Braves

Eric knew Gwen would wait for him; he recognized he had her when she succumbed to his enthrallment so easily earlier that day. Though he was surprised when she fell so easily, he’d been trying for months with no success, yet today it were as if she were a child. He also noticed she seemed to have a brightness in her eyes that he never saw before. Perhaps Sharon added something extra to her herbs last night. Regardless, he was happy to see her in a better state of mind and it appeared to only help him with winning her over, she seemed to be more open to interaction now and less on guard.

He watched her fidget and pretend to be completely calm and in control of the situation. He saw her perk up and walk off, alarm shot through him but he calmed himself when he took note of the direction, she was not headed toward her bus, nor was she going down the exit of the lot. He observed her curiously as she seemed to be in search of something, was she looking for him? No… He felt the heat of jealousy drip down his spine when he saw Gwen throw her arms around the human boy; he fumed silently as the boy leaned in close and made her blush and look away. He paused to question his emotions; he did not think of Gwen as anything other than a target, something he had to achieve to keep advancing in his path. He calmed himself and watched objectively as the boy ran off to his bus and Gwen resumed waiting in the designated spot.

He laughed softly when he saw her frustration at watching her bus drive off, smirked when she shook her head and pulled out her phone and attempted to call out. He suspected Logan of having tampered with it, from the increased frustration on her face. She started marching away and he panicked slightly; he should catch her before she was too far off. His influence must not have been very strong for her to be able to leave so soon, he should have been able to enjoy the show until sundown.

Eric raced down the stairs and vaulted through the back doors and started to run toward her. He tilted his head in amusement and nearly laughed when she started to run from him.

Wow she’s pretty fast. Eric thought, impressed. Of course him being a Brave, as well, he too was naturally fast. He grinned as he caught up with her easily, after all the training he went through for this mission, she didn’t stand a chance. He could smell fear and rage pouring from her as he got closer, once he was finally close enough, he lunged himself at her. The contact was euphoric and he bellowed out his laughter, she was so tough! He abruptly knew how lucky he was that he had been picked to be her pair.

They landed hard with Gwen rolled under him, she felt so small and weak to him. He admired how she survived so long with the human that abused her. His grin widened when he saw her fear turn into pure fury once she got a good look at his face.

She glared up at him. Now she knew who he was; not the sweet misunderstood nerd she thought he was, but a fucking arrogant jock! How could she have ever thought that this wouldn’t be another damn trick by the prep-club to get into her pants? She was rolling in fury, nearly seeing red; she unsuccessfully tried to calm herself down.

How dare he! Is he fucking laughing at me? Gwen thought, completely drowning in her wrath before she remembered her promise. Her mood brightening instantly and she smiled at him sweetly, her hand clenching into a fist unbeknownst to him. Here we go! She threw her fist with all her strength and felt the satisfying, yet painful connection with his jaw. The creep let out a moan while recoiling away from her and she took the moment to run. However she only achieved four steps of freedom before he crashed into her, crushing her with his weight again. She lay under him trying fruitlessly to catch her breath. She glared up to his face before trying to shrink back from his anger. Gwen desperately clung to her anger in an attempt to override her fear.

“Get... off... me!” Gwen gasped as she glared up at him.

“Not until you tell me why you punched me.” Eric said through clenched teeth. Gwen’s face started to turn purple, still he waited. “Well?”

“Cntbreapls...” Gwen slurred the words, looking up at him with eyes full of desperate fear. Eric felt a guilty twinge and rolled off Gwen as she gasped for air, her eyes were remarkably expressive.

“So why did you punch me?” Eric asked as if nothing had happened.

“You... bastard...” Gwen said in a hoarse voice, still gasping for breath. “You... could have killed me... I couldn’t breathe!” Gwen stood up shakily and took a deep breath to strengthen her voice. “Come anywhere near me again and I’ll do more than punch you.” She started to walk away but froze; Eric wasn’t the only one following her. She turned slowly and felt a familiar sense of hopelessness as she witnessed the familiar figure walking away slowly about 60 feet up the drive. Gwen went pale, her body tensed and readied to fight. It’s them again, she thought in a haze.

“What is it?” Eric asked, confused by her reaction. He turned and went static, a Raider. “Get down!” He hissed at her, nearly jumping on her again when she refused to move staring listlessly in the one spot.

“No use, they’re gone.” Gwen replied, more calmly than she felt, the sense of danger slowly fading away. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, the baseball diamond, the tennis court, and the three football fields along with the track circle, nothing was out of place. As usual it was as if the man had never been there; if Eric hadn’t reacted, she would have sworn the man had simply been a figment of her imagination, just like she did every other time she had seen that haunting shadow cross her path or follow her. She knew she would have nightmares again tonight.

“Um... Well I gotta go. See ya later.” She said quickly; better let him think she was confused and embarrassed by the whole situation. She looked up at him adoringly; he looked as if he was used to it, and she knew better than to make herself standout any more than she did already. She was finished with this whole situation; first this asshole jumped on her like that, then watched as she suffocated, and finally she finds out those freaks are following her again? Nope, it was time to go home and take a cat nap. So wrapped up in her thoughts, Gwen failed to realize The Idiot had started talking again.

“... Lets walk you home then.” He finished, looking at her expectantly. She startled on purpose and looked deep within herself for a voice that would sound truly regretful and full of envy.

“You know, that’s really too bad; I called my mom while I was waiting for you and she said she’d come and meet me at the end of the drive. I’m crazy sorry.” She drawled, hoping her sarcasm wasn’t too obvious and looked into his eyes. She struggled to look as though she were getting lost in them.

She sighed longingly. Was he falling for it yet? She looked at him one last time and sighed yet again, this time regretfully, then twisted away from him. She was half way down the drive, when she heard Eric catching up behind her. Curiously though, there was no gut-wrenching fear that always came when the others followed her.

“Yes?” She piped in an excited voice. She looked towards him and tilted her head slightly to the left giving her a look of innocent stupidity. “Why are you following me? Don’t you have a girlfriend or family to meet somewhere?” She allowed a dreamy smile, wondering what he was going to say next.

“Well, no actually, I don’t have a girlfriend and my parents are gone for the rest of the month on vacation.” He smirked, looking as if he just said something very appealing. Gwen raised her eyebrows, done with pretending.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” She said in a low voice that dispelled any previous hopes Eric may have had. He looked at her carefully. Confused, he observed her face, she looked offended at what he said and as though she very much wanted to hit him again. Eric backed away slightly and tried to reevaluate the situation, she sounded like she wanted him just a few minutes ago. He shook his head in wonder; how could she one minute have a passionate glow and the next the biting edge of a blizzard?

“Nothing, just answering your question, is all.” He said, still highly confused. What was up with her? She had a duality that seemed to intentionally keep people from becoming comfortable with her. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism she wasn’t aware of or perhaps a basic personality trait with roots in her lineage. Protection would make sense with the home environment she found herself stuck in, but lineage would be highly intriguing. Knowing that she was intentionally throwing him off this whole time; he smiled, “That personality change is something else, very effective.” He studied her more intently for signs that pointed toward her real intentions; thinking she would be an easy mark was an immense mistake.

“What? What are you trying at?” Gwen sighed and closed her eyes, when she opened them again she pierced with a direct gaze. “I’ve tried letting you down easy, but it seems like you just don’t get it.” She said this very coldly and calmly; her eyes just as frigid and forbidding. “I’m not fucking interested, fuck off or I will hurt you.” Gwen kept eye contact a minute longer, her eyes boring into his waiting for his submission.

Eric paled and stepped back once again breaking eye contact, he could feel danger in her gaze, and he could see the potentiality of not just injury but death if he continued to push her. He was never this frightened of even Logan; Gwen was on an entirely different level and in turn demanded that much more tact and eloquence. Two aspects Eric was never very skilled with, he needed to regroup and reconsider his approach with her. He could very well ruin this mission and end up dead; failing to rescue Gwen was now only one of three possible ways to end his life. With Raiders following her, they would certainly want to get rid of a small fry like him before he got in the way, and with how he was handling things so far, Gwen was liable to kill him now too.

“I apologize if what I said offended you, please excuse me,” Eric adopted a formal and polite tone, still not meeting her gaze. “I have chores to do and like you said; your mother is coming for you. I don’t think she would appreciate the sight,” He glanced up with a small smirk, extending an olive branch, “I’m sure I’m starting to bruise from where you hit me.” He cautiously walked up to her and slowly pulled some grass out of her hair. He took note at her calming disposition and added with a small laugh, “You look like a mess from when I knocked you over.” He smiled one last time and turned away from her; walking swiftly back up the drive. He reached the beginning of the woods and turned to witness a shocked Gwen getting into her mother’s car. He waved goodbye to her and surprisingly she waved back in a delirium.

Perhaps not all is lost.