Chapter Ten

Aidene

"No!" Anne said, her face was twisted from an absolute rage.

"W-why?"

"Stop behaving so juvenile. Stop this imaginary quest or whatever you think this is."

"But we actually have proof this time! Or kind of at least, but we can't get this far and just abandon it,"

"Even if we have proof and that there is a trapdoor. The place isn't stable, we could die" her voice was still quiet but the anger was clearly conveyed with the tone, although she sounded more worried than angry this time.

I decided I wasn't making the situation any better by arguing right now.

"Aidene you are a nuisance and please stop this thing it's only going to get us in trouble"

"I...I am a nuisance? What about you?" I said a hoarse laugh escaping my lips.

"All you do is complain about how everything is useless, you don't care about how people feel,"

"Bring your head down from the clouds Rayners! Now let's get out before we get into trouble and never speak of this again."

I was devastated. All I wanted was a life of adventure before I die and Anne just called off the search. I knew if I argued any further it would be absolutely pointless. What confused me was whether Anne gave up because she thought this was a hopeless search or did she just not want to do it in the first place. If she didn't, why did she not say so?

We walked out of the room in silence. Anne's face was grave and serious, she was ready to give me a scolding again. I just walked silently, frowning and glaring at Anne. A hot lump had formed in my throat out of anger. The feeling of wanting to shout at Anne was behaving like a rubber band stretching and straining so it won't be released. My breathing was heavy and ragged and I might have been growling and mumbling, I am not sure, the chatter of students was a distant buzz until I heard the shouting.

My head snapped towards the noise a little crowd of students had formed in the center of the hall. Not very kind words were being yelled.

A girl and a boy, I guessed from the sounds of the voice. My curiosity got the best of me and I pushed through the crowd, my thin frame giving me an advantage.

"Aidene?" I barely heard Anne question me when she saw me walking towards the crowd.

I squeezed through the crowd and I could hear Anne behind me apologizing to every person she had to pass. In the middle of it all was the source of all the ruckus. It was as I had heard a girl facing-off another boy, both of whom had to be constrained by their friends from lashing out at each other.

I smiled realizing one of the girls was Penelope, Anne's roommate and she was roasting Kaleb like anything. Kaleb Collins was one of my classmates in several classes and I was not a big fan of him. The other boy, William Michaels, was his best friend and a lot more decent and easy to get along with.

There was another girl beside Penelope who I recognized from breakfast around a week ago. She wasn't much help in the verbal battle of curses. William was holding Kaleb's arm trying to hold him back from turning the fight into a physical one. William didn't need to do that because I was the one who turned it physical but the blame goes to Kaleb.

Kaleb turned his head, noticing me smiling smugly at his failure.

"Hey! Rayners what's with the smile you insufferable &^%*$^#*?" He yelled.

The whole corridor's temperature dropped ten degrees, no one talked. The statement was not offensive only to me but all the girls.

(A/N we are trying to keep this appropriate/SFW so fill in the insult with your imagination)

No one held me back as I marched up to him. All the girls' faces were twisted in anger and the boys just looked extremely disappointed.

A loud shout of pain came out of Kaleb's mouth the moment I pummeled him in the jaw. That started the fight.I felt him yank my hair and I elbowed him in the face. My head hurt from him pulling my hair, he still hadn't let go of my hair If you are wondering.

A crack followed by a painful howl from Kaleb, who finally released his grip on my hair out of pain. Penelope had just slapped him, leaving behind a bloody red handprint that had found its place on the right cheek of Kaleb's pale face, his murky green eyes glowing with anger.

I received a punch on my face. I stumbled and fell in front of William.

"You aren't going to help him?" I asked looking up to his pitch-black eyes.

"Nah! He kinda deserves it" William shrugged.

I got up and turned and Anne had somehow got dragged into the fight, she scratched him violently as she shoved him away from me, causing savage red marks to appear down his arm.

I ran and grabbed him by one arm and Anne grabbed the other hand holding him in one place. Penelope had her hand raised ready to give him a nose breaking punch.

"PUNCH HIM! PUNCH HIM !" The chant of the enraged crowd echoed through the halls barely sounding human. The boys stayed quiet but a cheer or two from them was heard, Kaleb had gone too far. Stars seemed to dance before my eyes like I was in some cartoon with a cruel punchline (Pun not intended).

"Love from all the girls you &%^$," Penelope said, pulling her hand back ready to punch him.

"Wait! I want to do it" The girl who was standing beside Penelope in the start of the fight stepped forward. William had slowly backed off by now.

"You can punch hard right, Valentina?" Penelope asked the girl.

"You'll see?"

"Go ahead this guy needs one punch from each girl"

The girl, now dubbed, Valentina stepped forward taking Penelope's place in front of Kaleb.

The chant continued but it was much louder. I was surprised that not a single teacher had arrived by now. And well as they say, when you speak of the devil-

"DETENTION! ALL FIVE OF YOU" the crowd was silenced by the hoarse voice principal that echoed through the halls. I felt the air leave my lungs to be replaced by cold emptiness.

I jinxed it.

The chant stopped abruptly and the students started dispersing as fast as they could without getting in trouble for running in the corridors. Leaving Anne, Penelope, Valentina, Kaleb, and of course the girl gifted with luck, Me to face the enraged principal.

Traitorous students leaving us behind, we were left to fend for ourselves, they were encouraging us for god's sake.

*throws metaphorical arms in the air, gets down on knees, and looks up dramatically*