In Cold Blood [BNHA] [GirlXGirl]

Chapter One

Iris: Age 15

~Iris' POV~

The panicked cries of an animal sounded from outside as I was gathering my things from my locker. I raced out into the rain to find several boys from my class swinging sticks at a mangy looking stray dog. They'd circled it and it was panicked, scared, and trying to flee.

"Stop it!" I screamed as I sprinted toward them. "Leave it alone!"

"Get lost!" One of the boys shoved me aside as I tried to break through their circle.

Rage bubbled up inside of me and I felt my control on my quirk begin to slip as I glared at them all. "I SAID STOP!" I shrieked and cast out a hand toward them.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as I focused on the blood pulsing through their veins and with a slight twitch of my finger I began to draw it out. Small wounds began to open up across their skin as their blood listened to my command. The boys let out screams of pain and terror and the dog scurried away.

Once their prey was free, I should have stopped, I should have released them, but the rage I felt inside had boiled over. I wanted them all to hurt more.

"Iris!" My father's voice called from somewhere in the house below. A sigh escaped me as I lay atop the roof above my bedroom. It was still raining. My clothes were soaked, but I didn't care. A teacher had seen what I'd done and I'd been expelled from school immediately.

My mother called my father home early from work. They'd been on the phone for quite a while before my mom called someone else. It was then I'd snuck up to the roof to hide. How much trouble was I in? The medic in the ambulance that picked them up said they'd be fine... It's not like I killed anyone. Though...maybe I would have if that teacher didn't stop me. It would have served them right for tormenting a defenseless creature.

"Iris!" My father's voice drew nearer. I heard him open my bedroom door below. "Iris, come down here." My window was flung open and his voice sounded much closer as he stuck his head out the window.

"No." I scooted back from the edge. I didn't think he'd come after me but I wasn't sure. I had no idea how much trouble I was in.

"You're going to catch pneumonia out there, come inside." He sighed, I could picture him rubbing his temples as he tried to take some calming breaths to keep his cool.

"No." I scooted further back.

"Iris, you're not in trouble...your classmates are fine now, no one died and no one is pressing charges, it's okay." He called up to me trying to coax me down.

"I wish they would have died." I muttered bitterly under my breath.

"Iris." My father growled, "don't say that."

"They were abusing a dog!" I snapped.

"I know and that was wrong of them but that doesn't give you a right to hurt them." My father sighed. "Please come down."

"...why?"

"So we can talk."

"I thought I wasn't in trouble." I grumbled.

"You're not." He replied calmly. "Iris, it's cold out, please come inside."

I heard a car door below and peered over the edge of the roof to the gravel driveway below. Anxiousness bubbled up inside of me as I spotted my uncle Sekijiro exiting a cab. Uncle Sekijiro, my father's younger brother, was a Pro Hero: The Blood Hero: Vlad King and worked as a teacher at UA, a high school for heroes. The anxiousness grew as the cab didn't seem to be leaving. What was going on? His crimson eyes glanced upward, locking on me sitting atop the roof and grew wide.

"Iris! What are you doing up there, it's dangerous." He rushed forward and looked as if he were going to try to use his quirk to 'assist' me.

"It's alright, she does this all the time." My father chuckled as he leaned a little further out the window so his younger brother could see him.

I scowled down at my father, "why is Uncle Vlad here?" I put emphasis on his hero name with a grimace.

"If you'd come down from there we could discuss it." My father stuck his tongue out at me childishly.

My gaze flicked to the cab, still waiting, the driver had put the car in park, settling in to wait for quite a while. "...are you sending me away?" I asked uneasily.

His childish smile started to slip. "You do still need to go to school and there aren't any other schools in the area." My father sighed, "Iris, please come down, this is very uncomfortable."

"Fine."

My father disappeared into my room and I gracefully gripped the edge of the roof and swung into my window, landing swiftly next to my small writing desk. Water pooled at my feet, dripping off of me. I chanced a glance at my father, afraid of the expression I'd find on his face. He offered me an uneasy smile, but it didn't reach his crimson eyes like usual. He ran a hand through his soaked light gray hair and water sloshed to the floor. He'd gotten quite soaked trying to coax me off the roof in the downpour.

"Get dried off and meet us downstairs." He gave me a gentle pat on the head before exiting my room.

I paused and listened as he trudged downstairs and heard him greet his brother. Slowly, I peeled off my soaking wet uniform and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. I attempted to straighten my wild frosty white locks but they were soaked and the waves turned to tangles the moment I tried. Sighing, I swept it up into a messy soggy bun deciding I'd fight with it later. I slipped on a pair of comfy socks and nervously exited my room and trudged downstairs.

My parents were sitting at our small dining table with Uncle Sekijiro. There were three cups of steaming hot tea laying untouched in front of everyone and a fourth in the empty chair reserved for me. I dropped into the chair for me and glanced warily at my parents and uncle. They all exchanged looks as if they were all saying 'not it' on who got to start the uncomfortable conversation.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, my father appeared to have lost the 'not it' game and let out a sigh, "Iris, you're going to stay with your uncle in the city for a while." He began tentatively.

"You said I wasn't in trouble." I retorted.

"You're not." My mother attempted to reassure me.

"She's not?" My uncle frowned.

"No." My parents shot at him in unison.

"She hospitalized how many of her classmates?" My uncle pondered.

"They were hurting a dog." My mother pointed.

"And that makes it okay?" My uncle looked between my parents uneasily.

"No, it doesn't make it okay but it does excuse her from being in trouble." My mother glowered at him before shooting a dark look at my father. There was an unspoken jab exchanged.

Just from the brief conversation happening before me, I could tell living with my uncle would be a nightmare. He was such a stickler for rules, like a lot of Pro Heroes. They were all gross goody goodies that seemed unaware the world wasn't black and white. Everything was right and wrong with them, there were no gray areas and it was suffocating.

My father shrank a little from my mother's dark look before turning to Uncle Vlad. "Little brother you're a great teacher and a wonderful hero but I'd appreciate it if you'd leave the discipline of my child to me and my wife and keep your opinions on our parenting to yourself."

Uncle Vlad said nothing more.

I threw my parents a pleading look. They both offered me reassuring smiles, attempting to keep positive. When my dad looked away my mom reached over and took my hand in hers, her smile turning sympathetic as she gave my hand a gentle squeeze. And with that, my life was over.