Sunday was a break from training since we would be leaving for home in the afternoon. James, Rita, Viper, Lily, and Jared would be leaving with us, so there was a lot going on today. Also, my new Dual Shifter ID was ready and already in my wallet; plus, my missed assignments were completed and ready to be turned in tomorrow.
Tomorrow was also the first day that I would have bodyguards while at school. I wasn't looking forward to what everyone would say, but I'd just ignore them like normal. My guards were a different issue, however, especially Lily and Jared. They were the two that I would have to keep an eye on.
After breakfast, we got everything ready to leave. I repacked my clothes and school supplies within 30 minutes, and then a maid came and took it to the waiting cars. Mom and dad wanted to leave early that way we could unpack and get settled early. They wanted us to get plenty of rest before school the next day.
When we were done packing, we had gathered in the foyer to say good-bye. We gave hugs and promised to be back for our cousin Alice's 16th birthday. Our two cousins, Alice and her older brother Jeremy, were at the Royal Boarding School, so they weren't here right now. After everything was said and done, we got into our cars and left the Castle.
Viper, Rita, and James drove the first car; then my family followed in our two cars, and then Lily and Jared drove the last car. We had stopped once to fill up the tanks and to get something to eat. Other than that, the drive home was uneventful and we made it home before dinner. I showed my guards to the prepared guest rooms before going to my own room to unpack. Instead of cooking, mom and dad ordered Chinese take-out and soon everyone ate and was in their rooms for the night.
The next day, I woke up at 5:30 am for my morning run like normal. When I walked back inside, Lily and Jared were waiting in the kitchen for me. They didn't look happy.
"Where were you?" Lily asked.
"Why didn't you get us?" Jared added before I could answer the first question.
"Can you guys please relax? I went for a mile run like I always do before school. And I stayed inside the fence, so I knew I was okay." I explained when Jared opened his mouth again.
"Still, why didn't you get us first?" He asked. I guess he took being my guard seriously.
"Because I do this every day before school. I knew I would be okay. Home is my safe place to be who I am without worrying about others." I said simply.
"That might have been true in the past, but it's different now. Since you've revealed your identity, you have to stay alert for any possible danger." Lily tried to explain my new situation gently.
"How about this? I wake up at 5:30 Monday through Friday for these morning runs. If you want to come with me, be up by then." I said grudgingly, testing their limits of compromise. When they reluctantly agreed, I grabbed a bottle of water before going to my room to get ready for school.
After I was showered and dressed, I messaged Josh that I would meet them at school with breakfast. Grabbing my helmet and wallet, I drove my motorcycle to McDonald's with Lily and Jared following me. Once I got to McDonald's, I went inside and ordered 20 sausage biscuits and 5 cups of coffee for my guards. As we waited for the order to be made, Lily spoke.
"So what's your schedule at school?"
"Well, I have all AP classes except for two. I have AP World History and AP Biology as my first two classes. Then I have Art during lunch followed by AP Algebra. Lastly, it's AP English then PE as the last classes of the day." I answered Lily's question honestly.
"So what do you do about lunch? Do you not eat?" Jared asked, curiosity in his voice.
"Honestly? I usually pack lunch. But if you guys want, you can go get something to ead during my Art class." I suggested, feeling bad about the fact that I had lessons through lunch.
"Can we order food and have it sent to the school? I don't like you not having your full guard detail around." Lily asked. Like Jared, she took being my bodyguard seriously.
"That would be a question for the office, but I don't see why not." I replied. After I said that, our order was ready and I got back on my motorcycle to go to school. When we arrived and parked, I handed out the biscuits while Lily passed out the coffee. We ate while walking to the office so that my guards could sign in and get visitor passes, and they asked about having food sent over while we were there. They were given permission and then we headed to our lockers. Walking down the hall, whispers started and I had to tell my guards to ignore them.
"Is that him? The Freak of freaks?" One girl asked, not bothering to lower her voice.
"How much do you want to bet the guards are to protect us from him?" A random guy commented.
"Doesn't the danger factor make him, like, hot now?" One cheerleader asked her friend.
"Totally." Her friend replied while looking at me. As I closed my locker, my phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, it read: MANAGER HANNAH. Answering the call, I said hello.
"Did I call at a bad time?" She asked, hearing all the background noise.
"No, we just got to school, but classes haven't started yet, so we can talk." I said, explaining the noise.
"Great! I just wanted to call and let you know to come to the studio this Saturday. I want to go over some things before I try to set up a gig for you guys." Hannah explained.
"That should be fine. Can you send me the studio's address?" I asked.
"Of course. I'll let you go now. Don't want you to miss your class." She said before hanging up.
"Who was that?" Adam asked as we walked into AP World History.
"It was Hannah. She said to go to the studio Saturday to talk about stuff before she starts looking for gigs." I explained as I sat at my desk.
"That's awesome!" Jacob exclaimed from his seat in front of Josh.
"Alright class, settle down. We'll be watching a documentary on the War of Beasts." Mr. White said, turning off the lights. Lily, who was in the classroom, didn't look amused.
"Why do you have to watch this?" She asked me telepathically.
"Because it's part of the curriculum." I responded in a bored tone as the show continued playing. Lily sighed quietly but didn't say anything else.
When the class was over, we went to my AP Biology class and Jared went inside with us. Today's lesson was also a documentary on the differences between Humans and Shifters. Like how a Human's body temperature was 98.8 degrees Fahrenheit, but a Shifter's temperature was 120.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Finally it was time for Art, and James volunteered to be in the room this time. As I got my sketchbook out, Mrs. Lovelace walked into the room. She did a double-take at James being here, but she quickly went back to her usual self.
"Before I give you your theme to draw, there is something I need to tell you. Due to personal reasons, I'll need to switch our lessons to once a week." She said slowly, like she didn't know how I'd react.
"That's fine, if it's what you need. I hope everything gets better for you." I said honestly. Mrs. Lovelace was an amazing teacher, and I really did wish that whatever was wrong got better for her.
"Thank you, Andrew. That means a lot. Now, your theme for the week is emotions. You can do one or a combination, but I need to feel the emotions coming from the page." Mrs. Lovelace said before sitting at another table.
Taking out my lunch, which was sushi rolls, and a blank piece of paper, I started writing down ideas. As I stared at a list of emotions, three stuck out at me: pain, despair, and fear. Thinking about these emotions, I thought about what I was going to do. That's when I decided to draw a memory.