“Christine,” I whispered, “you’re going to break my hand!”

  She gasped and loosened her grip on me and her certainty of the situation; my hand throbbed, but she didn’t apologize or make eye contact because she was fixated on Jade’s proposal.

  “What’s it going to be, Christine? Give me the boy and take Ryo back, or die.” Jade said, stepping closer to the stairs that separated us.

  I tried to wiggle my hand free—Christine wasn’t ready to let go. But if I could run if I were free—I’d rather sacrifice myself—no more would have to die if I surrendered to the Veil.

  “Jade,” Christine’s voice trembled, “Ryo—he dishonored me, so I can’t take him back!” Her face was red with shame. What did Ryo do to dishonor her?

  “I bore it for as long as I could—I could never call myself the queen of my court with the shame Ryo wrought.” There was iron in her words. But I doubted Jade would sway.

  Jade looked away, breaking eye contact for the first time. Did she know that Ryo was dishonoring Christine, and is there a punishment?

  “Christine,” Jade met her eye with a solemn stare and then bowed. “I apologize for my son’s transgressions. I will ensure he will be punished, but—,” she raised her head. “I cannot change my proposal.

  Christine’s grasp tightened like an iron cage—denying my escape—and preventing my sacrifice, but pcated my nerves.

  “Decide, Christine, the pyres are getting low—they need feeding.”

  We needed a way out. Genie?

  Silence.

  Of course, my best solution would abandon me in my time of need.

  “Christine, I…”

  “Antwon,” Christine whispered in a raspy voice. “You’d rather be her pything than die with me?”

  Her words struck like iron and flint. Dying with her meant dying with meaning.

  I squeezed her hand, resending my resignation.

  The smoke had almost completely blocked out the sun. “Sakura,” I whispered. “How do we get out of this alive?”

  Jade moved closer with each passing second, providing a physical timer, knowing we had no means of defending ourselves.

  “Go back inside,” Sakura’s hand motioned toward the door.

  Jade noticed; she stopped and shook her head. “Go ahead and run back into the school.” The look on her face was more menacing now: her smile seemed less human than before, like pieces of her pn had shattered and lodged into her skin as the realization of failure consumed her. “I’m not above burning the whole school to ashes.”

  My heart pounded as breath grew heavy, weighed down by the roaring pyres, sucking air into their fmes.

  The sound of engines roaring over the fmes blurred in. Finally, someone called this world's version of the police. I sighed, jittering in relief, but I was the only one.

  Tires screeched to a halt—a squad? No—a battalion of SUVs, followed by an army of women in bck pants and white shirts, brandishing bats, knives, swords, axes, and hammers; They wore the same attire that Sakura had on this morning.

  ***

  Jade turned to acknowledge her guest. It was nice to see her face the opposite direction.

  The new arrivals rallied around a woman with blond hair. Her attire was different, casual. She wore blue jean shorts and a white tank top short enough to dispy her tattoo, which became more visible the closer she got.

  It was a fan, the design was regal with writing on each of its ribs; her weapon of choice was a pink iron bat with razors embedded around the top that she slung over her shoulder . She wasn’t a cop, and I wasn’t out of the thick of it.

  It may be my imagination, but the temperature dropped.

  “Damn, bitch—you couldn’t call me—say hey—your kids gone rogue, or some shit.”

  Jade didn’t speak, but Christine sighed in relief.

  “You okay, Christine?” Her voice carried over the chaos and sliced through the heat to reach us.

  Christine’s hand softened; the muscles in her jaw rexed. She was my Christine again.

  “Yeah, Mom.” She said with shaky resolve.

  Mom? Before us stood the leader of the Iron Fan itself. Two queens on one court. It felt like some warped fairytale.

  “Fuck, Jade—,” Christina, mother of Christine, said. “I thought we were closer than this.” She shook her head; she pushed her hair from her face, taking rge steps toward Jade’s cn.

  Jade said nothing—her head hung low.

  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bck mask and tied it around her neck.

  “She threatened the veil—I had no choice, Christina.”

  Jade’s shoulders slumped.

  “Tsk, Sakura, how you holding up, girl?”

  Sakura nodded softly.

  I had not noticed before, but the SUVs created a barricade, blocking entry to and from the school.

  Chrastina’s presence caused unrest throughout the Veil as murmurs grew like the roaring fme.

  “Okay, Jade,” she said, stretching, like she was limbering up before a big event.

  “You’re my girl, so I’ll give you one st chance.”

  The tension was thick as cns faced off.

  I’d never been in a gang war before—I didn’t want to either.

  “Fold before the Iron Fan or break,” her voice was stern, cold like iron.

  The solemn look on Jade’s face told me her answer.

  “Would you break our promise to unite the cns, Christina?” Jade’s voice carried the momentum of her ire like an arrow, finding its mark.

  They held each other's gaze, hushing whispering members from both factions.

  What promise could be worth killing your friend over?

  Christina flipped her hair and took a deep breath. “They tried—it didn’t work—he didn’t work. Move on!” Christina’s narked response struck like an arrow returned.

  “Christina, I—I must protect my cn's future,” Jade said with sincerity. “And from where I’m standing, Christina, yours is within range of my bde—so you fold.” Jade unsheathed her bde and pointed it at Christine.

  Silence held the air, releasing its heat in sudden bursts, forcing everyone to stand on edge.

  “Then you better not fuck it up, bitch, because the Iron Fan won’t forgive!”

  Christina motioned to one of her cn members, who brought her a yari.

  Why do I know its name?

  After taking it, she stepped forward; the impact of her stomp carried through the ground as she unched the spear—it flew toward us at blinding speed, and, almost soundless, lodged itself into the door next to Christine and me.

  Sakura wasted no time retrieving the yari; its wooden handle wailed under Sakura’s might, using her monstrous strength to pull it from the door, which squealed its surrender.

  Sakura took a defensive stance, positioning herself between Jade and us.

  My heart pounded its way to the surface as Cristine pulled me to the school.

  The world slowed down.

  Did I miss something?

  “Burning daughters!”

  Jade screamed while holding her mask to her mouth. There was a fire in her words, and passion bzed from the pyers.

  “Kiss the crown!”

  Jade raised her bde toward Christina.

  “Drink the wine!”

  She fully donned her mask and charged toward us, but Sakura, with yuri in hand, cut her off.

  But what does it mean!?

  The cns rushed at one another, sshing, cutting, and stabbing; blood spttered from random locations, painting anything it came into contact with. But Jade charged Sakura… my Sakura.

  The sun peeked through a darkened sky just to shy away from the war below—I was only supposed to go to school—I only wanted to acclimate, and now the world’s so slow.

  A mess of feet was stomping close to—on Miss. Nakamura’s body. My eyes gaped at the blood pooling around her. Is she dead?

  The joints between my shoulder and arm groaned in pain.

  But I couldn’t help but question the knives—who brings knives to a war? The sun was out—it’s nice—it’s sad because Miss. Nakamura didn’t have any kids.

  The sound of bdes singing hummed their sweet secrets, lulling me. Lulling me—who says that? The air was thick, the smell was rancid, like rotten food or dead flowers. Or maybe it was the smell of road kill?

  I forgot to breathe, choking on the carbonated air...

  I took a breath, and my lungs burned

  Was Miss. Nakamura alive? Others lie on the hard ground, next to her, sharing her resting pce. No, they can’t be dead—it just started, right?

  My eyes methodically dragged to Sakura. She was dancing with Jade. I blinked, and they had taken new poses, composing a beautiful ballet of bdes sweetly kissing, colored red.

  I looked out into the distance and caught the pink bat, disappearing and reappearing into the crowd, returning with a fresh coat of red each time, attached to a blond mane, and glowing blue eyes that shifted position with the pink bat.

  Pain racked my hand.

  But what is this sensation in my shoulder?

  I looked at my hand, and Christine was pulling me into the school, crossing the threshold.

  I blinked, and the sun vanished under the lovingly cold fluorescent lights.

  ***

  A girl with rge brown eyes touched me and screamed something. But she wasn’t saying anything.

  She looks worried. Maybe it was because the ground was shaking. I want to smell her.

  I leaned in, smelling her neck.

  “I love this scent,” I said softly.

  “Antwon, snap out of it!”

  “Christine, how did you get to my house? No matter. We’re alone now, so we can…”

  I pulled at my uniform to take it off.

  The sting of her hand against my cheek brought me back, and the realization—the reality that so many had already died on school grounds brought tears to my eyes, and a knot to my stomach.

  “Antwon, we need to move—”

  The knot rose from my stomach and out of my mouth.

  “Ew. Are you okay?!” Christine rubbed my back with a shaky hand.

  “Too much—stimution.”

  A familiar shadow leaned in, extending his hand.

  “Try this,” he said, handing me a pill.

  My skin tried to abandon my bones as a silent scream left my body.

  “Antwon, calm down,” Christine said.

  It was Junpei, smiling like there wasn’t a war outside.

  “Thanks, Jun—Junpei.”

  Panic sat with me because the world was crashing down around us, and he was still smiling.

  My hand shook, pill and all.

  What if it’s poison?

  I lowered my hand, rejecting the pill.

  “Antwon, it’s okay—Junepei is a man of the Court.” Her voice was soft, but I remember what I saw through the veil.

  “Is Hina a Court dy, too?”

  “No, Antwon. Please swallow that so that we can go.

  I shook my head.

  Christine extended her hand. “Give me the pill, Antwon.”

  I passed her the medication; she held it with two fingers and said, “Antwon, I do love you,” and shoved the pill in my mouth; she kept my mouth shut and told me to swallow.

  “I can’t have you getting sick, so just take it.

  Saliva pooled in my mouth, growing heavier by the second. I swallowed.

  Even when I say no, the decisions are made for me.

  “Now, did you find Hina, Junpei?” Christine’s eyes studied my brooding face, but panic fshed across her face as she directed her attention toward Junpei, who sighed.

  “I couldn’t locate her. As soon as I smelled the fmes, I searched for her.” he pced a finger to his masked chin in silent contemption.

  “I was sure she’d be drinking in her office, or maybe someone informed her, and she fled the school.” He shook his head. “No, my Hina would never abandon her assignment; that’s why I love her.”

  His mind drifted off—his eyes were glossy, and a pink tint rose in his face.

  How can you love the person you're supposed to kill?

  “Junpei!” Christine's voice roared out, demanding Junpei’s attention.

  “My, dy, my love interest would never sway my loyalty to you—to the cn—to the cause.”

  Christine nodded in silent approval as Junpei locked the doors.

  “Christine, what—happened? Why did they start fighting? We were talking—your mom was talking to Jade.”

  She brushed my cheek. “Calm down. Nothing will happen to you.”

  She wiped the vomit residue from my mouth with her hand.

  Something burned deep beneath my skin: the haunting question that I’ve been meaning to ask since science.

  “Christine, why are you doing this? Why did you pick me and let so many die?

  Her face blushed, or maybe it was red from everything that happened beyond the double doors. But I needed to know why I was worth the lives of so many people, like Miss. Nakamura’s. Did Antwon mean that much to her, or was it mispced pride?

  She gently grabbed me by the ear, forcing me to look her in the eyes.

  “My heart doesn’t need a reason to love—I picked you because of who you are, and how you make me feel.”

  Her breath grew heavy.

  “I-I’d kiss you if you didn’t just puke. Now, come on!”

  She grabbed my hand and started walking the halls.

  “Antwon, neither side will fold; my mom knew it was pointless before she arrived.” We started up the stairs to the second floor.

  “Jade cemented that idea with her damn battle cry.”

  “What battlecry?”

  “May I, Ms. Tsukikage?” Junpei said.

  I forgot he was following us. Junpei’s footsteps were soft, unheard by the shadows themselves.

  “Please, Junpei,” Christine's words started to drop out of the air.

  “It’s a three-part chant. First, Burning Daughters-The dies of the Crimson Veil are the burning daughters; Jade called out to her cn. Kiss the crown: Jade is demanding absolute loyalty; you know, to the death. And finally, drink the wine; who doesn’t like wine?”

  “Junpei,” Christine said, but more annoyed than anything.

  “Drinking the wine means sughtering our enemies. In this case, us.”

  Such a sick chant. I’m sure Christine’s mom arrived with more members than Jade’s cn—she can’t win. But—

  “Christine, where are we going?”

  “Shh.”

  We all stopped moving, breathing, and thinking.

  The sound of metal cnking echoed through the stairwell—each cnk was followed by descending footsteps.

  Then silence—

  I looked at Christine and Junpei, who were looking up.

  The idea of looking up twisted my stomach.

  I swallowed and tilted my head,

  But the lights cut off—all I could see was a pair of yellow, cat-like eyes peering through the dark.

  Frozen—we waited for her eyes to shift, for the battle to start, and for more deaths.

  ***

  The lights flickered to life.

  “Backup generator—,” Hina said, “best investment I’ve ever made,” holding a silver fsk against the metal rail.

  “Hina, I was looking for you,” Junpei said, csping his hands together next to his masked face.

  Even in the face of death, he didn’t falter.

  “No shit? I was looking for you, too. I stopped by the infirmary, but you weren’t there.” Hina continued descending the stairs until she arrived at our flight of stairs.

  “Junpei, If you—”

  Junpei, with a single finger over his white mask, stopped Hina from speaking. With the same finger, he pulled down his mask.

  “Hina, you know I can’t do that.”

  Jumpei reached into his white coat and drew two daggers.

  Hina responded in kind by retrieving a small bde from the jacket of her suit.

  “Don’t do it… You’ll never forgive yourselves if one of you kills the other.” My body grew numb… to the chaos… to the idea of fallen friends… to everything.

  Genie!

  Silence.

  Hina didn’t look at me; she focused on Junpei.

  “Shut up, Antwon, because you’re next—” Her voice was firm in her conviction, like a second sharpened bde.

  “I don’t care—you won’t recover from killing him!”

  We’re never allowed to love—only empty connections—but what they had was steeped in more than vapid desires.

  “Antwon, stay out of it, and let Junpei do his job,” Christine said, pushing me to the side.

  No…

  “Junpei, say something—I saw how you looked at her—I saw your touch beyond the veil.”

  I couldn’t see his face—his back was to us.

  “Ms. Tsukikage, when you see an opening, take it and head to the roof.”

  He charged up the stairs toward Hina, bdes drawn.

  KnoxCross116