Darren
Though he'd already graduated, Darren was able to stay on campus until this whole ordeal was situated. Or until the campus was no longer in the crossfire. He was here until whichever one happened first.
He was still mad that he'd been left out of the trip to Dallas and that they'd found more knights. He was Arthur. It was his job to find his men. Somewhere in the past, Merlin had given that particular task to Camelot. It was't right. Knights were to serve a king.
Then there was his own people. Bruce had taken away his position by force. It was everything but a coups d'etat. Bruce hadn't let him make any decisions since the night the stables had been hit. Bianca had started helping to rebuild them so the displaced horses could return.
Since the other group had returned, Darren hadn't really seen Drew. he'd been sequestered in the library doing whatever he did. Darren had a lot he wanted to talk about to his best friend, but this whole thing had himmore preoccupied than usual. He rarely came back to the dorm, only to shower and change. Then he was gone again.
Darren understood his need for privacy, but Drew was supposed to be helping him. Merlin helped Arthur. That's how the story went, and that was how he'd like to keep it. He had to know how the past happened so he didn't repeat it. Too many times he'd failed, and he couldn't afford it this time.
He stared at the building before him, not really seeing it. His mind tried to figure out howhe was going to talk to Drew and Maddie without pissing off Bruce. He was one of the few people Darren truly did not want to make any madder. He had shown Darren what he was capable of by making him step down. If he pushed him anymore, there was no telling what he'd do. With Bianca backing him and possibly Simon, Darren would be powerless.
Zoning back in, Darren headed to the cafeteria to find some lunch. He wasn't sure how midday had snuck up on him, but he knew how hungry he was. His stomach growled at him in protest. He'd forgotten to eat this morning as he'd worked out and then right showered right after. With all those calories burned, he hadn't refeuled so he was pretty peckish.
Something collided with his back, and he spun just in time to catch his sister. Beca laughed as she grabbed his arms to steady herself. He noticed her blue eyes twinkled with happiness as she held him for a moment longer. She patted his arms then stepped away.
"Want to grab lunch together?" she asked.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Is this your way of saying you have no money?"
Beca laughed again and shook her head. "No, not at all. We've barely talked for a long while, and I just wanted to catch up."
Darren nodded, and they walked up to the counter to order. Beca got her usual carb infused meal while he chose something light. Though he was incredibly hungry, his stomach was flipping because of his nerves and not just hunger. He didn't want to overload himselves.
They paid separately and went to their favorite table by the window. Beca dug in like she hadn't eaten in days. Darren watched her for a long moment before he too started eating. They chatted about their parents between bites, and Beca asked what his plans were since he'd graduated. He was supposed to start university soon, but he'd deferred a semester.
Their parents hadn't been happy. Darren had always talked about going to law school, but now he was taking the semester off. He couldn't really tell them why, so he'd just said it was because he was tired of studying. They'd grumbled at him but hadn't tried to stop him. His school was fully paid for so all he had to do was apply. As long as he didn't take too long in doing so he had a full ride.
Beca finished her plate then watched her brother. He was preoccupied, his eyes unfocused and faraway. She could only imagine what he was feeling. He had been moodier in the last few months. She wasn't sure if it was because they went to Dallas without him, or if he was still upseat about Maddie.
She wasn't dumb enough to assume he wasn't upset. He fell hard when he liked someone. If he truly liked Maddie and it wasn't an infatuation, he was going to get hurt worse when he found out about what Morgan le Fay did. It was better coming from her than anyone else.
"What is it?" Beca looked at her brother's face. His eyes were focused on her as he crossed his arms. "You've been staring a hole in me. What are you thinking?"
She sat back in her chair with a small sigh. "I've been having dreams again. They're almost like the ones I had before Maddie showed up, except I see more of what has happened that led up until now."
"What have you seen?"
"Promise you won't lose your temper with me?"
Darren frowned. She didn't usually act without a reason, not like this anyway. Beca was chatty, but if it meant hurting someone she loved, she usually kept it to herself.
"Beca, what is it? I won't be mad."
She nodded then ran her hand through her blond hair. "Two hungred years ago, Maddie was the daughter of a noble. She met Lord Hurston and was pledged to be married. She was sixteen and he was twenty-two. Before that could happen, Morgan le Fay attacked and killed the girl. As she lay dying, the witch bound the girl and the man together. They would always find each other much to everyone's dismay."
A sigh escaped her lips as she paused. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think during that cycle Arthur was her father. I'd have to ask Drew to look into it, but I'm not sure he will."
Darren nodded as he processed what she'd said. "Who was the Knight she was bound to?"
Beca's face contorted into a frown. "Lord Hurston was the 19th Century's Sir Lionel. Now, it's Max Yeats."
Her brother froze momentarily. Was that the reason there was an intense attraction between Maddie and Max? He was almost ten years older than her; well, eight but it didn't matter. He was a teacher. He couldn't fraternize with a student.
He remembered what Bruce had said several days ago. Max had stepped down from his teaching post. Was that the reason? Did he really want to be with Maddie so he stepped down? Still, it was illegal for Max to do anything while she was still in high school.
Beca saw the wheels turning in her brother's eyes. She knew the risk she took by telling him, but there were still too many secrets between everyone. No wonder no one wanted to work together. With all the secrets, who could they trust? It didn't seem like they wanted to finish this.
Darren sighed and rubbed his light head. He looked peaceful despite having heard some potentially devastating news. Beca wasn't sure what to think so she waited.
"I thought I could change the past," he said. He looked out the window. "I know my past selves haven't had romantic feelings for the girl, but I'd hoped to change that. It is the last cycle card after all."
A small smile stole over his lips. "I know I can't change it, but I can't help how I feel. When I realized who she was, I wanted to try to win her. Unfortunately, I went about it the wrong way and drove her away."
"When Drew decided to end our relationship, he said it was because he was too busy. I didn't realize how busy he really was until we went to Dallas," Beca said. "I still like him, but he was something more important to do than have a high school relationship."
"Don't you like Parker?"
"I do, but I'm not ready for a relationship yet. He knows that." She paused, tapping her fingers on the table. "Maybe you should just talk to Maddie. It won't make anything worse. It's not like she's throwing herself at Max."
"I still don't think it's right."
Beca nodded. "I understand, but we can't fight the past. You can try, but in the end you'll just get hurt." She checked her watch. "I'm meeting Drew and Simon so I'll have to leave you. Please don't do anything stupid."
Darren watched her gather her trash and get up. A few moments later she walked by his window on her way to the administration building. She didn't look back, which was unusual for her. Most of the time she looked at him with the dopiest smile she had. His baby sister was growing up.
Following Beca's lead, he cleaned up his mess and decided to go to the track. If Beca was looking for Drew, there was no telling what they were going to discuss. He was certain he didn't want to be there because he knew he'd get angry.
He walked past the library to take the path behind the sophomore dorms. It was fast to the football field. He would walk the track to ease his mind. Hopefully, it would help him relieve himself of the nasty taste in his mouth that he'd had since his friend's return. He wasn't sure why he couldn't get rid of it, but it was always there.
As he rounded the sophomore dorms, he stopped. His blood ran cold. Maddie stood against the tree before the football field's gates. Her arms were crossed as she talked hotly to Nathan. The other boy was smiling sarcastically as he spoke to her.
She hadn't changed much in the last several months, but she held herself straight with her shoulder square. Nothing Nathan was saying seemed to be bothering her. Nathan was doing his best to piss her off, but it rolled off her easily.
None of that meant anything to Darren. He knew what Nathan was capable of and didn't want the other boy to hurt her. She may be able to hold her own for now, but Nathan was brutal when he was angered.
He strode across the lawn until he was standing beside Maddie. He didn't touch her, but his presence was enough that Nathan backed up half a step. The two men stared at each other as Maddie did her best not to fall into a sarcastic eye roll.
"If you're going to force her to talk to you, maybe you should do it out in the open," he said.
Nathan spread his arms wide. "This is open. People can see us."
"Hiding behind the building is not the same thing!"
"We weren't hiding," Maddie denied. "I just finished a run with Bianca. He saw me as I was leaving."
Nathan waggled his eyebrows at him. "See? I didn't do anything. However… Maddie has. Maybe you should talk to her. She can give you so much more information than I can."
Darren grabbed his collar and hauled him into him. "What the hell are you getting at?"
"Enough, Darren," Maddie said. "Let him go before you're caught. He's still a student while you aren't."
The other boy laughed. "Yep! I failed on purpose."
The girl shook her head as she slapped Darren's hands. "That's not something you should brag about."
Darren let him go. Nathan straightened his shirt then whispered something to Maddie. She scowled at him, shoving his ribs hard. He laughed again then hurried off. They could hear his boots crunching on the gravel.
The boy who was left turned to the girl. She looked back at him steadily. He could see her resolve and began to wonder when she'd changed. She was no longer the seventee-year-old he'd met months ago. Now she was a young woman who was trying to save her friend.
"What did he mean?" he asked.
She grabbed a bag he hadn't seen before starting back towards the main part of campus. "Come on," she said. "We need to talk."
He winced at those words, but followed her anyway. Those four words never meant anything good.