"Annette," I whispered in her ear, rubbing her back as she slept soundly in my tent. She looked so peaceful, her eyes gently closed, showing no trace of stress. A morning moan escaped her lips, and I chuckled. I knew she was sleepy, as was I. We all had a horribly long night. I knew I should have cut it short, considering we have school in the morning.
"Just a few more minutes," she begged, pulling the blankets over her face. My hands tickled her sides, and I knew she'd wake up, as she hated it. She slapped my hand away, but then laughed, sitting up, and rubbing her eyes. I got my half smile. "Not fair, Abel."
My hand gently rubbed her cheek, and I smiled when I felt her warm hand on mine. "Be ready in twenty minutes." She smiled and nodded. The muscles in my legs relaxed as I stretched, walking out of the tent. I saw Elias, and Finn passed out by the logs we sat on, surrounded by a warm, cozy fire.
As I ground my teeth, I tried to keep my anger in check. Their poker cards were strewn around the log, surrounded by beer cans. Matching over there, I am sure they heard me coming. Elias woke up rubbing his eyes. I watched as he stretched. "I thought I said no booze on a school night?"
He rolled his eyes at me, and I had a strong urge to punch him in the face. "I thought we agreed Annette was off limits, but that didn't stop you from boning her," he said. I knew the redness hit my face, as I was incredibly pissed. Annette does sleep in my tent, but not for the reasons they think. She's terrified of the dark, and I promised her I wouldn't tell the boys, because they would give her shit for it. She probably finds comfort in sleeping next to someone, and I promised her father I would care for her, so maybe that's why I'm so protective of her. I didn't want a relationship within the streak if they went wrong, I didn't want the tension nor the drama attached. Because if one of them ever hurt her feelings, they would have to answer to me. So I ordered Annette to be untouchable, even for me.
"It's not like Elias."
"Everyone just chill Finn," said, walking up and rubbing his eyes.
"I want this mess cleaned up now," I barked, hearing some of the anger escape my lips.
"Yes, King Abel," I watched as Finn started cleaning up.
"If you two ever disobey my order again, there will be Hell to pay."
Exactly one hour later, we walked into school. I felt so many eyes upon us. I knew everyone was curious about us. We were not siblings, but everyone knew we lived together. I know it's deemed weird. My eyes see the boys looking at Annette. She was breathtaking, and I am willing to admit it. Her deep green jade eyes always stood out, especially with her ginger hair. I've always had a weakness for redheads. She had the perfect amount of freckles tracing her nose. Today she wore a sundress, which was black with yellow sunflowers. It was kinda revealing for my liking, but I am not her father. I wasn't entirely sure how she walked with high- heel shoes, but she pulled it off perfectly. I smiled at Annette before we went our separate ways towards our lockers.
Walking past Elias, I saw the pool of girls that surrounded him. He is such a flirt. Elias and I are very similar in appearance. But very different on the inside. We both have the same style. Flannel, cowboy hat, and boots. You can see Elias's abs through his white Hanes t-shirt. We are both very muscular. Elias and I both grew up on a farm, so we gained character and strength by lifting bales of hay. He is very confident and self-assured, but that's not my style.
Finn, on the other hand, is completely different. He always wears black. I don't think I've ever seen him wear a splash color. Black skinny jeans and a black T-shirt. The only color he has on is the white on his checkered shoes. He is in a rock band where he plays guitar, which I think inspired the tattoos going down his arm. I love his personality though, always smiling and ready to make a crazy joke.
Finally arriving at my locker, I saw Lane, David Ray, and Nova approaching. Even stranger than my streak, they never leave each other's side. I quickly cracked open the code, putting my cowboy hat on the free hook. "King Abel." I heard Lane's voice.
"Just call me Able here," I turned to face them. Even the Streak only called me Able at school. I didn't want the reputation for some creepy role-play stuff.
"Can you please clarify why there are so many of your type appearing?" I analyzed his face, searching for honesty. I trusted them to a certain point.
"I am not certain. There may be something they are looking for," Lane told me. I nodded. "Look, you don't have to kill them all; some of them aren't savage and mean you no harm," he assured me.
"I've been letting the ones past that surrender."
He winked. It feels as though we have an agreement, but we don't have a true friendship. Some snake people are functional and talkative. Others make no sense and are not functional. They don't speak or talk, they just growl at you and try to attack, showing no signs of alertness. These have to be destroyed, as they can't be tamed and are out of control.
"We will take control of the south side of the rainforest," Lane told me.
"Okay, but you need to eliminate the aggressive ones." My eyes see the anger hit David Ray's face.
"What are you accusing us of, your highness?" He barked at me, and I noticed other students' eyes on me.
"Nothing, I just know it's hard to destroy your species."
"Enough David Ray. We understand, and we are doing everything we can, Abel," Lane offers me a smile. I heard the bell ring, indicating it was time to get to class. I was glad to leave this conversation. I shook off the annoying voice in my brain that wanted me to tell David Ray to go to hell.