New Haven

MIND IF WE CUT IN

“Hey, that’s a really interesting necklace.” Seth told Dusk the next morning at breakfast. Dusk looked down at the necklace she had gotten the weekend before school had started.

“Oh, thanks Seth.” Seth kept staring at Dusk’s necklace as Dusk began to blush at all the attention. “Did you want to see it?” Dusk asked taking off her necklace and offering it to Seth.

“Can I?” Seth said looking apprehensive.

“Sure. It’s not a problem.” Seth took the necklace and began looking over it intensely. Logan and Dawn came over to sit down next to them in the cafeteria. Logan’s plate was unusually over full with food. He pulled out Dawn’s seat as she smiled and sat down.

We’re getting the seat pulled out for us now? Dusk asked Dawn in their usual fashion.

Shut up! Dawn smiled as Logan started eating a bowl of what looked like chocolate bats cereal. What’s up with Logan and Holly and the Halloween theme? Dusk asked.

Hey! That’s my future boyfriend you’re talking about.

Really you mean you guys aren’t going out yet?

No! Well I hope… maybe. At least Seth looks super normal. He’s practically a preppy he’s so normal compare to Logan and Holly.

“I know right.”

“What do we know?” Dean asked as he, Trent and Tristan, the proud African Irish boy, and Clowe sat down next to Seth. Seth was too preoccupied with Dusk’s necklace to notice the new additions to the table.

“Um…nothing. Forget it, it’s not important.” Dusk said as she stuffed some more pancake in her mouth to stop herself from slipping again.

“Well then, onward to the schedule for today!” Trent exclaimed excitedly.

“What do you two have planned? Remember it’s barely the second day of school.” Logan said to Trent and Tristan who just smiled pretending to act innocent. Clowe silently waved at Dawn and Dusk, obviously not yet comfortable with sitting at such a crowded table. Dean just smiled and laid his arm around Clowe’s waist and pulled her a little closer to him. Dusk and Dawn both smiled and gave Clowe an eye wink of encouragement.

“We know Logan” Tristan said sarcastically.

“Good, then on with todays plan.”

“Since Trent and I are going to be busy helping Dean boycott the lunch menu today, we thought that afterwards we’d…”

“What?” Dawn asked with a mouth full of chocolate muffin. “You guys are boycotting lunch today?” She was suddenly intrigued with what Tristan and Trent were talking about. Dusk fixed Dawn with a warning gaze.

No Dawn! We are not getting into anymore trouble by helping them boycott something.

That’s so not the American spirit. Dawn thought to her sister. Would you have told that to Mr. Martin Luther King, César Chavez…

I get your point bra burner but it’s still a no. Dawn just rolled her eyes in Dusk’s direction, not noticing that Logan was looking from her to Dusk with an odd expression on his face.

“You’re boycotting again?” Logan asked Trent and Tristan, slightly annoyed.

“Again?” Dawn tilted her head at Logan with a puzzled expression.

“Dean does this every single year,” Logan explained, “Until the faculty eventually gets fed up and orders him to stop, usually threatening suspension. Then Dean goes and protests on the main land in front of food stores.”

“Really? That’s awesome. Never give up. Always keep the cause alive. So tell me more. I’m always up for some impromptu protesting.”

“Is that right?” Logan asked. “I guess I did figure you for a bit of a wild child. Getting in a fist fight before school even started” Dawn blushed as Logan put his arm over her shoulders as he pulled her in tighter to him.

“Anyways” Tristan smiled coyly in their direction “Dean’s trying to get the turkey sandwiches banned from the lunch menu. Trent and I are going to help this year.”

“Why?” Logan asked.

“We’re super bored.” Tristan and Trent said.

“Hey! We’re doing it ‘cause it’s important” Dean said. The boys just looked at each other and nodded sarcastically. “Oh, yeah. It’s super important Dean.”

“So you’re a vegetarian.” Dusk asked as more of a statement than a question.

“Oh, hell no.” Dean said shaking his head vigorously.

“Vegan?”

“No way”

“Tree hugger?” Dusk asked smiling as everyone else around the table laughed, even Seth laughed still holding Dusk’s necklace in his hands. Dean just shook his head again.

“So I take it your an animal activist then?” Dawn asked.

“Yes he is, but there is only one animal that holds close to our boy Dean’s heart.” Trent said.

“Yeah, all other animals can go hang!” Tristan exclaimed.

“Really?” The girls said in unison,” and that animal would be?”

“The most beautiful, the most majestic, and completely underrated animal in the entire animal kingdom. The turkey.” Dean said.

“The turkey?!” The girl’s jaws dropped down to the table as their faces froze in place with Shock.

That’s so not what I was thinking he was going to say thought Dawn.

“What’s wrong with the turkey? That just so happens to be the animal on my family’s crest. It’s a very good looking animal.” Dean argued.

“Okay. A turkey. That’s awesome.” Dawn said sarcastically.

“I love turkeys. Their feathers are beautiful,” Clowe said shyly smiling up at Dean. Dawn and Dusk just smiled at her as every one continued to eat breakfast. They talk about what they were going to do this weekend.

“Well we’ve got to go. Good luck with your protest boys.” Dawn said as she got up, Logan right behind her with her book bag and her jacket.

“You’re not coming to my protest?” Dean asked.

“They have to chop wood all this week during the breaks. That includes lunch and after dinner” Clowe answered.

“That sucks” Trent said.

“Yeah” the girls said in unison.

“What tree?” Logan inquired.

“The one behind our dorm building,” Dawn said as the whole tables’ conversations came to a sudden and complete stop.

“What?!” Dawn and Dusk asked in unison, “Is there something wrong with that particular tree?” The group seemed to exchange heavy meaningful glances to each other. Clowe looked up at the girls just a confused as they were.

“Here I’ll walk you guys to the tree.” Logan said getting Dawn’s attention. “Let’s go.”

“Can I come?” Clowe asked shyly with Dean’s arm still around her.

“You don’t have to keep asking to go places with us Clowe. We’re friends; it’s sort of implied that you can come with us.”

“Sorry” she said as she began to get up from where she sat at the table.

“Don’t listen to her Clowe. Dawn doesn’t always talk out of her mouth per say.” Dusk said making Clowe smile wider. The four of them were about to walk out of the cafeteria when Dusk suddenly got a bad feeling. A feeling like she was forgetting something important.

“What is it Dusk? What’s wrong?” Dawn asked, feeling something wrong with her twin.

I don’t know. Dusk thought beginning to panic slightly.

“Where’s your necklace?” They both stood in silence trying to remember.

“Oh! I remember now. I lent it to Seth.” Dusk said as she turned around and walked back to their table.

“Hey Seth, can I have my necklace back?”

“Oh man, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even notice I still had it.” Seth said as he handed the necklace back to her. Dusk saw something change in Seth’s facial expression. A dark shadow flashed across his face as Dusk put her necklace back on. “Can I ask where exactly you got it? It feels old. Was it a family heirloom or something?”

“No, but it is an antique. I got it this past weekend at the new antique store that just opened on the main land.”

“I didn’t hear about a new store opening up.” Seth said looking slightly puzzled.

“Yeah. It’s where I got the necklace.”

“Oh cool, maybe I’ll go and check it out this weekend. Well, I’ll see you later Dusk.”

“Bye Seth” Dusk said as she walked away feeling a lot better now that she had her necklace back on.

Seth watched intently as Dusk walked out of the cafeteria. He followed Dusk with his eyes as she rounded the corner and disappeared. He could feel her getting farther and farther away from him. A sudden and overwhelming sense of despair began to fall over him. Flashes of fire and screams overtook his senses. He rubbed his forehead and shut his eyes. A battlefield surrounded him as the screams of loss and terror grew louder and the bombs vibrated in his very chest. Then he saw him. A man stood alone against an entire army. A red glow surrounded the man and a woman. She was lying on her back on the floor with another man behind her supporting her. The first man looked up, tears of rage filled them. In seconds, a fury took over Seth, a pure, untainted, and all consuming fury, began burning within him. The more he looked at those eyes the more enraged he became.

“…that’s right… they had no right…they had no right…”

“What?” Seth shook his head.

“I just asked how you were doing.” Seth opened his eyes and looked up to see his older sister Holly standing in front of him eating a bowl of chocolate battys. He looked around the cafeteria completely stunned and shaken over what had just happened to him.

“So you like older women?”

“What? Holls? What in the world are you talking about Holly?” Seth asked his older sister while he continued to rub his temple.

“I saw you chatting up my new classmate.” Seth still looked confused so Holly continued, “Dusk Nightingale? Hello, you were stalking her as she walked out, which seems to be a recurring theme with her. Anyways, I don’t think she’s into the cougar thing bro, sorry, but if you wanna try and take a shot, she is my new roommate. I could try and hook it up for you.”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that. She just has something I need. Something I need to get back.”

“Cryptic much.”

“Look, I’ve got to get to class” Seth said grabbing his bag and running past Holly.

“But who am I gonna eat my chocolate battys with?”

“Sorry”

“Aww. Now my battys are all soggy and I’m all alone.”

“I’ll eat with you Holly,” April said appearing out of nowhere dressed in her bunny pajamas.

“Aaaa! Bunnies”

“Sorry Holls,” April yelled chasing after Holly as she sprinted out of the cafeteria, “I totally forgot about you’re deep and unnatural phobia of bunnies. Holly I’m sorry! Don’t run away.”

“Looks like someone got here early,” Dawn chuckled, directing Dusks’ attention to Kate chopping wood from the Ash tree in the middle of the courtyard. Logan didn’t seem to think it was funny. He just stared at Kate with what Dusk could only think of as an expression of pity.

“Holy cow, is that Kate?” Dusk asked completely caught off guard by Kate’s shocking appearance. She looked beyond tired and sweaty; her uniform was dirty, but more then that Kate looked drained. Her face was beyond white, it was sickly pale. She looked physically sick. Dusk noticed Logan’s face had changed from pity to obvious concern for Kate. Dusk wasn’t the only one who noticed Logan’s concern.

Why does my man look like he wants to go help that gank chop wood?

Cool it Dawn. You forget most of these kids grew up together.

So. Dawn thought to Dusk, confused in her mind as to what Dusk was trying to get at.

Most human beings have a general concern for their fellow man, not you of course, but most normal people have those feelings of empathy.

Normal is so overrated.

Wow Dawn!

“Is it me or does hard work not suit Kate at all?” Clowe asked the girls.

“Not suit her well? She looks like complete crap.”

“Language!” Clowe laughed as Dusk slapped Dawn on the shoulder. “I’m actually kind of surprised she’s doing any of the chopping herself. I would have thought that someone like Kate would have gotten someone else to chop the wood for her. I mean, I don’t know her that well, but she seems like the type to have people to do things like this for her.”

Logan finally moved as he removed his arm from around Dawn’s shoulders, where they had been this entire time and he slowly began to shake his head at her. Logan looked straight at Dawn as he answered her, “When it comes to the Student Council, Kate and every other student at this school who deals with them, follows everything they say to the letter.”

“To the letter?” Dawn asked skeptically.

“Yes”

“No one fights the Council,” Clowe added.

“Holy Krishna! It’s like the mob up in here” Dawn exclaimed taking everyone except Dusk, who was used to her sisters nonsense, by surprise. The group laughed at Dawn as Kate attempted to pick up another small log of wood from the floor to place on the chopping block. The small log of wood slipped from her feeble hands and landed with a light thud on the ground in front of her. Kate inhaled a deep breath before she attempted to pick up the log a second time. She was barely able to lift the piece of black wood. She eventually had to use her knee to completely lift the small piece of wood onto the chopping block.

“This is stupid.” Dusk couldn’t help herself from saying out loud she started walking toward Kate with Dawn, Logan, Clowe following immediately behind her.

“Dusk, don’t you dare.” Dawn pleaded with her, “She deserves what they give her. We already have to chop our own wood right now. We are not helping that gank with hers.”

“What’s going on?” Logan asked confused.

“She’s feeling sorry for Kate and she’s going to help out with her wood.” Dawn answered trying to catch up with Dusk who was already half way to Kate.

“That’s really nice of your sister.”

“No, no. No. Her big heart is practically a physical handicap. I have to stop her.” Dawn said completely exasperated with her older sister. Logan just laughed quietly as Dawn began to speed walk in an attempt to catch up to Dusk.

She’s so hot when’s she’s angry, and this view ain’t half bad neither.

“Why thank you mister Logan,” Dawn said turning back around to face Logan, “Maybe a little later we can talk about me getting a better view of you, but I’m a little busy right now I’ll see you later, K.”

“That’s cool. I’ll see you guys back at the dorms.” Logan yelled to Dawn as she began to sprint towards Clowe and Dusk, who were already talking to Kate. “I can’t believe I just said that out loud. I could have sworn I thought that… dude, you’ve got to get a grip,” Logan scolded himself, “She’s just a normal ordinary girl and your kind don’t date normal ordinary girls,” Logan reminded himself as he turned around and began walking back to the dorms.

Kate used all her strength to raise her head as Clowe and Dusk walked up to her. The look on their combined faces being one of pity, while the look on Kate’s face was one of disgust.

“What do you want?” Kate said straightening herself up as much as she could. She was almost at her full height which was still a good five inches above Dusk. She placed one hand on her hip and the other hand firmly on the ax she was using to chop wood with.

“Look Kate I feel bad about what happened yesterday…” Dusk started to say before Kate’s face flared up with anger and she interrupted Dusk mid-sentence.

“How pathetic are you?! You have the audacity to think you’re equal to me? As if I would accept any apologies from someone as low as you. You’re beneath me! I don’t need anyone‘s help! I especially don’t need help from some anorexic, pale looking, emo chick.” Kate spit her words out through clenched teeth, “In case you haven’t figured it out by now you’re at the bottom of this school’s totem pole freshmen. I think it’s about time you learned your place here.”

“Wow! Monologue much,” Dawn said as she walked up to where Dusk and Clowe were.

“Look I wasn’t trying to start anything with you okay,” Dusk said as Kate rolled her eyes and huffed, “I was just trying to be nice and see if maybe we could act a little like adults and let bygones be bygones,” Dusk finished suddenly irritated with herself for even wanting to help Kate out in the fist place. “You look really tired and I honestly was just trying to extend a helping hand.”

“Well who the hell asked you?” Kate shot back nearly shouting. Dusk looked to Dawn and Clowe as she dropped the pieces of wood that she had picked up from the floor earlier.

“Fine then I won’t help you.”

“Fine”

“Let’s go over here Dusk and start with our chopping,” Dawn said to her sister, “Hey Clowe you don’t have to stay and wait for us to do this. We have to be here till class starts. That’s still like an hour away.”

“It’s cool. I don’t mind, its fun hanging out with you guys,” Clowe said, but glanced back to where Kate was on the other side of the tree, adding, “Well, at least I can say it’s never boring with you guys.”

Two days later Dusk and Dawn were still going strong chopping wood. Kate, on the other hand, seemed to be getting worse each day. Her hair had lost almost all its lushness shine. It looked to have thinned out a little over the last two days. Her skin was blotchy and Dawn even swore that on the second day of chopping wood that Kate had a pimple. Caleb never came to visit her after their first day of serving out their punishment. Dawn was happy to find some exercise to do on the island besides P.E, while Dusk was just chopping away in indifference. Clowe hung out with the girl’s everyday and talked while they chopped. Except for once when she had a Student council meeting, Clowe never left the girl’s side.

Alec watched the girl’s for two days. April, Holly, and Angel all took turns seeing observing Dusk and Dawn reacted to working with and next to the Ash Tree.

“It’s been almost two days Alec,” Angel told him Tuesday night as they watched the girl’s begin to walk back to their dorm room with Clowe after chopping all evening. “Kate’s about to drop,” Angel said pointing to Kate who was sitting leaning against her axe for support, “Dusk and Dawn look just fine. They don’t even have a natural dislike to the Ash Tree,” She told Alec as he stood gazing at Dawn as she walked around the corner and disappeared.

He turned and looked at Angel, “Okay, they’re human,” he said to some relief. “Their utterly and completely human,” he said smiling to himself.

“So what are we going to do now?” Holly asked as Alec stayed silent for a moment. “Dusk and Dawn can’t keep just chopping wood, while Kate’s practically dying. The fault was equal between the girls so their punishments should be equal,” Angel stated looking at Alec, “Or are we going to start playing favorites?”

Alec took her last comment and disregarded it without giving it a second thought. “Reassign them to Parent’s Day duties. The can organize it and work it by themselves. Is that equal punishment enough for you?”

“Yes, that seems fair,” Angel responded to Alec sounding unconvinced as she glanced back over to Kate. Kate hadn’t moved from her spot on the floor. Alec began to walk away from Angel and the Ash Tree courtyard,

“I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day,” he told Angel. “Please make sure that Clowe is informed of the change of punishment.”

Angel turned immediately, “What about Kate, Alec?”

“What about her?”

“She looks like death. Can’t you see what that Tree is doing to her?” Angel asked in disbelief of Alec’s indifference towards Kate.

“Kate needs to learn her lesson,” Alec stated without turning to face Angel, “She hasn’t learned it yet. It’s that simple. Kate will continue to chop till Friday, am I understood?” Alec asked as he turned his head slightly backwards to see Angel’s face. Angel looked back at Kate in the distance who was now being picked up off of the floor by Caleb.

“I understand Mr. Heart.” Angel said sarcastically as she turned to help Caleb get Kate back to her dorm room.