Riley 2

I used to envy them.  I wanted to be like them, wanted to be part of a Clan.  But after that one fight, I’m not so sure about it anymore.
“Class, there is a new student coming today!  Please be on your best manners,” the teacher announced one day.  Half the class snickered; the other half looked around nervously.  
Abigail poked me hard. “So do you think he’s going to be awesome?  I can’t wait to meet him!  He must be really cool! And smart! And just great! And…” she rambled on.  I suppressed a laugh.  Abby was always looking for a boy to hook up with.  A swish of cloth behind me made me whirl around.  Gunther had just walked by, but now he turned around to stare at Abby.  I noticed that Gunn didn’t look excited by the latest news as everyone else was.  As he walked away, I watched the clock, hoping the new arrival would come soon.  It was high time I made some new friends.
At lunch all talk was focused on the new kid.  
“What’s he gonna be like?”
“Do you think he’ll stay here?”  
I glanced over at Gunn, who was, like always, sitting in a corner by himself.  I wondered what he thought of the coming of the new student.  
He came a few minutes after lunch.  After a great meal, everyone had forgotten about his coming.  No one noticed him until Abby piped up, “Hey guys, he’s here!”  Heads turned.  He blushed a deep red as eyes bore into him.  Then, in a quiet voice, he muttered, “Hi, class.”  A long silence ensued.  It was broken by the teacher’s, “Well, everyone, welcome Riley to our class!” The classroom suddenly exploded into noisiness, and Abby leaned over towards me.
“Nikki, isn’t he cute?!”  I, however, was paying attention as to where Riley’s seat was.  The one next to Gunn was empty; Riley was ushered into it.  Gunn turned away from the new arrival.  
Riley was almost everything Gunn was not.  His brown hair clashed with Gunn’s jet black; his lightly tanned skin contrasted with Gunn’s paleness.  Their quietness was different too.  Riley’s had an undertone of loneliness and of needing a friend; Gunn’s was cold and indifferent, daring anyone to talk to him.  I felt myself drawn to Riley.  My heart beat faster whenever I walked by him, and after school, I would often search for him.  After spending some time with him, I learned that he was from Lupus, a Clan up north.  I also learned that the rival of Lupus was Arca, Gunn’s Clan.  That explained the tension between them.  I laughed at the thought of Riley being the enemy of anyone.  He looked so gentle that it was hard to imagine him fighting.  But secretly I wished I could be like them.  I envied how they were both from ancient Clans.  I told Riley of this, and he laughed ruefully.  
“What do you think is so special about being in a Clan?”  
“I…don’t really know,” I faltered, “I just think it makes you special.”
“I can’t see any difference between Clan members and Clanless people, really.”  
Soon I grew tired of the pressure between the two of them.  I marched straight up to Gunn, fully aware that I might only be looking for trouble.  
“Can’t you two just get along with each other?!” I screamed.
Gunn whirled around so fast that I reeled with shock.  In his soft voice he asked, “Who are you talking about?”
I stammered, “W-well, you and Riley, of course.”
Gunn replied, “Don’t be foolish enough to try and make us best friends.”
Riley appeared seemingly out of nowhere.  “Watch you mouth, Gunther,” he muttered quietly.  
“Whatever had made you so brave, dog?”  Gunn answered softly in a mocking singsong voice.
Riley let out a low growl.  Gunn leaned closer and murmured, “Huh, dog?”
Suddenly Riley snapped.  Shoving Gunn down, he lifted his hand, and a strong gale tore across the campus, shrieking vengeance on the one who had just called Riley a dog.
Gunn laughed.  A menacing aura burst forth from him, powerful enough to make my head hurt badly.  Riley didn’t budge a single inch.  All of a sudden, a nearby tree shed itself of its leaves, which slashed down, carried by the wind, which was now strong enough to be considered a hurricane.  As I held on to a bench to stop myself from being blown away, there seemed to be an abrupt lull in the gale.  I could have sworn I saw a smoke-like substance slicing through the air at Riley.
A heartbeat later, all was quiet.  I looked around nervously, expecting to see them injured in some way.  But I soon began to doubt whether or not I had imagined everything, for Riley, with a gentle smile on his face, asked me what the matter was, as he helped me up from behind the bench.