Different

Chapter 2

Ashley tried to sleep that night, but something stopped them. Something shook them awake whenever they were about to drift into a tranquil slumber. Something clawed at their insides, trying to tear them apart as excruciatingly as possible. That thing was what lead them to stalk the video's analytics. By 7am, they were ready for school. By 8am, the video had over 2 thousand views.

Ashley had no idea what to do. Olivia would never delete it, and they didn't have access to her account.

'Don't panic. Think. Who could help?'

After considering options, they realised it was futile. It did not matter what they did, the video would probably be reposted. They wanted someone to talk to. They needed someone to comfort them, but every obvious option would worsen the situation. So, they did the only thing they could think of.

"Zbttvu tf kltvu, opz uhtl pz Mazix,
P qbza ullk av ahsr, p ruvd aolyl'z uv mpe," They muttered.

A summoning circle of hell-fire formed around Ashley, and before they could blink, a figure appeared infront of them.

The 'person' was a half-demon, with fiery red hair, and piercing, emerald eyes. Both of which looked brighter against his pale skin. The only true signs of his demonic nature were his purple, bat-like wings, razor-like fangs, and intimidating horns.

"You summoned me?" He greeted with a grin.

A half-hearted smirk plastered itself on their face. "Mazix. It's been a while; I just wanted to talk."

His smile swiftly fell. "Ash, you only say that when something's bothering you. You even used my real name. What's wrong?"

"Matt. I...I pranked Danny. It was 'The Biggest Prank of Henford Academy', it has over 2 thousand views, and I have no idea what's going to happen to him! I can't even get rid of it! It's all my fault!"

They could here their heart pounding in their ears, and their body shook violently. Every detail of the world began to blur and shrink. Each pitiful gasp took more effort than the last. Ashley knew Matt was right infront of them, but he seemed so far away. Hope seemed so far away. The world was so fuzzy that they didn't notice Matt gently grab their shoulders.

"Ash. Hey, hey, focus on me," He softly muttered.

"M-at-t." They rasped.

"Yeah, it's me. Follow my breathing."

After an uncountable amount of failed pants, Ashley finally got their breathing under control.

"You okay, dork?"

"Yeah. I'm fine now, freak."

He smiled.

"Y'know, when you said 'it's been a while,' you were right. We have about 5 minutes; let's actually catch up."

Ashley hesitated before speaking. "Oh, okay. Well, my mother's coming back from her Themiscyra studies next week, my father thinks he knows where some new cryptids are, the school my sister works at is getting better, and my brother is head chef now. What about you?"

Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded, causing the pair to startle.

"That's my watch," Ashley sighed sadly, "I gotta go."

"It's fine. I'll be here when you come back."

Ashley let out a mumbled 'bye' before dashing out.

Ashley was lucky to get there on time. Their class, English, was only starting to fill up when they arrived.

Ashley copied the previous day by scanning the class. Everything was different. At first, the occasional chuckles and hushed whispers seemed normal. After all, distasteful gossip was normal with this school. But after Olivia started doing it, Ashley realised. It was because of the prank. Danny was , inevitably, also different. He was dressed in all black, as oppose to his usual, blinding green and yellow. There, in the back of their mind, did the same thing that terrorized them this morning, shriek and slash at them. The next class replicated the first.

Ashley spent most of break in the library, searching for the comics that were usually scattered around the tables. After an unsuccessful hunt, they marched to their class to find a sickening scene. Danny, sprawled out on the floor, Nathan and Richard above him.

"Please...not again," He whimpered.

"Panther would love this."

A flurry of fists rained down on him, adding more marks to his bruise-coated skin. He cried out, but the beasts above him just laughed. Ashley knew what they had to do.

"Hey!" They yelled, their hood up.

"Panther?" Nathan questioned in shock.

"Get away from him. Or you'll regret it."

As the bullies sprinted away, Panther slowly approached the victim.

"You okay, kid?"

"P-Panther? You h-hate me. Why did you do that?"

"D-Don't tell anyone, but I regret that prank. I assume everyone thinks I did it beacuse I wanted to, but I was told to. By Olivia. That's why I used an illusion spell instead of a real one," They admitted.

"W-who are you? I promise I won't tell anyone."

They hesitated, before nodding and pulling down their hood.

"Ashley," The smaller boy smiled, "I know I can trust Panther now. Thanks."

The two talked until the bell rang.

When the day was finally over, Ashley decided to walk with Danny, instead of Olivia.

"Hey, Ash. You ever heard of Nightbat?" He asked.

"You mean the comic/ movie character? Of course. Why?"

"I want to get some of his comics, but I think I relate to Frost-Flame more."

"Why's that?"

"Her powers are like mine. Opposites. 'Unnatural'. She makes me feel less alone."

"Wait, you're a contra-super?!"

Danny's eyes widened with shock as he realized what he'd said. "Wait. No. I-"

"It's fine. I won't judge. You said 
it yourself: you can trust me."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I? I guess I'm just so used to hiding it."

"I can relate to that. Kid, just know that I'll be there for you. If anyone judges you, come to me. I'll get Panther to take care of it."

"Thanks. Seriously."

"You're welcome. By the way, Moonlight, Healer-K and Æmpath also have contra-powers."

"Thanks, I gotta go."

The friends exchanged a cheerful 'goodbye' before rushing to their homes.

Once Ashley got home, they immediately rushed to their bedroom.

"I see you've found my sketch book," They said.

Matt looked up in surprise.

"I see you enjoy sneaking up on people," He countered. "You look happy."

"I am happy. I managed to get on good terms with Danny."

"Hey, that's great!"

"Yeah. Anyways, why are you looking through my drawings?"

"Because these are great!"

They blushed. "Heh. Thanks. Really. See the latest page?"

"Yeah. It's amazing. But I don't think my teeth are that sharp." He blushed.

"That's a lie and you know it."

"Ha! I guess. Why'd you make it?"

"It was for your 15th birthday. I was gonna suprise you. But you...."

"Had that 'test of skill'. Right."

The two stood in an uncomfortable silence, staring at eachother, until Matt spoke again.

"I...I should probably leave. Natas is probably wondering where I am. Bye, dork."

Ashley continued to watch him carefully. Matt sighed, and disappeared in a cloud of hell-fire.

"Bye, jerk." They sighed, before putting the book back in it's hiding place.