School of Power

One time is enough

The two were looking at each other: Adora had her arms crossed and was looking straight at him, while Heinrich was looking at her without saying a word, his face basically without expression. He was thinking about a statement to actually close this conversation before it even started, looking at her was hurting him. Because he knew that he had hurt her. -So?- she inquired him, and when he saw the fire hiding in her eyes, he knew he had to be quick, before someone could see them. -There's nothing to talk about- -Our kiss means nothing to you?- -Yeah. It means that I made a mistake- she tried to hide her emotions, but he had truly wounded her with that answer. She was hating herself for that, but she couldn't help it. After what happened the night before, something clicked inside of her. She had always felt something towards him since they met, and that's why she always teased him so much. It wasn't the first time someone was talking shit about her, but for some reason, when he did, she felt the need to prove him wrong. It was only during their kiss that she had realized why she wanted to prove him wrong. -It was nothing more? A mistake?- tears were about to drop, but she held them back: she was not going to cry, not in front of him, not like that. -Did you expect it to be something different?- a feminine voice sounded behind them: Adora noticed immediately a change of expression on Heinrich's face, like he was worried. They turned their head, and Heinrich said -Alice...-. 

Zion had decided to not go back to Morgan's table, since she was afraid of what could have happened with Anthony again. She liked him, of course, but she was not in love. She needed to take her time, and take her space, even if a part of her, deep inside, was wilding to go back to him. So she waved at him, smiling a little, and when he (along with Morgan) replied to her with the same gesture, she left the room and went straight to her room. She opened her bag and filled it with a couple of books about History of Magic. She still had a lot of time, though, so she decided to take her phone and finally call her mother. Her phone rang for a while, before a recorded voice answered her -Hi, this is Zatanna. If I'm not answering you, it's not because I hate you, but because I'm probably trying to save you from an interdimensional magical creature. Leave your message, and I'll use my magic to answer you asap- Zion sighed, then chose to leave her a message. She waited for the signal, then said -Hi, mom, it's me, Zion. I just wanted to call you and tell you that I'm fine. I've been sent on a mission yesterday, my first mission ever. Hurray!- she stopped, thinking about what to say -It made me think, you know... I've realized why you do what you do, and I understand it now. So thank you for what you do, and know that I want to do the same thing. I'm sorry if I didn't understand before, but as you said, you've always told me that one day I would have. Well, you were right. And also...- she stopped again. "I met a boy" she wanted to say, but she wasn't sure. Her mother had always been extremely strict about boyfriends and relationships in general. Luckily, her phone signaled that her time was ending, and then the call would have shut down automatically -And I love you- she said, before hanging up the call. She threw without violence her phone on her bed, and sit on her chair, looking at the little mirror she had on her desk, that she used to check on her makeup: she didn't know what to do. Anthony was such a sweet guy, always by her side, smart, and he was already ready to throw himself in her investigations on her father's identity. On the other hand, what if he was just a sweet guy, and he wasn't actually liking her back? That would have been awful. And she didn't even address the elephant in the room: her father. She was about to sneak up on her mother, going against her obvious will since Zatanna was clearly against her knowing who the father was. And she was feeling guilty, because she thought she was right about it. It was some kind of "guilty because you're not feeling guilty" situation. She looked at her ceiling, trying to uncloud her head. What a situation she was throwing herself into. But her heart was beating happily, because she was not going to throw herself alone. Anthony would have been with her.

 -What do you want?- asked Alice, approaching the couple who was talking -You're the one who's approaching us all of a sudden, and you ask what I want?- replied Adora, ignoring Heinrich's look that was clearly saying "Danger, don't answer her". Alice reached Osborne's side, and continued -I meant what do you want anymore? You already had your experience as a team member, and that's over. You can go- Adora was actually stunned by the girl's behavior: she had recognized her as Alice, a girl in Heinrich's original team, but they never met. -Do you think I was here just to get in a team with him again?- she replied after a couple of seconds, and Alice's creepy expression sent shivers down her spine -And what else could you possibly want? A first year rookie, trying to do a show off to get visibility- -Alice, that's enough- intervened Heinrich, putting a hand over Alice's shoulder to pull her away gently, but Adora wasn't going to back down that easily -Considering that you're the one that feels threatened by a rookie, maybe you're the one that feels the need to show off. Afraid that you'll be replaced?- -Listen up, little girl- Alice turned back on her, her eyes going completely white -You better not start fights you can't win- she said while little tendrils talon-shaped were forming on her hands. -Alice, don't do it- intervened again Heinrich, but Adora replied -Stay out of this, Heinrich, it's her fault. She's the one who felt the need to interrupt us- -I didn't interrupt nothing. I just wanted to make sure that you stay away from us. One time is enough-. -I agree- stated Heinrich, putting himself in the middle of the two girls, looking at Adora. She felt like he had just stabbed her: -One time is enough- he repeated, looking at her in the eyes. But there wasn't maliciousness in his eyes. There was sadness. -Really?- answered Adora, while Alice from behind Heinrich's back was smiling -That was it?- she inquired again, but Heinrich kept looking at her without saying nothing. A single tear dropped from her left eye, and she whispered -I guess it does rain after all...- before turning back and going away. -What the fuck was that supposed to mean?- asked Alice right after, pushing Heinrich so he would have faced her. -Nothing- he replied serious, but she wasn't gonna have it -Bullshits. If it did mean nothing, she wouldn't have said it- -What do you want me to tell you Alice? She was referring to something that happened during the mission- -And what was it?- -Something that doesn't matter anymore. Now move, I've got to go to a lesson- he bumped her shoulder when he moved, going straight for the exit from which Adora had just exited as well. Alice stood there for some seconds, looking at him from behind, before going back to the usual spot near the window she used to sit with Heinrich and Daniel. Some students stopped walking when she passed nearby, but she just ignored them, and climbed to the same usual spot with her tendrils. But it wasn't the same without the others. It wasn't the same without Heinrich. Since she got hurt in that stupid mission, she had been treated differently. Like she was made out of glass. Like she was about to break into a million pieces. The other two thought that she hadn't noticed, but she could feel that they were different: like they wanted to replace her. Like a broken doll that didn't work anymore. Just thinking about a doll made her tremble, while she instinctively touched her abdomen, where, under the clothes, she was carrying the signs of being a daughter of a villain. The others didn't get it. They couldn't. Only Heinrich, and Daniel, could. But Heinrich understood her better than anyone else. With him, she was feeling safe. Ready to show the little girl that she had to kill for the rest of the world, in order to become the woman she was now. In order to survive. And now, everyone was trying to take that away from her. But she wasn't a little girl afraid of the monsters anymore. She was the monster now, and she would have scared away whoever wanted to take what was most precious for her. Whatever it would have taken.