I was tired and sore and happily shrieking my head off as I wove through the morning traffic on the back of my Aunt's racing bike. I could feel her grinning as we passed between two almost stationary cars and through a crowded intersection. So far this was the longest I'd been using my magic in one go since I was kidnapped, and The drain was almost more exhausting than my physical training.
Sure, I was heading back to the source of all things evil in my life, but it would be for the last time. Besides, I was too worn out to really care. I had aches in places I seriously didn't even know could ache, even metaphorical places when Jeanne insisted I start learning basic magic lessons while in the middle of dodge practice.
Speaking of... I ducked a low hanging tree branch as my Aunt made physics her bitch and drove along the side of a school bus. Oh yeah, I couldn't wait for her to teach me how to do that. Magic was so freaking cool! I mean, magic, what couldn't it do?
Winslow came into sight as we took another corner at what was probably illegal speeds. Jeanne tapped my leg and I let out a long and relieved sigh. The world started moving again as I shuddered and sagged. The drain of keeping up my clan's signature magic, screw you Emma my family totally kicks ass, was exhausting. Aunt Jeanne said it was a good way to expand my reserves before she started teaching me any spells and stuff.
My legs were still shaking a little as I slid off the back of the motorbike. A few students had noticed and started whispering to each other, most of them guys who were giving my aunt and her skin-tight racing suit rather appreciative looks. I looked at the school building and the waiting crowd with some trepidation. As I stood there Jeanne reached over and turned me to face her. She put her finger under my chin and forced my head up.
"An Umbra Witch stands tall and proud. You are like no one else, let no one bring you down." Her eyes were warm and reminded me of the softer side my mother had usually kept hidden. "Stand or fall, you are not alone. Your father and I are here for you. Remember that."
I steeled myself and searched for my center like she had taught me. I took a deep breath and straightened my spine. She searched my eyes for something and nodded with a slight smile.
"Good. Now, run along to your class while deal with the last little bits of red tape." She shook exaggeratedly in disgust, an action I noticed had several boys drooling. "Angels are bad enough. But paperwork is something else; bureaucracy is quite possibly the worst thing mankind ever created."
I laughed lightly and shook my head before making my way through the crowd. For the most part people didn't seem to recognize me at first glance, at least until I actually got inside the school, then it seemed like someone must have finally realized who I was.
I guess it hadn't taken long for had happened to me to spread through the Winslow rumour mill, and given the fact that I'd been out for a day it had been working overtime. I had at least a foot space around me as I moved through the hallways, other kids moving out of the way as they caught sight of me and dragging those who hadn't with them.
My first class was computer studies, which meant I had a good while to be left alone. Mrs. Knott stumbled slightly over my name, but other than that the class was the same as any other. I finished my assignment halfway through and spent the rest of class looking up various occult sites and information. I made a note to ask Jeanne about Solomon later.
I lingered a bit as class ended before getting up. As I got out of the class I nearly walked right into a wall of flesh. I took a quick step back and glared at the two musclebound gorillas standing in front of the door. I didn't recognize them, and part of me was pleased to see I was just as tall as they were. The duo parted and another teen, this one about a head shorter than me and with tattoos all over his arms and neck, stepped forwards. He I did recognize, unfortunately. He was one of the few open members of the Empire Eighty-Eight that went to Winslow. I wondered what he wanted with me.
"You got a lotta guts coming back here after what you did." I blinked and just stared at him. Nope, still wondering. "You get me?"
"I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about," I said with a shrug.
"No idea? No idea?" Tattoos voice started to sound a little strangled. "Bitch, I will fucking..." One of the muscleheads nudged the leader and whispered something into his ear. He scowled and glanced over his shoulder. "Whatever, we'll settle this later."
He shoved past me and I stared after him as he disappeared into the crowd. I looked the other way and caught sight of a teacher making their way down the hall. It kind of explained why Tattoo took off, but seriously, the whole confrontation, what the hell was that about?
The whole school was way weird, like everyone around me was walking on eggshells. Even Sophia and Emma had backed off, the former actually stepping to the side as I passed her in the stairwells. I caught them staring at me a couple times when they thought I wasn't paying them attention. I really didn't want to know what was up with that.
As the bell rang for lunch I made my way through the halls to the main office. The door was closed when I got there, so Aunt Jeanne was probably still in her meeting with Blackwell, which meant I'd have to grab lunch at the cafeteria.
I decided to take advantage of the rare sunny and somewhat warm weather to head outside and find a spot away from anyone else. There was a space under a tree near the fence that ringed the school that was fairly clear of any lingering snow.
As I dug into my meal, who knew I'd ever be so hungry that I'd willingly and eagerly devour cafeteria food, but Jeanne had told me it was the best method available to me for getting my energy back up.
"Well, look who finally decided to stop going to goodwill for their clothes." My fork paused halfway to my mouth with a slice of what I was pretty sure was some kind of pressed protein product. I guess having Emma leave me alone for one day was too much to ask for. I set down my fork and looked up at her, taking note of Sophia standing at her side and the absence of most of her other followers. "Finally grew a sense of style?"
Well, looks like I was going to put my Aunt's lessons to the test. I rolled my eyes exaggeratedly, noting the way Emma's jaw clenched as I did so. "I've always had a sense of style, I just didn't care to show it off. I'm not surprised you're jealous."
"Jealous? Me?" Emma scoffed incredulously. "Hardly. I mean that outfit cost what, forty bucks, fifty tops?"
"Well this," I tugged on the sleeve of my star filled sky patterned sweater, "was at least twice that alone. It was a gift from my Aunt."
"Taking handouts now?" I grinned. Now it was time to hit her where she hurt.
"Nah, she wanted me to model some outfits for her winter clothing line."
"What!"
"Yeah, you're looking at the new teen model for D'Arc fashion. Jealous?" Okay, that might have been a bit of a stretch. Yes, my Aunt had her own fashion line, and yes, she had given me some of her new outfits to wear, but she hadn't actually hired me or anything. Not that Emma needed to know that.
Sophia abruptly stiffened and pulled Emma away before she could offer a rebuttal. I blinked in surprise. I hadn't expected Sophia to haul Emma out before she or I could really explode. Probably me given the way I've been feeling the last while. A moment later the reason for her altruism walked into view, bodyguards in tow.
"Taylor Herbert, now you're gonna pay for what you did." Tattoos bared his teeth in an unpleasant looking grin. "Ain't nobody gonna interrupt us this time. Me and my boys made sure of that."
He gestured over his shoulder and several rough looking teens started herding people away to clear a space around us. I checked over my shoulder and no surprise, there were a couple more of Tattoos' goons between me and the fence.
I was surrounded.
And he didn't even get my name right. Honestly, if you're going to call someone out at least have the respect to get their name right. Ass. I gave my meal a forlorn look and suppressed a shudder when the gravy returned it as I set on the grass.
"You murdered Jotun, the closest thing to a brother I had, and you. I'm gonna make you suffer for that, oh yes. Don't bother looking for help either, I'm sure the teachers are too busy with calming the scuffle near the chemistry labs to care about you, if they ever did." Oh god, he was like one of those corny villains out of the comics from the seventies. His hand went to his pocket and my lips thinned at the outline of a gun against the fabric. "And I'm sure your father will be getting a meeting with my friends once we're done here. Oh yes."
I tuned him out as he started to list all the bones he'd enjoy breaking. I mean, seriously, did he get lessons on this? Villainous Monologuing 101 or something? Besides, he was all talk anyway, I mean sure, he threatened me, but my Dad? I'd like to see him try. In my peripheral vision I could see we'd started to attract attention and a few cell phones were already out and recording.
I closed my eyes and sighed. Couldn't give me even one day, could you world? Fuck it. He wanted to throw down, then I'll bloody well throw down with him.
He was still monologuing when I opened my eyes again. His mouth was just starting to close as I stepped forwards and slammed his jaw with a rising uppercut that lifted him an inch or so off the ground.
Even as gravity started to take hold of him I was moving. The larger muscle with the tattoos looked like a bigger threat, so I went after him first, spinning into a crouch and sweeping his feet out from under him.
As he fell I reached out and grabbed his head, forcing down faster into the ground. At the same time I snapped out a kick against the other musclehead's knee. He dropped with a shriek of pain as it got back up to my feet.
The other teens had gotten over their shock and were getting ready to fight, some sliding lengths of chain or small knives out of their pockets, while the rest of the crowd cleared a space around us. I counted at least ten thugs, and I could see a few more making their way through the growing crowd. Most of them I didn't recognize. Probably backup from other schools.
I was still exhausted from yesterday's training and this morning's exercise. I had barely any experience in a fight, and I was completely unarmed. I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders to loosen them up a little. I'm fairly certain I was smiling.
They didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning.
The closest thug charged forward with a shout and I grinned. He was sloppy as hell and telegraphed so badly Emma could have seen his punch coming as I slipped under his arm and jabbed him in the solar plexus.
I kept moving as he doubled over and chopped him on his neck on the backhand. I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye and bent myself backwards as a long knife that was way too big to be a switch blade passed over me. I grabbed the owner's wrist and twisted until the blade fell out of his fingers before pulling him towards me and elbowing him in the face. There was a spurt of blood as I broke his nose.
Ah man. I hoped Jeanne knew how to get out blood stains. I really liked this top.
A length of chain slipped over my head and around my neck. Another E88 teen started coming towards me as I struggled. As he tried and failed to loom over me, ha go freakish height, I kneed him in the groin. At the same moment I slammed my head backwards and grinned as I felt it connect and the chain slacken.
Yanking it out of his hands, I wrapped it around my fist and broke the nose on the guy I'd hit in the groin before spinning around and backhanding the other E88 kid. I heard a loud crack before he dropped, and I was pretty sure it meant I broke his jaw.
Like with Jeanne's lessons I let myself slip into the flow of the fight, a kinda zen state where I was more of a passenger in my own body as I let my instincts take control. The chain slipped loose and I whipped it forwards, wrapping around one of the goons' neck and dragging him close enough for me to drive my elbow into his face, this time over the bridge of his so I could avoid getting more blood on my top.
I let go of the chain as he dropped to the ground and lashed out with a pair of snap kicks at a weedy blonde that had been trying to blindside me. The first knocked the baseball out of his hands and the second caught him under the chin. I picked it up and quickly turned and threw it.
My impromptu projectile bounced off the fence before nailing my target in the back of his head. I heard the sound of someone approaching too late as a set of arms wrapped around me in a crushing bear hug. My arms were pinned to my sides and I could barely breathe as I was lifted off my feet.
With grit teeth and a low growl I stomped down on the top of his shoe as hard as I could. His grip barely faltered and I bared my teeth as I went to plan B. I brought my leg up and into his family jewels, the impact making shout and loosen his grip, just enough for me to jab an elbow into his side and make him release me entirely. I whirled on him as soon as my feet touched the ground. Before he could react I grabbed his shoulders and headbutted him, once, twice, and then a third and final time as he slipped to the ground unconscious.
That was enough to break what was left of the other teen's nerves as those still standing near a hasty retreat. Which left me, for the first time I could remember, the sole and unmistakable victor.
I stood there, flush with triumph and heaving in great breaths of air, and surveyed the devastation with a wide grin. I turned and saw Emma and Sophia staring at me with wide eyes. I grinned at them and Emma flinched, which only made me grin all the wider. I felt like I was the queen of the world right then, and nothing could stop me.
Of course it was at that point that the police finally arrived.