Young Writers Society

Crow Hokkaido

Ari was just starting to stretch out when I walked into the gym. I could tell from the light mist of perspiration on her face that she'd been training long before I'd come around. In the past few days, these meetings had become an unspoken routine. Neither of us knew when it had become so regular, it had just happened.

"Aria." I muttered.

"Crow." Aria sank down into a split and I gulped, wincing a little. She twisted her hips and turned into a side split. I raised my eyebrows a bit.

"That's gotta hurt."

Ari shook her head and a grin spread across her face. I blinked. It was the first time I'd seen her smile. It was...kind of cute.

"You never do that."

"What?"

I dropped my gaze. "Smile." I muttered.

Aria gave no reply. Only stood up and re-tied her ponytail, obviously ready to go back at it. I took a look out the window. The moon was high out in the middle of the sky.
"How long have you been here?"

Aria checked the clock. "Three hours."

I shook my head. "Why are you working so hard to get the upper hand?"

Aria's face hardened the way it did when the subject of Evangeline was brought up. "I have to beat her. I will beat her."

But she was able to do that just fine before she started training like this. So what exactly is she up to?

Aria continued. "I need your help."

I looked up at her curiously. I could see it in her face. She had a plan.

“I’m putting together a group of people. A rebellion. If we train them and organize properly, we can take her down. If we can get little miss priss off her throne, this school will belong to the students again, not any one person.”

A rebellion... I felt my stomach twist and I ran a finger under the cuffs of me gloves. Could she know?

"I'm in." I agreed. I have the experience. And she needs my help. "But caution is necessary."

Ari nodded. She turned to a table of weights and began looking over them. "That's why I'm working so hard." She picked up two weights with a small black 180 printed on the ends. I stood, watching her lift the weights. She'll burn herself out at this rate.

"You need sleep."

Ari didn't even look up. "I don't care." She continued to lift the weights. I grabbed them as she brought them up again, holding them in place. Ari scowled a little, tugging at the weights and stepping closer to me. My heart twisted in my chest. I gripped the weights tighter. Ari looked up at me.

"Why did you fight for me yesterday?" I whispered, I felt strange. Like I'd been running for the past few minutes instead of sitting on the gym floor.

Ari didn't answer. She tugged the wights again, not taking her eyes off me. The expressionless mask melted away and I saw the young girl again. I felt my knees begin to shake a little.

"Let go." She breathed. I held on tighter. All at once, I saw everything. I saw the little streaks of blonde in her red hair, and the tiny flecks of grey in her eyes that I'd never noticed before. I saw her lean build, gentle curves, and delicate face. The picture I drew of the angel rose up in my minds eye.
I couldn't have told you what happened next, because my mind stopped working as soon as she pressed her lips to mine. The only thing I noticed for what felt like a long time was how warm her lips were, that my hands fit almost perfectly where they rested on her hips. The weights fell with a thud and her arms were around my neck. Her fingers were tangled in my hair. I could feel all my walls crumbling to nothing, and...I didn't care. One person had torn down every defense I had built in one moment, and suddenly it didn't matter anymore. The feeling snapped everything back into focus. Without those walls, I was nothing. I pulled away. What happened? I thought no one could do that. I ran my fingers though my hair, feeling the path Aria's fingers had made there. I turned abruptly and hurried from the gym and through the courtyard. Energy was still pulsing through my body. I walked faster, headed for the lofty safety of the tree. No. No, no, no, no, no!

"Crow. Crow, I'm sorry." Aria grabbed my wrists and turned me around. Her eyes were still full of emotion. “I don’t know why but I’m beginning to like you. I don’t know anything about you but it’s like you’re always just… there. You drew a picture of me when I was in the hospital and it felt like you were the only person who saw a girl, not just a fighting machine. You see things that I don’t and I can’t-”

I quickly pulled away. "No, Aria. I can't" The emotion in her eyes changed. She took a step back, seeming to deflate. Guilt stabbed through me like one of Lakewood's knives. I turned again and ran toward the bunks. flying through the door and quietly shutting it behind me. I sat heavily down on my bunk, burying my head in my hands. I felt so many different emotions roiling inside my mind that I couldn't tell one from the other. I sat like that for a long time as I re-built myself. Setting my walls back up. I took a deep breath and sat up straight again. My cheeks were wet. I touched the streaks of moisture, almost to make sure they were actually there. I can't remember the last time I'd cried. There had been so many times when I'd wanted to, and couldn't. But now...
I smiled to myself. I'm strong after all.

Joseph Rourke

The next day began early in the morning as the man named Rourke stepped into the chilly morning and pulling his jacket over his shoulders. There was work to be done and so he had awoken early to take care of some things before "class" started. He thought back to the previous night.

Evangeline Lakewood. He almost laughed. Of all the people to be here at the same time as I, my old employer. Almost ironic, really... It shouldn't have been a surprise that she had already found herself in a position of power at the academy, she had a previous history of ending up in similar seats of whatever group she currently was with, and still the assassin was impressed. Her request snapped back into his thoughts and he pulled a small cellphone from his pocket, tapping the only contact listed in the device.

"Hello?" Joseph smiled. "Warden." There was a pause. "Rourke. What do you want? I thought I made it clear that this line was to be used only in cases of the utmost importa-"

"Hush, now Warden. I've changed my mind. You're going to send your men and take me back to prison where I will be executed for my crimes." Wait for it... The Warden's surprise was almost audible even through the phone. "Wh- What the hell are you talking about Rourke? We had a deal, and you will see it through." Joseph frowns at this.

"Do no presume to command me Warden. Make no mistake, you are alive only because I allowed to continue to breathe. Now listen to me and listen well. You have two choices. One. Send your men, bring me back to your pitiful jail and execute me for the world to see as an example and loose a potential Black Fist recruit, or Two. Bring me what I need to succeed in your little school."

There is a long pause on the line before the Warden speaks again. "This is a one time deal, Rourke. You pull something like this again and I'll personally see to it that you don't get anything as easy as death." Joseph smirks. "Now, what do you need so badly?"

"Hmmm." Joseph might not be actually capable of enjoying emotions, but he knew that one thing he liked the annoyance clear in the Warden's voice. "Let's see here... so many to choose from... How about a little cyclohexyl methylphosphonofluoridate?" Another fake smile. No one could see his face, but old habits die hard and feigning emotion is easy to get used to.

The Warden is silent for a moment. "English, please? You crazies are all the same aren't you? Throwing around a few big words doesn't legitimize your actions, you realize that don't you?"

"Don't patronize me, Warden. I know for a fact that I am a superior creature to you and I need no reassurance of that from myself or anyone else for that matter. Tell your more intelligent cronies to get me a single vial of cyclosarin. They will know what my big words mean. I will be waiting, Warden."

With these words, Joseph closes the phone and tosses the device into a nearby waste bin. A pair of thin latex gloves follow the device and he walks calmly away and reconsiders; He also enjoyed hanging up on people, particularly annoying government henchmen.

----------------------------------

Rourke takes care not to draw undue attention until classes begin and he walks into his first without a word, merely nodding when the instructor calls his name to announce the new "student" to the class. Joseph takes note of some of the faces that turn to inspect him. A relatively small few jump out at him. Among them are the girl from the previous night and a boy with a strange helmet upon his head. Lakewood will have to fill me in on these ones... The boy that Evangeline had threatened was there too, but paid little mind to Joseph. He may not have even truly known I was there outside of Eva's little remark...

The rest of class passed slowly and uneventfully, reviewing tactics that Joseph considered child's play, a regard that the helmet-wearing boy seemed to share. As the bell rang and Rourke prepared to disappear once more until class resumed, an African-American boy came forwards from the back of the class and passes a note to the girl from the night before, casting a glance around the classroom before he darts into the hallway. The girl, Aria, reads the note quickly and her eyes become steely before she pockets the small scrap of paper and heads off in the opposite direction down the hall.

Interesting... Their behavior was typical of a conspirator's meeting setup, though of course their reasoning was unknown to Joseph. Nonetheless.... I'm sure Lakewood would be terribly intrigued to hear about this...

Will

I glanced carefully at Eva, as she stared expectantly across from me at the gym, in the middle of the morning. I sighed." So you want to learn the art of the Dragon?" She nodded." Only 3 people in the world know it. You being one of them. I need a new way to take out those who stand in my way." I shook my head.

"Sorry sugar, I'm not teaching you. You need years of training for it, and besides you don't have the right mindset. Your to... Quick. Quick to accuse. Quick to anger. Quick to vengeance. I can't train a student who isn't mentally prepared to take on all aspects of the Dragon." I turned and began to walk away. I felt her rush at me from behind. I formed my hand into a Dragon fist, and blocked her incoming punch, and shoved her back.

"I say no to you and you attack?" I said." See what I mean." Her eyes narrowed at me, as she charged in again, coming low to sweep my legs out from under me. I stood my ground, and her shock was visible as her leg smashed into mine, causing her to lose her footing. I lowered myself into the horse stance and formed the Dragon posture.

"You won't beat me Eva. Please don't do this." She snarled a quick reply under her breath as she came at me with her vicious attack, seemingly wanting to kill me. I blocked it all, using everything my years under the Shaolin monks had taught me. Eva was good, damn good, but my extra training have me the edge over her. I saw her move into kick my weak leg, and I switched positions, striking at her body with my Dragon claws, ripping her shirt, as I scored several scratches.

I caught her I coming elbow aimed at my face, than brought it behind her, in a classic chicken arm move,putting pressure into it, forcing her to the ground." Stop this Lakewood." I muttered, as she strained against me." Please just stop it." I begged, feeling a tear runs won my cheek, as I put more pressure onto her arm. Any more, and it would break completely. All she did was try to hurt me, but her hits were ineffective, as I clearly held the upper hand.

"God damn it to hell Eva, stop it." I cried out, my voice seemingly breaking. My other arm came around her neck, cutting off her air. I wanted her to submit, to give up, so I could stop tearing down the one person who was the closest to a friend I'd ever had. I was waiting for her to tap out, surrender, beg me to stop, anything! But her pride held on tighter. Evangeline Lakewood was unbreakable. And she wouldn't beg for mercy, even if I had broken every single bone in her body.

Suddenly, I was dragged away from her, as British soldiers dragged me off of her, and Pierpoint Guards dragged her away, as she coughed for breath, and attempted to break free from her captors, who were dragging her off.

I turned to the British men, angrily, and they all took an involuntary step away from me. A uniformed lady approached." Agent Black, you're being activated by direct order from the Prime Minister himself. You're coming home." I glanced at the woman, than spat at the ground." Nice to see you too mom."

Evangeline Lakewood

I paused to glance at Will's empty bed as I slid silently out from under my own covers. It had already been two weeks since he'd left. I slipped on my boots and shrugged my on my jacket before heading for the door. I wan't going to be sleeping tonight, anyway. And besides, there was work to be done. I slipped out the door and began sneaking through the courtyard. I stopped, staring at the patch of grass between my bunker and the one next to it.

I shook my head. It was where we'd fought. I leaned against the wall of the bunker, scowling. He'd had the upper hand then, and still, he'd been the one begging me to stop. It wasn't like him at all. I scoffed quietly at myself.

Stop being an idiot and do your job, Lakewood. I growled in my head.

I pushed myself off the wall, and sauntered out of the courtyard and into the woods behind the school, hands stuffed in the pockets of my jacket. I glanced around. Rourke wasn't here yet. I sighed and sat against a trunk, lacing my fingers behind my head and laying against myself against the rough bark. I hated this place. Every single tree.
...

The woods were full of sun. A young girl laughed as she scampered through the trees, her two friends chasing after her. "Come on!" She giggled. "You two are so slow! It's way too boring winning every single time, you know!"

The other two children scampered after her, laughing breathlessly as they watched the girl weave through the trees. She scampered up to the top of a tree, seeming to disappear into the leaves. Then her blonde head poked through the branches.

"I win!" She grinned.
...

I blinked myself out of my fantasies when I heard a soft rustling of leaves. Joseph emerged from the trees, the moonlight glinting off the small metal canister he was holding. I stood.

"About freaking time." I muttered. He raised an eyebrow, his face showing no emotion.

"Something on your mind, Lakewood?" The way he said it, I couldn't tell if he was actually curious or just teasing me.

"Shut up and give me the gas." I snapped.

The sooner I can get the heck out of these woods, the better.

Rourke shrugged and handed it to me. I examined it. "This should work fine. Let's get this over with."

I stalked briskly back the way I'd come, eyed fixed forward. Rourke had no problem matching my swift pace. A breeze blew passed me, ruffling my hair, and with it, I could have sworn I heard a faint echo.

The laughter of a little girl.
...

The lights were on inside the gym. A black haired boy was there with his back to us, practicing with a bo staff. We were outside, just out of sight.

"Should we wait?" Rourke asked. I smirked a little.

"No. What's the point in waiting when our target is already right there?" Joseph didn't take long to catch on.

"This is a warning."

"Exactly." I turned the canister over in my hand. "All I need you to do is go in and pick a fight. Make sure he's distracted. I'll take care of the rest. Are we clear?" Rourke nodded. He opened the door, purposefully allowing the handle to clack and the hinges to creak. Crow spun around, clutching the staff. While his attention was on Joseph, I squeezed into the space between the walls, and shimmied up into my alcove in the roof. I could hear Rourke talking below me, with Crow cutting in once or twice with those charming two word answers of his. I waited. Crow's voice grew angier, but still I didn't hear the sounds of combat.

I see how it is, Hokkaido. Fine then. If you won't strike the first blow... Almost as if on cue, I heard a solid crack, and the sound of a body hitting the floor. I crawled forward on my belly, looking through a small crack in the tiles. Crow picked himself up, holding his broken arm close to his body. The bo staff was lying uselessly on the floor. Joseph flew at him again, and Crow quickly took the defensive side, barely managing to block Rourke's lightening paced attacks. I grinned.

Now it's time for me to join the fun.I dropped from my hiding place and landed squarely on Crow's shoulders. He went down again, growling through gritted teeth as he landed on his injured arm. He wrestled the three of us fro an impressively long time, able to withstand our combined attacks until finally he had no energy left to fight. Joseph held him facedown as he struggled weakly to throw him off. I drew two cable ties from my pocket, quickly tightening them around his wrists and ankles. I smirked, slipping the vial of gas from my jacket, and pulled the pin at the top. I tossed it to the far corner of the room as thin trails of the lethal fumes began to leak out. Joseph and I swiftly left the gym, locking the door behind us.

"Callahan should be coming to meet him here any minute. If you want to stick around and see what happens, fine by me." I turned to leave, then stopped. "And, in case your interested, I suddenly find myself in need of a new second in command." I turned back to him. "Well, my old accomplice?"

Joseph Rourke

I couldn't quite say why I decided not to go to Eva with my observations. That's not true. Of course I could. This would be much more entertaining. No need to get involved in such matters... In any case, he had shadowed a few students in the past two weeks in an effort to catch up and familiarize myself with my classmates. I smile. As if that term really applies in this school... In any case, I had made the conclusion that there were two very clear groups, those that were loyal only to a point to Eva, and those that were not. My first night here, I had been unknowingly introduced to both Crow Hokkaido and Aria Callahan during their scuffle with Lakewood.

Only a few days ago, I had approached the tall boy in the hallway to try and get a read on him. "Crow. I hear Lakewood doesn't much care for you. I wonder why that is." He seemed confused for a moment and then I'm sure he recognized my voice. "My apologies. The name is Joseph Rourke. Pleased to meet you." I offer a plastic smile and allow my eyes to glaze slightly. He almost shudders and I have to suppress a laugh. He takes my extended hand and shakes lightly as he looks around warily, no doubt for Eva. "Um, nice to meet yo- wait, what do you want?" He pulls his hand away and glares at me. I feign innocence.

"Whatever do you mean? I only wanted to introduce myself." It's obvious that he can see straight through my attempt at ignorance, and I smile inwardly before dropping the act entirely. My face goes blank and I lower my voice before speaking. "You're an interesting one, Hokkaido. Be seeing you." His brow furrows and I am met with a most familiar look, one that speaks almost clearer than words. You're insane. It says. As I walk down the hallway I smile again. You couldn't be farther from the truth.

-------------------------------

Lakewood signaled me later that day during class, and I headed for the meeting point we had arranged several nights previous. I got there early, as I would for a job and wait there for a time until she appears. She seems lost in thought for a moment until I make myself known and step through the leaves.

"About freaking time." She grumbles. I cock an eyebrow at that. "Something on your mind, Lakewood?" This was so much more fun than when we worked together. Our jobs had never allowed for such teasing, but now there seemed to be all the time in the world.

"Shut up and give me the gas." I frown and shrug before tossing the metal canister into her waiting hands. Not in the mood, then. Then again, when is she ever?

She looks over the canister and runs her fingers across the label. "This should work fine. Let's get this over with." With these words, she sets off back towards the campus and I follow suit. Lights rise up from the darkness and the gym becomes visible through the trees. Evangeline heads straight for the doors but stops short and turns to me in expectation. I look through the window to see Crow alone in the large room.

"Should we wait?" I ask. She makes a face. "No. What's the point in waiting when our target is already right there?" My eyes flick back down to the canister in her hands and raise my chin in understanding.

"This is a warning." She grins evilly. "Exactly. All I need you to do is go in and pick a fight. Make sure he's distracted. I'll take care of the rest. Are we clear?" I smile vaguely and nod before pushing the door open slowly as the slightly rusted hinges to creak loudly. Crow spins around to face me and starts to relax when he sees that I am not Lakewood, but the boy is very clearly still tense. "What do you want now, Rourke?" I'm still smiling as I remove my jacket and toss it to the side.

"Just a little workout." His knuckles whiten around his bo staff and he shakes his head ever so slightly. "I don't want to fight you." I smirk and raise my fists. "That's unfortunate isn't it." Not a question. I raise one hand and gesture for him to attack me, but he only sighs and places one end of his staff firmly into the matted floor.

I frown and drop my stance, taking a few steps closer. If he won't fight me when he's calm, maybe he will when he's angry. I cock my head and speak slowly. "You know, I really have to respect your will. After Mommy and Daddy put down your rebellious friends, I'd have thought this place would have broken you."

Immediately his eyes loose their wary gleam and blaze with anger. "Shut. Up." I raise my hands in mock surrender. "Or what? Are you gonna stare me to death? Just fight me already and make your parents proud!" He works his jaw back and forth and in the comparative silence his grinding teeth are painfully audible.

I narrow my eyes and finally let a scowl creep onto my face. His initial denial of my challenge was amusing, but now his refusal is simply annoying. I plant my feet one after the other until we stand face to face, mere inches separating us. Looking into his eyes, there is something that almost makes me step back again, and he stares me down. "Back off, Rourke." I nod slowly and start to turn.

"I see how it is, Hokkaido." I stop with my back to him, though I can almost see in my mind's eye his apprehensiveness. "Fine then." I can hear his breath escape in mild relief before I finish speaking. "If you won't strike the first blow..."

Before the last word has even left my lips, I have spun around and for a split second, he looks where I had been standing only moments before in mounting surprise. His staff comes up, and I slip right underneath the wooden shaft and connect my open palm with his ulna.

A loud crack fills the otherwise silent room, and to his credit, barely a noise escapes Crow's mouth as the pain registers. Rather, the bo staff goes flying from his limp arm and he hits the ground hard with the combined momentum of my strike. He jumps up, wincing and bringing his good arm up. I grin.

Finally.

I launch into a series of punches and kicks, intermingled with open-palm strikes that send his staggering back. There is a whisper of noise above me and I relent for the split second it takes for Lakewood to plummet from the ceiling above and land hard on the unaware boy's shoulders. He goes down a second time, landing on his broken arm with a harsh growl. I fall onto him with a series of knee jabs as Evangeline does the same, punching and kicking and scratching. Impressively, Crow keeps resisting instead of moving to protect his face as others might. He almost regains the upper hand a number of times, only to be savagely brought back down by one or the other of us until finally his strength cannot hold.

Crow Hokkaido tries once more to stand with what little energy he has left, only to be met with a swift kick to the head from Lakewood. He issues a weak grunt and falls back to the matted floor while I hold him down. I almost apologetically sigh, looking down at him. I would have preferred to fight him alone, whatever the outcome may have been. This is a humiliating way for a fighter to be brought down. Oh well.

Evangeline produces a length of rough tow cable that she proceeds to tightly bind the exhausted boy's wrists and ankles. Satisfied with her work, she pulls the canister from her pocket and pulls the pin before tossing it to the far side of the sparring area. I stand quickly and cover my face with my shirt, pausing only to grab my jacket as we exit the gym. Eva bolts the door behind us and I take a last look through the window, the view already growing hazy through the gas.

"Callahan should be coming to meet him here any minute. If you want to stick around and see what happens, fine by me." She says this matter-of-factly, the deed completed, and turns to leave. She stops though, and says over her shoulder. "And, in case you're interested, I suddenly find myself in need of a new second in command." She turns back to me with a blank expression. "Well, my old accomplice?"

I breath in the cool night air and turn to look at the gym. "I might watch from a distance. No need at all to implicate myself in what has just occurred." I turn to Lakewood now, an expectant face worn on her features. "Callahan will be out for blood when she sees what we've done." She frowns. "And that worries you?" I shake my head. "Certainly not. She might beat me in a fight, she might even kill me." I grin unashamedly. "That's the fun of it all isn't it? The risk? The reward?" I look off into the woods. "I think I want to stick around and see how this all plays out." I put out my hand in comic agreement. "I'll be your accomplice again. It's been too long since I had an opportunity like this." She looks at my outstretched hand and ignores it, but nods. "Good." She pauses before turning to leave again. "Be seeing you, Rourke."

"Lakewood." I lower my hand and nod after her. There are footsteps in the distance now, running, from the way they pound the earth beneath. Callahan. I dart from the path and crouch into the bushes as the girl runs past. I settle in with my view of the gym as she approaches. This will be an experience....

Aria

His dark form was illuminated by the soft moonlight, his back turned towards me. We were behind an unused bunker. People who didn't make the cut, I guess.

"Harris," I whispered.

Xander turned around to face me, nodding respectfully.

"Report," I said.

"In the past 2 weeks I've managed to recruit 30 people on my own, but those people had friends. We've got about 40 people now, in the movement. There's 40 sharks or so. We are evenly matched."

"Not enough," I said, "They surpass you guys in skill and strength and ruthlessness, that's why they're sharks. I'll need to train all of you in defense, that's where they all lack. And we need to make a move fast. Will is in England which makes her weaker, I know he means something to her. But he may not be gone forever, you know?"

"I understand," his deep voice rumbled back.

"We could really use an upstanding archer. The majority of them prefer guns or knives," I shuddered, thinking of Copernicus, "Or drones."

"No," he said adamantly, "I will not involve Cassia in this. When it comes time to fight, I'll have to find a way to keep her out of it."

I sighed, but decided to pick my battles. Literally.

"Get more, we'll need to attack within the next two weeks. The more, the better. the people we do have will need to meet with us at night in the training gyms for extra lessons. You're sure they all hate Lakewood enough to go through with this?" I asked, twisting a lock of her around my fingers.

"Positive," he said.

"Tomorrow night, 11 o clock, B gym." The one I met Crow in. "Got it?" I asked. He nodded.

"Spread the word, but use the utmost secrecy. Especially around Joseph Rourke. I don't like the look of him."

With that, I turned and walked into the darkness, towards my training gym with Crow.

It was illuminated with bright lights but the windows were foggy. I cocked my head, something was wrong. Smoke was pouring out through the cracks in the doors and then panic froze my body.

Crow.

"Crow?" I shouted? He would be right outside, why wasn't he outside? He couldn't be in the gym, he couldn't be.

No.

I ran to the door, yanking on the handle. It was locked. I pulled on it with all my might, it wouldn't budge. I needed another way in.

I ran and jumped, grabbing onto the overhang over the gym door. It was maybe 7 feet in the air. I took one of my butterfly knives and threw it at one of the windows, wincing as it shattered. I prayed nothing hit him.

I reach up to the window sill, but I was a foots short. I had to jump.

Taking a deep breath, I leapt for the window sill, clinging on as I hoisted myself over. I was 15 feet in the air at that point, the gym cieling was maybe 20 feet off the ground. I coughed as gas filled my lungs and felt myself sway, nearly dropping out of the window. I couldn't really see anything.

I pulled off my over shirt, leaving me in a bra, and tied it around my face. Adrenaline was coursing through my body, making me shake as I grabbed on jumped onto a metal shelf below.

My ankle twisted underneath me and, unfortunately, the shelf was not attached to the wall. pain shot through my right shoulder as the shelf toppled over, throwing me onto the ground. I was getting dizzier at that point, but I noticed a shock of black hair through the haze and I stumbled towards it. feeling Crows hair in my fingers as I stretched my hands towards him.

I grunted, trying not to breathe, and began dragging his limp body towards the door by his legs. He groaned occasionally, and I could feel exhaustion entering my brain. I couldn't breathe, this gas was toxic. It would kill me. I knew that without a doubt.

Even worse, it would kill him.

I made it to the door, my hands clumsily roaming the metal for a lock, anything. I managed to unlock the door but I was so weak by then, lead filling my limbs as the door swung open and I got my first breath of fresh air.

"Aria," I could feel my vision going black as I felt someone tugging me. Everything was in slow motion and above me, Xander's head turned into two, three, four, heads. My vision was so spotty, I was swimming in the spots, the oncoming blackness.

The shirt was yanked off my face and I gasped for breath, fresh air filling my lungs. Crow was right beside me, limp.

"Crow," I rasped.

But the gas was dragging me under.

****

I woke up in the infirmary, on a bed with a blanket. I was wearing a hospital gown, the scratchy paper chafing my skin. There were tubes snaking into my arms and an oxygen mask covering my face. I shot straight up, looking for him. Where was Crow?

My clumsy fingers yanked the needles and the mask from my face as I looked around.

It was still dark, though I could see the sky beginning to lighten, illuminating a bed enclosed by a curtain. Crow. My feet stumbled over the smooth floor as I rushed over to him, vertigo weighing my head down as it attempted to drag me to the ground.

I yanked open the curtain to see Crow with his arm in a cast, a mask covering his face with tubes snaking into him, much the same as me. But he was in much worse shape. Eva or somebody must have hurt him while I wasn't there. I wasn't there.

This was all my fault.

"Crow," I sobbed, shaking him, "Crow."

"Mph?" he stirred after I shook him long enough. "Mrphg?"

his nearly black eyes widened when he saw me and he yanked off the oxygen mask.

"Ari, what happened?" he paused. "There was gas, and-"

"Lakewood tried to kill you. The gas wasn't just to make you sleep, it was toxic."

"How do you know it was Lakewood, and how can you assume that about the gas? We aren't dead."

"We aren't dead because I pulled your butt out, and I think maybe Xander helped me at the very end. If that gas weren't toxic, we wouldn't be wearing oxygen masks. She tried to kill you."

"Lakewood has a personal vendetta against me, I'm aware of that. But it doesn't run that deep," he said. "Unless..."

Tremors racked through my body as I thought about what I had to do next.

"She's using you to target me. Because of what happened last time, when she hurt you that time. I can't-" my voice broke. "I can't be around you."

There was a myriad of emotions that crossed his face at that moment. Shock, panic, relief, fear.

"But Ari-"

"Don't 'but Ari' me. Crow, I'm sorry, I've put you in danger and I can't protect you."

"I don't need you to protect me," he said, getting frustrated and sounding a little insulted.

"Obivously, you do. Because if it wasn' for me, you wouldn't be laying there. I was laying in that very bed 6 months ago and you brought me a drawing of myself as an angel, warning me about Lakewood. This is me returning the favor."

I turned and walked away, just as Xander entered the infirmary.

"Aria," he began, "You're going to want to hear this..."

Evangeline Lakewood

The little girl gasped for air, her arms shaking under the strain.
"Thirty...five...Thirty...six" A tear slid down her cheek. She stopped to stare through her bangs at the man. He held the gun steady, still pointing it at her head. His eyes narrowed."What's the matter, Evangeline? You want to become stronger, don't you?" thick eyebrows drew together. "It's the only way you'll be able to get your revenge." He leaned closer. "The only way to end your father."

...

Seventy-five, seventy-six, I counted in my head. Ignoring the sweat misting on my forehead as I continued, my arms working up and down, up and down, pushing the rest of my body with them. I stopped for a split second and put one hand behind my back, then continued. Seventy-eight, Seventy-nine... My arm started shaking. I ignored it, keeping my gaze fixed ahead of me. A shadow flitted outside the window of the gym. I rolled out of push-up position and sat up as the door opened and everyone's favorite redhead flounced in. I scoffed.

"Didn't think you'd come out without your boy toy, Callahan." I sneered. "And in an entirely different training gym too. You're really stepping out of your comfort zone."

Aria brushed past me. Her face was its usual expressionless mask, But I saw her fists clench and felt a warm rustle of satisfaction.

"The sparring gym is on quarantine." She said calmly, Kicking at a punching bag. "Or haven't you heard."

I stood and strolled over to the weights. "It rings a bell." I shrugged casually. "Heard some poor kid got put in the infirmary. Wonder how he's doing." My hand hovered over the 190 weight, then drifted toward the 200. Aria was silent behind me, but I heard the thump of her feet hitting the bag grow louder and more aggressive. I picked up the 200 weight. My arms dropped a little as they came off the table and I brought them slowly back up, gritting my teeth. We were silent. Training with our backs to each other. I'd have loved to turn around and lash out. Smash her skull in with the weights. I could almost see her blood staining my hands. I stopped lifting the eights, staring down at my fingers. Blood on my hands... That strange sensation came over me again. The one that seemed to burn me from the inside out. Don't you have enough of that? I blinked. The voice...it wasn't mine. The voice I'd heard, the one in my head...it was the voice of a little girl.

The thumping on the other side of the room had stopped. I glanced over out of the corner of my eye. Aria had a hand on the gun she kept strapped to her hip. I dropped the weights.

"He was right, Callahan. This morning, after class. When he pulled us aside." I began without turning around. "Rodriguez said there wasn't room for both of us at Pierpoint."

"Finally figured that out, have you? Took you long enough." Aria stayed where she was. With her back to me and a hand resting on the handle of her gun.

I sighed through my nostrils. "From the moment I could stand, my life was nothing but pain. No matter where I ran or how well I hid, that never changed. Not until I got too strong to hold down. I was able to fight and rise to high places. Places where I was respected. I made sure no one, no one could try to hurt me without suffering the consequences."

"Shut up, Lakewood. I didn't ask for your life story."

I turned around. "Power is everything, Aria. If you don't have that, you're just another toy for the world to crush beneath it's feet. And I'm done being thrown around like that."

"I said shut up." Aria whipped around and pulled her gun, leveling it with my head. I stared calmly down the barrel.

"It's you or me, Callahan." I spread my arms wide. Just like I had six months ago. Will had been there then to bring him down. Now, I was alone. Just as I always had been. "You could end it all here. Now. All you'd have to do is pull that trigger. You'd be able to do that long before I could get close enough to slit your throat. Not that you've found a weakness, exploit it." I snarled. "Take your best shot. I dare you." We stared at each other. The barrel of Callahan's gun shook. "Go on. No one would even notice. That's how it's always been in this pit." I spat. "Well?" Aria lowered the gun.

"Why would I kill you?" She turned her back on me. "You're barely worth the effort to fight."

"Tch. What a shame. You always were too weak." I turned and began walking towards the door. I stopped with my hand on the door knob. "The battle game's in two weeks." I opened the door. "Choose wisely, Callahan."

Copperhead Hewitt

The moon was alive that night, casting its beams upon the leafless trees, making them shine like silver. The grass rustled with the wind’s caress, and a faint, breathy voice drifted over the breeze.

“Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in, so shame on me,” I sang, letting the ballad weep through the night air. “Flew me to places I’ve never been, now I’m lying on the cold hard ground! - Oh! - Oh! Trouble, trouble, trouble, - “

“Oh my God, stop singing.” A voice growled up from below the branch where I sat. Peter Wise glared up at me, his teeth gritted in an ugly sneer.

“Is that jealousy I detect, Peter?” I asked, the reply tailored swiftly to my ego.

“Jealous is what I’ll be when someone else slits your throat in the middle of the night. I’m going to kill you someday, I swear.”

“Aw, you do care.”

Peter opened his mouth before realizing he had no retort, and fell silent.

“Besides,” I said, fiddling with my helmet, “I needed to calibrate this program to my voice. It’ll help us get what we need, trust me.”

“Why didn’t you just program what we were actually supposed to make?”

“Hush, Peter. Our target approaches.” Immediately, I shifted myself out of the moonlight, leaning back against the trunk. Peter took the hint and jumped behind the tree. Not a second later, a dark-haired boy swept out of the bushes, glancing around furtively.

He wasn't supposed to be out of the infirmary yet, but it was the principle that mattered to him. To prove to himself that he could make it alone. His stance resolute, the boy turned to look at his favorite tree, and that was when he saw someone else sitting in the branches.

Crow froze, his eyes locked onto mine. At this distance, he couldn’t tell who it was in the tree. But there was only one other person who emerged at night in this place, and I would be counting on that fact.

Steeling himself, the boy began to walk over the field towards our tree. Determination filled his gaze, his resolve unwavering as he marched towards me. I could almost feel my maiden heart melting in my chest.

As he neared, I tapped the helmet discreetly, and spoke. “Crow Hokkaido.” Aria Callahan’s voice buzzed out of the speakers in my helmet’s cheekplates, perfectly matching her cold tone.

He flinched, stopping in his tracks. I continued, “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here now.”

Crow tensed, bunching his feathers. “I know.”

“You know, I stood up for you, back there. Time and time again. Maybe I shouldn’t have.” I mimicked a long sigh, looking away. “Should’ve just been a good little girl for you to sweep off her feet.”

“Aria, that’s not true, I-”

“Shut up. Let me finish, damn it.” I trembled, letting sobs cut through my speech. “For once in my life, just let me be something other than a killing machine. Let me be a human being, and feel something! I can’t... I can’t….” My voice trailed off, my shadowed body still shaking.

“I really can’t.” My facade collapsed into odd, low giggles as I thrust my head back, letting the horns of my helmet catch the moonlight.

Crow recoiled, eyes wide. “What the he- Copperhead!?”

“In the bronze,” I replied, thunking my helmet to deactivate the voice module. “Did you like the performance? I could send you the voice program in case you ever feel...lonely, one of these nights.”

“What was that pause for?” Crow shouted, flushing indignantly. Then he immediately put a hand up. “On second thought, you’re the last person I need to hear that from. Better question: How in the he-”

“How did I know about Aria?” I rested my chin in my hand, gesticulating with the other. “Let me put it this way. Why do people visit the infirmary in this hellhole? And don’t say it’s Nurse Moe’s hospitality.”

He was silent, so I went on. “Precisely. They’re either looking to make their love happy, or make their happy love. The two often overlap, though.”

Crow blushed scarlet, and I grinned. “Yes, love often comes wrapped in white, wearing a nurse’s outfit. Again, not talking about Moe. Er, the point is….” I squeezed my expression oddly, trying to trace myself back. “The point is, it’s rather easy to tell when someone is dedicating themselves to romance. Infuriatingly easy, in fact.” My neck spasmed for no reason, and I rubbed my shoulder uncomfortably.

Crow folded his arms and nodded. Still, he refused to come any closer. “So what do you want? You were here waiting for me, so don’t just say you couldn’t sleep.”

“Only an idiot would use that excuse,” I dripped, climbing down from the tree branch. Once I was the ground, I pirouetted to face him. “And secondly, you really should acknowledge my friend. I imagine he feels so left out.”

Peter’s head shot out from behind the trunk, glaring at both of us murderously. Recognition quickly flashed across Crow’s face, and he backed away. Peter and I exchanged a glance, and I nodded, standing back.

“Now listen, punk,” Peter snarled, prowling forward. “I heard you’ve been stirring up quite a...reputation...for yourself here at Pierpoint.”

A drop of sweat glistened on Crow’s forehead. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I think you do.” Peter advanced at a frightening pace, and soon he was right in front of Crow. The shorter boy began to sweat as the Shark loomed over him. “A master manipulator, someone who can get every little thing to work for him.”

Crow’s voice was trembling with fright. “St-stop it! That’s not me! I’m...I’m….” He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence without devastation befalling him completely.

“That is you, Crow Hokkaido,” I said, walking up behind Peter. “And because of that, we’ve taken special notice of you.” Peter’s fists clenched, and he grinned.

“Ghh!” Crow raised his hands to guard his face, bracing himself against Peter’s incoming fist. It never came. He opened his eyes to find Peter’s hands presenting him, rather, with a pamphlet.

“So.” Peter and I immediately dropped to the ground, bowing at Crow’s feet. “Please work with us on our programming project,” we pleaded in unison.

“H- Huh?” Crow’s face was a portrait of confusion as we stood up, dusting off our knees. “Huh?!?”

I cleared my throat. “Allow me to explain. Contrary to popular belief, we actually have normal classes in this school. Medicine is one, but programming is the most popular. You’ve skipped class more than a couple times, but your talent hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

I pressed the side of my helmet, my flat tone carrying death. “For example, on the first day of school, you hacked into the mainframe and downloaded all of our files.

“Hokkaido,” I reminded him before he could ask, “I’ve lived here for five years. I practically am the mainframe; of course I noticed. Anyway, I’ll put this bluntly. As seniors, Peter and I are required to turn in a high-functioning program for our class. I was thinking we could go into military drone development, but I’m testing out experimental programs, and Peter’s tweaking the mechanics. As it happens, we need a debugger who’s a master of military-level code. And that's where you come in.”

The master of military-level code stepped backwards. “I really don’t think that’s-”

“It’s a good deal!” Peter interjected. “We’ll even let you demonstrate the program, and give you equal credit in the grade!”

“It’d be enough to remedy your grades and distinguish your talent,” I continued, building off of Peter’s emphasis. “I even think a few generals will be there, from the Aerotech division of the Black Fist. Most notably, General Razier and General Hewitt.”

My eyes flashed, and I stared at him coldly. “That’s why I’m offering this to you, Crow. You see, my mother was the one who sent me to this academy, against my will. This is the life that was chosen for me,” I said, letting my voice deepen with sorrow, “and I don’t want any part of this school anymore. I just want to leave.”

Something appeared in Crow’s gaze just then; I analyzed a mixture of disgust, anger, and pity. Pity? I held my hands behind my back to conceal the fists they made.

“So what say you, Crow?” I asked. “If a general decides you’re worthy, they might even let you graduate early. We could create something incredible here. Who wouldn’t want that?”

Crow was silent for a moment. Peter raised a fist, then glanced at me questioningly. I shooed his hand away, whispering that no, left hook was not the answer.

“Fine,” he said, breaking the ominous, boring pause. “I’ll do it. But once we complete this, we terminate the project. This is only to prove ourselves, and get the grade.”

I caught Peter’s arm before it moved to punch him. “That works. Professor Velder won’t necessarily be happy, but what can he do to us?” I grinned, my luminous eyes widening. “We’re monstrously talented.”

Peter jerked easily out of my grip, looking a bit annoyed. “I’m just building the drone,” he said, “so it’s not really my problem. It’s a BLEEPing pain in the BLEEP, but we’ll do it your way.”

He then glared at me, my hand on the button generating the censor bleep. I shrugged.

“So, we’re agreed, then?” I asked, looking Crow in the eye expectantly.

“Yeah.”

“Good. That pamphlet will fill you in on the format and function of the program. We’ll meet in the Phantom Alcove tomorrow after classes. North hallway, end pillar, keypad 1975. Watch out for the arrows.”

With that, I turned and walked back across the field with Peter towards the Shark bunker. Good for Crow, wanting to become strong for the one he loved. But there are many different kinds of strength, and invulnerability is by far the worst one.

I laced my fingers behind my head, staring up into the windy night. “And now I’m lying on the cold hard ground…”

Aria

"You will be training 5 hours a day, every day, for the next 2 weeks," I stood at the front of a training gym, addressing 60 people.

"In 2 weeks, it's us versus them. It's our freedom, versus their reign. Sharks have run this school for 50 years, and I'm done. They are ruthless killers with no compassion, sociopaths with little worry for anyone or anything except for themselves and their lives." I looked out at the crowd,

"This is what we are here to change. You will all arrive here at 7 am and work until 9:00, and then make it to class by 9:05. After school ends, at 4 pm, you will be here until 7. Then dinner. The first half hour in the morning will be spent running, the half hour after that will be spent stretching. Then combat. Same drill in the afternoon."

I paused, "You will be fast, stronger and more flexible in these next two weeks than you have ever been in your lives. You will have faster reflexes, better endurance, and more bite to your bark. Sharks are the naturals, they train, but not as hard as us. We can get there through good, hard work. We are evenly matched in numbers, but right now, we are not skilled enough to take them on. We have 2 weeks, 14 days, and 76 hours to become the best. Yes, I said 76. On the weekend, we will train 8 hours a day."

"It's time to get an equal education and equal opportunities. Equal chances to pick military jobs at graduation. Let's get started."

We jogged out to the track to get warmed up. Crow stayed behind to jog with me.

"That was very inspiring," he said, his pace matching mine.

"Thank you." I stared straight ahead, "You shouldn't even be here."

"But I am."

"I told you to stay away from me, Hokkaido."

"Crow. You need me for this, you can't do this alone," he said.

"I'm not alone," I gestured to the people jogging around the track, "I have an army. Go back to the infirmary where you belong, Hokkaido," I emphasized. I wanted to dissolve, melt, in front of him. I wanted to kiss him again.

"I think we're on a first name basis now," he said, beginning to breathe a little more heavily. It reminded me of the night I kissed him, the night he ran away.

"I thought so too, before you ran away."

"Can we not talk about that right now?" he asked.

I kept running, not saying anything.

***

We ended the training session for class at 8:55, people gathering their belongings and exiting the gym. I strode out as well. My first class was combat, but I was too exhausted to care. I strode over to Crow's tree and swung myself up into the branches, out of sight to the untrained eye.

Crow followed soon after, sketchbook in hand.

"What?" I snapped.

"Thank you."

The last of the students filed into the gym, the door swung shut. They had finally managed to get all the surfaces clean, the windows replaced.

"Thank you for what?" I asked, suddenly taking interest in my jagged fingernails.

"For saving me. You could've died. If Xander hadn't been there, you would have died."

"But I didn't," replied.

"But you could've," he shot back.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?"

"For shoving me away after I kissed you. For not saying anything after that. Thank you for leaving the infirmary early after I risked my life to save you. It means a lot to me that you gamble away my efforts just because you don't want to be stuck in a bed all day. Oh, and thank you for going from saying literally nothing to anybody but then pursuing me."

He was quiet.

"And thank you, for still not saying anything."

"I didn't know how to respond," he said finally, "To what you just said, to the kiss..." he trailed off.

"Well, now it's my turn to walk away. Crow," my voice broke as I said his name, "I can't think of anything but kissing you. Even with Eva, even with the war game, you're all I can think about."

I jumped from the tree and walked away.