The Warrior Spirit

Six

I had breakfast alone in the dining room, as it happened my uncle needed to leave for work early this morning. He worked as an editor for a printing press located a few short blocks from our house, and he never seemed to have time for himself, due to his hectic work schedule.

Wiping my mouth with a napkin after finishing my oatmeal, I grabbed my school bag from the table and headed towards the door. I noticed I was a little later than usual, so I decided to hop on the first cab I saw outside, to save myself the trouble of having to limp all the way to school in so little time.

The whole time I was in the cab, I was stuck in my head, barely conscious of my surrounding. The friendly middle-aged driver had been trying to engage in small talk with me, but the mere thought of what awaited me in school prevented me from giving him all of my attention.

However, as I got off the cab at my destination, I handed him his payment with a little extra buck just for being so warm and friendly towards me. You couldn't always blame that on my charm, despite the fact that whatever I lacked in my physique, I seemed to make up for it with my good looks. Yet, not everyone was able to look past the fact that I was crippled no matter how attractive I looked, and I was every bit as charming and attractive as boys my age come. Silver eyes which were easily reflected by the slightest ray of light; straight-edged nose which was proportionate to my face, sharp jawline like those you see on famous male models, full lips that you find yourself daydreaming about — and I'm serious about this one. I'd had girls asking if they could kiss my lips just to know how soft they feel.

My dark brown hair was a lustrous shoulder-length, I always caught Gregor stroking it whenever we were seated close to each other. I guess you could say I was presentable, but not in every way your typical Hollywood hunk is displayed. Spinal stenosis was my biggest flaw, along with my overwhelming anger issues that I'd grown rather accustomed to controlling. But not very much, I must admit. I wouldn't be in this mess if I had just been able to hold back from exchanging hurtful words with my late friend.

"Afreen!" Flora anxiously called at the gate, leaving her group of female friends to approach me at the front steps. "What... do you think you're doing resuming school so soon?"

"Why? You're at school," I muttered, stepping past the entrance to walk into the story building.

"Yeah, but that's different," she ran a hand through her ginger hair nervously, reminding me of my confrontation with her brother and Bilal in the mens' room last week. "I mean, look at you, you're not fully healed from that and your presence in school will only imply that you're asking for more."

The hallway was crowded with students, filled with their ceaseless chatters and laughter from every direction as I navigated my way through its congested length to get to my locker. I caught a few curious glances from some familiar faces, mostly our classmates who'd ceased to converse with me since this whole rumor started.

"Afreen, it's really not safe," said Flora. "You have no idea what those two keep planning against you."

"Right," I dismissed her claim, proceeding to unlock my locker with my thumbprint. "I have no reason to fear anyone. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Travis is my twin, and I know when he's bluffing and when he's being serious about something," insisted Flora. "And he's said some really nasty things lately."

"How nasty?" I said, grabbing my English textbook from the locker before shutting it close.

"He wants to avenge Gregor's death and so does Bilal," said Flora, gasping in terror as she caught the sight of the raven-haired boy in jet-black outfit standing right behind me.

I could already tell who it was before turning around, as Levi had a bad habit of creeping up on people when they least expect him. "Lee." I smiled, making eye contact with him as I motioned towards the staircase.

The permanent scowl on his face did little to reciprocate the warm smile  I'd flashed at him. "They saw bite marks on his shoulders," he said expressionlessly, tagging along as we walked up the stairs.

"What bite marks, and who are you talking about, weirdo?" muttered Flora in frustration as she stared cluelessly at his solemn expression.

But Levi never bothered responding, choosing to proceed up the staircase ahead of us, without caring to cast another glance in our direction.

"Gregor?" I asked, catching up with him on the second floor. "What bite marks do you speak of?"

"It's a waste of time," Flora said, dragging me away from him. "Let's get to class."

"It's a vampire," he uttered callously as we approached the classroom, causing us to halt abruptly in our stride. "I saw the pictures on the article. A vampire bit him."

"Seriously?" Flora rolled her eyes at him, groaning in frustration as she strode into the classroom, leaving me with the dark-eyed Levi who continued to stare unblinkingly at me as he covered the distance between us.

"A vampire?" I repeated. "Is that what they're saying?"

"No." He joined me at the entrance, breaking our eye contact as he proceeded into the crowded classroom.

I let out a sigh in dismissal before getting my weight off my staff to step into the classroom. However, just as I curiously observed the faces of the melancholic boys seated at the front, I caught the resentful look on Bilal and Travis's faces which intensified immensely as I made eye contact with them.

I felt a shiver run down my spine for the brief moment I looked at them, sticking my eyes to the floor as I walked past them to get to one of the vacant seats at the back. The hatred in their eyes was immensely petrifying, it was how those serial killers were displayed in the posters of every horror film I'd seen. But with Travis and Bilal, the horror was in imagining what could currently be going through their minds as they took in my presence in the classroom.

Hopefully, Mrs. Adams, our fifty-year-old gray-haired English teacher, showed up in class the next moment before my vengeful friends could act on whatever devilish plan they were scheming.

I took a seat at the back, doing my breathing exercise to alleviate the stress I was experiencing while mentally reassuring myself that I would never be the person they believed me to be. I was not a killer and I would never go out of my way to harm anyone. Their assumptions about me were just that: assumptions. Nothing about it was true.