Hi guys! Hope your day is going well. Did any of you notice how Fang was called Ari, but there was no Ari character? There was a reason for that, actually. Can you think of why? I'll tell you in/after the chapter. Make a guess! Who knows? You could be right.
Love you,
wise_yet_harmless
ELLA'S POINT OF VIEW
I walked briskly out of my art class, my head down. I had brought unnecessary attention to myself after I accidentally corrected someone's grammar. I didn't mean to, I was just accustomed to being grammatically correct, something my peers and I obviously did not share.
"Hey Ella. Me and my friend, Courtney are goin' to the mall Saturday. Wanna tag along?" My mind was somewhere else; I was absorbed in my work. I did not mean to come off as pretentious.
"Courtney and I. I would come, but I believe I am preoccupied." The girl looked a little stunned and crossed her arms.
"Well aren't you a know-it-all? Fine, we didn't really wanna hang with you anyway," she said, stomping off. I blinked, trying to understand what had just occurred. Did I truly just correct her? I must have sounded so rude! My cheeks felt hot as I continued to work. I masked my emotions, trying not to show how foolish I felt. Unfortunately, a group of overconfident boys who felt often felt the need to make me miserable had overheard my conversation. One of them inched closer, his face set in an ugly sneer.
"Hey, babe. You sure told her, didn't ya?" Of course, I said nothing, hoping this would persuade them to leave. It did not work.
"Hang with us, we'll use correct English just for you, won't we boys?" They all agreed, snickering.
"Just us and you, pretty girl," one of them cooed, looking at me in a way that made my skin crawl. I focused straight ahead, determined not give them a reaction.
"What? Not good enough for you, princess?" the one closest to me asked, coming even closer. He tucked my hair behind my ear and moved my face towards him. He was but inches from me, making me muster every bit of self control I had not to shrink away.
"There you are, princess. Come on, play with us. We'll be nice, promise." Just then, the bell rang, dismissing us. The other students filed out, leaving the boys and I. The teacher came over, waving his arms.
"Children. Class is over. File out, go have fun somewhere else." The boy held my face a moment more before letting go, joining his friends as they slunk out of the room. I needed Fang or Iggy, and quickly.
I was hoping to catch Fang before he left for work, knowing he would not be looking for me. I was supposed to walk with Iggy today. Iggy's classroom was on the other side of the building while Fang's was just down the hall. I wasn't sure what I wanted-perhaps just someone to be with until Iggy could be near me. I was afraid of what the boys would do outside the safety of the teacher's eye. I turned the corner, seeing Fang nowhere in sight. But, to my horror, the boys were clustered around a locker, chatting.
It was too late. They had spotted me. I turned around, trying to get lost in the crowd. I heard them calling after me, catching up. I walked faster, bumping into a few people, getting called some choice words as I fled. I entered the foyer, a large and mostly empty room. I could hear them gaining on me and I broke out into a run. I had to find Iggy! I turned sharply, hoping to catch my pursuers off guard.
I ran into something-or rather, someone. I hit them hard enough to make them tumble backwards, while I fell on top of them, crashing onto the floor and skidding a few feet. I shut my eyes, knowing I was now in a predicament with two different people.
This was not going to end well.
MAX'S POINT OF VIEW
I was ran into, hit hard enough to sweep me off my feet. I fell backwards, hitting my back on the ground before getting major rug burns on the ground. Ow ow ow! That reeeeally hurt!
I looked down at the person who was now laying in my arms. They were breathing hard, their eyes shut in fear.
"Ella?" I asked, incredulous. Before she had time to answer, three boys rounded the corner. Those were the boys that fought Iggy! I thought. They're those cocky little punks who were claiming Ella and...uh oh. They were also breathing hard, a hungry, mean look in their eyes. They came closer to us as Ella got up, taking a few steps back.
"Poor princess," one of them said, "you got hurt, didn't ya? We'll make it all better. Just come with us, honey..."
My blood boiled, rage roaring in my ears. How dare they?! Ella tried to look brave, standing as tall as she could.
"No thank you," she said, her voice cold. They laughed, drawing even closer to her.
"Oh no, you're coming with us, babe. You're ours." I'd had enough. I ran up behind one of them, rearing up and kicking him hard in the back, sending him down face first, his face contorted in shock. The two others looked at me, glaring.
"You're going to leave her alone or I will tear you apart," I threatened, my voice dripping with venom. They put their fists up, ready for a fight. Fine. I like it better this way anyway. One guy went for a punch, but I caught it, twisting his arm, pinning it behind his back. The other went up behind me, but I was able to kick him in the stomach, and we went down coughing. I threw the guy I was holding onto against the wall, letting him fall to the floor. I knew they would be up soon and seriously peeved.
"Ella, run!" I said, not wanting her to get hurt. She couldn't get Fang, his ankle was busted pretty bad. This was my fight, one I was more than happy to finish. One guy tried to trip me up, but I learned my lesson with Fang. I tried, instead kicking him in the teeth with all my might. He cried out, falling to the ground holding his jaw.
I was grabbed from behind, my neck caught in someone's arm. Another thug was up, gearing to hit me. I kicked at him, getting a few in his chest. He wasn't discouraged, and he punched me in the stomach repeatedly. I coughed, trying to suck in breath. I lifted my arm, ramming my elbow into the side of whoever was holding me. He let go and I spun to face him, kicking him where it counted. His friend yanked on my arm, sending me crashing to the ground. I was able to to get up before he attacked me and grabbed his hands, turning them the wrong way until his knees gave out. I kicked him, panting. They all looked out for the count and I faced them, breathing hard.
"You touch her, and I will find you. Watch you backs," I hissed. Just then, Ella ran around the corner, Iggy in tow.
"They are going to hurt her and- Max?" Ella asked, completely dumbstruck. I stepped over the groaning figures, making my way to where Iggy and Ella stood.
"Don't worry," I said, "if they didn't learn with Iggy here, they just learned with me."
"What's going on?" Iggy asked, obviously now getting it.
"She...she, well, she fought them off, Iggy. All three of them," Ella explained. Iggy almost looked disappointed that he hadn't gotten there in time. But then he smirked, holding out his hand to me. I shook it, not knowing what to think.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot," Iggy explained. "Any defender of Ella is a friend of mine."
"Good to know," I said. Ella took a step towards me and elegantly pulled me into a hug.
"Thank you Max," she breathed. I realized then just how scared she must have been. I hugged her back.
"No no, don't thank me. I'm just glad you ran into me when you did."
Ella stepped back, nodding. Iggy held up his hand, smiling sadly. Ella took his hand in hers, smiling back at him even though he couldn't see it.
"Well, I gotta go," I said, knowing I was incredibly late to get my siblings.
"Of course. Thank you again, Max."
"Anytime, Ella. See y'all around soon."
ELLA'S POINT OF VIEW
As soon as Max left, I sighed shakily, putting my hand over my heart. Iggy quickly steered me outside, knowing his way form memory. Once we were outside, he hugged me tightly, rubbing my back.
"You're okay now Ella. You're okay," he reassured as I took deep breaths, trying to clam myself.
"What if she had not been there, Iggy? I can't-it would have been bad, I just know it," I said, my mind racing with the possibility. I clutched Iggy's shirt, shaking with fear.
"No, El. It's over. They won't hurt you, I promise. I won't let them," he swore. He held me, saying reassuring things until I was calm. We walked to his home, hand in hand. I was able to shut everything else, focusing on nothing but his hand in mine. When we got to his home, Iggy sat on his couch, pulling me into his lap. He held me closely, letting me feel safe and wanted. I stayed that way until my brother came home from work.
"Ella? Are you okay?" Fang asked, sitting down across from us. Iggy relayed what happened and Fang listened, controlling his emotions the best he could, though I could immediately tell he was disturbed. He thanked Iggy and we said goodbye, climbing into his car. Fang sighed, running a hand through his shoulder length hair.
"Alright, Ella. I'm going to teach you self defense. You may not need it, but you might as well learn."
In other words, my brother knew I was no longer safe.
So, in answer to the question at the beginning of the chapter.
1) Ari, in the book series, was a often confusing on whether or not he was a good guy. Fang, fighting out beloved Max, seems like a bad guy when really he's not. And, in the end, Ari is defeated, like Fang is in his fight.
2) As you will later come to learn, 'Ari' in this setting is short for Ariana, or Fang's mother.
There you have it. Love you!