Invictus

Chapter 20

APRIL

The alarm went noisily, as usual,but Denise cursing sleepily beside me wasn't usual. I lay there regardless,  refusing to turn the alarm off and Denise let out a string of four letter words, most that I haven't even heard of.

I put it off when she sat up, her short hair swinging around her chin in curls, meanwhile here I was with a cloud of carotene stained cotton wool.

"Morning" I groan, swinging my feet off the bed, "you have quite the sailors vocabulary "

She blushed, running her hands through her hair.

Fireball was on the floor,head beneath her little blue paws, blue flames all around her body , something shiny was  beside her.

'hey, what's this? " I bent and picked it. It glowed in my hand,before  stretching out a few metres away from me.

"A long sword" Denise provided. I looked at the sheath on the ground. Flames decorated in leather over wood.

"You must be ready then, cause Hepaesthus is done with your weapon." She passed by me, picking a towel of the chair and went into the bathroom.
     
                                     * * *

Zoe Hardin bustled to meet up with me in the hallway, i noticed people turning to stare at my wrists, The flames had spread to my other wrist.

"Hey! What happened with you and Chris? I've been trying to reach him all weekend" She said, the dark blue tips of her hair swaying around her face as she gestured.

"We went out and he went home. Maybe he can't find his phone " I lied

"He must really like you" She squealed, loping her arm in the crook of my elbow "Where'd you guys go?"

"He took her to a bar and used his fake Id to convince the bar man" Liu said,loping her arm in the crook of Zoe's elbow also. People turned as we walked down to home room.

She gasped, "So you guys are official now? " She wriggled her eyebrows at me.

I laughed,turning my face to look at the notice boards."I wish, But Chris is not the person for me. "

If she had anything to do with him, she hid it well, her smile didn't even budge.

"Oh well" She said cheerfully, too cheerfully "sometimes you just don't know. You win some, you lose some."

I spotted some jocks at end of the hallway and she followed my train of vision.
"So listen April,we'll catch up later " She gave my hand a quick pat and sashayed away.

"That was odd" Liu said, stepping in behind me."a bit too odd."

"Oh please, she's just being friendly?"

"Right" Liu replied,pushing the door open.

Lyanna was at the back of the class, listening to music and sketching, a mini-pringle pack by her elbow.

Denise was some seats away frowning at her phone, she looked up as I approached and smiled a bit.

"April got her weapon " She said, putting her phone down. "It's a sword"

"So she gets a sword " Liu said "I might end up with Bows and Arrows"

I looked at her and over at Lyanna, she was sketching the blade of a sword, the pencil scratching the paper in slightly straight lines.

The bell went and we took our seats. Mr. Basil came in and began to call out the announcements for the day.

I looked at the whiteboard behind him without listening, then I concentrated on its edge, there was a little flame.

I'm losing it.

I looked at Liu and she was doodling. I shook my head and looked at the edge of the board again.

The flame wasn't there. It was on my desk. It fluttered about and I looked at Liu again, she was staring at it.

It flew around my face, warming me. Stopped beside my ears and I heard whispers.
What the hell is this?

I glanced shortly at my wrist, the flames were bright red and orange, the flame settled in my palm, warmth licking at my fingers.

What ever it is, it has to wait until Gym.

My phone lit up, a text from Liu

* what is that thing *

I texted back

* I have no idea, it will just have to wait for gym, i'll fill you in after your chemistry *

I slid my phone back into my bag, the flame flicking about in my hand. I started counting down with the clock, trying my possible best to ignore the thing in my palm.

The bell went after 45 minutes of torture and I waited for everybody to leave, lest I join the human stream and lose Flicker.

I was so bored I just had to name it.

The girls waited with me, Lyanna finishing her sword with a couple of prismacolor pencils and a black copic marker.
Denise was on a selfie taking spree, and Liu was staring at my palm.

The class emptied out and I grabbed my bag with the other hand, Flicker bumping against my skin. We hurried down to the female bathroom which was crowded.

We stopped and looked around, till Denise walked in and slammed her hand on the shank.

"Get out!" She barked,the room went still before the others started filing out quickly.

When we were sure we were alone, I released Flicker and it fluttered around the bathroom.

"I think we should feed it " Liu said.

"What? "

"It needs to get bigger" She said, twirling her hands around, our clothes began to sway and flap, but Flicker was getting bigger.

It was a girl, probably seven years old, with dappled flames on her body, her hair and eyes black.

"Who are you?" Lyanna asked, leaning against the tampon machine.

She turned to her "My name is not of the essence, I'm an emissary of Hestia, I'm of Hades."

"Okay" I said.

"The Wise Mortal has been taken, to add to the powers the Others shall acquire to bring back the Blessed Death" She said, fading out.

"The Blessed Death" Lyanna said, pulling out her phone and furiously stabbing her screen.

"Ugh! No service, we have gym in the next few minutes, let's go"

"We will ask during training about this Blessed Death. "