16:00
The bell rang, signalling the end of day.
The students rushed out the door, finally free.
"I still struggle to believe how you managed to survive all those years alone. Honestly I doubt I'd be able to do the same," Aiden commented as the group of four walked out the hallway and into the cold air.
Aether replied, "I don't think I'd be able to do it again."
Aya said in a low voice, "Bye guys, I'll see you tomorrow," as she walked away and got into a sleek BMW waiting for her.
The boys waved at her, then Austin said, "Aiden, whose turn is it today?"
"I think it's Kingsman Express this time around," Aiden replied.
Just then, another BMW pulled up in front of them, and the driver got out to open the door for the entrants.
"Mr Walker, Master Kingsman?" he said.
Austin said to Aether, "You know, if your parents are going to be long, you could come with us."
Suddenly, a girl walked up to them and grabbed Aether's shirt.
"I know you have friends now and all that, but I want to go home and your standing here isn't helping me," Davina complained, dragging him towards the Bentley parked on the other side of the parking lot.
Aether raised his hand in farewell as his sister shoved him into the car.
"Whoa," Austin and Aiden exclaimed in unison, nearly forgetting to wave back.
Whether it was the Bentley that had grabbed their attention, or Davina's beauty, or the women in the car, only they knew.
Their driver coughed gently, bringing their attention back to going home.
"Looks like we've got a few admirers, Rayna," Erica said to Alyssa.
"Do we really look that good? Alyssa asked.
"If you ask me, we look like we're in our early twenties, don't you think so too, Artemis?"
Davina replied, "Yeah, absolutely! Aunt Rayna doesn't look like her forty-one years at all! You, on the other hand....."
Erica's eyes flashed blue, but only Alyssa saw it, responding with a warning glance.
"Hi Mom, hi Aunt Diana, can we go home now?" Aether said, impatient.
Erica immediately got the engine running and for once drove responsibly.
"So, how was your first day of school?" Alyssa asked.
Aether motioned for Davina to start.
"Mine was rather nice. All the guys in class were blinded by my looks, most of the girls gave me jealous looks, but I made a few friends."
"That's great, Artemis!" Alyssa exclaimed. "How about you, little guy?" she asked her son.
'I'm literally taller than she is!' Aether complained internally.
"I had a similar experience. All day long I could hear my classmates whispering about me and Artemis, especially me."
Davina looked at him, visibly annoyed.
Then, her expression became one of confusion.
"Wait, you said you could hear whispers?"
"Yeah, they sounded a bit too loud at times, but they were whispers."
The mothers looked at each other, everything they had to say being transmitted through those gazes.
"But anyway, I also made a few friends. Three of them, to be precise."
"Who asked you for your precision?" Davina snapped.
"That's wonderful, Mikael," Erica said before Aether could make a fitting retort.
"What are their names?" she asked, giving Davina a sweet smile. The recipient of the smile gave herself a new past time, counting blue cars.
"Aiden, Austin, and Aya," Aether replied, pinching Davina's arm.
She didn't respond.
"Quite the interesting group," Alyssa commented.
"It's like an A-name only group," Erica agreed.
"Tell us something we don't know," Davina muttered inaudibly.
"Aether, do you mind?" Erica asked, holding her index finger and thumb together.
"With pleasure." As he pinched Davina's arm, her other hand whipped round, aiming for his face.
Aether suddenly moved his hand and caught Davina's before he could even register what was going on.
Both of them froze for a bit, then pressed themselves to either side of the car.
'How did I do that?' Aether wondered.
'How did Mom hear me?' Davina wondered.
Before they knew it, the car had begun its ascent of Graystone Hill.
21:00
Aether's phone started ringing just as he lay on his bed to rest.
"What the hell?" he muttered, picking the phone up.
It was his father.
"Evening, Dad."
"Hello, little wolf," Adrian said. "How was your first day?"
Aether gave him a detailed account of the day, and Adrian nodded in approval.
"That's good."
"Anyway, how's Greece, Dad?" Aether asked.
"It's quite nice around here, really. You'd love the place," Adrian replied. "You know, this is where our family originated from two thousand years ago."
"Really?" "Indeed. I'll bring you here one day and show you around."
The father and son duo talked for a while longer.
'Got to get my friends' numbers tomorrow.'
Adrian turned his phone off and pocketed it. A man walked up to him from behind and said, "Who've you been talking to? You've never gone this far from us just to talk to someone, not since your heydays with Alyssa."
"Why don't you zip it and go back where you came from, Kai?"
"Okay," Kai replied, and started walking away.
"Oh, and tell Aether I said hi."
Adrian tackled him to the ground and growled, "How do you know about him?"
His eyes instantly turned red.
Kai answered, "I have children too, Adrian, and one of them is enrolled at the same school as your little wolf. Now let me go!"
The glow in Adrian's eyes faded, and he helped his best friend up.
"Thank your son, cause I'd have killed you."
"Sure, sure, like you ever would hurt me."
Kai regretted saying that as soon as Adrian's fist slammed into his gut.
.....
21:31
Aether stood on the balcony of his room, feeling the wind blow his hair.
The New Moon had yet to end, and for some inexplicable reason, he couldn't wait for the Crescent Moon to appear.
'Just five days more.'
His ears picked up the sound of rustling leaves a short distance from the Manor, and his gaze followed, as he wondered how he'd even managed to hear something that soft.
His vision homed in clearly on two of the servants in a moment of mischief.
'Oh my days.....'
Suddenly, his vision became blurry, and all he could see now when he looked there was darkness.
'Well, that was..... disturbing,' he thought as he closed the balcony's door and went to bed.
....
June 12th
05:12
Aiden placed his phone on the table.
'What the heck is he thanking me for?' he wondered before getting into the shower.
...
05:43
"Aya, get up and ready yourself for school. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of your crush, do you?"
The girl woke up and asked, "What? Who are you talking about, Mom?"
"Aether, of course," her mother replied.
Aya's face went slightly red at the cheeks.
"No! Where on earth did you get that idea?" she ranted, walking into the bathroom.
....
06:00
"98.....99.....100!"
Austin dropped the weights and sighed, then started scrolling on his phone.
...
07:34
Westlake Elite
The group of four had all arrived, and the boys were deep in conversation, with Aya writing a few notes, seemingly disinterested in their discussion.
"Oh yeah, before I forget, can I have your numbers?" Aether asked, passing his phone to Austin.
When it got to Aya, she said, "Those two know mine by head, they can do it for me."
Aiden and Austin looked at each other, then at her, and shook their heads.
"I don't remember." "My dog ate the memory during my last nightmare."
Aya stared at them tiredly, then took the phone and added her contact to it.
She swiped back accidentally and went to the home screen, whose wallpaper was a picture of Aether and another girl.
Her expression changed slightly, and Aiden noticed it.
"What'd you see, his girlfriend?" he joked as she gave Aether his phone back.
"It's my sister, Artemis," Aether explained to them, and he could have sworn he heard Aya sigh in relief.
"Wait, but, she's white," Aiden noted.
"My dad married a woman of African descent. Artemis is technically my cousin, but we've lived together for fifteen years so we're kinda siblings in a sense," Aether explained.
"Ohhhhhhh," the boys said.
"I'll still break your necks if you so much as look at her."
08:00
The bell rang, and lessons began.
The class filed out and went to the Chemistry lab, where they were received by Winston Harris, their teacher.
"Open page 24, ionic bonding," he instructed, "and while you're at it, hand over your assignments."
"Yeah, about that..." Aiden muttered, soliciting a grin from Austin.
"Mr Walker, is there something I must know?" Harris inquired.
"No sir, not at all!" Aiden replied, bringing out the assignment.
"So what was the expression for if you'd done the damn homework?" Austin asked.
"I thought I'd forgotten it."
Aether's ears twitched slightly, and he could pick up a few whispers from the other students.
"What do you say we throw the new kid a little message?"
With that, he heard paper crunching, and flying.
Aether looked to his left and saw the paper headed for Aya, who sat next to him.
He reached out and caught it before it hit her, but overstretched and fell on her lap.
The class unanimously went "Ooh!!!"
Aiden and Austin watched amused as Aether hurriedly tried to sit straight, ending up having to use Aya's leg as leverage.
"I'm....I'm really sorry, I..."
"It's okay," she cut him off, and stared straight at the board.
Harris turned to face the class, and they all went quiet.
"Sir Graystone, if you will, please indulge in your activities outside the classroom," he said, and everyone burst out laughing.
Aether wore a poker face, not showing any emotion.
Austin gave him one last look before facing the board, then froze and turned back to Aether.
"Mr Kingsman, focus on me, please."
Austin turned to the teacher, his expression unreadable.
'I could have sworn his eyes were blue....'