by Kant, Komal
“You attacked me!” Anger boiled within me, and I stepped forward, fists clenched. “You attacked Anna and Misha, too! We could’ve died!”
“You’re crazy! I didn’t do that!” Cedee peeked from her behind her hands and lowered them slowly. “But at least you’d stop distracting Talon if you were dead.”
“I know you did this!” I was in her face now, pointing at her. “You did this because of Talon! Is this a joke to you?”
Cedee’s eyes filled with cold fury. “Haha, yes this is all a big joke. My feelings for Talon are a joke.”
She was really starting to get on my nerves. I sighed and took a step back, trying to calm myself down. “I don’t get why you act like Talon is some amazing guy. He definitely isn’t. He’s not perfect and if he doesn’t care about you then you shouldn’t give him the time of day. Find someone who’s actually into you.”
Cedee let out a maniacal laugh that raised goose bumps on my arms. “That’s easy for you to say; you’re the one he wants!”
She suddenly lunged at me and I fell back against the floor, my head hitting the carpet with a dull thud. Cedee was hitting me like a wild animal that had been set loose, and it took me a few seconds to realize that a demon was getting the better of me.
A demon was beating my ass in hand-to-hand combat.
With that in mind, I brought up a knee and socked her in the gut. She groaned and rolled off me, clutching her stomach as she tried to get up. I jumped to my feet, ignoring the throbbing in my head, and swung my leg in a low roundhouse kick, which sent her sprawling to the side.
Misha rushed to my side, her electric ball following her, and sent it hurtling towards Cedee. Cedee let out a shriek as her hair literally blew up into an afro. It was the funniest thing I’d ever seen.
Misha tried to stifle a laugh. “I hope you enjoyed a taste of your own medicine. Lucky for you, we’re not evil like you. We’re not going to try to kill you.”
“I didn’t try to kill anyone!” Cedee spat, breathing hard. Her hair had some serious frizz going on right now, so it was hard to take her seriously.
“Yeah, yeah,” Misha said rolling her eyes. “Just stay the hell away from Kat. Do you understand?”
I pulled Misha aside. “Are you sure she‘s the one behind it? She keeps saying no.”
Misha waved a hand at me. “Don’t worry. She’s just lying to you. Who else would try to hurt you? No one. She’s the only one who has reason to-”
The door burst open and we all jumped back, startled. Talon was standing in the doorway, his face showing surprise as his eyes fell on us. We were probably a bizarre sight to see.
“What’s going on here?” he demanded, stepping inside and surveying the scene in front of him.
“Oh, thank Satan you came, baby!” Cedee exclaimed, immediately bursting into a fit of sobs. “They’ve been torturing me.” She scrambled to her feet and ran into Talon’s arms.
Oh, my God, she was such a drama queen. How Talon put up with her was beyond me. I couldn’t stand her whiny voice for more than a second before wanting to stuff her mouth with dirty socks.
Talon stared at Misha and me, bewildered. “Is this true? You’ve been torturing her?” He said the word as if he didn’t quite believe it himself.
“Hell no,” I said immediately. “We’re not like her.”
“What happened to your hair?” he asked, looking back at Cedee. “It smells like burnt rubber.”
“I gave her a perm,” Misha said smoothly. “She needed an exciting change.”
Talon stared at her, dumb-founded. “You electrocuted her? You used your powers on her?” His face was slowly turning red and he looked livid.
“I didn’t hurt her.” Misha rolled her eyes. “Relax a bit.”
He turned to me, seething with rage. “I can’t believe you let this happen, Kat!”
“You don’t know what Cedee’s been doing,” I said, annoyed that he was jumping to her defense and taking her word over mine. “She’s not so innocent.”
“I told you I didn’t do anything!” Cedee shrieked, her high-pitched tone reaching banshee level. “Are you guys stupid or something?”
Disbelief clouded Talon’s eyes and his mouth formed a tight line. “Get out now, both of you!”
Misha grabbed my hand and started to pull me out of the room, but I stopped walking as I reached Talon. I was beyond angry. I couldn’t believe that, once again, Talon didn’t have my back. I couldn’t believe how selfish he was.
“Did you ever care about me?” I demanded.
Misha tugged on my arm. “Kat, let it go.”
“No! I’m not going to let it go.” I pulled away from her and shoved Talon. “Did you ever give a damn about me, Talon?”
His eyes darted over to Cedee who looked like she wanted to stab me. “Why are you asking me this right now?”
“Because I want to know!” I reached out to shove him again, but he grabbed my hands. “After what you said the other day, I don’t know if I should believe you or not! Once again, you’re choosing a side that’s not mine.”
“I didn’t attack you-” Cedee started to say.
“Shut up, I’m not talking to you,” I said, my voice cold. “I’m talking to this guy who was supposed to love me and always be there for me; who could clear my name but refuses to!”
“Kat.” His voice shook. “What you need me to do-”
“It’s too difficult, right?” I was sick of having the same conversation over and over again, like I was a broken record and he was a freaking brick wall. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. You’d rather see me imprisoned or tortured than admit you were with a mortal. A disgusting, filthy mortal who was fun for a little while, but never good enough.”
His eyes were wide; his hands shook as he held mine. “I know I was wrong. I want to be better. I still care-”
“Fuck off,” I spat, wrenching my hands out of his grasp, and storming outside.
Misha followed after me, not saying anything, which I was grateful for. I was so angry at myself for always letting myself get caught up with Talon. I’d come back to school, trying to be the stronger version of myself, but deep down I was still that girl who was being crippled by a boy—a boy who held power over me.
Loire was right—a balance had to be restored. What was happening to me should never happen to anyone else.
“Kat!” Talon called out from behind me.
Despite everything, I stopped walking. Why? Probably because I was a freaking dumbass.
“What?” I demanded, turning around just as he approached us.
Misha hovered between us, acting like a buffer just in case I snapped. It was a good idea because right now I was on the brink of breaking something—Talon’s face would more than suffice.
He hesitated, dragging out the seconds before speaking. “I’m going to help you, okay? I’m going to do what I should have done right from the beginning. I shouldn’t have let Cedee blackmail me into being in a relationship with her.”
“She’s been blackmailing you?” I asked, some of my anger ebbing away.
“Yeah, she saw us together one night coming out of the garden, and I guess she was just waiting for the right moment to use it against me.” He sighed. “She’s not so bad once you get to know her.”
I glared at him. “I doubt that.”
“Anyway, she doesn’t matter right now. I’m making a promise to you that I’ll do the right thing this time.”
He seemed sincere, and I wanted to believe him, but we’d been down this road before. Trust wasn’t something you could gain back by saying the right things; your actions were what built trust.
“Whatever,” I scoffed. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
I turned on my heels and walked away from Talon and the look of distraught on his face. It was too hard to do this again with him, and I didn’t have any energy left.
Besides, there were other things on my mind. If Cedee wasn’t the one behind the attacks then who was?
Chapter Twenty
It had occurred to me that I didn’t like books very much. Especially when Anna made us spend all our time in the library. I’d rather be outside training, though I didn’t know who was going to train me now considering Loire seemed to be avoiding me.
I still hadn’t thought of a way to get him to hand the Mortal Blade over to me. Misha had suggested I seduce him. I had suggested pushing her off a cliff if she kept making suggestions like that.
“You guys don’t have to look so glum,” Anna said, peering at us over the top of a large book that was titled ‘Angels: The Complete History’. It was as thick as an elephant’s skull. “You could read something, you know?”
Misha pretended to vomit into her hand. “Um, no thanks. I don’t actually want to have to touch a book.”
Relating to her sentiment, I let out a laugh while Anna looked livid that Misha had dismissed reading so easily. Honestly, I wasn’t too crazy about reading right now, either.
I was more or less wondering who was trying to kill me and trying to figure out what I could do to get Loire to change his mind. It was an impossible task though—the guy was just so damn stubborn.
“We have been spending a lot of time in the library lately,” I mused.
“I know, I feel like Anna,” Misha agreed. “Which is why I’m heading to a party tonight.”
“You’re what?” Anna demanded. “We have exams tomorrow!”
“Exactly! It’s a pre-exam celebration,” Misha said enthusiastically.
“Who celebrates exams starting?” I wondered.
“Good point,” said Misha, “but I’m still going. I need an alcoholic interlude from all this Mortal Blade business. Care to join me?”
Recalling our former disastrous evening at Sander’s, I shook my head. “Nah, I think I’ll pass. I’m going to bed.”
“Well, I’m headed to Sander’s room. Do you want me to walk you to the dorm?’ she asked, her concern for me evident in her voice.
I placed my hands on her shoulders. “No, it’s okay. Sander’s room is in the opposite direction, and I can take care of myself.”
“Are you sure? Because I can walk with you, too,” Anna offered.
I studied my best friends, something prickling me in the corner of my eye. I really didn’t know what I would do without these two. If I hadn’t had them helping me this entire time, I probably would’ve given up a long time ago. But they both needed to go and relax, however they chose, without having to babysit me.
“Guys, seriously, I’ll be fine,” I reassured them. “I’m going straight to my room and climbing into bed. It’s been a long day.”
Misha shrugged. “If you’re sure.”
A few minutes later, we each went our separate ways; Misha to the party where she would no doubt drink until she passed out, and Anna to her room where she would probably study until she passed out.
As I walked along the outside corridor, the arches cast shadows across the stone floor, giving the night an eerie atmosphere which surprisingly didn’t bother me. I had spent so many years here that nothing about the school bothered me anymore; everything was so familiar.
The cool breeze teased my hair as I hurried along; I could just make out the sound of the rushing fountain in the main courtyard. I knew I’d told Anna and Misha that I was going straight to bed, but there was something about the night that was enchanting. I wanted to relish it some more and enjoy the stillness for a few minutes longer.
There were a few students still wandering around, but lights out was in a few minutes and they were starting to disperse even as I approached the fountain, pulling my hoodie over my head so I blended in.
I sat down on the edge of the fountain and traced the rough stone with a finger, lost in thought. There were so many things going on, so many mysteries surrounding me, that it seemed impossible that I would figure them all out. I was no closer to solving anything. In fact, I felt like I was drifting further and further away from the answers.
The sound of voices nearby startled me, and I was instantly reminded of the nights I’d been attacked. Maybe it was stupid of me to stay out this late by myself, or maybe I should have gotten one of the girls to walk me back to my room. What could I say? Sometimes I did stupid shit.
I held my breath and listened as the voices drew nearer, ringing out loudly in the emptiness; rambunctious and boisterous. Whoever, they were, they sounded drunk. Maybe one of Sander’s partygoers had decided to leave early.
Two figures came into view and my eyebrows shot up as I recognized them immediately. It was Loire and Tyrone. They were both dressed in jeans, but Tyrone wore a black t-shirt and Loire had on a loosely fitted white shirt. I had never seen the both of them looking so carefree.
Or so drunk.
“No, she can be pretty alright sometimes,” Loire was saying quite audibly, as he and Tyrone stopped under an archway. They were only a few feet away, but hadn’t caught sight of me yet.
“No way, man. She’s gotta be the most uptight person I’ve ever met. Like, nothing is ever good enough for her,” Tyrone was saying just as loudly.
“She’s not so bad. I mean, once you get over the whole perfectionist thing.”
“Yeah, I guess she is pretty perfect,” Tyrone rambled on. “She just needs to go out with us one night and get drunk like a normal twenty-one-year-old.”
Despite not mentioning her name, I knew the conversation was about Veritas. Their descriptions were pretty spot on.
“You know what she’s like.” Despite the slur to his voice, Loire seemed to be the most coherent of the pair. “She’s all about her job, but she’s alright.”
“Yeah, she’s alright,” Tyrone echoed, stumbling a little.
I wondered if they realized that they had used the word ‘alright’ three times already to describe Veritas.
Loire steadied him with a hand. “But are you alright?”
These dudes needed to read a thesaurus.
Tyrone laughed. “Yeah, but I don’t think I should’ve had that last shot.”
“Maybe you should head to bed,” Loire suggested.
“That sounds like a great idea.” Tyrone bobbed his head up and down, his movements delayed and clumsy. “What about you?”
“I think I’ll stay out here for a bit. Fresh air helps me sober up.”
Tyrone clapped him on the back. “Well, don’t sober up too much. It took me a lot of effort to get you drunk, Mr. Ten Shots.”
Ten shots? Well, that explained everything.
Loire let out a laugh as he watched Tyrone walk, or more like stumble, away. Once Tyrone was out of sight, Loire turned in the direction of the fountain and started walking towards me.
My heart froze. I knew he hadn’t seen me yet and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have an encounter with him, especially so soon after the revelation that had unfolded about the Mortal Blade.
Deciding to sneak away, I stood up hastily, trying not to make a sound.
Loire stopped mid-step. “Who’s there?” he called out, his voice sounding muffled. It surprised me that his senses were still so alert even after he’d been drinking.
“It’s me,” I said tentatively, hating that I’d been caught out.
“Kat?” Loire said, clearing the rest of the distance between us. He was finally close enough so that I could make out every inch of his face.
“Hey,” I said with an awkward wave.
“Are you alright?” he asked, sounding concerned. “What are you doing out here on your own?”
“I’m fine.” I stuck my hands into the pockets of my coat. “I was just getting some air. Enjoying the peace, you know?”
I expected him to chastise me for being out here by myself, but instead he grinned. His reaction surprised me at first until I remembered he was intoxicated.
“You look different,” he said simply.
“Um, ok,” I said slowly. “In a good way or a bad way?”
“Bad way,” he replied, and then reach
ed out and pushed my hoodie back. My hair came free, tumbling around my shoulders in a messy heap. “Now in a good way.”
Blushing, I flattened out my hair on either side. The way Loire was looking at me was making me feel self-conscious. And something was stirring in the pit of my stomach. That same feeling I always got when I was around him—the fluttering.
I suddenly had the urge to get as far away from him as possible. Even if it had been the blade that had created the connection between us, he’d still been someone I had trusted and it hurt that he was only thinking about himself when he had the answer to my freedom.
“Uh, I gotta go,” I said quickly.
I started walking around him when he reached out and grabbed my hand. His callused palm was rough against my skin.
“Wait.” His voice was low, commanding, and I felt my eyes drawn to his, as though they were pulling me towards him like magnets.
I stood immobilized, my mind racing too fast for me to keep up with my thoughts. All I knew was how close Loire was to me; how strongly he smelt of alcohol and something else. Something sweet and piny; maybe cologne or an aftershave, but not his usual sandalwood. Whatever it was, it suddenly made me picture the way bees were attracted to nectar. Definitely not a good thing.
My silence prompted him to speak again. “Do you hate my company so much that you want to leave?” Instead of pulling me closer, he moved forward and studied me. Right now, his eyes were the color of the sky just as the grey clouds started to roll in. It was amazing how they changed depending on his mood.
“No, it’s not that. I’m just in a bad head space. Sometimes I hate my own company.”
This made him smile, his white teeth flashing in the darkness. I was guessing he was a happy drunk.
“Then you should stay with me a little longer. I’ll make you feel better.” Still holding my hand, he guided me back to the edge of the fountain.
“You should get drunk more often. It becomes you.” I commented, sitting down.
His face broke out into another smile and once again I had to fight through the weirdness of talking to a chirpy Loire.