Edge Part 3: Encounter

    I rubbed my hand over my face, taking in a deep breath of moist, summer morning air. My body may have been walking down the road, dark with the color of a sky at six in the morning, but my mind was still in bed...The nerve of my mother. Most of my life is still in boxes, and yet she wakes me up Friday morning to go to school... Because missing that one day was going to ruin my life if I didn't go... I suppose that's her frame of mind. I was so out of it I didn't even bother to complain.
     The walk to school really wasn't so long. I could practically see the end of the wide yellow road laid out in front of me,  tall grass and twisted steel rising into the dim summer sky on either side. From there, it would be just a short turn away. And once I dug my bike out from whatever box filled hole the moving men had dumped it into, I could get there in only a few minutes.
      As my mind began to focus, I decided to assess myself. I looked down at my clothes. A plain black tee and blue jeans with a small black gym  bag thrown over my shoulder that my mother had stuffed a white shirt and shorts into just in case I decided to do gym... Yeah, right. Usually I would be more adventurous, but most of my things hadn't been unpacked, and I didn't want to stand out too much on my first day. I ran one hand through my hair, brushing out the knots I had missed with my quick brushing. I let my attention glide away from my appearance. As I watched the scenery which laid in my path, I noticed one of the larger pieces of train. The same one I had seen  the other day when my mother had stopped for directions. And like the other day, it was still occupied.
    I felt a strange anticipation welling up inside of me. I was too far away to see who they were, but there was only two people sitting in the hull today... And from the look of it, they both had the same flame hair. I can't say exactly why, but part of me began to relaxed more and more as I realized that the blonde boy wasn't there. I was pretty sure I could deal with the other two with no problem... as I drew closer, I noticed that they were both looking in my direction. The girl and the smaller boy. What was I so worried about? Sure, they were weird looking, but then again, so was I... But there was something more. Maybe I was just so used to the faces of my own town that others unsettled me, but there was an air about them I couldn't shake... To put it bluntly, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them came leaping out at me and tried to take a bite. I could see the headline news story now! 'Dead boy appears on the outskirts of Edge! Strange animal bites around his throat and heart!' And then statements from some old, fat cops claiming that it was wild dogs... or maybe 'Stay indoors! Wild animals on the loose!' Or, judging by the size of this town, I wouldn't even make the papers... Nope, some local who's cat gave birth the twenty two kittens would take my place on the cover. I couldn't help smirking at the thought.
     By the time I was done with my morbid predictions, I was only a few feet away from the red haired pair. I nodded to them. The boy glanced up at me and tried to keep his eyes on mine, but couldn't manage. He looked away shyly, giving a half smile and a small wave. He was still dressed in blue plaid pajamas and a white tee shirt with an old, wore out picture of a black dog on the front. The girl was dressed in a sweater that was too big, the sleeves falling over her hands and covering most of her thighs. I could only assume she had shorts underneath, but I couldn't see them. She flashed a big white smile through her bright red, painted lips, sliding out of the rusted hull of the train. "Hey," she said simply. "You're the  new kid, right?" There was a I-know-it-all tone in her voice.
"Abel," I said. She was pretty. Gorgeous, even, but already didn't like her in the least... and right now, she was standing in my way. She tiled her head to the side, childishly, her curls of red hair going with her as she judged me, shamelessly. "A-abel," she said, drawing out my name as if saying it that way would leave some sort of taste in her mouth. "That's a nice name, I guess..." Her eyes darted back up to mine as she straightened her back. "My name is Angel," she said, smiling. She nodded her head towards the boy. "that's my brother, Gideon." The boy looked up, and his mouth opened, but before he could manage a 'hi' angel shook her head. "he doesn't talk much." The boy bit down on his lip, shuffling nervously in the car.
     Angel looked at me, expectedly. "So-o," I said, trying to think of something to say before I could worm my way around her. "Aren't you guys going to school?" She shook her head.
"My older brother, Dante, he home schools us." For a brief moment, the blonde boy entered my mind, but then I quickly realized that she was talking about the tall, raven haired guy who was talking to my mother the other day.
"And what about that boy with the blue eyes?" I said, feeling a coldness inside of me as I thought about his icy stare. "He doesn't go to school either?"
I must have said something wrong, because Angel's smile disappeared and she leaned away slightly. "My brother seems to think its better to go to public school..."
"His name is Elliot," Gideon said, almost too quiet to hear. Angel glared at him, but he never looked up. He played nervously with his fingers. There was an awkward silence as she shot daggers, unwavering at him until he tried to look in her direction, only to flinch away.
     I coughed. "Well," I said, shuffling my feet and making a slow pass to try and get around Angel. "I have to go or I'm going to be late..." I moved around her, but her eyes still fixed on me. I hadn't made it a foot away before I herd her call after me. "Abel, one more thing," she said. I sighed as I turned. I jumped away as her eyes met mine inches from my face. How did she get so close? I felt her push sharply into my shoulders as I lost my balance, half from my own jumping away from her. I stumbled back, by feet unable to get a grip in the dusty golden soil, and tumbled into a wall of browning grass. As I landed, pain shot through my arm. I winces, my eyes closing.
"Angel!" I herd Gideon whine, but it sounded more like pleading than shock. I felt and icy cold palm run across my forehead, pushing away loose hairs as my eyes shot open. Angel loomed over me from her kneeling position beside me, but I couldn't read her expression. She pressed her palms into my shoulders as I tried to catch my breath."Abel," she said, gently, as if she was explaining something to a child. "I really don't want you to get hurt, that's the only reason I'm doing this. Panic hit me all at once as my headline news daydream flashed into my mind... This was the part where she rips my throat out and hides my body in the grass or under some twisted steel... She leaned down. I turned my head away, pressing my eyes closed, but I didn't feel teeth in my throat. I felt her lips press into my forehead before she pulled them slowly away. "You seem like a good guy," she said quietly. "So don't try making friends with the wrong people, if you know what I mean... Keep away from my family." If she had said it in a different tone, I might have been tempted to believe that she had my best interests in mind, but all I herd was a threat. I didn't even realize that my eyes were closed until I felt the weight of her pull away from my shoulders and my body being yanked up.
       I stood, stunned in the middle of the road. Gideon stood next to me, brushing dirt off of my back. My head jerk around, confused, stopping on Angel who sat innocently in the grass.
"Sorry," Gideon muttered under his breath. Sorry? No, it was too weird... I pulled away from him, almost loosing my balance again. I took a few steps back, making sure that I wasn't going to be tackled again before I walked... well, more like ran down the road. It was only by chance that I was running towards the school. Hell, if I had been facing my house I would have ran home and told my mom something more believable than being attacked and threatened by a girl I had just met who looked prettier than any model or painting I had ever seen... Like maybe I was knocked over by a giraffe that had escaped from the zoo... Or a horde of rabid pandas trying to rip my face off.
     When I was sure I was a safe distance away, I let my pace slow. My heart throbbed against my rib cage, settling down only after I looked over my shoulder to notice that I couldn't see Angel, Gideon, or their little fort by the road. Now that I wasn't so pumped with adrenalin, I could feel the pains of my body returning. My back ached and my arm stung... My arm really stung... I held my hand in front of me, palm up. A deep, crimson streak ran down from a gash across my forearm. "bitch," I couldn't help muttering under my breath. I pulled my gym bag in front of me, holding my bloody arm away from myself. I fumbled inside of it until I found my white shirt, wrapping it around tightly around the wound. I shook my head as I tightened it further. I wasn't going to bleed to death, but still... I must have fallen onto some piece of scrap metal... There might be a shot in my future.
      You would have to be a very dedicated student to go to school the day after moving to a new town. Not only that, but do it while you were covered in dust and bleeding. I'm not that student. I looked around. I was almost to the school. There must be something I could do instead... Maybe I would just explore the town until three and then wander back home. Tell my mom I had a horrible day, laying on the guilt trip real thick. Or maybe I would just focus my energy on /finding/ a way home. God knows I wasn't going to risk passing the freak show again.
      I rounded the corner, turning onto the paved road. I couldn't help but chuckle. It was as if someone had divided the place in two halves. On the road I just came down, it looked like a ghost town. On this road, things looked normal. There was a paved road, fences, the school, even a few street signs. The sun was just high enough to turn the sky into a clear light blue. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad. This place even smelled peaceful. Maybe this was what my mother and I needed... A break. a gust of wind whipped my face into my eyes and I shook it away.
       I looked at my arm, pealing away my shirt slightly to look underneath... Still bleeding. Spots of blood were beginning to soak through the cloth, but then again, it was a white shirt... I glanced up at the school,I shook my head, turning to walk in the opposite direction down the paved road. There had to  be something that way if the school was here. Maybe a park or a lake... Anywhere where I could clean myself up and spend the day. And if I can't find my way home, I'll just walk back to the school and ride the bus... Yeah, that sounded good.
     I could hear my footsteps echoing behind me as I trekked down the empty road.... Too loudly. I walked faster, not glancing back. As I did, I could clearly make out a second set of footfalls. I felt my heart beat quicken... Why was I frightened? Who was the worst it could be?
"Hey!," A voice boomed from somewhere far behind me. It might as well have been a gun shot. My feet stumbled as my pace quickened. Who was the worst it could be, I asked myself again.... A cop? That was pretty bad... covered in blood at six in the morning on a deserted street... A mugger? Ha! Even worse! I was already looked like I had been mugged! Maybe he would think I was a poor bum and go away...
      I couldn't hear anyone behind me, but I kept going faster and faster until I felt like an Olympic marathon runner. It seemed like it took forever to get to the end of the first road. Then I turned down another, short road which looked just like any other suburban neighborhood. Maybe it he was trying to rob me, the guy would just give up... But I kept running. I turned down a smaller road. I found myself sprinting down an old, sidewalk less street lined with doorless, windowless buildings and surrounded on either side by chain link fences. some kind of wear houses maybe.
       Was I still being followed? I had to look... I slowed only slightly to peer over my shoulder. There was no one but me. Not even a menacing shadow stalked along the empty road. I slowed further until I had made a full stop. I turned around, trying to silence my breathing. The only sound was my blood rushing through my body. I gave a small smile through my panting mouth. I waited... No one came running around the corner after me. I shook my head and kept walking. the sky was starting to brighten further and could feel the summer sun starting to lick at my face.
      I turned down another road and walked only a few feet before being forced to a stop. In front of me was a small side street ending in a nine foot tall fence topped with a bit of barbed wire... well this road wasn't going to lead me home. I sighed deeply, staring down at my palm covered in dry, cracking crimson. Where was I supposed to go now? I waited for the answer to come to me...
        I felt light headed... I didn't lose that much blood, did I? I walked up to the fence, letting my tired body fall near it and leaning my back against the metal, still cold from the night before. The warmth of the sun started to burn at my back cooled only by the random gusts of wind which managed to make their way down the road. What was I going to do now... I held my arm out in front of me, untying my makeshift bandage of a shirt. I let it fall to the ground, wincing at the mess of dried blood underneath. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but it looked worse than I thought. I looked away from it, letting my arm fall at my side as if putting it there could make it go away. I pulled my knees up to my chin, wrapping my good arm around them and resting my head on top. This wasn't how things worked... You don't get attacked, chased, and lost in the span of couple hours. Had it even been that long? I closed my eyes, relaxing my shoulders. I was still tired... I let my mind take in the silence of this new town with so few people to bother me... But things weren't silent. There /was/ a noise. It wasn't close, but it was there. Tapping? No... I opened my eyes quickly. My heart nearly skipped a beat.
        There was someone still following me! He was just around the corner, now, his shadow dancing and growing with size as he moved slowly closer. I Stumbled clumsily to my feet, the wound on my arm crying out as I flexed too hard. I used the steel of the fence for support, wrapping my fingers around it, but my legs wouldn't hold. They fell out from under me. Maybe it was just because I had started bleeding again... Or maybe it was because I was lost... Or maybe it was because I was tired, but whatever the reason, my knees quaked, shaking my whole body and rattling the fence and a sense of impending doom washed over me. My body didn't want to listen to me anymore. Even my arms felt numb, now, and my eyes didn't seem to want to stay open anymore. I could feel the warmth of blood running down my arm again as I tried to focus my senses on clearing my blurring vision... Crap, crap, crap, I thought as I started seeing black spots taking over my vision... I wasn't going to die here, right? At this point, it didn't matter what I wanted... I sat there, cornered, At the mercy of whatever soul came around the corner next...