Black Angel (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 12: Confrontation

Right then. So a Krusnik decided to waltz into the school unannounced, without any warning at all. Didn't even have her power masked; everyone sensed her. Normally that equals "holy fuck, run for your miserable lives unless you want to die a horrible, gruesome death, which most likely involves you being torn limb from limb."

Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe.

Naturally, everybody flipped their shit. The entire school now stands on the football field, the majority huddled together in their little groups, waiting for something, anything, to happen. Though it remains to be seen what exactly that thing is.

"Five-Hundred..." The whispers hang in the air like ghosts, swirling and dancing their way across the field. "It's Five-Hundred...."

"Gabriel!" Melody, Luca, and Shawn push their way toward me. The former pushes a strand of black hair out of her face before looking at me with wide, confused eyes. "Five-Hundred is really here?"

"So it seems," I remark in dry tones. Luca's bright blue eyes wander, and I assume he's trying to find the strange newcomer. Though it doesn't take him long, for the entire mass of students merges into a circle, with the principle and a tall, shapely woman with strikingly red hair in the center. By looks alone she appears to be no older than twenty. On a side note, her grungy semi-porn star clothing leave little to the imagination. Terror is present, yes, but that doesn't prevent a great number of males from ogling at the blatant display of curves.

"That's Five-Hundred?" Melody gazes at the woman in complete bafflement, and awe. "She's beautiful."

"Eh." I shrug, and she looks at me like I just spoke in tongues. "Melody, I don't think her level of attractiveness is relevant right now," I mutter with an eye roll. She promptly sticks her tongue out and continues her appraisal of the woman.

"Attention everyone!" The principal claps his hands; unnecessarily, for everyone is already staring in varying degrees of fear, awe, and nervousness. "As you are all most definitely aware, Krusnik Number Five-Hundred has graced us with her presence today."

"'Graced?' More like 'scared us shitless'" a boy behind me murmurs under his breath. I catch a movement in my peripherals and turn to see Luca glaring at him with a surprising amount of  what appears to be disgust in his icy blue eyes. Okay...add that to the list of odd things happening today.

"She means us no harm," the principal continues. "Please give her your undivided attention."

"Hi everyone!" Five-Hundred bounces, actually bounces, waving her hand with cheerful energy. "I hope I didn't scare all of you too badly." She giggles, and I can practically feel the testosterone levels rising with each second. After a brief moment her face sobers, however, and her voice takes on a more grave tone.

"I came here today to apologize on behalf of my fellow Krusnik, Six." She turns, making sure to glance at every student in the immediate boundary of the circle. Her navel ring glints in the sunlight. "It is our duty to regulate peace between Vampires and Humans, yes, but it is not our duty to illicit fear in those we protect. For this I offer my most sincere apologies."

Murmurs ripple outward like a pebble dropped into water. Well, this is probably number two on the list of things I most definitely did not expect today. The first one is Melody admitting she's lesbian, but that's beside the point. 

Sarcasm is truly a wonderful thing. 

"Well, this is new." Melody twirls a strand of hair around her index finger. "You know, I actually kinda like this chick."

Bit by bit I can sense everyone beginning to relax, now that they are reasonably sure they're not going to end up as a meal for this woman. A truly comforting thought indeed. 

"I have not yet spoken to Six regarding this matter, but I fully intend on doing so, hopefully in the near future," Five-Hundred continues. "But rest assured I will do everything I can to make sure an event like this does not happen again."

"You disappoint me, Amala."

Silence descends quicker than the crack of a whip. That terrible tremor of fear works it's way down my spine, along my arms and legs, until my entire body is paralyzed with it. Beside me Melody stiffens, red eyes widening; Shawn too tenses, the muscles in his jaw clenching and relaxing repeatedly like a nervous tick. I know, they know, everyone knows. 

Six. Once again I see the image of him ripping out that boy's fang, the blood dripping onto the floor of the courthouse, scarlet against smooth white tile...

Five-Hundred, whom I correctly assume is Amala, visibly straightens, her flawless face hardening. "I could say the very same to you, Draven."

The air is heavy and thick, like a woolen blanket was drawn over the field. Six enters the middle of the circle where Five-Hundred stands beside the principal and faculty, and the latter two back away hurriedly. 

"What do you think you're doing here, Amala?" Six's voice is low and soft this time, far from the commanding, intimidating tone he had in the courthouse; it reminds me of the sound of rustling leaves scraping against pavement. 

"Resolving your unreasonable spread of panic and fear among innocent people," Five-Hundred replies icily. "And apologizing for the harm you caused that vampire child."

From where I stand, I can see Six's stoic expression. His dark brown hair is slightly disheveled and wind-blown, his face drawn. If anything, he looks...tired. 

"Take a good look at all of them, Draven." Five-Hundred's voice suddenly sounds bitter, sorrowful. "Can you not see our child in this group? Our son?" Her full lips twist into a grim caricature of a smile. "He'd be this age, if he's truly alive."

Six's jaw clenches like a drawn bowstring. Anger practically smolders in his eyes, and with one quick movement he seizes Five-Hundred by the front of her top. "You reopen old wounds, Amala."

"Mine never healed, Draven," the other snarls back, and swats his hand away. "You continue on as if the life of our son means nothing to you. You simply endure through your immortal life, while I spend mine searching for one of the only things that ever granted me true joy."

"Amala, you are creating a scene," Draven says harshly. Any Vampire would be speared alive from the terror of his voice, but Five-Hundred stands firm like a tree in a windstorm. Her hair swirls around her like a rolling cloud of flame; she looks positively ferocious. For the briefest instant it seems like her eyes flash red from her Krusnik fury. 

"How dare you." Her voice is twice as terrible as Six's. Goosebumps rise on my arms; it feels like the temperature has dropped ten degrees in that brief amount of time. "You stole our son away, betrayed my trust, destroyed the family we were so close to having. How dare you. How DARE you!" She takes a step closer. Six remains eerily still as she sticks her face mere centimeters from his own and hisses, "I swore I would make you pay. Don't think I've forgotten."

Six stares stonily back at her. Five-Hundred holds it for what seems like hours, but turns out to be less than ten seconds. Six finally turns on his heel and walks away, the crowd of students parting like the Red Sea before Moses; Amala says something in hushed tones to the principal before striding off in the other direction. 

The air is thick, oppressive. No one moves or speaks for a few moments; then the teachers begin herding students back inside as if nothing occurred, and this is simply a fire drill.

 "Well, that was eventful," Melody says with wide eyes. 

"Understatement of the century," Shawn replies, and gets a dirty look in response. 

Luca remains surprisingly quiet. I thought he would have a good deal to say, but he keeps his eyes downcast. Melody tries to pry some conversation from him but the kid just shrugs in response. His icy blue eyes are clouded, eons away. 

As if things could get any more perplexing today.