Fated, A Timeless Series Novella (A Timeless Series Companion Novel) (6 page)

“Well, it was lovely meeting you all,” Principal Scott said. He shook hands with us all. “I look forward to seeing you Monday.”

“I’m excited to start, sir,” I said.

“My secretary should be able to give you a brief tour now,” he said.

“Cool,” I said.

We said our goodbyes and headed out into the corridor again. The red-head appeared, and flashed a smile at Callon that bordered on flirtatious. Callon ignored her, and we followed as she led us back outside. There she took a left, and showed me the main building where I’d have my classes. Next came the sports complex, which included a basketball court, tennis courts and football fields, and then the science and I.T. department.

The whole tour took about fifteen minutes, and I was actually quite impressed with the facilities available. There was a good variety of things going on, which meant I could sign up for different
activities
to keep a
n eye on Cheyenne on the days she stayed late. I couldn’t mimic her too closely; that would just be creepy.

Daniel and I thanked the woman, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears as she only had eyes for Callon. Callon, though, looked more interested in the grass.

Give her a smile, at least!
I teased.

Begrudgingly, Callon managed a brief smile, though it came across as more a grimace. That was enough for her, though, and she walked back to her office, a slight spring in her step.

Looks like you’ve still got it, Dad,
Daniel joked.
Won’t Mom be jealous?

Funny,
Callon shot back, heading out of the gates and towards the truck.

I don’t know, Daniel
, I broke in.
I still think he could benefit from some lessons from yours truly.

Callon rolled his eyes, though I could see he was fighting to hold back his grin.

Alright, Casanova, save your charms for Cheyenne. Now let’s go home. We’ve got a lot of things to bring down to the new property.

Like what?
Daniel asked.

Callon’s smile darkened.

You’ll see.

The Sunday before my first day, I decided to go for a walk around town. Sagle was tiny compared to what I was used to, but it would be worth getting to know the area well, since I’d be calling this place home for now. Callon and Daniel were busy in the new house, sorting out the furniture and bare essentials we’d brought from Montana. As a rule, we didn’t usually have much in the way of personal possessions, as it made moving a complete nightmare, though Callon wanted to bring all of his medical equipment over. He needed to be prepared for anything, just in case.

Adjusting my baseball cap, I walked into the city center. I’d already been to the Pend Oreille Lake, where the docks were filled with boats and cruisers. Now I was going to do a brief lap around the stores, and check out the hotspots where Cheyenne might like to hang out.

As I rounded the street corner, I came to a
fountain in the square. Pigeons
waddl
ed
around it, nipping at the crumbs and litter on the ground. People milled around, chatting, laughing, and a short way ahead a girl with blonde hair
sa
t on a bench, reading.

I stopped dead. Though her eyes were focused on her book, there was no mistaking her tan skin and wavy ringlets. Of all places I could’ve run into her…

Briefly the girl glanced up, and I caught her eyes; a deep cyan, matching the lake a few miles away. No doubt about it, then.

It was Cheyenne.

Knowing that standing here with a dumb expression on my face would look nothing if not suspicious, I quickly stepped towards a shop selling skiing equipment. Inside, I pretended to look at the poles, occasionally checking outside. Cheyenne had gone back to reading, and didn’t seem to have noticed me at all. Phew.

“Everything alright, sir?”

I jumped as a store clerk came up behind me.

“Oh, just browsing,” I said, glancing over the skis lined in a neat row. I caught one of the price tags: four hundred and eighty dollars.

“We have more stock in the back,” the clerk went on. He was keen for a sale.

“Yeah, thanks,” I said. The clerk nodded.

“We do hiking equipment, too, and camping gear,” he added. “Let me know if you’re looking for anything in particular.”

“Will do.” I was wishing I’d stepped into the bakery next door. Couldn’t this guy leave me alone?

Thankfully, another customer walked in, and the clerk focused his attention elsewhere. When his back was turned, I snuck out into the square again, glancing to the bench. Cheyenne had stopped reading and was looking for something in her pack
. Eventually she pulled out an i
Pod and a set of earphones, which she put on.

I put my hands in my pockets, casually strolling towards the fountain. While I hadn’t expected to run into her like this, maybe I could turn it to my advantage. I could learn a lot about her habits just by watching her. It would give me some clues to where she liked to hang out, too. Anything to help make a good first impression tomorrow would be welcome.

Cheyenne slung her backpack over her shoulder and began walking towards a café across the square. Well, it wasn’t surprising—it was almost lunchtime. I stopped by the fountain, waiting until she was safely inside. Once I’d counted ten minutes, I made my own approach there. It was pretty busy, the line stretching outside. I joined the back of the queue, scanning through the snacks they offered. I wasn’t really hungry, but it wouldn’t hurt to try something out.

As the line shortened and I came inside, I spotted Cheyenne in the corner. She was sitting alone with a cup of
ice-blended
coffee. She peeled off the lid, which was sticky with caramel, and gave it a quick lick. Before she looked up, I turned to the display cabinet full of sandwiches, though I couldn’t help smiling. What a cute habit.

By the time I was at the counter, Cheyenne had finished her coffee and was back to reading her book, her iPod crackling away. I frowned slightly. Most girls her age would be out with friends, shopping, going to the movies, the usual teen stuff. Yet she seemed to prefer isolation, hiding in her own little world. That didn’t put me off, though. I was sure I’d find a way to open her heart.

Paying for my turkey sandwich, I spun round and walked outside. Some tables had been set up out front, so I sat beneath the
brightly colored
parasols and took a bite. Hmm, not bad.

A giggle caught my ear, and I glanced up. A group of girls in the line were staring at me. When my gaze met the one with honey-color hair, her two friends began poking her in the shoulder. Unable to resist, I flipped off my baseball cap and flashed a wink. The girl went a deep crimson, and tried to hide behind her friends.

Before I got too carried away, footsteps hurried past, and I caught Cheyenne heading back to the fountain. Calmly I stayed put, watching her from the corner of my eye. She was heading towards the park, probably to do some more reading. Well, it wasn’t like I needed to hurry after her.

I finished the rest of my sandwich, keeping the girls entertained with the odd glance and bored flick of my collar. Eventually, though, I grew tired of playing around, so I stood up and replaced my cap. With a final smirk, I strode towards the park, much to the disappointment of my groupies.

It didn’t take long to find Cheyenne again, but she wasn’t reading.
She was sitting beneath a tree, watching the sky
,
listening to her music
.
Sometimes she’d reach for her iPod to change the track, but otherwise she
was
content
to sit in stillness
.
Her
lip
s were pouted,
showing she was
deep in though
t. Her eyes, too, seemed duller, but I shook my head. Must
’ve
be
en
a trick of the light.

I stuck to the shade,
as
people enjoy
ed
the afternoon sunshine. Children ran around chasing each other, couples sat together on picnic blankets, a group of boys were throwing a football around
, a woman was walking her dog
…
yet none of this seem
ed to disturb Cheyenne, who continued to
daydream in the middle of it all.
I sighed. She was completely unaware of her surroundings…I’d have to work on that.

I checked my watch
, and raised an eyebrow
.
I hadn’t planned to be out this long. Callon would probably accuse me of trying to escape the unpacking.
Yet
while I knew I should be heading home,
I wasn’t comfortable with Cheyenne being on her own.
Callon had explained about the
near miss
with the Tresez,
and although
hi
s distraction had thrown the
m
off the scent,
I knew I’d feel better if I saw her reach home safely.
After
all, that wa
s what I was here for.

Cheyenne suddenly moved.
With a stretch and yawn
,
she sat up and glanced about. I pulled my cap down, but she didn’t seem to be looking at me. She sighed, stretched again
,
then
took
a band off her wrist and began pulling back her hair.
I frowned.
W
hat was she up to?
Rising
to her feet
, she pushed her pack
onto her back and
began stretching her calf muscles.
Then, w
ithout warning, she took off in
to
a sprint.

My body
almost
reacted
on instinct,
and I had to
stop myself
chas
ing after her
.
She was just going for a run;
she wasn’t running
from
anything
. Still, I needed to
keep an eye on her
, in case anything unexpected showed up
.
Quickly I looked around.
Up ahead,
I
spotted a
path lined with
trees that
overlooked the
entire
park.
Aha,
I could pretend to be talking on my phone
and still be able to watch her movements
.

I climbed the path and
pulled my phone from my pocket
. As I slouched against the
nearest
trunk, I
pressed it to my ear
. Cheyenne made a quick lap of the park below, then started on the path towards me. I
pull
ed
my
cap down further so she couldn’t see my eyes. I waited
, listening to her footfalls hit the concrete, and
she
flew
pas
t
without even noticing me. Once again she was in her own little world. She continued
doing laps
for an hour
,
and for fun I timed her
. For
a
human
,
she
sure
had fast feet.

I put my phone away wh
en she’d finished her final lap, w
aiting for what she’d do next.
She stopped where she’d started, breathing hard.
She p
ull
ed a water bottle from her pack and
drank
most of it in one go
.
As she snapped the cap back on, an elderly gentleman walked by. His jacket was ragged and his
hair
was scraggly. Obviously he’d seen better days.

Cheyenne’s gaze lingered on him for a moment. Then she
walked towards him, but instead of stopping she
headed out of the park and back to
the sandwich shop across th
e street. It was about time. That
girl surely couldn’t live off
a
caramel frappe after a run like that. She returned, sandwich in hand
,
and made towards the
man
again.