The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (36 page)

“Good morning,” he greeted, swinging his backpack off his back and onto the table. Ethan jumped at the sound, completely unaware of his approach.

“Hey,” he smiled as Aiden sat down across from him. “How was football practice?” he asked, screwing up his face at the mention of it.

“Good,” Aiden shrugged indifferently. The team had been a sore subject between the two of them ever since Aiden first declared his intention to join. Ethan mocked the jocks in the school just as much as Aiden had, and he couldn’t comprehend why Aiden wanted to integrate himself into that group. Eventually his resentment subsided, making room for mild disgust whenever it was mentioned. “Did you get your schedule?” Ethan held up the piece of paper unhappily. “What do you have first period?”

“Gym,” he sighed, “with Morris.” Aiden understood the reason for the scowl that occupied Ethan’s face.

“Tough luck,” Aiden said. “I have history with Mr. Basios if it makes you feel any better.” Everyone knew how hard it was to pass Mr. Basios’ history class. If he was expected to maintain a high mark for the team, he’d have to work extra hard in this class. Needless to say, he was not looking forward to it. Gym with Morris was almost better in comparison. The first bell rang out, drilling in the reality of new classes with each chime. Both boys sighed, picked up their bags, and followed the rest of the crowd out into the main forum.

“What lunch do you have?” Ethan asked as they walked.

“Third period,” Aiden replied, glancing down at his schedule just to be sure.

“Good, same here. I’ll see you then?” Aiden nodded as Ethan walked off in the opposite direction. Climbing the stairs, Aiden focused on breathing normally and trying his best to avoid the jitters of the first day of school.

The classroom was already quite full when he entered. A few heads turned in his direction but Aiden kept his focus on the back of the room. There was one seat left in the back row that had his name on it. A girl greeted him as he passed. She was one of the girls who would never have given him a second thought last year. Smiling at her, just to be polite, he kept walking towards the empty desk at the back of the room. It was a well-known fact that Mr. Basios was extremely nearsighted, making the back row ideal for those who didn’t want to be called on.

Mr. Basios called the class to attention. “This here is grade eleven history, university level. I want everyone’s undivided attention while I am speaking, and clear and concise thoughts when called upon. No half-assed work here. Does everyone understand?” Most of the class nodded their heads, while the rest kept rigidly still in their seats. Two students were sent around to pass out the textbooks while the teacher wrote the assigned page numbers on the board
. What teacher assigned work on the first day of class?
Aiden wondered miserably. The first day was supposed to be easy – a day when everyone just got settled and found their classrooms. No one actually assigned work. If this was any indication of what the rest of the semester was going to be like, Aiden could already tell it would be even harder than he imagined.

Aiden’s second period class, geography, went by as expected. The teacher came in, introduced herself, and then let the rest of the class chat idly while she talked with some students. She even let them out ten minutes early.
This is how all his classes should go
, he thought wearily, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. It was now heavy with the thick textbook Mr. Basios assigned. They were expected to read chapter one overnight and complete the follow-up exercise at the end for submission tomorrow. Aiden hurried along to the cafeteria, thankful that he could relax for the period.

As he entered, a few guys from the football team called out to him. This was something new and unexpected. It would take some getting used to. He waved back while he headed to his usual table where Ethan was already sitting.

“How did it go?” he asked, as Aiden sat down.

Aiden rolled his eyes dramatically. “As good as it gets for the first day,” he replied.

“That bad, huh?” Aiden nodded, taking a big bite of an apple. “Melissa is in a couple of my classes,” he continued. Aiden chewed slowly, watching his friend closely. A faint blush formed on his cheeks. Aiden raised his eyebrows in interest.
What is this?
He thought.

“Oh yeah?” he said, keeping his tone casual.

Ethan nodded, his eyes landing anywhere and everywhere but on Aiden. “She asked about you,” he added, quickly glancing back at him, and then away again.
What’s wrong with him?
Aiden wondered.

He had a thought, and quickly tested it. “How’d she look?” The blush on his friend’s cheek deepened. Aiden was stunned. Did Ethan
like
Melissa? He was always making fun of Aiden for his crush last year. Ethan shrugged, trying, and failing, to look casual.

“She looks the same,” he responded. “Anyway, I’m going to head to the library. I want to grab some of the reading material for English before all the good copies are taken.”

“Okay,” Aiden replied, confused, watching him gather his things.

“See you later!”

“Yeah…see ya.” He watched Ethan leave, his movements tense and jerky. This was weird. He had never seen Ethan act like this before. He’d look into it more later, he decided, and quickly finished his lunch just as the bell rang.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. The last bell rang, sending Aiden off towards the locker rooms. After a long day of boredom, he wasn’t looking forward to running drills again. His body ached for sleep, having had only a few hours the night before. Sadly he was getting used to the feeling, and prayed that maybe that night would be the first he’d actually get a solid night’s worth, before he collapsed from exhaustion.

* * * * *

Sleep evaded him once again. Anxiety about school and football filled his head with worry. Tossing and turning, he tried his best to clear his mind long enough to fall into a mindless state of slumber. Eventually it arrived, but with it came a distressing dream.

They were laughing, walking along the river on the trails at Forks of the Credit. Her hand fit neatly in his, slender and warm, just like he imagined. The sun shone off her hair, creating natural auburn highlights. Part of his mind knew it wasn’t real, which was odd for a dream. As he turned to smile at her, she began to shift, and suddenly it was no longer Melissa who walked with him, but Elisa. Her golden hair formed a halo around her face in the sunshine. Her perfect lips were drawn back in a smile, revealing the straight white lines of her teeth. She wore the same riding pants and shirt she always did, but her bow was nowhere to be seen. The happiness he felt increased as he looked down at her. Suddenly she pointed ahead of them, waving her free hand at someone down the path. Squinting against the brightness of the afternoon, Aiden looked to see who she was greeting, and there in their path stood Felix, only he wasn’t dead. He was his former self, the familiar carefree smile on his face, and the friendly look in his eyes. Aiden’s heart swelled with warmth as he looked at his old friend.

Walking closer, he tried to call out, but Felix simply shook his head. The rushing water beside them was almost deafening. As they neared, Felix’s eyes took on a different look. He was frightened. His lips turned blue and his face lost all colour. A large gash slowly developed across his neck, right before Aiden’s eyes. Blood began to flow from the wound, soaking the front of his clothes. They both stared in horror as he gripped the trunk of a tree, gasping for air. He was crying out to them, but they couldn’t make out his words. He fell, lying in the dirt and fallen leaves. Aiden turned to Elisa, but she was no longer there. He was alone. When he looked back at Felix, he saw only the blood on the ground where he had been, now dry and dark, instead of the vibrant red it had been only seconds before. Aiden wanted to run, to look for them, but his feet felt like concrete blocks. He couldn’t move. Screaming for help, he looked around wildly, but there was no one around. There was no helping Felix now. He was gone –so was Elisa.

Then, as he looked to the forest, a figure stepped out from behind a tree, surrounded by darkness even in the afternoon light. A dark hood hid his face but his laughter filled the space around them, louder than the rushing waters. It was a mocking, sinister laugh. A triumphant cackle that sent chills down Aiden’s spine.
He
was here – again. Aiden opened his mouth to scream.

* * * * *

“You look like crap,” his mother commented as he entered the kitchen.

“I didn’t sleep well,” he muttered, grabbing a box of cereal and pouring himself a bowl.

His mother pursed her lips at him, squinting her eyes as she observed the dark circles under his eyes. She always did this when she was worried. “It seems like that has been happening a lot lately,” she noted in a concerned voice. “Are you having any problems you need to talk about?”

There was nothing but love in his heart for his mother, but Aiden could not understand why she insisted on talking about everything. It felt like she was always trying to ‘talk’, even though he continually shot her down.
Some people just don’t know how to take a hint
, he thought irritated.

“I’m fine,” he reassured her, avoiding her glance. Eddie smiled up at him as he sat down, greeting him with a sweet ‘hi’ in her high pitched voice. She was talking more now. Much more.
Women must be born with the need to talk incessantly
, he decided.

His mother’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “You better hurry up or you’ll be late again.” Nagging – that was another thing they must be born with.

CHAPTER TWO

School was abuzz that day with talk of a school fair. Aiden and Ethan both agreed that neither of them would attend. They weren’t ones for school spirit. Not just that, but something about a fair –with the clowns and rickety rides made Aiden extremely nervous.

“Aiden!” a girl’s voice called down the hall. Turning around, he saw Melissa making her way through the crowd. His dream hit him as he saw her smiling face, but he quickly pushed it away. She looked different than she had last night. Over the summer she had chopped off her long hair, wearing it now in a short pixie cut. It was drastic, but she had the bone structure to pull it off. Without her blunt bangs covering her forehead, you could see her eyes better.

“Hey,” he smiled. Her open friendliness momentarily stunned him, but he quickly regained his composure. It took him a second to remember Bentley wasn’t around anymore After Aiden’s suspension the year before – for punching Bentley – Melissa had approached him to apologize for the whole incident. Aiden was almost certain she realized his weak attempt at chivalry. Ever since then she had been discreetly friendly to him, greeting him in the halls and talking to him during class. He hadn’t seen her throughout the summer, but she was still just as pretty as she had been the year before.

“I didn’t see you yesterday,” she said breathlessly, stopping just in front of him. “What class do you have now?”

“History with Basios,” he sighed. Her face reflected his gloom.

“Bummer,” she sympathized. “Well, how was your summer? You look great,” she smiled, scanning him from head to toe. He fidgeted uncomfortably under her gaze.

“Uh, thanks,” he stammered, he cheeks flushing with heat.

“Well I guess I’ll see you around. Wouldn’t want to make you late!” Her eyes widened in mock horror at the thought. Aiden couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yeah, Basios would probably chop my head off with one of those falling axes.”

“It’s called a guillotine, you idiot, and I have one at my house if you want to come by and test it out,” a deep voice said behind him. Aiden turned to see Mr. Basios looking down at him. “Get inside.” He turned and walked into the classroom.

“You don’t think he’s serious, do you?” Melissa whispered. Aiden shrugged, said goodbye and headed towards his desk.

Mr. Basios spent the class creating a personal hell for Aiden. Every time he asked a question, Aiden was picked to answer even though his hand remained firmly planted on the desk.

When the bell rang, he let out a sigh of relief. “Tough break, dude,” the boy next to him said as they packed up their bags. He muttered a lame thanks before hurrying out of the class. When he walked out, he caught a glimpse of Ethan and Melissa walking together further ahead. He was too far away to hear them, but he could see her laughing, and watched in amazement as she reached out and squeezed his arm. Ethan’s face turned to look down at her, a huge smile plastered there.
What the –?

“Aiden!” a deep voice called out. He tore his eyes off the two of them, and looked across the hall at Wes, one of the running backs for the football team. Wes stood by his open locker wearing the team jersey that most of the guys wore throughout the day. Aiden had opted out of it, wanting nothing more but to blend in rather than announce his new team affinity.

“Hey,” he smiled back. Wes was much taller than Aiden and had a good fifty pounds on him. His hair was short and wavy, and a light shade of blonde with the dark blue eyes. Aiden walked over, standing somewhat awkwardly in front of him.

“You going to that fair the school council is throwing?” Wes asked, his eyes following a couple of girls as they walked by. They both smiled at them over their shoulders, making Aiden’s face feel suddenly hot.

“No,” he answered immediately, turning back to him.

“Well I hate to break it to you bro, but some of the other guys are saying it’s mandatory for the team to go.” Aiden’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“Why?” Aiden groaned, more than slightly horrified.

Wes laughed. “To show school spirit, I guess? Who knows, maybe it’s just another way for the coach to torture us. Either way, I was wondering if you need a ride? A bunch of us were planning on going together, so if you want me to come get you I can.”

His mouth dropped open further. He wasn’t used to the older guys being nice to him. There was a moment of stunned, awkward silence as they stood in the hall. The students around them slowly thinned out.