by Bob Dattolo
“Where are your grimoires? Get them the fuck out here! I heard about what you have!” Nolan’s magic is still working.
My humanity took a rocket sled the fuck out of Dodge as I stared at him, “Nolan? If you try to touch my grimoires, I’ll kill you where you stand and then go find your family and kill them too. Brothers. Sisters. Parents. Aunts. Uncles. Cousins. Grandparents. I’ll kill them all.”
“It’s like you’re fucking delusional! My grimoire got fucked, yours should too for doing this!”
I held up a hand, flaring light bright enough to make them wince, “I’ll say it one more time for the hard of hearing. No. One. Touches. My. Grimoires. You think your stuff getting trashed is bad? 24 million dollars in grimoires are in there. Not everyone’s grimoires got fucked. The ones I gave out for Christmas are fine. They were protected. So were some others. You not protecting yours isn’t my problem.”
“Yours ain’t making it through this!” Destiny pulled back as I glared at her.
“Destiny? Touch them. I dare you. You fuckheads want to make me pay for something I didn’t do? Go ahead. Destroy my stuff and pretend it’s justice. I didn’t touch your stuff. I didn’t cast any spells to touch your stuff. Yet you all think you can do it to me?”
“Maddie, don’t do this!” Angelica’s hands are raised, “Nobody fucking touch her stuff!”
“Why not, Angelica? Why the fuck not?” Destiny, her roomie, demanded, “She did this to us!”
“No, she fucking didn’t!”
“You have no proof!”
“You people…if you do this…the dragons here can read her. You saw what she did in that challenge. How she was. If you push this and fuck up her stuff…don’t go to her for protection, because she’ll eat your fucking souls.”
“There’s too many of us. She’ll take it like a good little girl and die like she should have before coming in here.” Nolan’s magic cast, as did magic from a ton of them. I tracked it all, memorizing everyone that did something. Everyone that cheered. Everyone that smiled.
As everything I own other than my grimoires was destroyed before my very eyes.
When it was done, a huge number of kids were laughing at me. “Aww, you gonna cry, you freak?!?” Nolan laughed louder.
Magic pushed my voice, “I have a message to whoever cast the spells to fuck with my stuff last year. To whoever’s been setting up the rumors. I know you’re someone from last year. I know you’re a mage and not a dragon. When I find you? When I find you, you won’t die. I’ll make you watch as I find everyone you’ve ever known and loved. I will consume them, body and soul.”
“You’re demented, we’re gonna…”
He stopped talking as a mass of lightning came down and hit the spot my things were destroyed in. Kids fell back in shock and alarm as I raised my hands, “I know who cast spells to destroy my things here this morning. I know who laughed at me. I know who was involved. Come after me in any way, and you will die. I’m done fucking around. Come to me for protection, and I will kill you. You’ve lost your chance with me. I saved my very worst enemy’s life last year in the trial. Now? Now I’ll kill you where you stand. As for whoever fucked with me? Your entire world will collapse in front of your eyes before I allow you to die. I will kill anyone and everyone in between me and them. I’ll put aside my revenge on my parents and the people that raped me when I was a pet and focus solely on you. I hope you enjoyed your life until now, because even bowing out of the trial won’t let you escape me. Leave with your 25 percent, I’ll still come hunting. Run to another country if you want. Hide. I’ll burn everything behind me as I hunt for you.”
The desire to slaughter everyone coursed through me, but I fought it back as I stalked from the space back to my empty room. Someone dies for this. I’ll allow the deepest, darkest part of me out to play, and someone and their loved ones will die. Horribly.
I like to think of myself as a good person, I really do. But needs must when the devil drives, and my devil will be holding the keys.
And I’ll enjoy every minute of it.
Chapter 40
The door opened as I sniffed from the bottles of oil. Someone took the diffuser but missed the box of oils. I’m not about to correct their mistake.
Eva was at the door and stank like fear as she looked in. I swear I didn’t expect her to come in, but she did. Followed slowly by Tiffany, Brody, Levi, Samantha, Parece, Paige, Riley, Kynal, and Gage. I thought that was it until Stacey, Cleo, and Cesar made it through before the door closed.
I didn’t say anything as I sniffed from the bottles.
“We…I mean you didn’t have any scents to make someone angrier, did you?”
Eva’s question got me to smile, although it’s not a good one. “Not any longer. I hooked up an IV for those earlier and,” I poked at my neck, “right into the brain. I’m trying to calm down.” I could barely take my eyes off of the open door to my empty closet.
My unexpected visitors shuffled to various spots, with most not really seeming to know what to do.
“I thought you and Tiffany kinda hated each other?”
Stacey looked uncomfortable at being talked to directly, “Yeah, well, for some reason, I’m not feeling like fighting over something that happened last year. Kinda feels like something more important is happening.”
Tiffany sat on Eva’s bed, pulling her down. That seemed to be taken as a signal, because everyone started finding places to sit. Due to the decided lack of couch and chair space, people took the beds as well. “It’s…” She sighed, “I was a bitch. I thought she understood dragons, but…she didn’t. Then we fought and…I was a bigger bitch. She’s right, though, somehow, what the fuck just happened this morning kinda takes precedence.”
“In what way?”
Samantha sat forward, “In what way? In that you just threw down the gauntlet to a pretty big portion of our class.”
“I threw down nothing.”
Levi’s laugh was soft and bitter, “Yeah, you did. A big fucking gauntlet with a middle finger sticking up. Not that I blame you, but…they’re gonna come hunting.”
“They were gonna come anyway.”
“You don’t know that.” Paige this time.
I sat up, putting the bottles onto my desk, “I don’t? You saw them. You saw how quickly they believed the lies. How quickly they went from a rumor to me being responsible for this shit all because I protected my stuff before the school year even started. If I wanted to do that shit I coulda done it at any time before now. Hell, I coulda done it every week up to now. I bet every dollar I have I’m the only one with ready spells to protect my stuff like I’ve had to do this year. I gain nothing from doing it the day before the trial other than to piss people off. To drive a wedge between me and everyone else.” I hit the desk, getting everyone to jerk away from me, “I can see what the fuck they’re doing. I don’t get it last year. I really don’t. Those rumors felt different. These now? They’re meant to separate me. Someone, whoever’s spreading this shit, is specifically trying to cut me off from the herd. To make everyone hate me. To come after me. Something happened last year that I don’t get, and now they’re ramping up. Trying to get me killed. They want someone to kill me, and I’d bet my fucking legs they don’t want it to be them. Either they’re afraid of me, they don’t think they can win, or they’re working in the shadows to stay under the radar from everyone.”
“That’d be pretty fucking devious of them if that’s what they’re doing. Any idea who it might be?” Kynal’s gorgeous face nearly got through my anger.
“No clue. I still think it’s a mage from last year, but…there are only like 20 or 22 from last year. I don’t know who it could be out of that. Someone strong? Weak? It could be any of them. I shoulda questioned every one of them out there and just feasted on them, but then I doubt I’d have been able to stop.”
“No…that was…” Cleo took a deep breath, “You called down lightning. I’ve heard that’s impossible. How did you do t
hat? You stopped an entire class from going after you with one spell. A spell that you didn’t seem to be casting.”
That earned her a look from some of the group. Just not all of it. “What do you mean?” Brody, this time.
“Her hair wasn’t lit up.”
“Then how do you know it was her?”
“She’s the only person that didn’t react to it. At all.”
Every eye turned back to me. I can tell from some of them that they’re remembering prior times where I didn’t let my hair light up to cast a spell. This could be baaaad. I didn’t say anything.
“Well?” She’s a persistent little bugger.
“The reason I spent so much money on grimoires and they’re all over the board is that there are some amazing spells in there. How to hide things. Disguise things. Toss that into being a freak, and sometimes…” I shrugged, not adding to it. None of that smelled like a lie.
Brody hit his leg, “No, don’t stop talking there, you have to tell us how to do that!”
My slight expression faded as I shifted to look at him, “Brody? You may be an ally with Tiffany and Eva and, while I don’t have anything against either of them right now, I know you hit my stuff with a spell out there. I heard you laughing. I meant what I said out there. You are dead to me. I won’t attack you outright if you don’t attack me, but come to me for protection? I’ll suck the marrow from your bones and fuck myself with your leg bones before you die. Don’t even test me on that.”
He shrank back from me, “Jesus Christ!”
Samantha stomped, getting everyone’s attention, “Leg bone fucking aside? Brody, she means that. Don’t fuck with her. For you, Maddie? Do you really know everyone that cast a spell? Laughed at you?”
“I do.”
“How?”
I nodded to the grimoires. “I can do a metric assload of studying when I have no friends because someone’s wanted me dead since last year.”
She didn’t respond at first, “Bypassing that too? You did throw down a gauntlet. I have no idea how many in the class are going to go after you. It’s not half, so that’s good. Too many have seen what you’ve done and are kinda terrified of that. Then again, that means that if they find you weak in some way? They may go for you.”
“I expected that to begin with.”
Parece touched her leg, getting her to hold off responding, “You’re not getting it. You won’t find smaller groups going for you now. You’ll find larger groups. Can you fight off 10? 15? 20 at a time? You’re brutally strong, but I’m not sure anyone’s that strong. I’m really not.”
“Maybe. I just also know that I don’t really care if I die, so I’ve got that going for me too.”
“Maybe.” Levi rubbed his face, “And yet all of us here can see that you’re connected with people. People in this room. Sure, not everyone, but enough.” He didn’t specifically look at my roomie and her allies, but it was obvious who he meant. “If people go after you and take you down, that means others that might be relying on you could be in a bad position.”
Fuck. “Let me be perfectly clear here. I’m not expecting any of you to get involved in this shit. If they come for me? Stay out of it. If they don’t? Then so much the better. You know anyone I officially connect with will be added to their stupid lists to attack, so don’t open yourselves up for that.”
Cleo stood, “No, that’s stupid! We’re allies, that means we need to be allies!”
Brody squinted a little, “I thought you guys weren’t that connected?”
“We’re allies, but we’ve stayed apart to give her space.” Cesar shrugged, “It’s stupid to hide it at this point. People will be coming just in case we stayed connected.”
“I can’t believe you’d be allies with her?” Brody looks annoyed that he somehow missed the connection. Eva and Tiffany gave him a look, as if he’s being a dumbass.
I stood up, flaring more power, “I’m kinda done with this place. Done with the fuckers that hate me. Done with whoever has it out for me. Brody? You wanna come at me? Do it. Get off the fucking pot and attack. You come for me in the trial, and I’ll do my goddamn best to kill you where you stand. For now? If you speak to me again, I’m gonna bitch slap you so hard your parents will feel it. Then you can feel free to challenge me and we’ll go throw down before tomorrow. You understand me? And, for the record? Answer me if you want to get slapped. Don’t answer if you understand me.”
He shocked the shit out of me by listening and not responding.
Now, if only I can get the rest of the class to do the same thing.
Chapter 41
Instead of bothering with new clothes, I stayed in the shorts and t-shirt I had on during my walk. I managed to get the others to leave me alone to calm down more. My primary phone was destroyed in the fuckup, but the burner phone I bought with the girls was in my desk. I managed to get some texts to each of them, and they were crazy supportive. They did say that what I did seemed to throw off the rumor mill something fierce. There were several trying to account for what I did, sort of retroactively fitting my actions into the plan.
It didn’t work very well from what they were saying.
My anger kept me in the room, and I missed breakfast and lunch, so I pushed myself to head to dinner. I’ve been listening to everything going on around my space. Most conversations weren’t about me, just more than you’d think. People talking about the stuff they lost. How they were shocked I let them destroy things. Some laughed at me. Some thought I wasn’t responsible. Others that I was, and me letting them destroy everything proved it.
Somehow.
Twisted logic at best.
The more I listened, the more I was set in my plan. I will find the person responsible for all of this and go on a murder spree spanning the motherfucking globe if need-be.
I just need to make it through a trial where more than 100 other 19-year-olds may want a piece of my ass. And not in a good way.
I’m crossing my fingers it’s not even half, like was said in the room, I just won’t be shocked if it is more.
The caf smelled amazing when I entered it. Not everyone is here, but it’s a huge cross-section of people. 80, by my count. I haven’t seen this many tables taken since last year when everyone took a seat to make it harder for me to sit down. I ended up eating on the floor.
This year? This year I’m sitting somewhere if they try to do that.
The conversations shut down as I crossed through the collection of tables. A sudden shifting and a stuck-out leg caught the front of mine, but I stopped before taking that additional step and falling. “Carmine?” The mage swallowed as I glared at him, “Note to everyone?” I pushed my voice with magic, “The next person that trips me has their leg shattered and knee destroyed. Try to make it through the trial like that. That should be fun to witness. If you push me? Jostle me? I will break the arm, elbow, and shoulder of the arm that did it. Even if it’s both. Challenge me afterwards if you’d like, but your bones get crushed first. I’m not playing any longer.”
Carmine pulled his leg back without saying anything. I waited to see if anyone would respond, then continued on to get food. Once I had it, an open table with my name on it stood out, so I took it. The one in the middle of the entire caf. The one that is almost never sat in.
I was making a statement.
Not me against everyone, but me willing to be against everyone.
“You got some huge balls, you know that?” Marc, an earth mage, glared at me from a few tables away. I think I’ve talked to him like three times in the past year. He’s from…shoot, the Indian academy? I think?
“Thanks, Marc. I was only a runner up in the Big Balls for Chicks competition when I was 15. I shoulda waited for puberty to finish like the girl from Ohio. Lucky bitch.”
“You really think you’re funny, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.
I answered it anyway, “Funny’s relative. I’m funny to me, and that’s all I give a damn about.”
“Yeah, I heard about you. I’ve seen you fight. You’re a stricken, but you kill dragons and people like it’s nothing. You supposedly use your humor, such as it is, to stop from being a psycho? Some bullshit like that?”
Ookay? “I’m not sure what in there was really a question for me, but overall? Yes. My humor, that you don’t think is funny, has a very real purpose. To entertain me. Whether or not you find it funny is immaterial.”
“Ooh, big bad psychopath is getting upset. That makes me so sad. How about you shut the fuck up and realize that you ain’t making it through the trial tomorrow?”
Way too many nodding heads around me. “Hmm, seems like I’m target numero uno again this year. Oh no, whatever will I do?”
“Die? I like the sound of that.” Another guy, Elvin, I think, laughed at me.
“Hmmm, if you’ve heard about my mental…issues, then you’ve heard that I don’t care if I die. Wonderful thing, that. When you don’t care if you die, you don’t really care if you fucking die. Kill me tomorrow if you want to and can. Once I’m dead? Don’t care. Fuck my corpse? Don’t care. Piss on me? Don’t care. Hell, you can piss on me right now and I won’t even care. People seem to think that when I say that that I’m exaggerating. I’m not. In the slightest. I will fight to stay alive, but in the end? If I have to die, then good. I’m out of this madhouse and get to rest.”
“Riiight. Everyone says that.” Another laugh from Elvin.