part0006

If Sierra had known that sitting where she did at registration would garner the attention of the new guys, then she most definitely would not have sat there. If she had known that the seat she chose would be responsible for those two boys bringing their two brothers with them to her at lunch, she would have broken it rather than use it. Had she known that the Crean brothers had no intention of leaving her be, despite her initial warning, then she would have...well, she had no idea what she would have done, and it was much too late for it all now anyway.

As it was, lunch time found her sat beneath a tree in the school field as she read her book, ignoring the rumble of her stomach as she tried to get comfortable in her spot.

It wasn't the first time she had to go without a meal, and skipping lunch was certainly a regular occurrence. It kept her weak, and weakness meant her powers were less likely to manifest, and no powers meant she was easier to control. Her Dad had perfected this strategy over the years, knowing that if Sierra skipped lunch and the occasional dinner then she would be too depleted to respond to her strong emotions with her powers-powers that she could not control, that were too unpredictable for her to call upon for help, that began on their own and only ended when she had been knocked unconscious. It was better safe than sorry, and starving his daughter was certainly safe in Perion's book.

There were the odd days, ones where Perion had just finished a particularly angry bout of punishment or where Sierra had gone too long without a meal, when Delli would sneak some money into Sierra's bag or pocket. This money was a promise, a promise of protection and love, and knowledge that her Mom was still there for her, looking out for her however she could without making Perion's anger worse. Sierra liked those days, but she was not foolish enough to expect them all the time. Today, unfortunately, was not one of those days.

“So you don't talk and you don't eat, but you do read and write. ”

Sierra started at the voice and looked up to see Nik, Josh and two other guys stood before her. Nik smiled down at her with the sun glinting off his lip ring, commanding her attention as she frowned at him in confusion.

Nik flopped down beside her before yanking the book from her grip. He eyed the front with a raised brow and a smirk twisted his lips.

“A Little Princess?” he questioned. “Sounds dull.”

“For god's sake Nik, can you at least try and be nice?”

Josh pulled the book from his hands and passed it back to Sierra, an apologetic smile once again on his gentle face. She took the book without giving thanks, her frown still fixed on Nik who sat grinning at her openly. Annoyance flared in her chest, and perhaps it was because she'd never be able to express the emotion at home, or because Nik simply rubbed her the wrong way, but Sierra found that she couldn't help but indulge in it slightly.

“She wouldn't know the real me if I tried to be nice Josh, and you know I'm not a liar. ”

Josh rolled his eyes as he sat down next to Nik, the other two guys following suit silently to form a circle. They unpacked their food and began eating, but Sierra ignored them for the moment and continued her stare at Nik until he raised a questioning eyebrow at her and she broke.

“It's not dull.” She blurted, earning two raised eyebrows and the stares of the other three with it. “It's a beautiful story, and if you haven't read it then you really should not pass judgement.”

This time it was Nik's turn to stare as his smile drooped and his eyes turned thoughtful. He surveyed Sierra for a long and quiet moment, his deep green eyes roaming her face in speculation. She was surprised by his soft voice when he finally responded, the sound almost endearing in place of his usual snark.

“You're right,” he nodded. “I apologise.”

Taken aback but refusing to show it, Sierra settled on seeming satisfied at his response instead. With a quick nod and a barely-there smile of acceptance, she re-opened the book and leaned back against the tree. She did not want their company, not even slightly, but she couldn't make them leave and she wasn't sure if they would just follow her if she started to walk away. Besides, why should she give up the space when she had been here first? She would have to try and hide better next time, but for now she would simply read her book and ignore them. It usually worked well.

“Before we lose you again, allow me to introduce my brothers.”

Sierra peered impatiently over the top of her book at Nik's words, piercing him with an unfriendly glare that he dutifully ignored. He pointed first to a brown haired guy with serious brown eyes set behind black framed glasses. The guy raised his hand and gave a sweet, shy smile as she looked at him, her gaze flitting unwillingly to his mouth and back up again. A soft blush crept along his neck as he ducked his head with a smile.

“This is Theo and next to him Leo.”

She glanced between the two, her gaze flitting back and forth as she connected the dots and realised that they were, in fact, twins. Leo had the same brown hair and eyes minus the glasses, although his smile had a cheeky almost flirtatious hint to it that made Sierra's insides wrap themselves up inexplicably. They each had dimples, the hints of which barely showed through Theo's shy smile but became glaringly clear with Leo's big grin. She repeated the names in her head, enjoying their sound as she chanted them a few times. Theo and Leo, Josh and Nik. Theo and Leo, Josh and Nik.

She gave a small smile to them before raising her book to hide her from view again. They could sit with her but she wouldn't be conversing with them.

“So, why no food?” Nik persisted, and she realised her plan was fading fast. “You gotta be hungry, right? Did you forget lunch?”

She sighed at the interruption and lowered her book again to pin him with her stare. Unperturbed he stared back, his eyebrows raised in question. The others became overly focused on their lunches but she still caught the flicker of their gazes as they tried not to appear too interested in her answer.

Well, sucks to be them, she thought snidely, because it is going to be a boring one .

“I have no need for lunch today.” she replied calmly. “I doubt it will affect me if I miss one meal.”

Multiple meals, however, and she would be dizzy and weak and bordering hospitalisation...a mistake she doubted her Father would repeat twice if he wanted to avoid authoritative attention. His worst nightmare was Sierra's powers being discovered and her being used as a weapon or, worse, Sierra killing a lot of people by accident; he took it upon himself to make sure that would never happen.

“Wait, you're not one of those dieters are you?”

Her eyes flicked to Leo at his smooth voice, her lips pursing as she considered his question. Would it be easier for them to think she was a dieter, that she had a simple reason for skipping the meal? She dismissed the thought even as it came to her, not wanting them to know a thing about her even if it was a lie. Any information could give them the false thought that they were getting to know her, and she had no interest in entertaining that.

Well, not much interest anyway.

“She's not a dieter,” Josh said thoughtfully, his eyes raking her body as though he could see right through her. “She just forgot lunch today.”

She raised her eyebrows at his perusal until a light blush tainted his cheeks and he ducked his head, hiding away from her gaze as he took a large bite of his apple.

“What I am is of no concern to any of you.” She told them smoothly. “I have no interest in this conversation and would appreciate it if you could leave me be.” She glanced pointedly at Nik. “Which I believe I asked you to do this morning.”

Instead of looking embarrassed Nik simply smirked, giving a half shrug from where he lay across the grass, leaning back on his muscled arms as he replied.

“No can do, doll face. You're more intriguing than the others here, and we like a bit of intrigue. I'd even say we're...” he paused, pursing his lips in a way that had Sierra staring at them as he thought over his words. “drawn to you.”

She pressed her lips together to fight the rebuttal on her tongue and instead shook her head, snapping her eyes away from his mouth that she had stared at for much too long. If they wouldn't leave her alone because they found her 'intriguing' then she would simply not speak to them until they found her less so. It may take a few days of silence, but considering she never spoke at school anyway she knew it would be easy to do.

Without another word she raised her book and began to read, ignoring all further questions until they gave up and simply talked between themselves, a conversation she happily tuned out as she was sucked into her story.

Sierra stowed away her book at the end of lunch and stretched as she rose, her back slightly sore from being against the tree-and from the bruise her Dad had left for her a few days before. Her powers were trembling to the surface more and more often now, and so the beatings had become more and more regular as her Father desperately tried to stop the inevitable. She eased out the kinks as she stretched out before bending down to retrieve her bag. When she straightened up she was met with the open mouth stares of the four brothers. She shifted uncomfortably and frowned at them, causing them to avert their gazes with clenched jaws or twitching mouths. With a shake of her head she turned on her heel and walked back to the school, leaving them following along in her wake as they muttered between themselves.

“Hey, beautiful girl.”

She didn't reply to Leo as he caught up to her side and gently took her elbow in his hand, but she did pull away from him and pick up her pace, hoping to lose him in the halls. He matched her step and spoke softly into her ear.

“There's no pushing us away Sierra, when we are intrigued, we stay intrigued. There's no point fighting the connection we have, it will be a waste of energy.” She almost snorted at the concept; if he thought they had any type of connection after one short lunch together, he had another thing coming. His next words, however, stopped her short as she opened her mouth in rebuttal and she instantly snapped it shut again. “You may want to save your particular...” he paused as though debating his words before he continued, “powerful strength, for when you will really need it.”

He whirled in front of her, walking backwards even as she made her way to her next class, a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth.

“And you know you will need it soon. ”

With that he turned away, stepping confidently into the classroom Sierra herself was about to enter, apparently nonplussed that his words had rattled her deep inside.