Fan Fiction ❯ Sixth ❯ Chapter 8

// Wake up. Child you’ll be late it you don’t wake up. //

// Late? Late for what? //

// Late for your date with destiny, of course.//

// Destiny? There’s no such thing, everything happens due to cause and effect. Nothing is predetermined, what comes to pass is the result of our actions. Our meeting wasn’t anything to do with destiny only that our actions led us to be in the same place at the same time. If I hadn’t gone hunting, we would have never met, my arm would have healed and you would be without a host. //

// Is that so? Then perhaps you should take the consequences of your actions into account next time. Either way you are going to be late, your enemies are growing ever closer and yet your allies are right under your nose. Now wake up. //

“Huh?” Sixth awoke dazed, sleep still lingering and threatening to claim him again. “I fell asleep? What time is it?” He wondered aloud as he raised his head and scoured the room for a clock. “Eight o’clock…..Oh crap I’m gonna be late.” With that realisation, he was out of the room and running down the stairs.

When he reached the kitchen, a familiar sight met him. Plates and dishes piled up everywhere, empty milk cartons lying around and three individuals bickering as per usual.

“Well look whose decided to join us.” A gothic looking girl exclaimed, her voice full of disinterest, neither Shannah or the apathetic looking boy sitting next to her took any heed of her comment.

“I haven’t got time to deal with your crap.” The redhead replied as he grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out of the back door.

“Well that was rude.” The Goth-girl snorted.

“Well he is on parole, unlike us, did you even consider that?” Shannah commented as she grabbed her bag and also headed out.

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A little while down the street, Shannah managed to catch up with Sixth.

“So have you heard?” The now out of breathe girl asked, her tone made it evident that she had gossip that she needed to share.

“Heard what?” The boy asked as he slowed his pace.

“About the new guy? Oh! You’ve been in your room all weekend so you wont have heard.” She continued.

“Well? I know your gonna tell me anyways so stop beating about the bush.”

“Well I don’t know all the details…yet, but I have heard that he’s just transferred here from Corra, he’s a top athlete, got perfect test scores and he’s hot and single.”

“And? This affects me how?”

“Well he’s in all your classes, so can you oh I don’t know put in a good word for me or at the very least find out if he’s really all that?”

“Hmpf…Fine. I’ll see what I can do.” //Anything to get you to shut up. //

“YEEES! You rock!” Came a squeal from the girl as she attached herself to him, giving him the tightest hug as she could. She didn’t let go until Sixth had dragged her to the school gates.

“You can let go now, the hot guy might get the wrong idea.” He informed her, as he took in the strange looks the pair were receiving. Shannah soon let go and disappeared into the crowd.

// I hate crowds, I hate a lot of things but crowds just freak me out. //

// Then I’ll get rid of them for you. //

// No you wont! //

// Fine then have it your way. //

// Wait a minute, can you tell if we’re being watched? //

// By that you mean, someone who isn’t revealing themselves. If that is what you mean then the answer is yes, he’s sitting in the third tree to your left. You are his target, his gaze has not left you since we arrived. //

// Human? Or one of you kind? //

// He is like you. //

// That’s impossible I’m the only survivor. //

// So it seems, never mind though he has left his position, I cannot keep track of him in the crowd. //

// Your right, now I’d better get to class. Shannah’s a force to be reckoned with, so I’ll have to *try* and be nice to the new guy. //

With a sigh and the slumping of his shoulders, he resigned himself to his fate and headed through the gates and to class.

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“Morning students, we have a new student joining us today, I expect you all to be nice whilst he settles in, Understood?” The middle-aged woman, who was covering for the “Fossil” demanded in a subtle way that those who didn’t know her would miss.

“Yes, Miss.” The students droned in unison, all of them having given up before the battle of wills had even started.

“Good, now that that’s over with you can all give him a friendly reception. You can come in now.”

All eyes where focused on the door as a young man walked in. A very familiar looking man he was, short black spiked hair, onyx eyes a blank expression on his face, and he rolled his gaze over the students when his eyes fell upon a moody looking redhead his stopped. A low growl came from the redhead causing the students to turn and face him.

// Arcana. It’s that guard, what is he doing here? //

“What?” Was his response to the questioning stares.

“Well it looks like someone hasn’t taken to me, should I be hurt?” The arcane guard asked in a joking manner. Another growl echoed through the room.

“Never mind him, he’s our brightest student however he’s a little….troublesome and anti-social. So are you going to introduce yourself to our more friendly students?” The teacher interrupted in an attempt to break the uneasy silence.

“Ok. I’m Zaine Herent, I recently transferred here from Corra well I was evacuated after the terrorist attack but that’s not important. I’m an orphan, no living relatives to speak of and erm….”

“Cut the crap!” Sixth screamed as he stood up, slamming his right fist into the table the table slit under the force. Yet again all eyes were on him, after taking a deep breath he continued. “What I mean is, stop telling us this useless crap and get to the point. Your Self Defence level is? Your average academic score based on the revised scoring system? Any and all Genetic therapies you received? Well?” The now smug redhead questioned.

// I’ve got you, Arcanic scum, lets see how good your cover story is. //

“Well my SD level is seven, I could have gone higher but CA only offered up to that level, I hear that you can go up level fifteen here. My Academic average is 99.98 near perfect, and as for my therapies, I haven’t a clue since I was given them when I was too young to remember. Happy now? Or do you have anymore questions?” The newcomer asked, his face still blank.

// Damn, he’s good well I guess I’ll have to go stage two. //

“Nah, I was just wondering that’s all.” The boy replied as he sat down and turned his chair to face the window. He sat there for the rest of the lesson, fuming whilst devising his next course of action.

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// Come on, come on. Hurry up and ring. // Sixth once again tried willing the clock to move, finally it rang. Like a herd of sheep, all the students rushed for the door desperate for the few minutes they had to chat to their friends, partners, lovers or even just to sneak a cigarette. However, this routine was brought to a halt when a trashcan crashed through a window.

“What is your problem?” The boy called Zaine screamed after narrowly avoiding the trashcan.

“You are my problem, You, Mother, Arcana all of you. You do this to me and god knows how many others. You throw away lives as if they are nothing, and then finally after you succeed and you create the perfect weapon, you don’t stop hunting it. Why? Why can’t you just let me be?” Sixth screamed back.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. In fact I don’t know but more importantly I don’t fucking care.”

“You’ll care when I’m cracking your skull open.”

“ Fine, if its gotta go down this way then that’s fine with me.” The other responded, as he dropped down into a fighting stance. A large crowd had gathered, even the faculty were there. All of them eager to see if the new kid could dethrone the top dog.

// You were right my enemies are drawing ever closer. No matter, I’ll show him and Arcana exactly what they made and I’ll make them regret that day. //

Neither moved, each was studying the others movements. The crowd were cheering “Fight!” repeatedly. Finally Sixth made his move, he swung his right arm it connected with a locker; his fist went right through the door, after grabbing the shelf that was within it he threw it with all his might. The arcane guard jumped high into the air dodging the locker, which crashed into the floor and slid until it hit the wall with a sickening thud.

“What?! Is he Arcana tech too?” The guard appeared in blur of motion in front of the now confused redhead; the disoriented boy swung his leg only to have it caught in the others vice like grip. “What?” Without thinking, he threw a punch directing it at the guards face only for his fist to be caught by the guards other fist. The boy known as Zaine released the boy’s leg and his fist only to grab his wrist, in the same motion he spun the boy around twisting his arm behind his back. He then locked his other arm around the boy’s waist holding him tight, he leaned over the boys shoulder so that his mouth was almost touching the boy’s ear and began whispering.

“I remember a time when your sins showed themselves on the surface, when you where stained black by them and they consumed your every waking moment.” Sixth froze, his breathing came to an almost complete stop.

“What did you say? How do you know about my past?”
// I’ll kill him, how dare he touch my host.//

“What’s the matter babe, don’t you recognise me? Its only been two years I can’t have changed that much.” He whispered back in a teasing tone of voice.

“Don’t call me that.” The trapped redhead hissed back.
// I’ll rip his throat out and bathe in his blood.//

“Why not? You used to love it when I called you that. Remember I held you when ‘she’ was lost, I kissed away your tears.”

“Get off of me, or I’ll reign darkness over you like no other.”
// I can feel it, your darkness rising. Soon it will consume you and I will be reborn, and this creature will be the first to feel my wrath.//

“The shadow? Will you really give your soul to darkness just to hide from your past? The answer is no, I know you; you’re a fighter, a survivor. I’ll be going now see you later.” The boy known as Zaine then released Sixth, before the boy could turn around he was gone.

“Shannah, Rich, Carrie we’re going now.” The puzzled redhead shouted over his shoulder to his group of ‘friends’. They followed him as he walked out of the building, the crowd opening before him. The four of them were silent as they made their way home and remained like that well into the night.

TBC…