"Oh...wow!" The words escaped Aefia's mouth as she held onto the wrist of the girl who held her up. Her eyes glowing a completely bright red as she smiled with widened eyes and hanging in the air, held against her locker. "The audacity... it's frightening!" The sinister speech sent shivers down the group's spines as Merissa watched from the distance with shock, and excitement.
"Who the hell do you think you are dealing with?!" They tried to fight their fear as she continued smiling, despite the pressure against her throat increasing over the time. The dark purplish glow silently flickered in the opposite person's eyes as their hands heavily shock, and their nose bled. She looked down at the person, while she enjoyed seeing her suffer.
"Tifany, Stephany, Tracy, Stacy... are those your names? Sorry... I never gave an ear to your names in the long time we had known each other... a long agonising time of a month. It's been an annoying meeting with you girls. And it's still annoying." She spoke with her breathe as the person holding her up, still struggled to maintain her magic energy levels.
"As the owner of the Wolf element, I would recommend you to stay away from anyone who is... not... a rookie in this medium." She let go of one of her wrist and held it flat against the air that held a knife with a black blade. "So... please remain calm as I cut your grasp away from my throat." She slowly brought it down on the shaking hands.
"What happened to your eyes? Did you wear contacts to cover up your red eyes? So much so that they are LED lit?"
"Is that what you think?" She replied without letting her smile drop, but her bright red gaze darkened a little bit. "Then are you wearing the same glowing contacts? As far as I know... that must be the Cheetah element. It only allows you to be fast."
Hearing this, the person's eyes lifted to face her with a shocked expression. "You are speaking nonsense! Just what can a mere only child of a dead army officer do?!" She shouted while trying to cover her face with a smile as she dropped the person to the ground and held her against the locker. "Remember your place... you are standing here because of the duchess and her sight against an orphan. Unlike you, we are not here with the help of a specialty program."
"You are hiding the fact that you already know I have powers more powerful then yours. Every magic user can sense it... but if they can't... then they are just faking it." She answered and confidence staying plastered against her face, the usual before she was about to pull a calculated move. "Just for your information... I have someone similar to you back to then, and I think I am experienced at facing your type now. But if you don't mind, I want to know your names."
"What names? You are not our level to get to know us." The person in front of her spoke as she lifted a fist into her gut. Being as weak as she was, blood instantly splattered against the floor. Darn it! Why isn't Puppet responding? It just makes things worst when it sleeps around this time. Someone needs to harm me enough to help myself escape!
"Now that's more like it. And since you have already crossed the line, I will make sure you don't seem to understand what mercy is." She lifted her fist up again as if she were to drag it down again, but her wrist was stopped as Merissa pushed herself in between the chaos and pulled Aefia out of the crowd. "That's enough you have done Stephany! Aefia... you must apologize and leave the matters now."
"Apologize? Do they seem like someone who deserves an apology around this time? When they get to my last nerves? I want their names rewritten into unemployed wanna-be cupids." She shook of the girl's hand as her smile didn't move an inch, and her footsteps took towards the girl named Stephany. "You know something? You are weak and bleeding... but so am I... so you might as well try to use everyone of your last strength to try and exile me from the land of the living."
"I really like people who surrender." The girl threw a fist at her face, which was blocked by her hand that threw it away at the same time. "Are you trying to play your rules against yourself?" The shocked girl asked as her blonde curls fell forward at her face.
"Keyword... I said try." She replied as her image dissapeared out of view and landed a little distance away from their standing. "I have got powers and you have gotten yours... use that. Use your speed related skills against me if you are really that powerful." Her smirk was irritating enough for the others to chase her at once too.
"No one ever dares to insult us like that!" One shouted as they lay their hands out at the front to catch her by the throat. But surprisingly, she dissapeared once again and her footsteps echoed against the tiled flooring as she grabbed Merissa's hand and ran the other direction to where they were. They all shouted as they recollected themselves and surrounded Stephany as if she were a model and found a new fashion icon.
"I hate those insects. They really are a beautiful burden." She laughed as she came to a stop at the end of a turn and heaved heavy breathes while her mouth still left blood drops sliding against her face. Consequetively, her fingers unknowingly reached the side of her head and a fear settled onto her face that after reaching home today, she was going to face the wrath of her maid. "In the name of mackerals... I thing I am getting a load of scolding when I reach home today."
"Of course you are! Who do you think you were dealing with?! I was honestly scared up until the time your eyes glowed a bright red!" Merissa spoke while grabbing her shoulder, which almost scared her soul out of her body. "But honestly... I think I have so many questions to ask you regarding the magic. How did you get one? And most importantly... are you hurt? She seemed to have dealt you a deep pain." A more concerned expression overlapped her face as she stood staring at the girl in front of her.
"Well... for your information... I think I can handle this much pain. My younger brother always gets me by surprise like that, so I don't mind suffering this much pain now." She added unconsciously as she straightened herself from the bent posture. "And the magic thing has a long new medium of storytelling to it, so even if I can't tell you now, I may be able to tell you one day when we have a free class."
"Wait... I thought you didn't have a sibling?" Merissa asked with a shocked expression as she continuously to shake the girl's shoulders in front of her, with an intensity that was about to snap her back bone. "What are you even?! Who are you exactly to begin with?!"
"Relax!" She slacked off finally while holding her friend's wrist to stop her. "And either ways, you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of a member of the Imperial family." She added while pointing to the middle child of the family who was walking towards their way.
Immediately, Merissa bowed her head as she sided her against the wall. "What are you doing? Bow!" But being the reckless person Aefia was, her ears didn't even seem to have caught the words either. "You will never learn to understand how grateful you are to even be alive."
"Did you guys hear about the fight that happened at the girl's locker room? It was pretty intense and some of the popular ones were crying about not being able to kill their enemy in one blow, despite the victim being powerless and they having gotten their element." Lewis added while stopping in front of them, but his gaze got stuck towards the passing crowd and the group of pink at the front.
"Yeah... we both were first hand witnesses there. Like seen... and experienced it ourselves. Too bad... they didn't know how to take on a Phase two like that." She added while smiling all proud of herself. "Although, I honestly need to complain about multiple things. One is how they are such a cry babies and two, how they are so good at lying and three, I think thats not an enemy, but a victim in correct terms."
Finally, his gaze fell on her face which had a scar of thin red line from the side of her mouth. "Aefia... stop getting into fights. How long are you going to continue trying to win with your powers? They are way too prideful about themselves... but so are you... trying to prove your powers against them. Now if they go around spamming lies like that, George is most definitely going to drag you out of here. I know for short you don't want that." He took out a small handkerchief and used it to wipe off the blood stain, then realizing the side of her head was supposed to be injured.
"I assume you will need to go to the nurse's office by now." He added while handing the cloth over to her. Merissa lifted her head to look at the both of them with confusion, while she hesitated trying to speak. "I just have a question... do you know each other?" She hung her head low as she asked with the most confidence.
"..." Aefia heavily breathed out while tapping her chin. "I know I may have lied to you about my real identity, but you may also have understood why I did so." She spoke while using her hand to lift the orange hair out of her sight. "I definitely didn't want to get the attention of everyone in this school like he did, so I stayed silent and made up an entire lie."
"Hold on... what did you tell the others then?" Lewis interrupted while holding a questioning gaze at the dark haired girl. "I said I was the only child to a merit army officer who passed away recently, and came to this school to study under the help of the duchess's permission." She replied while turning around.
"That huge of a lie?"
"I am an introvert."
"But what is the point?"
"Do I need to really explain? I just said it because I don't want to join the popular girl gang."
"How are you so absurdly sure about that?"
"Don't they always do this?"
Merrisa looked back and forth as they both continuously answered and asked questions, with a confused mind. She stayed silent up until they finally stared at her face with a curious look. "You seem to be in deep thoughts." Aefia spoke while sticking her gaze at the warm face which reflected the pale complexion opposite to her.
"No... I just don't get it until now." She shoke her head while hanging it low. "Are you both related? Because you seem to be speaking in familiar terms. Besides... you didn't even bow your head in respect to him even when you know he is from the Imperial family." She added with a soft voice.
"... Well... Does this Samoyed look like someone who deserves respect?" The respond was enough to sent a fear down the ginger haired girl's spine. "You are calling him a dog breed? You don't seem to fear him either." She added while lifting her gaze again.
"What's up with it? It wasn't me the one who gave the both of us nicknames. Older brother calls me Husky while he is known as Samoyed. Although... I enjoy mocking him by Grandpa." A laugh following that was heard as Lewis sent a palm into the back of her head. "That's enough joking around. You better get to the nurse before class starts. Which I know you won't want to go." He added while looking at the empty hallway.
"Yeah right!" She held the place he had struck and looked at Merissa one last time. "Hurry back to our class at the seat right behind the door. I will reach there within a short time while I am done taking our supplies. Don't interact with the rest of the pink gang." She reminded with a stern face while turning around.
"But I am concerned about you. What if the teachers find out?" Merissa asked out of sheer determination. "Even if they do... they won't dare to put up an excuse against me." Her head turned sideways, as a smile flashed along with a slight hue of red around her irises.
Her retreating footsteps echoed against the still empty hallway as only one thought lingered inside her mind. "I want to know one more thing. Is she related to the duchess? And part of the Imperial family? Could be cousins... right?"
***
"So...how did you get hurt?" The principal asked while narrowing her eyes at the girl sitting opposite to her table, then diverting to the person sitting next to her. "I got into a small fight." She replied without a blink of an eye. Beside her, Lewis slapped his forehead and gave her a side stare. "Why aren't you saying the truth?!"
"I don't know. Stephany and the pink gang would never let me say anything...so I don't know." Aefia shrugged as the principal slapped her pen down from the record book while standing up from her seat and grabbing the girl's collar, while forcing her up along. "A mere only child of a merit army officer who is also dead, can't disrespect the Count's third daughter like that! I need to suspend you..." She said while diverting her gaze at the scary stare of the second son of the Imperial family.
"I am sorry... but let me get this straight." Dropping the girl's collar, she sat back down and adjusted her glass. "As a person from a middle-class family, you have no right to confront someone in a higher family rank then you. I am afraid I will have to suspend you for your own family's reputation."
"Then..." Aefia spoke while sitting back down with shadowed, calculated eyes. "If I am suspended... you are exiled... from the Empire of Margenta." The words send ripples of shock and anger through the principal's face.