Shielded
Chapter 4 - That's What Friends Do

Ray had a date on Valentine’s day. I couldn’t get that thought out of my head. And Con just texted that she had no idea that she was special. No idea that any red-blooded Valkyrie would cut off their right hand for the chance to be with her. No idea that female Valkyries were so rare that only the Royals were ever lucky enough to marry one. So maybe that meant that someone like me had a chance. If she didn’t know how truly special she was then maybe she would consider someone as unworthy as me. I would even be willing to share her with Con. But first, I had to figure out who she had Valentine’s day plans with so that I could ruin them.

--Blake

Jack and I had just sat down at our normal broken table when I heard the shuffle of people on the other side of the table but I refused to look up. I was not going to let another perfectly good meal go to waste because of the Valkyrie drama. I stared down at my lasagna and overcooked broccoli and maintained all of my focus on bringing a bite to my lips and chewing before swallowing. Even when I heard the tale-tale signs of another table being dragged over I didn’t lookup. I did however feel how tense Jack was beside me and kinda wanted to rub this whole thing in his face. He was the one that told me to engage socially.

“Who are you going out with on Friday?” one of the twins asked and it wasn’t until I finally looked up to see Blake staring at me with puppy dog eyes that I figured it was him that had asked. Blake was sitting in the middle with Max on his left and Connor on his right. They were the only ones that fit at our broken table, but with a glance, I saw that the rest of their click was gathered around a table that they had pulled over to be perpendicular to ours.

When did this become my life?

I took a deep breath and then asked what Blake was he talking about. “Chad said that you turned him down because you already have a date on Friday night, which happens to be Valentine’s day. Who are you going out with? Is it Jack?”

This situation was so far out of my comfort zone that I had no idea what the best move was here. I looked up at Jack and silently asked him to put me out of my misery. I mean, claiming that we were together would protect his secret and it might get everyone to leave me alone. But Jack just gave me a side smile and I knew that he was going to throw a wrench into things.

“Blake, I would much rather be the meat in your twin sandwich than take Ray out on Valentine’s day,” Jack said with a straight face and it took a minute for his full meaning to sink in. My best friend had just come out of the closet in front of the most popular people in school and insinuated that Blake and Connor liked to share their conquests.

Once Blake fully comprehended what Jack was implying, his face was a priceless portrait of shock and I couldn’t help the peel of laughter that exploded from my chest. I tried to keep a straight face, I really did, but this situation was just too crazy to not laugh at.

Jack smirked at me and I knew that this had been why he pulled this stunt. God bless best friends. My laugh must have been contagious because soon everyone else was also giggling at Blake’s inability to wipe the shocked look off his face. All of sudden, I remembered what I had seen in the hall with Blake and Maddison Cleary and I just had to know.

“So the whole twin sandwich thing explains why Maddison is with both of you right? It isn’t that she is two-timing you both?” I said with laughter heavy in my voice as I pointed between the Berg twins.

Blake and Connor traded glances before giving me a single nod. I was sobering up and I gave Blake a small smile before saying, “Good, cause I was thinking I was going to have to kick her ass for hurting you.”

Blake looked shocked all over again and I wondered what I had said this time. “You would do that for me?” he asked in a strangely vulnerable voice and I cocked my head in question.

“Sure. Two-timing you with your own brother is so not cool. I would step in to save your honor if that was what was really going on. That’s what friends do right? They look after each other. Defend each other’s honor and stuff like that.”

“I’m your friend?” Blake asked with so much hope in his voice that I was taken aback. This man had more friends in this room than I would have over the course of my life. Why was I so important to him? He didn’t even know me. I had kind of just let that word slip out. I didn’t really consider Blake a friend. Not yet. I was too wary of Valkyries to just become insta friends with one. Even one as friendly as Blake.

But I searched my soul and knew that what I had said was true. If Maddison did something to hurt Blake or even Connor I would want to get retribution for them. Blake wasn’t a friend like Jack was a friend, but I didn’t think that we were enemies. Twenty-four hours could change a whole lot.

“Yeah, Blake. We can try to be friends,” I replied and all three of the Musketeers were looking at me like I was their personal savior. Jack coughed, breaking up the moment and I returned to eating my lunch. One second I was basking in the atmosphere of friendship and the next I had a sinking feeling of dread. Something was wrong. I looked up and scanned the cafeteria to try to determine what was setting my instincts on edge, but I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

“So, who is taking you out on Friday?” Blake asked again, but I was unable to focus on him as the feeling of fear and dread continued to grow within me.

“No one. I have to work,” I said in a distracted voice as a thought occurred to me. I wasn’t feeling my fear. “Jack are you okay?” I asked and tried to probe the feelings welling inside of me for answers.

“Yeah, I’m fine” he replied at the same time that I figured out where all of the fear and dread was coming from.

Amy.

I grabbed Jack’s hand and said, “we have to go. Amy is in trouble,” before taking off in the direction that my body was urging me to go. We all out sprinted over to the auxiliary building where most of the freshmen classes were held and at some point Jack’s hand slipped from my grasp, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t wait for him. I had to get to Amy. She was terrified and needed my help. After barging through the main doors, I ran down the hall and opened up the fourth door on the left and the scene I saw was enough to haunt my nightmares.

Some older man who looked like some sort of teacher had Amy pinned to the chalkboard. His right hand was fisted in her hair, holding her head at a painful angle as he ran his mouth along her exposed neck. Amy’s shirt was ripped open and the teacher’s left hand was sprawled across her bare stomach.

The second I registered what I was seeing, I threw up a shield around Amy so fast that the teacher was thrown backward several feet causing him to stumble and fall. I rushed to Amy’s side and pulled her protectively into my arms. Amy took a moment to understand what was going on, but when she did tears started pouring down her cheeks. Loud noises distracted me from my charge and I looked up to see that Jack was straddling the teacher’s waist as he laid on the ground and delivering punch after punch to the son of a bitch.

“How dare you lay a single finger on my sister,” Jack was yelling at the same time that Amy started murmuring about how sorry she was. I left Jack to deal with the perpetrator and turned my attention back to Amy.

“Oh sweetie, this wasn’t your fault. You’re safe now,” I told her over and over again in a soft voice as I wrapped my arms around her even tighter. Seconds later the door burst open again and the Berg twins rushed into the room. Connor pulled Jack off of the filthy teacher while Blake tried to approach us, but I didn’t want anyone seeing Amy like this. I expanded the shield and he backed up while I shrugged out of my flannel shirt and wrapped it around Amy’s slim frame covering her ripped shirt.

Before I knew what was going on the room was flooded with students, teachers, and faculty all demanding to know what happened. The more people that entered the room the more that Amy shook within my arms. I didn’t know how to make this stop. How to get her to somewhere safe and private. I could bring her to the void, but then I would have to explain about the supernatural world and that was against the number one rule in our world.

I was just about to do it anyway as Amy’s crying started to turn into hyperventilation, but then Connor’s voice boomed above the noise, “EVERYBODY OUT!”

There had been power in that voice and even I felt the inclination to get up and leave the room. This was important, but right now I just didn’t have the time to think about the implications of Connor having Compulsion.

Everyone filled out of the room and Jack fell to his knees before us. I knew that no one would be able to cross the shield, so even though it went against all of my instincts, I lowered it so that Jack could pull Amy from my arms. Seeing my best friend cradle his broken sister in his arms felt like someone was shoving a knife into my heart. Why did this world have to be so cruel? Why did people always have to hurt each other? Connor reached out and helped me to my feet and I scanned the room, but there was no sign of Blake.

“He went to talk to the administration and make sure that the police are called,” Connor told me as my gaze landed on the bloody mess of a man that had tried to force himself on Jack’s baby sister. I called a blade to my hand and took a step forward, but Connor’s arm around my waist kept me from going any further.

“That sorry excuse for a human being isn’t worth you going to prison or getting punished by the Royals,” Connor whispered into my ear but I wasn’t sure if he was right. Amy and Jack were trailer park kids with a dad that had disappeared over a decade ago and a mom that whored herself out for her next fix. This was going to turn into a he-said-she-said situation and the district wasn’t going to press charges against one of their precious teachers to protect someone like Amy. The most likely outcome of today was Jack getting hauled away in handcuffs and charged with assault.

It was just how our world worked.

But if I killed the mother fucker right now, he would never harm another girl again. And the focus would be turned to me. It wasn’t like there was a jail cell that could hold me. I didn’t even consider what Connor had said about the Royals. I had never heard of them before today. They weren’t any sort of authority of mine. Connor must have seen my resolve starting to form because he let go of me and walked over to the unconscious teacher. Connor stood slightly in front of the scumbag teacher and called a set of daggers, one to each hand.

I was strong, but fighting in a public place like a school with dozens of human witnesses was a line that not even I would cross. I gave Connor one look of pure hate before turning my back on him and crouching to hug Jack and Amy. Within minutes the door opened and Max walked in with a pair of uniformed cops. Max scanned the area, pausing to look at Connor and the bloody teacher that was regaining consciousness before allowing his gaze to rest on the three of us.

One of the cops walked over to the teacher and Connor was forced to drop his weapons while the other carefully walked up to us. Max shadowed the cop and surprisingly he was the one that spoke. “Blake explained how Mr. Parkings attacked Amy and was touching her. Officer Alicea here would like to make sure that Amy is okay. If it is okay we would like the EMTs to check her out before she gives her statement.”

Amy turned her head so that she could see the officer in question and asked in a small shaky voice, “what is going to happen to my brother?” I hated the fear that was laced in her voice and wished there was something that I could do. Neither of us had the kind of money we would need to bail Jack out of jail as he awaited trial not to mention that he would be stuck with a public defender.

“Now honey,” Officer Alicea said in a calming tone. “It is my understanding that your brother was just defending you. Neither of you did anything wrong. You should be safe in school. The only person that is in trouble here is Mr. Parkings.” This caused Amy to start crying again but I knew that they were tears of relief as Jack hugged her and started rocking. I looked over to Max and I knew that he could see the questions within my eyes. He just gave me a reassuring smile and looked over as Blake entered the room with three EMTs and the principal.

Two of the EMTs knelt next to Mr. Parkings while the third approached Jack and Amy. I stood back and watched as the EMT quietly talked to them and first looked over Amy and then started cleaning Jack’s busted knuckles. Blake and the principal, Mr. Harris, came over to talk to me.

“Mr. Berg here told me that Ms. Huntsville sent a text to her brother asking for help and you, Mr. Huntsville, and the Berg boys rushed to her aid. Do you mind telling me what you saw when you first came into this room?” I looked over at Blake for some sort of cue on what he wanted me to say. I was pretty sure this wasn’t normal procedure and the only reason we were receiving special treatment was because of him.

“Just say what you saw Ray,” Blake said. “Mr. Harris is here to make sure the school board knows the whole story. I promise that we are here to help. It is what friends do,” he added in a small voice and I knew that he was telling the truth. Because Blake had stepped up to help, the school administration and police were on our side for once. Amy was going to be okay and Jack wasn’t going to be punished.

I wasn’t losing my family today.

With that thought in mind, I told Mr. Harris the edited version of events that didn’t detail any Valkyrie powers and he reassured me that Mr. Parkings would never teach in the state of California again. While I had been talking to the principal, the EMTs patched Mr. Parkings up and now he was being led out of the room in handcuffs. Officer Alicea also requested that I give a statement and told me that we might all have to show up in court to tell our story. The entire time Blake stood by my side offering silent support, Max watched out for Amy and Jack, and Connor kept an eye on Mr. Parkings.

Never before in my life had ever felt so supported as I did right now. The Three Musketeers were calm and in complete control of the situation. And they were on our side. It was a novel feeling.

After what felt like hours the police finally told us that we could go home. I checked my watch and saw that the last period of the day had already started and I decided to blow it off in favor of taking Jack and Amy to Polly’s and treating them to a real dinner. However, before leaving I needed to talk to the boys. I told Jack that I would just be a moment and he and Amy headed into the hall to wait for me. Connor, Max, and Blake were huddled together on the far side of the room talking quietly between themselves but they were quick to shut-up as I walked over.

I wasn’t much of a talker. I had spent the majority of the last four years at least partially cloaked so I never really learned how to deal with people. But today these guys had really stepped up to the plate and their actions deserve my recognition. I started with the hardest one because no one liked to admit when they were wrong.

“Connor,” I called out into the thickening silence and saw that he was regarding me with wary eyes. “I was wrong to try to exact my own version of vengeance. Thank you for keeping a cool head and stopping me from doing something that I would have regretted later.” I maintained eye contact with the intimidating man until he gave me a slight head nod.

“Max, thank you for coordinating with the police and keeping everyone from mobbing us. This could have been a lot harder on Amy if it hadn’t been for you. Thank you.”

“Of course Ray. I am always here if you need help,” Max said with a slight frown marring his face.

Finally, I turned to Blake and slowly stepped into his space. For a second he looked as unsure as I felt, but this was something that I needed to do. Before Jack, I couldn’t remember the last person that I hugged and because of that, I knew how much they really meant. You gave a part of yourself when you embraced another with trust and love. I needed to give Blake a little piece of me after everything he had done for us today. I opened my arms and silently asked Blake if it was okay if we hugged.

It took a moment but then I was pressed to his chest as his massive arms came around my shoulders and I wrapped mine around his waist. A sense of belonging and protection swept through me along with a warm tingling sensation. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was home. God, I felt so good in his arms and I took a moment to soak it up before murmuring, “Thank you, Blake. Thank you so much.”

“Anytime Baby Girl,” Blake said into my hair and I gave him an extra squeeze before pulling away from him. I found that I actually had to turn my face away and wipe tears from my cheeks before I could face the Three Musketeers again. Blake seemed to be doing his own version of tear control, Max looked hopeful, and Connor had his poker face on.

“Well, I am going to go and take care of Amy and Jack. I will see you guys tomorrow,” I said and awkwardly walked out of the room. Something inside of me was screaming at me to stay with them, but those boys didn’t need me right now. Jack and Amy did. And they were my family.

Jack had his arm around Amy, who had a vacant look on her face. Today had been bad, but it could have been so much worse. We could have been too late. Jack could have been arrested. I could have murdered a man. But instead, we were whole. Banged up a little, but we were tough. We would pull through this together.

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