Alexis yawned lazily, stretching her arms across the bed as she stared up at the ceiling. Her brown, enigmatic eyes drifted easily from one corner to the other, unsure of whether or not she should even be lying here right now, since she was unable to comprehend the differences between progress and sleep. Her blond hair was messily sprawled across the covers, with her body positioned in that awkward manner most people would find uncomfortable, even when the illumination of her skin emphasized her voluptuous body. Her head turned sideways, gazing at the brown, wooden desk in front of her, not even beginning to realize the tight deadline she was on for those pesky homework assignments.
Ah well; she had a few more hours left, right? Plenty of time.
As the evening skies cleared from her eyes, the waning sun slipping further and further from Duel Academy's blissful atmosphere, her pupils began wandering about, examining the contents in her unfamiliar room. Her new, white uniform, with light blue outlines etched across the edges, hung on a hanger that was situated on the door. The desk lamp she had, the one with silly, anime stickers dotted here and there, was callously thrown away and in its place, a boring, plain one, though of course, the ornate, original decorations were beautiful. The new, renovated carpets felt irritable underneath her feet; she winced whenever she walked on the ground. The large, rounded windows didn't really help her much either, considering the fact that every time she walked into her bedroom, she felt like she was being watched by someone.
So this was the new white dorm, huh?
Outside, there was music, with the lively procession of shadows dancing on her empty wall. Vivacious conversations took place just outside, and from the looks of things, laughter and fulfillment as well. She recognized that odd, stupid-looking frame Sartorius gave off, as well as "the Chazz" who was, as of this point, following the man around like a loyal slave. The outdoor party going on seemed like an ostentatious display of power and wealth, the two things Alexis couldn't help but detest in this world, all the while masking itself under the guise of a friendly, academic get-together. She'd only been here a couple of weeks and already she was getting bored.
Again, she yawned, and tried sitting up, only for the fatigue to claim her body and pull her right back down. She blinked, unwilling to move herself from her original position. What a pain.
Then she heard a knock on the door. "Alexis?" an unrecognizable student said through the door. "Alexis, you okay?"
She mumbled, and put her hand across her eyes. If she pretended to be asleep, they'd leave her alone. Probably.
"Alexis?"
"Dude," another voice whispered. "Cut it out; she's won a lot of duels today."
"Y-yeah, but-"
"We'll explain to Chazz that she's just not up to it."
The tense moments passed before finally, the student agreed, allowing Alexis to sleep in for as long as she wanted to. She smiled at the thought, and continued on her everlasting quest for that prized reward of slumber. She rubbed her eyes, and attempted again, this time, not thinking of anything in particular.
As the moon took center stage, and the party outside got crazier and crazier, Alexis began pondering on whether or not she should've joined. Her nails dug into the sheets, her solemn mind endeavoring to think of something that could take it off the dull, dull air around her. She placed her hands on her stomach and sighed.
What were Mindy and Jasmine doing right now? How about Syrus, or the Sarge, or even Atticus? And that new kid, Aster? Were they all getting along well? Were they eating alright? Were they acting like they were supposed to, what with that "saving-the-world" nonsense and such? She resisted the urge to call them, and instead, began mentally ranting her frustrations at the very ambitions who put her here in the first place.
This was the worst plan ever.
She heard the door unlock, and slothfully, she turned, her neck cracking at the slightest pressure of movement. Carefully, it creaked open before shutting again, the silhouette calmly approaching her like a phantom from her past. He sat at the edge of her bed, and gave her a small smile. "So…how're you doing?"
"Bite me," she mumbled, causing Jaden to chuckle softly. He stroked her cheek gently, and like an utter fool, she succumbed his touch, tilting her head slightly toward his warmth. It only took a few seconds for her to finally groan, the complaints building to an unhealthy throbbing in the back of her head.
"I hate this."
"It was your idea, remember?" he reminded playfully.
"I didn't think it'd take this long."
"Well, what'd you expect? Bring the Society down in three days? Be more realistic than that."
"Chazz is a pain in the butt," she countered.
He smirked. "You let yourself lose, I recall. You even texted me a few nights before the big duel to rig your deck."
"And all for what? For some stupid power?"
"You were the one getting involved, not me." He stood and went to the windows, looking at all the festivities going on below. There was an awful lot of screaming for a calm, collected, psychotic bunch such as this; was there another lynching, or perhaps another student falling to the hands of the Society of Light? The events have gotten so commonplace now Alexis never bothered watching them anymore. "The Light of Destruction, I believe you called it?" he continued.
She pouted her lips. "It sounded fun."
"More fun than your precious Annabelle doll?"
Alexis narrowed her eyes. "I heard that if you take control of it, you can bring to life whatever comes to your mind. Nightmares, dreams, illusions, anything at all." She sat up then, a brilliant burst of energy flowing through her system. "You can even bring back the dead, if you wanted to."
A brief frown flashed on Jaden's expression, with a quiet, resonating pain she knew they both were still trying to get over. It was that longing Alexis shared, a tiny moment of desperation that the two can recall from long ago. They both stared at one another, and Alexis could see him wondering whether to carry out this stupidity of hers, or disregard it altogether. That's right; even with a tool as tainted as the Light of Destruction, you can bring back something that was once so very, very pure and monstrous, in all the ways you can imagine. All the same, the result was more than likely determined by the very environment surrounding them here.
He went back to his quiet onlooking. "That'd be nice."
Sadly, she agreed. "And if that doesn't work, there's always Yubel's power we can rely on."
Jaden gave her a very dark scowl. "That kid died a long time ago. I doubt any of it's left, even on this island."
"As long as they're experimenting with it, Yubel should still be here. After all," her eyes flickered up at him, the teasing bordering on some hidden, unknown malice, "you did toy with it once, right?"
He never looked at her, though she could practically see his shoulders shaking from the humor. "Jealous?"
She scoffed. "As if."
"What about darkness? Would you use that too?"
"Your call."
Jaden returned to his little activity, mercilessly picking out all the details there were so neatly displayed in front of him. He held his hand to his mouth, his analytical eyes beginning to sort out all the details necessary for the Society's humiliation, their condemnation. She could see his vision, the stakes and hearths already ready, with the nooses eagerly crying out for their next victim. The priests were there, proclaiming some judgement that had no basis other than cold, calculated motives and vulnerable emotions. The first of the contractees were there, ready and waiting for their deaths to come, sailing the rivers to the Gates of Archeon.
Finally, he broke the silence. "This is a bit boring."
"I've been trying to sleep for the past two hours. But those idiots down there aren't letting me."
Jaden turned to her amusingly. "You're not going to dance?"
"That's something Chazz made up on his own. I've got nothing to do with it."
"That's the spirit," he said, as he walked to her bookshelf, tracing the spines with the tip of his finger. Alexis looked up at him curiously. "What are you doing here anyways? Shouldn't you be with Syrus and the others?" A very disturbing thought suddenly occurred to her, and she half glared at him with anxious eyes. "You know, if you aren't gonna do your part, the whole thing will come crashing down."
He took down a book and opened it, examining the contents with that same, nostalgic look on his face. "I have no idea why you want to portray me as the hero so badly. If you're looking for a knight in shining armor, I'm sure Sartorius would be more than happy to oblige."
Alexis shook her head, pulling her knees to her chest. "No way. He's supposed to be the villain of this fairytale. Just think about it; you and Aster, teaming up to take the wicked witch down. You save the world, receive all that adoring praise, then continue on with your life like nothing ever happened."
Jaden furrowed his eyebrows. " And when am I suppose to save the damsel in distress?
"Before you face off against the Big Bad, of course."
"No one's that idealistic. Or charismatic, for that matter."
"But it does intrigue you, doesn't it?"
"A bit. But what does it matter? You've already planned this for the Yubel incident, haven't you?"
Alexis looked up with serious eyes, firmly set on her goals. "We don't know until we try, right? I mean, it's not fair for her to stay with those ugly maggots. They might even be chewing her eyes out, for all we know."
Jaden shut the book and placed it back on the shelf. "Not an ideal end, but isn't that where we'll all end up some day?" He took down another book, a title it appears he recognized, and began making his way back to Alexis. He sat down next to her, the crimson rays now replaced by some sick, pathetic artificial light shimmering from the outside. She placed her head on his lap, taking in his soft strokes, which were now making their way through her hair. "The coven's going to break up sooner or later. In all honesty, this is kind of like chasing some wayward fairytale."
"Life's kind of like a fairytale though." she grumbled stubbornly.
He heaved a heavy sigh. "It's that wishful thinking that's going to get you killed some day. By the way." Out of the corner of her eyes, Alexis saw a book dragging itself toward her, the cover neatly placed on top of her head. She heard Jaden turning the pages melancholically, never ceasing his fragile touch. "You still have this book?"
She nodded.
"Why?"
"Remember?" She looked up at him. "It's the first story she ever shared with the two of us. Granted, it's not realistic, but it's better than nothing."
"You even highlighted some of the passages?"
She giggled quietly. "Akiza was always a bit of an actor."
She felt his eyes scanning the pages, pinpointing words of which the former coven leader would make out happily, bringing some entertainment into their lives. Alexis would be lying somewhere, whether that be on the floor, or some mangled corpse, or on Jaden's lap, or even on Akiza, while Jaden would be sitting somewhere else, listening intently to her words. Her soft, fiery hair would elegantly drape all over her soft, motherly face, as she read aloud the story, which was then gesturing wildly from hand to hand. Sometimes, she would read it dully, so that she could lull the two lovers to sleep, while other times, she would simply act out the story from where she was seated, so that they could enjoy her performance to the fullest. And yet still, there'd be times when she didn't have to read at all; she would just throw the book at the two and scream playfully for them to read it themselves, to get a feel of how dependent they actually were on her, both mentally and emotionally.
Jaden heaved a heavy breath. "Where is he, by the way?"
Alexis clutched his leg tightly, reminiscing on how robotic their Gardener had become right after her death. "I haven't heard any word from him."
"He's probably enjoying himself, by the looks of things." Alexis could hear the sarcasm oozing from his voice, and though he didn't want to admit, she knew full well his thoughts and emotions. Jaden missed his brother, who was now the new leader of the Black Rose coven.
She stretched again, and smiled sweetly. "Liar."
Jaden stared down at her, lifting the book from her head. "What?"
"Nothing." She curled herself into a tiny ball, trying to get a little closer to the warmth seated beside her, when her attention, once again, turned to the outside world. They must be having a good time, if they were that annoying, right?
A shame then.
She looked up to Jaden happily. "Can you read that story again?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Will it help you sleep?"
"Promise. No more stories after that."
He sighed, knowing full well she was lying. However, he resigned to her request and began reading. "The Juniper Tree," he began.
The Chazz was feeling high and mighty. He kept flourishing his arms like he always does, declaring his rule amongst the sovereigns, his reign mightier than any other, his kingdom delving in riches unknown. His pride was inflated, as usual, and with Sartorius's help.
Aside, of course, from the fact that Alexis, who was sleeping, wasn't coming down here per his order, he was still the most wonderful person in the world; he was letting her sleep, for crying out loud, which meant he was more than just a gentleman. He was better than Jaden then, in every possible way; the Slifer couldn't even bring himself to join such an exquisite club. What a waste.
Beside him, Sartorius was chatting with the other students, cautiously waving his wine glass around, reflecting everyone standing before and behind him. Their smiling faces were what kept Chazz going, and considering the very moment that everyone, at this point, looked up to him, his popularity soared. And suddenly, it was just impossible for him to fail…at practically anything. There was nothing he couldn't do alone, that he was everyone's hero, that he was the one destined for greatness, not Aster. He alone had the right to wield such authority, authority that Sartorius so graciously deigned upon him.
He felt like a king.
However, there was this one person who sullied his majesty, that one, irritating person who kept stumbling around the place, trying to get their minds off of whatever was wrong with them. Well, why shouldn't she settle for someone else? If her boyfriend refused to join the Society of Light, then she should just dump him and start over! Not with the Chazz of course; he needed to be with all the beautiful people. Still, there was that uncomfortable, tug of compassion he felt in his chest, so he climbed down from the stage and made his way toward her.
Diana Aliyev was an exchange student who came all the way from St. Petersburg in Russia. She had light brown hair that bounced whenever she walked, and a a pretty face that made even the swallows stop and stare (only for a few seconds). She was flat, and short, and her dark eyes made everything creepy around her, but for some reason, she managed to get a boyfriend, something Chazz marveled out.
He carried his plate along with him, the chicken leg still rummaging about. As he drew closer, his eyes widened, and once again, that old kindness resurfaced, jabbing him sharply in the side. He took a deep breath, and placed his hand on her shoulder. She jolted and turned, her weeping face claiming all of his attention.
He blinked, then cleared his throat. "What's wrong?" he asked haughtily. "This is supposed to be a party, right? Why're you crying?"
She looked like she was going to say something, but the words kept getting caught in her throat. He narrowed his eyes, and took took a piece of meat off his plate. Her eyes suddenly shook horrifically, and once again, she prompted his confusion. "Something wrong?"
"I…I um…"
He blinked. Maybe she's just hungry? With great willpower, he grabbed the chicken leg off the plate and shoved it in her terrified face. "Come on, you should be having fun," he urged forcefully. "If you don't want it…I mean, there's always beef steak, or chicken, or…wait. Are you a vegetarian or something?"
Diana held her mouth with both hands, the tears pouring further from her eyes. She shook her head vigorously, trying to fight down the sobs that managed to spew from her lips. Her skin blanched, and though Chazz could clearly see she was trying not to make a ruckus, she was already drawing attention to herself. He took a step back, just wondering what on earth he did wrong.
"Um…" he started, fumbling his way for an appropriate way to calm the girl down. "Here, look." He put the chicken leg in his mouth and smiled. "S-see? No problem at all!" He was about to give her a thumbs up when he heard a scream from behind.
Sartorius stood there, his plate dropping to the grass, frozen in place. The other students were there, trying to grasp just what on earth had happened to their once magnificent feast. The boy who was holding the cover from the platters dropped it, and, one by one, stepped back, the tears racing down his face. His hands clutched the grass, and before long, he was suddenly scrambling away from the dinner table and hiding behind his fellow members.
Chazz began pushing through the many obstacles in his way, pondering now on this strange predicament. He finally got to Sartorius's frightened frame, and began shaking it with one hand. His eyes turned to the dinner table. "Hey. What's-?"
That was a head Chazz was staring at.
The head was sitting there, on top of a skewer with what looked like bloody carrots and potatoes beneath. his eyes were gorged out, leaving dark, gaping holes staring back at him. His jet black hair lay soaking along the bloody mess, and his skull was fractures, revealing agonizing wounds from long ago. There were stitches sewn onto his lips, forming a makeshift smile, holding it in place with everything the tiny strings had. The teeth were showing, though most of them were pulled out, revealing a black, gory mess from within his mouth. Both his ears were chopped off, and his nose was split in half, the nasal cavity and bone illustrated by the now darkened, glowing light of the candles nearby. There was something drawn on it, something Chazz had to make himself squint in order to see.
"My opponent killed me! My friends ate me!"
Ate?
Slowly, Chazz stole a look down at his plate, not paying any attention to Diana, who was trying to get away, only to be barred from leaving. His hand started to tremble, the meat's taste still on his tongue. Finally, after a brief pause, he spat out the morsel and dropped the food. He felt his stomach regurgitating everything he's eaten, and soon, he dropped to his knees, and began throwing up.
That was his body.
That was her boyfriend's body they were eating.
Jaden awoke to the sounds of screams from outside. His dark, groggy eyes began trying to make sense of what was going on down below. His hands held Alexis close, keeping her from waking as well. Wasn't that Sartorius? And Chazz? What was going on down there?
His memories suddenly raced back to him, and immediately, the panic in his chest settled into a dull, pleasant sensation. He looked down, finding Alexis still on his lap, curled up in her little ball, sleeping to the sound of some random passage he's read from the book. The fairytale itself was lying somewhere on the bed, away from all the commotion. He looked around and stretched, surprised at how refreshed he was.
He placed a hand on her head and stroked it, all the while looking out the window, at the potential mob forming right outside the dorms. No. They wouldn't dare come here. By now, they were all probably afraid of what lay in the dark, so much so they wouldn't bother this blissful night.
However, the next few hours were going to be a pain; he might as well just start making his way back to the Slifer Red dorms before he gets caught.
Still, Jaden couldn't help but relish in those moments, even as he crept out of Alexis's room, the book already neatly placed back on the shelf. The screams provided an excellent way of letting out some steam, and the way they kept scrambling like that, they were little more than roaches trying to evade sunlight. Hopefully, someone got his message. They might just start tracking down whoever he was dueling last, and arrest the guy. Jaden's already covered his tracks, so the investigation will turn up with nothing, just like the last one.
The next morning, Jaden found out from Syrus that the white dorms were still under investigation, with Crowler, much to his disappointment, shouldering the most heat. As he walked through the corridors, with the Sarge and Syrus arguing behind him, he tossed a prideful look to the white dorms, and snickered a little.
Hopefully with this, Alexis managed to shed some of her boredom.
Syrus caught Jaden's smile, and ceased his arguing for a second, only to have Sarge declaring his victory painfully through his eardrum. "Jay?" he asked quietly. "What're you laughing at?"
Jaden turned to the little boy. He stretched his hand and ruffled his hair. "Nothing. Just at a little fairytale I read last night."
Syrus peeked at his normal, jubilant face and cocked his head. "Was it good?"
"It was."
"How'd it end?"
Jaden took his hand back. He caught sight of Alexis, who savored that very same mirth. "It ended quite happily."
Author's Note:
If any of you are curious, this piece was inspired by the fairytale, The Juniper Tree, by the Brothers Grimm.
-The story goes like this. There was once an evil stepmother who wanted her daughter to inherit everything. She was jealous of her stepson, and decided to kill him by nearly beheading him. When the stepmother's very nice daughter comes to talk with the boy and asks him a question, he doesn't answer. The stepmother suggests that she box his ears in. The girl does, which causes the boy's head to fall off. Horrified, thinking that she killed her brother, she goes to the evil stepmother for help. The stepmother decides to chop up the little boy's body and put it in the stew to serve at dinner.
-The father comes home, eats the stew, and compliments the meat. All the while, the girl cries at how her brother was being eaten before her very eyes. Later in the story, a young bird flies around the house, saying, My mother slew me, My father ate me! The evil stepmother gets burned, her ashes rise, and later, the little boy returns alive, and they all go on to have lunch.
-The End.
I have no idea what part Jaden and Alexis play in this story. They're sicker than the stepmother...
