Free The Cupid War by Timothy Carter Page A

and for a moment Fallon thought she could actually see him. Then he realized she couldn’t; her eyes found nothing to focus on, and she turned back to the front of the class.
    â€œI’m not going to hurt you,” Fallon said. He wanted to put her at ease, and that seemed a good place to start.
    â€œWho are you?” she whispered.
    â€œCall me Fallon,” he told her. “I’m a Cupid.”
    Her eyebrow wrinkled. “A what?”
    â€œA Cupid,” Fallon explained. “I make people fall in love. People can’t see or hear us, but I know you can hear me. And I need your h elp.”
    â€œGo away,” Trina hissed. “Leave me alone.”
    â€œSorry, no can do,” Fallon said. “Your friend Ryan is in trouble. I need you to … ”
    â€œGo away!” she said, and pounded her fist on the wall, right through Fallon’s face.
    â€œIs there something wrong, Miss Porten?” asked the teacher, a middle-aged man in a tweed jacket and a bad comb-over.
    â€œNo, Mr. Londry,” Trina replied, blushing as half the class turned to look at her. “Just … thinking of something.”
    â€œOh,” Mr. Londry said. “Well, ah, perhaps you could think about paying attention? Ha, ha.”
    â€œOh dear,” Fallon said. “He thinks he’s funny.” If the class thought the same, they didn’t show it.
    â€œI will, Mr. Londry,” Trina replied. “Sorry.”
    Trina’s classmates turned away, and Mr. Londry returned to the blackboard. Fallon waited a few moments more, then tried a gain.
    â€œThat wasn’t nice,” he said. “Your fist went through my head.”
    Trina wrote something on a blank page in her notebook, then turned it to the wall. Fallon read it. It said: Good.
    â€œHa, ha, I’m glad you’re happy,” Fallon said. “Now listen up. I’m not going anywhere, not until you agree to help me out.”
    I’m in class.
    â€œSo what?” Fallon said. “It’s only French class.”
    I have a study period next I will listen then.
    â€œAll right,” Fallon said. “Study period it is. What classroom?”
    218.
    â€œOkay, see you there,” Fallon said. “Don’t stand me up. This is important.”
    I won’t.
    Fallon backed off. As he did so, he watched Trina’s shoulders relax. He had no doubt she was scared of him, and he didn’t want to frighten her, but he didn’t think he could help it. For all intents and purposes, he was a ghost. If he didn’t put her at ease, her fear might get the better of her, and she might not help him.
    He could force her, of course. He could scream in her ears until she went insane, or sing badly until the annoyance got to her. Fallon didn’t want to force her—that wasn’t his style. But if it came to it, he would do what he had to.
    He walked to the back of the class, and waited.

12
    F allon passed the time until the end of class checking the hearts of the students. Very few were able to listen to the teacher for any length of time, so Fallon got a good idea of who was interested in whom.
    The results, however, were less than inspiring. Several boys liked the hot blonde at the back of the class, but she never looked their way. The two pretty boys near the window got a lot of interest from girls, but their eyes didn’t roam nearly enough to make a connection.
    And nobody seemed interested in Trina. Poor girl, Fallon thought. Then again, it was only one classroom. Hardly a cross-section of the school.
    One of the students had a crush on Mr. Londry. What does she see in him, Fallon wondered. The teacher wasn’t the most boring person he’d ever known, but he was in the top ten. Maybe the last Cupid to work this zone had a weird sense of humor. Or maybe student crushes on teachers were evidence of more Cupid practice runs, like the movie star crushes had been. Fallon made a