Darkest Cold
(Yeah it's not the best title but it's the best I could come up with.)
The young girl stared at the students around her, trying to avoid their inquisitive eyes and their not-so-quiet whispers.
"Class," The teacher addressed them, she was a tall thin woman with long red hair and bright blue eyes. "This is Ailie, she just transferred from 1113 across town-"
"I thought 1113 burned down last week." One student interrupted, a large boy with a military style buzz cut that just so happened to have a purple Mohawk and mean grey-blue eyes. "And I heard it was arson asn that she was a suspect."
"Now Jon-" The teacher started but was interrupted again by another student.
"They even have a court date set up for her." The speaker this time was an extremely thin girl with the same grey eyes and dark brown hair in a pixie-cut, which only made her gaunt features even hollower. "That girl…is a criminal!"
"Mary Jo-"
"Allow me," Ailie murmured flatly. "The both of you are making up stories based on snippets of what you heard. I was not, nor am I, a suspect in the fire of 1113. The reason why they said they were looking for me is because I didn't show up to school that morning. I had found an injured dog and brought him to the nearby vet. And the court date has nothing to do with the school, it involves the Department of Children and Family Services."
"What is DCFS doing involved with you?" Mary Jo sneered. "You an orphan or something?"
"Actually, yes. And the court date is to determine that I am too old for adoption or foster care since my eighteenth birthday is soon. I have to stay in the orphanage here until I become of age."
"Well isn't that nice!" Mary Jo laughed, a high, piercing sound that grated against Ailie's eardrums.
"Mary Jo, that's enough." The teacher scolded just as the bell rang. "Oh well…"
As the students diled out, Ailie stayed at the back until most of them wer gone, but she still managed to catch Mary Jo's attention. The other girl smiled cruelly and made a s;icing motion ocross her throat before making her exit as well
Oh I dare you to try. Ailie thought as she too, started to leave the room.
"Ailie." The teachers' voice caught her attention. "Do you need any help getting to your classes?"
"I don't think so, the office provided me with a map so I should be able to make it okay. If I get lost I'm sure someone will be nice enough to point me in the right direction."
The teacher smiled kindly at her.
"ok then, and don't worry too much about Mary Jo, she can't really do anything."
Ailie shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm used to it anyways so it doesn't bother me. I should get going so I'm not late."
"Yes good luck dear."
Ailie nodded her head before ducking out of the room and into the hallway. She finally found her locker and proceeded to empty the contents of her bag into it before closing the small metal door and backing away. Unfortunately she wasn't watching where she was going and backed into another student, causing them to drop their books.
She braced herself for a harsh comment but was surprised when all she heard was:
"Are you alright?" The voice was kind and quiet, causing her to turn around to see who it could belong to.
The student wasn't much older than she was; he had light blue electrically charged eyes and white, yes white, hair that was raked back into messy spikes. He was dressed in dark blue jeans and a black shirt with an unzipped vest over it, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up his arms, resting just above the crook of his elbow.
Not bad. Ailie thought to herself as she assessed his aristocratic features, Not bad at all…
"Hello?" He said, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Oh!" She said, shaking her head as she came back to reality. "Yes, I'm okay. How about you?"
"I'm fine." He replied, bending to retrieve his scattered books.
"Here, let me help." She said, helping him. "It is my fault after all."
"You're new here, aren't you?" He asked her when they were done picking up the books.
"Just transferred in this morning." She replied warily. She hoped he wouldn't ask where from.
"You must be from 1113 then, welcome."
Crap.
"Yeah." She replied quietly.
"That fire was pretty bad, it's a good thing you weren't there."
"Yeah I gue- Hey! How did you know I wasn't there?!"
"I saw you go into the vet that morning." He answered her. "Our school was out that day for teacher in-service. I recognized you."
"Oh." She was relieved. He didn't seem to think she was an arsonist, point in his favor, along with his angelic looks.
"What's your name?" He asked her.
"Ailie." She replied.
"Hmm, I see no 'I' on your bag." He remarked curiously.
Ailie turned to see the initials engraved on her bag. Indeed there was no 'I' instead the intials read A.A.D. "A"
She giggled. "It's spelled A-I-L-I-E."
"But is pronounced I-lee, I see now. That's not the name they called you on the news though. They called you Andorra."
"I asked them not to use that one." She grumbled. "Anyways, that's my real first name yeah, but I prefer my nickname."
"Really?" He asked. "I happen to like Andorra."
I'll just bet you do…you seem to like unique things
"You'd be the first." She replied as they started walking down the hallway before the bell rang.
"Where is your next class?" He inquired of her.
"Tch, not a clue where it is, but I know I'm supposed to go to history."
"That's my next class too, you can walk with me."
"Awesome."
"My name is Vergil by the way." He said after they had lapsed into silence.
Dumb shit! She cursed herself. You could have asked that…
"Like in Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy?"
He nodded. "It's pelled different though.
"An 'e' instead of an 'I' right?"
"Yes."
"Cool."
"If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"
"17." She replied. "And you?"
"18."
"My birthday's in a couple months, but I don't think it's different than any other day." Her voice was quiet and sounded sad. "It doesn't really pay to celebrate something when no one else is around to share it with."
"What about your friends from 1113?" He asked.
"Nope, don't have any friends." She said curtly. "Little known secret, I'm completely alone in this world. No friends, no parents, no nothing. Hell, up until a few years ago I was raised exclusively on the streets."
May as well get it out now, that way he doesn't get sucked into a fantasy.
"Don't you want friends though? Being alone is just depressing."
"It makes things easier that way." She replied.
Before Vergil could respond, a voice caught their attention.
"You shouldn't be in the halls without a pass." It said just as the bell rang.
Oh crap…I recognize that voice.
It was the large boy, Jon, from her previous class.
"You think just because you're new here you can do what you want?"
"You're in the halls without a pass." Ailie snarked.
"She's with me, Johnathan." Vergil cut in, his voice cold. "Back off."
"I've got no problem with you, but that bitch there…needs to be put in her place."
Please don't start this now.
I don't want to fight you." She said fearfully.
"Too bad, you think you're bad ass, I'm gonna how you what bad ass is."
Then fuck this being nice bullshit.
"Fine then." She challenged, balling her fists. "You think you can judge me? I dare you to try!"
-B-R-E-A-K-
"Okay, as you can see from the video footage, Jon initiated the fight, so I'm giving him a three day suspension." Ailie heard the preicipal say to the parents in his office.
"I f I may ask how our son was involved?" A deeply masculine voice asked.
"That's my father." Vergil told her quietly. They were sitting outside in the office while their fates were discussed.
"He was showing Ms. Darke to her next class when the fight started." The principal replied.
"I know that child." Another man's voice, this one dripping disdain. "She's the little criminal that burned down 1113, and my son is the one that gets suspended-"
"That poor child is no criminal." A kind woman's voice piped in. "She was no where near the school when the fire started."
Suddenly five different voices began to bicker back and forth, getting louder with every passing second.
"Here we go…" Ailie muttered. "Way to go Ailieen, another record-breaker, couldn't even last half an hour."
"I take it this is routine for you?" Vergil asked her, trying to rake his hair back into its spikes, but the dried blood was making it flop over. Jon's blood…
"Every time." She replied; face palming without thinking, aggravating the cut above her left eye. "Ow."
Vergil chuckled, finally giving up on his hair and leaving it down, the bangs sweeping to the right over his brow.
Damn he's sexy…
It's not funny." She growled.
"I didn't do anything." He defended; a smile on his face.
'You chuckled. And I'm sure you were thingking of something smart to say."
"Hmm, perhaps."
The door to the principals' office opened then, the parents filing out. Ailie kept her eyes pointed at the ground, not wanting to see any more disapproving glances today.
"Ms. Darke?" the principal said to her.
She reluctantly looked up at him, her gaze sweeping over the four parents. Jon's father looked like his son, minus the purple Mohawk, with dark brown hair and steel-grey eyes. He'd be kind looking if it weren't for the wrinkling of his look, giving the indication that he'd stepped in something unpleasant. His wife wasn't much different.
And I'm sure I'm the reason why they look as if they stepped in dog shit. She thought
"Ailie, I've called Mrs. Yvette, and she said it was okay if you were excused for the rest of the day, so long as you go straight there and check in with her. I'm sorry this had to happen on your first day here, hopefully Monday is better."
Thank you." She said quietly and turned to Jon's parents. An apology was worth a shot.
"I hope Jon's okay, I didn't mean to-"
"Tch, of course you did!" His mother cut her off. "We do not accept apologies from little criminal hussies, especially those that put our all-star son in the ICU. I hope you're proud of yourself you little bitch!"
Rage flared within Ailie so quickly she was barely able to keep herself from attacking the woman.
"Hmph, whatever." She said acidly, grabbing her bag and leaving rather quickly.
"That was not necessary." Ailie heard who she assumed was Vergil's mother say before the door closed behind her. Vergil watched until she was gone from his view and turned to his parents.
"Are you okay son?" His mother asked. "That's a fair amount of blood in your hair…"
"It's not mine." He replied as they started to leave.
"Ok, a warm shower will clean that right out, then you can push it back like you always do."
Outside Ailie was seen standing against the corner of the building her head bowed and her fists still clenched.
"I'll be right back." He told his parents before crossing the quad to meet her.
"Andorra?" He asked hesitantly when he'd reached her. Her back was to him but even he could tell she was fighting back tears.
"Go away." Her voice was thick and hoarse, he knew she didn't mean her words.
"Are you okay?" He asked, ignoring her.
"Go. Away." She said, more forcefully this time.
"No. Not until you tell me that you are okay."
With an exasperated sigh she walked away from him.
"Hey!" He called, reaching out to grab her gently by the elbow. To his surprise, she stopped.
"Why do you care?" She asked, her voice a choked whisper.
"Because what they say about you is not true." He answered.
"Oh yeah?" She asked, whirling to face him, ebony hair flying into moss green eyes that were red-rimmed and teary. "And how can you possibly know that?!I'm just some little orphan no one cares about, why do you care what they think?"
"I don't." He told her simply, shrugging his shoulders. "Let them think what they want."
She eyed him with guarded apprehension.
"What are you getting at? What do you want?"
"Nothing. Well, no. I'd like to be your friend."
She laughed dryly.
"You have no idea what you're asking." She said threateningly.
"Allow me to be the judge of that." He told her. "You do owe for assisting you against Jon."
Seconds seemed to tick endlessly by before she finally cave.
"Alright fine. But I'm warning you, I don't keep friends for very long. If you get hurt, don't say I didn't warn you."
"Fair enough warning." He agreed. "now for my next question; do you need a ride?"
Before she could refuse, his parents approached and wouldn't take no for an answer.
Ailie could do nothing but accept their offer.