Our Own House | Closed.

Zack walked out of the locker room, having just finished his early morning jog on the track. He headed out of the gym and towards his locker, grinning when he saw his friend Matt walking towards him. “Hey man,” he greeted, noticing the other boy seemed a bit on edge. Matt was a wolf, and it was getting about time for his first transformation, so he had been a bit out of it lately. “Rough morning?” He opened his locker, grabbing the books he needed for his first few periods. School didn’t start for a few more minutes, but he always likes to be prepared. He was a good student, and he had good grades, mostly so he could stay on the baseball team. It was a good distraction for him.

Fae’s wings fluttered as she floated in place, looking at the school in front of her. She’d gone through a lot over the past few months and had decided to start fresh with her life. She threw away her phone, deleted all social media accounts and had stopped communicating with her old group of friends. And while she might be lonely, she felt totally refreshed and actually happy. She closed her eyes and transformed from her small hummingbird-size form into her normal human-size form. She walked into the school, not paying attention where she was walking as she fiddled with a loose string on her shirt. She gasped softly as she bumped into someone, stumbling backwards a few feet. She looked up, her eyes widening slightly when she saw a tall boy standing in front of her, a girl at his side. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she apologized.

Brian laughed at Johnny, watching as his younger friend struggled to carry around his bass guitar and Brian’s guitar case. The younger boy had lost a bet and now he had to carry around all of their stuff as punishment. Of course if it actually got to be too much for Johnny the demon would take his stuff but until then Brian teased his friend who seemed to take it well. Of course being friends with a demon you learned quickly that being mean was part of who they were even if they didn’t mean it some of the time.

“It’s okay,” Artemis reassured the girl. “I always tell Jimmy he’d make a great door.” The brunette held her hand out to the blonde, hoping it was okay as a way of a proper introduction. She just hoped she wasn’t some sort of creature that got offended my hand shakes. When the other girl shook her hand the brunette smiled. “My name is Artemis and this is my friend Jimmy,” she stated. “We’re kind of misfits around here.”

Zack listened to Matt tell him about the argument he’d had with his father the night before, frowning. “I’m sorry, man,” he said. “It’ll get better.” He shut his locker and patted Matt’s arm, walking with him down the hall. As they rounded the corner onto the next hall, he saw Brian Haner walking with the short boy that always followed him around, carrying two huge cases. He couldn’t help but snort, noticing the strain on the shorter boy’s face. “He’s a dwarf, right? Kind of tall for one, don’t you think?”

Fae smiled slightly as she shook Artemis’s hand. “I’m Fae,” she replied. “You two seem pretty normal to be considered misfits.” She looked up at Jimmy and then back down at Artemis. She studied the girl for a moment, seeing no signs of what kind of being she was. She could see the gills on Jimmy’s neck, so he was obviously some kind of fish being, maybe a mermaid. Those were very rare to find on land, so she kind of felt honored to be around him, if he was indeed a merman. “I’m a fairy.” When she was in her human-size state, she hid her wings so they wouldn’t get in the way or be a distraction, since they tended to sparkle and were pretty large.

Brian rolled his eyes when Johnny almost dropped his guitar case. He quickly took his bag and guitar from him, chuckling as he did. “I thought you were supposed to be strong,” he teased. When Johnny glared at Brian the demon rolled his eyes, finding himself making eye contact with a vampire and his werewolf friend. He gave them both a look that would have killed them if it was possible, knowing even though he couldn’t hear them they were talking about Johnny. “Just let it go Gates,” Johnny mumbled. “It’s not a big deal.”

“I’m a human,” Artemis stated. “And Jimmy is a merman.” She looked at Fae in awe before she found herself giggling. She moved away from Jimmy, giving him a slight scolding look since he had been tickling her side. “I think we’re boring Jimmy,” she stated. “Do you want to hang out in the gym with us until class starts?”

Zack raised an eyebrow at the look Brian Haner gave him and Matt, continuing to walk. He stopped when he didn’t feel Matt by his side anymore, looking over his shoulder to see Matt standing in front of Brian and the short boy. Zack wasn’t one for confrontation, but he knew with the way Matt had been lately, any small thing could set the other boy off. “You got something to say to me, Haner?” Matt hissed.

Fae raised an eyebrow. “Really? Just a human? Wow,” she mumbled, before realizing she probably sounded condescending. “I don’t mean it like that, it’s just . . . I haven’t met many humans. Or mermen for that matter.” She smiled slightly, thinking that maybe she could become friends with these two. They seemed nice enough. “Sure, that sounds nice.” She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and followed them to the gym.

“No but apparently you and your fucking friend have something to say about Johnny,” Brian snapped back. If there was one thing that demons were known for it was never backing down from a fight and that was definitely one think that was very true for Brian. “Brian just let it go,” Johnny stated. “It’s not a big deal.” Brian gave Johnny a look that without any words told him to stay out of it. Of course fighting Johnny’s battles for him wasn’t going to help the half dwarf but Brian felt protective of him.

Artemis’s eyes widened when they walked into the gym and saw two boys she recognized as Brian Haner Jr and Matt Sanders looking like they were about to fight. The brunette sighed softly before she gave Jimmy a look that said she was going to break it up. Jimmy rolled his eyes, taking a seat nearby on the benches so he could help if he needed to. He took Fae’s hand, having her sit next to him as Artemis walked over to the two and stepped in between them. “Walk it off guys,” she stated. “Whatever it is isn’t worth getting in trouble over.”

Zack walked back over to Matt, placing his hand on the taller boy’s shoulder. “Matt, come on. You’re not yourself right now,” he said. He frowned when Matt seemed to completely ignore him, only stepping toward Brian further. “We didn’t say anything bad about your friend. I just noted how tall he was for a dwarf.”

Matt’s eyes snapped over to Zack, glaring at him. “Who’s side are you on, bloodsucker?” He hissed.

Zack’s eyes widened slightly. Matt had never talked to him like that before, but he also knew that Matt was moody, so he let it slide. He opened his mouth to speak, stopping when a girl walked over and stood between all of them. He looked her over, her scent instantly entering his nostrils. “Human,” he muttered under his breath.

Fae watched the scene before her, sitting beside Jimmy. She glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. “She knows they could snap her neck in an instant if she pisses them off, right?” she asked, glancing back over at Artemis. She knew the boys would never kill Artemis, but they could certainly hurt her if they wanted to. After all, murder was still illegal.

“If that all you said why the fuck did your friend laugh,” Brian hissed. Johnny frowned, quickly setting down everything he was holding and squeezed himself inbetween Brian and the human who wad squeezed herself in between his friend and the werewolf. “Brian let’s go,” Johnny insisted. “They’ll kick is out of music if we get in trouble.” Of course at this point Johnny doubted Brian cared about getting kicked out of anything. He could tell his friend was pissed.

“She’s fearless considering how fragile she is,” Jimmy stated. “I’d never let her get hurt though.” She was really his only friend and he would do anything to keep her safe. “If it gets bad I’m grabbing her and we’re running,” he mumbled.

Artemis glances over her shoulder at Johnny when he squeezed into the middle of Brian and Matt as well. “We get it you both have tempers and really huge dicks,” she stated loudly. “Can we reschedule this pissing contest for later when you both don’t have sticks up your asses.” The brunette knew talking so crasy would probably at least piss off Matt but if they were pissed at her maybe it would descalete the situation.

Matt glared down at the human, snarling quietly. “You’re lucky I want to stay on the team,” he hissed at both her and Brian. He backed away from them, shoving past Zack and heading out of the gym.

Zack cleared his throat, looking between all of them. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “He’s not himself lately. He usually isn’t so aggressive.”

Fae nodded her head. She couldn’t help but giggle at what Artemis said, biting her lip as she watched the wolf exit the gym. “I guess she sorted it out,” she mumbled. She looked up at Jimmy, examining him. “Do you have feelings for her?”

Brian stared at the human that stood behind Johnny, his jaw clenching because of what she said. Now the demon wanted to rip the girl in front of him a new one not Matt. He watched Matt storm out of the gym, listening to his friends half assed apology about it. He rolled his eyes and stormed out of the gym, knowing he needed to calm down before he hurt someone and got himself into trouble.

“Is he about to go through his first shift,” Artemis asked. “I heard things get really bad like going through puberty all over again.” She blushed realizing what she had said, feeling silly for asking questions when as a human she was supposed to ignorant and stupid to everything. “I hope your friends are okay,” she mumbled to both Johnny and Zack.

Jimmy shook his head. “She’s my best friend but that all.” If there was a such a thing as a friend soulmate that what Artemis was for Jimmy but he didn’t have any sort of romantic feelings for her.

Zack nodded his head. “Yeah, he is,” he said. “Thanks. That was kind of brave of you to step in. I probably wouldn’t have done the same.” He glanced over at Johnny. “Sorry for what I said. Your height shouldn’t matter.” He sighed, knowing if any of his family was hearing him he so polite, they would laugh and ridicule him. Vampires were supposed to be tough and mean, not weak and nice. But he couldn’t help his friendly disposition. That was just who he was.

Fae nodded her head. “People say males and females can’t be just friends, but I think they’re wrong,” she said. “At least, when it comes to some guys. There are guys that are just total assholes, though.” She watched Brian exit the gym as well, unable to keep her eyes off him. Both him and Matt were very handsome and seemed to be full of testosterone. It was no wonder they butted heads.

“Are you both okay,” Artemis asked. “I mean are your friends going to be mad I got involved now?” The last thing she wanted to do was cause problems. She wasn’t sure how territorial demons or werewolves were with their friends so she just hoped Johnny and Zack talking to her wouldn’t cause more problems.

“Artemis was the only person here who was kind to me even after she found out what I was,” Jimmy stated. “When she found out what I was she said it was cool and asked if I wanted to eat lunch with her.” Jimmy remembered that lunch fondly too. Someone had tried to pick on him and when they had tried to throw water on him Artemis moved in the way and got herself wet instead.

Zack and Johnny both nodded at Artemis’s question. “I can handle Brian,” Johnny said. “He just gets protective sometimes.” He nodded in acknowledgement of Zack’s apology. “I’m not mad at you. Or Matt.” He knew him and his family were frowned upon for what they were, but he had learned to live with that over the years.

Zack nodded. “Matt will be fine once he finishes going through his transformation,” he said. “He’ll be back to normal and I’m sure his aggression will be back in check. He might not be your best friend, but I’m sure he won’t be too upset you got involved. If you hadn’t, he might have ended up attacking Brian and he would have gotten kicked off the basketball team. So it’s a good thing you did step in.”

Fae smiled. “She’s very kind for a human,” she said. “I always heard they might not be as nice as people like you or me. But I’m glad she is.” She looked up at him. “I went through a rough time lately, and I’ve really needed to find some good people to surround myself with. I guess I got lucky bumping into you two.” She looked up when the bell rang, sighing softly. “Guess I should go to class then. I’ll meet up with you two later.”

Artemis gave both Zack and Johnny a smile when they reassured her everything would be okay. She bit down on her bottom lip as she glanced over at Jimmy and Fae. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company and apart of her was worried she’d be alone again now that Jimmy had a friend who wasn’t human. The brunette heard the bell ring, helping Johnny pick up his things before she smiled at Johnny and Zack both again. “My friends and I meet up in here before we head to lunch if you want to join us.”

“Sometimes I wonder if Artemis is secretly an angel or something,” Jimmy admitted. “She’s a lot more patient and understanding than most other humans I’ve interacted with.” Of course her parents were really nice as well but from Jimmy’s experience they were definitely the exception to how humans acted. When the bell rang he glanced over at Artemis before he nodded at Fae. “We meet up here before we grab lunch,” he stated.

Zack nodded. “Maybe,” he said. “I have to make sure Matt doesn’t hurt anybody first.” He offered both her and Johnny a kind smile before he left the gym to head to his first class.

“Actually, I think we have this class together,” Johnny spoke up after Zack left. “I’ve seen you sitting in the back before. I can walk you if you want. I just have to drop my bass off first, if you don’t mind.” He glanced over her shoulder, seeing Jimmy Sullivan standing by the doors, staring at the two of them. “Or maybe not. Looks like your bodyguard is waiting,” he joked.

Fae smiled and nodded her head. “I’ll see you then,” she said. She walked down the bleachers and headed for her first class. Since it was still early in the semester, she’d been able to change out of the class she’d shared with her ex, into a new one. And today was the first day of that class. She found her way to the classroom and walked inside, frowning slightly when she saw that Brian Haner was in this class, and the only seat open was right in front of him. She let out a small breath and walked over, sitting down in the seat in front of him. She could still feel the anger radiating off of him, but hopefully he wouldn’t recognize her from the gym. She didn’t even think he’d seen her anyways.

“Jimmy isn’t my bodyguard,” Artemis giggled. “Jimmy and I can wait,” she offered. “I guess we all have the same first class together.” She looked over at Jimmy, smiling at him until she managed to get him to smile back at her. “We can walk with you to drop off your bass if you want. I don’t think that room is too far from class.”

“Don’t sound so excited to sit next to me,” Brian teased. He had heard the fairy sigh when she had walked into the room and he could only assume it was because she had to sit next to him. “I mean I only bite if you ask me to.” He smirked at the girl before he held his hand out. “I’m Brian,” he stated. Of course Brian was playing it cool because there was a pretty girl around but he was still pissed after his run down with Matt and that human bitch.

Johnny smiled slightly and nodded his head. “Okay,” he said. He hoisted his case and led her out of the gym, smiling at Jimmy as he passed the tall boy. He walked down the hall to the music room, dropping his bass off before he walked with them to their first class. He was kind of surprised that the human girl wanted to stay around him, since most girls only laughed at him or didn’t want anything to do with him. Even the dwarf girls didn’t like him. Just because his mom was a human. They made it in time to class, just before the bell rang, and he took his seat, glancing over at Artemis. She was beautiful for a human. Not that humans weren’t beautiful, but there was something different about her.

Fae turned to look at Brian, glancing down at his hand. She hesitantly reached out and shook it. “Fae,” she replied. “And I don’t like to be bitten.” She let go of his hand and turned back in her seat, staring at the front of the classroom. “I saw you fighting with that wolf this morning,” she stated after a moment. “I’m surprised you managed to keep your cool for as long as you did. Any other demon would have jumped at the chance for a fight.”

Artemis smiled as she walked with Jimmy and Johnny, nudging Jimmy slightly when he gave her a look of annoyance. The brunette hated when Jimmy got annoyed with her. All she honestly wanted was more friends for her and Jimmy both. Artemis felt like he deserved more than just her as a friend. “So how did you become friends with Brian,” she asked. “I heard it’s rare for demons to friends with anyone that isn’t their kind.”

Brian shook Fae’s hand chuckling when she said she didn’t like being bitten. The blonde was very pretty and from the way she carried herself the demon wondered what exactly she was. He’d have to ask her once they weren’t in class. As he studied Fae his eyebrows furrowed when she said she had been there when Matt had tried to pick a fight with him. “I pride myself on being smarter than most demons,” he stated. “Why cause a scene when you can just get even later when no one can prove it.”

“We met when we were little,” Johnny said. “Some other boys were picking on me and he stood up for me. Ever since then, we’ve been friends. He always tries to protect me, because he thinks I’m fragile I guess. I always tell him I can stand up for myself, but I think it’s just the demon in him. He gets real passionate about things.” He shrugged and looked at them. “How did you two become friends?”

Fae glanced over her shoulder at him. “You would really harm him?” she questioned. She wanted to try and see the good in everyone, that’s what she was taught to do growing up. But lately, all she had seen was the bad in people. So maybe it shouldn’t be so hard to believe he would have hurt the wolf if the two of them had been alone. He was a demon, after all. They tended to have a penchant for hurting and toying with people. “What did he do to upset you?”