Chapter Fifteen – Attacked

Daniel slid into the empty cafeteria seat next to Celene and smiled at her conspiringly. "Luke and Damien. My, my, haven't we been busy?"

Celene blushed. "Oh leave it alone, Daniel. It is so not true."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Please, this is me you're talking to. Now, who's the better kisser?"

"Daniel, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were the one interested in them." Celene mumbled glancing across the room to where Jace and Damien were trying to grab lunch. Trying being the operative word, since half a dozen girls swarmed the two of them. Looking at the other side of the cafeteria, she saw Luke frowning at the sight of the girls surrounding Damien and Jace rather than him.

Celene sighed. Luke was clearly more in love with himself than he would ever be with anyone else. Tilting her head to the side, she looked at Luke and pondered for a few minutes. Luke was the most popular, and attractive, guy she knew. Or rather, he used to be, from afar. Talking with him and interacting with him didn't measure up to what she thought it would be like. She had tried to fool herself into thinking that now that Luke was showing some interest in her, things were going well, and that he was just what she had always thought he would be. But that wasn't true, and she was sick of pretending. Celene had enough on her plate as it was.

"Hey, Cee, if you don't want to see Luke's insides on his outside, you'd probably better stop staring at him." Daniel muttered to her.

"Hmm?" Celene said in a non-committal tone, not hearing Daniel's words, and still trying to figure out whether she was going to bother with Luke. He was certainly a lot easier to handle in comparison to certain dark-haired, green-eyed out-of-this-world guy. She'd have to be careful not to mention the 'out-of-this-world' comment, Damien was sure to have a field day with that one. Celene found herself smiling at the thought.

"Oh God, here it comes." Daniel muttered moving to sit across the table from her.

"Celene, is there any reason you're looking over in that direction?" Damien's voice brought Celene's attention back to her own table.

"Sure there is," Daniel replied loudly waving his hand in front of Celene's face.

Celene turned in her chair to look at Damien who had taken Daniel's seat. Jace had also managed to make it to the table. He raised an eyebrow in her direction. 'Look at what you've gotten yourself into now', she read in his expression. Celene just looked over his shoulder. She hadn't failed to notice that the fan club had followed in tow.

Damien slid in closer to Celene. "Baby, you don't need to look that way anymore, I'm over here."

Celene rolled her eyes. "The was one of the worst lines I've ever heard."

"And she's heard quite a few." Daniel chimed in happily taking a large bite out of his pizza.

"And how would you know, smartass? You haven't been here that long." Jace replied only half listening as a girl smiled at him and asked if she could sit down.

"Exactly." Daniel replied, turning to check out a tall blonde.

"Hey Celene," Luke said coming over and sitting on Celene's other side. "I noticed you were looking in my direction, so I thought I'd come on over."

"There are just too many guys at this table," Jace muttered.

"You said it Jace." Daniel agreed, and they both walked off with Damien's fan club.

Luke looked at Damien pointedly, and Damien just moved his chair closer to Celene's and rested his hand on her knee.

"So, uh, Celene, I haven't heard from you in a bit. Why don't we get something to eat tonight?" Luke began, opting to ignore Damien's presence all together.

"Sorry but Celene's not available tonight, or any other night where you're concerned. Now leave." Damien said quietly.

"I was talking to Celene." Luke said loudly, his voice confident.

"And Celene can speak for herself." Celene said, more amused than anything as she pushed her salad around her plate.

"Exactly, Damien uh, whatever your last name is." Luke mumbled looking annoyed with his poor response. "Do you mind giving us a minute?"

"I do mind actually," Damien said, making himself comfortable.

"Actually Damien, I do want to talk to Luke for a minute." Celene told him, patting his knee absentmindedly as she made up her mind.

"Yeah Damien." Luke said triumphantly, leaning in to Celene.

Damien's eyes flashed dangerously, and Celene thought she saw sparks.

"Come on Damien, I'll see you in a minute." Celene said with a smile trying to assure him.

Damien clenched his jaw and stood up. Without a word he walked off towards the table with Jace, Daniel, and half the female population. It was Celene's turn to grimace.

"Alright baby, so what time should I pick you up?" Luke said looking over her shoulder at someone else.

"Okay here's the thing. First, you all need to stop calling 'baby'. Second, sorry Luke but I won't need you to pick me up."

"Awesome, a girl who can get her self places. Come over to my place." Luke said brushing a strand of hair from Celene's face.

"No, Luke. I really am sorry, but I don't think this will work." Celene said trying to be gentle.

"But I don't get it. I thought you were a sure thing." Luke said looking genuinely confused.

"Excuse me?" Celene grunted, her attention off of on Damien as she was getting more and more annoyed. "And who told you that?"

"I don't remember. It doesn't even matter. You like me don't you?" Luke said getting a little frustrated.

Celene smiled and took a breath. She didn't want to burn Luke to a crisp; at least not in the middle of the cafeteria. "You're right. Why don't we go outside?"

"Now you're talking, baby." Luke grinned jumping up and pulling Celene to her feet.

"I've got a spacious backseat."

XxxxxXxxxxxX

Fifteen minutes later, Celene walked back into the cafeteria looking pleased with herself. She fixed her shirt and went to the table where Jace, Daniel, and Damien were sitting at. Damien didn't even look up at Celene as she sat down next to him. Instead, he was busy talking to none other than Kelly. Kelly shot Celene a smile that was all teeth.

Jace glanced at his sister, and looked at her intently. He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Celene rolled her eyes in reply and scoffed. Jace smiled and cracked his fingers. Celene gave him a matching smile.

"Have fun?" Daniel asked winking in Celene's direction.

"Mhm. There were tears." Celene replied, hoping her hair wouldn't light on fire, as she saw Kelly leaning in close to Damien who wasn't even saying anything.

"You still have some blood on your knuckles." Jace put in, grabbing an apple.

"It's not mine." Celene mumbled under her breath as she stole a few fries from Daniel's plate but didn't bother to eat them.

"You're blood-thirsty Celene. Who would have thought?" Daniel said amused.

"Oh Daniel, now you know not to piss her off." Jace said. "Are you going to eat anything, Celene?"

"No, I've lost my appetite."

"But didn't you take a bite out of Luke?" Daniel put in.

Jace shot Daniel a death stare, and Celene heard the chair Damien was sitting in, crack.

Just then Luke stumbled in to the cafeteria, holding his bloody nose and shot Celene a petrified look. Kelly gasped and went to his side, shooting Celene a dark glare. Celene just smiled and waved in their direction. Damien was stupefied.

"You want to skip the rest of the day?" Jace asked stoically.

"Definitely. You think we can go on a field trip?" Celene said standing up.

Jace grinned conspiringly. "I most certainly do."

"Cool where are we going?" Daniel said without missing a beat.

"Sorry Daniel, family thing." Jace got up grabbed his tray and started off with Celene.

Daniel wasn't even listening as the redhead next to him bent down to whisper in his ear.

"You sure you want to come, Jace? You might be missing out on that blond." Celene said refusing to look back at the table where Damien still looked stunned. It would be nice if he gave her some credit every now and then.

"Oh there's no way I'm letting you go to Avella without me. Besides I'm sure they have girls there."

"Oh don't remind me." Celene mumbled as they reached their lockers.

"He was just upset that you decided to talk to Luke. And when you went outside with him, oh there's definitely a scorch mark on the table. What did the idiot try anyway?"

"Doesn't matter, he should be glad that I didn't go for any vital parts." Celene grunted out as she grabbed her bag.

Jace winced as Celene slammed her locker shut. "I don't even want to know what you plan on doing to Damien."

"Nothing. I just want to go to Avella. Who knows, I mag get to see if all the guys there are hard headed idiots our if it's just my luck."

"It's definitely your luck. Just tell me whose ass I have to kick first."

"I can handle it, but thanks." Celene said warily as she and Jace made their way to the parking lot.

"We gotta stick together. Besides, I think that all those guys will be tripping over you enough as it is. Throw in the fact that you'll be saving the world, and you'll need help beating them all off."

Celene smiled genuinely.

"And if you want to put in a good word for me with all the girls, that would be great." Jace continued, trying to lift Celene's spirits.

"Trust me, you don't need me to put in a good word. You're pretty great." Celene hugged Jace.

"You're being way to nice, do I need to get some protection? I feel sorry for the next guy. You're going to walk all over him."

"There isn't going to be a next guy." Damien said. Celene turned, not even surprised, and saw him waiting by the car

"And that is my cue to leave. I'll go pack my bags." Jace said wandering off.

"I'm not in the mood, Damien. This same routine, back and forth, it's getting old." Celene said waving her hands about.

Damien pushed himself off of the car and pulled Celene's arms down. "Then let's change the routine."

"What, you're not going to jump to conclusions, get upset with me and storm off?" Celene said looking into his green-eyes.

"Maybe I wouldn't get so upset if you took my feelings into consideration and told me what was going though your head every now and then." Damien said crossing his hands over his chest.

Celene blinked and closed her mouth. "Is that really what you think?"

"Yes."

"Well, crap. I'm sorry I guess. I just - "

"Hey, Celene, Damien watch out!" Jace shouted running towards the two of them.

Celene looked behind her and her eyes widened at what was heading towards them. "Damien, what the hell is that?"

Damien was already pulling a blade out of his boot and hovered his hand over it until it grew. "Celene, stay back this time."

"Like hell," Celene murmured, and rushed after Damien, pausing only to take in the latest creature that was making its way to them, in broad daylight in the school parking lot. This time, rather than a three headed dog, it was a serpent that stretched out to a length of eight feet. It was a dark green with two bright yellow forked tongues. The tail had seven skewered tips that branched out and stood up vertically reaching a height of three feet each.

"Celene! I really think that you should let Damien handle it!" Jace shouted, trying to pull her back.

"Jace! I can't just leave him out there alone. Besides I've been practicing." Without another thought of caution, Celene raced over to where Damien was fighting.

"Celene, will you please listen to me for once?" Damien shouted, ducking. "It's poisonous!"

"So why don't you back off?" Celene shouted back. "Fire?"

"No, head cut off, then burn it." Damien replied, pushing Celene back as she was inches away from fangs. "Now move, you're distracting me!"

"I've called mom and dad." Jace spoke up over them. "They're on their way."

"Someone is going to come here and see us, see this, and then what will we say?" Celene asked, grabbing her own dagger.

"Let's make sure that doesn't happen then." Damien said stabbing it. "Where did you get that?"

"Doesn't matter!" Celene said, this time she was the one pushing Damien out of the way.

"Thanks, darling." Damien said, lunging forward, and this time his blade took the serpent's head right off.

"Nice work. My turn." Celene said, wiping her brow as she tried to get a spark going. It took her a while, and not wanting to fail, she drew up some anger. "There."

"Put it out in a minute. We don't want anyone seeing any of this." Jace said jumping down towards the two. "What the hell is going on?"

"That's exactly what we would like to know." Nikolas said as he and Helene got out of their car.