It's five minutes before my duel with Alexis and… oh jeez there's no other way to put it. I fricking nervous. I feel like my hearts quivering. Luckily I've learnt to control the shivers on the outside. I've got everything planned out. Alexis is good, but everyone has a weak point. Just as mine is… well when someone does something I don't expect. Which actually, is pretty much never.
"Right everyone, it's time for our next duel! Please welcome duel academy's own… Alexis Rhodes!" The commentator says, and I hear the cheer and the light pat of Alexis' footsteps through the noise.
"And now, the youngest competitor, though she didn't lose a single point and managed to avoid the notorious slash draw in her last victory, Azure Roarke!" I step up onto the stage, and activate my duel disk, oblivious of whatever the crowd is doing.
"Azure! Where have you been today? And yesterday? We didn't see you anywhere!" Alexis asks, her voice kind and concerned.
"It doesn't matter now. You may go first." I say gently, keeping myself calm and contained.
"Fine, but we need to talk afterwards." She answers, activating her duel disk.
"Let's duel!"
"I draw! Okay, first up, I summon Etoile Cyber in attack mode. Then, I place 2 face downs and end my turn." She says. I mentally smirk, but keep my face straight.
"Good. I draw!" I tilt the card a few degrees so I can see it, then add it to my hand. Almost a perfect draw. "I summon level 4Water shadow hunter(1600/1400) in attack mode. Then, I activate it's affect. Once a turn, I can choose any monster on the field, and increase my life points by it's attack points. I choose my Water shadow hunter." I watch as my life points rise to 5600. This is going well.
"Lastly, I summon my shadow thief (1200/400), and place two face downs." I end my turn calmly and wait for Alexis' move.
"Hm, I wonder what you're up to." She mutters, but I still hear. She draws and a grin forms on her face. I think I know what she just drew. "I summon Blade skater(1400/1500) in attack mode! Now, I activate Polymerisation, and fuse blade skater and Etoile Cyber! Welcome, Cyber Blader(2100/800)!" A figure skater appears on the field, and I try not to smirk. I really try. I guess I was too happy with myself.
"Well, you're smiling now, though I don't know why, so try taking this! Cyber Blader, attack Azure's shadow thief!"
"Bad Luck, I activate Shadow Thief's ability, when being attacked, it can switch the attack point's of your monster with it's own attack points." I interrupt, hoping I've seen everything coming. Her face falls as my Shadow thief's attack points become 2100, and Cyber Blader's 1200.
"What? Cyber Blader stop your attack!" She says frantically. She soon recovers. "Nice ability, but now I equip fusion weapon to Cyber Blader! Now Cyber Blader, attack!" Cyber Blader flanks down on Shadow Thief once more, though this time, I have another surprise.
"I activate my trap, negate attack. It stops your attack completely." I say in my usual tone. Alexis looks irritated, but carrys on.
"Fine. I end my turn."
"As the turn has ended, both our monster's attack points go back to their original, so my Shadow thief has 1200, and your Cyber Blader 3600." I say, keeping my face behind my fringe. I draw, and even though it's just what I wanted, I don't smile. Not just yet.
"I activate the spell card Polymerisation, and fuse together my Shadow thief, and another from my hand to summon, Shadow Guardian(2000/2200)! Now, I activate Pot of greed and draw two new cards. I use Mystical space typhoon to destroy fusion weapon, and then use shadow reflection. This card allows me to choose a monster and have it's defence and attack points swapped for two turns. I choose Shadow Guardian. Now, Shadow Guardian, attack Cyber Blader!" I say, waiting for a response.
"Not so fast, I activate double passé, making your attack a direct attack on me!" She takes the damage, bring her to 1800 attack points. "But af-"
"After, Cyber Blader is allowed to wage a direct attack upon me." I end for her, she looks slightly puzzled."I know the spell. But I haven't finished just yet. Water Shadow hunter, attack Alexis directly!"
"Directly?" She asks worried.
"Yes, Shadow Guardian has another effect- if a direct attack has happened due to a spell/trap card, all monsters on the field are allowed to attack directly for the rest of the turn." I say, taking in her desperation. She gets hit, and is left with 200 life points.
"I end my turn." I say, knowing how close I am. She has one card, the one she just drew.
"Right. First I activate Hand destruction. Since we both only have one card, we both draw another after sending that one to the graveyard." Hm. Interesting. I draw Dark Shadow Hunter. "Now, Cyber Blader, you can attack Azure directly!"
"I activate Shadow Shield, my trap. This allows me to take a monster card from my grave or my hand and use it as a shield, preventing me from taking any damage." I hold out Dark Shadow Hunter, and I still have 5600.
"Do you have a way of getting out of everything? Every time something comes your way you manage to defeat it!" Alexis says, not in a frustrated way, yet not as a complete compliment.
"Not everything." I mutter. Not Lisa.
"Well, it sure seems like it. I place one face down then end my turn." She says, gritting her teeth with determination.
"I draw! Now, with double passé gone, Shadow Guardian, attack Cyber Blader!" I say, watching as her monster gets destroyed, leaving her with 100 life points. "And to finish it off, Water Shadow Hunter, attack Alexis directly!"
"I lost…" Alexis mutters in slight disbelief as her life points decrease to nothing. She shakes her head and looks up to me, seeing the cheering crowd behind me, all wondering at my duelling skills. "Azure! Wait!" I hear her shout to me as I hurry off the stage. I get through the doors and take a sharp right turn, hoping to let her miss me as I rush off. Nearly away- **CRASH**
I fall to the floor, feeling a kind of emptiness as no one catches me.
"What's wrong with you?" I hear a voice screech at me as I feel myself hit the hard floor. "Why did you get in my way?" I look up and see Lisa's sneering face, just as it always is, frowning down at me.
"Sorry." I mutter, and make a move to stand up, but she pushes me back down.
"Whoops!" She says sarcastically. I look up in disbelief, only to know my face is hidden by my fringe. I put my hand on the wall beside me and move to stand up but just like before she pushes me back down.
To me not hitting the ground. I feel a familiar grip on my arm as someone steadies me and helps me up. I look to the side to see Zane, not with an empty face, but a sharp glare, one that I wouldn't want to be on the other end of.
"Are you okay?" He asks me, as Lisa pulls her hand through her hand flirtatiously, and puts her smile on.
"Fine." I answer back, not meeting his eyes.
"Azure!" I hear Alexis say from behind, and I know she was a couple steps behind Zane.
"Oh Zane! It's good to see you! I looked for you at breakfast but you weren't there! You weren't anywhere in the school!" Lisa exclaims, while Zane stares back, keeping the grip on my arm.
"I wasn't." He replies. I hide a smirk from Lisa as I know where he was. The lighthouse. Of course.
"Oh, well I'd love to talk now, to you as well Alexis, but I have my duel to get ready for. Bye!" She says, and turns on her heel and walks away.
"She's… odd. I think she likes you Zane." Alexis says, though without a giggle in sight. I struggle in Zane's grip, but he turns me to face him and pulls my fringe behind my ear to reveal the bruise he saw the night before.
"Where did you get this?" He asks bluntly, as Alexis comes closer to look at my face.
"It doesn't matter." I mumble nervously, as I continue to struggle.
"Azure, where did you get that bruise? It looks real bad!" I hear Jaden's voice and mentally groan, and I see him, Bastian and Syrus coming up to me.
"I agree, that's an especially bad bruise, how did you get in on your eye?" Bastian asks.
"You should get Nurse Fontaine to look at it-" Alexis starts, and I manage to shake out of Zane's grip by pulling his fingers on my arm back, pushing away the fact that my fingers tingle as I touch him.
"Please!" I say, quite loudly, and they all jump knowing the small volume range of my voice. "I'm fine." I say, noticing how I can't push the worried look on my face away. I run down the corridor, and make a few turns knowing they won't be able to follow me. Damn that Zane! Why does he always have to know everything! I feel my hands curl into fists absent-mindedly and I go straight to my room to calm down.
I read for… I don't even know how long, but for some time. When I start to get hungry, I go to get some food from the cafeteria.
"I wonder what's up with Azure. That bruise was really unusual." Alexis says to another girl, I believe her name is Mindy.
"If you say so, but she was really good in your duel." Mindy replies, not caring much.
"Yeah, no offense Alexis, but she really smashed you into pieces." Another girl, Jasmine was it? Adds.
"No offense taken, I just wish she'd open up more." Alexis says. I stop my eavesdropping, and grab a sandwich quickly and continue back to my room. On my way back, I brush against many people, sliding past, completely unseen and unfelt.
When I get back, it's almost 8, and I finish the book I got from the library earlier – Pro league names. I head into the bathroom to shower, and as I undress I notice a scrap piece of paper in my coat pocket.
Come Tonight.
Z
I stare at the note for a while, then wash out my thoughts with a long shower. Of course I'm not going to go. I'm out and in my bed at 9:45, just as Lisa and Camilla come in.
"Hey, loner girl! What the hell happened earlier? Did you not get the memo yesterday?" Lisa says incredulously, storming up to me, causing me to fall over onto my bottom bunk.
"I didn't do anything." I say in my small voice. I really didn't.
"You did everything! I told you to stay away from everyone!" Lisa snaps, ignoring my attempt.
"I did, they came up to me!" I half answer, half snap back. Damn my temper. Always a bad idea with Lisa.
"Excuse me? Are you questioning me, East Academy's best student?" She asks abruptly, stopping her pacing and moving to tower darkly over me. She flings her hand at me and her fingers whip against my arm, shoulder and neck, and I feel her sharp long nails draw blood from the scratches.
"Don't you dare question me again!" She snaps, and turns away to her bed, and after a moment of sitting there I climb into my bed.
I lie there for ages, slowly feeling the scratches scab, waiting for my eyelids to collapse. It's already 11:50. I look out the window and I can see the deep blue waves forming and crashing in the distance. I have to go. They're calling me. He's calling me.