Amy Blankenship - Cursed Hearts

Shinbe debated reminding Toya there was so much more to see but he knew when not to press his luck. “Fine, there’s always the girls locker room at school tomorrow.” That gained him an agitated slap upside the head but he just chuckled.

“Come on, we have a meeting to attend.” Toya started back toward their house pushing Shinbe in front of him the whole way.

All humor left Shinbe’s face as he told the group his fears about the barrier’s weakness. “I know we have killed a lot of the demons that haunt the area waiting on her, but sometimes I wonder if we have forgotten the real problem.”

“We will take shifts watching over her tonight.” Kyou’s order started the age-old argument about who would go first, but Kyou won.

In his shade form, Hyakuhei leaned against the far wall of the same room where they were having their secret meeting. He was barely paying his nephews any attention as his mind drifted across the road to where the girl in question lay sleeping. He thought it was sad that they still avoided saying his name and wondered if it was guilt that kept them from doing so.

Chapter 3 “Hormones Are Us High School”

Kyoko had been frustrated all morning trying to figure out what to wear. It wasn’t like she had much of a selection since she had worn the same thing every day at the boarding school. Luckily she found a slice of color to go with her boring outfit.

One of the girls had given her a shirt last year for Christmas. It was emerald green, short, and frilly. She had always loved it but had never had a chance to wear it. Now that she had it on with one of her black school skirts, she felt almost excited about the prospect of going shopping after school and replacing her wardrobe.

Mr. Sennin had given her the bankcard along with her account information yesterday on the plane. Kyoko had almost screamed out loud when he’d told her the balance in the account. She was glad she didn’t when he’d added the fact that the card was only from the recreational account. Her true holdings were in a completely different account.

Now she was faced with her first dilemma… how to get to school. They didn’t allow the girls to get their driver’s license at the boarding school and she had no idea if the bus even came down this street… not that the bus driver would know to pick her up anyway. She was startled from her thinking when a horn blew outside.

Opening the front door, Kyoko smiled and waved at the taxi. “Thank you Mr. Sennin,” she whispered as she grabbed her book bag and headed for the driveway.

“Well that answers that question.” Shinbe climbed into the passenger seat of Toya’s jeep while Kyou and Kamui headed for the sleek black mustang. “I just hope the barrier spell I placed on her last night can hide her enough to keep any stray demons from raiding the high school.”

Toya clenched his teeth knowing all the guardians had been in her bedroom separately last night, but the thought of how close Shinbe must have been to cast that spell was grating on his nerves.

Kotaro put on his shades and threw his leg over the back of his motorcycle. “Last one there has to do everyone’s homework.”

*****

Wanting to see his sister for himself, Tama sat on the three-foot tall brick wall in front of the high school. He glanced at Hyakuhei, who was leaning against the brick right beside him though Tama knew no one else would be able to see him since he was a shade. So far he’d been silent as they both watched the students entering the school.

With his skater-boy haircut and new clothes, Tama blended in with the other students as he watched and waited. His emerald green eyes where hidden behind the darkness of his thoughts for a moment as he felt the power of the guardians pass close by and enter the school. He didn’t look at them for risk that his loathing would show.

Last night, he’d sent one of his demons to watch her house and alert him if his sister left. Sometime in the early morning hours, one of the guardians had killed it. As the demon’s master… he’d felt its violent death. He knew controlling demons wasn’t the same thing as having pets so it didn’t bother him when one died. Sometimes, he felt like killing them himself when one of the demons would escape their power and injure a human… or worse.

Feeling a spike in the energy around him, he turned his head to see a girl walking away from a taxi that had pulled up to the front of the school. Tama’s lips parted knowing without a doubt that it was Kyoko. She had long auburn hair with large, loose waves that bounced as she walked. Part of it was up in a ponytail near the top of her head, while the rest was left hanging almost to her waist. She glanced toward him with bright emerald eyes then quickly looked away as if she were nervous.

Hyakuhei kept his aura hidden as she neared them. Just seeing her again so soon sent a sudden need slamming through him. He could hear Tama’s heartbeat speed up as the boy whispered in his mind… ‘It’s here, isn’t it?’

‘Yes.’ Hyakuhei’s voice was a mixture of emotions as memories resurfaced to haunt him. ‘It is time to leave our present for the guardians.’

Tama gave a wicked smile as he reached up and pulled the black widow off his shoulder, setting it down on the brick beside him. He watched as Hyakuhei passed his hand across the poisonous arachnid, making it look more like a caress then what it truly was. The shadow that the spider cast in the morning sun opened its blood red eyes.

*****

Kyoko was a nervous wreck as she walked into the building. It felt like someone was watching her and the sensation left cold chills across her arms. This place was nothing like the boarding school. Some of the kids she just passed were doing everything from smoking cigarettes, to making out right there in front of the school. As if that wasn’t enough… what they were wearing made her feel almost inferior.

Nearly losing her nerve, Kyoko turned around and put her hand against the door wanting to make a run for it. Looking out at all the students, her eyes returned to the boy sitting alone. She’d noticed him watching her as she’d gotten out of the cab and he was still watching her. He was taller than her, but around the same age, with a lethal body that the alternative fad didn’t quite hide.

He reminded her of something that you know is dangerous, but you craved it anyway. Seeing the sun glint off his eyes as he tilted his head, she could have sworn his irises changed from black to bright green. Figuring it was just her imagination, Kyoko turned around and sighed knowing it was time to face the music.

Trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, she headed for the glass doors with the word OFFICE posted beside them. She tilted her head at all the girls that were milling around the doors looking in and whispering. She caught all kinds of remarks from, look at that ass, to I call dibs.

Once she was inside the room with the door closed behind her, Kyoko glanced around noticing it was even noisier in here than it’d been out in the hall. She started toward the long desk but pulled up short seeing several students in front of her.

The secretary clucked her tongue in annoyance. “I haven’t even had time to check the fax machine yet so you’ll just have to take a seat until I can get your schedules together.”

“Our schedules are already approved and should be with the rest of the paperwork.” Kyou’s voice was icy. If the old woman had known him better, she would have been tripping over herself to do as he asked. With a glare at the fax machine, it clicked on and started printing.