Fidelis was still giddy from finding his fated one. During third period, he furiously texted the group chat he had with Blainel and Sodalitas. They finally told him enough bragging and he channeled his restless energy into observing Sera.
She was so quiet that it made you forget she was even there. He wasn't sure if he liked that or not. He had to give her credit. Unlike the other human girls, she didn't flirt or chat him up. She was completely fixated on whatever class they were in.
As the humans would say he found this side of her "hot." He appreciated intelligence and looked for it first, personality second, and last were looks. His grandmother preached to him from a young age not to fall for girl's looks. Just because the outer packaging was nice didn't mean that the interior would match. Her words of wisdom were proven true time and again.
He couldn't wait to introduce Sera to his other friends. He knew they would like her too.
Third period ended and he escorted Sera and Al to fourth. He explained to them how lunches worked. Sera seemed intrigued by the concept. He watched Al tease Sera about being a bottomless pit when it came to food. He found it hard to believe because of her slender build. Looks could be deceiving though.
Their fourth period teacher reached a stopping point and they headed to the cafeteria.
"…This is the cafeteria. You can either bring your lunch or buy it here," Fidelis explained.
Sera looked to where he was pointing.
"Sera wants to try the whole school experience, so we'll go through the line," Al announced.
Fidelis smiled and pointed to a table near the back half of the cafeteria. "Come over there once you get your food."
"Alright." Al gestured for Serenah to precede him as they walked toward the doors of the lunch line.
Fidelis watched them go and headed for his group's designated spot. They liked the back half of the cafeteria and claimed it as theirs last year. By the time he reached the table, Blainel and Sodalitas, as well as five other humans who had become friends with him last year.
He spotted a furiously waving Liz sitting next to Blainel. The two had briefly dated last year and Liz found out their secret. She mutually ended the relationship with Blainel and remained a steadfast friend to his kind. She often came over to visit and his father liked her a lot.
He was hoping his dad would feel the same way about Sera. He would wait a few weeks and see how she and Al did before going any further. He needed to see if they could handle the truth about his kind. That was paramount. Everything else could come after.
The other four, one girl and three guys, were good friends who didn't know the secret. They played sports and that was how Fidelis, Blainel, and Sodalitas had met them. They were friendly, relatively unbiased, and decent folk.
"Yo Romeo, who were the new guys?" demanded Drake.
"Newcomers that I have taken under my wing."
"Really? Who is the girl? She's hot," Karl stated.
Fidelis had to keep himself from warning Karl away from Sera. He couldn't act impulsively even if the bond demanded he do so.
"Her name is Sera. The guy with her is Al."
"Nice names," Penelope replied with a grin. "They must be friendly since you invited them to eat with us."
"They are." He paused and glanced toward the lunch line exit. His mark was warming up again letting him know Sera was returning. "Make sure to introduce yourselves."
His tablemates all chorused, "Sure."
He watched Sera and Al exit the line and walk toward them. Sera whispered something to Al, and he smiled. Fidelis felt jealous. He wanted her to smile that way at him.
He reined in his thoughts. "Al, Sera, come sit," he offered as everyone at the table shuffled around to make room.
Sera ended up next to him, her head down as she stared at her plate. Yep, she really was shy.
"Everyone this is Al and Sera, two new students to our lovely school."
"Hi," Al said with a wave.
Sera raised her head and shyly whispered, "Hello," her cheeks turning pink with embarrassment.
Be still my heart, Fidelis thought. She was so adorable when she blushed.
Liz jumpstarted the introductions and soon everyone had given their names. Al and Sera were attentive to his friends' greetings.
They started eating and Sera's innocent reactions intrigued him. He wanted to unravel the mystery that was Sera. He couldn't resist the urge to let her know what he thought of her.
He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, "Has anyone ever told you, you have a beautiful smile?"
There was that adorable blush again. She started to respond to him, but her attention was snagged by someone entering the cafeteria. He frowned when he realized it was Amy Holland, the residential mean girl, followed by two of her flunkies. His gaze narrowed when he felt Sera tense beside him.
"Sera?" Al asked.
Sera didn't respond. He didn't like the frightened expression on her face. How did she know Amy when she was new to the school?
He couldn't stand Amy. He had disliked her since last school year when she tried to hook up with him. Fidelis couldn't stand shallow, vicious people. Amy was both. She also had charisma, making her dangerous to deal with, especially for those she chose to target.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" Amy asked, her flunkies openly sneered at them.
"Amy, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Fidelis's frigid tone was not lost on everyone present.
"Oh, Romeo, I see that you already met my sister."
"Sister?" His disbelief was immediate as his gaze jerked to Sera.
She flinched and dropped her gaze. He cursed his reaction. He couldn't help it. They didn't look alike, and their personalities were worlds apart. Were they really sisters?
"Yes, Sera HOLLAND," Amy stressed the last name, "is my younger twin sister."
"Ah, poor girl," quipped Liz, earning her a glare from one of Amy's flunkies.
Startled by Liz's words, Sera looked up, her gaze landing on her twin. Fidelis watched everyone's reactions, especially Sera's.
"Yes, my sister is poor in her choice of friends," countered Amy.
"What did you just say, bitch?" growled Penelope who started to get out of her seat.
"I said, shit choice for friends," retorted Amy with a smirk.
"Why you," Penelope snarled and started to come around the table.
"Amy, please don't be rude to my friends," Sera requested as she came to her feet. Fidelis saw the trembling of her hands. She really was afraid of her sister. That bothered him. He needed to find out why she was fearful. He would eliminate all obstacles in his mate's path.
He almost laughed at Amy's surprised look at Sera's interference.
"Baby sister, I guess you forgot last night's warning. You'd better find some new friends or suffer the consequences," warned Amy before she flipped off Penelope and left to eat, her two flunkies following behind her.
Sera collapsed into her chair. She was trembling so hard that Fidelis couldn't stand it anymore. He gently touched her. Her reaction shocked him.
She gasped and jerked away from the hand that touched her, her eyes wide in fright from being startled from her thoughts.
"Sera, sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he apologized, holding his hands up.
"No, it's not your fault. I was lost in my thoughts," she hastily assured him.
"Your sister is a class A bitch," snapped Penelope.
"She is, isn't she?" Al commented with a knowing grin.
Sera gaped at Al. His words seemed to calm her down and Fidelis was relieved.
"I'm sorry for my twin's behavior."
"Girl, please, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong," Liz informed her with a sniff of disdain in Amy's direction.
"Your sister was a pain in the ass last year, too," Sodalitas explained. "So no surprise to us that she hasn't changed. I feel for you, though. You have to live with that every day."
"Are you sure you're alright, Sera?"
She turned to Fidelis and nodded. "I am. Thanks for worrying about me. I do appreciate it more than you know. Now, I should finish eating." She took a big spoonful, and everyone laughed before resuming eating.
Fidelis was proud of his friends' responses to the Amy situation. With time he hoped Sera felt comfortable enough to tell him about her family life. He would remove the fear and replace it with good things. He made a silent vow to Autem. He would protect his fated one with all his power.