As I headed out of class to lunch. Claire shoved past me on her way out and I dropped the notebook I was putting in my bag.

"You know you're picking that up right?" I said to her back.

She spun around.

"Sorry, gotta go catch up with Lance." she lied.

"That's great. I just need for you to pick up my book."

Kids had gathered round, making this bigger than it was, but hell, I was up for it.

"You know what I just find so funny and relaxing?" she asked. "The fact that when I do walk away you can't do damn thing about it." She smiled and turned.

I kissed my teeth. You are getting 3 seconds to turn around before I beat your ass.

She turned.

"You think you can fight me?" she asked.

Did she hear that?

Now the kids around us looked eager, thinking Claire was the one who had brought up fighting words.

"It wouldn't really be much of a fight. More like you just being relentlessly beaten." I retorted.

I could see her canines get thicker, she couldn't wolf out in school. They had some kind of chemical in the air here that repressed the full transformation of a lycan.

"Claire come on." I heard Holly say. She made her way to Claire, trying to pull her along.

"I'm not running from her." Claire spat.

All of a sudden Dayna was behind me with my book in her hand.

"Rayne let's go. She isn't worth a fight." Dayna said.

I took the book from Dayna and walked right up to Claire. I slammed it at her feet.

"There, I made it a bit easier for you." I said with a smile.

The next person to pick up my book was Mr. Shepard.

"It doesn't take much to know that both of you are intent on fighting." he said, handing the book to me. "Now head off to wherever you're supposed to be."

Claire rolled her eyes and walked off with Holly, while Dayna dragged me along.

----

"What do you mean you could hear their thoughts?" Dayna asked.

"Shh!" I snapped, the 4 guys playing basketball in here were taking a water break. It was pretty quiet, but they might be able to hear us, even if we were high up on the bleachers. "I don't know, it was weird. I could also feel Chuck lying to me, if that makes any sense."

"It sounds like you're a lycan." Dayna said. "I mean those are lycan abilities, advanced ones at that."

"Are you hearing yourself?" I asked her. "I've gone from human to advanced lycan? I don't think so. Maybe I imagined the whole thing. I don't even have lycan blood."

"Yea, you also don't have human blood."

"We'll just see how the rest of the day goes. I mean it's hard to believe that it's only the 4th day of school."

"Are you gonna tell James?" Dayna asked.

"I don't wanna make this something it isn't. Besides, I think he's still a little freaked out that he can smell me." I said, still trying hard to convince myself that I'd imagined it all.

"What about Chace?" Dayna said, raising an eyebrow.

"Is that like your catch phrase now?"

She laughed.

"Well you guys have seemed to get pretty close, pretty fast. I figured you'd just tell him when you see him."

"Well you don't know that." I said, trying to keep a straight face. "You know what, enough talking, let's go eat."

She chuckled at me.

-------------

Cafeteria

-------------

News of me and Claire's little spat must've spread fast because I could hear the whispers. Thankfully, only with my ears.

I sat down next to Dayna at the lunch table and saw Claire coming my way. Dayna gave me a warning look. I rolled my eyes and began to take a sip of my soda.

Let's see how that looks all over your shirt. I heard Claire say to me, but it was in her mind. I guess she didn't think that she had anything to worry about because I wasn't supposed to hear the thoughts directed toward me anyway.

I put my can of Coke down quickly and stood up before she could bump me. She ran right into me and as karma may have it, her drink spilled all over her.

"Oh my gosh, that's all over your shirt." I said with fake sympathy.

She looked at me in shock - I guess realizing how close my words were to her thoughts.

"You've got it comin' human. I can feel it." she seethed.

"I scare you and you know it." I retorted. "But go ahead and put up that fearless face of yours. Flaunt that tough attitude as much as you want. It doesn't make a difference to me because we both know that I'm in your head."

Once again, many were watching.

I could see the fear in Claire's eyes, but I already knew that she wasn't going to run scared. At least not in front of all these people.

"You're just mad because your boyfriend cheated on you with me." she spat.

"If you honestly think that any dislike I have towards you has to do with Lance then you're as clueless as you look. You keep trying to throw that in my face when it's in fact the reason you don't like me. If you've got him now and I don't, then stop acting like a bitch. You and him don't matter to me. The only thing that matters is the fact that you disrespect me and act as if I'm a piece of garbage. Well that's not gonna fly. Get over yourself and leave me out of your boy troubles because the next time you try to cross me again you won't have to worry about boys in general."

"Was that a threat?" she asked.

"Yea it was, and trust me, you're gonna wanna keep it that way."

She started to laugh.

"No I don't. I mean why would I be scared? You're human! You can't do anything to me. I wouldn't have to change form or anything to tear you to bits! How can you be standing here making all these threats?"

"That's what drives you the craziest right?" I asked. "The fact that I am standing here making all these threats. It makes you wonder 'Is she just insane or can she actually bring something?'"

It was clear that I had caught her off guard. I'm pretty sure everyone one saw her falter.

I smiled.

"Well you know what. You're right. No more threats. I promise that you'll get your answer soon enough." I picked up my drink and walked off bumping her shoulder.

As I walked away I saw Lance and his puppy dog eyes, he lowered his head.

I hope he heard all of it. I needed him to know that it wasn't about him at all, probably like he'd been hoping. Maybe to that girl it was, but not to me.

----

Free Period

I sat in the back of the library, waiting for Chace to get here so we could work on our essay.

To pass the time I checked my e-mail. There was one from mom and dad. Their first one since they left about a month ago. They said communication would be pretty hard because of how busy things were going to be, but we'd know if anything serious happened.

Fr: Mom

To: Me

Subject: Hi Sweetie

Hey Sweetie, sorry it's taken us so long to contact you guys. There's just a lot going on. We miss and love you. I'll try to email you as regularly as I can. At the moment it is the only way I can speak to you. I'd love to hear how things are going at school.

I wasn't sure what to tell her. I mean as a mother she should know about the hospital and the changes I'm undergoing, but as a ruler I can't put all that on her.

To:Mom

Fr: Me

Subect: Re: Hi Sweetie

I'm so happy to hear from you guys and I'm sorry that things down there are so hectic. Well, nothing big has really happened asides from the fact that there's a human at school. I'm doing pretty okay in my classes, which is surprising, but then again you always thought I would. I really miss you guys too. Love you, bye.

"That was quite the show in the cafeteria." I heard Chace say from behind me.

I quickly hit send and exited the page.

I rolled my eyes.

"Please, that was nothing."

He took a seat next to me.

"So, you're really gonna fight her?"

"Yea, I guess." I said nonchalantly.

He laughed lightly.

"What?" I asked.

"You're so - I don't even know a word for it." he said, smiling and shaking his head.

"A word for what?"

"Try seeing it the way everyone else is. You're some human girl who's attending an immortal school. Then you try to challenge the immortals that should be able to kill you with a look. That's how they all see it. Yet, you honestly have no doubt or fear about any of it. Strangely enough I don't either."

I smiled.

"I can only see things my way. No matter how much a person tries to see things from other side, they never really will. In the end it's that person who makes their own decisions. It's that person who feels what they feel. It's that person who sees what they see no matter how different it looks to everyone else."

"You're really something." Chace said with a smirk.

"I'm really something who can do the telepathic part of my telepathy and body language class." I said in a low voice.

"What?" Chace asked.

"I can hear lycan thoughts." I said.

He looked a little upset.

"Well I guess this means you're a lycan then." he said quickly. "We should finish this essay up."

"That's all? I mean my blood isn't like any other lycans."

"Yea, there's tons of other things that you don't have in common with other immortals. You're different." he said shortly.

"OK." I said, not understanding why he was acting stupid. "I mean I just expected more than 'I guess you're a lycan then.'"

"I'm sorry." he said. "I guess I just thought you'd be something else."

"Well sorry to disappoint you." I said, not liking that it mattered so much to people what I was.

*Chace's POV*

I didn't want her to think that I cared. I mean I did, but for my own reasons. I'd still think and feel the same about her no matter what she was.

I sighed.

"You're still the same person to me."

She didn't say anything, but I could see a small smirk on her lips.