Rebecca was scrolling down stuff on her phone, so it was easier to conference about her without Beca listening; not like she cared but we still didn't know what was happening.
"Why do you think she is behaving like this? As if...as if we are complete strangers and everything is so normal?"
"I don't know. But the best thing to guess is a spirit possessing her. I mean, take the hint. Just like before, we might be waylaid by a descendent of the Dark Lord. And this time, their master plan is to possess one of our team members or create a clone-more or less- a shapeshifter and turn us against her."
"But poor villain didn't know how much we know about Beca and that she is totally the wrong person to mess with- like fighting her would be a piece of cake." Joey smirked, haughty at her abilities but soon corrected her words when she noticed me and Clay glaring at her, "Uh...not like she's weak or something- I..."
"At least the baddie didn't possess Joey- cause anyhow we would never be able to see if anything's wrong with her cause-" Travis stopped muttering when he found Joey's death glare on him as if just one look from her would blast his tongue right now and then.
"I have to talk to Beca and see if she's her or an evil spirit," Clay mentioned, before setting off to face her. He stood right in front of her, and Beca's fingers stopped its' movement, her eyes slowly raising up, "I thought I made things clear."
"I know you're not her. And if you are, then tell me the code we used when we were 14 for...you-know-what."
"Dude, we never had a code, so stop with the nonsense." She ungracefully rolled her eyes and set eyes on her phone again.
Clay's face, filled with yet another heaved sigh from Clay who reached up a hand to lightly clasp the throat. I reprimanded myself and closed my eyes in confusion.
Without raising her head, she lifted her blue eyes which shone in annoyance. She grunted and put her phone upside down on the table, standing up, "Okay, look. I know you guys are worrying unnecessarily, but the thing is I want a change. A pure change, where I will be an updated prodigy, gorgeous, and everyone's friends- everyone except people like Travis, no offense. Angry birds like Joey and lame-os like dear Clayton. That's it.
And confidence is not shit. About the spirits- well, you are just my team members- coworkers whatsoever. And anyhow we'll survive through this. So stop." The corners of her eyes crinkled and she shook her head, with a look of disappointment, but I couldn't find any logical reason for it. Cause we five should be the ones to be disorientedly disappointed.
Clay decided to back off and we clustered together again but didn't find any sort of clue to start with, except Travis began standing back, "You know we have an assigned essay to write."
"That's decoration stuff and I'm not a decor person." Joey turned her eyes upwards in frustration.
Travis came in front but tears were swimming in the brim of his eyes and spotting that, Joey snapped, "Oh c'mon boy! It's just one detention, why do you have to be such a histrionic crybaby?"
"Well, my whole school record is going to be affected by this! My reports are totally tumbledown!"
"And why did you have to drag us into this? I didn't even do anything!" Clay complained from the right side.
"Guys, look. I did this to bring us together because I couldn't bear seeing Beca like this, any second longer."
"Oh puh-leeze! You literally kissed her!"
"Clay, she kissed me first, you saw it!"
"And...and you being you, didn't push her back. Instead, you kept on canoodling with her. Piece of shameless asshole!"
"Ohh cut the crap Clay. Why? Are you so green with envy? That your presumable girlfriend is mine?"
"Oh, you bastard!" He grabbed the hem of my shirt with fisted hands, one of which was about to blow a strike but ceased the action before it could hit my nose. He was trying to thrust it into my face but at the same time, he pulled it towards himself. His hand left my collar and backed off, falling on the ground; somewhat seeming like an invisible force constraining Clay's actions.
"You don't get to hit people when they say right things, you know? Truth's just bitter." Our sight switched to Beca, who was making uncanny motion signs twirling her fingers. It was disquieting but didn't take me long to realize Beca was causing the force. But how?
We all exchanged glances once again standing still except for Clay fallen on the ground and I guess our expressions were enough to convey to her about our crammed questions.
"Oh, you didn't know? Look! My new powers, yay!" She squealed light-heartedly which was a first, but we were thrown yet again into another labyrinth of skepticism and an upsetting confusion.
-
"Lord. Any other signs than today?"
"What do you mean by signs?" Clay asked Organa, who was in less of a confused fit but more filled with tensity, and sweat dripping down her facial hair at the sides.
"I mean, is it only today she's behaving unlike herself?"
"No." I suddenly blurted out, my forehead furrowed. I recalled a few strange incidents- or behaviour as she mention- a few days back.
"Adeline was her best friend, right? And she never ditches or bails on people so easily. She...she has a bigger heart. But last two times, she showed anger and fury...bitterness all over. It may be due to frustration, but as far I have known her, she wouldn't risk her friendship just like that."
"So do you think Beca broke her friendship because it was not her breaking our friendship?" Adeline asked, with an expression so guilty.
"Maybe. And for all these events, I didn't have time to think about this. How could I be so reckless?"
"Organa." I placed my palm on her shoulder, "Is there something we need to know?"
"I-I can't...it's--"
"Well, as far as we have discovered, we are supposed to be for each other, be for avail when any danger arrives. And we work as a team even when we are not friends otherwise survival is a complete no-no." Travis reasoned, his words continued by Joey next, "So it is our right to know."
"Fine." She exhaled deeply, "You guys remember your first fight together-more like a chase, with a spirit named Lucas remember?"
"Yeah." We agreed in unison.
"The blade with which he stabbed Beca- it was not a normal one. It's black magic stored itself in Beca's heart and now it took over all good that was inside her."
"Oh shit," I muttered under my breath.
"What can we do now?" Addy asked, worried sick.
"That's the problem. We can't."
-
For the hundredth time calling, Beca didn't even care to budge. She glued her eyes on her phone, lazily lying on the ground and leaned back on the wall.
"REBECCA LOPEZ. I ORDER YOU TO COME HERE PRONTO!" Organa yelled, exhausted from all the reasonings and bargains with Beca. She huffed and dropped her phone, getting up to get there on the training field. She glanced at me once and gave her usual impish grin. I couldn't help but wonder that if she was herself and in senses, would she like our kiss? And did I? Or would she ever kiss me like that?
I snapped myself out of those futile thoughts and began to watch the drama. She rested her one elbow straight on the hand of her other hand, rolling her eyes everytime Organa asked her if she got what she had to do.
"Can we get this on already? Sorry old granny, but your blabbering mouth is getting me on the edge."
Organa pursued her lips offensively and nodded, too many times.
"Let's see if you do kao dode."
She smirked, with so conceit, I feared something bad was coming our way.
She backed off and came in front of the mannequin. She began by jumping up on one leg, then used that leg's knee to strike her artificial opponent with a direct knee hit. Smooth and direct, I thought surprised.
I knew everybody was in awe, beside the fanning of shock, even though I had my eyes fixed on only Beca.
"Do kao loi."
She picked up the broken mannequin and with her newfound kinetic power force, brought back together the broken pieces into place; that time, it didn't surprise us enough but the following abilities quite did the show.
She took a step forward, begin jumping off of one leg as though she was going to use the knee or foot of that leg, as I presumed, then switched in mid-air to deliver a knee strike at the poor mannequin with the other leg.
Still unbelievable for Organa, she mentioned a few other labels which she didn't before in the lecture, according to which Beca moved on. At the end, I simply dropped my jaw at her moves, but quickly closed it, taking everything normal- basically on the domain of recent circumstantial problems.
"See babes? I can do all cool." She flexed, and I couldn't just control my laugh. I bit my lip and the process and watched her proceed towards me. Gradually, I stopped laughing and gazed upon her bemused yet intense blue orbs, and thought about all secrets it contained.
She smiled, almost genuinely, and uttered, "You're cute." And for the literal first time in my life, I felt my cheeks turn crimson. I wanted to squeal, as in for a joy that comes from your soul. And god Austin, what was happening?
She pinched my cheeks and returned to her sitting position, but I couldn't return to the world. All thoughts whirled me around, at how things will not last when she came back to her old self. Every flirt session would be history and no chemistry.
"Dude, please stay away from her. Cozy things between you guys make me more than cringe." Clay ordered, and I nodded.
After him, I heard a whisper in my ears from no one other than my spirit, "Get hold of it bro. Though I ship you guys, guess she wouldn't feel the same way."
"Whatever," I grumbled under my breath.
-
I could not just get enough goosebumps when she sat beside me. It was the second period of chemistry- the only one we had together.
"Wouldn't wanna miss chances." She muttered, while taking out her school accessories from the pencil bag.
I swallowed and ignored eye contact, cause I knew for sure things would take a swirl of chaos when I did.
The teacher seemed to delay his presence and thankfully that gave me seconds to sink in situations. I was fidgeting my fingers when I detected a person shadowing me. I looked up and saw Angela grinning at me, her fingernails painted with pink moving down her face in a seductive manner.
I would have smirked back at a positive response but the state at which my mind was, I just stared at her bluntly.
"So Kennedy huh? Would you...would you want a night off studies, to study?"
At first, I got blank at her words but slowly it came to me. I did want to take a night off, but a sudden urge of involuntary feeling made me want to deny it.
"Oh um Angela, I-"
"Excuse me, Ms. Pretending-to-be- Angel. But I don't like sluts hovering around my sight, you know?" Beca growled angrily. I chuckled a bit, staring deep into her fierce eyes. That reminded me of the first time I looked vacantly into her blue eyes at 13, trying to look beyond her irreproachable glare.
"Excuse you Becky bird. I'm talking to my regular need, for which I definitely don't need your authorization. Like the hell you are?" Angela warned with her dulcet voice toning up. She leaned in towards my lips, and her familiar fragrance brushed over me. Seemed like I missed a lot these weeks.
"Oh bitch, you don't." She looked like her anger consuming her insides, about to burst out. She picked herself up and shooting daggers at Angela, made fists, whitening her knuckles. I looked over at Angela again, and I saw amorphous dark shadows surrounding her and taking the form of thin strips, they wrapped around her neck. She choked out words to save her and I got up immediately. I reached out to her neck but couldn't get hold of the shadows.
I turned around to Beca, and I knew it. She was grinning wide with pleasure and I realized it was her doing the shadows. My hands made way to her cheeks and I tried to calm her down, "Beca look. This isn't....it's not you! Please calm down! I...she...she didn't mean anything..she-" I paused, knowing none of my words would be able to affect her emotions. Her emotions...I think I knew what to do.
Without any second thoughts, I crashed my lips onto hers. She took it by surprise but wrapped her arms around my neck, bringing me closer. And once again, time had probably stopped and I was slowly pulled out of the world into an unknown section of fantasies.