Sloane stood back quickly as Cord appeared in the room. “You do know I am not at your beck and call, Principal, I wasbusy,” he snapped. Still wearing his black Sentinel fatigues, he no longer wore the thick black hooded shirt, but a white t-shirt instead. Tegan admired the sinewy muscles of his arms, before pulling her eyes away from him in case she was caught. Her eyes met Sloane’s who was smirking at her, flushing she looked at her feet.
“I need Zahra home,” Salem began, ignoring Cord’s comments. “And the others with her.”
“Have they been threatened?” Cord asked.
“Not yet,” Salem replied. “But there are three female Akrhyn in that school, my daughter is one of them.”
“They will be safer there,” Cord snorted in exasperation. “Bringing them here could beexactlywhat they want.”
“I want my daughter home, that is an order.” Salem stated firmly. “Take Sloane with you, he blends in more than you do.”
“I’m almost insulted.” Cord, however, didn’t look at all interested nevermind insulted, Tegan thought. “Brother.” He held his hand out to Sloane who took it with confidence, at the last minute he snagged Tegan’s hand too and then they were gone.
“Why would he take Tegan!” Michael shouted into the empty air, looking at his father in consternation.
“It could be reflex, the bond making him reach for her,” Salem said as he leaned back in his seat thoughtfully.
“Do you believe that?”
“No,” Salem looked at his son, “I believe he just likes to be contrary.”
“Zahra is never going to cooperate if she sees her,” Michael hung his head.
“No, hopefully Sloane will talk sense into his betrothed.”
“He’s such a complete ass sometimes,” Michael slumped into a chair.
“He is.”
The two of them sat in silence as they waited.
* * *
“I don’t thinkI am supposed to be here, Castor,” Tegan looked around the empty halls of a school. “Take me back.”
“No,” Cord started moving forward with confidence.
Tegan shared a worried look with Sloane, before hurrying to catch up with the Castor. “Cord, she doesn’t like me, she won’t cooperate if she sees me,” Tegan protested.
Cord stopped to look at Tegan, he regarded her carefully before he smiled slowly and resumed walking.
“Cord, I have to agree. I don’t think Tegan is a good idea, you didn’t hear Zahra the night she met her,” Sloane cast an apologetic look at Tegan who waved off his concern.
“Hmm,” Cord sidled up to a door and peeked in through the small square window. “Little tiger, come here.” He pulled her towards him, Tegan’s smaller height nestling against him. “Look through the window,” Cord instructed. “These are humans at study, look at them.”
Glancing curiously at Sloane who shrugged, his face betraying his bewilderment, Tegan rose on her toes to look through. There were about twenty humans in the classroom, their heads bent over books in concentration while the older human walked back and forth at the front of the class, speaking from a book.
“This is an English class,” Cord explained.
“They cannot speak English?” Tegan glanced up at him, seeing his small smile as he looked down at her had her hurriedly looking back into the room.
“They are Canadians, they speak English here,” Cord told her. “This is a class where they study books and the English word.”
“Why?” Tegan asked, rising again to peer through the window.
“Exactly,” Cord chuckled softly. “Come.” He took her to several more doors, some where the students were actively moving about, and Tegan had to be careful not to be seen. Each time he explained the bare basics of the subject the students learned. “This is mathematics.” Cords disgust lay heavy on his words.
Looking through the small window in the door, Tegan noted letters on the white board at the front of the room. “Why does A plus B, equal C?”