Her First Mistake

Chapter Fourteen: Said You're Not Stupid, Not That You're Smart

   It felt like high school all over again. I'd been absolutely overjoyed when I graduated and was finally able to escape the hellhole that the place was. I'd only been able to attend that one public school because of its location, but the place was absolutely disgusting. The kids were annoying, the campus downscale, and it sat right on the edge of the dark side of town. Therefore, the place sucked. Everyone hated everyone. No one was left alone. Literally every person beat up on someone and they were beat up too.

   I knew I had gotten off better than others. I was one of the top boxers on the women's team, and with my best friend holding complete power of the school newspaper, we weren't as targeted as others. But I would have thought I'd gotten used to the stares, whispers, and other looks by now. Apparently not. I felt every eye that rested on me as I sat down in the cafeteria. My temper ruffled and I gritted my teeth. 

   The table I had chosen was empty. I knew better than to try and sit with anyone. The meeting for today had ended a few hours ago and I'd taken a nap until dinnertime. My head still ached a bit. That spell, normally, wouldn't have been too bad. Considering I had moved over thirty people that weighed over a hundred pounds each... The headache was well deserved. Chewing even hurt. Though I didn't regret it a bit. Seeing everyone's faces . . . definitely worth it.

   I had to admit, I was a little smug about that trick. I wasn't one to hide. Not at all. 

   Some time passed. I'd gotten halfway through my meal. Alexie had warned me about the reactions of the other kids, but I still felt bitter. Did they all suddenly decide they hated me? Jeez, they needed to grow up. Out of all of the kids I'd met, I understood why Karen had moved. She'd disliked me from the start. But Katelyn? I could see her across the room, sitting at another table.

   A shadow fell over my seat. I gritted my teeth. I was not going to put up with the same crap as I did high school. I opened my mouth to snap at them to beat it, but Harley sat down instead. He snagged his fork and grinned. "'Sup, homie?" I stared as he bit into his enchilada. Right behind him in sitting down was Allie, Liam, Winston, and Blue. I eyed them suspiciously.

   "What are you guys doing here?"

   "Eating, duh." Blue looked at me skeptically.

   "No duh, Sherlock," I fired at him. "Why here?"

   "What did you expect?" Allie smiled and plucked up her napkin, wiping her lip. "We're still friends. Besides, it's not like we're going to ditch you because Alexie Albers is your master."

   "Katelyn and Karen did." I jerked my head in their direction. 

   "Not a surprise." Winston grimaced. "Malorie Jones and Alexie Albers have always butted heads. No one knows the full story, but what we do know is that both Jones and Albers were both a part of the Cleansing. After that, they've both hated each other."

   "The Cleansing?"

   Allie blinked. "You don't know what that is? You're joking, right?"

   My face soured. "I'm not. Trust me."

   "It's, like, one of the most important historical events ever," said Blue, puzzled. 

   "It's a long story, okay? Just what is it?"

   Allie shook her head and exchanged a look with Harley. "Well, to put it shortly, Dusks got out of hand with using dark magic. The Council gave a ruling to order the slow and eventual stop of dark magic. None of the Dusks complied, so the Council created a force to stop them themselves. Malorie Jones was one person that was on it." Allie rubbed her ear slightly, looking uncomfortable. "It's said that during one of the fights with the largest population of Dusks, we were losing, and then Alexie Albers just showed up. Within minutes the fight was over. He followed the Council's group and when they failed, he picked up the slack. Eventually the use of dark magic was done. No one has used it in ten years."