Amity

Chapter 41: Unseen

His ringing phone brought him back down to earth. Frowning, Dré flipped it open. "Great One?" He heard Megumi laugh on the other line, making his heart leap to his throat.

"Great One? You're a bit too much of a nerd to be so full of yourself like that."

"Me-Megumi?" He cleared his throat, hoping to sound a bit more mature. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yeah. Early. Kim told me about meeting her dad. I want in."

"Why? I'm already going to be embarrassed enough as is."

"I need a good laugh. Now hurry up. I'm already out here."

"What? What do you mean 'I'm already out here'?" Dré asked, sliding off his bed.

"Do you want Isaiah to take you to school?" she asked.

"Man," Dré groaned as he rubbed his hand across his face. "How did you even find my house?"

"Daddy told me last night," he heard Megumi say. He could feel her smirking through the phone. "Now are you coming or not? It's hot out here."

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me get some clothes on." He pulled a black t-shirt from out of his dresser and a pair of black shorts from his closet. Throwing his shirt on, he rushed out of the house.

Megumi's car was the only vehicle in the yard. His parents and Isaiah must have left earlier. It was probably a good thing that Megumi came, then.

Megumi sat on the hood of the car, resting her head on her hands as she watched her phone screen. Her hair had been tied into two long pigtails. She turned towards him, studying him with her bored eyes. "About time you made it," she said, sliding off the car.

"Isaiah stole my alarm clock again," Dré said as he rushed towards Megumi's car.

"Why would he steal a clock?"

"You have to shoot a target on it with a laser. I bought the last one about a month ago and he's been stealing it since."

"Well now, look at Mr. Fancy Pants over here," she said as they got in the car.

"Oh yeah. I'm tons fancy. Fancy as a minimum wage worker," he said, brushing out his hair.

Megumi giggled as she started the car and pulled out of the driveway. If there was one thing Dré was successful at doing was making her at least chuckle on a daily basis. A miracle for Dré's standards.

"So, don't you think it's about time to get that cut off?" she said as she turned on Moncrief Street.

"What? No way, dude." He covered his hair in his protective hands. "Long hair is, like, my trademark."

She shook her head as she turned her attention back on the road, stopping beside Baker's Best Stop. "You are such a strange person, Dré." She smiled. "It kind of reminds me of my daddy when he was our age."

That caught his attention. "What do you mean?"

"My daddy told me that when he was younger, he was a goofy person with long hair."

"Was?"

"The difference between you two-" she began, her voice slightly raised as she drove across the highway, "is that while he was able to make people laugh because of it, you just make yourself seem like, well, you."

Dré paused for a moment. "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. And besides, I am such a comedian. I make you laugh, don't I?"

"By some strange miracle, yes," she said as she drove down the long stretch of Elm Street before turning on School Street. "I'm guessing that you haven't told anyone about being an Amian, right?" she assumed.

"I haven't told anyone yet, mom." Megumi shot him a dirty look. "Besides, even if I do tell anyone, it's not like they'd believe me."

Megumi shrugged. "You never know. People may get stupid and decide to listen to the crazy kid."

Dré glared at her. "Okay. That wasn't even necessary. Oh, and by the way, that hair makes you look like a little girl."

Megumi playfully punched him on the shoulder. "At least I'm supposed to look like a girl."

"Touché, Megumi," he said as he rubbed his shoulder.

Moments later, the two arrived at the school. They both walked up the steep hill to the cafeteria, where, among the other students, Kimmy sat by her lonesome with a pizza bagel and a bottle of apple juice. Her face lightened up once Dré and Megumi sat with her. "Hi, Megumi. Hi, Ke'Undré," she said, waving with an ecstatic grin.

"Hey Kimmy," Dré said, smiling back.

Megumi inclined an eyebrow as her eyes hovered towards Dré. "Kimmy?"

Kimmy blushed as she said, "Yes, about that. Kimmy was a sort of a nickname that Ke'Undré gave me in middle school. He's the only person who calls me that."

Something glinted in Megumi's eyes for a split second before it was exchanged with a mischievous grin. "Is that right?" she asked as she looked from Dré to Kim. "Interesting."

"I don't think I like that look in your eyes," Kimmy stated.

"No way," a low voice said behind Dré. The three of them looked back to see Michael towering over them, his eyes wide open as he peered at Dré. "Impossible. No, this can't be right." Slamming his tray down on the table, he glared into Dré's eyes. "Something happened to you yesterday. What was it?" he demanded.

Dré, taken aback, placed his tray down before he defiantly asked, "Why should I tell you?" It was hard to look unshaken by him, considering he only came up to Michael's shoulders. "We aren't friends remember."

"This isn't about being friends, you idiot," Michael growled. "This may be a life or death situation."

"Hold on, now," Megumi said as she and Kimmy stood, only to be intercepted by Keiko.

Laying her tray down beside him, she pouted at Michael, her arms across her chest. "That's not nice, Michael," Keiko said.

With a rumble, Michael sat down and took a sip of his orange juice. Both Kimmy and Megumi sat back down with him. "Now, if you asked nicely, then Dré may tell you. Right?" she asked, looking at Dré.

With a skittish chuckle, Dré said, "Well, I'm not really sure if I can or not."

"I already know what you are. I can sense it on you," Michael said. He continued after he bit into his bagel. "I'll keep it a secret, if need be. I'd suggest you do the same thing."

"What are you two talking about?" Megumi asked sharply.

"Er- well, you heard about the King of Elements on Amity, right? " Dré began in a hushed voice, hoping that telling Megumi and Kimmy about his title wasn't against some law.

"What part of 'keep it a secret' is so difficult to you?" Michael asked Dré, who only shrugged with a sheepish grin.

"Wait, wait," Megumi whispered. "You mean to tell me that you're the King of Elements? You, of all people?"

"Yes, I am. And I don't quite know how I should take that tone," he added. "How did you even know what I was?" Dré asked Michael.

"I have my ways of getting information," Michael said coolly. "By the way, I'm a part of this little group you three are forming."

"Excuse you?" Megumi exclaimed. "Since when did we say that you could join us?"

"Yeah, didn't you say that you weren't our friends?" Dré added in. "That's pretty much the basis of this 'group.' Why would you want to join us if you don't want to be our friends?"

"I have my reasons."

"What are those reasons?" Kimmy asked.

"Reasons that you won't find out anytime soon. Sit with them for a moment, Keiko. I have to take care of something." With that, Michael left the table.