(The New) Power of the 8 Elements: Part One

Chapter Forty Two: Agreed

*TRIGGER WARNING*
CONTAINS MENTIONS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE
"The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance." - Brian Tracy
PRESENT DAY
CELESTE

I really don't want to go to school. There's something so unsettling about it all. The group gets disbanded...again, but I don't think that will stop us from waving or saying hi. I don't want to run into Mr. Sharpe, Glamour's dad, fearing that he'll give us a difficult time in class for the trouble we'd gotten his daughter into. As soon as Mama and I walk into school, we both feel this certain aura.

I see Terry (in her monster form), Amaya, and Terri at one end of the hallway. She looks a little more like her demigod form. Her eye is medium blue. Her arms have more snowflake marks which seem to be a little more frosty, and when I walk next to her, she's colder.

"Hey, Phoenix..." I say. "I can't thank you enough for helping us out yesterday. I mean, my mom was still pretty angry, but you lessened the punishment."

"Anytime, I owe it to you. How's the leg?"

I look down at my ankle. "Still hurts, but it's getting better. Thank goodness it didn't get infected. Where are the others?"

"I got a text saying they were going to be late," Amaya says, checking her phone. She shows me the messages from Bones, Ferdinand, and Glamour.

People in the hallway are talking in large groups, looking at someone's phone.

"What's all the drama?" I ask.

"Oh..." Terri says. "...that..."

A girl who I'm sort of friends with and recognized from one of my other classes runs up to me. "Celeste, did you hear?"

"Hear what, Kiki?"

She shows me her phone, and I see the latest headline on the news is: MOTHER OF THREE WHO ABUSED BOTH OF HER ADOPTED SONS BEHIND BARS. She scrolls down: MOTHER AND DAUGHTER PHYSICALLY ASSAULT THEIR CHILDREN. She scrolls down again: HUSBAND AND SON OF NEPTUNE KELLER SPEAK ABOUT ABUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

"Oh, my gosh...that's Lucifer..." Amaya says, putting a hand over her mouth.

I know Lucifer. He'll hate seeing this.

"I know, right?! This is going to make so many headlines across the school newspaper-" I see Kiki beginning to text something, and I stop her.

"Hey, Kiki, can you maybe, not post this."

"Uh...why not?"

"I think it's a little heartless; I mean, domestic assault is a very serious thing."

"Ooh, too late. Everyone in the school knows about it now."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone...I can tell some people to take this off of Discord, but I don't think that'll help."

"Just do it," I say.

Kiki walks off. I see Jessica and Gia laughing at something on their phones. I know they've seen the news headline. They see me staring at them, and Gia shoots the middle finger.

"Poor Lucifer," Amaya says. "I hope he doesn't come into school today."

Terri looks at her confusedly.

"You know what I mean. I don't want him to see this."

But as soon as she says that, Lucifer enters the hallway. Everyone goes silent. Lucifer stops.

"You know what? Just resume whatever you were doing! I honestly don't care what you do or read about me!" He says.

Everyone pretends to go back to doing something else.