“Carrick? Oh Caaaaarrick!” The brunette called as she strode down a path on the mansion grounds. She had been searching for the gryphon-boy for the past hour-and-a-half, looking in his bedroom, the kitchen, the living room, and even the library (which, as expected, he was not in). The only place left was outside, and various sources had confirmed that he was still on the grounds somewhere. Where is that kid? This is a very important matter! Haylee thought to herself as she searched the cloudless sky, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. “It’s going to take me forever to find him if he’s flying,” she grumbled, eyes scanning the mansion’s high roof. In her hand she held a bright yellow flier, the words “School Dance” in big, bold letters at the top. Yes, this was the reason the girl was seeking out Carrick. “Carrick! Where the heck are you?”

One thing she hated about the mansion was the sheer size of it. While it added to a sense of grandeur, it also made it a massive pain to find someone. Not to mention she was still a bit shaky with navigation. At least she didn’t need to carry around her school map anymore… After ten more minutes of walking around the building (she had only made it about half-way around) and yelling for the angel kid, the seventeen-year-old took a break and sat down, her back against the side wall of the mansion. She took a glance at the paper in her hands, now slightly crumpled from her earlier grip. “Mid-Summer School Dance! Grab your date and join us in the Danger Dance Room for a night of fun-filled excitement! Food and refreshments will be served throughout!” She had to admit she was looking forward to it a teeny-tiny bit.

A shadow passed her overhead, and she looked up reflexively. It took her a moment to realize who exactly she was looking up at. Could it be? Yes, it was the very boy she was hunting for! “HEY! Gryphon-boy! Down here!” Haylee hollered at the person flying above her, waving her arms around and jumping. She realized that she probably looked incredibly stupid, but didn’t stop moving. She had been looking for Carrick for far too long to lose him now. “Hey Carrick!”

Carrick rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned, clearly his brilliant idea to fly in an attempt to try and wake himself up wasn’t as brilliant as he thought. The more energy he put into flying and the more dives he took the more tired he became until finally he decided it was time to head back to the mansion and possibly actually fall asleep. Getting closer and closer to the mansion his eyelids grew heavier and heavier till he heard someone yelling, he looked down and saw someone waving to him and the words ‘Gryphon’ and Carrick came to his attention and then he realized he was being called.

He didn’t like it when people revealed his other self without his permission and thankfully no one was around but that didn’t stop him from getting a sour look on his face. Lowering to the ground his eyes opened wide and he looked to the girl who saved him and his roommate from a mugging.

”Haylee?” he asked curiously as he landed and then folded his wings behind him his tail swaying behind him curiously as he tilted his head, ”You know I don’t like every one knowing I can shift… they are more tempted to ask for a ride and frankly I like the look of surprise on their face when they actually see me…” he said with a smirk and then a small laugh still wondering how many people were still unaware of what he could do.

He blinked once then looked back to Haylee, ”Whatcha need?”

She took a step back as Carrick landed near her, neatly folding his wings in. “The look of surprise on their face…?” She probably would have been more surprised the first time she had seen him change into his gryphon form, had the circumstances been different. “I don’t know. Gryphon-boy has kind of stuck with me since I met you…” The girl winced slightly as she remembered the first encounter she had with him, but tried to shake it off. There were important issues to discuss! “Err, but on to a more pressing matter. I’ve been looking for you for nearly two hours!” She exclaimed while rapidly waving around the yellow flier, her voice brimming with impatience and eagerness.

What she was about to do was a tad…unorthodox, but she was sure it would all pay off in the end. She could see it all now. She would help Carrick realize that Elizabeth was the girl for him, and help him work up the courage to ask her to the upcoming school dance. Then they would grow closer and fall in love and be high school sweethearts! Sure they might go through some rough patches during their college years, but ultimately their strong love for each other would keep them together. She sighed as she envisioned their magnificent wedding (all to be coordinated by her) and all of the little animal-empathic, gryphon-winged children they would have. And then they would grow old together and she would take credit as the one who jumpstarted their relationship and—

Haylee’s little daydream was interrupted by the gryphon boy’s question, and she quickly returned to reality. She cleared her throat, realizing that this was the very moment that would define the outcome of all others after it, and determine if her fantasy for Carrick and her roommate became a reality. “Please don’t be shocked about how I am aware this, but I know that you like Elizabeth.” Cue dramatic pause. “And I’m sure you’ve heard of the dance coming up soon,” she said rather transparently. She accompanied this with the dramatic raising of an eyebrow in an innuendo-y manner. Sheesh, if this kid doesn't get what I mean by now...

Two hours? Must be super important if she really was looking for him for that long, most people would have given up but then again this was Haylee and he knew she wasn’t like most people, most people don’t kick a gunmen when a gun was pointed directly at someone. She started to wave a yellow flyer that looked familiar and while she waved it his eyes followed his tail twitching the way a cat does before a pounce.

The pounce never came for two reasons, one he had a bit more control of that and before his muscles could tense his mind trailed to reason number two which preoccupied his thoughts. The flyer was so familiar because he had seen them all over the mansion, it was for the school dance! He blinked once then twice not really sure how to take her looking for him for two hours with the flyer in her hand… Was she going to ask him to the dance? His tail dropped low not really liking that idea, it wasn’t that Haylee wasn’t attractive it’s just well he wasn’t interested in her that way.

Besides he was planning on just going to the dance by himself and that way he didn’t have to hurt any ones feelings… he mentally sighed and quickly thought of reasons why he couldn’t go with her, ‘It’s not you it’s me’ didn’t really fit the situation so he decided that he could improvise an excuse.

Ready to start off with an apology and a sympathetic shoulder pat Carrick’s plan crashed and burned when Haylee dropped Elizabeth’s name and the words ‘you’ and ‘like’ in the same sentence. ”….What?” Carrick asked his head tilted to the side not really sure how she came to the conclusion that he liked Elizabeth. His head tilted to the other side as a bit of blood flushed his cheeks only to be forced away when he threw up his hands shaking them. ”As a friend!” he exclaimed not really sure how she would come to this conclusion.

”And I know the dance is coming up but…” he paused the look of confusion on his face dissipated so he could respond properly, ”I was planning on going by my self!” he said revealing he had no intention of going to the dance with anyone.

The reaction the gryphon-shifter gave was unexpected, to say the least. She had predicted that he would get a little freaked out at her intuitive knowledge, but she hadn’t expected him to contradict her so loudly. She had expected a little stuttering, a lot of blushing, and a weak denial at first. After all, boys had that silly macho-pride thing, and would never admit to liking a girl right away. She gave an amused smile as he tried to claim that he only liked Elizabeth in a platonic sense, and shook her head with a sigh. Oh Carrick, Carrick, Carrick, I’m an avid student of love. I can see right through your little façade. Even the way he was waving his hands around in the air practically screamed, “I secretly like Elizabeth.” Really, he was being all too obvious.

“Oh, I get it…there’s no reason for you to be nervous! Liz is just as new at this as you are.” At least, she thought she was. Truthfully, Haylee hadn’t spoken to her roommate about this matter at all, save for a few dropped mentions and attempted conversations that the animal-empath had blushingly evaded or ignored. She was getting better at her verbal parrying, and it was proving more and more difficult for the older girl to get anything out of her these days. That is what had driven the seventeen-year-old, in her final desperation, to seek out Carrick and get him to start the ball rolling. Elizabeth would have no knowledge of this of course, and Haylee would take the necessary measures to keep the winged teenager silent.

“Nonsense, you’re not going by yourself,” there was a subtle hint of command in her voice. She crossed her arms, an amused expression still perched on her face, and tried to stare down the angel in front of her. He would go with Liz; Haylee would make sure of it.

Carrick shook his head again not really sure what Haylee was talking about, yes Elizabeth was nice and pretty but… she was a friend and just that he had no intention bringing someone to the dance he didn’t like more than a friend, he was told that was how things became complicated and life shouldn’t be complicated. Sides from watching his brother losing his friend (who was a girl) to something stupid like this was the main reason he planned on going by himself. Other wise he might have asked another one of his friends who more than likely would have had a line he would have had to wait in to ask her.

He wasn’t nervous, not yet at least and with Haylee pushing the topic like she was, well that was a good start to getting him nervous. Shaking his hand again he spoke, ”No, I’ll be going by meself!” Carrick said his accent sticking out a bit more when he realized that this wasn’t as much as a request opposed to a demand. ”Elizabeth is my friend and just that, and I don’t want her to get the wrong idea! So I will be going by myself!” Carrick said his tone more serious as he took a step back and his posture straightened upright in an attempt to make him sound like he was proving his point.

She had a good few inches on him and from what he saw she could fight but if it really came to her trying to force him to go with Elizabeth, Haylee was going to have one hell of a time forcing him if she couldn’t catch him. She stared him down with crossed arms and Carrick mirrored but opening his wings slightly behind him making him seem wider than he actually was. It was his way of warding off a threat.

Geez, Carrick must really have some macho complex going on. I almost believe him right now! She thought as she listened to his outburst. She released another, all-too dramatic sigh and gave him a look of empathetic pity. The poor little guy must really, really like Elizabeth to get this flustered. How cute, his Irish burr gets more noticeable when he’s emotional. She could kind of see why her roommate found the angel so appealing. It suddenly occurred to the girl that Carrick could fly away at any moment, and she took a few steps closer to him, just in case. He couldn’t fly with a person latched onto him, could he?

Haylee fell back to attention when the gryphon-boy’s tone surprisingly turned serious; oh God, the “she’s just my friend” argument again. Really, didn’t this kid get that that wouldn’t work on her? “Carrick, buddy, it seems you don’t get what I’m trying to say here. Liz is all for this idea!” Probably. “There’s nothing holding you back,” she replied as the boy straightened his posture and copied her stance. It seemed like he was trying to intimidate her, but it was going to take a lot more than steely looks and adamant denials to chase the petite brunette away.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression changing to a more familiar one of determination and stubbornness. “Do you know how many years of martial arts training I’ve had?” It was a random question, but there was a not-so-subtle threat concealed in it. It appeared that she would have to change tactics.

He shook his head again his chest puffing out slightly as his wings wee still slightly open behind him, ”Bout a sharp as a beach ball here…” Carrick said his accent coming out in full as his tail flicked behind him revealing how flustered and irritated he was getting. ”She might be all for the idea but I’m not, she is just my friend and I don’t want her or anyone else to be more than just a friend right now!” said the teenage shifter who held his ground when he noticed the one threatening him was stepping closer.

”Quit being an Amadan*,” Carrick said knowing full well if his father heard him talking to a girl this way (even one that was passively threatening him)he would have gotten the beating of a life time. His eyes narrowed hers though they probably weren’t as effective seeing as they weren’t the same color, more than nothing they would have been a bit more distracting than he would have planned but right now that was all he needed.

Her next question solidified the threat that she was beating around the bush with and Carrick’s tail lowered revealing what was going through his find. ”You know how many years I’ve had a rough upbringing?” Carrick asked as he narrowed his eyes a bit more to attempt to become even more intimidating, ”Me Half Brother has about two hundred and twelve pounds on you… and he is a telekinetic…” Carrick said his gaze fixed on the girl in front of him.

”I’m going to the dance by me self!” Carrick said with a dominant tone hoping that Haylee would take a hint. Sheesh were all women this pushy?

(*= Idiot)

Now he was just being plain frustrating. The seventeen-year-old was definitely not enjoying the sarcasm coming from the boy’s mouth. Ugh, some angel. Why do I get the feeling Amadan is not such a flattering term? “What did you just—I mean, no matter how much you try to deny it, I know that you have a crush on Elizabeth,” she said, now clearly exasperated. The sun was beginning to shine into her eyes, but she didn’t shield them with her hand. That would require the petite mutant to uncross her arms, and she didn’t want to break the full-body glare she was currently directing at Carrick.

Rough upbringing? Was he trying to garner sympathy from her now? Some other time, those words might have deeply affected her. Now however, she let them fly right past her. She wouldn’t sympathize with someone who was talking to her with that kind of tone, much less with someone giving her the kind of look the gryphon-shifter was giving her now. “And my brother’s in the army, big whoop,” Haylee replied, kind of feeling bad for being so flippant. She shook her head in determination, punting those thoughts to the back of her mind. I will not stray from my goal! She thought, resisting the urge to punch the air with resolve, or punch Carrick in the gut.

“No one goes to save a damsel in distress that fast unless they have some stronger feelings for her,” the girl said in retaliation to the sudden authority in the gryphon-boy’s voice. It was a wonder how she hadn’t snapped his spine yet. She almost added, “that fast with guns pointing at him,” but decided that she didn’t want to ruin the romanticism of the statement.

He shrugged his angelic shoulder causing his wings to raise and lower, ”Well, you can think what you want, I know I like Elizabeth no more than a friend!” Carrick said adamant on not being pushed around or threatened into doing something he didn’t want to do in the first place. All those years of getting picked on for being the freak with a tail and wings taught Carrick one thing, people were pushy and mean and if you give into them, it only makes it worse and Haylee wasn’t going to make it worse for him, he got a fresh start and he didn’t want to relieve everything that made school so horrible for him in the first place.

Carrick shrugged again giving Haylee a bit more attitude than she might have deserved at this point, when she mentioned her brother was in the army he didn’t respond with words, only a tail flick behind him. If he ever had elongated canines at this point they would be showing in another attempt to keep Haylee from taking this conversation well past the argument point.

Next to try and win her argument she tried to pull the damsel in distress bit one that only got Carrick to raise his eyebrow slightly but then he managed to lowered it back down into his mirrored glare. What was the reason he went after Elizabeth? The more he had to think on it the more he decided it was for revenge, they scared him and his roommate and he wanted to scare them back, saving Elizabeth was just another reason to go after them. Right?

Rolling his eyes and taking a step backwards Carrick turned and opened his wings, his own thoughts on his friends weren’t going to be tainted by Haylee, Elizabeth is just a friend and nothing more. ”This conversation is over!” Carrick said crouching his legs readying for a take off, ”And I stand by what I said, I’m going by me’self! Got it?”