"Sometimes, when I look at these poor souls, I feel...pity. I can see their greatness. They can't."
"Can't you show them, Wolf?"
"What good is a wolf but to eat the sheep?"
"...I mean, there's sheepdogs right?"

"...very clever, Red."

The boy tapped his pencil rhythmically, letting out the energy that slipped the tight bonds he'd strapped around his mind. The teacher droned; perhaps it was interesting, but all the teen could focus on was the angle of the sun. Nature's clock, leading into a time he waited for every single day.

A bell rung.

He exhaled. Glazed honey eyes fell closed in a defeated slump, his body pooling into the desk. Papers and chairs shuffled and screeched around him, but he waited. Waited until some extra sense told him that everyone who meant anything had left the room.

His palm flat on the desk, he began to push himself up.

"Nathan."

The voice was chilled, and thus froze the teen, who steadied himself with a second hand. He whipped his head to the side.

At the doorway stood a lupine boy, eyes calculated as a predator, body poised and yet uncaring, as though he considered nothing could be a threat. His hands in his pockets, the guileful teen glared, saying nothing more, as though nudging the scared, honey-eyed teen to answer.

"You're...Eddward...right?" He righted himself, but couldn't keep eye contact with the threatening boy at the door. The sunlight glared across the floor, lighting up the wolf's cold, blue eyes.

"That is correct, mon ami," the voice cut the air with precision, "and you are Nathan, the one who...hides, is it?"

The meeker teen's brows furrowed, but confusion played across his face. Eddward raised his chin a little in acknowledgement.

"It appears that is so…"

"-yeah, that's him," a voice snuck in, breathless, accompanied by the squeak of sneakers on the hallway linoleum. The brim of a red hat was visible behind the shoulder of the more frightening teen.

"...Kevin?" Chocolate hair spilled over his eyes as Nathan stood taller, peering past the leering teen in the doorway.

"Yeah uh, hey Nathan. How's it all?" Kevin replied lackadaisically.

Before he could reply, Eddward spoke up, "Kevin, mind your manors, this conversation has already begun."

"Jeesh, Edd, lighten up…"

Nathan blinked, face blank with surprise at the taunt from the smaller boy. Having heard his reputation as being someone you don't mess with, Nathan worried for a moment.

Before Eddward sighed.

"Kevin," he shook his head, eyes glancing up in disappointment, and blinked, "as it was; Nathan," eyes firmly locked with his again, a deer frozen for fear of moving, in case the predator took chase, "I have...word...that you are a confused, troubled youth. Does that ring true?"

Eyes widening, he grew defensive, "I don't even...how do you even know me, I-"

"You're sad."

The frost-laden eyes sank, looking down at the glare of sunlight shining off the desktops. Kevin took a step forward, now directly next to Eddward. Their arms were almost brushing; it was perilous. Nathan wondered if he was witnessing some bizarre wonder of the world, that this geeky not-even-friend of his would knock shoulders with the most feared boy in their grade.

It took a moment, but Nathan processed what the teen had accused, and immediately went on the defensive, "Hey, do I look sad to you, hotshot? I just wanna go home and get some-"

"Tais-toi, frustrating whelp," a now-deeper voice played forth. His eyes narrowed a bit, but without warning, softened again. Kevin's eyes were locked on Eddward's, who was staring down at his shoes. He shot a glare at the ginger-haired teen, huffing slightly.

"Nathan...I believe that this place has...taken, from us," his chin raised again, so as to look down upon the transfixed honey-coloured eyes, "and by us, I mean we, of Peach Creek. This rotten little cess pool has poisoned all of us. Our childhoods faded away; skipped, meaningless. Stolen."

A curt breath passed his nose, "I have...taken some time. Found...threads, little leads, that could, perhaps, unsnag this mess that we call a sad teenage life."

Nathan did not speak, so utterly engrossed in the words of the intelligent, harsh-spoken boy.

"Nathan, yours," their eyes met, "yours is...the first thread that I need. Perhaps...the needle. The...eye. Or...so, Kevin says."

Confusion fell over Nathan's features, but he didn't know how to respond. Fortunately, Kevin spoke up.

"Hey, um, Nathan, I uh...I kinda um, figured out you were hiding things, right? I mean like, nobody really noticed I was around most of the time I guess, I overheard things, and I," he bit his lip, "sorry dude! I didn't mean to listen, I just kinda, uh...what I meant to say was…

"You kinda...have this spark in your eyes sometimes. But you like, kill it. All the time. Mostly I think it's others, but I think you do it a lot, too. I wanna help you fix that. I kinda have a guess, but…"

Eddward sighed in frustration, "What Little Red is trying to say," he spoke smugly, stepping in front of Kevin, "is that the person you're hiding, is clear to us. For now, we merely hope to...bring it out."

The teen in the classroom's lips parted, but he couldn't think of a response in time. Just like the predator he resembled, the threatening teen in the doorway took control once more.

"Meet us at the playground, near the cul-de-sac in town, tomorrow evening. Tu comprends?"

Nathan's lips curved as he tried to think of something to ask, but he was completely blind-sided by the request.

"Means, do you get it, dude? I think, uh," Kevin looked up at Eddward.

The tall merely blinked at him.

"Yeah, means that, totally," the redhead grinned, putting a hand behind his head.

The silence ate away at the moment as Nathan considered his options. But in truth, he was too curious to understand what this was all about to decline. What else would he do tomorrow night? Sit at home...maybe read, or…

"O...kay...I guess?"

Kevin nodded with a smile, placing a hand on Eddward's shoulder, making Nathan gasp. Eddward shot the redhead an acidic look, shocking him into realizing what he did. He backed away, hands behind his head, but the smile was still on his eyes. The ice-eyed teen...did not look amused.

In the moment Nathan looked down and back up again, Eddward was gone. He could hear the other boy, Kevin, but not the frightening wolf of a teen who prowled the halls with venom-laced words.

Nathan was left in complete and utter confusion.

He knew where he would be in a little over twenty-four hours...

But...why?

I may be back? Inspiration struck, but it required a cut. I'm sorry not to finish the lovely smut of last chapter, but I have ideas, and felt I needed a fresh start. That said, I dunno if I wanna go to third person or not. I enjoy first person a lot more. Eh. I tried?

I hope you all enjoy.