During breakfast, Wes, Declan, and Lucas were able to sit at our table again. None of us could hide our smiles or excitement when Ms. Pierce announced to the entire Landry's population that we would be having our first ever movie night in the field after dinner. So far it had been a great start to the day. After the bell, we all headed to the classroom in the basement. I couldn't help but wonder if anyone would say anything about us going into an off-limits area or missing classes. Ms. Pierce probably had it covered though.

Even in the dim light of the room, I could make out a TV sitting on a rolling cart in the corner. As Ms. Pierce entered the room, Mr. B moved the cart to the center in front of the dry erase board.

"Do we get our own special viewing of tonight's movie?" Lucas asked.

Ms. Pierce gave a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Afraid not, Lucas, we need to find out what abilities lay inside each of you."

Lucas raised his brows.

"Well, maybe not you and Ms. White."

She grabbed a remote from the cart and pressed a button. The TV came to life and the first thing I saw was an image of Wes on the screen. He had a black t-shirt that fit snug around his firm torso, with faded jeans that were ripped at the knees, and a flat bill hat that sat backward on his head covering up his dark brown hair. It looked like the image was paused with him in mid-run in the middle of what appeared to be a gas station parking lot. The screen was fuzzy but even so, I could still make out a hint of red in his eyes.

"What the fuck!" Wes yelled jumping out of his chair, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Ms. Pierce seemed prepared for it though, cause she didn't flinch or blink at his outburst.

"I told you all that in cases of duress or stress your abilities may reveal themselves. Maybe by having you watch the videos of your demonic switches flipping, we can help move that along. Maybe even get a glimpse at something that could hint at your abilities."

Wes nodded in agreement but the tension never left his body as he slowly sat back in his seat. The muscle in his jaw was steady ticking and all I wanted to do was reach out to him. Hold his hand, maybe even wrap my arm around him. Though the look on his face said he might not want to be touched, not by anyone, and not by me. Instead, I turned my attention back to the television just as Ms. Pierce hit the play button.

The screen came to life with the image of Wes. He ran through the parking lot, pass four empty gas pumps. I hadn't noticed at first, with my eyes glued on Wes, but it was clear now that he was chasing someone. A skinny man in his, maybe, mid-forties, with gray thinning hair was running ahead of him. At one point he trips over his own feet and hits the ground. He gets back to his feet quickly but while doing so a gun falls out of his pants. He looked like he was running fast, but Wes was faster. The man was at the edge of the screen, almost out of the camera's line of sight when Wes jumped on top of him. I could no longer see the mans face, only his legs, with Wes on top of him. If one didn't know any better they might think Wes was trying to help him. But I could tell from the strain of muscles in his arms that were stretched towards the man's neck that that was not the case. That along with the look on this Wes's face.

Wes, my Wes, was sitting only a few feet away. His brows scrunched together and mouth clamped shut. He was pissed, obviously, but not nearly as pissed as the Wes on the TV. TV Wes's face was so distorted with anger I could hardly recognize him. Plus there was that tint of red still in his eyes.

The man that laid underneath Wes was kicking his legs and reaching to pull and scratch at his arms. It only took a few moments for his legs to stop kicking and his hands to fall to the ground. It was then that a cop car pulled into the parking lot. The cops jumped out of their cruiser and immediately pointed their guns at Wes, yelling words at him that the camera could not pick up. Scary Wes stood up and turned to face them, his back to the camera. I was on the edge of my chair afraid he would go after them next. Instead, his body fell to the ground, right next to the dead man. Ms. Pierce stopped the video there.

One by one everyone turned to face Wes like they were waiting for something to happen. Even Ms. Pierce seemed to be studying him from a distance. But nothing happened. He just sat there staring daggers at the paused image of himself on the television screen.

"Wes, how do you feel?" Ms. Pierce asked.

For a second I thought he was going to say anything. He just kept staring at the TV. Then, slowly, his body started to relax.

"If you're asking if I feel like I'm going to start throwing fire from my hands, then the answer is no."

Ms. Pierce nodded and walked back to the TV. She popped the tape out of the television and pushed another one in.

"Your turn Alicia."

Alicia's video wasn't nearly as graphic. It was obviously taken from someones cell phone and showed a red sedan driving at a high speed through a school parking lot. The parking lot was filled with kids and the car missed each one skillfully. The camera whipped around and for a brief second we catch a glimpse of a guy in a letter mans jacket and a brunette cheerleader making out on the back of a white pickup truck. The tailgate down with the girl sitting on top of it and the guy standing in front of her. The camera whipped around some more catching the red sedan's approach. Then it fell to the ground with the sound of something like a bomb going off. It took a few minutes but then the camera was picked back up and pointed in the direction of where the truck was.

It was still there, only now the red sedan was embedded into the bed of the truck. Smashed and twisted metal binned the two vehicles together all the way up to the sedan's windshield. Whoever was holding the camera walked towards the crash getting a closer look on film. The boy in the letter man's jacket was sprawled on the ground off to the side, a few scrapes on his arms but clearly fine. But under a mass of red and white crushed metal was clearly a girls hand. It was the only thing that showed a fatality had occurred. The camera backed up a few steps then whipped around to look through the window on the sedan. Alicia's head rested on the steering wheel with her eyes closed. It looked like she was just asleep. But in a second it was like she was gone, then there again, in the same position. If I didn't know any better I would say it was a camera glitch.

Ms. Pierce must have noticed it too because soon she was rewinding to watch that split second happen again. She did that several more times before pausing on the moment in which Alicia's body could not be seen.

"Alicia, what was that?"

Alicia shrugged.

"I don't know, I was out cold."

"Could she have been teleporting like me?" Lolly asked.

She had a point, the way Lolly teleported looked very similar to that. Except for the fact that when she vanished she reappeared somewhere else.

"I don't think so, Lolly. When she appears again her body hasn't moved an inch, she's in the same exact position."

Guess Ms. Pierce and I was thinking the same thing. She popped the tape out and handed it to Mr. B.

"See if you can get this tape enhanced for me."

He nods and places the tape in his pocket.

Ms. Pierce looked towards me but made no move to the TV. As if saved by a higher being, or maybe the creator, the lunch bell rang on the floors above us. No one in the room moved a muscle.

"Go to lunch, and to your regular classes the rest of the day. Enjoy movie night tonight. We only have one last video to watch tomorrow."

With that last sentence, Ms. Pierce's eyes stayed locked on me. Great, tomorrow was my turn.

No one spoke much at lunch, everyone's thoughts filled with the videos we had just watched, presumably. My mind couldn't focus on what we all just witnessed. All I could think about was my own video and how tomorrow everyone would see it. Sure, I had seen my video a bunch of times, and even had to suffer through as a courtroom of people watched it. But having these people, my friends, watch it felt like so much more.

It wasn't that long ago that Wes had said I was untainted by our demonic heritage. Would he still think that after seeing what I did? I had trouble looking at myself the same after watching it. Would they all look differently at me too? It's one thing to say you did something. It's a completely different thing for them to see it with their own eyes.

The much-awaited movie night had arrived. Security officers and teachers who volunteered to stay late directed everyone outside after dinner. The sun had set leaving the field dark, with the only exception being the few floodlights on the back of the building. On the farthest stretch of fencing, a white tarp had been hung up, our screen for tonight's viewing. Groups of kids huddled around the makeshift screen, on top of blankets laid out on the grass, a movie projector set up at the back of the crowd. The remaining security guards and teachers bordered the field keeping watch over everyone.

I spotted Wes, Sage, Declan, Alicia, Lolly, and Lucas sitting just outside the designated Class B area. I guess if we wanted to sit together we would have to sit next to the most dangerous kids here, in the dark. Then again, maybe we were the most dangerous kids here.

Sage, Declan, and Alicia shared a blanket while Lolly and Locus sat on one just for the two of them. Wes was the only one occupying his, so I sat down on the empty spot next to him. He said nothing but the smile on his face was enough to show everyone that he was pleased about the seating arrangement. Secretly, I was too, not that I was going to let him know that.

Once it was clear that all of the Landry population had made it to the field, Ms. Pierce stood in front of the screen. She announced the guidelines, general stuff really. No being loud, no fighting, anyone miss behaving would be sent to the doors or worse. I wasn't sure what she meant about the worse part, maybe they would be reclassified to Class B. Either way I wasn't worried. All I wanted to do was enjoy the cool refreshing air and watch whatever movie they chose to show us. I was thankful for the cool air indicating winters approach. Not one mosquito was flying around and even though winter was right around the corner, no one here felt the need to wear one of the thin jackets they provided us with upon arrival.

Ms. Pierce slinked off into the shadows, to observe I'm sure. A moment later a picture appeared on the makeshift movie screen. Ten minutes in and I already knew this wasn't a movie I would have much interest in. It started with some lowly high school girl being picked on by some cheerleaders. Yeah, not my thing at all. I lived through enough bullying of my own. I didn't need to watch it in a movie.

Instead, I opted for laying down and looking up at the stars. Out here the stars were crystal clear and filled the sky in all directions. I could never see the stars this clearly back home, most likely due to the city lights. I was in the middle of trying to find Orion's belt, the only constellation I could seem to remember when I saw Wes in my peripheral. He watched me for a few minutes before laying down beside me.

"So what are we looking for? The little dipper? The big dipper?"

There was no controlling my smile this time. The idea of this boy, or any boy for that matter, laying down and star gazing with me was baffling. Boys only did sweet things like that in movies, not in real life. Then again our lives have all felt a little unreal lately. I tried to clear my mind and focus on the task at hand. I didn't want to think about demons, angles, the creator, powers, or the doomed fate of having everyone watch my tape tomorrow. I had better things to do right now. Like looking at the stars with Wes and ignoring a crappy movie.

"Orion's belt."

"That's the three stars in a line, right?"

"Yup."

It didn't take him long. "There it is," He pointed above us and just to the side. The competitive side of me was a little disappointed he found it first. Another side of me, a side that couldn't help but notice the lack of space between Wes and me, scolded that competitive personality.

Telling him, 'good job' sounded lame so I said nothing and continued to search the stars. My focus on finding another constellation was shattered with the feel of Wes' hand wrapping around mine. It was like a shock of electricity flew from him to me and then up my arm. I turned my head to find Wes already looking at me.

"Looks like we keep ending up side by side," he said while giving my hand a light squeeze.

"Side by side?"

"Yeah, like in the nurse's office."

"We were in different beds."

"Still counts," he said with a wide smile, looking both gorgeous and dangerous at the same time.

I'm pretty sure my hands were starting to sweat and I hoped he didn't notice. Normally I was able to keep him from affecting me, but not now, not while lying this close to him.

He turned onto his side and propped his head up with his empty hand, his other hand never letting go of mine. I couldn't help but look around, sure that someone had noticed us by now. Would this be considered inappropriate behavior? Maybe not, but it sure felt awfully intimate for being in a crowd of people. However, no one was looking at us. Everyone had their eyes fixed on the movie, well except for Lolly and Lucas. Apparently, making out in front of security felt the same as it did when they were alone.

Left without an excuse to pull away I turned my attention back to the gray-blue eyes staring at me. Under the light of the stars, those eye's looked like clouds, storm clouds swirling and building with an unseen force.

"Are you scared?"

His question caught me off guard. Was he referring to the storm?

"Of what?"

"Me."

The storm in his eyes looked more dangerous with that one word. After watching Wes kill a man on video any sane person would say yes. They would pull away and run as far as they could. But that Wes wasn't my Wes. They looked the same, walked the same, covered in the same tattoos, but my Wes would never do that. He would never kill a person, and he would never hurt me. Deep down I knew that was the truth. In fact, I was willing to bet that he would do whatever it took to protect me. Believing that, while everything else I had ever known was crashing down around me, was surprisingly easy to do.

"I'm not scared of you."

His brows pulled together but the rest of his body didn't move a muscle as he said, "Maybe you should be."

"We're not that different from each other, Wes."

The look on his face pulled at my heart. He looked confused, thoughtful, and maybe even a little scared. The thought of Wes being scared, even being scared of himself, sliced through me. That searing pain made me want to protect him. I should protect him, just like I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would protect me.

This time it was my turn to prop myself up and face him. A strand of hair had fallen in his eyes, so I lifted my hand up to push it back from his face. He eyed my hand like a frightened animal ready to take off at the first sign of danger. When it became obvious that my intentions were only to tuck the stray hair away, he slowly pushed his cheek into the palm of my hand and closed his eyes. It was such an innocent thing to do, an uncharacteristic thing for someone like him to do. Yet it completely took my breath away. He looked so vulnerable. I couldn't help but wonder if he had ever let himself be vulnerable to anyone.

When he opened his eyes that vulnerability shined through those gray-blue clouds, and with it something else. I lowered my hand from his face and tried to decipher what that emotion was. I didn't have a chance. He mimicked my gesture and cupped the side of my face in his hand. The urge to close my eyes hit me just as it had hit him moments ago. I fought it, keeping my eyes open and locked on his.

Without thinking our faces leaned towards each other. Slowly, yet deliberately, until there was no more than an inch between us. With one last breath, I closed the distance and our lips met. To say there were fireworks may be too dramatic, but it did feel as if every source of light around us, stars included, shone brighter. They lent us their energy as electricity pulsed through my body, along with a fire deep down in the core of my being. This wasn't that fight or flight fire I had been feeling lately. This was soothing and exciting.

Our lips melded together perfectly and pushed against each other as if fighting for control. Wes' hand slid from my cheek to wrap around the base of my head and left a trail of fire and sparks along my skin. My empty hand grabbed for the front of his shirt and balled it up only to pull him closer to me. A growl ripped from his throat as he pulled back only to take a deep breath and dive back in, grabbing my bottom lip between his teeth to softly pull. Once freed, my lips opened to let him in.

I can't imagine how long we had pushed and pulled each other, completely lost in the moment, when someone clearing their throat finally brought us back. I let go of Wes' shirt and pulled away to find Sage looking at us with a smirk. Hell, everyone was looking at us. Even Lolly and Lucas and detached from each other to openly gawk at us. With everyone's eyes pointed our way I had trouble pinpointing which one had interrupted us. I opted to play it cool and sat up like nothing was going on.

Wes chose differently. He sat up only to scoot right against me and draped his arm around my shoulder pulling me into him. I felt safe there, wrapped up against him like that. But I also felt cautious. I had seen how the other kids around here treated Lolly and Lucas, who were so open about their relationship. Yeah, some ignored it. But others, like the boy who Lucas nearly choked out, chose to target them. I wasn't really worried about being targeted myself, but I didn't want that to happen to Wes. That feeling that told me he would protect me, also told me that he would react just as Lucas had, and I didn't want him in any trouble over me. Or add any more bodies to his conscience.