AN HOUR AGO,
3:57 PM.
I sit up, looking around to see I'm in a dark room.
Typical kidnapping story.
How unoriginal.
I stand up, hearing someone's voice.
"I wouldn't move another muscle if I was you, Azurecide."
I turn my head around, seeing a woman who looks to be around the age of seventeen with a bow and arrow.
I hold my hands up, grinning.
"Don't shoot me just yet, hon. I didn't even get to the correct drinking age yet!"
"That's your excuse?"
"Excuse?! That's a solid reason, lady. Who the fuck are you?!"
She narrows her eyes and I nod.
"I get it. You're one of the people she keeps down here, aren't you? You're one of the people my mother, Liliane, gets powers from?"
She pauses.
"What do you mean by that...? She wouldn't take my powers. She just takes my blood to test it."
I roll my eyes.
"Obviously she didn't educate y'all down here. What's your name, child?"
She stares at me blankly.
"Valeria."
"Well, Valeria, do you want to help me out?"
"You're a villain. Madam Olivier told me helping villains is unacceptable...no matter who or what comes down here."
I look around, before back at her.
"I don't see a Madam Olivier, do you, Valeria?"
"No?"
"Exactly. Let me go before I snap your twig weapon and your neck, girl."
Her eyes widen, and she nods.
"Okay! Come this way!"
I snicker before following her, shaking my head.
Dumb girl.
She leads me to the underground exit, blinking.
"There. You just go through the tunnel and up the ladder and you'll be out."
"Thank you...I now have a witness...which means I have to kill you."
"What?"
I throw an orb of magic at her and she disappears into thin air, screaming.
Ugh.
Annoying brat.
I disappear into the tunnel, leaving the school.
That was easier than expected.
********
BACK TO THE PRESENT...
5:00 PM.
(NOVA'S POV)
"I—how the hell are you here?!"
He grins wolfishly.
"Is that your question, princess? If so I'll gladly answer it for you."
I scoff.
"Wow. Really, Xan?"
He smiles.
"Yes, Nova. Like I said, if you get the spades you can ask me one thing. Did I say two, darling?"
"No—but that shouldn't count you scammer!"
Slade stands up, sliding backwards.
"Awkward..."
He disappears out the door, and Xan cocks his head to the side.
"A little birdie told me that you were...worried for me. Were you, Nova?"
I look away from him, crossing my arms.
He takes a step forward, grabbing my chin to turn my head to face him.
"Are you avoiding my question, princess? I'll take that as a yes. I'm glad that little ole me is on your mind..."
I roll my eyes, whacking his hand from my face.
"As if. And what would you do if I was worried, Xan? I don't think it's that big of a deal to be worried about a—" I flick his chest "—friend."
Xan gives me a sardonic smirk.
"Haha, Nova. Are you trying to throw me in the friend zone?"
I grin.
"I already did, bluebabe."
He backs away, and I frown slightly.
"Xan?"
"Yes?"
"I have my question."
He leans nonchalantly against the wall, mismatched eyes boring into mine.
"And I have your answer, Nova. Shoot."
I release a breath, looking at him.
"Are my parents alive?"
He looks away from me.
"No."
My heart drops.
"They're dead?"
He looks at me again, and tears begin to roll down my cheeks.
"Yes, Nova. They're dead."
I frantically wipe away my tears, sighing.
"How? When?"
He shakes his head.
"I don't know. I'm sorry."
I begin crying, and just as he's about to say something the door bursts open.
Breeze stands in the doorway, looking at us both confusedly before shaking her head.
"Guys? You might wanna see this..."
"What is it, Breeze?! I just fucking found out my parents died."
She cringes, before teleporting over to me, patting my back.
"I'm sorry..."
"It's whatever. It's not like they cared about me anyways."
I stand up, looking at Xan.
"Come on."
He follows me and Breeze to a living room where Robyn, Rogue, Archer, Veronica, Damien, and Slade sit, staring blankly at the television.
I walk over as well, and they all snap their heads around to look at us.
"This is crazy."
I look at Archer who looks sick to her stomach, then the TV.
Oh no.
Madam Olivier stands there, staring directly into the camera.
There are multiple news reporters and students around her, and she sighs.
"Anyone seeing this...whether it be their captors or my missing children themselves...please come back. Nova Birch, Damien Olivier, Archer Agnes, and Robyn and Rogue Worley have gone missing from our school. We suspect that Xan Olivier, and this unknown man were behind it."
A picture of Xan and a picture of Slade show up on the screen, before Olivier's face contorts in anger.
"I'll have you know that this is against conduct, and for rebelling against me, anyone associated with these five students or their captors will be killed."
She eyes the camera directly, frowning.
"Nova, please come back. Your parents...they...they miss you so much, Nova. They want you to come home, they want their baby back."
My eyes widen, and my hand flies over my mouth.
They...they aren't dead?
I turn around, staring at Xan.
"They...they aren't dead, Xan?! Why?! Why would you say that they were?! You lied to me...I trusted you!"
"It was for your own protection, Nova."
I stare into his eyes, empty.
I glare at him, and everyone else stares at us wide eyed.
"Do you not feel bad?! For my own good?! What good would it do?!"
I shake my head, backing away from all of them towards the door.
"I'm leaving."
"What?! Where the hell are you going?"
I look at Xan, tears rolling down my cheeks.
"To find my parents. Wherever they may be."
I run out the door without another word, into the rain.
They all look at Xan, and he makes a face.
"What?"
"You thought it was a good idea to lie to her face?"
Xan laughs sardonically at Archer's comment, and she narrows her eyes.
"Maybe you forgot the fact that I'm a villain, Archer, and I'm not necessarily a nice person."
She scoffs.
"And that has to do with anything, why?"
He moves a piece of hair from his face with an eye roll.
"It has to do with the fact that I was actually trying to help. You wanted me to send her over to her parents that basically want to kill her? Yeah. I didn't think so, Agnes."
*********
I continue to run through the rain, my salty tears mixing with the water that falls from the sky.
Why would he lie?
To my face?
And I actually thought—never mind.
I'll find their house. I'll finally go home.
I continue going, freezing when I hear sirens.
Familiar sirens.
I turn around and see a car with bright yellow flashing lights, and my face pales.
One of the security cops from Bridora.
I panic, running into an alleyway to my left before hiding behind a garbage can.
This is a stupid spot.
A really stupid spot.
"You said you saw her, Bob!"
"I swear she was right there!"
I hold my breath when they run past me again, letting out a sigh of relief when they disappear.
I stand up again, running behind it to a different side of the street.
Oh crap.
I see tons of cop cars, and when I turn around I see more cops coming down the alleyway.
Shit.
I don't know what to do.
"Hey! You there! Stop!"
I see multiple cops running towards me, hearing a noise come from above me.
"Psst!"
I look up, seeing a dark shadow.
Their hand is extending down, and I grab onto them right when a bullet goes past me, getting yanked onto the roof.
I stare blankly at them, and they morph into a human.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Kalen!"
I make a face and he rolls his eyes.
"Of course you don't know who I am. Now—thank me for saving your life before I throw you back down there, speedy."
"I—thank you?! And speedy?"
"You're power's speed, idiot."
He peers over the edge of the roof, grinning.
"Alright, sugar. They're gone."
I look down as well, turning back to him.
"Well...thank you?"
"Why of course, malady. It's only fair I be of service to such a fine young woman. Who are you trying to find, Nova?"
I disregard the fact that he knows literally everything, sighing.
"My parents. Tiffany and Oliver Birch."
He makes a face.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just that—"
He wheezes, and I look wide eyed at the dart that pierced through his shoulder.
"Crap. Kalen?! Are you okay?"
"I—I'm fine, speedy...just feeling a little bit—sleepy."
He faints, and I sit there in shock.
I pluck the thing from his shoulder, staring at the golden and black liquid dripping from it.
Poison...
I look up, squinting.
"Hello?! Who just fucking did that?! Slade was that you? I know you have poison."
"Slade? That's such an ugly name..."
My eyes widen when I feel two cold hands on my shoulders, and get a familiar scent.
"Dad...?"
"Shhh, sweetie..." I feel a sharp pain in my neck when a needle is inserted into it, falling forward onto my knees. "I'd prefer you call me master."
*******
I hear chains being moved, and my eyes snap on someone across from me.
"Hello?"
"Ahh...speedy."
Across the room I see Kalen, grunting every now and then as he tries to yank himself free.
"What the hell is going on?"
I look at him, shaking my head.
"I don't know. And I'm sorry you got dragged into this..."
I grimace.
"I heard my father's voice...but maybe I'm imaging things?"
"Oh, Nova..."
I snap my head around again, seeing a familiar smile.
"Madam Olivier?"
"You just couldn't stay out, could you? You just couldn't stay my perfect little student? I'll have you know, Nova. Until you do what I say and do it exactly the way I want it—Xan is going to lose more and more air."