Quickly doing a head count, Fiona counted eight people present —five boys and three girls. Except for the cyclops, there was no one from the clique in the bathroom. She cracked her knuckles, showcasing her jagged teeth through an evil grin. The group gave off the same menacing vibe as she, standing around like experienced thugs.
"The president might have forgiven you, but we haven't. Nobody disses the boss and gets away with it." Borri served as their spokesperson.
Fiona rolled her eyes. "Well, aren't you the loyal follower?" She couldn't help dropping a sarcastic comment. Her situation was that ridiculous.
Or maybe she was just scared shitless, and was desperately searching for a way to cover it up. She'd realized, as she'd observed Borri furiously leave behind her leader, that no matter what Rinissa said, someone would come for her. Someone would want revenge. And she suspected the merciful president wouldn't go out of her way to assure her safety. No matter, eight seemed a bit too much. The cyclops alone could easily end her existence.
Involuntarily, a sweat ran down Fiona's temple. She wished then that she had learned at least one defensive spell. Enchantresses weren't very good fighters. However, some could animate nonliving objects, making them fight their battles. When she was younger, her father had urged her to improve her spellcraft, but she'd argued she did not intend to venture into magic as a career. Ever. Now, she seriously regretted ignoring the sound advice. She was as helpless as a baby owl with a broken wing in a wolf territory.
"Will you just shut up, already!?" Borri screeched, sprinting forward and fisting her fingers in preparation to land a devastating punch.
Not attempting to defend herself, Fiona ran in the opposite direction. She wasn't fleeing for long, because with two swift steps, the cyclops grabbed her jacket. Her grip slipped, causing Fiona to fall to the floor. She proceeded to kick her victim in her stomach. Then give another one in her legs. The rest joined in and soon, blows rained down.
At a point, Fiona gave in to the pain. Her body ached, in her stomach, in her thighs, in her chest, but she continually got pounded. Although she could feel every aching sensation in every nerve, she was getting used to it. Like the familiarity soldiers at war develop with danger. The supernaturals were the birthday kids, and she was their pinata. How wonderful her first day of school was going. She could probably win an award for "Most Jinxed 17-year-old of All Time". Really, it couldn't get worse than this.
"That's enough."
Borri turned to check who had spoken. Her eyes widened when she sighted a tall, silver-eyed elf standing with his hands in his pockets, a few feet from them. His expression was blank and nonhostile, but that didn't put her at ease. It didn't put any of them at ease.
"C'mon gang! Let's hike!" She commanded. She and the group scurried away, trying their best to retain their swagger, but failing. The elf silently watched them leave, still wearing his iconic blank expression.
"I thought it was none of your business." Fiona said, laying on the floor.
"It's not." The boy confirmed, not bothering to look at her.
"But you helped me."
"They were in my way."
"Thank you."
He shifted his gaze to the injured human girl. Blood ran down her nose and forehead, where she'd been nastily bruised. Her full hair had disentangled from the ponytail he had seen her in earlier, and was sprawled on the ground above her head. Her uniform was smudged with dirt. Despite his minimal effort, she had thanked him. It'd been a long time since anyone had thanked him, too long; he wasn't sure how to react. So, he didn't.
The boy walked past Fiona, not uttering another word. She'd noticed slight shock flicker in his eyes when she'd appreciated him, but it'd been gone the next second. What was his deal?
Back at the bell tower, he'd acting cold and cruel. She hadn't questioned his behavior because dark elves were infamous for being just that. Notwithstanding, he'd saved her from being completely beaten to a pulp. He could have just walked passed the group. Fiona doubted they would have paid him any attention, with how concentrated they were on her.
But he'd interfered. Two words had been enough. Two words and they had hurried away like frightened little mice. It got Fiona thinking —had he ever done something to make them that scared, or were they afraid just because he was a dark elf? Were they right to be afraid, or was he just highly misunderstood? These were all good questions, and for some reason, Fiona was interested in finding the answers.
"What's your name?" She asked once she realized he'd never introduced himself.
The elf paused in his tracks, turned his neck, and took a good long look at her. "Dominic." He finally responded.
"Dominic." Fiona repeated to herself, muttering so that he couldn't hear her, but could only see her mouth move. His name was Dominic.
And he was gone.
A/N:
Hey people! Author dugo_reyn speaking. Please I'd really appreciate it if you dropped a comment or review, to tell me what you think of my book. I'm kind of new to Webnovel, so your opinion will mean a lot. If you have questions, you can also comment on them, and I'll try to answer. I can't promise I'll reply all your comments, I'm really busy nowadays, but I'll try.
Love, Dugo. <3 ♥