"What's wrong with you?" Helena asked.
She had caught a ride with Gray and Wynn when the former had come to pick her brother up. Wynn wasn't going to go, but he would be late if he didn't. He'd woken up later than normal and was running behind.
The two seniors had been completely quiet in the car, the music the only noise between them. Helena had looked between them from the backseat, curious about what had happened the night before.
She'd heard Wynn up most of the night clacking away on one of his easels. She wasn't sure what had been going through his mind, but he had't gone to bed until nearly four in the morning.
Wynn wasn't a complicated guy. He told what he liked and stayed away from things he didn't. If he was ever confused, he would do his best to make an educated decision. For him to be undecided meant his emotions were all over the place.
She'd sat in the back of that very uncomfortable car as Gray had driven to school. She'd watched Wynn get out of a car with thanks. She'd watched Gray's face fall as he'd walked away. Something had happened between the two of them.
Wynn looked at his sister but didn't say anything. He couldn't really tell her he'd had another weird dream that he'd painted to show Gray. and he sure as hell couldn't tell her he'd kissed Gray. It had actually been the other way around, but she wouldn't see it that way.
"I didn't sleep much last night," he diverted. It wasn't a complete lie, just not the whole truth.
"It's not just been the ast night," she countered. "You've been weird for a week now. Did you know the guy who died?"
"No, I didn't know him. It's just weird to be in a school where someone has died. Especially when you don't know him." He looked at a memorial as they passed by it.
Helena followed his gaze, frowning as his eyes lingered. He knew he was a little more sensitive than she was, but this was different. He seemed to be more upset about someone who he'd never known.
They parted ways on the second floor. Helena watched her brother trudge up the stairs to the fourth floor. She felt bad for him but she didn't have any way to comfort him. Sighing, she headed to her own class because there was nothing else she could do.
~~~~~
Wynn sat heavily in his chair. He pulled his sketchbook from his bag and flipped open to the newest series of sketches. He looked between them carefully.
It was a main road. He recognized it as Memorial Way, but in his dream it was called Council Road. He wasn't sure when it had changed but he saw the original name.
The second one was a black car. It was a late nineties model Toyota with two doors. The wipers worked haphazardly by the way one fully moved and the other stuttered as if it thought about it. He no doubt figured that had played a part in the next scenes.
Third, the car was on its side, smoking and smashed. He didn't recognize the stretch of road so it must have been out of town somewhere. But the car had wrecked and had rolled into a ditch.
The fourth and final picture were the occupants. A man and a woman lost their lives that night. He didn't recognize them, but he knew they were important somehow. He didn't know who to ask, and he was quite afraid to. He didn't want to hurt anyone anymore than they had been already.
Wynn closed the book and stared at its cover for a very long time. He was at a crossroads on what he should do. He needed to be honest, but it was hard. He'd had so much thrown at him since he'd moved here, since he'd started school.
Gray and Nathan walked in. Wynn averted his gaze and looked out the window at the gray skies. He couldn't talk to them right now. He didn't have the words to say, and he didn't want to screw anything up by running his mouth.
"Hey, newbie," a familiar voice said.
"What, Jarrod?" he asked.
"Nothing. Just saying hi."
Wynn turned to look at him. Jarrod smiled cheekily, his green eyes lighting up. The former wasn't sure what he was so happy about so he frowned deeply at him to which he laughed.
"You're a lot cuter when you're mad," he said.
"Why are you picking on him again?" A heavy arm that once sported scales landed on Wynn's shoulder. He looked up into Gray's face. Luckily, he wasn't looking down. "Haven't you learned yet?"
"Have you two had sex yet?"
"What?!" Wynn turned angry eyes to Jarrod, face drawn in confusion and annoyance. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"
Jarrod ignored his question, eyes focused on the taller boy behind him. "If you haven't, that means I still have a chance."
"A gentleman never kisses and tells," Gray quipped.
"Enough!" Wynn shoved Gray aay and threw a book at Jarrod. "Show your dicks to someone else. I don't care who's bigger. Just shut up!"
Jarrod placed a hand on Wynn's arm as he laughed. "Chill out. It's just friendly banter."
The brown eyed man slapped his hand away, anger getting the better of him. "I don't care. I'm tired of your jokes. I have better things to do than to listen to you fight. Go away. Both of you."
They did as he asked. Gray went across the room and Jarrod sat in his seat two rows over. Wynn sighed and rubbed the hand Jarrod had held. There had been a definite spark when he'd touched him. He hadn't noticed before because the last few times Jarrod had attacked him. That had made him shy away from him.
Being in first period homeroom with them made him feel like he was suffocating. Their testosterone was super high. Could they not get along at all?
Wynn remembered overhearing several girls talking the day after Jarrod had cornered him in the classroom. There had been a time when Jarrod and Gray had been friends. Then a person had gotten between them. Things got rough and the other person had gotten hurt. He'd moved off after that.
Was this the same situation all over again? Were they fighting over...him? Why? What was the point? He was leaving after graduation at the end of June. what could they possibly gain?
When homeroom was over, Wynn collected his things and went in search of Autumn and Winter. Nathan and Artied wouldn't tell him anything. If he had any chance in hell of finding out something, the sisters would be the one to talk to.
They were sitting by a cending machine on the third floor. Luckily, none of the guys were around. He scribbled a note and folded it haphazardly. He walked over to them quickly and stuffed the note in Autumn's hand. She cast him a quizzative look, but he only nodded at her. She nodded, and he went back upstairs.
The day drone on and on. Wynn barely paid attention, opting to sketch the random thoughts and pictures in his head. By the end of the day, he'd had secen dragons drawn all in different shapes and sizes. White, red, blue, yellow, green, orange, and silver. Though they weren't in color, he'd written the exact colors in the top right hand corner.
He wasn't sure where they'd come from, but he'd learned to trust his random visions. They'd been right so far. He'd had some help in making sure he knew where to look. He'd seen Christian's murder. He didn't believe in coincidences so whatever was telling him these things he had to listen to it.
Autumn and Winter were waiting at the deli when he left school. They'd ordered a sandwich to split and a couple of drinks. Wynn got a coffee and joined them.
"What brought this on?" Autumn asked. "Why do you want to know about Jarrod and Gray?"
"I heard an underclassman say Jarrod and Gray were friends once?" He posed it like a question, to which they nodded. "What happened?"
"First, their fathers had a falling out. They were in the same company when a big fight broke out. They'd had differences of opinion and ended their relationship. Jarrod and Gray were still friends until a year or so agao despite it," Winter explained.
Wynn thought about it then shook his head. "That can't be the whole story. My uncle and grandfather had a falling out over the family business but they still get along. What's the real reason?"
The sisters looked at each other and sighed. So he'd been right. There had been more to the story. He wasn't surprised they'd been keeping secrets. They still did.
"His name was Callins. He dated Gray and Jarrod at the same time, and they knew. It was pretty much an open secret and an open relationship," Autumn said.
"What happened to him?"
"There was an accident. Callins ended up in the hospital with several broken ribs and a few other injuries. He broke it off and his family moved away. We haven't seen or heard from him since," Winter added.
There was something missing. Some parts of the story didn't add up. He reached in his bag and pulled out his sketchbook. He flipped through it until he found the four sequence photos of the accident. He thought a moment before he flipped it around for the girls to see too.
"I saw this in a dream last night. My guess is this is the wreck he was involved in." He looked between them. "By the look on your faces, I'd say I'm right."
"You are," Autumn agreed, but her voice was too quiet. "That was also the night Gray's parents died."
Wynn looked at them, completely in shock by their news. He had never known Gray was an orphan. He seemed so lively and happy yet he'd lost his parents the same night he lost his lover.
"Do they know what caused the wreck?" he asked. His voice had dropped an octave because he felt he'd stuck his foot in his mouth.
"They said it was struck by lightning, but now I think it's not the case," Autumn mused. Wynn tilted his head at her in question. "You had a dream about Christian being murdered. What if this is the same? What if Gray's parents were murdered as well?"
"Wouldn't that mean they'd targeted Gray as well?" Winter asked.
"They were, but I couldn't prove it." All of their heads snapped up at the voice. Gray and Nathan stood at the end of their table. "Nathan saw what you were sketching in third period. He told me at lunch so he followed you here after school."
Autumn hung her head in shame. "Sorry, Gray."
He looked between the three, stoicism rolling off him. Everything was quiet except his eyes. His blue eyes were stormy and hot, but that wasn't what shocked Wynn the most.
They were still blue but the irises were that of a serpent's. He'd seen them like that before. The night Jarrod had attacked him in the classroom they'd looked somewhat like this. He wasn't fully changed yet so he was still in his right mind. Or did he even lose his mind when he let the magic overtake him?
"We'll discuss it later. Right now we have bigger fish to fry," he said.
"What's going on?" Winter asked.
Nathan looked at Wynn. "Your sketches are all real, every one of them. We've been tasked with protecting them."
The other man frowned and looked between the other three. Winter's mouth was open in shock, Autumn was ready to strangle Nathan, and Gray was staring at him waiting on his response.
Wynn thought back on it. The night Jarrod had cornered him Gray's face and skin had changed. He'd sketched it sometime in the crazy haze that had been his concussion. He didn't remember too much, like telling Gray he'd date him, but any picture he sketched meant they were telling the truth.
He flipped back several pages until he found it. He'd drawn it like he'd seen it. So why hadn't Wynn recognized it? He was drawn to the man for a reason. They had been destined to meet for a reason.
"What's going on?" he finally asked.
"We've been summoned by the Wyvern Council tonight," Nathan said.
His brow furrowed. "Wyvern Council?"
Nathan nodded with an odd look on his face. "They're our ruling body for our Scale, and they've specifically asked for you."
Wynn shared a look with Winter and Autumn. They were equally confused, although Wynn knew their confusion was for a completely different reason.
"Why me?"
"Because you're the Key we need, and you know too much."
Wynn stared at him, contemplating whether or not he should run. He knew he wouldn't get far.