“Just sit down and leave her alone!” A dark, husky voice pulled Sebastian from his sleep. Wearily he came to his senses, remembering why he was on this crowded and hot bus. Glancing over at Marshall, whose rhythmic breathing told him he was still dead asleep, he shook his head in amazement at how this kid could sleep anywhere. Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of black swept past him. The man in the black T-shirt was towering over the boy in front of Makayla, his back to Sebastian. Barely being able to see around to Makayla, all he could tell was she was curled up on her seat, her face buried in her knees, rocking back and forth. Her hair was acting like a protective curtain, falling over her face and keeping her from anyone's inspection.
“I wouldn't recommend doing anything else foolish. I would hate to have to come back up here and sit there.” The man in the black T-shirt motioned to the empty seat in front of Sebastian.
“Oh, yeah? Think you’re so tough, do ya? What are you going to do about it? Is she yours? Is she your pretty play thing?” The boy was flexing his muscle so severely that his neck was bulging with blue veins, looking like an atlas of rivers. His other friends stood up to assist. Then something happened between the man and the boys that Sebastian couldn't see from where he was sitting. All of the sudden the boy threw up his hands, as if in surrender, and sat down with a look of defeat on his face. The other two followed suit, brainless to do anything else. The man in the black T-shirt turned, glaring at Sebastian as he walked back to his seat.
Sebastian stared at the teen boys in front of him, wide-eyed, wondering what in the world he missed. Suddenly, tiny little sobs broke his train of thought. Makayla's back trembled as she cried into her knees. Pictures of the unknown possibilities flashed in his mind, making his stomach churn, as he could only imagine what had happened once he fell asleep. Ethan leaned forward, apparently wide awake, and looked at Sebastian with horror in his eyes.
“What happened?” He mouthed to his little brother.
Ethan looked at Makayla and then pulled himself past her into the aisle motioning for Sebastian to follow. Not sure he wanted to leave his sister alone he quickly made a scan of the bus to see what the other passengers were doing. Only a few overhead lights indicated those who were awake, but most were sound asleep. Sebastian caught the eye of the man who’d just saved his sister. He gave a curt nod, letting Sebastian know it was ok to go with his brother. Was he offering to watch her while he talked to Ethan? Hesitant, remembering the anxiety he had felt seeing this creep board the bus, could he trust him to protect Makayla? Well, he did stand up for her just now, but why? Curiosity got the best of him. He had to know what had happened to bring this guy out of his seat as their protector. He nodded at him, accepting his offer. The back of the bus wasn’t as nearly as crowded as the front half. Plopping next to Ethan, who had found empty seats next to the bathroom, he noticed that his brother red hair was wild and his green eyes wide with disbelief, but red and puffy from exhaustion. Or had he been crying?
“Oh, man. I can't believe those creeps! I ought to smash that guy’s face in.” Ethan was pounding the palm of his hand, making a smacking sound as his knuckles hit the tender skin.
“Ethan, just tell me what happened!” He was already starting to flush with fury, thinking about what could have been going on with Makayla. He grabbed Ethan's hands, wanting him to stop that annoying smacking.
“Most people were asleep, but she was poring over her books like normal. After a while, Makayla got up to go to the bathroom. There were about four people in line, so she had to stand in the aisle. I had just woken up to get something to drink. The boy in front of her noticed that you had fallen asleep. He nudged his friend, pointing to Makayla. They whispered to themselves for a while, like they were making plans or plotting something. Every once in a while, they would look back at you, laughing.”
Sebastian could feel the hair on the back of his neck bristling. It was all he could do to stay next to Ethan, wanting to go and bash the guy’s face in.
“Then the boy got up and stood in line behind Makayla. I didn't really pay much attention. I was just annoyed that they wouldn’t shut up. Man, I should have been listening. If I had known…”
Sebastian looked at his brother. Concern and sorrow swept over Ethan’s freckled face; moisture creeping into the corner of his eye. A silent lull passed before Ethan finally continued.
“I did hear Makayla threaten his manhood. He must have said something to her. You know how she can be! But the boy didn't seem to take her seriously, as he knew he could take her in a heartbeat. He kept brushing her hair, whispering in her ears, touching her arms, pulling himself up to her from behind. She was frozen and rigid, with a look of panic on her face. I didn't know what to do. What could I do? Finally, after a couple of minutes, the man in the black shirt grabbed the boy by the collar, picked him up and threw him into his seat. Makayla ran back to her seat, curling up into a ball, sobbing. That's when you woke up. Man, I knew she was having a hard time with boys teasing her, but I had no idea.”
Sebastian caught his last sentence. “You mean she told you she was being bothered by boys?”
Ethan seemed to catch on to his sharp tone, “Well, yeah, but she didn't make it seem like it was a big deal. I mean, I've been noticing the stares and the raised eyebrows from some of the kids when we go places, but it never seemed to be anything more than that.”
Sebastian slammed his fist into the back of the seat in front of him. What had happened to his baby sister? He swore to himself that she would never leave his sight.
Ethan grabbed him by the arm and sighed, “Come on, we’re almost to Boston. Let's get back up there and get ready to get off. I don't want to be hanging around the station with those creeps!”
“Yeah, good idea. We need to get her away from them as soon as we can.”
Ethan and Sebastian made their way up to the front of the bus. When Sebastian got to the man in the black T-shirt, he stopped. He didn't know why, but he knew he had to thank this unexpected protector for doing what he didn't and probably couldn't.
“Thanks. My brother told me what happened. I just wanted to say thanks.” Not knowing what else to do, he thrust out his hand to the mysterious stranger, who grabbed it with both of his in an ironclad grip. He hadn’t guessed this man to be as strong as he now seemed. Weird, he thought. He actually took him for the moody, skate-boarding group. The man smiled, penetrating Sebastian with his eyes, like he was reading his soul. The depth of them seemed endless, giving him the feeling that he was getting lost in them, helpless to do anything but stare until the man decided to break the hold. Sebastian blinked, coming out of the trance he hadn’t felt since meeting Gina. What had happened?
“Sebastian, is it?” the man asked, pulling Sebastian back to the present moment. He finally let go of his hand.
“Yeah.” Sebastian pulled his hand away, rubbing some feeling back into his fingers. He finally gave up and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Well, you’re welcome. Just keep a better eye on her. She seems to be having an unusual effect on most of the males on this bus.”
Sebastian looked wide-eyed at him, his mouth falling open. The man just started chuckling and shrugged.
“You don't seem to be aware of the natural beauty your sister possesses. She is like a shining light in the middle of a black world. Keep an eye on her. “
“Uh, thanks?” Sebastian said, trying to get his name.
“Cyrus.” The man smiled, but when Sebastian looked into his eyes, there was a darkness that came over them that sent chills down his back.