I swung the door open, allowing Katarina to enter before me. The class was technological development (history). The minute I walked in, the sound of whistling filled the air.
"Yo, Cos! You miss me?" I spun around and to my utter amusement, it was Dragonfly, in uniform. I gawked at him, slack-jawed.
What the hell is he doing here?
"Who's the pretty dolly?" He asked smirking flirtatiously. Katarina's golden eyes flared: a fire blazing.
Here it comes... You better duck, brother, before she roasts you.
It was too late though, and her fire was already raging.
"Who you callin' a dolly, pencil neck?" I had to bite back a smirk at Katarina's retort. Dragon's eyes gleamed, with a bizarre mix of anger and bemusement.
She was lying, of course. Dragon was anything but a pencil neck. He, much like Hawk, was a muscle builder and prided himself on it. He wasn't quite as gigantic as Hawk, but larger than most, especially other gangly teenagers: especially her petite form.
Heck, she couldn't have been over 5 foot 4 and even that was generous. It would be far too easy to break her, far too easy to kill her. Yet, the way she carried herself, one would think she was 10 feet tall and made of titanium.
I admired her for it. It wasn't often I met someone as strong-spirited as her and that fire of hers... it took my breath away. It was... contagious. She was contagious: dangerous even. I wondered if she had any friends.
As far as I could tell, she seemed to be the loner freak of the school. Always wistful, sitting in some corner, sketching, stuck in her own little world where nothing mattered; no one mattered.
I wish I could be like her, but where she was fire, I was ice.
It is for the best. I told myself.
That fire and defiance of hers would not last long in my world. I saw it die many times over until not even embers of it remained. I might've even had it myself when I was younger, but the only way to get through the League: fight against the monsters was to become one.
I always knew that, being that I was League born. I always knew that emotions were a weakness: defiance was painful: good deeds came at a hefty price: friendships ended tragically. I knew that if I held on to what was not necessary for surviving, I would die. Emotions were a liability, I couldn't afford to have: dreams were a curse, that would only drive me mad.
"Stand down kitten. That's not what I meant!" Dragonfly said, putting his hands up in the air, a gesture of mock surrender. As much as Dragon was aggressive, violent, and quick to ignite, he was a peacemaker amidst the people he cared about. It was a trait I had found rather contradictory.
"Shut up, octopus!" She remarked.
"How am I an octopus?" She shrugged and colour flooded Dragon's cheeks.
"How am I a kitten?" She acquired.
"Kittens are cute." He shrugged, his voice derisive: mocking and degrading.
"And can tear your face off." She smiled innocently at him. He smiled back: viciously so with the promise of retaliation.
Oh... This will not end well.
"Pleased to meet you, sharp-tongued. I'm James." Dragon told her.
"The pleasure mine, Frosty! I'm Katarina." Katarina gave a sarcastic curtsy.
So, it is not personal! It's just her!
"So, Kat!" He shrugged, giving her a nickname.
"Do you wanna be kicked?!" Her voice was falsely sweet.
"You really think you can do that?" He taunted.
"Oh... Macho act!" She mocked.
Katarina retreated to her seat across the room from us about the same time Dragon took hold of my shoulder spinning me around to face him.
"Who the fuck is she?" He screeched. Dragon was not used to people back-talking him, let alone insulting him the way Katarina had.
"Fierce kitten," I answered, and his piercing gaze narrowed. He ignored the comment and moved on: continuing his rant.
"How dare she?! Who does she think she is?! Oh, if only I had my Viper with me..." He was interrupted by an AI.
"Ah! You must be James Anderson." The anger dissipated from his face almost immediately.
"Yes. Yes, I am."
"And Alexander?" The AI acquired.
"That would be me." I waved somewhat mockingly.
"Would you boys like to re-introduce yourselves? Or have you already done so?"
"That will be unnecessary." Dragon told the teacher.
"As you wish." It proceeded to display the lecture of the day, discussing the "latest" technological discoveries. The third district was about 10 years behind the city of Astrid regarding their discoveries and technological advances and even that would be excessively generous. It was a way to keep the League in power: keeping diversity to a minimum so that the "subjects" would be predictable: docile: controllable. Keeping the people of the district ignorant and yet thinking they were being informed was a manipulative way to keep them happy and yet contained.
"Anyway, what are you doing here?" I asked. "And my cousin? Seriously? Whoever is gonna buy that bullshit?!" I hissed at him, he gave me a sheepish grin.
"Ok. Ok. We might not look alike, but cousins don't have to be. Besides, two new students showing up on the same day is kinda suspicious."
He has a point, but...
"Go home. You're unneeded." I told him, which earned me a kick under the desk. I glowered at him. The AI turned to face us and so did the entire class, including Katarina.
"Something the matter boys?" The AI sneered the name as if it were an insult in and of itself. It is immensely impressive how instructors, even AIs, could turn everything into an insult with one single sneer.
"Nothing." Dragon said sheepishly appearing to be every bit the ashamed teenage student they all thought him to be.
"We are sorry. Please, do continue." He gave a slight smile.
At first glance, everyone - everyone - classified Dragon as being docile, unassuming, and more passive than even Darling. That was horrifically wrong. Matter of fact, Dragonfly was the League's best sniper: never missing a single target. He also had the attitude of shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later on his best day. If one made the suicidal choice to cross him, they met the wrong end of his rifle: or if he's pissed, his fists. He was much like oil, quick to ignite, difficult to extinguish.
I differ with him there. I was harder to push on edge than most assassins, but once I lost my temper, it was a bloodbath and no one, not even Dragon could convince me to put done my knife and calm down. Instead of yelling at the person or people that were angering me, my voice dropped became chillier. My mouth would twist up sadistically and the bloodlust I try to put on a very tight leash would come to the forefront.
"Please refrain from conversations during the lecture." The AI ordered.
"Will do." He promised, but the moment it turned around, he grabbed a pen and scribbled down something on the inside of his arm.
"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens." I will never do that to you. Sorry.
I swallowed: a lump in my throat.
What was he apologizing for? I was the one that was being a jackass.
I opened my mouth to speak but he held his hand up.
"We don't want to get in trouble again, do we?" The AI spun to face us, seeming to glare our way, before returning to the lecture.
"I'm sorry," I said anyway. His eyes darkened; shoulders slumped.
"But you meant what you said." He sighed wearily. I didn't respond. A part of me wanted to deny it: rid off the chasm between us: a part of me didn't want to lie to him. He didn't give me the chance to choose.
"Anyway, after school we're going to have lots of fun!" He promised. "Lots and lots of fun!" His smile widened: his teeth bared. "Think you can keep up?"
"Keep up with what?!" I teased.
"Me."
===
"A restaurant?... Is that your idea of fun?!" I teased Dragon. He scoffed, then gave me a sheepish grin: cheeks slightly flushed.
"Don't be like that!" He argued: throwing hands up in the air in protest, not unlike cartoon characters.
"This is just the beginning..." He said somewhat shyly: put off. It was a part of him only I got to see and only on very rare occasions. "Besides! Ain't ya hungry?! Cause I am! You've been losing weight ya know..." And so he began a rant about how I was not taking care of myself: how I was so thin I might drop dead. I ignored the rant that he borrowed from Sunshine and his never-ending criticisms about my health. It was, oddly, comforting: he cared about me. At least I knew that one person did. Yet, at the same time, it angered me that he did.
As if he read my mind, he said:
"Love you, brother." He had said it so quietly that even I had a hard time hearing it: convincing myself that I wasn't hearing things: that it was Dragon who had spoken and not the voices in my head messing with me again.
Dragon's arm wrapped around my shoulders as we walked, entwined, towards the altar.
"Yo! What's up?!" We spun around to find Darling ducked out in very contrasting colours. He wore a bright blue shirt, which contrasted with his red hair. His precious silver chain was obvious and peeking from his collar. His shoes were a navy, purple, and Black and his pants were a dark, dirty beige. Yet, from the corners of my eyes, I could make out the girls ogling. He didn't seem to even notice.
"Come on! Let's chaw!" He gave us a bright smile, his dimples showing: the corners of his purple eyes wrinkling ever so slightly. Dragonfly gave me one last squeeze then let go to take a seat across from Darling. I took the seat right next to him.
"So...? How was school, children? Hope you behaved yourselves?!" There was a certain amount of irony in that statement and glee. It was ironic that even though he was one of the eldest of our group he was by far the most childish. He was gleeful because he wasn't with us: stayed home playing VR all day.
"I actually found her, thank you very much!" They both gawked at me.
"Who?!" They demanded. As if on cue a raven-haired girl strolled in with a blond companion. I nodded towards her.
"Kat?! That bitch is the hacker?! Then why the fuck didn't you let me shoot her?!" Darling was scanning her over, examining her: all the playfulness - carelessness - gone from his face: forgotten. A solemn, hunted look passed his features briefly before his expression became unreadable at all.
"Then what are we waiting for?" He asked quietly, unlike himself, a bitter quality in his voice.
"Evidence." I shrugged.
"What does it matter?" His voice had a certain tone of insanity to it: cynical: almost psychotic. "If it stops when we kill her, won't that be evidence enough?" His voice had gone so cold, it could rival mine.
"It might warn the real hacker...," I argued.
Silence followed.
Darling got up and started towards Kat's table.
What was he planning?!
I got up and followed him, Dragon trailing me.
"Hello, ladies!" He purred, interrupting their conversation.
"Oh, hello." The blond responded.
"Please, save your breath. You'll probably need it to blow up your next date!" Katarina chimed in.
Dragonfly snickered next to me.
"So, it's not personal!" He said. She turned to face us with an arched brow.
"Back for more?!" Katarina taunted.
"Katarina...!" The blond warned coolly. "Have you been lashing people with that tongue of yours again?!"
"Only idiots." She shrugged. The blonde gave a deep sigh of disgust.
"Ignore my smartass sister, she's rather surly in the mornings." Katarina cleared her throat meaningfully. "I'm sorry!" Her voice was thick of sarcasm. "Make that surly period." She fluttered her eyes at us. "My apologies, she just doesn't know when to draw the line..." She trailed off examining each one of us intently as if looking for something specific. "Would you handsome boys like to join us? I am Cassiopeia by the way, though you can just call me Cassie." Darling gave her his killer smile.
"Our pleasure." He purred as he took the seat right next to her. And so, for the rest of the extensive lunch, Darling sat flattering and flirting with Cassie, while Katarina glowered. It was as if she would choke all three of us, would we give her the chance.
Feisty little she-devil!
"So... What brings you here?" Cassiopeia inquired: Darling continued to smile.
"I should ask you the same," He responded, masterfully dodging the question. "You frequent this place often?"
"Do you?" Cassie countered.
"I asked first." He told her, leaning in closer, while I rolled my eyes: Cassie's silvery-green eyes narrowed slightly. She looked familiar. The situation was giving me some serious déjà vu. I knew her from somewhere, but I couldn't quite wrap my fingers around it. The more I tried to remember, the more it slipped away.
"I believe I did, gorgeous." Cassie retorted. Darling sipped at his drink, a faint smile on his lips as he watched Katarina, who ignored us and sketched on. I watched her too, as I had no intention of watching Darling making out, not that he was, but... there are some memories no one needs to have: at least me.
We returned to our house that night and Darling spun to pin me to the wall.
"You sure she is the tar- hacker?" He was about to call her the target but caught himself. Not that it mattered. I nodded my head in approval. He took a deep breath in, looking away from me. "What's our next move, commander?"
"Evidence," I said, feeling dread settling in the pit of my stomach. It was one thing to kill an adult that could fight back, another to kill a younger girl, even if that teen happened to be the sassy, arrogant, and annoying Katarina.
"And who will...?" Darling didn't have to continue. "I-I ..." He cleared his throat. "I can take care of it. I am the eldest." I shook my head.
"I am Commander. You get me the evidence and then you can leave." He nodded, the relief tangible in his eyes, but he still argued.
"I can do it." He said with more conviction. "You two don't need that kind of guilt on your shoulders." I scoffed at him.
"Darling," It sounded more like a sarcastic, cynical endearment than his name. "I have been an assassin for over seventeen years. You have had it for less than half of that time. Besides," I ducked and spun out of his grasp, giving him my back as I started for the room: the sickening ice spreading through my veins. "I have killed thousands of people. What's one more girl to my conscience?"