Guardian

**************Author's Note******

To:

Monddame--Thank you! I've been working really hard not to leave this too conventional. Congrats by the way. After reading all night I'm lucky if can string two words together, let alone a review. :P

LAMBM--Glad you like it! I hope the love continues ;)

Please enjoy~

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I arrived at the conference room two minutes before my “appointment”. My heart was pounding a mad rhythm against my ribs. My stomach was one large knot, making it difficult to swallow. I wanted nothing more than to jump off of the bench I was sitting on and run to my crappy car.

The door opened and the knot in my stomach clenched, making me swallow convulsively. It was a human boy who opened the door; I thought he was a sophomore.

“Your turn,” he said, pushing the glasses up his sweaty nose. There were dark stains under his arms and down his back, too.

Shit.

I stood up and felt sick. My dry tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as I entered, taking in the nine desks arranged in a semicircle around a podium. They were silent as I stood alone.

Every single person in the room was a Were. At the head, directly in front of me, there he was, my own personal demon. I felt like I had seen enough of him in the last three days to last me a lifetime.

I was sure every one of them could hear my heart pounding and smell the sweat forming on my lower back. But I kept my head high, maybe if I pretended that I was confident it would be true.

“Andy Collins, destruction of school property,” said one of Weres to the side. I didn’t look at him. I was staring Matt down. I could see in his eyes that he was enjoying this.

After that stunt he pulled yesterday, he was acting absolutely normal, like nothing had happened. Yeah. He was one sick puppy.

“Do you refute this accusation?” he asked. I wondered if he was trying to scare me with big words. I wasn’t afraid. I wanted this. I wanted to piss him off so bad that he would expel me…and maybe part of this nightmare would end.

“Nope. I did it,” I said. And I enjoyed it.

His eyebrows rose.

“You understand that this is a very serious matter, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes,” I agreed simply, with a smile. A few sparse whispers filled the silence that followed.

“Then are you ready to receive your punishment, Andy?” he said, voice low and even.

“Yep. Bring it.”

He sat back, a triumphant smile making his face beam like the sun. With a quirked brow he looked around at his fellow members.

“I’m open to suggestions on how we should proceed.”

“Expulsion,” the one farthest to my left said. He was small, but wiry, like his muscles were made of steel cord. His small sharp eyes reminded me more of a rat than a wolf.

Hmph. My hero.

I looked back at Matt. He had rolled his eyes skyward as if tossing the idea around in his head. That pleased smile was getting under my skin. He was getting off on humiliating me. I felt my blood burn.

“Hmmm…nooo. I don’t think so.”

No way. NO WAY. What were they going to do to me then?

I quickly stopped those thoughts when I saw how much the bastard was enjoying my worried frown. I felt my skin twitch and I fought the urge to roll my neck. It was like his teeth were sinking into me again. I clenched my hands into fists so that I wouldn’t claw at my own flesh.

He watched me like a cat playing with a mouse.

“She’s missed entirely too much school as it is,” his smile went from amused to cruel. “Andy needs to stay right here, where we can keep a nice, close eye on her.”

There were startled looks around the room. Several were openly staring at their leader. I guess statements like that weren’t common.

“We wouldn’t want her getting into anymore trouble, would we?” he asked the room, but his eyes were fixed unblinkingly on me. The bite on my throat burned with his gaze. Apparently, he hadn’t forgotten about yesterday after all.

“In school suspension should keep her out of too much trouble,” Chris said, pushing his blond hair back.

I let my gaze flick to him. My reward was a disarming smile and a playful wink. He’d keep up that charming persona, even as he watched three guys pummel someone into the dirt. They were two peas in a pod.

“But is it enough?” Matt sighed.

“She needs to pay for the damages to the school,” the rat faced boy piped up again.

Great, like I was just rolling in cash…

My fingers tightened painfully on the podium. I hadn’t realized I was gripping the wooden edges. The corners were digging into my skin. I wondered if they could smell the blood from my reopened cuts.

“Yes…” Matt drawled, scratching his chin thoughtfully. His lips quirked and I knew I wasn’t going to like what came out of them next.

“We have several school events coming up. You’re going to volunteer your services.”

“Like what?” I blurted, not caring if I sounded offensive.

I hated those things. I never went.

His eyes narrowed.

“Friday is the homecoming game. You’ll work the concession stand. Next Wednesday is the Haunted House for the Theater Club, you can help with that, too,” he was watching me, gauging my reactions.

None of that was too bad.

“Thursday and Friday of next week you can help selling tickets for the dance…and, on Friday night…”

God, please let him say I’m not allowed to go, I prayed in vain.

“You have to be there. Serving refreshments, taking pictures, and whatever else I tell you to do,” he finished.

I let myself glare, wishing I had heat vision.

“Of course, should you choose not to participate…”Matt let his voice trail off for a moment before continuing. “Let’s just say you’ll have my personal attention.”

“Who would want that?” I said breezily, feeling some undiscovered courage appear. I instantly regretted it.

“Don’t forget that we could make you pay for these damages out of your pocket,” he said, suddenly businesslike. That amused smile he had been wearing vanished, leaving his face cold and hard. My neck twinged as my shoulders stiffened in reaction to his anger.

He placed his hands on the desk in front of him, palms passively resting on the laminate. He looked anything but passive.

“The amount of damage done amounts to somewhere near five thousand dollars. Does your family even have that pitiful amount of money available?”

I ground my teeth together, cheeks reddening. We didn’t. And the rich piece of shit knew it.

He smiled once again, “Now, you should thank me for being so lenient, Andy.” His voice had become a purr of satisfaction.

He had me right where he wanted, damn it.

I felt my lips twist, unable to form the words. People began to shift in their seats. The tension between us was so thick I almost thought I could touch it.

“You aren’t dismissed until you say it…and I believe it,” he said, softly.

I swallowed around a thick tongue. I was shaking with frustration. Tell him “thank you”? I wanted to tear him apart. I wanted to rip that smug smile right off of his face.

“Thank you,” I said. I could hear the unsaid insult.

Matt sighed and tapped his fingers on the desk.

“Not very convincing,” Chris chimed in.

“Thank you,” I said again. Damn. That was even worse.

It was met by silence. I shut my eyes. It would help if I didn’t have to see his face.

This was ridiculous—just him pushing me around like usual, because he could. If only I wasn’t here. If only I was a thousand miles away from this place…

Break it…

The words spilled into my head, like a waking dream, and my eyes snapped open.

Break it.

The only thing keeping me here was the ward around the mountain. If I broke that I’d be free. Of course, I’d need cash…but with a job and a little effort…maybe…

A blissful smile formed on my lips.

“Thank you,” I said, meaning it. If this hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t even have dreamt of such a feat again.

I stared directly into his astonished face.

“You’ll never know how much,” I breathed. Because of you, I thought, I’m going to destroy this cage, even if it takes me with it.

It’ll be worth it.

He wasn’t going to humiliate me ever again.