Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:24:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Silvenfox <silvenfox@yahoo.com>
Subject: Reflecting Equation - 5

The following is a complete work of fiction.

Any resemblance between the characters and any real life person is
completely coincidental.  Please do not copy or distribute the story
without the author's permission.

Disclaimer:

The following story may contain erotic situations. If it is illegal for you
to read this please leave now. Also expect blood, gore, incredibly funny
scenes and super-powered teenagers with a destiny to save the world. If
you're not a fan of any of these plus strong cursing and violence then this
is not your type of story. Use of the Silver City and various related lore
come from DC Comics.



Chapter 5



It took a lot for me to drag my ass up out of bed. Adam bribed me with
kisses and pop tarts, and I can't lie, the second offer kind of did it for
me. Adam called me a candy ho, but I already made peace with myself a long
time ago.

I ambled into the kitchen, eyes hooded and yawning. Mom stood at the
counter, watching the news with a captivated expression. A glance showed
they were showing footage from yesterday's fight downtown. More than likely
it was going to be replayed for the next month.

"Morning, sunshine," said Mom, smirking a bit at my sleepy face.

I gave a grunt and reached for the box of Lucky Charms. I poured a bowl and
then the backdoor swung open. Adam walked in with a cheerful looking grin
and it made me hate him a little. Morning people were so sickening.

"Good morning, Mrs. Summers!" he called out, overly bright and chipper.

Mom grinned brightly and looked honestly happy to see him. It was times like
this that I wondered if she liked him more than me.

"Good morning, honey," she smiled, handing him one of her breakfast bagels
with a kiss on the cheek. "I love your outfit, very smart."

Adam wore a blue and gray striped, crew-nick sweater with a pair of off
white cotton pants. My mouth went dry and he threw me a saucy wink. I
scowled realizing that my bowl was now overflowing with cereal. Adam laughed
and I shot him the finger. It was his fault for walking around being such a
hot ass.

Mom cocked an eyebrow as I scooped cereal back into the box. "You going to
be alright, kiddo?"

"I can tell you're getting amusement from this, Mother," I said narrowing my
eyes. "I'm sure laughing at your child's misfortune is, like, dangerous to
my young and impressionable psyche."

"Cute."

I grinned at her appraising expression. "I try."

Adam snorted at our banter and I sent him a charming smile. Looked like he
managed to sneak out this morning undetected, or the kitchen would be a
totally different scene.

"Adam!"

There was a flash of blonde hair and then Adam had his arms full of 5 foot
nothing of teenage girl. I glowered at the sight. The one thing Morgan and I
could ever agree on - Adam's hotness factor.

Adam pulled back, giving her a disarming grin and let a bit of Texas slip
into his voice, "Morning, darlin'."

I narrowed my eyes. This little hooker had a lot of nerve. I know she
believed Adam was too hot to be gay, but this was pushing it. Adam, bless
his dim heart, adored her, demon though she may be.

Morgan flushed and leaned back, smiling blindingly. "What are you doing here
so early?"

"I came to take your gorgeous brother to school," he replied, eyes twinkling
in my direction.

And at that declaration, Morgan pouted and muttered a put upon, "Oh," and
slowly extracted herself from his lap. It was great that she did that
because I was about to do it for her, and none too gently. Brat.

"Children, say good morning to each other," Mom said, staring us down over
her cup of Folgers.

Our heads snapped around and we both looked at her askance. Really? Was this
absolutely necessary! The days I didn't have to talk to Morgan were golden
in my book. At the hard look reflected at us we turned back to each other
and grimaced.

"Morning, sibling."

"Good morning."

The greetings came out forced and sounded like someone was strangling us.
Mom clapped her hands together, mouth tilted up at the corners. "Bonding!"

"If your mind was ever turned to villainy," I muttered, staring at her
earnestly. "You'd be unstoppable."

Mom grabbed her car keys and purse. "I'll be sure to bring that up at the
next PFLAG meeting, kiddo." She stooped to ruffle my hair, and then kissed
Morgan and Adam on the head. "Bye, kids."

We called goodbye after her and she paused on her way out the kitchen door.
Her blue eyes turned sharp and I hunched my shoulders together as she pinned
me with an intense stare.

"You're still grounded, buddy," she said, pointing her finger at me. "I
expect for you to be home straight after school."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mother."

The only time I called her that was when I was feeling annoyed or sassy.
This time I was feeling annoyed to the nth degree.

"Love you too, kiddo," she said, brightly. She blew a kiss and darted
through the doorway.

The front door slammed shut and that was the cue Morgan needed to throw
herself away from me, and clear across the kitchen. She hopped up onto one
of the swivel bar chairs at the island over the counter.

"Scared you're going to catch the gay from me?" I sneered.

Morgan mirrored my sneer. "Please, I'm over you being gay."

My jaw dropped and the world went scarily dizzy for a second. The laws that
governed the universe were all out of order. Up was down, down was up. Zac
Efron wasn't a triple threat and was still slumming on the Disney Channel.

"I still pretty much hate your guts."

My brain processed that information, and it found it just and right, and
that was refreshing. Order was then restored to the universe, and it
included the new fact that Morgan was fine with the gayness, but still a
little stranger bitch.

"-and Neil Patrick Harris is awesome. And I love Sean Hayes too. So it
didn't seem like such a big deal anymore. You're still annoying and you take
more time in the bathroom than I do... Are you even listening to me, glamo?"

Slowly, I realized that Morgan had continued talking while my world re-
centered itself and the cosmos returned to normal. I came back to reality
with a few quick blinks.

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Attention deficit much?" She sighed loudly and
glanced at her cell phone. "I don't have time for this after school special.
I'm going over to Krystle's. She's giving me a ride." She sent Adam a
dazzling smile. "Bye, Adam."

"Later, baby," he purred, giving her a little wave.

She was out of the kitchen before I could get another word in. I stared
after her and Adam had to snap his fingers in front of my face to get my
attention.

"Chad, sweetheart, are you okay?"

I turned to him with wide eyes and a watery smile. "My demonic baby sister's
finally growing up." I gained a winsome smile and stared at Adam
imploringly. "Is this how Richard Gere felt in Pretty Woman when Julia
Roberts stopped hooking?"

Adam licked his lips looking a little bemused. "Uh... yeah?"

A fond smile settled on my face and I couldn't keep the affection from my
voice, "Come on, Bowflex."

Adam's Mustang was his pride and joy. He'd recently had the car painted
black and he treated the vehicle like his own child. Adam slipped in a CD
and I snickered as I recognized the track. He put the car and gear and
pulled away from the curb.

"Transatlantiscm," I said gesturing at the stereo, laughing. "Death Cab For
Cutie, really? So 2003."

He grinned leaning over to sing against my cheek, making me smile. "I need
you so much closer..."

I snorted and batted at his shoulder. "Smooth, bright eyes." I pointed at
the veering lane. "Watch the road!"

Adam winked expertly navigating the road. "Hey, don't hate me cause you
ain't me."

I rolled my eyes. "I love it when you talk dirty to me."

A roll of bright laughter exploded from Adam, and I clutched at my seatbelt
as he swung into the student parking lot. I sent him a glare, because damn
it, when your driving is more dangerous than mine then there's a problem.

"Don't pout, baby, you'll get wrinkles," Adam advised me cheerfully, parking
in a space near where the band usually practiced in the early light of
morning. "You can't mess up that pretty face. I'm kind of invested in it."

I playfully frowned at him. "So you only want me for my looks?"

He blinked. "This is news to you?"

"You ass," I let out a surprised laugh. I pushed at his shoulder. "Come on,
o' love of my life. If you play your cards right I might let you buy me a
soda from the vending machines."

Adam's face lit up with a smirk and he grabbed his backpack from the
backseat. "I of course expect you to put out after. I'm so your sugar daddy
and you know it."

I shrugged and jumped out of the car. I slid my backpack over my shoulder
and grinned at him over the roof the car.

"I'm going to answer yes to that statement," I replied, sliding my white
Gucci sunglasses over my eyes. "I'm not ashamed to say it."

Adam came over to my side of the car and slipped his hand in mine. "I do
love it when we casually mention sex. It gets me kind of hot."

"Slut."

He wiggled his eyebrows in his usual lewd fashion that never failed to come
across as goofy. "I learned from the best."

We walked into the school hand in hand, and its measure of how progressive
Centennial is when we don't get dirty looks or a snide comment thrown our
way. When downtown regularly became a warzone due to evil doers, homophobia
was reaching an all time low. Bigger threats out there and all.

The hallways were crowded as kids grabbed books from lockers and basically
just hung around. I kept expecting Kevin to pop up and ramble on about
soccer, but he didn't and wasn't going to. I closed my eyes and leaned
against my locker. I firmly pushed the depressing thoughts away. If I kept
thinking about it I would do something...unpleasant. The thought of my
brother being gone, and no one but us the wiser, left a bad taste in my
mouth.

"It'll be okay," Adam muttered, squeezing my hand.

I looked up into his eyes, basking in the sincerity. Trust him to know what
worried me. "I hope so."

"Hey do you think — oh...my...God..."

I started at his statement practically feeling the surprise against my skin.
I turned in the direction Adam, and everyone else in the hall, was looking
at and just about died. My jaw dropped as I watched Ryan walk through the
parting crowd.

Gone were the glasses the champion of soul always wore in his human guise.
Gray eyes were free to shine and they were surprisingly clear and bright,
like the eyes of a Huskie or color of the ice caps in the North. His heavy
bangs were slicked back, freeing a face that was startling captivating
without anything taking away from how fucking perfect his features were.
Sinfully pink, bow shaped lips quirked the tiniest bit as all eyes tracked
his gait, whispers and outright looks of want following his steps.

He wore a pair of black skinny jeans that, dear God, looked designer. A
black moto jacket was worn over a tight white tee, and it was taking every
bit of will I had not to ogle the definition of abs showing through the
clingy cotton material. He was a sex bomb.

Ryan stopped in front of Adam and I sliding into a relaxed and easy stance
that I had never seen on him. It was like watching the end of Grease where
Sandy suddenly got hot and slutty, except in this version everybody wanted a
piece of this ass.

"Um, Ryan?" I choked out. "Dude, what the hell!"

He looked at me and I was thrown off by the coy smile on his face. "What?
You don't like it?"

"Like it?" Adam said feeling just as amazed as everyone that continued to
stare at us. "Ryan, my man, you're hot, like really hot."

I narrowed my eyes at Adam. "Why don't you just whip it out and jerk off?"

Ryan ducked his head, blushing. And there was the Ryan that I was used to.
He looked adorably pleased and I melted at the anxious smile he wore. He
looked at us with approval and need written all on his face.

A clapped him on the shoulder. "You look damn good, Ry'," I said, and sure
enough he beamed at me something bright. I stuttered a bit feeling unhinged
by how breathtaking he looked. It was incredible. "Not that I minded the
glasses and the oxfords, but why the change?"

His shoulders straightened and something like defiance on shone in his eyes.
"Well I'm single now, right? And I found all the clothes my mom always sent
me in a box in the closet," He looked down at the ground and shrugged, "and
I figured why not."

I shared a glance with Adam and said slowly, "If this is what makes you
happy then I approve."

Adam nodded studying Ryan's face intently. "I agree." He swept his glance
over the rest of the hall and grinned at the blatant staring. "And so does
the rest of the school."

Ryan took in the stares and amazingly didn't flush from head to toe. In fact
only two pink dots that indicated his feelings appeared on his cheeks. He
licked his lips and said hesitantly, "So I look okay, then?"

"That's an understatement, man," I said, laughing in disbelief. "You're like
the hottest thing in this hall. Next to Adam, of course."

Like some sign of the newfound status quo, Lacey James, richest girl in
school, senior and head-cheerleader, walked up to them. She wore a low cut
top that's designed to draw the eye to her cleavage. Ryan's eyes briefly
flickered down before going back up, a surprised and confused half smile
appearing on his face.

"It's Ryan, right?" Lacey asked, staring directly at his mouth.

He nodded and I hid a smile behind my hand. Ryan had been involved with
Killian so long I had forgotten he was bi. With the way he ogled her, yep,
boy was definitely attracted to both genders.

"You're in my Anatomy and Physiology class," she said, playing coy and doing
a good job if the glazed look Ryan had is any indication. "I love you're new
look. You look great. Hey, do you mind helping me with my homework before
class. I didn't get, like, half of it."

Then to really hammer home that this was some weird, new alternate universe
instead of stammering and playing the shy guy... Ryan developed a sexy smile
and leaned in close, eyes smoldering and she looked suitably dazzled.

"I would love to," he murmured, voice dropped an octave lower. It was a
rolling deep bass that was smooth as silk and dark as chocolate. Hot.

She swallowed heavily, blinking. Her cute little mouth split into a smile as
she recovered. "Awesome. Come on. We have a little time before class
starts."

Ryan gave us a short wave. "Later, guys."

Lacey linked her arms through his and they strutted off. Noise in the
hallway surged in volume as people sunk their teeth into the newest bit of
high school drama. If this was a teen drama then this would be the
equivalent of a social coup. And it was delicious.

Adam looked down at me, very confused and very amazed. "Did that really just
happen?"

"If you're talking about the most popular girl in school practically calling
first dibs on our former nerdy friend then yes, baby, that just happened."

Killian chose that moment to walk up. He frowned at all the excited faces
and the loud conversations that were more exuberant than usual. He took one
last long look around and then cocked his head at our frozen faces.

"What? Did I miss something?"

This was awkward.

-

Spanish II was its usual chaotic mess. Kids took it for the foreign language
credit, and also because it was a bird class. Basically all you had to do
was show up, and you'd fly right through. Easy A. It didn't help that over
half the class knew the basics of Spanish and the other half was fluent. So
classwork or homework was done in less than half an hour. The perks of
having Mexico as a next door neighbor to California.

Mrs. Montemayor gave up teaching not even halfway through the class. She
declared it a free period and popped in a movie, Hope Floats. Kill me now.

I pondered for a minute what to do. Usually free periods were spent with me
flipping through a magazine with my earphones firmly in place. I couldn't
stay here with my thoughts. I would only go in circles thinking about
Killian and Ryan and Kevin, the Power Rangers, and the whole entire mess of
fucked up that was my life.

Adam and I hadn't told Killian about Ryan's whole makeover and Lacey James
staking claim. Frankly, in the hallway wasn't the best place for that
discussion. Plus there wasn't enough time before class to go over the utter
weirdness of it all.

A couple of students mentioned heading off to lunch early, since our class
was scheduled for the next block of lunch, and I got an idea.

This period Adam had Drama.

That pretty much made my decision for me. The next minute I was heading out
the door with my backpack over my shoulder, and a pink hall pass was in my
hand like Perseus' shield.

Mr. Cooper was the director for the school's theater department and all his
`little thespians' had Drama during the same period so they could practice
for plays. Since they'd wrapped up the spring production, the same one the
Juilliard representatives witnessed, Mr. Cooper didn't care what they did or
who wandered in and out of his class. So all in all Cooper was pretty
awesome and his drama class was like the Promised Land.

I milled in through one of the side doors that led into auditorium. I
spotted a few students sitting in the seats talking, probably others from
different classes. I could see a couple faces from Spanish had already
beaten me here. The actual Drama class was on the stage and Mr. Cooper was
at a piano.

Adam stepped forward in front of his classmates. They grinned teasingly and
catcalled at him and he exaggeratedly brushed off his shoulders, smiling
that adorable grin that I loved so much.

"I suppose if it's my turn," he said, voice easily carrying through the
large room. "I'm going to have to go with..."

Adam pointed to Mr. Cooper and the man began tapping at the ivory keys with
a sly grin. I laughed quietly as the familiar melody of I'll Stand by You by
the Pretenders filled the room.

I slipped into a seat near the aisle and dropped my bag in the empty chair
next to me.

Adam pointed to a girl near him and began to sing in a clear tenor, "Oh, why
you look so sad? Tears are in your eyes," She stuck her tongue out at him
and flicked him off. He winked at her and patted his chest, "Come on and
come to me now..."

He went around stage pointing to random as he sang, making crazy gestures
and playing the performance up. Everyone had a smile on their face as he
captured the audience.

He quirked his eyebrow suggestively at Mr. Cooper behind the piano and made
a broad sweeping gesture, "Don't be ashamed to cry, let me see you through.
`Cause I've seen the dark side too."

The auditorium erupted into laughter and Mr. Cooper rolled his eyes as he
continued playing, but there was no way he could hide the smile on his face.

Adam tilted his head for the briefest of moments, as if hearing something no
one else could as we laughed, and then he's looking out over the seats –
searching.

His eyes landed on me and his already present grin grew wider at the sight.
In a chorus of laughter Adam heard my laugh and found me. I waved jerkily
feeling a sudden burst of shyness, and my cheeks warmed as people looked in
the direction Adam suddenly wouldn't turn away from.

"When the night falls on you, you don't know what to do," He smiled softly
at me, placing his hand over his heart. The girls behind him giggled as they
all waved at me, making me blush harder. "Nothing you confess could make me
love you less."

In this moment everything felt surreal and perfect like a scene from a movie
or something.

Adam reached out his hand toward me, his cheeks going pink but he sang on
clearly, "I'll stand by you. Won't let nobody hurt you. I'll stand by you.
Take me in into your darkest hour. And I'll never desert you..."

Somebody help me, I was blushing so hard my face felt on fire. People were
torn between sending me knowing grins and watching Adam perform like it was
the greatest show on Earth. Adam held up one finger like he was pausing for
breath, but I knew that playful look. He was up to something.

Then without missing a beat, Adam raised both arms and all the drama kids
sang the remaining chorus with him and with embellished emotion, "I'll stand
by you. Won't let nobody hurt you... I'll stand by you."

The last notes faded away and I stood up along with others in leading the
applause. Panting and eyes alight with the thrill of performing, Adam gave
an exaggerated bow.

With a bright smile Adam waved off the shouts of an encore. The drama
students broke off into small groups, and only gave Adam a little teasing
when he hopped off the stage. He crossed the aisle quickly and folded his
arms around me in a hug.

He leaned back into the hold, smiling at me all glowey bright. "Hey."

"Hey," I said quietly feeling breathless and happy. "You were awesome up
there."

"Yeah?" he said, looking at me through his eyelashes bashfully. "We were
just fooling around."

"It was perfect," I said with feeling and meaning it. "I got here just in
time too. Right before you started."

Adam laughed, light and quick and almost melodic. "Awesome. Don't you have
Spanish this period?"

"Mrs. Montemayor called a free period," I explained, wrapping my fingers
around his wrist and tugging him over and into a chair to sit. "We have
about ten or so minutes of class left. I figured we could walk to lunch
together."

Adam laced our fingers together grinning mischievously. "This is why I keep
you around. You're kind of crazy, but your ideas are amazing."

"And you give good head," I retorted with my own grin. "We all have our
uses."

He snorted. "Touché Summers, touché."

My smile dimmed a bit as I thought about the next hour. "So how do you think
Killian's going to feel about Ryan 2.0?"

"When he picks his jaw up, I think he's going to be kicking himself," Adam
answered, shaking his head. "If Lacey has anything to say about it then add
pissed off to that list too."

I winced. "Right. I forgot about her for a second. It'll be like ripping off
a band-aid. We'll tell him fast and harsh."

"It will lessen the hurt," Adam said nodding sagely. "I told you watching
Oprah was great for advice."

"Even though she's full of shit," I muttered.

Adam gasped and slapped his hand over my mouth. He looked around so fast
that I was afraid his neck would snap. His eyes were wide with fear and
panic lingered at the edges.

"Are you insane!" he hissed. "You can't just talk bad about Oprah! She
probably has this room bugged."

I pried his hand off my mouth and looked at him for a long moment. "Are you
insane?"

Adam's arms flailed around as he hastily tried to explain, "She can cut you
with one hundred dollar bills!"

I looked at him with wonder. "It's official; you've been hanging around me
too long." My face split into a grin. "You're crazier than me. Awesome."

He tapped his finger against his lip pondering the thought. "I think you
might be right." He slapped his palm against his knee. "I want a divorce!"

I squinted at him. "Is this real life?"

"Don't be like that, baby." He kissed two fingers and tapped them against my
lips. "I'll give you half of my assets."

"Half of nothing is nothing," I said slowly.

Adam held up one finger with his face glowing with triumph. "Exactly!"

The bell rang saving him from the jinx I was about to lay on him. He flashed
those dimples at me and my mind blanked out for a moment. By the smirk on
his face he totally knew it too. I scowled at him and pushed at his
shoulder. Laughing he captured my hand and pulled me up, grabbing my
backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. We joined the throng of kids
heading to the cafeteria.

"I really hope Killian doesn't level the school after he sees Ryan and
Lacey," I said cringing, and Adam snorted.

"Like you did with the mall?"

"That was different, dick," I huffed, tossing my head haughtily. "I was
under massive stress!"

"I guess it's kind of awesome that you would bring down a mall after
thinking I cheated on you," Adam said, sounding very smug. He looked at me
out of the corner of his eye, "That's, like, holy ground to you."

I frowned. "That would just mean I'd have to break in a whole new boyfriend,
and really, who has that kind of time."

Adam pressed his hands over his heart, wiping at a pretend tear. "Aw, love
you too."

We both cracked up.

"So I'm thinking we need a game plan," I said as we sat down at our usual
table in the courtyard outside. Our plastic trays were crammed with the
questionable school food.

Adam shifted my backpack at his feet and twisted open his Coke bottle. "You
mean with Rainbow-Gate?"

"I'm talking about Ryan and Killian inevitable meltdown that's due to take
place shortly."

He nodded, sipping at his drink. "That's what I meant. Ryan and Killian are
gay for each other... Rainbows are the stamp of the gays and-"

"Yes, yes I see what you did there." I waved off the rest of his
explanation. "Geez, I forgot how connect the dots your mind is sometimes."

"And you love it," he said knowingly.

"Besides the point," I replied, jabbing my fork at what could either be
gravy or slime. "So... oh, look. There's Ryan."

Like earlier, everyone couldn't take their eyes from the new Ryan. It had
been a long time since the school had someone this gorgeous to ogle, so the
novelty of the whole thing was still fresh. Lacey walked beside Ryan, and I
couldn't lie, they looked cute next to each other. Her exotic looks and his
goddamn movie star face complimented each other perfectly. It was like
looking at Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. And really, I definitely needed to
get a new pastime besides watching the Disney Channel. It was taking over my
life.

Ryan spotted Adam and I and gave a wave. I nodded as he held up a finger
signaling to give him a minute. They stopped at Lacey's usual table and I
could see her introducing Ryan to the cheerleaders and the varsity jocks. My
eyebrows shot up. Well, well somebody was already climbing the social
ladder.

"They're both going to sit with us aren't they?" asked Adam.

I nodded, watching them from across the quad. "I think so. Killian has to
come all the way from the third floor, so he'll be here soon." I didn't know
whether to dive under the table or get popcorn. "This is going to be good."

"Understatement, babe," Adam muttered, chewing his pizza.

"What are you guys talking about?"

We were both startled as Killian placed his tray on the table and sat down
next to Adam. Oh shit.

I didn't know what to say. Adam looked lost for words too if the panicky
look on his face was an indicator. Turns out we didn't have to say anything.
Killian's eyes landed on Ryan before we could do or say a word. His face
grew puzzled for a moment and then cleared with surprised realization,
immediately followed by a sort of wonderment that made his eyes wide and
cheeks go all rosy pink.

"Ryan," he whispered his name like a prayer, and my heart went out to him.

Lacey slipped her hand into Ryan's as she leaned over the table, laughing at
something her friends said. She coyly looked over her shoulder at Ryan who
was smiling back brightly. Killian's mouth dropped the tiniest bit. Then it
was like a switch flipped. His face went dark as his eyes narrowed flashing
with a growing rage.

"Oh, hell no," Killian snapped, getting up from his seat.

Adam grabbed his wrist before he could go tearing across the courtyard.
"Whoa, you need to calm down, man. Like, seriously."

"What the fuck is she doing with her hands on him," Killian said angrily,
glaring across the quad at the laughing couple. "Her hands are all over him
like-like-"

Adam's looked at Killian and said gently, "He's not your boyfriend, Killian.
Not anymore."

His head snapped down to Adam looking at him for the first time. His eyes
were dilated with anger and jealously and I almost wanted to cry for him as
his entire face just crumbled.

He plopped back down in his seat and I thought I caught a flash of wetness
in his eyes before he looked down at his tray so we couldn't see his face.
He didn't lift his head again.

I looked helplessly at Adam. He chewed at his bottom lip just as lost as I
felt. I couldn't do anything but pat Killian's shoulder. Ryan tugged Lacey
over to our table. Right now I wanted them as far from here as possible.
Killian looked like he was barely keeping it together. There was no telling
what he would do.

Ryan hadn't noticed Killian yet. He was too busy nodding at something Lacey
was saying as they walked over. Then finally gray eyes lifted and Ryan's
steps faltered. It was too late. They were already at the table.

"Hey, Adam," she chirped brightly. "How about that test in Calculus the
other day? I think I had a nightmare about solving integrals last night."

"Uh, yeah," said Adam, valiantly trying to not look between Ryan and
Killian. "I'm hoping for an A, but here's hoping right?"

He did modesty well. We all knew that he would get an A. Adam wasn't freaky
smart like Ryan, but he grasped things on levels that no else could.
Calculus was childs play with someone at his level of evolutionary
development.

"Totally," she grinned, sliding into a seat across the table. Ryan was slow
to join her. "I already know Killian and Adam, and you're...Chad, right? I
think we had a chem class together once."

Not like she ever sat next to me, or even talked to me but whatever. "Yeah,
with Mitchell."

Ryan's smile was the saddest, sweetest little thing. "Hey, Killian."

Killian looked like he didn't know what to say to that. He stared at Ryan
with a sort of intense stare, but then it was gone and he pressed his lips
together and frowned slightly.

"Hey," he said quietly, almost inaudibly.

Lacey tucked her hair behind her ear. "I didn't realize you guys all hung
out."

"We've known each other a long time," I said with a shrug. That was putting
it mildly.

Killian looked heartbreakingly sad as he stared at Ryan deeply. "Why the
change?"

Ryan bent his head. "I thought it would help people see me better."

"I saw you," said Killian almost defiantly.

Lacey turned to Ryan giving him a pretty smile. "I love it." She touched her
fingers to his temple. "I can't believe your eyes. They're gorgeous. I
thought they were contacts at first."

He smiled at her dim but pleased. "All real."

Even though the flirting wasn't overt it was still happening and I was super
uncomfortable. I chanced a glance at Killian and he was staring at Lacey
with something unholy shining in his eyes. Uh oh.

"Hey congratulations on that whole homecoming queen thing," I said hastily
before Killian could lash out. "I know it was months ago, but I never said
it so whatever."

Brown eyes lit up and she smiled ridiculously happy. "Thank you. I still
can't believe I won."

I wanted to roll my eyes. Not like she had much competition. Everybody knew
that if she won there would be a party down at Crater Lake to rival all high
school parties.

"You tripped pretty hard on the way to the stage," Killian pointed out
smiling at her hugely, but so very fake. "I'm so glad the student paper
didn't put that in the follow-up article."

And it begins.

Lacey slapped her hands to her face as she laughed embarrassed and peeked
out at Killian from between her fingers.

"Oh, my God!" she squealed, shaking her head. "I can't believe I tripped. I
knew those heels were dangerous, but no, I had to listen to Stacey and wear
them." She made her voice high pitched and nasally. "'If Beyonce can do it
you totally can too, girlfriend', my ass."

I didn't want to but I laughed. Okay, girl was kind of funny. I didn't want
to look at Killian right now, but I bet if I did there would be a dirty look
aimed my way. Ryan perked up when I laughed, appearing glad that someone was
showing interest and being, you know, nice.

Ryan stood suddenly and he flushed as we all stared at him, surprised. "I'm,
uh, I'm thirsty. I'm going to go get a fountain drink."

Lacey made an approving noise. "Can you get me one too, please? I didn't
even realize I was so thirsty until just now."

"Sure," he agreed quickly, practically fleeing to get away from the table,
from us, from Killian's penetrating stare.

Tossing her dark curls, Lacey turned back to us with a smile. "He's so
sweet, I just can't believe he exists. You know?"

Adam grabbed my hand hard under the table as Killian leaned forward. He
stared at her with a dead coldness in his eyes that startled her into
freezing in place.

"Lacey what are you doing?" he asked, each word coming out with an icy hiss.

She frowned at him, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You know Ryan is my boyfriend."

Confusion vanished replaced by a calculating gleam. "I know no such thing.
So he's bi, then?" She nodded to herself giving him a satisfied smirk. "I
can work with that."

Killian's shoulders stiffened black clouds beginning to gather around his
face. "Did you not hear me? That boy you're feeling up is mine."

"I don't think so," she retorted, meeting his dark glare without blinking.
"If he was yours he wouldn't be with me, now would he? Don't get mad at me
because you can't keep a man. And don't talk to me like I'm some
homewrecking ho. Your happy home was broken before I even entered the
picture."

"You fucking bitch," he growled, slamming his hands on the table. "You don't
even know-"

Lacey held up her hand and cut in, "Oh, grow the fuck up. You lost. I won.
Kick rocks, Ryan's free game."

Ryan walked up then and Lacey smoothly rose to her feet plastering on a
sweet smile for him. She slid her arms around his neck and tilted her head
up to lay a gentle kiss against his cheek, murmuring thanks against his sun
kissed skin.

"Come on Ryan I want to introduce you to some more of my friends," Lacey
told him. She waved at us throwing Killian a smile that contrasted with the
tiniest glare she leveled him with. "Bye, you guys."

"I'll be seeing you," Killian gritted out through clenched teeth.

I swallowed and felt the area get suddenly warm as the concentration of
light increased beyond the scope of human senses. Adam shot Killian a look
and nudged him with his elbow. It immediately cooled and I breathed a sigh
of relief.

I waved goodbye to them as they walked away. Dead cheerleader walking right
there.

I knew Killian wouldn't harm her, but his mind worked in devious ways. Due
to his popularity Killian was a treasure trove of secrets. There was no
telling what dirt he had on Lacey. Honestly I didn't even want to know. His
mind was like a downward spiral. At times he thought like a predator. It was
enough to repulse yet entrance a person.

Killian didn't even pretend not to notice Lacey look back at the table
sizing him up. Instead he looked right back and arched a challenging
eyebrow.

Her eyes narrowed into catlike slits. It was a vicious look that made her
resemble those evil witches you read about. I think she expected Killian to
back down. He glared right back and then did something completely
unexpected. He smiled.

A shiver ran down my spine.

"She has no clue..." Killian tsked under his breath. He rose to his feet and
tipped his head at us. "Excuse me guys. I have work to do."

Killian jammed his hands in his pockets and looked over at Ryan one last
time. His lips were parted and blatant want briefly shined through brighter
than the stars. Then it was gone and he was walking away.

He didn't notice Ryan look up as he turned, gray eyes following him steadily
till he disappeared from sight.

I let out a loud exhale. It felt like I had been holding my breath for the
last fifteen minutes of forever. I looked over at Adam and he was rubbing at
goose bumps rising on his forearms.

"Geez," he muttered, licking his lips. "So, I'm officially worried for that
girl. She in danger."

"Reputation danger," I explained, shaking my head feeling dizzy. "You didn't
grow up with him, but Killian's kind of a social climbing sociopath. The
quarterback last year told Killian he had blowjob lips. Two days later it
got out he was having sex with a male teacher..." I paused for dramatic
effect. "for money. Money he was using to supe up his car. It was quite the
scandal. I don't have proof, but I know Killian masterminded that whole
thing."

Adam made a face. "You're kidding me."

I shook my head. "His name was Royce Lockett. They called him Royce Fuckit
all the way up till grad last May. He had to quit the team after a while
too."

"Gay bashing?" Adam asked making a sympathetic noise.

"Not even." I gestured over at the table where the football players were.
Michel Van Lander was dry humping Simon Banks and the rest of team was
egging them on. "Rumor is those clowns kept propositioning him like he was a
hooker. My theory is with their girlfriends in the celibacy club they'll
take it where they can get it.

"Gross."

I nodded and echoed the sentiment. "Pretty much."

Lacey's laugh pricked my ears. I felt a miniscule of pity for her. She was
good standing up to Killian like that, but if that silly girl thought she
won well, she didn't know Killian Morris.

Shit just got real.

-

Mom told me to be home straight after school. She got her wish. I was home.
If she could see what I was doing now that would set off a whole new chain
of anger. I knew the greater ramifications of my current actions, but I was
still doing it.

I was sitting cross-legged on my bed. The Videum Crystallus was open before
me in its book form. I flipped through the pages researching, searching, but
with the ever flowing script and entries that seemed to go on forever it was
difficult to find what I was looking for.

There was an endless number of spells contained within, countless data logs
that read like diary entries, schematics of advanced technology and pages
and pages of what looked like a `how to' guide to building a star. Jesus, my
past self was bit of a psychotic genius. He even had the known strengths and
weaknesses of various gods and lesser deities. Frak me. Some of these names
were well-known. The information in here could either move the world to war
or unite a planet.

But that wasn't what I was looking for.

The thing is I don't trust my brother's safety with anyone. While I had
forgiven Killian and Ryan both for their insurrection last year, I hadn't
forgotten. I never would. Kevin was the strongest of us all. There would
always be people who wanted him out of the equation or use him for his
power.

I liked Celeste sure. Did I take her word that Kevin was okay? Hell no. If I
don't hear straight from his mouth then he didn't say it. I would keep
thinking that till I was proven wrong. I was a paranoid sonofabitch and
proud of it.

There. My eyes landed on the entry. In the bold, blocky Atlantean print was
what I was looking for – The Silver City. I skimmed through the page and it
told me mostly what I already knew. Home of the angels and not the same
place as Heaven – it exists outside the created order of things. It predated
the rest of creation even.

An idea formed in the spinning mess that was my thoughts. Calculations and
equations came together quickly as I did the mental spellwork, adjusting
power requirements and proper string theory to check my M-based math.
Thinking in higher dimensions was always a bitch.

I picked up my phone and thumbed down through my contacts till I found
Adam's number and pressed send. He answered after the first couple of rings
and I took a deep breath.

"Don't freak out till I'm finished, okay?" I said after he happily greeted
me. "You're not talking me out of this so don't even try... I'm making a
trip upstairs."

The fragile silence was broken by Adam's hesitant voice, "Chad, are you
talking about Heaven?" He continued on sounding close to panic. "You're
talking about breaking into Heaven aren't you?"

"More like the Silver City," I corrected, shifting the phone on my shoulder.
"I'm doing this, Adam. Going, breaking in, whatever – I don't care. I'm
going to angel HQ and I'm getting my brother back."

"And what if he's there and safe?" he countered.

"Then I'll come on home tail tucked between my legs like a good old boy. But
what if he's not okay, what then? I'll tell you." My voice went dark. "Any
angel that stands between me and my brother, I'll drop them."

Dear, God. I think I just declared war on Heaven.

****
We're almost at the midpoint now. I would say there's seven more chapters
left. Between chapters I sometimes right little timestamp fics that go along
with the story. You can go here to read the fics posted:
http://thechosenfour.wetpaint.com/page/The+Chosen+Series

There's a particular story posted there that deals with the aftermath of
Killian and Ryan's breakup and the catalyst of Ryan's drastic change this
chapter. It's called `here outside your bedroom'. In a few days another
timpestamp fic will be posted that features Killian's actions following this
chapter. That one will be called `Set Fire to the Third Bar'.

Batmanhater@aol.com -- Drop me an email here.
www.quicktopic.com/39/H/fXmyJ3NcYt7Z - Chosen forum. For updates/discussion
thechosenfour.wetpaint.com -- The Chosen Wiki (WIP)