“See ya.” There’s a deep blush on his cheeks, and I know I’ve embarrassed him.
“Visit soon, all right,” I say, and he walks away. I sit back down on the hard bleachers and watch as he walks across the room to Ari’s side. I catch Ari’s glance, and he narrows his gaze at me, trying to decipher what just happened. But after a second look, they both turn away.
I sit alone, thinking how odd that conversation was.
“Where’s my group C? Come on you slow pokes,” Magdelina sings over to the reject group a few minutes later. I sigh, getting up off the bleacher and dragging myself over to her side of the gym. I stand with my hands on my hips, rolling my eyes in her direction. Mikey stands beside me, giving the same look, and we both nod in agreement at the pain of it all.
I spot Kara walking off the court since she was in group B, and she waves, smiling over at me. I cast a face, pretending to shoot myself in the head with my hand using my thumb as the trigger. She laughs to Lisa, and they both sit and watch my own personal torture.
“Do you guys know how to run?” Magdelina uses a condescending tone as she looks through all of us down-and-outers. “How about you, sweetie? Can you run fast?” She pointedly looks at me.
“Yup.” I sigh, tilting my head to the side unfazed. Her tactics don’t scare me, and the fact of the matter is, Ari is mine. She wishes that she could have all of him, but she doesn’t. I’m a threat to her, so I know damn well that she’s more afraid of me than I of her.
“We’ll see about that,” she smirks over my way. “Let’s make a game out of this. Want to race?” She narrows her eyes at me in provocation. The other kids with me laugh and egg the situation on, chanting race over and over. My stomach drops since there’s no way I can beat her—I mean, she’s old, right? Plus, sprinting is my least favorite thing on the planet.
“Fine,” I mutter. I bend down to stretch my legs real quick. I touch my toes and then bend my legs back so I feel the stretch of muscles. I already know this is going to be an embarrassment, so I might as well get it over with and move on.
“Sweet, Ari…” she sings to him. “Would you mind being the judge?” He looks distracted as he walks towards us, stopping in front of me as if asking a question. “We’re having a little race. Be a dear and judge,” she commands him. He looks to me, so I nod my head giving him permission.
He stands in the middle of the two of us—Magdelina and I—holding his hands out like a race girl for NASCAR. “Ten suicides, up and back. First one over the line wins.” He commands like he’s done this before. My spine vibrates with vitality as I try to calm my rapidly beating heart. The other kids have moved closer, taking interest in the situation as they line up on either side of the gym. Kara, Lisa, and Mikey stand front and center on the bleachers, giving me the support I need from afar.
As I wait for the race to begin, I have an epiphany: I need to beat her. I need to treat it like it’s a race to see who will win Ari’s affection. And even though we’re fighting and not doing so well, she can’t have him. She’ll never have him. I get my head in the game, because I do care. I do care about Ari, and I am going to beat Magdelina—fair and square.
“Go,” Ari yells. I place one foot in front of the other and run. I start sprinting, human speed, as fast as I can. She flies by me—literally looking as if her legs are off the floor and she’s flying. I will myself to go faster and push that magical button inside of me to go inhuman speeds. I pray that I can beat her. I think of every god imaginable and pledge my allegiance, promising to be a good person and love them forever.
My legs get that jello-y feeling, and I know I’m going faster than ever before. I don’t even bother looking around to see where Magdelina is. I focus solely on my goal—the end of the ten laps. I forget to keep track of my laps and don’t know how many I’ve done. I just keep going, refusing to give up.
“Eury,” Ari’s voice breaks me out of my trance. “Stop.”
So I do.
I look around the room, wondering why Ari made me stop. Everyone’s staring at me, including Magdelina who looks livid. Her chest rises up and down, and she is red in the face—from running, anger, or embarrassment, I’m not sure.
“Did I win?” I ask no one in particular. Kara runs the short distance across the gym and wraps me in a tight hug. I shrug my shoulders, because I really don’t know if I did. I don’t get what’s going on.
“You did like twenty laps and still beat Mag-da-bitch,” Kara whispers into my ear as she holds tightly onto me.
“Oh my god!” I yell out, jumping up and down. I pump my fists in the air like I’ve just won gold at the Olympics.
“Great job, Eury.” Ari comes over to my side and looks like he might kiss me but doesn’t. Awkwardly, he shakes my hand. I frown at him, because we’re definitely past hand shaking, but this is where our relationship apparently is when others are around.
Before he can drop my hand, the ground vibrates like an earthquake, shaking me and almost knocking me over. I reach for him to stabilize myself, clutching his shoulders.
“What the hell!” someone yells out behind us. I look over my shoulder, and a kid runs to the side of the gym in dismay, huddled in a corner alone. I glance around, and it’s pure chaos in just seconds.
Some run aimlessly; others try to run but fall and end up getting trampled by hoards of students attempting to escape. The floor continues shaking and knocking things around. A banner falls from the ceiling and lands on someone. I scream for the person to move, and before I can see what happened, Ari pulls me into him, blocking my view. Next the basketball hoop that hangs from the stone wall falls, crashing behind us onto the wood floor, making a huge hole and splintering into a million pieces.
I clutch Ari’s hand to me, refusing to lose him or vice versa. “What’s happening?” I shriek at him, gazing into his green eyes for comfort.
“I don’t know. Go hide!” he yells to me, pulling me with him. He leads me to a closet filled with balls and roughly pushes me inside. Behind him Cristos, rushes to his side and then runs off towards the door.
“No! Don’t leave me,” I call to him, but Ari shuts the door and leaves me without glancing back. I’m not staying here. I look around for a second and make up my mind to leave. I rush out of the small room, and luckily, Kara’s standing against the wall next to the closet door. Her body is bobbing up and down and heavy tears streak down her face. I grab her head and pull her towards me so our foreheads nearly touch.
“It’s okay. Pull yourself together. We have to help,” I tell her, trying to be strong enough for us both. I lead her through the gym towards the outside door when Mikey teleports in front of us, blocking the way. He looks worried, but before I can ask what’s wrong, he pulls both Kara and I into a sloppy hug. When he pulls us back, his eyes travel up and down my body as if making sure I’m in one piece. Then he does the same to Kara.
“There’s fighting going on outside. Are we hiding or helping?” he asks, making sure to look at us both.
“Helping. Let’s go.” I grab Kara’s hand without waiting for her response and let Mikey lead the way. We exit by a rear door. People are sprinting and jumping and attacking each other from all angles. The white, snow-covered ground is tainted red with blood. I try to figure out who’s fighting with who but can’t. Everyone looks the same, and everyone’s intertwined, so it’s impossible to differentiate.
I spot Ari near the student center in the middle of campus with Magdelina. I stare at them for a second, wondering why they’re fighting together, but let it go, for now. An inky looking figure with only black clothing on and a full face mask attacks Magdelina from behind, but Ari beats him there.
Ari sprints into the guy’s stomach and knocks them backwards at least a hundred feet. The two look as if they’re flying with the force Ari threw into him. Ari then sprints circles around the guy and throws him up into a tree where the body lays limp, dangling lifelessly from the tree limb.
Magdelina smiles, reaching behind
her and helping Ari with the next guy. Mikey grabs me, which pulls my attention away, but I can’t shake the hatred of seeing them work together.
The three of us run towards Lisa who we spot fighting off a similar darkened person. As we get to Lisa a surge of adrenaline rushes through my veins, giving me strength and confidence. It’s like liquid magic coursing through my veins.
I lunge for Lisa’s attacker since I’ve sprinted faster than Kara and Mikey. I pull the girl off Lisa by the waist, and she tumbles backwards, knocking me down with her. Instead of letting go, I fall backwards, clenching tightly around the girl’s stomach so she can’t get free, pinning her on top of me.
Lisa looks to me with disturbed eyes, but I ignore her and reach for my captive. I grab onto her arms and tug them back behind her back, near my stomach so she’s stuck to me. Lisa sees and takes the opportunity.
She raises her hands and starts pummeling the person with orbs of air. She lifts the girl off of me, using an upward thrust of her arm and drops her over and over onto her head, on the ground right next to me. It’s violent and scary, but it’s either her or me and clearly, this girl’s against us.
As Lisa pummels the girl, her blood splatters all over the place. It comes from her nose, her mouth, her cheek, and who knows where else. Since I’m right below the masked girl, the blood spills out all over of me, making my gag reflexes shoot off.
The dark masked girl goes limp mid-air after Lisa’s hands down punishment. Lisa drops her arms and crumples over herself, exhausted from using her powers. The girl’s body falls right on top of me, hard. I push her limp body off of me and onto the ground so I’m freed.
Lisa smiles at me in thanks, but it’s short lived when someone pulls me backwards by the hair. I scream out in pain, but Lisa jumps towards them, coming to help me out.
“Duck!” Lisa yells, and before my brain can even comprehend it, my body moves. I act as quickly as I can, bending my neck so my face is looking at the ground. Lisa nails the person right in the nose with a wave of air, making my captor release me as he falls backwards. I lunge forward, wanting to get away from their grasp, but Lisa goes the opposite way.
Before I can help Lisa with our assailant, I spot a recognizable face in the distance—Hermes. I can’t tell what side he’s fighting for, but the mere fact that he’s here throws me off kilter. I pleat my brows in confusion but am not able to analyze it, because I’m shoved in the ribs and thrown off my balance to the side.
I grunt at the intrusion and flip over so I’m on my stomach and try to protect my face. The man that attacked me lunges towards me again, and I roll dodging his advances. He comes at me again, and I roll back the other way. The guy swears at me, getting frustrated. I know I can only dodge his attacks for so long, but still, I’m on the defense now.
Cristos comes to my rescue. He rushes towards my attacker and takes him by the waist, pulling him backwards—several feet away from me. He punches the guy in the face and then disappears. But then my eyes widen in horror, as he appears right behind the guy and breaks his neck, snapping it hard to the left.
Two new guys come for Cristos. He’s way outnumbered, and I know he needs help. I crawl to my knees and then push onto my feet with intense speed. I need to get stabilized so I have a fighting chance. I throw my fists up like they do in the movies when they’re getting ready for a brawl. One of the guys watches me furiously and starts strafing back and forth. I go along with him, trying to anticipate his next move as he tries to guess mine.
He lands a punch on me, right in the cheek, before I even understand what he’s done. I stumble back, amazed that this guy freaking hit me. It fuels my anger, so I run towards him, my arms out, wanting to tackle him to the ground. I may not know how to punch, but at least I’m forceful.
I use all of my strength to knock him over, but I haven’t planned what to do next. I pin him down with my arms, but my strength is dwindling fast. I get lightheaded, because I’ve done too much and almost feel like I’m about to pass out. I struggle to hold him there. “Lisa!” I call out, hoping she’s nearby to help. I look to my side, and Cristos is face up on the ground, using his legs to fend off two more guys. And then he disappears.
Kara comes into my view. I don’t want her to help me, though. “Go hide!” I scream at her, not wanting her to get hurt, but of course, she doesn’t listen.
She punches the guy I’m holding in the face. His head snaps and hits my shoulder, but she’s not strong enough to do much damage. Luckily, Mikey is close behind and helps her attack the guy.
“What the hell are you doing?” Ari screams at me from far away. His voice sounds muffled, altered by the wind. I turn my head and see him sprinting towards me with fire in his eyes.
Kara gets pulled backwards onto her butt and cries out in pain. “Help her and get the hell inside,” I command Mikey while pinning my assailant to the ground. Mikey struggles, moving from one foot to the other as if he’s not sure what to do. “I can hold this guy!” I yell at him and he finally disappears. He appears a few feet closer to Kara and rushes to her. He helps her, while Ari comes to my aid.
“Just knock him out,” I tell Ari, crying because I can’t hold the guy much longer. I lift my knee and put it over my guy’s leg, using it to help me keep him on the snowy ground. The guy is tough, though. He’s wriggling beneath me, trying to get free. He keeps kicking and punching at me, but I take the hits as I hold him to the ground, knowing if he gets up it’ll only get worse.
Ari finally gets to my side and reaches down towards the guy. He pulls the guy up by the collar of his shirt. The guy pleads for his life but Ari doesn’t spare him. He lifts the guy above his head and throws him across the courtyard. The body hits a tree, causing it to snap in half, and then falls to the ground, unmoving.
“You guys need to go hide.” I tell Kara and Mikey who just stand beside me, wide eyed.
“Eurydice, why are you fighting?” Ari scolds me. He reaches down to me and helps me up off the cold ground. He gives me this exasperated look as he glances around for his next victim. I can’t help but admire up and down his body in appreciation. There’s a glowing sheen to his body—sweat from fighting—that makes my heart skip a beat.
“I wanted to help.” My voice quivers from the excitement and fear of the fight. I’m still amped up and want to continue fighting. I’m shaking with anticipation.
“You brave girl.” He pulls the back of my head toward him, and I lean against his chest, my legs starting to feel wobbly. He bends down and presses his lips to mine in a melancholy way.
“Cristos needs us,” I tell him, breaking the kiss, as two heavy guys approach us, attacking me first. I beat one, but the other lands a kick on my thigh, which surprisingly hurts more than anything else I’ve felt. I don’t know whether it’s the adrenaline leaving my body or just the sheer pain of it, but I scream in agony.
I collapse down to the ground but quickly force myself to get back up, knowing I have to keep going. Ari growls at the guy, swiping his leg so the guy falls to the ground. He lifts the guy and throws him against the gym wall, cracking the brick siding.
“I don’t care if you want to fight; I’m getting you out of here.” Ari grits between clenched teeth. He’s panting, but he lifts me into his arms and cradles me, my head against his chest. He sprints towards the gym and literally runs so fast he walks up the entire wall. He places me up on the roof, where I’m safe and then jumps down, landing in the midst of another fight.
Ari and Cristos tag team a group of black clothed people. Ari grabs onto Cristos hand and they both disappear and then reappear behind the group. Ari swings Cristos, holding each other’s arms, so his leg slams someone in the face.
They’re moving so fast, it’s hard to tell what’s going on. Ari jumps so high in the air with a guy in his arms that it looks like he’s flying. “Watch out!” I yell as I realize that someone else is coming towards him.
Cristos must hear me because he appears next to Ari and brings him back t
o ground level. The two work together and finish off the group, throwing and moving them around, until they’re all just dark heaps on the ground.
It’s clear that the attackers guys are outnumbered and out-skilled, and I notice most start to run into the woods, away from the school. A few students chase them, but I think the fight is ending. I turn and see that most everyone else is standing around, waiting.
I spot Cristos laying in the fetal position a few feet away. Before I know it, Ari’s by my side again on top of the gym, asking me all these questions. “Cristos is hurt.” I silence him, pointing to his body on the ground.
“Damn-it. Come on.” He takes my hand and leads me. We both jump off the building, hands intertwined, but my leg is still burning. I land awkwardly, and Ari must note my discomfort because he swears under his breath before lifting me into his arms again so I’m cradled. He sprints us the rest of the way to Cristos, who’s now face up, staring at the sky.
“You good?” Ari asks as he reaches his hand down to Cristos.
“Good as new,” Cristos groans. Ari helps him up and Cristos stretches body, moaning where it hurts. But he’s smiling through it as if it’s just another day.
“Thanks for helping me out there.” Ari nods over to him.
“Any time.” He smiles at the both of us.
Ari stands me up on the bloodied ground but wraps his arm around me to hold me up. I stare at the tons of bodies scattered about, sprawled across the ground. I start feeling better, knowing it’s over and that we’re okay, until I see teachers bring out their weapons. Professor Nike walks out first, emerging from the student center. He has a long blade in his hand, and with each step, he twirls it between his fingers, a smug grin on his face.
“Don’t look,” Ari bends low, whispering softly in my ear. I look up at him in question, but a scream erupts from a student a few yards away from me, getting my attention. I look towards the noise, but my eyes never make it there.
The Curse of Betrayal (A Curse Books) Page 17
