Coffee Hero

III

"The rest of you, please step toward the center of the gym and follow Professor Echo," the speakers commanded.

As I stepped off the risers, I looked around. Professor Echo, eh? From where I stand, I can't see anyone looking like a professor anywhere in here. Even the Heroes who stood by the doors glanced at each other.

One set of doors from the west side of the gym opened. "Sorry I'm late!" A red-cheeked, heavy breathing woman cried out as she slammed the door behind her and pushed through the Hero who stood in her way. "Bad traffic."

Professor Echo appeared Senseless, but her pale pink aura thumped like the rumbling of timpani in the background of a large symphony. Across her chest was a brown satchel indicative of a stereotypical college professor, and a well-tailored pantsuit fit her like a glove. She had a pin-straight black bob that came an inch above her shoulders, without layers, and she had a set of angled bangs that swept over her forehead. A pulsating migraine behind my eyes seeped away the rest of my energy, and I yawned.

When my Switch flicked off, an inky hand crept up from behind Professor Echo and gripped her shoulder. Long, pointed talons, dripping in dark ooze all over her aura—shifting her aura to blue.

A demon.

Professor Echo's smile reached her angled, brown eyes. "Shall we get started? I should make sure you're all properly sorted before going forward, yes?"

Glancing around, I saw maybe six other students left in the gym. Sometimes when students fill out their applications incorrectly, they are filtered into the Senseless category before being properly sorted. Upon first glance, I could see two Undocs improperly sorted. Professor dealt swiftly with these students, sending four of them away with a Hero at one of the doors to take them to their proper testing area.

When she looked at me, the demon latched to her back peeked above her shoulder. I learned at a very young age to never look into the eyes of one—whether it was real or a manifestation of someone's emotions, the eyes were the doorway to the soul and it was easy for them to put a stake onto your aura. Attracting them was easy, easier than getting one to play a game of one-sided chicken with you, but getting one to fuck off was another thing. This one looked like it had been attached to Professor Echo for a very long time.

"Hello?" Professor Echo waved in front of my face, and I blinked a few times. Got caught staring off, that's never good.

Stop drawing attention to yourself if you know what's good for you, Grandmother whispered. I shivered as a hand, frozen in mutilated death, slinked around my wrist and squeezed. A chill went down my spine and every set of dead eyes, on the walls and on the ceiling, burned through me.

I needed energy. Grandmother was coming.

"Y-yes, sorry. It's been a long morning," I replied. Keep your shit together, Nin.

Professor Echo nodded, her head bobbing up and down and her angled bangs waving like window blinds. "Totally understand. I brought some energy drinks for everyone in case we needed them, would you like one?"

I hated energy drinks. Fake energy, sickly sweet, and bad crashes. "I'd love one."

She reached into the satchel that hung across her chest and pulled out a tall can. Careful to hide my desperation and disgust, I took the can with a slight bow of my head and cracked the seal. Once opened, I gulped two hefty swallows.

The hand on my wrist puffed in a cloud of smoke, along with the demon attached to Professor Echo's back. Alone at last.

Word Count: 626