Deep blue hair brushed to one side. Calm and yet commanding blue eyes. King. No, Zael didn't look a day older than he was when I last saw him— which was a few months before his father supposedly had him sent overseas.
No one knew why he went absent from school. Some even guessed that he was suspended and that they just had it coded between certain staff members. But seeing him walk into the arena, looking like he owned the place— which literally, he did— it was obvious that a suspension wasn't the case.
"We talked about this, didn't we Cain?" Zael said as he walked in, suddenly becoming the main attention of everyone in the room. "I let you function if you'd just stay out of my affairs. And what are you doing, causing a ruckus in my arena?"
The lollipop guy— Cain— had a resilient look that was mixed with fear. The kind of stare that explained that he had a long line of bad memories with Zael, but still feared him regardless.
"The boss ordered me to bring in a student. I'm sorry." He said with his head slightly bowed.
"Oh, he did?" I watched Zael pick up a switch knife, one of which had been cluttered to the ground. He studied the blade with a smile, brushing his fingers up the metal. "And specifically, he told you this guy was from my school, didn't he?"
"I apologise on his—"
FLICK! Zael tossed the knife at a speed I barely registered. The blade went past Cain's right cheek, merely a centimetre from where I stood. Then it landed in one of the gang members' left shoulder.
The guy screamed in sheer agony, crouched over and grabbed the hilt. And even while he bled himself to the ground, Cain didn't flinch nor move a bone. He just stood there, eyes focused intently on Zael.
"Apologies, apologies, apologies..." Zael sighed exhaustedly. "How much of a nice guy do you people think I am?" He walked up to Cain and stretched a hand out to him. "Your phone."
Cain pulled a cellphone out of his leather jacket and gave it to him. But Zael returned it to him.
"Call your boss." He ordered, and Cain got to it immediately.
The entire room was quiet enough for everyone to hear the dialling tone on his cellphone. When the end receiver finally picked up a glitched sound, Cain quickly put the phone to his ear.
"No boss, we don't have him." He said after a moment of silence. "Silvic's King just showed up. I think he wants to speak with you."
Zael received the cellphone from Cain and put it on speaker. He didn't speak immediately, but the boss did.
"Zael. I didn't think you'd be back early." The boss said that the result of someone who was trying to keep his cool under pressure. "Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to wage war against Silvic High. It's just an intervention. Someone in your school hurt my brother and—"
"We had a deal, Dante." Zael cut him off. "And I remember mentioning that only I decide the outcome for every student in my school. So...tell me, what made you think a surprise attack in my arena doesn't make you wrong?"
"..." The guy named Dante was quiet for a while, as if trying to find the right words to redeem himself but failing otherwise. Then, with desperation, "We can resolve this."
Zael chuckled. "Of course we can. Who said we can't in the first place?" He said while smoothing out Cain's rumpled jacket. "But we do it on my terms, just like last time."
"What...what are the terms?"
"You tell me the name of your brother, and which school he goes to. Then I'll just have a word or two with him. No big deal." Zael's smile remained on his face. "And on the bright side, I'll just let any future grudge between you and me slide. How's that for an advantage? Sweet deal, right?"
Silence. Of course, I wasn't expecting a gang boss to rat out his brother's name to the king of Silvic High. The same gang boss who wanted me dead just because Aria punched him in the nose.
"You know what, Zael? Fuck you." Dante spoke up later, possibly with all the confidence left in him. "If you think I'm gonna let you lay a hand on my brother, then you must be fucked, you fucked up asshole—"
BEEP.
Zael ended the call and smiled. The same half smile that resembled Cael's. For a moment there, I saw the scary semblance between the two brothers. The dead and yet, calm look in his eyes.
He tucked the cellphone back into Cain's jacket, snickering every five seconds. I could tell he was trying to hide the anger that had been impacted by Dante's words. His eyes met Cain's, and for a split second, Lollipop lost hold of his composure.
"You know, your boss is quite self-centred." Zael started. "How could he sacrifice all of you guys for just one person. Protecting family. Is that the new trend lately?"
Cain didn't say a word. He just stood there like he knew what was coming next.
"Unfortunately... unfortunately. You guys would just happen to be my first message to him." Zael said and turned away, heading towards the exit door. "Don't hold back, guys."
Immediately he said that last part, the whole arena turned into a madhouse. Students jumped down from their seats, the ring, yelling as they rushed at Cain and his men. Punches and abilities were thrown here and there. Blows were exchanged. But Silvic High students were too much for the gang to handle.
"Round them all up!"
Zael's eyes met mine as he walked out. Two seconds. That was all it took to read his profile. King of Silvic High, the guy who was bound to become a problem soon enough.
*****
(External POV)
"Mhmm, Riven..."
If anything, the last thing Ms Kira was doing as he kissed her was grabbing hold of her thoughts. The supposed staff head of Silvic High. Reserved. Unconcerned. Disciplined.
Or so they thought.
She wouldn't have guessed that her immorality could be invited to such a degree. In the staff room at 8:30pm, sitting on her table, hands passionately wrapped around the Ace of Silvic High.
He kissed her more. More deeply than she could imagine. Soft yet dangerous. Then his lips traced noiseless peckings down her neck, his hands rubbing her thighs in a way that made her almost lose her self-control.
Almost.
"Riven, stop... What if someone sees us?" Her voice sounded like a moan.
And Riven? He wasn't the type to ignore signals. Neither was he kind to walk away after feeling all turned on. He'd waited for her in the hotel room for hours, like he always did every Friday night ever since their secret relationship started.
But today, when she called. She informed him that she had a lot in her desk, hoping to finish the least late so she could clock out and still make it in time. But two hours passed and she never walked in through that hotel door.
Riven was the inpatient kind of person, and so he grabbed his keys and stormed straight to school, meeting her in the same spot she said she'd have exited about an hour ago.
He didn't hesitate, he just walked towards her and landed a kiss on her lips. Deep. The kind that took away the surprise and questions in her mind immediately.
But of course, she still thought Riven was playing towards risk.
"And?" He said calmly as he pulled away a bit from her. "What if someone does?"
"I could get reported. I'm not ready to submit a resignation letter—!" Kira tried to push him off, but he still gripped her.
"Let's see who'd pull that stunt first." Riven smiled. The same confident smile that Kira had first fallen for. "Don't you trust me?"
"I...I do."
"Good. Now be quiet and let me do my thing."
He kissed her again, his hand returning to her thighs, rubbing slowly. She moaned with every stroke, her hands grabbing his arm as if trying to tell him to move more.
Riven didn't ignore the signal. His breath met against hers, his hand moving deeper and deeper into her thighs. With his other hand, he began to pull her shirt buttons, timing out the pace— kissing her chest with every button that went loose.
And just then—
BUZZ!!! His phone vibrated angrily in his pocket. Fuck, how had he even forgotten to put it on silent?
"Let me turn that off." He said, pulling out his phone, but the moment his eyes met the screen, they widened. "King?"
He looked up at the Kira, who was seemingly waiting for him to turn his phone off. Already full of suspense.
"I'm sorry, I have to take this." He said and swiped the call to its receive button.
"I'm in the middle of something right now—"
"Meeting of the order in fifteen minutes." Zael's voice cut him off, authority laced in every word. "I want everyone present."
Riven didn't argue. Not that he could anyway. Zael's commands were non-negotiable.
"I'm on my way." He said after a sigh, then ended the call.
"Zael?" Kira asked as Riven grabbed his keys. "What's it about this time?"
"Who knows?" Riven started to head towards the door, then with a last wave, he said. "Hopefully, it's not as bad as last time."