Time passed further.
Daniel's place in the group was not yet solidified but a comfortable air had arrived. Although Daniel stayed, Sam and Sophie were unable to mesh with them therefore only appearing once in a blue moon or for Sophie's case whenever Kage made sure Claire was nowhere in view.
The snow fell harder, blanketing the bustling streets while government workers and the street sweepers desperately worked to keep them clean. The launch pads for the Heroes who could take flight were subsequently shut down during this season in fear of potential damage done to the sites. Illegal launches were quite popular in the season especially with the decreased presence of law enforcement. Wages skyrocketed for them and simply not enough were able to be found.
All the more, the season promoted the excess of spending. Christmas and the other holidays neared, ensuring that families would take to the malls and top brand-named stores in search of the most they could find of their pockets lined with cash and dusted off gift cards. Meanwhile, residents of the lower districts found themselves shivering in the cold while perusing outdoor markets that presented mock jewelry, art from unknown or newly minted artists, and warm clothes.
The mindsets couldn't be more different.
On many days, the school suffered near cancellation; however, as Principal Risie had stated by accident over the intercom, "There'll not be ONE Goddamn day we stop classes… I'll go out there myself and clear that shit to get those buggers here in time!" In response, the students had simultaneously cried out in pain from this declaration with many making false complaints of how badly harmed their psyche was due to her swearing.
One of which was Jacob. "You gotta be kidding me!" The boy threw his arms up only to fall back to his sides just as he read the email on his smartphone. Jacob shoved the screen into Kage's face where he found the prior email comment and the reply sent back from the head office of the academy.
"Dear, Principal Michelle Risie of Petell Academy,
I would like to offer my own perspective on the recent flurry of snow that has affected many students live ncluding mine own in the past few days. Such amounts has made us feld trapped indoors with a lot of us already suffering from inadequate heating supplies. In such times we as people cannot focus on our schoolwork whil ewe must sustain our own lives and living conditions. For these reasons, that many including myself suffr from during these tying times, I propose a break from classes, not for to long but enough for us to recuperate. Thanks for your time and consideration."
From the collective body of students from Petell Academy.
Raising an eyebrow, Kage read in almost disbelief only to cackle at the response sent back from Sherry Atwood, the secretary of the principal that manages the front office.
"Dear Jacob Ausgten,
Yes, I know you are the one who wrote this. I would like for you to know that if the Principal were to see this message from you, and your friends, she would undoubtedly reprimand your collective then assign an appropriate disciplinary action. I will however applaud the sheer courage it must have taken to write such a message. Also, Mr. Floyd wants to see you tomorrow morning after glancing at the egregious grammar in this email."
Kage looked up at Jacob's eyes which showed a lividness and the presence of bloodshot in his right eye, then he spoke, "You're an idiot". He tossed the phone back to Jacob and continued walking down the hall.
"BAH! Go fuck yourself, Kage. You'll be the one coming to me when I get the rest of us a week off." Turning toward Isaiah he asked, "This is complete B.S. What was the problem in the email?"
Jacob had his phone outstretched far enough in front so the shorter Isaiah could take a quick glance at the screen. "It's obviously the grammar and you hiding the sender by using another email account. This time we'll change the grammar and use my account, that way it'll seem less like we have anything to hide."
"Hell yeah, that's a good idea." He pumped his fist up and out for Isaiah to bump back, "Can't believe she showed it to my English teacher, what a bitch! He's gonna make me do more of those writing checkups." Kicking a can, he sent it flying across the courtyard, bouncing off the lid to a metal bin, overflowing with recyclables, then into the surrounding woods.
Kage peaked over at Isaiah while the two went back and forth on how to convince the principal to cancel the coming week of study. At first, Kage and the others were shocked by Isaiah's insistence to get these days off, with him being such a club geek and study addict, but soon discovered that he needed them for his own engineering project. Kage would have opposed the idea further but decided to concede when he heard that Daniel was in Isaiah's group for the project.
This was a system that they had developed over the past weeks. Whenever Gan, Jacob, or Isaiah needed something from Kage they would first entertain Daniel or bring him up in which sooner or later Kage ultimately yielded, giving in to their pressure.
Yet, the manipulation of Daniel did not cause such drastic change. The added stress solely burned the wiring to his thoughts. Reports from news outlets and various online community forums on Villains had caused a terrifying degree of stress to Kage.
In the past month, the criminal activity from lesser Evolved had grown significantly with kidnapping and drug dealing seeing the highest of gains. These crimes were all too common during this period, but what was worrisome were the suspects found by the Oracle's weekly reports that had been leaked from an anonymous account on one such forum. The leak plastered pictures of the Villains Meathook, DeathToll, and Gazer across the internet igniting fervor. They had supposedly been captured in the lower districts while most startling of all was a very blurred snapshot of a red-haired woman wearing a witch's hat while bungled up in a mass of furred coats ranging from zebra to tiger skin. The source had specified that this woman was none other than the leader of the Villain owned city Philadelphia and responsible for the deaths of over one hundred men and women along with five Heroes.
The Black Queen.
This last element spread the fear like wildfire causing many to pack up and leave from the city as fast as possible, however, the majority were unable to, instead forced into prayer. Afterall, The Black Queen was not known for large outings that involved destruction. Her operations had been reduced considerably since the emergence of the new Heroes that have kept the surrounding cities in check. If anything, she was making rounds for her to remain in the limelight of the media.
Nevertheless, Kage could feel an ominous presence from the photograph. It was almost like an unknown figure had laid out the rest of its pieces and they were about to be in place. The snow, the relaxed security measures, new Villains, and finally The Black Queen. He was sure of it and if something occurred the junior and senior students would only be sent out to help if the situation was terribly dire. A situation that made Kage's spine shudder. There were already countless reports of these actions having taken place in other cities. The students were ripped apart and slaughtered by the dozens by these highly trained Villains while the Heroes, unable to stop them, dropped like flies. Which, in the end, left the city in tattered scraps for the worst kinds of people.
But there were also the cases of students hailed as heroes and proclaimed by news outlets leading them to a born stardom.
Despite this uncertain situation, Kage found himself smiling every morning. Although his heightened stress made him ever more cautious and wary of his surroundings, he knew that this may be his only chance. Yet, this chance must be put to the wayside as exams steadily approached with no end to the piling assignments put upon by the toothy grins of instructors.
The day before his exams he had parted ways from the group leaving himself and Claire alone with Jacob, Isaiah, and Gan having to stay after as part of their punishment for another botched attempt to derail the week's lessons. Kage had narrowly escaped by feigning ignorance toward their endeavor.
Cool air wisped by making their arms shiver and the hair stand furtively. Claire's hair had been bunched together leaving not a strand away from the others. Her makeup emphasized the silliness of her unblemished skin making Kage ache in comparing her to a doll. Her skin further accented the curved lines of her eyebrows, which had been meticulously plucked, along with the hint of blush to either cheek.
"Heavenly." Kage subconsciously mumbled, gaze wandering just below her collar and at the dip to her top.
"Sorry, did you say something?" Claire asked.
"Nothing. I was simply remarking on how heavenly this view is." Claire took a look around. They were well on the way toward Claire's home, Kage having been forced after Gan asserted for him to stay on the lookout for danger, inadvertently giving the chance for them to experience this beautiful spot together.
A river ran through the center of the city running into a large lake at the other end. A canal was constructed on either side for anyone to sit and relax. Possibly lying their head into the coolness of the grass, which in the spring would melt away the flashes of heat. However, the snow had built up, lightly dusting water creating an array of sparkles from the combined effort of its whiteness and the glow of the streetlamps.
This scene was ever more apparent in Claire's purple eyes.
The sight made a thump go off in Kage's heart. A thumping that grew in subsequent speed as well as volume. He feared that Claire would hear this thump if she came any closer, yet to his luck she stared out in content joy, a big red smile cheek to cheek that put images in Kage's mind.
A blush sprinkled on his face as he averted his gaze.
Yet, not quick enough, leaving Claire to catch the end of the action chuckling ever so softly to herself. In that split second, she had also caught a rare spectacle. "Could you look back at me?" she asked with a finger stuck in the gap of her lips giving a mock kiss.
Kage did not turn back around, instead standing firm with his body twisted facing the river. "Why would I? There is no reason for me to look over there, the view, I have already seen and remarked upo-
Her lithe bony hand caressed his cheek, lightly pawing at the stubble of shave. Kage felt himself rolling into the touch relaxing his muscles, this was a brilliance that he couldn't pass up.
"You can stop with the act. For right now it's just you and I… You and I and the stillness of this river and the sweetness of this cold." Her breath formed a fog on his face warming its entirety. It did not smell either but was like lilacs, simply perfect to the nostrils and pores of a person's body.
'I wish to give my own warmth to you, can I? Will you accept it and not run away?'
Kage turned toward Claire but was stopped again by her gentle prodding. "I want to see your real eyes. Not the ones everyone else is shown." Without even thinking, Kage removed the painfully hard contacts and tossed them to the earth. Hidden by his long hair, Claire could not yet see his eyes but already felt a stillness to his body. She observed his hands shaking in what could only be fear. This was a fear Claire was unfamiliar with which made her grasp ever more evident.
Kage's mind swirled in on itself. His pretension toward exposing such putrid sight ached deep in his heart knowing the foulness of these eyes. The lies that dotted their existence encompassed his sister's fear of them. How could he show them to someone like Claire. These thoughts crudely stabbed at him causing hesitation on his part, yet he gave in.
He did not know why he decided to show them to Claire other than addressed by a sudden gnawing emotion serving to signal a destined path. Kage narrowed his vision to her and her alone then calmly raised his head demonstrating the eerie glow behind his blood red irises.
Their eyes met on that bitterly cold winter day stunning both recipients of the stare. Kage shook from the inability to maintain this level of courage while Claire marveled at their splendor. She could finally see herself in his eyes. Eyes that bore an underlying pain and persecution from a past she did not know. At some point, she surmised, they glowed brilliantly but over the years grayed becoming stone.
Claire wondered if she could get them to return someday soon. Whether she could bear the realization that would come with that day and if she could be just as strong to accept it. She felt Kage's gloves touch her hands removing them from his face instead tightly binding them together with his. In his eyes he could stare back into his red pool just as she could see her own purple which left the colors mixing in a vast body of glimmering waves. Among those waves Claire noticed a hint of Kage's original look.
"Hey, Claire…"
"Yes, Kage?"
Kage moved an inch away basking in her intrigue, "Thank you." An expression unlike any had seen before transformed Kage's straight face into the playfulness of a boy with a brimming smile. He held onto Claire, silently wishing for this moment to never end which tore an uncertain hole through her. Her thoughts were a bundle, all mixed up in confusion.
What was she to think in this situation? Her pulse quickened as she experienced an instinctual desire when looking at his undoubtedly bone chilling lips. She had gotten herself into trouble unlike anything before.
Kage exhaled out letting his breath hit her skin this time. Claire did not shy away or avert from it. It was too natural to be disgusted by.