & Wine

It had been a week since people had arrived back at the boarding school, or as Dylan referred to it, the place of her nightmares. People had began to settle in and Dylan was rewarded with the "priviledge" of hanging with the in-crowd. Yet every time she met with the group, her body tensed; she knew Aiden was watching her, to see how she would react. To see if she would run from the school grouds screaming.

"Hey Dylan, you coming to the party on Friday?" She turned her head quickly, snapping out of her thoughts to meet Alex's expectant gaze. They were sat in photography, a lesson which required little attention, so people barely paid attention to the teacher; opting instead to take embarassing pictures of each other. She shrugged her shoulders, hoping he would let it drop; it was only Tuesday, why did he need to know so soon?

"Awww, Newbie don't tell me you're backing out of the parties so soon? And here I thought school with you would be fun." It was Aiden, there was no doubt about that, and he was taunting her yet again, waiting for her to crumble. He sat at the table next to her, his arm around Blakes shoulder; his 'unofficial' girlfriend. The way she fawned over him made her wince, especially since he looked like he couldn't care. She hated how he seemed more attentive of her when Dylan was around; was he doing it to make her jelous? For some reason, it was certainly working.

"I'll be there, don't you worry brother dear." She said softly, staring at Alexs back with a plan in mind. Hell, if he wanted to play games with her, she was all for it. "Alex, what are you up to tonight?" She purred, her voice flirty with a hint of seduction. He turned to stare at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Nothing, why?" He could tell something in the atmosphere had changed due to Dylan's sudden forwardness, yet he couldn't help but hope that she wanted to take their relationship futher. Afterall, they had been flirting on and off for the past week, shouldn't they be on a first date or something by now?

"I was wondering if you wanted to catch a movie with me." She fluttered her eyelashes to push her hint, and she hoped to the God's that Aiden was watching. Looking out the corner of her eye confirmed her suspicions as his face became unreadable.

"Sure. We'll have to get off camp passes though." He said, his face lighting up with a smile. Dylan smiled back, ignoring Aidens smouldring glares.

"Mind if we join you?" Aiden suggested, and even Blake (who had been kissing his neck gently) looked up at the suggestion, shock on her face. The smirk on his face was ment for Dylan, yet Alex caught the brunt of it too.

"Sure." He muttered, scratching the back of his head as he turned back to his photography partner. Luckily, he thought Aiden was being protective of his new stepsister, and not that he was jealous. As Blake and Alex turned back to their work, Aiden smirked at Dylan and puckered his lips in a mock kiss.

"Asshole." She said, and when the teacher looked up curiously Aiden had to stifle a laugh.

"What was that, Miss Swann?"

"Umm...May I be excused? Suddenly I feel nauseous." She shot the last sentence at Aiden, who raised an eyebrow cautiously. Before waiting for a response, she stormed out of the classroom, hoping to leave Aidens remarks behind her.

"What was that about?" Alex asked, confusion spreading across his flawless features. She had been fine just a minute ago...

"She's probably PMSing." Aiden smirked, before shrugging out of Blakes embrace.

She leaned against the rough brick wall, her mind buzzing as she took in the fresh air. It bugged her how much it hurt to see him fawning all over Blake, giving her exactly what she wanted. Out of all the men in this school, she had to lust after her stepbrother; the same stepbrother that she couldn't stand. And then there was Alex...He had been so sweet to her, and she lusted after him too. Classic, she laughed to herself. The stepbrother and the best friend, just perfect.

"Well newbie, seems you've lasted little more than a week and you're already cracking." His voice held evidence of a smirk, and she ached to wipe it off his face. So many conflicting emotions she had for him, yet she promised she wouldn't cave; after her little dare last week, he just wouldn't leave her alone!

"Urgh, why can't you just leave me alone?" She was thankful that people were in lessons and that they were hidden round one of the back buildings, but it also gave her the feeling of vulnerability. She leant her head back, banging it gently against the wall as she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping him to leave. But of course, he didn't.

"You know you don't want that." He came closer, backing her into a corner as she glared at him. "Aww baby, what's that look for?" He muttered, placing either of his hands on the walls beside her, blocking her in.

"It's telling you to back the hell off, thats what its for." She was crumbling under his seductive gaze, and he knew it. If only she had the strength to push him away...

"Again, you know you don't want that."

"And what is it you think I want?" She asked, venom in her voice. Good, she was regaining her strength, and she would be damned if she let her stepbrother of all people play games with her.

"This." He whispered, kissing her ear gently. She froze as he trailed kisses down her cheek, edging even more towards her mouth. He paused when he kissed the corner of her mouth, waiting for Dylan to push him away; yet she didn't. Her body ached for him to kiss her, and he knew it. When his lips descended upon her, both of them lost control. Her body curved against his, her arms wrapping around his neck and crushing his lips closer to hers. His hands grabbed her waist passionately, desperate for his body to be close to hers in anyway possible. A small moan escaped her lips as he nibbled on her lower lip; and just like that, she found the will to push him away, even if it wasnt what she wanted.

"Stay. Away. From. Me." She gasped inbetween breaths, and as if to make her point, her hand connected with his cheek and the sound echoed off the walls around him. She pushed past him, and he made no effort to stop her.

"Damn it man, I just don't know what to do!" Aiden moaned, falling back onto his bed in his dorm less than an hour later. He shared his room with Chase, Alex and Dean, but thankfully Alex and Dean were nowhere to be seen. Dylans sudden shift in temper had given him whiplash, to say the least.

"Dude, you know how Alex feels about Dyl. You'll hurt him if you continue like this." Chase said, spinning around in his chair, ignoring his laptop now.

"I know, but at the same time...dammit, she drives me crazy. After she kissed me last week, I can't get it out of my mind. And her little games...They're driving me mad!" Aiden sighed before pulling a pillow over his face, trying to erase the image from his mind.

"Her games? Dude, I was in photography. Nobody else may have noticed, but I saw you provoking her, flirting with Blake like that." There was no response from Dylan, which meant he was being stubborn and refusing to admit his part in this mess. "My advice is to stop this thing, now. You don't want to hurt Alex, and if you do anything else that's certainly what you're going to do." He threw the football he was spinning straight at Aiden, which hit him square in the chest and earned a groan of pain from him at least.

"But...she kissed me back. And nobody's kissed me like she has before. It was different." Chase shrugged his shoulders and turned back to his laptop, signaling that the conversation was over.

At the same time, Dylan was in her room, wishing the ground would swallow her whole. How could she let Aiden get to her? Let him kiss her? Blake was supposed to be her friend, alright she had a funny way of showing it, but she never betrayed her friends. And over the past week, Blake had shown signs of warming to her, in her own funny way.

"Woah, whats the drama this time?" Kate asked as she entered the room, seeing Dylan sprawled across her bed in an upset fit.

"Urgh, you don't want to know." She murmered, knowing that if she told Kate, Blake would find out. Afterall, they had been friends longer than Kate and Dylan ever had.

"Come on, is it Aiden? I can notice these things you know, and the way he ran out after you was kinda suspicious." When there was no reply, Kate shook Dylan in the hopes to provoke a response. "God, you two are as stubborn as each other!" Kate sighed, moving from the bed and checking her appearance in the mirror.

"He...he kissed me." She saw Kate freeze at the mirror, and regretted saying a word; yet she hadn't finished. "And I kissed him back." She whispered, hoping Kate wouldn't tell Blake. Afterall, she didn't know what her feelings were for Aiden or Alex yet, and she didn't want to risk a fall out over nothing.

"You have to stop it. Blake's my best friend." Her response was ice cold, and Dylan knew she had already lost Kates trust. "I'm not going to tell her, but you have to promise me nothing else will happen." She had turned to Dylan now, and she could see the fury in the young girls eyes; she could meerly nod, and hope she had the strength to stay away from him. After Kate left (without saying goodbye, and slamming the door), Dylan pulled out her phone and texted Alex, telling him the date was off. Afterall, she couldn't go out with him and Aiden tonight; she felt like her head might explode.

Friday came around quicker than she had hoped, and she was dreading the party tonight. After her cold conversation with Kate, she had avoided the entire group for as long as she could, and hoped none of them noticed the atmosphere. But who was she kidding? She knew Aiden wouldn't give up without a fight, which is why she was so suprised that he was ice cold to her the next morning. Kate remained the same, yet over a few days she had began to thaw and was now excited for the party.

"Tell me exactly, how do the teachers not notice like, half the school disappearing down the road?" Dylan asked as they got ready that evening - she was halfway into her scruffy jeans when Kate gasped in shock.

"Oh honey, you are so in the wrong league! We don't do scruffy here." She smirked before opening her wardrobe, dresses and all sorts practically tumbling out. "Hmmmm..." She scanned the clothes for something remotely Dylan-ish, and screamed in delight as she pulled out her gold silk Dolce & Gabanna boob tube dress, which flared out from the bust down to its incredibly short hem. "Here, wear this. It's much more suitable."

"Euck, its not exactly me Kate." Ignoring her complaints, Kate pulled out a deep blue halter neck dress by Chanel, and hung it on the back of the door. By the time she had turned around, Dylan was already reluctantly in the dress, her black converse standing out and mismatching.

"Oh my god, you cannot be serious! Do you own any heels?" Dylan meerly shook her head and she groaned before entering her closet again, pulling out a matching pair of gold stilettos. "Put these on, no complaining! And to answer your earlier question, most of the teachers go out and get drunk of Fridays - afterall, there aren't any lessons tomorrow." She had begun pulling on her dress while Dylan worked on her hair, which she hoped to simply tie up in a ponytail "Oh my god, do I have to do everything?" Kate fussed over Dylan, which was the same as it was for the next hour and a half. By the time she had done Dylans make up and hair, along with her own, night had fallen outside as Dylan gave her appearance the once over.

She hardly recognised herself; her usually tied up brown locks fell down her back in loose, elegant curls and her normally plain face was subtly covered in makeup, the golden eyeshadow enhancing her eyes and her glossy lips shining in the light. Kate looked equally beautiful; her blue dress complemented her eyes, which were framed by loose blonde curls falling from her elegant updo. To Dylan, they both looked like they were going to a wedding rather than a party.

Yet when they reached the old abandoned school, they saw people in similar attire, and for once Dylan was glad she hadn't worn her usual; after all, it would never cut it. Students already loitered outside, their eyes wide with alcohol and eyeing both of them up as they entered the eerily large builiding. Kate held her arm firmly, pulling her through the throbbing crowd towards where the drinks were being given out. A beer was thrust in her hand, and she was thankful. Finally, something her tomboy side could cope with! She chugged down the beer immediately, which she was applauded for by the guys nearby.

"Hell yeah, thats my kind of woman!" One of them yelled, thrusting another beer in her hand and patting her on the back. Disgusted, Kate pulled her away, hoping to find the others. By the time they had found them, Dylan was already tipsy and Blake found it hysterical.

"Oh, she's too cute!" She laughed, clinging on to Aidens hand as he watched Dylan emotionlessly. She caught his eye, yet he made no effort to look away or to say anything, which hurt her more than anything. Shrugging his attitude of, she grabbed Alex and pulled him to dance, chugging his beer before he could protest.

"Dylan, are you ok? You look a little drunk." Alex said after her fifth (or was it sixth?) beer had passed. They were still dancing, yet Dylan was stumbling everywhere, and only Alexs hands on her waist steadied her. She looked up into his concerned eyes and smiled.

"Immf nottf drunkkk." She giggled histerically, wrapping her arms around his neck as he supported her. Somewhere she noticed Aidens eyes boring into her, studying her every move with jealousy. "Kissss Mfee.." Dylan murmered into his chest, before looking into his sweet eyes; she could see the internal debate raging inside him. So she made the decision for him.

She stood on her tiptoes, which wasn't easy in her state, and pressed her lips gently to Alex's, waiting for him to respond. She saw his eyes close as he gripped her closer, and she followed his lead, her lips moving in sync with his. It wasn't like when she had foolishly kissed Aiden; Alex wasn't forceful, trying to get a response out of her. His lips were soft and gentle, moving against hers with caution; scared that she would break. Aching for passion, she deepened the kiss, her tongue poking into his mouth. He sighed and pulled her closer, his hands firmly on her hips; not like Aidens, which would have been exploring her body right about now.

"Dylan, I think you're drunk." Aidens voice interjected, his hand tugging hers as he desperately tried to stop her kissing his best friend. He hated to admit, but it hurt him more that it should. He broke off the kiss by shoving Alex back, who by now was shocked at Dylans forwardness. "Stop that." Aiden hissed, causing a scene in the middle of all the dancers. Alex looked him in the eye wairly; he had never seen Aiden so defensive. "She...she's my sister. Don't take advantage of her." Dylan stood behind Aiden, the realisation of what she had done hitting her hard. "I'm taking her back to the dorms." He kissed Blake softly, who made him promise he would return to the party.

"Wfatttt..whaft did youh do that ffor?" Dylan asked as he took her from the party, his arm around her waist as he supported her reluctant body.

"You're drunk Dylan, and I'm not going to let my best friend take advantage of you." He gritted his teeth at the "best friend" part, obviously hating the idea of any sort of relationship between the two.

"Hee..He didnttt...I kfissed hdwim.." She murmered, practically passing out in his arms. He ground his teeth harder, tasting blood in his mouth as he dragged her to her dorm.

"What room are you in?" He asked, waiting patiently outside her dorm as she mumbled the number. He broke the rules by entering the girls dorm, but it wasn't like he hadn't done it before; yet it was under different circumstances. "Have you got your room key?" He whispered, taking the key from her semi-conscious figure and opening the door. He pulled her inside, and instantly regretted it. The scent of her perfume still hung in the air, and his entire body ached for her.

"Uhhhhhh..." She muttered, lunging on her bed. He sighed softly; trust him the be the sober sibling! He let her lay there as he opened the small fridge, pulling out a small bottle of water and nudging her to make some room. He perched gingerly, shaking her to sit up; and when she obliged, he handed her the bottle wordlessly. They sat in silence as she drank, soberness overcoming her as her head began to pound.

"Feeling better?" He whispered, hoping not to wake the Dorm Advisor. She shook her head and rested it on his shoulder, glad for the support.

"I...I'm sorry for kissing Alex." She whispered, her eyes still closed. Yet she felt his body tense under her, and she gingerly lifted her head so it was inches from his. "Why are you like this?" She asked, confusion sweeping across her gorgeous features.

"Like what?"

"One minute you're a complete jerk, and kissing me. The next, you're so sweet and staying away from me...but the whole time, I'm aching for you to be that jerk, for you to kiss me again." She dared a glance at him, yet his face hadn't changed. She could see that internal battle, the same one she had seen in Alex earlier.

"You want me to kiss you again?" He asked, staring straight ahead.

"Yes. I know I shouldn't, but I want it. And I never want you to stop." She knew what she was saying, hell, both of them knew it; she wanted sex. But could he really take advantage of his drunken stepsister? That word sent alarm bells ringing though him; stepsister! She's your stepsister! Whats wrong with you?! Yet his body said something else; he yearned for her, yearned to hold her, to kiss her, to be with her. And it was in that instant that he knew his body had won.

He turned and kissed her sharply, taking all the breath out of her lungs as she clung to his shirt, her body aching for his kisses. His hand pulled her onto his lap effortlessly, his fingers tracing delicate patterns up her thigh, edging closer to her underwear. She stifled a gasp when he tugged her dress over her head, partly ripping the stitching and leaving her almost naked under his gaze. Heat overtook him and he tossed her onto the bed, pinning her under his weight as she sighed with delight. He took off his own clothes effortlessly, and both of them clung together, the flimsly material of their underwear the only thing sepatating them. Unclasping her bra, she let it drop to the floor as she grasped him in another hot, desperate kiss. Without looking away, he pulled her pants off and his own boxers, leaving them both completely exposed.

"Aiden?" She whispered, pulling his gaze from her flawless body to her delicate face. He smiled, a genuine smile, as he stroked her cheek gently; wordlessly reassuring her that everything would be okay. He moved below her, spreading her lengs gently as he kissed her thighs, moving higher until he could see her face staring back at him, aching for a kiss and so..so vulnerable.

"Dylan, are you sure?" He whispered, his body aching for her to say yes. She nodded wordlessly, and he gently took her, holding on to her fragile body as their bodies moved in sync. She shuddered underneath him, her body scared by what was happening. "Relax D, let it happen." He whispered, kissing her ear as she relaxed, her face capturing his in another timeless kiss. Her nails dug into his back, causing him to bleed as he pushed further, sending spasms of joy through her whole body. He gripped the headboard above him for support, his body lost with Dylans as he wanted to cry out in ecstacy.

Some time later, their bodies slowed in sync as he kissed her gently on the lips.

"I...I love you Aiden." She whispered, gently touching his cheek and waiting for his response.

"Oh god, I love you too Dylan." He whispered, kissing her gently and fearing that she would break underneath him.

Hours later, the had fallen asleep, the sheets clinging to their sweat soaked bodies as he wrapped his arms around the girl he had somehow fallen in love with.

Authors Note: Okay, so I'll leave you on a good note! As always, REVIEWS please! :D x