15

Across the roofs I can reach anywhere. Soon, I’m in the girl’s dormitory, roaming the halls. I’m not exactly sure why. I never really took a liking to any of them, so I’m not here for that. I guess I’m just here purely because I can. But then, when I see her, standing in a massive T-shirt and nothing else, I find a purpose to my final night.

“Why did you do it?” I ask her.

Laila looks like she’s suppressing a scream. “Wha… how…”

“First you freaking report me for sexual harassment or whatever, even though you came on me, and then you stand up for me that troll wanted to beat the shit out of me? What’s your deal?”

“I… I never reported you. Davrin did that. He was… jealous I guess.”

Oh shit. I can see the black and blue on her face from underneath her makeup. “I… I’m sorry… I thought…”

She slips her tiny, soft hand into mine. “Come,” she instructs, walking down the hall. I follow her, unsure of what’s happening. She opens the door to what’s presumably her room and lies down on the bed. I close the door.

“Laila…”

“You owe me.” It’s like she’s trying to muster the confidence to say it. She’s terrified.

I lurk in the shadows by the door for a moment. She switches on her bed lamp. What am I supposed to do? I’m normally the thirsty one. Yeah she’s hot but… she’s wearing so much makeup, so much perfume, and I’m in no mood for anything like this.

She lies back and opens her legs, letting the T-shirt fall up her body. I observe her for a moment. Her petite, athletic build, fake tan, soft legs…she’s like an alternate version of Rieka. I’m so damn confused.

“Please,” she says softly, trapping me with her giant eyes. “I’m so sick of that… that monster. Help me, just this once before you go.”

I take a deep breath. Rieka’s stomach fluttering smile forces its way into my imagination. I approach the bed, placing my hands on her knees.

She swallows, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. Her caramel hair falls perfectly around her shoulders. It’s so damn perfect. So unreal. So synthetic. I should run. I should take off back to my dorm and hide in my room, then leave as soon as possible, never see her again.

She’s breathing heavily now, as I let my calloused hands slide down her inner thighs. Damnit. How about you don’t be a dick. You’re learning how to do that, aren’t you? Not be a dick? A coward? A cynic? Do something for somebody else, for once in your life. Freaking hell.

I slide two of my fingers in. A soft moan escapes her pink lips. She’s already soaked. I move closer, looking up her body. We make eye contact for a brief moment, and she nods nervously. I let my beast side take over.

One of my hands snakes up her torso, softly fondling her breast while the other grips the underside of her thigh, making her quiver. I delve into her with my tongue, letting its uncanny length come into use.

She switches the light off, just as her legs start to kick out. I go deeper, wider and further. I close my eyes too, letting the images of Rieka flood my mind.

Laila lets out a whimper, grabbing the back of my head with both her hands. I force all my pent up energy into her, scouring her insides until she’s reduced to a twitching wet mess.

I wipe my mouth on my sleeve and stand up. She says something, but I don’t hear it. I’m already gone.

I let the door shut behind me, turning to make my escape, when I nearly crash into Arika. She nods softly, hurt in her eyes. “Arika…” I begin.

“No, it’s alright. She’s the pretty, popular girl or whatever. I get it.”

“You know I don’t care about that stuff.”

“It’s fine, Kallix,” she says my name with venom. “It’s fine. I just through that you… you of all people… Kallix Goddamn Rane, would be above this.”

Tension creeps up my shoulder. “Arika I told you that’s not…”

“Oh, you’re going to lie to me now?”

I think she’s going to cry.

“Do you think I didn’t hear her moans?”

“Arika…”

“It’s goddamn fine, Kallix. I’m used to it by now.”

I’m too stunned to say anything for a moment, but her eyes, even in the darkness, bear into my soul. This wasn’t… I’d just been trying…

I step forwards and embrace her, desperately trying to sooth her in the same way that Tauren does to me. Her slap hits the thick, wormy scar on my neck, where I was shot. “Go away,” she hisses.

“Arika I swear I…”

“Leave!” she shouts.

“Shhhh! A teacher’s going to come.”

“I don’t care! Get out of my sight!”

I flinch. She’d been so… comforting and soft earlier. How did… is that what I do? I turned her into this. This was my fault.

“Kallix I swear to god if you don’t leave right now.”

“I would rather it have been you,” I blurt.

She blinks.

“I told you, I didn’t have a choice. I would never do that with her…”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well you’re a sad, lying, shit eating snake. No get the hell out of my sight.”

I sigh. “Alright.”

There’s nothing else I can do.

No more damage I can cause.

I leave.

And I’ve disappeared by morning.

~

“Was it that terrible?” Tauren asks me.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I murmur.

“That’s alright, you don’t have to.”

I would’ve thought that she’d be pissed off that I got expelled so fast, but she’s purely amused.

“I honestly thought you’d go faster,” she says with a laugh. “I’m proud that you managed to stay that long.”

I rest my head against the tinted window of the bulletproof SUV we’re being driven in.

“Did you make any friends at least? Get laid? Find a drug plug?”

I shake my head against the glass.

“Oh come on, Kallix,” she says, resting her hand on my thigh. She gives it a squeeze. “Brighten up man… I missed you.”

I swallow. “Yeah… I missed you too. School kids are total twats.”

She laughs. “There you are.” She leans towards me. “Your scar’s healing well.” Her hand traces down my neck. “Are you going to get the stitches removed? I mean, you have to, but when? I can take you before you go.”

“Nah. I’ll do it after. Once all of this shit is done.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Of course. It’s suicide Tauren. I’m literally, willingly, putting a noose around my neck.”

“First of all, it isn’t. Over half the police force will be there and I don’t know how many dozen Swifters with you. Zorikan and Kaloaan working together?” She says it with a twinkle in her eyes. “That’s a force to be reckoned with, don’t you think?”

I let out a prolonged exhale through my nose. “I mean, yeah, but no matter how heroic or intimidating they are… they’re just people. One bullet and they’re dead.”

“That’s pretty morbid, Kallix,” she says with a pained expression.

I hold her gaze for a moment, then she bursts into laughter.

“Haha! C’mon, you can stay at my place for the last few days before you go on your… suicide mission, as you call it. Let’s celebrate why don’t we?”

The car pulls over, and we duck into the archway that leads to her door. She unlocks it, and the calm, fruity air blasts me. It feels like I’ve stepped into a house I’ve grown up in. I flop onto her couch, lined with unbelievably fluffy pillows. “Celebrate what?”

“Well, if you’re going to die, we might as well celebrate you having lived such an unforgettable life!” She declares, throwing her hands up into the air.

She stands for a moment, looking at me looking at her. She’s wearing a green woolen sweater that compliments her eyes of the same color and tight dark blue jeans. Her fiery hear flows around her shoulders, magnificently. She then squeezes her breasts together. “My eyes are up here, remember?” She scoffs playfully. “Some things never change.”

“Hey, I was looking at your hair!” I protest.

“Suuuure,” she says sarcastically. She bends over in an exaggerated sexual manner and opens a cupboard beneath her TV table. “Still looking at my hair?” she asks.

“Ok that wasn’t at all my fault.”

She laughs, then holds up a large black and gold bottle. Whiskey, no doubt about it. “Check this out.”

“I thought you were going sober!” I call.

“Yeah, for the most part. But you can’t celebrate with juice, can you?”

“Aww yes!” I cry, sitting upright. “This is why I love you.”

She hands me the bottle and fetches a couple glasses. They’re so intricately made, I can’t imagine how expensive they must be.

“How does it feel?” I ask her as she takes the bottle from me.

“How does what feel?” she asks, tearing the wrapping off the top of the bottle. She then proceeds to pretend to suck it like a massive cock, making eye contact with me.

“Freaking hell Tauren,” I laugh. “How does it feel to… to live like this?” I wave my hands around at her house. She pours the glasses. “To be rich.”

“It’s a contrast,” she starts, picking up her glass and leaning back. “A big contrast… to my entire life up until now. I feel safe, even though I’m literally being hunted by the most powerful group of assassins in the world. I can have almost anything I want, so it’s like sleeping under a fluffy blanket after having a hot shower, while your entire life you’d been sleeping under your own hoodie, using your backpack as a pillow, still smelling the sweat of the day’s hustle on you.”

I sip the whiskey. I can taste its age. “Damn… this is good shit.”

Her eyebrows bounce, then she swigs the quarter glass down in a single gulp. “Aw… shit,” she coughs.

“What? Tauren coughs? I thought you were the best drinker in the world!”

“I was,” she corrects. “Then I went sober. Damn I forgot how scintillating the burn is.”

“Scintillating? You’re talking to a practical illiterate over here.”

“What’re you saying? You just got out of school!”

That sends me laughing. I swig the glass as well. She pours us some more.

This is going to be one fantastic nigh…

Somebody bangs on the door. Three urgent raps.

We freeze.

The person knocks again. Faster. Louder.

“Hide,” Tauren mouths to me.

I place the glass down and slink to her bar-counter, vaulting over it, careful not to knock down the array of fruits, and crouch down.

I peer over the edge, watching her creep to the door and look through the keyhole. She lets out a breath of annoyance and opens it. “What do you want?” she demands.

“Is Kallix here?”

Kaloaan. Tauren sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “Kallix!” She calls. “Your brother’s here.”

Damnit. Why why why… does he have to ruin everything? I pad to the door as Tauren steps out of the way.

“Kallix,” he says, relief in his voice. “You’re alright?”

I nod.

“Sorry. Tauren, may I come in?”

“Yeah,” she says, with exasperation

“Thank you.”

His politeness is naught but nauseating. “What is it?” I demand.

“We need to go.”

“Why? We aren’t moving for like four more days.”

He grimaces. “We’re ready and so are the Swifters. Any day we waist is time that Qiara could learn about our plans. If that happens, then the attack will fail.”

I blink. “So then… when are we going?”

“Tomorrow. First thing in the morning.”

“What? Tomorrow? Shouldn’t we go at night?”

“I discussed this with the others. She’d be expecting an attack at night, if at all. Nobody attacks at the crack of dawn. Hopefully her men will be tired and off guard.”

“Oh… shit,” I rub my temples.

Tauren and Kaloaan exchange awkward glances. “You want to try and persuade him not to come?” he asks her.

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?”

Kaloaan sighs. “Kallix?”

“I’m coming,” I mutter. I wish I was as solid as my words are. Maybe I shouldn’t come. I won’t be adding anything to the team honestly. Just putting my own life at risk. Maybe I should bail, just stay here with Tauren and have fun. Kaloaan would like that. Tauren would like that. I would like that.

“Kallix we don’t have time. We need to go,” Kaloaan says, anxiously glancing over his shoulder.

Tauren shoots me a pained expression. “Sorry,” she says, before diving into a hug.

I close my eyes and hug her back with ferocity. I soak myself in her sweet, fruity perfume, burying my face into her hair. She hugs me even tighter. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” she says, her soft lips brushing against my ear. “This isn’t the last time we’re going to see each other. I know it.”

I can’t say anything in return. The knot in my throat won’t allow it. I don’t want to pull away. She knows I’m not going to, so she does first.

“Stay safe,” Kaloaan mutters, holding his police cap in the cringey, local town cop kind of way.

“You too,” she responds.

How in the hell am I supposed to stay safe when I’m practically committing suicide. Wait, there is a way to stay safe while committing suicide. You know what the way is? Don’t commit suicide. Yeah, that’s smart. How about that. Why don’t I just not commit suicide.

Damnit, let’s see how this unfolds.