The buses had been lined up and getting ready to take a small horde of students to the Museum of Merging. With all of the drama that had been happening on campus, it was nice to be able to get away from it for a while, look at the art and study the history of Possessions and Possessors before me. I found myself waiting of the steps for Shane, trying to find him in the crowd.
"I'm sure he isn't avoiding you. He likes you! He said it himself." Catherine sat down on a step next to me, her apron folded neatly in her lap.
"Are you off?"
"Yeah, I figured I would meet you at the museum." Catherine smiled.
"That would be nice."
"Plus, I'm sorry I didn't get to you in time. I didn't know what was happening until the crowd started forming around you. I heard about the mud thing and that's pretty awesome."
"It's not a big deal. To be honest that wasn't even the worst thing that's ever happened." I shrugged.
"Oh yeah?" Catherine raised an eyebrow, silently inquiring more.
"I went on this trip with a group of friends once a few years after the library inident. They were all Vacants. It was a natural spring that had the most beautiful waterfall I had ever seen. I had pretty much kept the fact that I was a Possessor a secret, but I felt close enough to this guy who invited me and once I told him everything change. It was like a switch. He whispered to all his friends while I was floating on the surface and enjoying sun. I got close enough to edge where they all were, my eyes closed and mediating when they all jumped on me. They held me down under the water until I didn't have any strength left."
"Oh my god." Catherine looked horrified.
"One of their parents finally stopped them and I had to go home coughing up water the whole time. That's part of the reason why I like to keep to myself." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had never told anyone that.
"I'm so sorry." Catherine wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. I noticed Kate staring in our direction with an evil grin and her arms crossed as Shane appeared from behind the buses. He crossed over to the grass and poured a bottle of water over himself, lifting up his shirt to wipe away the stray droplets on his forehead. Catherine let go of me as I stared at his exposed stomach, glistening as the water streaked across his abs.
"Found your boyfriend." Catherine jeered, getting up with her apron. She helped me to my feet and gave me another hug. "I'll meet you at the museum!" She took off, leaving me standing there with a semi hard on.
"He's not my boyfriend." I said under my breath, smiling at him with an awkward smile. Catherine disappeared and I walked over with my bag poorly stitched back together.
"Hey, Shane." I held on tightly to my shoulder bag like it was going to save my life. Everyone noticed my approach and started whispering.
"Oh, hey there, Grayson." His eyes flicked over to Kate and then back to me.
"I just wanted to talk to you about the other day. I know we haven't been able to catch up and I've been trying to keep my head down since, you know, Max hates me." I trailed off as his jaw clenched. "I should go." I felt his hand touch mine as I turned to leave and it felt weird.
"No, it's alright. I'll see you at the museum?" He was short and to the point, but I went a long with it. I assumed it was because we had a mass of prying eyes trying to see what we would do. He went off to change out of his shirt he spent practice in and that was now thoroughly soaked while I loaded onto the bus, sitting behind Kate and Shane. Shane looked back at me a couple of times, smiling every time I caught him. The ride itself was rough, sitting along behind one person that liked me and the other that hated me with so much rage she might kill me. Plus, everyone else was just waiting to catch a front row seat to a Grayson versus Max fight.
When we arrived, I wandered the museum alone. I would stop in front of giant monuments with pieces of stone missing, mostly noses. The mobile tour guide highlighting some of the important aspects of the more notable pieces of work. There were countless paintings of past Possessions and Possessor pairs, placed next to each other with small inscriptions underneath detailing their association. The older connections were leaders in their towns and villages while others were simple farmers, using their gifts to create bountiful crops, or doctors who changed the world of medicine with their powers. Artists appeared on the timeline having created brilliant works of literature, painting, and other visual arts. The modern connections have police investigators, corporate leaders, and politicians.
There was a crowd around a statue in the center of the next room. The dome above it was elaborately decorated with golden accents and beautiful fresco adorned the walls. I saw Shane and Kate across the way, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as they looked up at the statue. I decided to listen to the guide, tapping play and looking up at the reference.
This statue shows the first Possessor and is the centerpiece of this room displaying individuals who used their powers for evil.
Kate pecked Shane's cheek and looked over at me. Like a child, she stuck her tongue out at me and Shane looked over. He leaned in and started making out with Kate, but I looked away quickly.
Unfortunately, his connection died in a fatal accident, leaving the broken connection to seek a new love. Unfortunately, he found himself stalking a Vacant and after merging with their body, he dwindled into madness.
The group around the statue started to move and Mrs. Sheer approached me. "Are you doing alright, Grayson?" She gave me a small smile. To be honest, she was one of the best teacher we had. She cared so much about her work and about us it made it hard not to like her.
"Yeah, I've just got a lot of stuff on my mind." I scratched he side of my head and pointed up at the statue. "This place is so cool."
"I love it here. Want to hear a story?" She looked up at the statue, her eyes a little glossy.
"I would love that." I needed to be distracted.
"When his connection died he possessed a Vacant to try and find some connection. A rumor he had heard that under the right circumstances a Vacant would allow you to talk to the dead and potentially let the Possession take over the Vacant body if summoned. This drover him mad and went on a killing spree when it didn't work, taking over Possessions so they could feel how he felt. Some people think he's still around, looking for another connection, driven by his heartbreak. Almost as though he is body-hopping through time." Mrs. Sheer kept her eye fixed on the statue.
"That's so sad." I said.
"Most people think he's a monster, but wouldn't you fight for the one you loved?" She shrugged, turning her attention back to me.
"I suppose so. I mean, I wouldn't kill them, but I get the sentiment."
"Of course!" She giggled. "We have your classes changing soon. We were unable to find an instructor, but one became available once he heard your story. Why don't you catch up with everyone else." She urged me forward, leaving her behind to look up at the statue. As I walked into the hall beyond the dome I noticed a black figure at the end dart into the next door, but I couldn't stare at it for long as I was pulled into a bathroom by a firm hand.
"Sorry I have to keep a low profile." Shane pushed me against the bathroom door, letting me stare into his beautiful eyes. He propped himself up with one hand next to me head and his arm flexed. Something about this whole situation was off, but just to have is attention felt good.
"It's okay." He interrupted me by placing a finger on my lips.
"Shh, don't speak." I heard something in one of the stalls, but when I tried to look Shan brough my head back with his index finger under my chin. He leaned in towards me, pursing his lips as though to give me a kiss but then started laughing.
"What?" I wish I could crawled out of my skin and disappeared, but Shane was able to keep there.
"You're such a faggot," he started, "who do you think you are trying to break me and Kate up? I just needed to make nice with you until I could find someone else to take me over." He flexed his arms. "Now I have. Leave Shane and Kate alone or else." I wanted to start crying, especially when he spit at me.
"Shane, wait." I shouldn't have gone after him. He plucked a mop out of a bucket and then tossed its contents at me. I was now soaked in dirty water. The noise I heard ealier was Kate hiding in a stall and she came out, recording me on her phone as tears ran down my face. I didn't know what to do so I stood there, frozen and heartbroken as Kate sent out the video to the masses.
"Let's get the fuck out of here." Shane wrapped his arm around Kate and they both laughed.
"Nice job, Max." The door was still cracked when Kate's words echoed back into the bathroom. I rushed through the students as they filed out of the museum and headed back to the buses and I pushed Shane over. Kate growled as she turned towards me.
"What do you want?" Kate's smug face was red again.
"If you don't get out of him, I will fill your lungs with mud. You didn't like that very much did you?" I pointed at Max inhabiting Shane with an evil grin.
"You won't hurt him. Plus, I doubt you can do that again. You're a weak piece of shit." Max used Shane's face in ways I had never seen it.
"Get the fuck out of his body or I will kill you." Max was barely able to find his balance when I pushed him against the bus.
"Get your hands off me!" He pushed back, but somehow I managed to throw a punch that his him square in the jaw. He held his palm to the injury and then tackled me back onto the grass of the museum. Max kept going, blood starting to stain the grass and blow after blow came craching down on my face. This was much worse than the incident at school.
"Help." I wheezed.
"You are nothing." Max punched me between each word. His knuckles were covered in my blood when Mrs. Sheer came rushing out of the museum.
"Max this is too much!" Kate was gasping as she realized this went farther than she wanted it to.
"Max?" Mrs. Sheer pulled Max off of me and held him back. I could see the sky turn red as the blood pooled in front of my pupils, listening to Mrs. Sheer yelling. She took a device out of her pocket and then pushed it against Shane's wrist. He started to shake violently until Max fell out of his body, landing on the grass next to me. He continued to convulse as I turned my head, watching him seize until I blacked out.
Before I opened my eyes to the stark white nurses office, I listened to Nurse Combly and Mrs. Sheer having a conversation.
"They should be fine in a couple of days, just let them rest. Grayson will still be recovering so don't push him too hard okay, but Shane will be good to go in no time. He is a resilient Possession." The nurse came over and checked my pulse before leaving us alone.
I turned my head and opened my eyes to Shane who was laying in the bed next to mine. As soon as he saw my eyes flutter open, he sat up. Mrs. Sheer came into view and placed a hand on my shoulder as I eased myself into a sitting position.
"Take it easy." Mrs. Sheer said.
"I'm so sorry. That was the worst thing I have ever felt." Shane said.
"I didn't know you could be so mean." I chuckled and then winced as the laughter made my eye erupt in pain.
"Be careful." Shane placed a hand on my leg and Mrs. Sheer let us have the moment before interrupting it.
"We have your classes changed, so once you recover you can pick up your new schedule from administration. The two of you don't have class for the next two days because of this incident so rest up and you'll be back here in no time." Mrs. Sheer squeezed my shoulder and left us to fill out the pile of paperwork that sat on her desk.
"I know it wasn't you." I said.
"I would never say those things to you." Shane hugged me.
"Ow careful!" I closed my eyes and let the pain disappear as Shane apologized again.
"You can stay at my place if you would like. We have a guest bedroom you could use and I already told my parents so they are okay with you staying with us. At least for these next couple of days." Shane's eyes were much brighter now that he had them back to himself.
"I would love that." I started getting up and Shane quickly went to help me. He kissed me once I was on two feet and I ignored how painful it was. It was nice feeling him again. I hid my smile as Catherine came crashing in through the door practically screaming at an invisible Max.
"Where the fuck is this twerp?! I'll kick his ass into the ground!" She was huffing, having run all the way from Café when she heard the news.
"He's been dealt with." Shane said. Catherine adjusted her demeanor quickly as she realized we were here alone.
"I am so sorry for interrupting. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. From the looks of it you got beat pretty bad." Catherine checked on me.
"You should see the other guy." I chuckled and winced again.
"Very funny." Shane teased. I walked out with the two of them, both of them some of the closest people I had ever been to.
"You better get used to me, we were friends before you started being all hunky." Catherine said to Shane who held up his hands.
"I look forward to getting to know you." Shane's parents were out in the parking lot and both Catherine and Shane helped me into the back seat. Catherine went back to work while Shane slid into the seat next to me and both of his parents smiled as they looked at the both of us in the rear view mirror.
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