A Coalition Story

Pranks Abound

Dinner the other week had been torturous. Ravyn had been forced to sit down with her brother, Peter White Jr., her father, Peter White Sr., and Lev Zima. Luckily, she had snagged a seat for Ace to join her, and he'd managed to fit right in with the other sexist men. Sure, it was a complete and utter act, and Ravyn knew it the entire time, but she still had a reason to finally prank him. Even if Atticus had apologized three times and explain himself twice.

Atticus had stopped texting Ravyn back around two am, which was usually about the time he fell asleep on the good nights. Was this completely diabolical, seeing as he had insomnia and this was a good night for him? Absolutely. Was she going to do it anyway? Absolutely.

Sneaking into the boys' dormitory was as easy as ever. It didn't hurt that she had a key, but picking the lock was good practice for future missions. Once she was in, Ravyn bypassed the kitchen on her right and went straight to the custodial closet in the hall. For some stupid reason, that was where the fire alarm was. Slipping on a second pair of latex gloves that were going to be disintegrated with acid later, she then pulled the alarm before slipping back into the hall and out the front door.

Standing off to the side, she watched with controlled amusement as the grumbling and angry teenagers practically fell out of the building. Two boys in separate dorms jumped from their first-floor windows to the ground. Ravyn saw one guy open his window on the third floor, but somebody pulled him back before he could jump to his severe injury. At last, though, she saw Atticus. Unluckily for Ravyn, he locked eyes with her immediately and soon stormed over.

"I'm going to kill you, White," he hissed, sleep still in his green eyes. Ravyn met his glare with the face of innocence.

"I don't know what you're talking about Atticus."

"I apologized three times, you knew exactly what I was doing and why while it was happening, and I offered to make it up to you somehow. But no, that's not good enough, so you had to pull the fire alarm on one of the few nights I actually fell asleep? Do you have a death wish?" Ravyn looked at him, mischief twinkling in her light eyes. There was really no point in hiding from this now, and there was no point in hiding from it in the first place.

"I do have a death wish, but you're not gonna be the one to kill me. You love me too much," she taunted. Something in his red hot glare softened a few degrees.

"Don't remind me. But can you please move on? I was trying to help you, not earn your wrath. You know this." She shrugged.

"I do, but I also know I haven't messed with you in way too long, so I used the first chance I got. Can you really blame me, Ace?" It didn't occur to Ravyn that this was her first time using his nickname since probably Halloween, and now it was March. It had been four months of cold distance. A wretched four months.

Atticus did notice the use of his nickname but didn't comment. He smiled wryly, but there was a glimmer of happiness etched into his handsome face.

"That's your own fault entirely, Ray. Don't even try and deny it," he scolded, referencing her own self enforced distance and bad choices. She pouted, but he was right. Sadly. Ace was often right, especially when she didn't want him to be.

"I'm not going to try and deny it, but I am going to make up for lost time." At this point, the matron of the dormitory had shut down the alarm and was yelling at all of her charges.

"Looks like it's bedtime. Night night Ace, I hope the bed bugs bite." Flashing him a taunting smile, Ravyn spun around and disappeared into the trees, back towards the warmth and comfort of her own bed.

////

A week had passed without incident, and Ravyn was on edge. She had texted with her former best friend pretty regularly but had stopped for a few minutes so she could shower. She hadn't told Atticus about her plans, because she knew he'd attack.

It seemed he discovered her secret anyways.

Ravyn had just finished rinsing the conditioner from her hair when the alarm sounded. A scream of anger grew from within, but she held it back. No. She couldn't give in to it. She couldn't give him any sort of satisfaction.

Swearing continuously, something she felt she had a right to do given the situation, Ravyn pulled a towel around herself and left the communal shower. Soon enough, she was out in the bitter cold and wind. Of freaking course, Atticus chose the day with the worst weather to get back at her.

She found him standing a little bit away from the crowd of frustrated teenagers, and stormed up to him while her teeth chattered.

"I'm going to kill you, Atticus Hamish Blackbourne III!" she hissed. He greeted her with a smirk.

"Feel my pain and suffering, Ravyn. Feel it." He was enjoying this too much.

"You're going to feel my pain and suffering when I dump you in liquid nitrogen!" Atticus shrugged at her threat.

"I know for a fact that the Coalition doesn't keep enough on hand to do any real harm, so good luck finding some nearby. It's much harder to get than you'd think, especially since you're seventeen and Ky doesn't like you enough to make you another fake ID." Okay, her neighbor (who worked with documents and forgeries and was, annoyingly enough, friendly with the rest of her friends) definitely hated Ravyn, but the feeling was mutual. And it wasn't Ravyn's fault the Coalition had confiscated her fake ID when doing a routine search of her dorm! She'd hidden it better than ever! Or so she thought. And they always took back the papers they gave her for her missions that were few and far between.

"I'm still going to kill you," Ravyn grumbled, even if now somewhat humbled.

"I'm going to enjoy seeing you try. Cal and Torin like me right now, and you'd miss me too much to actually go through with it yourself."

It was a pity Ravyn wasn't wearing her usual heeled combat boots. She couldn't stomp on his foot in her flip-flops and do any damage.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't. You're just irritated and cold. Do you want my jacket? Or would you rather cuddle? Did you know skin-to-skin heat transfer is the best way to warm up? My roommate is gone..." Okay, Ace was getting cocky now.

"Go drink yourself to death, Atticus." He chuckled again her well-wishing.

"Love you, too, Ravyn." The woman in charge of her dormitory had finally started to herd the girls together.

"Looks like you can finish your shower now, but enjoy hypothermia on your way back in." Cheekily, Atticus kissed Ravyn's cheek before sneaking away.

Yeah. She was going to kill him.