Chapter 8: Savour Sixteen

  "Micheal…" Luna barrels out of the principal's office and crashes into me.

  "What happened?" She burrows into my chest, arms locked tight around my torso.

  "My dad…he…he wants me to get married…"

  What's she talking about? An arranged marriage?

  "Wha—why? What are you talking about?"

  "There's this business deal my dad's doing with a big CEO, but the only way they'll finalize it is if I marry their son."

  Giving up your daughter for a business deal…that's pathetic. I gently push Luna off and start to stomp toward the principal's office where my former boss is waiting. Before I can make it through the doorway, Luna tugs on my arm. She pces a hand on my shoulder and leans close, her breath warm against my ear. A mischievous smile pys on her lips.

  "I'm just joking."

  I take a deep breath, trying to shake off the spike of anxiety her words stirred. Ignoring her apologies, I enter the principal's office. Principal Braxton is seated behind her desk while Esperanza stands beside it like a sentinel. He looks the same as ever…It's been years since we've talked face-to-face. I tap my foot and stare him down, arms crossed. He's taller than me and doesn't waver under my gaze.

  "What do you want, Dad?"

  A soothing voice erupts beside me, breaking the tension. I feel…relieved. Before he can speak, a louder voice fills the room.

  "Micheal Frills. What are you doing here? Get back to css!"

  "Mrs. Braxton, you're aware that Luna and I live together. He's here about taking Luna back home, aren't you, Mister Santiago."

  He nods. It was obvious. He does this every once in a while.

  "This is between family, Micheal—"

  "He was my guardian as well. Or did you forget?"

  That leaves her speechless. She slumps back into her chair. Esperanza takes off his gsses and wipes them with a cloth, eyes downcast.

  "It's nice to see you, Micheal."

  The seriousness of his expression doesn't support that idea.

  "You already know Luna doesn't want to go back with you, so why bother?"

  "Obstreperous as always. She's my daughter, Micheal. I have every right to take her home."

  "After what you did to him…I can never go back to living with you."

  He looks unphased by Luna's words, as if he's heard them all before. Putting his gsses back on, he gnces at the principal.

  "Thank you, Braxton."

  "The pleasure was mine, Mr. Esperanza."

  His white-gloved hands reach for Luna's wrist. With a slight pull, he starts to drag her out of the room.

  "Hey! I…don't want to go!"

  The most important person in my life had to be the daughter of some influential figure…

  "Let go."

  Seriousness ces my voice as I look up at him. The principal's obnoxious voice is screaming my name, but I refuse to move from the doorway. I know you won't hit me. Raising your hand doesn't scare me anymore.

  "Children…"

  With a sigh, he lets go of Luna and looks down at me through his now-shiny gsses.

  "You're being disobedient."

  Disobedient? Obedience was…necessary. For food, shelter, money, love…Luna. Necessities.

  "Hey—"

  My head jerks as his grip tightens on my hair. The sudden pain invokes ughter.

  "I'm not a kid anymore…pulling my hair means nothing! I don't need anything from you anymore. You can just go and die."

  My field of view widens and I can't stop smiling. He's a joke! Thinking he still has power over me. He'd really be better off dead…he's the one who taught me how to hurt people. The debt collecting, extortion, coercion, bckmail…I was just eleven.

  "I think I'll just kill you…maybe then you can leave us alone."

  I don't feel the release of his grip until he's on the ground. I step in front of Luna, who seems unhesitant in attacking her dad. Dark arms grab my chest, pushing me back and screaming into my ear.

  "I will have you expelled, Micheal Frills! Complete expulsion!"

  "I need to do some expulsing first! Rid myself of a problem…!"

  Almost free…she can't hold me forever.

  "You and Luna both will face expulsion."

  My feet slow. I feel the principal's arms leave my body.

  "This is inappropriate behaviour from both parties! Mr. Esperanza, I understand your daughter is reluctant to return home with you, but you need to leave the building. Assaulting a student is unacceptable. I recommend you take this up with the courts."

  Esperanza casually stands back up, his calm expression never faltering. Dusting himself off, he raises his gsses—a crack now evident in them. With a shake of his head, he looks at Luna and me, his gaze piercing.

  "This was for her own good, Micheal. Let's see if you can make good on your boasts."

  "You don't have anything on me anymore…don't forget that."

  He leaves the room silently. Turning back to gnce momentarily at the principal, I start to walk out.

  "I'm watching you, Micheal."

  Her threat doesn't scare me. Watch me all you want…you won't like what you see.

  * * *

  "What do you mean, no!?" I sm the table gently, rising from my seat.

  "It represents immaturity."

  Despite her monotone voice, I can feel the confidence radiating off of her.

  "I will throw this table at you right now."

  "Throw it."

  She's so challenging...

  "Rose, I can see why the text represents immaturity, but I'm telling you the main theme is the dependence and influence technology has on us."

  Her long white hair sways with the shake of her head, her gaze sharp and unwavering.

  "No."

  Her voice is void of emotion, as always. I can't help but sigh in frustration. There's no winning here. I lean back against the couch, defeated—but not worried. Her answer isn't wrong, and she's practically a genius. She'll write herself to success.

  "If you're so confident in your answers, why did you even come over?"

  Is that a crack in the shell?

  "I…wanted to see Reaper."

  She hesitates, but only for a second. I catch the faintest pause in her voice.

  "You're feeling lonely since mom went on her little trip, right?"

  My gentle tone is returned with a gre. Nothing out of the ordinary.

  "Why would I miss her?"

  She snaps, raising a battered arm. The words die in my throat, and I bite my tongue in an attempt to suppress my anger. She scoffs, standing up abruptly.

  "I told you it's different now. You can stay with—"

  "You couldn't take care of me before, and I don't need you now."

  Her words cut deep, but before she can spit out any more venom, I pull her into a hug, pressing her head against my chest.

  "I'm sorry…" I whisper.

  For a heartbeat, she lets herself lean into me, her arms tightening around me. Then, just as quickly, she pulls away.

  "I hate you."

  She grabs her backpack and storms toward the door.

  "…I love you."

  My words slip out and hang in the air, followed by the sound of the door smming shut. I hate you. Those are words I've heard from her too many times. The echo of her footsteps fades, leaving me with only regrets.

  Dropping onto the couch, I stare up at the white ceiling, feeling the weight of everything I've failed to do. I would get her out of that house if I could…if only she wasn't so damn stubborn. I didn't run away with Luna just because I could; she helped us survive financially just as much as I did. I guess I was scared that I wouldn't be able to give her a good enough life.

  "Sisters…" I mumble, my eyes growing heavy, my chest feeling heavier.

  A warmth nudges at my side.

  "Good boy…" I mumble, Reaper's fur soft beneath my hand. He's like a big teddy bear…my eyes drift shut.

  "I…hated reading The Veldt."

  * * *

  "You know your boss actually paid me a visit today."

  I grab this so-called specialist and throw him to the ground, using his own momentum as he charges at me.

  "I got history with him, y'know?"

  My elbow flies backward, catching the man behind me square in the face. He stumbled right into it.

  "I lived with him for a while, after my dad died. Not exactly by choice—my dad had a debt to pay, and Esperanza killed him for it."

  While he's still dazed, I drive my knee into his face, sending him sprawling to the floor.

  "Guess who had to pay that debt off?"

  The 'bulldozer' charges at me again, and I grip his braided ponytail, holding him in pce.

  "Was it…you?" He wheezes, his voice strained.

  "Yes! Yes, it was!"

  I smirk—there's something satisfying about getting the bad guys to py along. With a swift sweep to his legs, he crashes to the ground. I catch the sound of scampering footsteps behind me, just in time to roll away from the overhead kick aimed right for my head.

  "You're tall," I note, sizing up my new opponent.

  "You're tiny." She replies, voice dripping with disdain.

  I shrug.

  "5'11 is above average."

  "You'd never guess it with a body as frail as yours."

  Her smirk is almost amused.

  "What can I say? I stay fit. And you—"

  My words cut off as her meaty hands close around my throat, lifting me clean off the ground. Air stops; my pulse slows…focus. My heartbeat drags, each beat a struggle. It's harder to keep my eyes open. Not yet… With a sharp, desperate twist, I drive my hand into her neck. Everything stops. One strike.

  "You've got muscle, I'll give you that."

  I mutter, stepping over her now-motionless body while rubbing my throat. A small trail of blood trickles from her neck, staining the cement. My eyes follow the blood as it pools into a crack in the ground, settling next to something else—a broken vial.

  Serotracer…?

  I crouch down to examine it. The bel's still pstered on, and the sharpie scent lingers. Someone beled this recently. I pocket the vial, then gnce back down at the woman. Her chest rises and falls faintly.

  "What's this?" I ask, holding up the vial.

  She barely manages to lift her head, her eyes gzed over.

  "Does it look like I'd know?"

  "Yeah…I can tell you're a brawn-not-brains kind of girl."

  I grab her hair and tilt her head to examine her face. Her eyes are normal, mouth's clear, breathing shallow—but that one's on me. She hasn't taken anything. I push myself to my feet, pulling out my phone. A notification lights up the screen—that number. One I'm not thrilled to see.

  "What? I'm busy."

  "I see you."

  A dyspneic voice whispers from the other end, scratchy like nails on a chalkboard. I gnce around. No conscious body's in sight. I look up, greeted with a wave from the camera.

  "You found me…good job. Did you learn anything? Find what you wanted?"

  I gre at the camera, my phone held tight against my ear.

  "I've learned enough."

  "So mysterious…you're…beautiful, Micheal."

  That…is not what I want to hear. I turn away from the camera, making my way out of the warehouse.

  "So, you're just going to keep hiding th—"

  "Your adrenaline levels are high. I watched you shut your body down. Admirable. Greeting death so you can win…it's magnificent! How do you control it, facing life or death? A survival instinct so pure…your body's primed for killing."

  His tone drips with twisted admiration. I know he's studied me longer than just this fight.

  "I don't want to be idolized by some sick fu—"

  "Oh! But you're sick too! Aren't you, Micheal? You can't always control yourself. You seem to possess the ability to enter a calm, rexed state, void of disturbance. Your body fueled by adrenaline, driven by nothing more than reflex and instinct. But then there's another side of you…a ck of control, driven by impulse and desire. You become resilient to pain, narrow-minded…fearless yet reckless. You see death not as an outcome but as a tool. A tool insinuated to assure you victory."

  He leaves me speechless for a moment. How…long has he known me?

  "What does that make me, then? A gifted hero? A feral monster? Maybe I'm something in between—or maybe I'm none of it. Whatever I am, whether I'm a soulless corpse driven by a thirst for vengeance or a feral animal devoid of reason…I'm gonna kill you."

  The sound of his ragged breaths grow louder.

  "Yes, Micheal…you will. You will be the one to kill me! I'll see you soon."

  Just like that, the irritating beep of a finished phone call shrills in the air. So he has access to the cameras here? Is it possible he's—no, he couldn't be working with Esperanza. Right…? That would be a new low for him.

  I pull out the cracked vial, inspecting the bel again. This isn't a drug I know of…so Esperanza really is working on something. I throw a knife at the camera, sending it to static. And he said he wouldn't reveal his voice until we met in person.

  The walk back always sucks. It feels so much longer than when I first made my way in. At least this is a warehouse and not some b or office—those are the worst. Things are piling up so casually now. I've got a secret admirer/stalker who is also a psychopath, Trisha's feigning for more attention than usual, and Nero Diavalo's cooking up a new drug. Esperanza seems to be the root of it all: trying to drag Luna back home and knee-deep in Diavalo business. Dark Devils? I cringe at the name. So edgy it hurts, and to think I had to be part of it once. Blegh.

  It's almost midnight. Hey…it'll be my birthday in an hour. I might as well push my work thoughts aside for now. I wonder what Luna's got pnned—she seems more excited for my birthday than I am. I can't really bme her. I go over the top on her birthday too. Seventeen…I feel like I still act the same as I did when I was thirteen. That was around the time I started my viginte work. It's not unnatural that I'm still the same. I haven't had any serious changes in my life since then—well, besides moving out with Luna. But we were already pretty independent by ourselves before that. I have all night to reminisce with her. I pick up the pace, dashing towards the Camaro.