Divulgence (Song of Sophangence Book 2)

by E. I. McAllistair

  It was clear that though the Melee was the best they had to determine their combat efficacy, there were a number of other factors that could potentially cause someone with lower offensive capabilities or skill to be much higher in the rankings. As the order by which you encounter your opponents in the Melee is random, there could be a situation where two extremely powerful people could meet early in the Melee, eliminating one another in their bout, essentially leaving a vacuum that allows those that were weaker to rise to the top.

  The Freshman class was an example of such a situation. If Maggie had not taken out the esteemed Invulnerability Titan, Corey Tott, by herself, people would doubt her strength and her place as number 3 in the class. Though no one doubted Maggie’s strength now, they did feel she created a massive disparity in what the rankings should be, and the rumblings of the class were overwhelmingly biased toward choosing him to represent them, despite his fairly low ranking.

  Not being very bright, he did not have his grades to help him in the standings, leaving him at number 47. Something that no one seemed to care about was the personality of the people representing them. This was about glory and strength, not popularity. Though people such as JaMarkus and Corey were known predators and overall generally disliked, there was no denying they would make formidable champions for the cause.

  While having dinner, the rejuvenated quartet of Maggie, Codi, Phavian and Anaar are joined by Stefani and the newcomer Zenia, as they discuss the topic that has been the only thing people can talk about since its announcement.

  “When are we going to get more information about this event?! How the fuck am I supposed to prepare if they are keeping us in the dark about everything?! You can’t drop a bombshell on us like a complete reworking of the school ranking system and not give us all the details!”

  “I don’t get what all the bloody fuss is about. What was so wrong with the old system?”

  Practically jumping from her seat, “It was complete shit! At least the ACR that most people don’t pay attention to has some merit to it. The school ranking was basically drawing names from a hat to figure out the rankings in the school. It was heavily weighted toward your class, so if you were in the top of the Senior class, you were in the top of the rankings! How dumb is that?! Now with this, we can finally give those smug Seniors the ass kicking they deserve to put them in their place! Their number 1 is a fucking Transporter!”

  “Yeah, and the top of our class is nothing but Titans. Just because people’s powers don’t pack a punch like yours, doesn’t mean they aren’t strong Codi.”

  “Oh shut up! You and your boytoy here literally have to work to not kill people. I don’t want to hear shit from you two about offensive power not making a difference!”

  “I’d like to go on record that I haven’t said anything at all. Please remove me from this conversation.”

  Stefani, who had been sitting somewhat glumly the whole time suddenly finds herself being pulled into the conversation as well. “Stef why aren’t you more excited about this?! Anaar gets to massacre people for your class!”

  “Once again, I request to be removed from this topic.”

  Heaving a heavy sigh, “I am happy I have come such a long way since coming to Sophangence, but I still really wish people got this excited about the music events I put on. I advertise for weeks and hardly get any attention or buzz. The Headmistress makes one short announcement and the whole school is acting like this is going to be the event of the century.”

  Trying to cheer her up Maggie pats Stefani’s leg, giving her the biggest smile she can. “Maybe you should have the Headmistress announce your next event!”

  “How in the world am I supposed to do that? There is no way she would take the time just to announce a silly musical concert by students.”

  In unison, everyone’s heads turn toward Anaar. Looking up from his food at all the staring faces, he gives them an annoyed, questioning expression. “What is everyone looking at me for?”

  “Don’t play games fucker! No one on this campus has the kind of access to the Headmistress you do and you know it! There is a beautiful and voluptuous maiden that requires your assistance! You have a duty to answer the call! I won’t let you skirt your responsibilities!” With electricity crackling around her bangles, she gives him an evil glare, while pointing her finger.

  The tension is cut when an alert comes in on everyone’s Vizers simultaneously. As everyone else has all but abandoned their food, deep into dissecting every portion of the message on their screens, Anaar alone continues merrily chomping away at his food, completely unbothered by the incoming message. When Phavian tries to lean in so he can allow Anaar to read his screen with him, Anaar shooes him away, as he could have no idea that he had already read through most of the pertinent information via his overlay. Though he was hoping for more information regarding the specifics of the event, he found the message lacking in that regard. What he did find was information that would no doubt cause quite a stir once certain people came across it. Bracing himself for what was surely about to come:

  5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

  “What kind of treacherous fuck shit is this!? Why am I not one of the representatives chosen for the Junior class?!” Giving Phavian a menacing look, “Did you not vote for me fucker?! If I find out you shit on me, I swear I will kill you!”

  Finally catching up to where she was looking, Phavian gives Codi a sympathetic, placating gesture. “Oh shit, I guess they felt that we would have a better shot with the Titan brigade they are used to? I mean it is our class’ claim to fame.”

  “Fuck fame! I’m number 4! I’m not even number 5! This is bullshit! It isn’t like I was bumped off because I was right at the edge!” Standing up and stomping her feet as she points around the second floor of the Cafeteria, “All of you fuckers are traitors! I hope we get completely shit on! You know why we will get shit on? Because you idiots left me out! Fuck the Junior class!”

  Doing her best to get Codi to sit down as she was making quite the scene, Zenia gives her a small pat on her back which is quickly slapped away in a huff, though she does sit. “If it makes you feel any better, it seems I’m not good enough to be one of our class reps either. At least you were replaced with someone in the top ten. I got replaced with number 47. I guess they feel like a Titan is better than a Medic. I can’t say that I would disagree if we are in an ‘every woman for herself’ type of situation.”

  “Of course they replaced a Medic with a person who has Invulnerability! That just makes sense! Leaving me out, probably one of the heaviest hitters in the class, does not!” Pushing back from the table, she grabs her bag, storming off from the group without even taking her tray. As they watch her get smaller in the distance, they hear a screeching, “Bullshit!” as she leaves the large area.

  For moments, everyone sits in silence, not sure what to say, until Stefani finally speaks up. “Can anyone explain what exactly she is mad about? What does it matter that she wasn’t chosen to be a representative in the school rankings event? It doesn’t change the fact that she is number 4 in her class, right? And probably number 2 in overall school ACR. She has so many accomplishments already.”

  “For years Codi has felt that her rightful place was next to me in the class rankings. I wouldn’t exactly disagree, and there is no denying how strong she is. The problem is she got a bad roll of the dice. Codi is a wet paper bag when it comes to taking a hit. Just her luck, she got put up against a class of people who specialize in defense, making all that power she has practically useless. Codi is like a battery. Her body has evolved to handle essentially any level of current, but that doesn’t mean she can store infinite amounts of it. Even if she was a True Quintessence, I don’t know if you can create electricity the way you create fire or water. I still am not even sure what is the difference in them ‘creating’ wind, since it is just pushing air around, and any Aerokinetic can do that. By not only getting past her previous rank of number 8, but soaring to number 4, she was super proud o
f herself for finally getting the opportunity to be acknowledged, given her strength. By our class basically giving her the middle finger and telling her that her place in the class is a fluke, it just takes all of that away. I want to go to her, but I know I will only make things worse. Sucks when you can’t even be a good best friend because right now you are just a representation of the things working against the person you want to help…”

  Maggie stands to go after Codi, but Anaar grabs her arm, shaking his head. “Let me go! I have to go after her! She needs someone!”

  Piercing her with those sparkling variegated grey eyes he is so known for, “What exactly do you intend to do? Make her feel worse?”

  “No! I’m going to help her! She needs someone to talk to!”

  “Someone who is a representative for her class? Fairly undisputed at that. No matter how you look at it, Phavian and I were probably were top seeds for our classes. That will only infuriate her because there was never any question we would be chosen. You are number 2/3 depending on who you ask, and took out the person they expected to be number 2 by yourself, solidifying your place. Yet another point of antagonism. Anyone who tries to talk to Codi right now will either be a villain because they were strong enough to be chosen from the start, or they would be too weak to have been considered anyway, so what would they know about her situation. At least that is how she will see it. The only person who could possibly help Codi right now is Stefani, as she both has the sheer strength to be in the top of the class, and she has not had the opportunity to show it. Unfortunately, like most others, Codi doesn’t know this, so it won’t really help any. She needs a very specific person to help her through this. Since that doesn’t exist for her right now, what she needs is time.”

  Not aware she was beginning to blush, “You really think I could be in the top of the class?”

  “Stefani, your powers are so strong you didn’t even know you were using them to sway masses of people. To wield that much power and not even be aware is a feat in itself. Not to mention it borders on what people would consider magic. If you had full control of your abilities, you would be terrifying. Thankfully, you are extremely sweet, so you wouldn’t be likely to slip into megalomania.”

  “Anaar is right about what Codi needs. Take it from someone who knows her way too well. As much as we want to help her right now, three of us need to get our own shit together in preparation for whatever this event is going to be.”

  “With us working together, there will be no way we can lose right?!”

  With that all knowing look he gets when he has already seen many steps ahead, “Wrong. This isn’t just the Mid-Year Melee we are talking about. This isn’t even something that has been established for a while so we know what to expect and ways to get around it. As it involves the honor of the entire school, I would be doubtful that we would be allowed to work together. Even then, we must think about the image that will portray. Sure you are my best friend, and Phavian is my boyfriend, but do you think others in the Junior class care about that? Phavian working with us would probably be seen as a betrayal to his entire class, especially since he is no doubt going to be expected to carry his class to the top of the school rankings. Also, people already know about our relationship, so do you not think that they would be seeking to eliminate any sort of cooperation before it begins? I think the best we can do is stay away from each other so that there is no way they can play our feelings against us. If it comes down to the end and we are the last ones standing, it is likely going to be some ancient arena type of expectations. They will want blood.”

  “That is dark as fuck man…”

  “It’s realistic. Look at what the school has degraded into over the past few days. I don’t particularly like the fact there was not the opportunity to opt out. I’d rather cheer you guys on from the stands than be part of all this shit. You know how much I hate the spotlight. Now I feel like some tiger in a circus expected to do tricks and wow the crowd. I’m faced with impossible situations. Though I couldn’t give two shits about people like Corey or JaMarkus, I now am forced to once again square off against my friends in an even more savage bout for others’ enjoyment. What am I supposed to do if I encounter Ripp? I owe her more than anyone could know, and I’m supposed to repay her by assaulting her. It’s completely fucked up. I know she would probably punch me in the face as hard as she could right now, but I wish I could trade places with Codi.”

  “When is this even supposed to happen?”

  “Who knows, but it seems they are being rather tight lipped about the whole thing.”

  Phavian looks through the message again, shaking his head. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  With everyone eyeing their table, no doubt because three of the twenty participants were all sitting together, they found it best to say their goodbyes and disperse for the night. With everyone splitting up, only Phavian and Anaar stayed together, as Phavian had taken to staying in Anaar’s room most of the time. Outside of his room simply being far more comfortable in every single way, Anaar did not care for Phavian’s messy nature, so he only stayed over on occasion, even though they had access to one another’s rooms. With Codi on both their minds, they rode the shuttle back to the Ebony Twin in silence, as they contemplated everything coming their way.

  “You are troubled.”

  Gee, what makes you think that?

  “I do not appreciate your tone.”

  Oh, so you are a master at reading my tone from my thoughts now?

  “Mastery is quite difficult when dealing with humans, but you are particularly easy to understand.”

  So now I am a simpleton?

  “You are motivated by simple desires. Your attempts to pick a fight with me are indicative of such.”

  Oh? So tell me, what exactly does my simple heart desire?

  “You wish you could be unburdened by your many responsibilities, just so that you may take on an equal, if not greater number of responsibilities that you have the power to choose. Put simply, you wish to be free to act of your own accord.”

  Isn’t that everyone?

  “Many people desire to relinquish control. You however, must be particularly cognizant of control at all times. By your understanding, it seems unfair to be fettered with constantly maintaining control, but very often it is taken from you in other facets.”

  I just want to be left alone. I just want to be who I am without worrying about what others will think or what they would do if they knew more about me. Before everything went to shit, you were the only person who knew anything about my true nature. Now more people know, and it is so refreshing. The problem with that though is now I want nothing more than to just tell everyone. It doesn’t work that way though. I’m still living a double life, no matter how much I hate it.

  “You do it out of consideration for others, but also out of fear. If people were to find out your true nature you would lose what control you do have altogether.”

  Some control I have…

  “I would not worry about Ms. Aya too much. All will resolve itself in time. You have arrived. I will leave you to Mr. Ingraham for the night.”

  Stepping off the shuttle, he allows Phavian to take his hand without a fight, and even use the elevator without insisting they take the stairs instead. Once at his room, they both agree to get their homework done, both of them dreading the conversation they knew they must have, that was alluded to earlier. Once they had finished everything and showered, retiring for the night, Phavian finally pulls Anaar close, bringing up the topic.

  “You know we are going to have to fight right?”

  “Yeah, I don’t see any other way around it.”

  “So you don’t think we will be allowed to concede either?”

  “Not likely. There is too much hype, and knowing Ixnes she is aware of the situation and did this on purpose.”

  “As some kind of punishment?”

  “Not that I can think of. A test is more her style.”

  “
You mean to tell me she changed the entire nature of the school just to test you?”

  “I don’t think that is the case, I think this was already planned, but she isn’t one to miss an opportunity.”

  Just then a message comes into their Vizers, letting them know that they should be ready at a moment’s notice for anything. Based on the way it spoke, they were fairly certain this message only went out to the twenty participants. Considering the cryptic message, there was no intention of giving them any additional information about what they would be doing, and there may not even be time to prepare. Sighing as he thought about the upcoming event, he closed his eyes, drifting asleep wrapped in the radiating warmth of Phavian he had become accustomed to.

  17

  Dressed for war, Anaar left his room, not sure what to expect during the day, but refusing to be caught off guard. Walking from his first class, a portal opened, with a stern looking woman stepping from it.

  “Anaar Vorpahl, you have exactly five minutes to prepare yourself. The more time you take, the more adverse the situation you will be placed in. Portals are provided for your transportation to prepare, however, know that by using them, you will also be deducted points from your overall score. Let me know when you are ready. You time begins now.”

  “Let’s go.”

  “To be clear you are choosing no additional preparation time, giving you no penalties. Are you certain?”

  “You said be ready for anything.”

  “Excellent, come with me.”

  With his senses taken from him, he is led by the woman into the portal, into a scene oddly familiar. Waiting patiently for his senses to return, he was surprised it did not feel like very long before he found himself standing atop a fairly tall building, in a place he recognized to be the City zone. Looking around at what he could see, he was shocked to find that immediately he saw another person. It was none other than the person he had been wanting to confront ever since Maggie had cried herself to sleep telling him about how he made her feel.