by Kashif Ross
TWO
By any standard, this school is massive. Planning an assassination here should be perfect.
Plenty of rooms are empty since enrollment lowered after Helios’ attack in May. In spite of the lack of corners, the pseudo-museum offers plenty of places to hide. The Colt family never throws anything away; the collection of artifacts in this place seems limitless. Historical armor and large cases displaying memorabilia from various wars line the walkway and walls. The blind spots they create make this arena an assassin’s playground. Someone could kill ten students and leave unseen.
It’s happened.
A few weeks after Spencer’s death, I showed Dennis nooks and walls where students were murdered and hidden. The oldest body was nearly two centuries old. He was killed and tucked inside a casket next to the father of the first Colt that built this arena.
I miss everything about campus. This is the first school day after Christmas break, but no one seems excited. It looks like just another day.
I’ve been dying to get back to campus, and I finally have that opportunity. If I screw this up and show my face, Dennis will never let me return to classes. Sadly, stealth isn’t my greatest skill.
The group of beautiful international girls laughs openly. Two, I assume, are from China. The thin armor is a dead giveaway. Chinese gladiators are known for speed and precision shooting in the arena. One punch normally ends their matches, if you can catch them.
Three other girls are from various Latin countries. I can only tell by their accent. The last beauty is the most stunning. Her gear probably costs the same as Dennis’ armored suits. She’s only said a word or two, so I can’t determine where she’s from, but I plan to find out.
Their stalker continues his phone conversation while seeming uninterested in their walk. I try thinking of a plan to speak with who I assume he’s after—the wealthiest looking girl of the bunch—but a small and round freshman stands in front of me.
“Aye. Where’d you get that hood? I’ve heard about the tech, but never actually seen it myself.”
I’m not used to people asking me questions directly. It takes me a few blinks to respond. “It was a gift.”
“Nice.”
His head only reaches my shoulders. I assume he’s fifteen, the typical age for freshmen, but he could be younger. If it weren’t for his beard, I’d think he were a child.
The freshman has blonde hair, a full face, and a squishy body. He’s a human teddy bear. Even with his round size, he’s small compared to me.
“I’m Richard Ellington. Nice to meet you,” he says while extending his hand.
“The pleasure would be mine, Rich, but I’m busy right now. Maybe another day.”
“Nah. It’s good. You’re probably one of the cool kids, and I know how things go here.” Richard speaks with a slight slur and an urban tone. The way he holds himself reminds me of gangsters in New Orleans. They’re my favorite people.
“Cool kids? I’m in the dungeon a lot and don’t know how things are. You up for a challenge?”
“Yeah.” Though he only nods his head slightly, his racing heart tells me he’s as excited to speak with someone as I am.
“In sixty-three seconds, I need to stop someone from dying. Why don’t you give me the rundown of the school this year?”
For some reason, the dungeon blocks off sound. I can hear within the actual cavern, but I can’t hear above, unless Dennis opens the door. I’d like to know how things are before getting back to classes.
“I’m down, but I can wait until you help the person.”
“Nah. I’m more interested in what’s happening here.”
Richard scrunches his eyes and tries to see inside of my hood. He’s probably wondering if I’m joking. Initially hesitant, he mumbles, “Everyone’s judged by their performances. Abby’s one of the top ranking because of her skill as a mortal-level student. Malik, Wesley, Selena and Patrick run the school as the gods and demigods.”
Richard turns around to check the clock behind him. There are forty-four seconds remaining and he’s now nervous about finishing in time. He speeds up, “They set the standard for how students should be treated. People like me are ignored. Since the final exams in December, things have gotten worse. If you were top ranking, but lost your match, you’re pretty much hated. I was already one of the weakest and I lost. Now, I’m one of the only gods in a demigod class, along with Seth and a really weird girl named Jamie. Was that fast enough?”
“More than.”
“Well, I hope to see you around. Good luck with stopping the whole killing thing.”
“Thanks. And Rich...”
“Yeah?”
“When you hear about my friend Kay, do me a favor and show him around.”
A quiet chuckle echoes under his breath as he shakes his head at me. Smiling, he waves and heads towards the cafeteria.
I step to the side and bump into the prettiest girl out of a group of transfer students. Her lipstick is a faint red. Strangely, I can’t hear her barcodes, not even under her clothes.
None? That’s weird.
The thick eyebrows resting neatly against her light-caramel face make me want to trace a line down to her perfect nose. Her dark-brown eyes are both innocent and seductive. She’s the same height as Richard, but her long neck makes her appear taller. Her cheeks are round, and she nearly has dimples when she smiles hard enough.
Artists don’t sketch images as priceless as this peculiar girl. I desperately hope the men are trying to kill her. Judging from the hitman’s reaction—he ducks behind a set of armor and pretends to read a message—I’m quite sure they are.
The goddess softly, but aggressively, says, “Hey, papi, you could at least say excuse me.” That’s a Puerto Rican accent that’s really popular in wealthy areas of the South. Their Spanish is generally very clean and proper, but their English is snappy in an alluring way. Even the guys sound appealing.
“When we bumped...” Shocked, I point at her mouth. “Did you just lick me?”
The nameless beauty looks up with a smile. “Yes, Kay, and you’re cute. Can I see you without the hood? The image in my head is a bit hazy.” She swiftly licks her full lips, and they immediately turn red, nearly the color of blood.
Found her barcode.
Slowly, her face appears long and dreary. Her eyes water and scatter from left to right. She’s still processing the data she received from licking me. “Why do you need to protect me?”
Her saliva is drying on my shoulder. “Now that’s an interesting power. You can learn about the last few minutes of my day with your tongue and lips.”
Her friends draw near and listen. With a flirtatious attitude, she contests, “How do you know it’s the last few minutes? What if I know everything about you, Kay?”
“If you did, you wouldn’t call me Kay, and you’d know the seriousness of your situation.”
Her eyes shift to the floor as one of her friends interrupts, “What’s going on? Is he bothering you, Carmen?”
Carmen? A chill zips down my spine.
“He’s fine, Tina. A friend.”
The hitman impatiently moves closer, but stops when his partner hiding in the dark calls him on the phone.
“Ahmed, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know. I can’t hear what’s happening. Some guy just bumped into her.”
“You think he knows?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll listen in.”
As he slams his phone shut, I close the gap between Carmen and me. “You’ll have to decide real fast,” I whisper. “Can your barcode read thoughts too?”
“Some, if they’re very clear. But I’ll have to lick and kiss you again,” she mouths as though she knows I can read her lips. The saliva completely dries on my arm. That must be the extent of her ability.
Ahmed moves close enough to hear a regular conversation. I decide to communicate through thoughts.
First, I clear my mind. Then, I th
ink, Three men are after you. Judging from their layout, they plan for you to walk near the door of a room. One has a tranquilizer to make you temporarily immobile. The other plans to blow the door from its hinges, causing it to fall on you. The guy behind you will pretend to try saving you, but he’ll smash your head with a device known as a Clutch. It’ll blow a hole in your cranium and make it seem as though it was a consequence of saving your life. I want to bypass all of this by walking directly into the room.
“Lick again,” I smirk.
That seems to cheer Carmen up. She grabs my hood and pulls me into her warmth. Holding tightly with both hands, her face disappears into the darkness as she gently kisses my lips.
Her nearest friend rolls her eyes. The group leaves while looking back with judgmental stares.
Carmen licks my lips two more times and slowly pulls away. She hums, “That was pretty clear.”
I hold her hand and walk her to the door. “It better have been, with that type of kiss.”
“It was your first. I could tell.”
“Not really. But I’m a delicate flower, and I’m saving that intimate kiss for someone special.”
“Funny. But strangely, I believe you.” As we approach the door, she inquires, “How different do you think the Seal of Solomon will make you look? You were so damn cute under the hood. I almost screamed.” My heart skips a few beats. She knows about the seal. Dennis is going to kill me when I tell him. “Don’t worry. I’m trusting you with my life. There’s no way I’d tell anyone about our secrets.”
I release her hand and open the door to the classroom. The man inside ducks behind the teacher’s desk.
I lick my lips to lengthen our connection, but Carmen releases a loud and seductive moan. “Papi! Warn a girl before you do that. With my codes lit, I feel that everywhere.” I do it once more just to hear the sound again.
Reading my thoughts, she tails me at a brisk pace, which develops into a small jog. I leave the door cracked for the others to follow and run with Carmen to the farthest end of the room, one hundred yards away.
I lead Carmen to a corner. The assassins lock the door and begin approaching us.
Resting my hand on her head, I instruct, “Don’t move.”
“You plan to kill the other two and take Ahmed to Dennis.”
I remove my jacket and place it around her. I supply Shiva with the energy she needs to convert into ropes on my wrists. Shiva forms tiny spikes on my arms, and I’m ready.
“Who are you?” Ahmed asks.
“Ahmed, can you tell me who was on the other line of the phone during your first call? The voice sounded awfully familiar.” As he moves his lips, I snap, “I swear on your life, if you ask me how I know, I’m killing you and taking one of them.”
I’m outnumbered three to one, and it doesn’t look good. Though Ahmed is a mortal level warrior, the sound cracking on the other two’s barcodes don’t seem so weak. In fact, they might be gods. Hindu gods.
The small man who was hiding behind the desk is dressed in black. He’s fast. The sleek armor with gravity-defying boots makes that clear. Covering my eyes, I blink to see if I can find any identification on him. He’s only carrying a detonator similar to the one Ahmed has. They came prepared in case one didn’t work.
The second guy blends more with the students. He has bulky Bevel armor. Their gear has become more popular because the Morenos haven’t developed anything worthwhile in the past year. Bevel’s still two or three years behind Moreno’s gear, but they are more affordable.
Moving to my left, I leave an open space for them to attack Carmen, but they don’t take the bait. Instead, the fastest one rushes me. I’d like to test his strength, but she’s my priority, and I don’t want to see someone with such a radiating smile get hurt.
A hidden blade lunges towards my nose. He tried to pretend as though it were a punch. If I hadn’t already known it was there, blood would be gushing from my face.
To avoid the strike, I whip around maliciously and crack the speed demon’s vertebrae with Shiva’s spiked wrist guards. The centrifugal force applies enough pressure to crush his bone, but the collision with the wall is what kills him.
Excited by the play, Carmen holds the vowel in, “Damn,” for a few seconds while covering her mouth.
Shiva converts herself into a huge shield when Ahmed and friend fire two tranquilizer bullets at my neck. The shield is huge. I’ve never converted Shiva into anything similar.
Listening to the weapon, I realize it’s not a shield, but a damn large sword that’s buried a few inches in the ground. I reach for the handle and pull her out. “Thanks Shiva, but I did see them coming.”
She zaps me in response.
Ahmed steps back as his teammate uses MMIBS on two small marbles to reveal a Spartan shield and javelin. Concentrating, I measure the weight of his weapon against mine. It’s difficult to do without feeling it, but judging from the amount of pressure on my joints from the weight versus how little his knees are affected, I see we’re not in the same league.
I rush the brute as he raises his shield.
If I judged the weight incorrectly, when I swing the sword on top of his barrier, I’ll be defenseless for two seconds. By the time I release the sword and dash around him, he’ll counter by stabbing me with the spear. Oh well. I doubt Shiva would let me down.
My blade slices through his defense as though it didn’t exist. There’s no way I can convince Dennis this was an accident. How am I going to clean all this blood off?
Ahmed’s eyes widen. I haven’t seen that level of fear in some time.
“What?” I ask roughly. “It’s not my fault his shield was shit.”
The large man backs away slowly. Suddenly, he spins around and sprints towards the entrance.
Turning back towards Carmen, I ask, “Is he...is he really running?”
She takes two steps to her right in order to see past me. With her sound still muffled by the jacket, she mumbles, “Whoa. He’s really light on his feet.”
Ahmed clears forty yards as though they were a few inches. He looks over his shoulders confidently, but wipes the smirk away when he notices me behind him, nearly within reach. He digs in his pocket and removes his detonator. I finally notice the other bombs. Though they’re masked as speakers in the corners of the room, they’re actually his backup plan.
“Carmen! Run to me now.” I turn around and bolt towards her. Ahmed ignites the bombs in the ceiling, and everything comes crushing down. She takes off in a fearsome sprint with her speed nearly matching my own. I dodge lights and bricks, jump over fallen desks, and wrap her in my arms.
I throw Carmen to the ground and cover her with my body.
“Shiva, what else you got?” My sword converts into a jumbo shield made for a giant. Carmen and I squeeze under it as the ceiling crashes down on us. Other students scream from the sound.
The floor above was a chamber reserved for parent’s month. It was empty. As the final few bits crash down, Carmen softly breathes on my lips, “Kay.”
“Yes?”
“If I ask to see your eyes, will you kill me like you did the militia?”
“Not if you answer a question for me.”
“Yeah?”
I open my eyes, and we both glow with a green hue. The colors on her skin are more amazing than I could have imagined. Being this close to the browns in her eyes, pinks on her lips, and bronze in her hair makes the clock in my chest tick irregularly.
“Do they scare you?”
“Uh-huh.”
Carmen wraps her legs around my waist. “Now, lick your lips please.”
Though I follow the instructions, the orgasmic sounds she makes are embarrassing for the both of us.
It takes a few seconds for her to regain her composure. “What the hell is up with your barcode? Better yet,” she stutters while panting and adjusting her waist enough to excite me, “why are you this strong?”
“I’m not sure what you
mean.”
“I can borrow power with a kiss. It’s the only way Aphrodite allows me to walk. If I don’t use someone else’s strength, I’m pretty much a vegetable. But after licking your shoulder, I felt like I could fly.”
“Strange.”
“I’m not done with questions.”
“Of course not.”
“Do I remind you of her?”
“Who?”
“You got really spooked when you heard my name, and I kind of sensed the girl you killed. Carmen. I couldn’t get much from your thoughts, but you really liked her.” The green hue surrounding us intensifies and the goddess underneath me shrieks with a fearful sound. “How’d you do that?”
“You keep asking vague questions. You read minds, not me.”
“You just shut off our connection. I can’t read your thoughts, but the spit I left on your back shouldn’t be dry.”
“You spit on me? Not sexy.”
“Forgive me. Please? You didn’t even notice in all the commotion.”
The last stone crashes down. I listen as people search frantically to find anyone alive.
I sense Dennis trying to remain calm, but the rate at which he’s moving stones reveals his concern.
“I’ll need my jacket before I get us out of here.”
Carmen and I shift between each other’s’ legs as she removes it. We struggle a bit, but she eventually wraps it around me.
The dynamic red color of her lips brightens the small space. Carmen kisses the shield for a few seconds. Her lips return to a dull pink hue and she declares, “There’s four tons of rubble over us. Don’t break your back trying to push this up.”
“Four tons? I can only see two feet of it. It can’t weigh that much.”
“The ceiling is Colt Stone too. Those must have been heavy duty bombs because it doesn’t break easily.” She smirks while running her hand down my arms. “You can still get us out, can’t you?”
“Yeah,” I reply while building a force in my chest that causes the shield to rumble.
“First,” she mumbles, “can you tell me where Ahmed is going? I know this may sound weird, but with so much of my saliva on you, I can feel data running through my eyes.”
“What kind of data?”
“It’s like words and numbers, but sometimes it’s like another world in my head.”
“Sounds like you can see what I can.”
“And what do you see?”
“Everything within a fifty mile radius. When I really concentrate, I can see things more intricately, nearly down to the cell.”
“Damn. That must be awful. You’ve never seen the sky or the moon?”
“Actually I have. Though my ears and eyes are connected, they’re also divided. I can’t hear the moon, but if I look up, it’s visible. Similarly, I can’t see Ahmed flying on the freeway, but the sounds I’m picking up form images in my mind. It’s like watching the world from another dimension.”
“That sounds like an overwhelming amount of data to deal with,” she utters sympathetically. Neither of us say a word for several seconds. Noises from the search party echo in our tiny space. Carmen runs her delicate hands down the back of my head until her arms are tightened around my neck. “Let’s go, papi.”