Unveiled: The Chronicles of Luxor Everstone

by Jacklyn Daher

  “Break in aside, what else is bad? I mean aren't bad boys the in thing?"

  "Everything. Isn’t the list big enough? I can only take him in small doses, and by that, I mean five minutes...max."

  "Five minutes is all it takes, just gotta make it worth it." Evie chuckled. "But if you don't like him, ignore him. Why do you let him get to you so much?"

  It sounded simple enough but she didn't want to admit to Evie why ignoring him was hard. It's as if in a twisted way being around Hunter, she felt alive even with the aggression he gave her. Maybe she needed psychological help, not just for her anger issues.

  "Even if he were Satan himself anything would be better than Melita. Ohmigod she scares the bejesus outta me." Evie exaggerated a shiver. “Wouldn’t mind slapping her.”

  Melita. She was one of the few people who could cause real fear. Just her aura screamed unhinged. Ironically Evie was petrified of Scarlett, even though she knew what she was capable of, yet the girl was unknown, and that gave Evie confidence.

  "You do realise you just said Satan, God, and Jesus in the same sentence?" Luxor chuckled.

  "Yeah I'm bad like that. I call it the backlash effect." Evie's shrugged.

  "The what?"

  "It's like this. When something is forced down your throat since birth, in my case religion, who to believe in, and all that you most likely rebel." Her hand trailed from head to toe, displaying her long singlet emblazoned with Normal People Scare Me, over her mid-calf denim skirt and sneakers, her hair held in a skull clip and red lipstick.

  Luxor was all too aware of having to pretend to be someone else to hide.

  "What are you rebelling against?"

  "What do you mean?" Luxor asked despite already knowing where the line of conversation was going.

  Evie mulled over her words. "Don't get offended, okay." Luxor prepared herself, every time that phrase was used it ends up being offensive. It's almost like a free pass to be catty, and get away with it. "What's up with your get up?" Evie wrinkled her nose and ran the length of Luxor's body examining ever detail.

  "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Luxor asked offended at the criticism of her outfit of black shorts and beige cotton top. This would be the first time she had worn shorts since the accident and even though the markings didn’t extend that far, she still had less clothing.

  What if somebody decided to have a water fight to celebrate a win, she'd get drench in the process and her secret would be revealed?

  "It's mismatched and great for winter, but we're in summer. It's time to drive the boys crazy with our bodies.”

  “I’m happy with my lack of dress sense, call it my own person crappy style.”

  Evie grunted. "Seriously is there a reason you dress, so...unbecoming? Tattoo gone bad, hideous birthmark? You are stunning, I'm straight, but if I wasn't, I'd go for you." Evie laughed. "But seriously, but what are you hiding?"

  "Unbecoming? What kind of word is that?"

  Luxor could list many things wrong with her body, but she couldn't reveal them. Not yet. To her it was her punishment for her crime. Luxor pulled herself up and shook the cramps out of her legs. As she pulled up her top, she revealed a birthmark on her hip.

  "Ugly huh?" She felt exposed and quickly covered up again, smoothing down her top and retaking her place on the bed.

  "Ohhhh, a birthmark of a star. I have a birthmark of a cheeseburger on my ass, wanna see?" Evie unbuttoned the top button of her shorts.

  "No." Luxor squealed covering her eyes.

  Evie giggled, holding her mid-section before regaining her composure and perching herself on the edge of the bed. "Why don't you cover your head, and not show your face in public, that's how heinous that birthmark is."

  "Not a bad idea.”

  “One day I’m going to give you a make-over,” Evie said

  “Yeah, one day.” Luxor said, but she knew that day would never come. She was content in being comfortable over fashion.

  “Ready to vamanos?”

  “Yeah, but I want to do one thing before I leave. Keep a watch out. If you hear footsteps on the stairs call out 'incoming'," Luxor said.

  "See I told you about passages, and hidden compartments. What are you looking for?" Evie called after her.

  Luxor slowly turned the knob, and tiptoed in, even though she was all alone. It would be a quick job, a simple get in and get out. Kneeling on the rug, she flipped it over, and smoothed the top of the trapdoor. Jiggling the silver ring pull, after a few tries, the trap door lifted, emitting a loud squeak.

  Dust floated through the air, as she skimmed her hands repeatedly on the bottom, grey dust sifted between her fingers. The surface was smooth, with nothing hidden inside. The box came up empty and Luxor slumped her shoulders in defeat, her chest restricted with disappointment at reaching another dead end.

  With one final sweep along the sides of the box, she paused her movement at a foreign feeling. A bump stuck out, soft and velvety. Luxor wrapped her fingers around a parcel the size of her hand.

  "Incoming, incoming," Evie said in a high pitch whisper.

  Luxor returned the room to the original state and dusted off the sleeve off her top flicking the evidence of her snooping off. With no pockets to hide it in, she shoved the parcel under the waistband of her leggings.

  “Ooops, my bad. I thought I heard something. Damn, this house creaks. Did you find anything?" Evie asked excitedly, her eyes wide open.

  "Nothing. Just dust." She revealed a hand. Despite the size the pouch was heavy and she had to grip her other hip to prevent it from falling down.

  “I’ll get the pink slips, you go ahead,” Evie said and exited leisurely once they arrived to school.

  They were cutting it close and Luxor had no intention of being late, pink slip or not. Bolting across the quad as far as her legs could carry her, she sprinted into Green Block. School was the last thing on Luxor's mind, it was a jumbled puzzle; chipped edged, and fragmented, with pieces missing. There was no way her mind was going to be constructed to be whole again. Damn nightmares. She held onto her ribs as her heart beat erratically. Maybe she was suffering from caffeine withdrawals. That was a legitimate thing, wasn’t it?

  Luxor hardly took notice of Hunter who was travelling in the opposite direction towards Locker Block. If he was locked out for his tardiness at least it would be the perfect way to start the day.

  What was the point of his visit?

  The more time she spent with him, the creepier he got, and his nonchalance was disturbing. Yet the urges to be close to him became stronger. He faced her, and she hated herself for it.

  I need professional help!

  With that she dismissed the thought away, after all she was already seeing a shrink.

  Luxor got to History with a minute to spare. She turned the door handle only to have it reject her action. Twisting from left to right it refused to budge. She peered through the rectangular window on the edge on the door when a fluttering paper on the wall beside it caught the corner of her eye. Luxor ripped it off and scanned the words.

  “Due to renovations, History moved to room twelve in Locker Block.”

  She scrunched the paper into a ball and cursed a slew of expletives, clutching her backpack against her chest.

  Run, run, run.

  Luxor dashed over to Locker Block. With shaky fingers she fiddled with the door, and like the previous door refused to open.

  A chorus of voices could be heard even through the thick red door, proving people were inside. Rapping three times on the door, an unruly mop of frizzy, black hair popped out. Ms. Suarez opened the door a bit but only to squeeze through and closed the door behind her.

  "Miss Everstone, you're tardy once again," Ms. Suarez voice was laced with disgust.

  “I’ve never been late, you can’t call my class attendance yesterday tardy.”

  “Do not talk back. Despite your futile claims, you were late, I gave you a free pass, but today you will learn about actions and consequence
s." The stench of smoke emanated from her mouth. "I don't accept those who don't abide by my rules.”

  “I have a late pass, Evie has it, and if you grab it off her you’ll see.”

  “Ah, Miss Everstone, how foolish you are to rely on a friend who hardly comes to class. You’re out of luck, now if you’ll excuse me, I have a class to teach. As for you, detention awaits." She pointed her thick finger straight ahead.

  Luxor’s feet bolted to the ground and refused to move. Never in her life had she been kicked out. Sure, she wasn't the model student, and her grades were mediocre, but that made her all the more eager to turn up to class, for her parents to acknowledge her achievements and or at the very least, find time to spend time with her. Dinner perhaps?

  "If she goes, so do I."

  Luxor was pushed behind a broad back. "Hunter what the hell?" she screeched. There was no way he could help, if he was outside the classroom then he too was denied entry. She didn’t know what he was playing at.

  Over his shoulder a hardened expression flickered in Hunter's eyes, and he clenched his jaw. He held out his arms, creating a barricade. Luxor pounded at his back, his didn’t so much as flinch.

  Castor walked from the opposite direction and straight to her. Laying a hand on Hunter's shoulder, he sneered at Luxor before exchanging a look with Hunter followed by a nod. He was more daunting in close proximity, his eyes grey and harsh like concrete. “Do we have a problem?” His voice low and deep.

  “As long as she stays out, no, everything is sweet as cherry pie,” she said adamantly.

  Castor stared at Ms. Suarez and loomed over her. “For this class, Luxor may have the period off whenever it pleases her with no repercussions, and from this day forward, you will give her very high marks. Understood?” Ms. Suarez became ramrod straight, her pupils enlarged and she blinked repeatedly. “That’s a good teacher. You’re dismissed.”

  Ms. Suarez back off without any protest and swayed, clutching her forehead as she re-entered the classroom.

  "See you later brother." Castor slapped Hunter's back, then narrowed his eyes at Luxor again and nodded. He quickly disappeared down the way he came.

  Brother?

  Luxor blinked and opened her mouth to say something, except the words were lodged in her throat. Venturing towards the detention room she ignored the scene that unfolded, not because she wasn’t curious, but more issues occupied her mind. Specifically, longing to find out what was contained in the pouch. To her dismay she was now stuck with the idiotic behaviour of Hunter and sadly had come to expect his erratic behaviour, and unexplained visits. As usual he had intruded in something that wasn't his business.

  "Let's go," he whispered, despite the room being empty.

  Luxor ignored his request and slipped into a chair. Being kicked out was one thing, skipping that class, and no doubt being caught, was a whole different issue. It didn’t matter that she had a pass, she knew it wasn’t legitimate, she just needed to find out how. If she wanted to be rebellious, she would skip school all together but having a death wish wasn't appealing.

  Hunter leaned in close, scooped up her work, and slipped the loop of her backpack over his shoulder. "I'll be seeing you." He exited the room.

  “Not content with Skittles, you have to steal my bag too?” she yelled out. With no other option, she followed him out.

  Hunter stopped all of a sudden in front of a room, the sign above the door read “Student Lounge”. The door opened and three figures walked out, their voices loud and lively as they talked over each other. Just as they had done in Spirituality, they stopped talking all at once. All three of them took turns to appraise the situation; Hunter and Luxor together.

  “You get kicked out too?” Hunter asked.

  “No, I couldn’t be bothered turning up,” Castor replied.

  “Why don’t we go back in the lounge and kick back?” Melita suggested. “They have coffee…crap but it’s coffee.”

  Castor snickered and rolled his eyes.

  When Hell freezes over.

  Theo stepped forward, his relax posture releasing a less menacing vibe. "Hi, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Theo. Back there is Castor and Melita. Don't take notice of them, they're shy." His smiled and his soft, light grey eyes softened.

  Yeah Right.

  Castor was taller than Theo, but not by much, with gunmetal grey eyes, and a scar that travelled across his left cheek. His menacing face and demeanour made Luxor feel it would be wise to steer clear of him. Not to mention the voodoo he performed with Ms. Suarez. She would have to bring that up with Hunter.

  Beside him, Melita turned up her nose pushing her shoulders and chest out. She smoothed her honey coloured curly hair, which was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and fixed her pleated silky shorts which she paired with a white singlet. Even with her wedges, she was a few inches shorter than Luxor.

  "Finally, we get to meet the infamous Luxor, I've heard all about you," Theo said.

  Hunter shot Theo a death stare. It was obvious Luxor was a constant source of conversation, but why? Hunter hadn’t been around her enough to talk about. And was Melita aware of Hunter's blatant flirting? Luxor wondered what Hunter said about her.

  "Nice to meet you Theo. Funnily haven't heard anything about you, except..." Luxor's voice trailed over, and let unspoken words to linger.

  "What?" Theo grunted.

  Luxor pursed her lips to stiffen a laugh, shaking her head. She knew full well the trouble she would be causing.

  Should I, or shouldn't I?

  "He calls you two the gruesome twosome," Luxor said bluntly.

  Theo and Castor exchanged identical glances, their eyes narrowed into slits. Without hesitation, Theo punched Hunter on the arm.

  "She's lying," Hunter scowled and rubbed his arm.

  "Why would I lie?" Luxor replied innocently. "Personally, I thought it was uncalled for."

  “Yeah why would she lie?" Castor cracked his knuckles for dramatic effect and his jaw ticked. Luxor could recognise the signs of a person with a fiery temper, unpredictable, and not caring who he harmed. Even though they weren’t related, their bond transcended blood.

  Hunter ruffled his hair. Melita crept up closer to him, superglued by his side. But she might as well have been invisible, his eyes were trained on Luxor.

  "Melita, get here now." Castor pointed his finger to the ground.

  She jumped at his tone and huffed. "Fine." She pouted like a toddler on the verge of a tantrum and walked to stand beside him.

  “Time to leave. Luxor, it was a pleasure.” Theo said and smacked Castor’s chest in a non-verbal way to say now.

  Luxor squinted as the sun streamed directly into her while she walked aimlessly through the quad. She went towards the same wattle trees as yesterday, hidden away, and as far away as possible from the classroom.

  Hunter snorted. "Take a seat, Angel." It wasn't a suggestion, more of a command.

  "Stop ordering me around."

  "I wouldn't have to if you'd listen." He clenched his jaw, and spoke through gritted teeth.

  Luxor crossed her arms across her chest, staking her claim. "No, I don't know who the fu—"

  Before she could start a tirade, Hunter stepped forward invading her personal space just as she stepped back. Twigs littered the floor, intertwined within the grass, and it only took one wrong move before Luxor landed hard flat on her butt. Despite the soft appearance of the grass, she winced at the impact.

  "You're a lunatic, you realise that, don't you? Certifiably crazy," she said straightening up.

  "Of course I am. Bipolar remember?" Hunter chuckled sliding down beside her, reminding her what she previously called him. "Must have missed my meds again, might need you to remind me."

  Hunter bent his knees, his scuffed boots firmly set on the grass, claiming her backpack between his feet holding it for ransom. "I did you a favour, that room was hot as hell." He opened up his own notebook, and began to scribble notes.

  "Shouldn't you
be used to it, being Satan’s apprentice and all," Luxor sneered.

  "Oh Angel, how I love that smart mouth of yours. It could be used for much more productive ways then weak ass insults."

  "Well I'm not hungry," Luxor huffed.

  Hunter raised an eyebrow, and released a deep chuckle that vibrated through his chest. Under his breath mumbled. "So, so innocent." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, a flash of an indecipherable expression, but just as quick as it came, it was gone.

  “Ugh, you’re a pig,” she said as she screwed up her nose.

  Hunter chuckled, and retrieved a bag of Skittles from his pocket, and tore the corner with his teeth. As the multi-coloured candy drizzled out, he cupped a handful and extended his hand out. "Are you sure you don't want to taste the rainbow?" He curved his head back, and one by one flipped them in the air and caught them in his mouth.

  Luxor reached over and swiped her backpack placing it between her legs, rolling the bottom of her jeans up.

  “We could have stayed in the student lounge, at least there would have been food,” she said, her stomach rumbling.

  “And that lot of misfits? I’m actually saving you.”

  “They’re your brothers, does that mean I need to be saved from you?” she said, pausing for his response. When he stayed silent, she continued. “You broke into the Blazin’ Bakery.”

  He turned his head his expression impassive. “Did I? There could be another explanation.”

  Luxor scoffed at his denial. There’s no other explanation, she thought. Before she could push him further, Scarlett materialised in her peripheral vision and sauntered past, her mini skirt squished from side to side. She sneered once she noticed Luxor and sent an obscene gesture with her middle finger.

  Luxor ignored Scarlett, she wasn't in the mood to deal with her antics, but Scarlett seemed to have other ideas. Scarlett ventured towards them, sending Hunter a come-hither look that was far from innocent.

  "Oh Luxor, there you are.”

  “What do you want?” Luxor spat, no attempting to hide her contempt.

  "Are you okay?” she asked in a sickly-sweet tone. Luxor furrowed her eyebrow. “Yesterday’s episode in the classroom yesterday gave everybody a fright, it was like some kind of seizure," Scarlett mocked, lifting up her hand, and began to shake, and jerk wildly mimicking as if she was having a seizure.