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Chapter Twelve: My Enemy, My Life

“You musn’t learn to fear, girl, it’s a weakness,” a husky voice hissed, the tone and presence of him making her skin crawl as she sat wide-eyed at the center of the floor. “You reek of it…”

The man was aged, slick black hair tied back, with thick eyebrows that shot up in abrupt anger. His nostrils flared as he spoke, his eyes brighter and as black as reflecting coals, revealing the nothingness that reeked from his presence. All she felt around her was evil, a chilling void sucking the warmth out of her small huddled body.

‘Mommy…’

“You will learn to rid yourself of such hindrances in future time,” he snarled. “We will train you and you shall become more efficient and useful through our teachings alone…”

Evelyn, looking up from the crook of her little arms, froze. At the abrupt mention of fear, she chose to quell it. Instead, she stared up at him blankly, almost knowingly out of her childish innocence. “My mother is going to kill you,” she stated, her voice calm and steady.

The man grinned. “Better… but, I wouldn’t count on such things, child. Your mother will die and you shall soon become ours…”

Evelyn matched his sinister stare. His eyes held nothing, only a chilling, biting void within their depths…”You know nothing then, old man.”

The man’s cat-like grin turned into a scowl. “And you shall also learn to better respect your teachers…”

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A great pool of blood dripped from her mother’s motionless body and Evelyn clung to her, tears coursing down the slopes of her cheeks and onto the limp weight encircled delicately within the crook of her frail, trembling arms. “Mommy, no…”

She rocked back and forth on her heels unconsciously, dreaming, no wishing, that this was an illusion, that the woman in her arms wasn’t her mother, that the old man had been wrong and had never existed, that all of this was nothing more than a mere apparition of a nightmare…

What seemed like hours passed and a whisper finally broke through the heavy void of silence and stillness that had fallen. “Shhhhhhhh…” A presence knelt carefully at her side and she felt two heavy, thick hands pull her back, dragging her away with a gentle but firm force.

“NO! NO! NO!”

Evelyn hurtled forward, kicking and screaming, tears blurring and blinding her eyes.

The firm grip around her tiny arms tightened. A soothing voice she could vaguely recognize beyond her anguish and grief, began whispering consolably, “She’s gone, Lass, she’s gone…”

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For Evelyn, the nightmares had begun again and as the night passed on, school the following morning had come to an abrupt start.

She found herself dazedly walking through the campus hallways, mulling over the actions and events of the previous evening. She was, more or less, shocked with herself as far as disclosing the events which clouded her life to a single person, especially one who upheld such an intimidating and “outstanding” reputation among the Sky High masses such as Warren Peace.

In all actuality, had she been in Warren’s specific place, she would have probably done the very same thing. So, it was only fair. Whether or not if the “dark cloud” that hovered over her life would entwine into his own, she didn’t know. But, at least he knew what to expect if something were to unexpectedly happen to her.

Glancing around her, Evelyn scowled. Her “safe haven” in truth felt like a secluded, overtly crowded prison cell. O’Donnell’s visit, however holding bad tidings, certainly helped in easing the quake of dread and loneliness that had begun to surround her everyday life. She needed it. She needed, for once in years besides her own Sensei, to see a familiar face.

As she walked, she noticed the eyes following her with every stride she made down the hall. Voices were whispering, simultaneously, in low tones, some rapid and others slowly hushed amongst them… had these people anything better to do other than gossip freely about her as if she weren’t even there and present among them…?

Secludedness was an age-old friend of hers and being an outcast here was vastly becoming an even harsher reality for her. It made her realize even more that she didn’t really belong here and probably didn’t even belong anywhere.

Although Stick’s intentions were of a protective and educational nature, he had no idea how it would be like for her, being whispered about and judged by other kids living ignorant, happy lives with super-parents that cared about them. And all they had to really worry about was developing their abilities and possibly saving the world in future time.

They didn’t know how it felt like to hide in shadows, to have a dead and gone family, and to be hunted down throughout your whole childhood by people, people who only wanted to use you as their means of a destructive weapon against humanity…

Yes, her mother was a legend. But, she didn’t lead some high profiled “glamorous” life as most students here probably have already assumed.

She lived as if she were a ghost.

Sighing heavily and ignoring the people around her, Evelyn grabbed her books from her locker. Let them talk and let them whisper; let them lead a life of ignorance and peace. They knew nothing about her and they probably never would…

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Zack glared, his eyes seething, as Ethan was viciously grabbed up by his arms. “Leave him alone,” he growled.

Lash smirked as Speed gripped the boy harder, his hands no doubt bruising the boy. A new kid was standing off at their side, smirking just as slyly as his companions. “I don’t think Brody here has been formally introduced. Sidekicks, this is Brody, a new addition to our crew and this is our initiation day for him.”

Lash nodded toward the boy and Zack, utterly dumbfounded and angry, found himself abruptly levitated into the air.

“Now, Brody here has the power of levitation and for a small freshman, I found him to be extremely entertaining to be around. So, how about it, Man,” Lash began, gazing almost gleefully at his new cohort, “Want to have some fun?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Brody laughed. With a flick of his wrist, Zack was flung solidly into the lockers with a loud, thunderous crash, making Ethan wince sympathetically.

Despite the impact, Zack managed to get on his feet instantly, his eyes blazing with pure hatred.

Ethan found himself suspended as Speed flipped him upside down. “I say to start,” he began loudly, “we dunk this little man’s head into the trash cans… oh, and by the way, sidekick, we saved the cafeteria trash, just for you today…”

Zack, snarling, charged towards them.

“Brody.”

“No problem.”

Zack was hurtled, again, against the lockers, only this time with far more vicious force than the previous hit.

“Let me go, guys!”

“You look a little hungry, Sidekick,” Speed began tauntingly, “I’m sure we can let you savor the leftovers from yesterday…”

Zack groaned and looked up from his position on the floor. His body hurt, pain radiated all along his limbs and backside, surging beyond even the adrenaline rush that had quaked through his body only moments ago.

Ethan was being dragged not far down from him in the hallway. At first, his eyes were narrowed from his fetal position against the ground, set into a scathing glare… that is, until his eyes fell onto a familiar, vastly approaching form beyond them.

A feral, sly grin suddenly curved along his lips.

It was gonna be on in only a matter of seconds...

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His head, once again, was near hovered above a hallway trashcan, two sides of him suspended and him, utterly helpless like a fish out of water.

“Ahem…”

Lash and Speed looked up.

“Put him on the ground and walk away now," a voice spoke tersley.

Lash and Speed looked at her and then back at each other, grinning slyly with similar expressions.

Evelyn scowled visibly, her arms curved against her sides.

“Hey Brody,” Lash spoke up, “You want your initiation, right?”

A boy, tall and athletically toned, stepped up from behind them. Lash and Speed put down Ethan, their attention now attracted to the young, angry woman facing in front of them. “… Yeah?”

“Well, here she is.”