Moisture welled in my eyes. The tray of food quivered as my hands shook and I moved, just enough to set it down. The full force of his clear, cobalt hued eyes pierced me through like a sword.

I had figured I would get another opportunity to come face to face with the BruLagoon boy again. What I hadn't bargained on was that it would come so soon after I had barely recovered from the strangeness of our encounter in the rain. But here he was again, standing on the lower outdoor patio of the cafeteria, a wide set of stone steps separating us. His clothing was now dry, as if he'd gone somewhere to change.

The skies were fair, the threat of storms seemingly past. Reese was still inside. She'd stopped to talk with a teacher while en route to get us bottled water. I had walked out onto the deserted upper level of the patio, and he was there. Arms crossed over his chest, Alexander leaned on an Aquafina vending machine as if waiting for me, his uplifted gaze striking like quiksteel. My breath stuttered. It didn't hurt, but the sudden thrust of it had taken me by surprise and caused my clairvoyance to leap down that fifteen-foot drop. A strong, undeniable soul, this one. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just strong.

Seconds passed as we stared at each other, almost stuck. I let out a quiet gasp when his gaze finally broke from mine, the sword pulled out as fast as it had been thrust. The disconnecting snap sent my conscious mind racing back. The jarring sensation of it made me dizzy and teary eyed and I put my hands on the table. Then another thing happened. Something I didn't see but was aware of. In some impossibly tiny space between the trailing tears and the skin they left moist, the motion of his hand brushed me—even though he was far away. A caressing touch that caused me to lift my head to see his arm was outstretched toward me.

With a few come-hither movements, he beckoned for me to approach. "Come, take a walk with me." An exhale, a breath, his whispering filled my ears. A wandering tickle of it cooled the warmth in my tears.

I needed to go to him. I needed to...examine him more closely. What was he, that he could draw such strange reactions out of me? If I could be bold enough to press a finger to his shoulder, would he be real?

Unable to remain still any longer, I made every effort to move, to walk around the table to go to him. But something held me back. I closed my eyes and tried again. There was—a hand. Yes, a hand, resting on my good shoulder, and a low, almost inaudible rumbling resonated from the throat of the one who was holding me in place. A warning growl.

Confused, I opened my eyes to the sight of Alexander casting a bitter glare past me. He then turned to stare across the campus lawn. "Aurora!" Reese called, jolting me back to reality as she came bounding out the cafeteria doors. My gaze dropped from Alexander, confusion bubbling up, the mystery of him rising again. Who was he that he could so easily suck me in and fill me with such intense emotions?

Cradling two bottles of water and her tray, Reese made her way to my side. She stopped to throw a big grin over my shoulder. "Hi there, Micah!"

Micah! I turned to take in the sight of the lion-maned boy of yesterday.

Micah stared down at me with pensive, quiet eyes. His expression was troubled as he took in my tear-streaked face.

"Hello, Reese is it?" he said, his amethyst eyes never leaving mine. "Would it be okay if I sit with you guys?"

"Sure thing," she said, nodding. She set the tray and the drinks down and proceeded to unzip her backpack to pull out two oversized jar openers, placing them on our wet seats. "There we go." She smiled and sat.

Unmoved by her initial answer, Micah continued to study my bewildered expression. His hand drifted from my shoulder, taking its restraining weight with it, and he touched my elbow with gentle, steady fingers. His touch hummed with an unexplained energy. I took a deep breath as I stared up at him. A few specks of glitter caught sunlight on his one cheek, evidence of where my hands had held his face yesterday. "You can stay with me," I finally answered, wiping my face dry with the back of my hand.

"Thank you, Aurora," he rumbled softly. He released my elbow. He looked as though he was wondering what he could do to make me smile again.

The tray of cafeteria food Micah balanced swung into view, and instead of choosing to sit down in the chair next to mine, he opted to circle around and pull out the seat across from Reese. He placed himself between me and the Aquafina machine—and the brooding Alexander.

I sat down and let my gaze linger on the contents of my tray. Okay, he was protective of me. I got that. But what was his strong aversion to Alexander BruLagoon all about?

"Here Micah, before you sit down." Reese waved a white jar opener at him.

Micah took it with some hesitation, then looked at me questioningly. I shifted on my seat, showing him the blue jar opener that Reese had slipped under me to keep my skirt dry.

I shrugged my good shoulder and said, "Lay it on the wet seat."

Micah did and sat without further prompting. He sensed I liked Reese, so he was okay with doing whatever seemed to appease her. I was actually sitting outside with her because it was where she felt safe. Reese didn't trust the tables inside the cafeteria. She said their sharp corners were hazardous to her knees. The tables on the patio were of a different make, with trustworthy, rounded corners.

"Here you go!" Reese said, sliding the bottle of water in my direction. Not knowing there was an Aquafina machine outside, I had requested she get me one.

"Thank you." I cracked the bottle's seal, grateful for the cool, clean rush. I swallowed down the water while studying the inedible contents of my tray. Today's menu? Mashed potatoes, peas, buttered bread and breaded meat. I wasn't sure what type of meat. The salad bar looked promising until closer inspection. The pre-tossed lettuce was tainted with shredded cheese. Discouraged, I'd tossed a carton of whole milk in the upper corner of the tray and walked away, not even trying.

My hearing perked up at a set of heavy-footed strides approaching our table.

"Hey there, little cuz, how about you whip out two more of those jar openers," a deep voice boomed from behind. "Jeez, get a look at this, Dandoy. Reese has suddenly come down with a disease that attracts new kids."

Already in a sour mood, I turned to give the boy a straightforward scowl, when I suddenly lost all of my ire. Holy Hannah. My eyes darted between the six-and-a-half-foot giant plopping down in the seat to my left and my little Reese. With a dress shirt that was missing its gray piping and clearly purchased from another store—probably one that specialized in the tall—his legs were so long the standard-issue pants missed the top of his shoes by nearly two inches. He was wearing socks adorned with ninja turtles.

"You two are related?" I squeaked.

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VOTE if mysterious boys who lean seductively against vending machines trip your "guy radar."