"Welcome to MARC, love. You're going to absolutely hate it here."
At least there was no lie there. Less than an hour in her new school, and Fiona already loathed it, not for what she'd heard it was, but for what she now knew it was. MARC was an institution occupied solely by supernaturals, the beings she'd rarely gotten along with. Inside, a hateful house mistress prowled, committing petty malice on unsuspecting borders. And last but not least, there was the sadistic roommate, who might just murder her in her sleep.
With Joan gone, Fiona faced that roommate. She was yet to move from her position on her bed, her hands on her laps and her eyes wide. Fiona wondered for the hundredth time, how someone could be both spooky and adorable at the same time. Those two characteristics weren't supposed to mix. Under her intent gaze, the pixie fidgeted, as though she was nervous.
"Is there anything you would like me to help you with?" She asked.
"The bathroom."
"What?"
"Where is the bathroom?" Fiona grumpily clarified herself.
"Go down the stairs till you see the 7B sign. The bathroom is down that corridor."
Still carrying the sack, Fiona followed the directions, easily finding what she was looking for. She desperately needed to take a shower. Not only would the water pouring down her body help clear her mind, but it would also freshen her up. She always felt beautiful and unstoppable after a shower.
Reaching into the bag, Fiona rummaged for her locker key. She soon found it. The note on the key holder read 602, making her search for the compartment with that number. On finding it, she became very irritated. The lock to her locker was broken, so a key wasn't even needed to open it. Was there anything good about this school?
Right then, a group trooped into the bathroom. Instinctively, Fiona glanced at them. They were a troupe of four, all wearing forest green jerseys, shorts, and black tights. Fiona quickly looked away. She was not in the mood to socialize, now or ever. If she was lucky, they would let her be. She had no such luck.
After removing her clothes and tying her towel around herself, She moved to enter a stall. An angry cry stopped her in her tracks.
"What do you think you're doing!?" A cyclops, one of the girls in the group, shrieked.
"Taking a shower?" Fiona retorted, not too kindly.
The single eye in the middle of the cyclops' head blinked furiously, but it was the faun that spoke, "Oh no, you can't do that." In place of regular legs, she had those of a goat. Two tiny horns jutted out of her fiery orange hair, also.
"Why not?"
"Because..." The cyclops marched forward and put her face in Fiona's. "The president—" She pointed at the only human girl in the group. "wants to take her bath!"
"There are plenty of other stalls." Fiona was rapidly losing her patience.
The big raging cyclops stomped her foot repeatedly, like a child throwing a tantrum. "No! No! No! No! No! The president doesn't like it when others go splish splash as she baths. Get out! GET OUT!"
Fiona snapped then. Her life was currently a living nightmare. In the past two days, she had somehow fallen from grace to the lowest of grasses. She'd been chained, imprisoned, and transported against her will. At present, she had a queen bee and her lackeys telling her she couldn't have a shower. She couldn't hold back her frustration any longer. So she let it burst.
"Listen and listen good." She growled, twirling her finger. "I don't care if your so-called president doesn't want a splish splash. I've been through enough already to have a dummy and her dumber dummies tell me what to do. So pack your bags, hitch a ride, and drive straight to hell. You hear that!? YOU CAN ALL GO TO HELL!"
"Why you!"
For a second, Fiona's composure faltered, as the cyclops raised her fist to strike her. Cyclopes were far stronger than humans. If that punch connected with her face, there would be no spell in the 68 realms that could fix it. She took a frightened step backward.
"That's enough, Borri." The president, who had been silent until now, calmly commanded. She had moved to a sink and was washing her face, as if the scene that was unfolding did not concern her. "I never intended to take a shower at the moment."
She then walked to Fiona; her steps were confident. And proud. Borri, the cyclops, moved out of the way without being told, although she was still fuming. This made space for the girl to stand in front of her target. She was taller than Fiona, but only by a few inches. She was so close, Fiona could smell her scent, like flowers of the wild. Gently, she held both her cheeks with one hand.
Unlike her initial observation, Fiona realized the girl was not human. Instead of the normal white cornea, hers was a dusty black, while her iris were ruby red. That was her only differing feature from humans, except maybe her breathtaking looks. Her beauty wasn't soft, comforting, or lovable; it was sharp, cold, and intense. Her skin was light, to the extent it resembled that of a dead man's. It contrasted with her lips, which were red as a rose. Icy, expressionless eyes stared into Fiona's.
Fiona recognized those eyes. They were eyes that looked down on others.
"You're new here." The girl's voice was a rich sonorous alto. "You don't know our ways. So, I forgive you. But—" Her grip tightened. Fiona didn't dare move a muscle. She could feel it; the slightest pressure added would instantly break her jaw. "—disrespect me again, and I will hurt you."
And as if she'd not just threatened another person, the girl left. The rest scurried after her.
༺•༻
Mito found his boss relaxing on the abandoned fountain, his back resting on the manmade gorgon statue. Though many supernaturals surrounded him, he completely stood out. Cain Garonne was the sun that lit up every room, every gathering, and every heart —at least to his followers. Whenever he talked, they listened attentively. And whenever he threw his head back, laughing so hard his body shook, they laughed along. Even when he willingly gave the spotlight to others, they still gazed at him, dazed by his overwhelming good looks.
To say the president of the Forest Banes was handsome was an understatement, for it didn't come close to describing him. Disheveled brown hair crowned a perfectly structured face, complete with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. Long and feminine lashes rounded glorious amber eyes. To top it off, any time he parted his full attractive lips, he showcased immaculate white fangs. As if all this was not enough, the God of creation had blessed him with an impressive body. He was tall, broad-shouldered and muscled.
"Mito, man! You have to hear this!" Cain called, on sighting his vice president standing a few meters away.
He stretched his hand forward, beckoning on his close friend to join him. Mito observed the girl beside him. She was new to MARC, only two months old. Her name was Trish. The week of her arrival, Cain had smiled at her once, and she'd followed him straight into the Forest Banes.
Currently, she looked comfortable, snuggled to his chest. Mito could bet she thought she would last. Every girl Cain had believed so, but they never did. The luckiest kept his interest for a month. Most wrote off Cain to be a deceptive playboy, as he strived to make those around him feel special. He wasn't; he just had a big heart. That still worked against him, because he often captured hearts he never intended to keep.
As Mito approached the crowd, a boy told a joke he wasn't near enough to hear, and they burst out laughing. Mito had a good idea of what was so funny.
"This is crazy!" Cain said once he reached them, in between chuckles. "A newbie insulted Rinissa. I hear she really gave it to them."
"I heard, also." Mito put on a faint smile.
"Man! We have to get her into the gang. Send her a bid?"
Of course, Cain would want the talk of the school to be on his team; Mito couldn't help smiling. But his smile wasn't broad. That was because he knew the newbie had made a terrible mistake. Though the Forest Banes pulled a lot of weight, Rinissa still headed the largest and most feared fraternity in MARC. Whoever this new student was, she was in for trouble. Plenty of it.