Young Writers Society

Cassia Blake

It's been a week or so since Aria came to us with the plan to overthrow Evangeline's tyranny . At the time, I didn’t know what to think. I was scared, but I was also angry. Not only did she attack Xander and I, but she opened up some old wounds I dont think will close again. Both literally and metaphorically. The nightmares have been getting worse since that night. It always has the same beginning. Being trapped in a dark room with chains wrapped around my hands and legs. Only now the new discovery is the faces of the torturers that have always been blank shadows to me. However, I know the faces aren’t the true kidnappers, because they belong to Peter and Evangeline.

I am not afraid

I am not afraid

The full moon shines brightly over Pierpoint, and I stare out into the world leading away from here. Away from my haunts, and my stupidity. I promised when I came here that I wouldn't attach myself to anyone, and I wouldn't show weakness. And I failed... The view from the tower becomes more and more like home the longer I look at it. It’s the one place that's actually high enough that I feel like I can finally breathe.

As the night rages on, sounds of screams and war cries echo around the campus I was only released from the infirmary a few days ago, and I guess I didn’t feel quite ready for war games. When I get my strength back and my arms fully heal I will join, and I will prove to them all that I am not the weak girl I appear to be. I will prove that I am not the scared girl that I actually am...

The sounds of the doorway creep behind me, and I jump dagger in hand ready to strike. I see Peter standing in the doorway smiling maliciously. I scream, putting all my weight into slamming him against the wall, and holding the knife against his throat. He gasps, and stands completely still. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to my instincts, and before me Peter’s face begins to disappear and new figure takes his place. They look shocked, and confused.

Xander.

My eyes go wide. I stand there a moment, my eyes now filling with tears. With a sharp release of air, I drop the knife letting it clatter to the floor. My hands begin to shake furiously, and I step away suddenly feeling a sharp twist in my stomach. We stare at each other a moment in silence.

“Cassia...” He takes a step towards me, but I take a step back. “Cassia. Please.”

“No. Stop. Don't come near me.” I step back again, and grip my head. “God. I could've killed you.” I feel my heart beating loudly in my chest, and my breath speeding up.

“But you didn't...hey look at me.”

“But I could have Xander! I could have killed you, and I was so close!” I step back again now teetering on the edge of the roof. “I...I keep seeing him everywhere. I keep seeing them! I'm not scared of them! I am not weak!”

“Cassia...I know you’re not weak. You are one of the strongest people I know, but I need you to come here. I need you to calm down.” He holds out his hand.

“It's my fault. I didn't listen to my father...I didn't listen to my father...it's my fault” I gasp between hollow breaths. “God dammit!” He takes another step towards me.

“Stop!” I yell. Suddenly I see the blood through my tears, the kidnappers approaching me, the darkness of the room. This isn't a dream. This is real. It's happening again. I shut my eyes tightly. “No no no. I escaped! This isn't real. It isn't real!” I feel harsh grips around my wrists.

“Cassia! It's okay! You’re okay. Breathe..please breathe.” He pulls me away from the edge of the roof, and pulls me down to the floor in an embrace. Tears rush down my face, and my body shakes violently.

“I'm sorry...I'm sorry.” I repeat over and over. He shushes me, and holds me closer.

“It's not your fault...it's not your fault.” He assures me. “It's not your fault.”

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I don't know what time I fell asleep, but I must have. The sun is not yet up, and I wake up still tightly wrapped in Xander's arms. I feel the slowness of his breathing, and I know he is asleep. I sit there a moment not moving, listening quietly to the beating of his heart.

I haven't had one of the panic attacks in months.

The last time I almost gave my trainer It was one of those moments where I wish I didn’t have to move, but then I remembered last night.

I bite the bullet, and slowly pull myself out of his arms. He stirs a moment, but doesn’t wake up. I wipe my swollen red eyes, and stand up grabbing my things. Once I am almost to the bottom I hear a loud thumping noise echoing down the stairwell. Xander rushes down nearly running into me. His face is worried and tired.

“Thank God I caught you...I knew you’d try to run.” I looked at him not saying anything for a long time.

“Leave me alone Xander.” I say turning away from him.

“No!” He yells, and I stop dead in my tracks. “Not this again. I am not leaving you alone. Not this time.” He then reaches out for my wrist and...

Xander

I grabbed her wrist before letting go once more, I wanted her to feel safe.

I could feel my fists clenching. I was incredibly angry. Cassia was my only friend here, Evangeline had made her react this way. To whatever it was Cassia had been through. I didn't push, it wasn't my business.

I could feel the rage building inside me. I wanted to go hit her, I wanted to snap her neck. I was seeing red. Lakewood had to go. She had to go now.

But then I saw Cassia's scared eyes, She was having hallucinations, she need help. She needed someone to keep her grounded. I turned away, taking a deep breath as I watched the stars shimmer in the night sky. The anger ebbed minutely, only the slightest bit faded. But it was enough.

"I don't think either of us are ready to be in a warzone right now." I said.

Cassia nodded, "I agree."

"I know a place we can hide. The metal works room, where I made your journal. Want to go?"

she nodded, taking a shaky breath before walking with me into the darkness of the building.

Aria

The sky was getting darker, I was prepared. I'd stretched, warmed up a little, and braided my red hair behind my head. I was wearing black stretch pants. The top part was made of a stretchy legging material, the bottom was all leather. I often had to kick out in combat, the leather protected me from knives.

With the pants, I wore a plain, close fitting long sleeve black t shirt. Even though it was warm wherever we were (we weren't allowed to know) it still cooled down at night. Over my sleeves went my arm guards with my practice blades. I wore combat boots on my feet with thin soles. It seemed impractical but would make me more quiet when I moved. On my head went the black bandana. The other team would wear red.

I put the vest on over my long t shirt and took a handgun from the sim guns. There were some rifles, pistols, handguns, glocks, any gun you could imagine. The handgun went in the snug waistband of my pants behind my back. A rifle would only get in the way.

Will emerged just then from his bunk, wearing very similar clothes to me.

"Are you ready?" I nodded slightly, barely acknowledging his question. I was born ready.

"Let's go then." We both approached the door of the bunker, standing on each side of the door, cocking our guns. Yes, like an action movie. Yes, that really was how you were supposed to do it.

A loud voice came on the intercom, it was fake, computer generated. The female unemotional.

"Welcome to your first wargame. This will be a game of capture the flag. The object of the game is to retrieve the other team's flag before they capture your own but there is a catch, you must also get the flag back to your team's bunker without dying. Examine your vest. Your vest has various pressure points that you can't see, if any of these pressure points is hit, a buzzer will go off on your vest and you will be injected with a simulation serum after five minutes. You have those five minutes to get off the field before the serum enacts and you feel the pain of your wound. All knives should be practice blades, all guns should be simulation guns. Good luck, let the war game commence."

Will gestured to my gun and to his hand. He was telling me that he would open the door and I was going to go first with my gun. He held his tonfa in his hand, they were poles the length of his forearms with a handle. I'd seen them in action. They weren't lethal, but great for a sim like this.

Will pushed open the door and I aimed the gun outside of the door, my keen eyes searching outside in the quickly fading light.

"Clear." I said, moving forward. We were out in the open, it was a few hundred yards until the next bunker. They were on a different team, however, our team was all the way on the other side of camp. We ran to the next bunker and pressed ourselves against the wall as another group ran past. I looked up toward the roof, where Copernicus was with the flag and a few other guards. I also checked the open door, where Eva was walking to close the door. She held the flag, and she nodded at me, shutting the door.

Will and I leapt from bunker to bunker. The bunker we needed to get to was about a mile away, at this pace it would take us about 20 minutes to get there.

I spotted someone with a green bandana, they were crouched behind a bunker right in front of us on the side wall. We were on the back wall, he wouldn't be able to see me even if he turned around.

I gestured to Will and nodded at the boy. Will shook his head and tapped his wrist, mouthing no time. I nodded, inching away from his side of the wall, careful so he wouldn't hear me. Just then, a small group of his friends joined him, I could hear them whispering among themselves. They were near one of the phony flag spots we had set up to fool them, but they were still too close to the bunker for my liking. I jerked my head in their direction, holding up a finger to Will. I wanted to discern how many people they were.

I held up four fingers. I heard about 3 or 4 distinctive voices. I tapped my sim gun and Will nodded. Take them out.

Will inched ahead of me on the wall, using his tonfa to attack the first two. He was holding his own. The other two came at me, it was a boy and a girl. The girl was bigger than me, but not as fast or graceful. I took her out easily, putting a bullet in her vest. A beep sounded and she jogged off the field to the side where medics were waiting to deactivate the sim serum. The next guy was my size and he fought well. His defense was shoddy though, I made quick work of him.

Will was still fending off his two guys, he couldn't get to his gun. I shot both of them in the back and he nodded at me in thanks. We knew what this meant, the other team was getting farther out of their base, we were about half a mile in. We needed to speed up.

We ran faster from bunker to bunker and we both were beginning to sweat.

Will shot down one or two guys, his tonfa tucked away somewhere in his clothes, and we mostly just worked around other groups. We stopped to rest for only a minute, the enemy bunker in view. I reloaded the hand gun swiftly with more sim darts, tucking it back in my waistband.

"Okay, we look in the gym first," Will whispered, "Chances are it's not in the bunker. Cover me?" I nodded.

"But if anyone asks, we both picked up the flag." I told him.

"Why? You don't seem like the kind of person who needs the glory. What do you have to gain from it?"

"A little respect from your girlfriend," I growled. I wasn't sure if they were dating, I didn't really care. But she would respect me in time.

He nodded, running to the back of the gym building.

I heard an almost soundless thud. Actually, it probably was soundless. I sensed him behind me. There was only one person who would hide in a tree.

I let him follow me, running to the door of the gym to cover Will.

"Stalking us again Hokkaido?" I whispered somewhat loudly. Just enough so he could hear me. Will turned around before going into the gym and I gestured for him to go. I would take care of Crow.

He stayed silent and I could almost hear his silent prayers. "I know you're there Crow, if you don't come out, I'll come find you."

I heard a sigh as he ran out, launching himself at me.

I fought him, striking out. He never retaliated, he simply blocked. What was his game?

We continued to fight and I noticed he had gotten better since last time we brawled in the training gym.

I stumbled once, surprised. I never stumbled. And then I realized what he was doing, he was trying to get me to use my own moves against myself. He was waiting for me to slip up and get tired so I would go in for the kill.

I gritted my teeth, taking out my butterfly practice knives, fighting with both hands. He deflected them easily, but I got in a couple of good hits on his side. I noticed the way his eyes hardened, how his blood red bandana contrasted his black hair. Which, oddly enough, was ironic considering I had red hair with a black bandana. He was... kinda hot. Especially when he was fighting me and I could smell his soap more strongly because of the light perspiration on his forehead and neck.

I stumbled once more, snapping out of it, and he pinned me to the ground. He reached for his gun to kill me.

I laid still, feeling his body relax instinctively. If I struggled, he would just hold me down tighter. I waited until his hands were completely at his holster before I bucked him off of me.

We pointed our guns at each other.

"Don't make me shoot," I whispered.

"Don't make me shoot, either."

Will emerged behind Crow and he shot him in the back.

"Solved that problem," Will said.

Crow walked off the field, nodding at me, a wry smile on his face. Had he seen me checking him out? I pushed the thought out of my head. Flag, Aria, get to the Flag,

"Empty," Will said, and I wracked my brain. Where would their flag be.

"Bunker?" I suggested, and he nodded.

I doubted it would be there, though. I heard more beeps going off here and there as people got shot, I grasped the door handle and threw it open.

Nothing. Empty. We entered just to make sure, crouching behind the bunks and using them for cover as we searched the bunker.

"Clear," I said from my end, we'd split up.

"Clear," Will replied, calling softly over his bunks. We left the bunker, not bothering to shut the door behind us.

"Where else would it be?" I asked. "The academic building?"

He shook his head, "Too far away. It'd be somewhere close." I saw a flash of red in the darkness and pointed it out.

"There. Wait a second. That's brilliant." I said, and Will looked at me questioningly.

"It's not in there bunker. But why not put it in another bunker? One nobody was using?" I whispered, I could feel a flush rising to my cheeks. For whatever reason, the fight was exciting me. I didn't have to feel guilty about killing people because I wasn't really killing anybody.

"Why didn't I think of that." Will mused. We approached the closest bunker and I walked up to the door, listening at the door. Silence.

"I have an idea," I murmured and Will looked questioningly. I ran back to the bunk we had just left, grabbing a handful of clothes. I ran out of the bunker and gestured for Will to kick the door in. These weren't sharks, they probably hadn't worked with guns before.

He did as I told him, the door flying open with a loud crash. I threw the ball of clothes in, hearing the swoosh of the sim guns go off as they shot at the bundle. I heard two or three beeps and three people exited the bunk. Will almost lost it, stifling a laugh. Yes, we'd gotten them to shoot some of their own using only a bundle of clothes.

A few people started to come out of the bunk, wearing red bandanas. The enemy. We fought them off, shooting them down as we entered the bunker.

There were three people around the flag in the center of the room. I ran in, launching myself at the girl. Will attacked the guy. The other guy saw Will as the bigger threat and took him on. The girl was a good fight, she was well trained. But she fought similarly to Eva and just about everybody else at this school. Her defense wasn't great.

I shot her and then examined the gun magazine, I had one bullet left, even though I had reloaded just before Crow.

All three figures were moving too fast, but Will was almost done with one of them. I looked around the bunker, my keen eyes searching until I saw the scrap of red fabric on top of the bunk. I seized it, quickly zipping it into my boot before I launched myself at the other guy. Will finished off his and we made quick work of the second.

"Where's the flag?" he asked, and I gestured to my boot.

"I got it. Let's get it back home."

We ran out into the field, after I reloaded my gun, it was my last magazine. I needed to make it last. I had 5 bullets.

"Let's go, Callahan." Will said, pulling me a long with a small smile. We both were feeling the rush of victory, though it wasn't over yet. The people on the field had thinned out considerably, people had been shot and other teams finished their games. A small light on the bunker signaled the game was up, but some of the people from teams who had finished allied with others so they could keep playing. Sharks never did that, we didn't need to.

The game of the other team wasn't over yet, they needed to try to stop us from getting back to the bunk. We raced from bunker to bunker, and some of the other team members tried to take us down, though they didn't know we had the flag. I used two of my bullets, but no more.

We made it back to the bunker, where two reddies were fighting Eva. They had the flag but she wasn't letting them leave.

I used 2 of my 3 remaining bullets, their buzzers going off.

Eva didn't even bother taking the flag, instead, she threw open the bunker door.

I yanked the flag out of my boot and the red buzzer that Eva gave me. The lights came on and the simulation lady's voice came on the intercom.

"Congratulations, black team. Please present your flag to your Professor." Rodriguez jogged up to the bunk.

"Good job, guys, though I can't say I'm surprised. You can ally another team if you want or just get ready for bed, the vests of your other team members will alert them that their game is over. And he was right, my vest was buzzing and one of the buttons glowed green, the other two team members who were with medics on the side had vests that glowed red. We'd won.

I yanked off my vest and my bandana, turning them into Rodriguez as I entered the bunk.

We'd won.

Evangeline Lakewood

There was a small space inside the walls of the sparring gym. It was a tight fit even for me, but from there you could climb up to an alcove inside the roof. No one ever found me there. I lay on my back, holding a knife out at arms length above me. Examining the shining blade. It needed sharpening. I sighed quietly, idly throwing the knife with a lazy flick of my wrist.

Thunk

Two people were doing some late night sparring together below me. I imagined their reactions if I jumped down from seemingly nowhere, envisioned their fear as I attacked. I stood and leaned against the far wall. A burning, prickling sensation crept into the pit of my stomach and crept up to my chest. I put away the knife I had pulled and listened to the silent fighters practice.

Strange...

I dropped silently down the cramped shaft in the wall, bracing my hands and feet against the two walls and inching slowly down. I'd used this method to shimmy down a victim's chimney once. He'd never seen it coming. I smiled humorlessly as that strange burning re-entered my chest. I slithered out of the duct and stood with one hand still on the wall. The sun was just starting to rise. No one would be awake yet. The silence of the sleeping school pressed down on my ears with an almost physical weight.

"Finally. Thought you might stay away for weeks before I caught you."

He was sitting against the side of the Shark's bunker, gun leaned beside him on the wall. As I would have expected, he'd kept one hand on the rifle and one finger on the trigger. I glared at him.

"What is this, Black?"

Will stood and stretched out his shoulders.

"A stakeout. Can't say I'm surprised you decided to spent the night training."

"Tch."

I paused at the door and scowled at him.

"I wasn't training."

He folded his arms. "Well then tell me what you were doing."

"Let it go, Black."

"Lakewood if you think I'll just--"

I grabbed his collar and yanked him so close our noses brushed. I could smell the night air that clung to his clothes, and the normal scent of a sharp spice that stuck to his skin. I held a knife up to his chin. The burning spread from my chest to the rest of my body. lashing through my limbs and up my neck like white lightning. "I. Said. Drop it. Understand me, Will? The next time this comes up..."

I clenched my jaw and pushed him back, Slipping my knife back in my coat as I swept in the door, shutting it firmly behind me.

I passed my bunk and headed toward the showers, then stopped. I scrutinized the beds. I hadn't expected my bed to look like someone had slept in it, but it did surprise me a little that Callahan's bed was still as neat as mine. The door to the girl's showers swung open and Aria came out, her hair was still wet and already pulled into a neat ponytail. I raised an eyebrow.

"You're up early, aren't you."

Her face was as blank as it always was.

"You don't have much room to talk, Lakewood." Was all she said.

I scowled. I heard the front door close again and abruptly turned and stalked over to it. I grabbed Wills Wrist and yanked him back out the door. I remembered the people who had been sparring in the gym. One of those people had to have been Aria.

"Okay, I get that you're not explaining where you keep going, but you're at least going to explain where you're taking me." Will said.

"Gym." I replied tersely.

Will waited for me to explain, and when I didn't say anything pressed on. "Okay...why?"

"You're teaching me your style of fighting. Now."

Aria

"You're really good." It was one of my midnight training sessions, I couldn't sleep. I went back to lifting weights. I was at 180 lbs. Eva could lift 190, I would beat her if it was the last thing I do. I wanted my pick of jobs before her when we graduated.

I put the bar back onto the bench press and sat of slowly, rotation my arms and shoulders forward and backward to stretch them out.

"Thanks," I told the black haired boy in front of me. Crow.

He nodded slightly. I couldn't stop staring at him. He'd nearly beaten me during the war game because I couldn't stop staring at him. The way the jagged scar above his left eye cut into his eyebrow, how he was lean but built with slim hips and wide shoulders.

I pushed the thought out of my head. Come on Callahan, man up.

But then another voice, softer, cut through the demand. No, Aria. You may be tough but you're a woman, too. You're allowed to feel. Which was it? Warrior or woman? Which came first?

I stood up and grabbed a couple of free weights, one in each hand, and curled my wrists inward towards my arms.

"You're going to run yourself ragged. Right now, Lakewood is getting a good night's sleep. If you're going to overthrow her you need to get your head in the game."

I paused at this, "how did you know about that?"

He walked over to me, trying to pull the weights out of my hands. But I gripped them tighter.

"I didn't. I do now, though. You're not the kind of person to sit around and just watch while people suffer."

How did he know this? His eyes softened. Crow's eyes never softened.

He stepped closer to me, yanking the weights out of my hands and setting them down before catching my wrists and putting them around his neck.

My arms were around him, my heaving chest was against his and I was pretty sure the entire country could hear my heart beating.

Crow leaned in and kissed me, his fingers running through my hair and-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

I slammed my hand down on the alarm clock, looking confusedly around at the others getting ready for the day. Then I groaned internally.

I jumped down from the bunk, already dressed in practice wear. When I got in from late night training sessions, I showered and then put on clothes for the next day. I didn't need to be vulnerable while changing in the morning and this way I was ready for anything.

Sighing, I walked into the bathroom and pulled out a stick of charcoal eyeliner, painting lightly around my eyes. I added just a bit of mascara and that was the extent of makeup I owned.

Eva walked into the bathroom and looked at the makeup in my hands, clearly floored. I was too, I hadn't thought about it until I realized I was putting it on. I wanted to impress Hokkaido.

"Close your mouth, Lakewood, don't want to let in flies." I said, skirting around her. I wasn't confident, not at all, but she didn't need to know that.

I had a crush on Crow Hokkaido. And I was totally and utterly screwed because of it.

Crow Hokkaido

My tree had become my only home. I flipped to a page in my book. a sketch I had been working on yesterday, before the War Game.

The War Game...

The only thing that came to mind when I thought of that was my fight with Aria. To be fair, that was really the only thing I did. But she'd seemed so...

Powerful. She was powerful.

I sighed at myself.

I'm not in love. I'm not.

I looked back down at my drawing. I'd meant it to be a wolf, but it turned out looking more like a jackal. I smirked. Carefully, I added tinges of blue and pink to the fur, and a few large scars to its snarling face.

There.

The lights were on on the gym again. I didn't even need to see who was in there to know it was Aria. I shook my head. I'll admit, I was impressed someone could be so focused on beating a rival. I jumped down from my tree. It was late. About time to head back to the bunker.

I turned toward the gym.

I hate myself.

I meant to turn around, but I found myself beginning to walk faster to the training area. I could see her shadow flitting in and out of the windows, but now I could also imagine the stoic expression locked on her face, and the way he red hair was starting to fall out of her ponytail...

You need to stop thinking.

...Or how her eyes were flashing with determination under her light eyeliner--wait. Eyeliner? When did she start wearing eyeliner? When did I even notice she was wearing eyeliner? I grabbed the doorknob. Then I let go. There was no way I was doing this.

I opened the door.

Just kill me now.

Aria turned around and spotted me in the doorway. There was a spark of some emotion that ignited briefly in her eyes, but it died before I could catch it.

"Giving up on sneaking around?"

I shrugged and pushed away from the door.

"Never works."

We stood staring at each other for a short while. Something almost invisible changed in Aria's expression. Too small for anyone to see. But for some reason, I'd seen it. It made her look gentler, slightly less like a hardened warrior and more like a young girl. I blinked, shifting a little. I couldn't look away.

Maybe I just don't want to...stop it.

Aria turned away and began working away at a punching bag. I moved again. Past Aria and behind the wildly swinging punching bag. I caught it with both hands and held on. It was red. Blood red. A more violent shade than Ari's hair. Aria stopped beating the bag. I looked around it and looked at her expectantly. She fixed me with a wary look. I nodded at the bag. She started kicking it again. I braced myself against the bag, keeping it from moving too much. Every so often, I'd feel the prickling sensation of eyes on me and I'd look around the bag, but I'd always find the room empty besides me and Ari, who was focused on the bag. My arms were starting to ache the next time I felt the hairs on my neck rise. I peered around the bag...

and into Ari's eyes.

Ari's hand froze. Her face was red, but we had been working out for hours. I glanced to either side of me and ducked behind the bag.

She was looking right at me. How long was she watching me? Was she...

I backed away. Ari looked like she was done anyway.

"It's late." I observed. "Should get back."

Ari nodded. I strolled coolly past her, hands in my pockets. Then stopped at the door. I looked up at the stars.

"Bye, Ari."
...

I took a walk around the grounds. I wasn't really all that tired.

She was looking right at me...WHY DO I EVEN CARE?!

I growled and rested my forehead on the trunk of my tree.

"Frustrated, birdy?"

The voice was quiet, smooth, and cocky. You could practically hear the smirk on her face. My whole body tensed at once.

Lakewood. Why not?

I slowly straightened and turned around. Evangeline was standing just outside reach of the leaves, tossing a knife in one hand and smirking, her blue eyes narrowed to malicious slits. I glared.

"Leave."

Lakewood's demeanor didn't change. She drifted under the canopy of my tree, catching her knife one last time before flipping it around and griping the handle tightly. He eyes hardened to blue steel and she surged forward, crushing me against the tree and raising her forearm to my throat. The snarl on her face reminded me of the jackal I had drawn.

"What would I have to gain from leaving you alone, Hokkaido?" Her scowl deepened.
"Hokkaido." She repeated the name with twice as much venom.

"I don't even have to ask you. You're his son." Evangeline whipped the knife up to my chin, digging the point into my flesh. A few drops of blood fell to the ground at my feet.

"The only question I have is..." She lifted the knife from my chin and drew the edge slowly along my cheek, leaving a long scarlet trail. I gritted my teeth against the sting. "What part of you should I cut out first?"

Joseph Rourke

The silence in broken in my cell as a piercing klaxon is activated and booted feet can be heard coming down the long cement hallway leading to my cage. I open my eyes slowly and sit up from my cot in the corner and stand. heading for the far wall and placing my hands above my head. I know what's coming.

The cell door lets out a clang as it is released and six or more guards, I'm counting their footfalls, march into the room. Only a moment passes before rough hands shove me against the rough cement and force my arms down to accommodate the handcuffs. "Come now, is that really necessary?" These people are always so flashy with their poor excuse for intimidation.

You'd think they might have learned.

With a flex of my wrists, man looses his grip on my hands and the cuffs fall to the floor. "Oh shi-" The guard barely has time to register his mistake before I'm up and over him, using the wall to push off of. My hands are around his neck before he can move for the gun at his hip and he struggles to speak. "P- Please, I have a wife. I have childre-" There's a crack that fills the ominously silent room and the man slumps to the floor as I turn around to face the others. "Now I'm ready." I can see their eyes even through the darkened riot visors they wear, and terror is clearly painted upon their features. I let loose a meaningless smirk for added effect. Of course, this smile is nothing but a mask, but these men don't know that. I learned long ago that feigning insanity is a sure fire way to encourage fear in your enemies. I hold out my wrists now to the stunned guards. "Take me away."

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Pierpoint Academy. I've heard the name but I didn't quite understand its purpose before now. The Warden had briefed me as we walked down the cold hallways of the maximum security prison of my choice; Attend the school and join Blackguard, or face execution in the morning. Clearly the choice was a one sided decision, and after thrown my best empty look at the Warden, I told her that death suited me better than being someone's dog. Then she explained what Pierpoint meant, and it wasn't long before I was on an empty bus flying through the night following some clean up.

Can't show up for my first day at school looking like a prisoner, now can I?

I had showered, shaved and gotten a haircut before being led to a wood paneled room with row after row of clothes and told to change. Though my initial urge was to slip the remarkably expensive-looking suit on, I decided that unassuming would best suit my needs on this particular job. I ended up in a pair of black jeans and a simple white t shirt, looking back and grabbing a black leather jacket before pulling the hood up. Next, I was taken to an impressive armory, and I began to regret not fighting my way out. If I had fought this far it would be no problem getting out of the hole... The Warden no doubt knew what I was thinking and offered a cruel smile in return before gesturing to the weapons. "Take what you want. You'll need every edge you can get." I offer the bird in response and head for the shelves, looking through the neat selection before settling my eyes on my dear old friend, a Tokarev T-33. I choose a shoulder holster and place it and the handgun beneath my jacket, moving down the line to inspect a number of blades before pocketing a silver balisong and a number of light throwing knives. Lastly, from the corner of my eye I spy a pair of black gloves. Kevlar, with steel knuckle-plate. Why the hell not... I slip the gloves on and flex my hands in experiment. Fit well. These bastards know all my measurements... Creeps.

"I expect you'll provide the ammunition?" The Warden almost looks surprised when my voice breaks the silence. She clears her throat. "The school will have everything you need in the armory on site." They don't want me killing anyone until I get there. Ha. "I'm ready to go then."

A bag is placed over my head as we exit the prison and it seems like hours before I am freed from the stifling canvas sack and shoved through the bus doors. Before I even turn, the bus is moving again and soon disappears into the night.

"Joseph Rourke?" It isn't a question. "Come with me." There's a man at the gate with a gun aimed in my direction and I let out a light chuckle. "What's the matter? I don't bite."

"Shut up and move." I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you... I chant in my head as I walk past him and into the courtyard. He makes the mistake of following me through the wrought-iron gate, though, and less than a moment later my blade is protruding from his throat, a wet gurgling sound coming from his mouth. I lift his gun and place it in my belt, under my jacket and let the man fall to the ground in the pool of blood forming at his feet. Arteries are incredible things, are they not? I stroll through across the pavers, headed for the front door so that I may find out where my room is, but then some voices drift from the small group of trees in the courtyard.

"What would I have to gain from leaving you alone, Hokkaido?"

Oooh, drama. I'll find my room later. I head over, taking slow and careful steps until two people come into view, a girl pinning someone against the tree. A whiff of copper reaches my nostrils. Not playing around, these two. He's bleeding.

Some of the girl's words are lost with the wind, but I do catch the next thing she says, "The only question I have is... What part of you should I cut out first?"

I like this one. I step out from behind another tree and take a few steps forwards, pulling my hood up as I do. take on my friendliest face before speaking. "Save a little for me, would you? This new knife could use some breaking in."

Aria

"He's mine," I heard Eva growl. I peeked around the corner to see a guy in a leather jacket facing away from me. Crow was slumped against the wall with a gash somewhere, his black clothes were wet and I knew if Eva was there, it wasn't water.

It was like I could feel my blood boiling as Mr. Jacket turned and stalked off.

"Eva." I strode in front of her and Crow looked up at me, panting.

"Look who decided to join the party," she said gleefully, flipping a knife in her hand. "What brings you here on this fine," she glanced at Crow, "fine summer eve? Hm."

"Just walking," I said, keeping my center, my face blank. "Maybe you oughta get back to the bunk, wouldn't want you to miss out on your beauty sleep."

"Sleep can wait, this looks like more fun," she grinned, the light of the moon glinting off one of her throwing knives as she approached the shed where Crow was sitting and ran the tip of the knife around his face.

I could feel my face getting hotter and hotter, though she wouldn't be able to tell in the moonlight. I worked to calm my fury, to ignore the feelings I had for Crow that I had previously refused to admit.

"Leave him alone." I said slowly.

"Oh? And what are you going to do to stop me?"

That was the last straw. I heard a loud scream of fury before realizing it was coming from me. The fury was bursting out of my chest, the scream exploding into the night air as I launched myself at her.

Hot tears were streaming down my face and I was thankful for the night. I knocked the knife out of her hand, punching her face several times before she rolled over on top of me and got a few good shots in my gut.

"You will never hurt him, ever!" I roared, using the heel of my hand to hit her face. The bones of her nose crunched under my hand, spurting blood. I felt a strange, disturbing sort of satisfaction.

Eva cried out in pain, she'd never done that before.

"If you ever touch a hair on his head I will kill you!" I screamed, my voice hoarse, but I screamed to the heavens

She started to fight back, though I could tell it was hard for her to see through the blood blocking her eyes. I grabbed her hair in my fist, slamming it against the ground. Once, twice, three times. I kicked her side, standing up, my hands pummeling into her stomach before I realized she wasn't moving.

"Aria, Aria, stop. This isn't you," I heard a soft voice say, restraining my arms behind my back.

I kicked the person restraining me and heard a grunt, but he didn't let go.

"She h-h-hurt h-h-h-him," I gasped, feeling something wet on my cheeks as my chest tightened. I was sobbing, crying. I never did that.

"She h-h-hurt him," I gasped, sinking to my knees before I thought to look back and check on Crow. He was the one holding me back.

"She hurt who?" he asked, his face stricken as he was finally close enough to see my tear streaked face.

"You," I gasped, "She hurt you," I was bawling at that point, trying to hold back so he wouldn't see me cry. I was numb to everything, doubling over in the grass when Crow finally let go of me.

"It's okay, I'm okay, it was just a scratch on my shoulder." he patted my back and I knew he felt somewhat awkward.

"N-n-n-o," I sobbed, sitting up slightly and grasping his wrists, making sure he was there.

My hands reached up, tracing the place that Eva's knife had been. She'd pressed down hard enough to leave red marks. I felt his fingers stroking my hair just then, soothing me.

"She will never touch you again." I vowed, my voice a hoarse whisper.

"Never," I repeated. "Not as long as I have a breath in my body."

The radio squeaked in my ear, its pitch rising and falling as I turned the headset dial. Snatches of conversation punctuated the noise, some cold, some furious. Munching my sandwich, I twitched my fingers until the signal reached perfection.

I lay in the metal trestles of the roof’s radio tower, casually hijacking the broadcast for my own nefarious purposes. For this, I had put on the copper helmet, the radio having been installed within. It felt oddly warm inside of it, like an embrace of...something, someone, who?

But more importantly, I was eating lunch. The sandwich was deliciously thick and extra-mustardy, incensing my mischievous mood. In this line of thought, scores of brutal atrocities could be directly linked to mustard abundance. Licking my lips, I listened quietly as voices spoke.

A woman’s rich voice flooded the headset. “We need to fall back, resupply. The Rebels are going to push through the mountains, and we need an army left to fight them once they do.”

“No,” a male voice cut in. “We can’t let the public know about this. We need to keep this contained, or our problems are going to be a lot more than a few rebels.”

The woman spoke again. “We can’t just send our men out there to die!”

A fist slammed on the wooden table. “They’re soldiers, General! They knew what they were signing up for! They don’t know anything else.”

I grinned, munching my sandwich quietly. These kinds of people were my favorite soap opera. The woman protests sacrificing the army because the man leading them is her husband, but the council man’s already lost his family to the Rebels… so on and so forth.

“Rather than argue morality here,” a third, older voice suggested, feeble and raspy, “we should discuss the rather...odd events surrounding the Rebellion’s advance.”

“Hm.” I could almost hear the man clasping his hands, leaning his elbows on the table. “Yes. I suppose that would be a good topic to raise.”

“What can we say about it?” The fourth, a gravelly bass that belonged with a blues singer. “This entire rebellion has been one big miracle after another.”

“The first instance was the Air Force, wasn’t it?” the woman reviewed calmly. “If we had even half of those planes left, we would’ve wiped the Rebels out weeks ago.”

“It’s certainly a conundrum; that much is apparent.” The old voice seemed to sigh. “We’re out of leads, if you must know. Our pilots are terrified, grounded in fear of the ‘White Wraith’ and its ghostly rider.”

The bass-tone chuckled. “Ridiculous. Our pilots should know better than to be so superstitious.”

“Well, it’s not entirely unfounded,” the old voice relented. “It never shows up on radar, never attacks in the same place, and vanishes as quickly as it came…” A sigh, a tired wipe of the face. “Almost as if it were hunting for sport.”

I swallowed the bite of food, kicking my legs out innocently. What a sharp old lady, thinking she had me figured out.

“We can worry about the ghost plane later,” the man said, moving the conversation along. “What about the battle at Palnam Ridge? Everyone involved could see how unnatural it was.”

“If I recall correctly, that was the problem of the radio communications,” the woman said. “Any idea how that happened, Colonel Razier?”

The man grimaced audibly. “It was in the valley forest,” he growled, “and we couldn’t see it from above. Something hacked our radios, sent us fake responses. We didn’t know about it ‘til the entire valley turned to hell.”

“We’ve been trying to find leads on that as well,” the old lady said. “Our troops are on the ground there, investigating the blast site. It’s a horrible thing, getting used to the smell of burnt flesh.” Grim silence fell over the conference table, the will to speak vanishing from all of them. I grinned.

Eventually, the bass spoke. “We cannot afford to suffer any more of these losses. Palnam Ridge proved one thing: the enemy is among our own ranks.”

Another dead stretch of silence. I shuffled in my seat, hanging on the edge on the tower in anticipation.

“Maybe we need a new angle,” the woman said. “A new team. People completely loyal to our cause.”

“Perhaps,” the older one replied, “but that will take time. Planning. Precious resources that will weaken the front.”

“Do it,” the man Razier snarled. “In the meantime, our troops should hold the line in the mountains. At the very least, they’ll be difficult to sabotage.”

A collective sigh flowed from all the people at the table. “So be it,” the bass rumbled.

The radio transmission cut out, replaced by the bronze silence of my helmet. Polishing off the rest of my sandwich, I started down the tower, nonchalantly crawling through the steel web.

I reached the tower pedestal, hopping gently to the roof. Sucking in a dramatic, reflective breath, I looked out across the beautiful Pierpoint Academy. The sunlight shone off of the brick rooftops, the pale-green field and grey bunkers seeming ever imperial and dull. Boring, boring, boring. So many small-minded crooks looking for their own satisfaction, looking to act heroic, boring boring boring.

I sighed outwards in mild despair. “Woe is me, woe is me, the psychopath with hopeless pleas,” I waxed, strolling tipsily about the roof.

Standing calmly at the edge, I gazed down towards the courtyard. Surely, a jump down there would kill a man. The more I thought about it, the more I could see it, my corpse sprawled on the flagstones. A crushed head, ruined face, and an overjoyed heart.

Spreading my arms, I felt the breeze whistling by me. It blew loudly into my helmet, whirling in the metal container, chuckling monstrously. It beckoned me softly to soar, and fall, and be free from this merry-go-round of wrath. And I wished to accept its invitation.

This was the best course of action. Without a single regret in my empty heart, I jumped.
Backwards, that is, and I landed lightly back on the rooftop. Death seemed like too much trouble that day.

I sat down with a sigh, hunching over to brood properly. “Perhaps I should seduce some young maiden…no.” I shook my head quickly, rejecting the idea. I’d never been terribly attractive, and my personality was lacking to say the least. I wasn’t even strong enough to carry a young woman with a broken leg.

My thoughts were interrupted, as thoughts often are, by the door on the south tower opening. A girl poked her head out, the rest of her body following suit. She took a deep breath, the tension of murder-school seeping out now that she’d reached her sanctuary. The girl sank to the floor of the roof, pulling out a diary. She put her pen to the paper, and, after a moment’s hesitation, began to write.

She was one of those people, wasn’t she? One of those thoughtful, introspective souls. Such a rare phenomenon these days, so I couldn’t help but stare. I gazed at her as one would admire fine wine. Her very countenance made me want to consume her, to taste her soul’s purity for myself.

Of course, other souls could fall under the same veneration. Lakewood, Callahan, Hokkaido, Harris...the names flowed like a calm river through my mind. And the air was thick with roses, love bubbles in abundance lately around the school. Oddly enough, I seemed to be the only one taking notice.

“Then it’s settled,” I muttered, standing up. “I’ll kill some time with these people.”

People was the wrong word, so I searched my brain for a better one. Acquaintances? Wackjobs? Chumbuckets?

“Protagonists,” I decided, staring at the beautiful girl on the other roof. “I’ll raise hell with the protagonists.” It was time for the curtain to rise on the drama of death.

My name was Copperhead Hewitt, a weak, charmless psychopath. And my fangs hungered for another victim.

Joseph Rourke

As soon as the shadowed girl spoke, I knew exactly who she was. "He's mine." Evangeline Lakewood. Joseph had taken a job from her, several actually, in the past, before he was captured. I thought she would be dead by now... Of course, no one in their line of work usually lived terribly long, though if anyone were to do it, Lakewood would be the one. When she had spoken, Joseph had taken the write-off immediately as a good time to leave. True, he was curious about what the boy had done to offend Evangeline so as to put himself on the receiving end of her blade, but clearly, now was not the time to test the waters. And so he had walked away...

But not too far away... This is just too interesting. He had circled around and hidden himself once more behind the scarce trees in the yard and watched from a distance as events unfolded. Nearly as soon as he excused himself, a newcomer, a girl took the opportunity to make her presence known to Eva and the boy. They seemed to all know each other as Eva's tone clearly reflected humour- She's playing with them... They both knew perfectly well what was coming, but remarkably held their calm. Of course, from their past, Joseph knew this to be nothing out of the ordinary for Eva; nothing swayed her. But this other girl... there was no fear in her voice, no... anything, except, of course cold apprehension.

They exchanges false pleasantries before the other girl, who's face was obscured in darkness simply put her intentions in the open. In my experience, those who presume to command Evangeline Lakewood normally find themselves on the wrong end of a knife. This girl is either terribly brave or incredibly stupid... perhaps both? "Leave him alone." Eva seemed almost amused. "Oh?" And what are you going to do to stop me?"

Oh dear... Joseph knew how to read people, and in his many years of experience, had found that those who were just on the very edge of their patience were most often the easiest to predict. This girl, whoever she was.... her voice might not have conveyed fear, but there was something else that almost more telling. Rage.

As soon as these thoughts flitted through the assassin's mind, a shriek filled the air. One of primal rage, unhindered by humanity or conscious thought. Almost before Joseph could blink, the girl had closed the gap between herself an Eva, the knife flying from her hand. The two women fell onto each other, and though skill is not without worth, when a combatant enters this state of unchecked anger, little can be done to counter it. Lakewood took several direct punches to her face, returning only a few jabs to the attacking girl's stomach.

Why is this girl so riled up? Joseph turned to the boy, who was now slumped against the tree he had previously been held up against. What relationship could be so strong as to provoke such a reaction? The hooded man nodded slowly. Note: unnamed girl and boy connected. Useful information.

There is a cry of pain in the night, and it pulls the man from his thoughts as he looks up in surprise. Eva? Never had the assassin known the ruthless woman to be one to show pain. He looked closer and a dark, wet liquid glistened in the moonlight as it ran across the girl's face. Broken nose, at least. More blood than pain, psychological combat. Information streamed through the man's mind, but he shook his head. That girl isn't thinking clearly in this state. Such an injury was meant to incapacitate, not inflict psychological damage.

"If you ever touch a hair on his head I will kill you!" Her voice was rough now, but equally, if not more loud than even before. Eva no doubt by now had recovered from the initial shock of blood, though now her vision was clearly impaired as she flailed wildly. This animalistic woman grabbed her hair then, bringing the hardened assassin's head up and down into the ground over and over. Her movement slowed and the girl stood up before delivering a number of swift kicks to Eva's exposed side. Eva went still, but the girl continued with her fists before the boy finally spoke.

"Aria, Aria, stop. This isn't you." Aria. Noted. He moved up to hold the girl back, and she kicked him. Her rage has not yet faded. Joseph leaned back, waiting for another beatdown to occur, but cocked his head when the girl finally relaxed into the boy's arms. Her voice was no longer audible from Joseph's position, and he moved closer to hear the conversation before its conclusion. He took a new position behind yet another tree. "She will never touch you again." The girl whispers. "Never." Quite a promise. "Not as long as I have a breath in my body." Alright. Your conditions can be met, if need be.

Rourke waited for a time until the two walked each other away into the night, no doubt to treat their respective injuries, leaving Eva unconscious in the yard. He watched them go until their voices faded with distance before approaching the unmoving girl. He clucked his tongue in appreciation at the damage that had been done; there would be bruises a'plenty, and stitches no doubt for her nose. Sighing, the man cracked his neck before sliding down the trunk of the tree she had held the boy to and sitting there in the darkness, in the silence. I can wait. It wouldn't be too terribly long until his fellow assassin woke up, as she had no doubt taken similar, if not worse beatings in past, and the two certainly had things to discuss...

Evangeline Lakewood

When I came to, the first thing I did was sit up, uttering a string of Russian curses as I did. I switched back to English as I turned my attention to the hooded boy sitting against the tree beside me.

"Rourke."

"Lakewood."

I stood up, Clasping my hands together and stretching my arms above my head. Rourke wasted no time.

"Quite a fight you had."

"You could say that." I did a couple backbends, flipping across the courtyard. "She won't be getting away with it." I dropped into a split, leaning forward and grabbing my front foot. "If you saw that fight, I'll bet you picked up on that little chink in her armor." I smirked to myself.

"If you mean the boy, then yes."

I straightened, pushing myself lithely up into a standing position. I gave him a twisted grin.

"You know, this school isn't at all what it's cracked up to be, Rourke. Most boring place on earth." I flicked a knife nonchalantly out of my jacket, giving him an evil look out of the corner of my eye.

"They expect the students to amuse themselves around her."

I knew Rourke's smile was fake, but that glint in his eye could never be emulated. Those were the eyes of a murderer.

"Any other ideas?"

"None that I need you for."

Callahan can't be allowed to live. With a conviction like hers she may be able to overthrow me, and I won't let a weakling like her be the one to dethrone me.

I turned my back to my old accomplice. "Unless..." I turned my head slightly so he could see my face in profile "you can get your hands on some poisoned gas."

Joseph Rourke

It wasn't long before the assassin's one-time-employer awoke. Just as fast to recover as always... Joseph stared intently as she took in her surroundings before settling her eyes on him briefly.

"Rourke."

"Lakewood."

The girl stands and puts her hands above her head in a stretch. "Quite a fight you had." He says nonchalantly. She's been in worse shape before.

"You could say that." She continues her routine, a few backbends followed by a split as the other assassin limbered up. "She won't be getting away with it." I would expect no less from you.... "If you saw that fight, I'll et you picked up on that little chink in her amor." She smirks, but is only greeted with another blank stare.

"If you mean the boy, then yes." Crow will be a useful weapon to use if Lakewood has revenge in mind.

Evangeline straightens and offers another maniacal grin. "You know, this school isn't at all what it's cracked up to be , Rourke. Most boring place on earth." A knife seems to materialize from her jacket, and she looks over at the boy with malice.

"They expect the students to amuse themselves around her." He offers a smile only to add to his words. No doubt she knows that this face is only a mask.

"Any other ideas?" He continues. "None that I need you for."

He knew the look her in eyes. It was a trait that they shared, their ability to gauge others. That girl will not be allowed to live after this. Lakewood will make sure of her death.

She turns back to face Joseph with an evil glint in her eyes. "Unless...." The moonlight plays across her features and offers a cold, angular look to her face. "Unless you can get your hands on some poisoned gas."

Joseph stares for a moment before standing and looking off into the night. "I didn't exactly come here of my own free will..." He turned back to face her with another emotionless smile. "But I think I could help you there. The people who brought me here have plenty of resources I'm sure. I'll see what I can do."

Joseph Rourke turns and walks into the lifting darkness. Morning would not be long off now, and there was work to be done. He pauses. "Lakewood.... You know I always have conditions." He pulls his hood about his head. "You clearly want the girl dead, or at least incapacitated...... Before that... I want to see her face when he dies." He turns to face the killer before the two go their separate ways. "I trust that can be arranged?"

Cassia Blake

Dear Journal,

I don’t sleep very much anymore. The nightmares are worse, and sometimes waking up is worse than the dreams. Although, ever since the night with Xander I’ve gained a new sense of determination to strengthen myself. I am not only protecting myself anymore…
Almost every night now, Xander and I sit up in the tower just talking. Even after everything that’s happened to us, things still continue to change. That's the interesting thing about Xander. He isn’t just one set thing, and he surprises me a lot. For the first time we are both okay with the walls being down, and we talked about things we never thought we would. We usually talk until Xander falls asleep...Then, I usually just sit on the edge overlooking the courtyard thinking or writing.
The times I do sleep Xander stays close, and I let him.
Last night he brought up my arms. The raw scars had once again closed, but I still couldn't bring myself to remove the bandages this time. Quietly he asked me to remove them. I let him, and he was very compassionate and gentle with the process. As if I would break at the hint of a wrong motion. After he removed the bandages he just stared at them for a moment. However, he wasn’t ashamed, judgmental, or disgusted. He actually cared. I refused to look down at my arms as he traced the intricate designs with his finger. Instead I looked at him. His features, and the rise and fall of his shoulders. I cannot say that I am in love with him, but for the first time I feel as though I may be getting there. And that is terrifying. How could it happen in a place like this? And why?

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

After Xander eventually fell asleep, I once again stayed up not aching to sleep. The sun is now slightly rising above the horizon, and all I can hear is the sounds of birds, and the gentle breathing of Xander behind me. My arms are still exposed, and the soft breeze against them makes the hair on the back of my neck stand tall.

I am becoming restless, and I manage to draw blood from my peeling cuticles out of nervous habit. I slowly stand with a sigh. I look out over the courtyard. Its peaceful at this time with the sleeping students, and the morning light off of the cobblestone. What a terrible mask from reality.

I quickly rip a page from my notebook scribbling a note for Xander. I place it gently next to him, stopping a moment to hold onto his hand. I sigh standing again. I run down the spiral steps clinging tightly to my cross bow. The range would be open now, and I’m ready to get back to some kind of normalcy.

I get there early enough that even the early risers are not here for training yet. Holding the crossbow again gives me a sense of calm. It reminds me of home...Long days training with Geoffrey. I wonder what he would think of me now? He hasn’t wrote me often, and even if he did I wouldn’t tell him the truth. He worries too much for his own good, and he is the only person that I could actually call a parent…

After my first few shots I realize how rusty I am. I still manage to hit the target, but I am always off the center. After a few more frustrated shots I hear the swoosh of a knife flying right past my ear to the center of the target. I turn with my crossbow raised. In front of me Copperhead has his hands raised above his head with a snarky smile.

“What do you want Copperhead? If you're here to attack me I am not in the mood.” I say glaring at him. He chuckles.

“Cassia Blake. You radiant this morning.” I glare at him with hatred. “Please Cassia. I am actually here to call a truce.”

“You? A truce? Pssh don't bull shit me.” He shrugs taking a step towards me.

“No bull shit here. Actually, I wanted to make amends for attacking you. I promise, it wasn't personal..” He smiles.

"It's never personal with you." I snarled.

"True." He says with chuckle.

“You must think I am stupid.” I accuse, and yet I slightly lower the bow. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch...I just want to earn your trust. Like I said, my conscious needs cleared, and you seem like a fairly good person. I want to help you, and I may need you for something.” I eye him suspiciously as he starts backing up now. “Look, you don’t have to trust me, but when the time arises...You know where to find me.” He winks walking off. I couldn’t help feel goosebumps rise on my arms.

"Living up to the nickname now are we?" He stops not turning to me.

"What can I say? I've always been one to surprise people." He turns to me with a crooked smile. "Until we meet again Cassia Blake." He continues off. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

What the hell does he want from me? Whatever it is...It's not good.

Xander

"Did you hear....?"

"Eva, Aria. Aria busted..."

"Have you seen Lakewood today? Look at her face..."

Everybody was whispering in combat with Rodriguez. Everybody was talking about something, though I couldn't quite catch what it was.

"Have you heard anything?" I said to Cassia, who was stretching.

"I know something's going on but we're in the same bunker. I know about as much as you do."

Evangeline Lakewood strode in just then, her presence commanding attention and demanding respect. She held her head high, even though everybody stared silently in shock at her face.

Her nose was a purple-blue color with a bandage across the bridge, where glasses may have rested. She had blackish bruises on her cheek underneath her high and a fat lip. She walked as if she were in pain and I realized she must have a few bruised ribs, if not broken ones. The great Lakewood had been defeated, and judging by the whispers she had gone down at the hands of Aria Callahan.

Aria walked in just then, her normal blank expression on her face. She wore her usual yoga pants, reaching to her mid calf with a tank top and arm guards. Her dark red hair was in a ponytail, just like normal. One of her arms swung freely while she kept the other close to her side. She hadn't walked away completely unscathed. I could tell she had a bruised rib or two and she had a fat lip as well. Though, judging by Lakewood's face, there had been a clear winner. And for once in her life, it wasn't Evangeline.

Rodriguez watched with intensity, I could tell that even he hadn't seen this coming. Nobody had.

Class continued after that with people shooting glances at Evangeline and Aria. They stayed away from each other for the most part, which was normal. Typically, Evangeline would shoot the occasional snotty comment at Aria, only for Aria to ignore it, but Lakewood had been silenced. The thought made me somewhat giddy. Lakewood had no regard or respect for human life. She was ruthless, here by choice. I didn't have a choice. For me, it was either Pierpoint or prison.

After combat, I slipped Aria a note.

Skip your next class, will meet you in the shark bunker. We need to talk.

I headed in the direction of my bunk, feigning apathy. Then I doubled back heading to the shark bunker. I was happy that Aria had taken Eva out, but also worried at the same time. This made Aria even more of a target.

I slipped into the bunker. It was pitch black until a small light was turned on. Aria.

"What did you call me here, for?" she asked, climbing up into her bunk and gesturing for me to join. I sat next to her cross legged.

"You beat Lakewood." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"What were you thinking?" I asked, and she looked confused.

"You've been out for her blood since day one. I figured you of all people would be happy."

"Yes, but this puts a bright red target on your back," I countered.

"You say that like there wasn't already a target on my back, there was."

"She'll be more determined now. We need to get things moving before she does something to hurt you. And potentially others. The longer we wait, the better chance we have at being found out."

Callahan stared blankly at me with that stoic expression of hers. "You're right. Who else knows about the rebellion other than Cassia?" she asked.

"Nobody. I haven't told a soul."

"Good," she said, "We need allies. We need to find as many people who hate Lakewood as we can and rise up against her. I'm tired of living in fear and I'm tired of her acting like she owns the place."

"She kinda does," I said, giving her a cheeky grin. She didn't even look mildly amused. That girl was intense to say the least.

"We don't want just anyone, either. We need a band of good fighters."

"How good?" I asked nervously, I didn't want to avoid sharks in this if it could be helped. You never knew which ones you could trust.

"Good enough. Obviously we can't get the sharks involved," she said, as if reading my mind, "But the sharks are an elite few. They rely on skill and stealth and connections to get their way. If we can get enough people to overwhelm their numbers, we're gold. We just need to make sure those people know how to fight half as well as the sharks. If you figure there's maybe 30 sharks, if we can pull together between 40 and 60 people then I think we can win."

"That's a lot of people, do I have a deadline?" I asked.

"Yes," Callahan said, "As soon as possible. Other than that, we need to bide our time, wait for the right opportunity. War is all about the timing."

"That's all well and good. I need to ask you for something."

"Anything."

"Cassia's safety. She will not be harmed. I don't want her involved in this, she can't know I'm recruiting until the last second possible."

Ari looked at me and she exhaled. "Do I have a choice but to agree?"

"Not really," I said, giving her a wry smile, before taking her hand and shaking on it.

Aria

After talking with Xander, I knew I needed to continue training harder than ever. I left for the training gym way before anybody was going to bed, just after dark. I didn’t care if Eva knew, I just had to watch my back and carry a gun. Guns were her weakness, she preferred throwing knives. But I could shoot a gun much faster than the time it took for her to throw a knife.

I’d been training for hours, lifting weights and running on the treadmill, punching the large red bag in the middle of the floor. I’d even tried to see if I could use a bow and arrow with success. No luck.

I sat on the floor, stretching out when Crow walked in.

“Aria.” He sat in front of me. He didn’t say my name to get my attention, it was more like he was saying it to himself, thinking out loud and acknowledging that I was there.

“Crow.” I sank down into a front split, my right leg in front of me, left leg behind me. He swallowed, just watching me. I turned, twisting my hips so I was in a middle split, both legs on either side.

“That’s gotta hurt.” he murmured. I shook my head and grinned, he seemed taken aback.

“You never do that.” he muttered.

“What?” I asked.

“Smile.” I twisted my legs again so my left leg was in front of me, right leg behind me.

I got to my feet after that, taking my hair down and retying it into my normal ponytail.

“How long have you been here?” he asked and I checked the clock.

“3 hours.”

“Why are you working so hard to get the upper hand?” he asked.

“I need to beat her. I will beat her.” he stayed silent.

“I need your help,” I said.

He looked at me inquisitively.

“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.”

“I’m in,” he said, “But caution is necessary.” I nodded, agreeing with him.

“That’s why I’m working so hard.” I walked over, picking up two free weights. I could life 180 pounds, Evangeline could lift 190. I would be better, faster, stronger. I had to be.

I lifted with vigor, curling my wrists inward and then pushing them back down, all while keeping the weights steady in my hands. Crow walked up to me.

“You need sleep.”

“I don’t care,” I shot back. He put his hand on the weights, not taking them from me but not giving me any slack either. I stepped closer, trying to pull them from his hands without accidentally hitting him. He still didn’t let go.

My eyes moved from his hands up to his face, my heart was beating so loudly I thought he could hear. I could finally see under the black bangs and into his brown eyes. They were warmer than I’d thought they would be.

“Why did you fight for me yesterday?” he breathed. I stood there, quiet, for a long time. Because I felt something for him? I wasn’t completely sure. So I didn’t directly answer his question. I tugged at the weights.

“Let go,” I whispered, breathing heavily. He didn’t. My gaze wandered from his eyes to the sharp curve of his nose, his lips. The scar above his eyebrow that I’d never noticed. And then, before I even knew what was happening, I bridged the gap between us and my lips were on his. I took my hands off the weights and they fell to the floor with a loud thunk as I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers threading themselves through his hair. Though I couldn’t remember how or when they’d gotten there, his hands were on my hips.

The wind was knocked out of my lungs, I couldn’t breathe but I was full of life all at once. I’d never kissed anyone, but it just felt so right. He was the first one to pull away. His eyes were burning into mine, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

He ran his fingers through his hair before turning around and walking away, into the cool night air towards his tree.

I followed him. “Crow,” I whispered, “Crow, I’m sorry.” I took his wrist and turned him so he would face me.

I had him there, but I wouldn’t have him for long. “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-”
“No, Aria. I can’t.” He turned then, running away, back toward the bunks.

I stood there, the euphoric feeling from the kiss draining from my body. I felt like I was collapsing. And I was collapsing, I was on the ground, on my knees. No man had ever brought me to my knees. I’d let myself feel, let myself be something other than a fighting machine.

And I regretted it. I regretted it with every fiber of my being.