Heathen Chronicles - Changed

Epilogue - Heathens Series Book 2 - Retaliation

The Scent of Curry and Shadows

Ntsakela's POV

I walked slowly back to my dorm. Tonight would have been Raven's turn to cook and I honestly missed the smell of "coloured-curry" – as Raven called it – that filled the air every time we came back from our classes.

The school felt like a ghost town of memories. Everyone seemed to have been brainwashed or something of the sort because no one remembered what happened other than our teacher, my friends, and Dr. Harper. To the rest of the students, we had just been on a long, boring academic retreat. They had no idea about the wings, the blood, or the monster calling himself a General.

I looked up and found Tannah and Xelia at the bottom of the stairs. They looked worried and I didn't like that. We had recently decided to combine rooms with Dwayne and Taylor – which was a fight and a half – while the others took rooms next to ours. We also waited for information on our new roommate. We didn't like the fact that some stranger would be taking over Raven's room just like that...

But unfortunately, we didn't have a choice in the matter. Life had to go on.

"What's going on?" I asked, unsure of whether I would like to know the answer or not.

"We don't really want to know who is in there taking over Raven's – I mean Raphael's – room... so we're waiting for the boys so that we can all go in together to greet him or her," informed Xelia shyly.

"You don't have to wait anymore. The hero has returned!" sang Dwayne as loud as he could, though his usual spark was dimmed by the heavy atmosphere.

I rolled my eyes and looked at the stairs we had to climb to get to our room. As reluctant as I was, I forced my feet up one step at a time. Every floor felt like a mountain. We reached our door and stopped dead.

The familiar, spicy, and comforting smell of curry burned through the air. Then, the bass-heavy sound of Heathens by Twenty One Pilots poured out from behind the wood. We looked at each other, hearts hammering in a confused rhythm.

'Who would be this disrespectful? Who would play THAT song in THIS room?'

Anger flared in my chest, masking the grief for a split second. We shoved the door open and walked into the room. A table had been set, dinner plates and drinking glasses filled with whatever cold drink we had stood proudly in the center. It looked exactly like one of our old Friday nights.

We started getting upset with whoever this was and planned to confront the person with raven black curls tipped with metallic blue ending in silver hair who was standing by the stove with her back to us.

Who the hell did she think she was!

Our eyes shot wide as the person turned to face us, a wooden spoon in one hand and that same defiant, mischievous glint in her eyes.

"No FUCKING way!" stated Dwayne in shock, his backpack sliding off his shoulder and hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

Raphael leaned against the counter, looking battered, bruised, and more beautiful than ever. She adjusted her shirt—the fabric straining slightly against where her wings were tucked tightly away—and flashed us a grin that felt like the first bit of sunlight we'd seen in a month.

"Hey guys... did you miss me?"

***

Raphael's POV

Watching their faces go from anger to shock to pure, unadulterated joy was better than any medicine Ash could have given me. My body still ached, and the city outside was crawling with the General's lingering shadows, but in this room, with the steam of the curry rising and my family in front of me, I felt invincible.

I looked at Dwayne, Ntsakela, and the others. They thought the nightmare ended on the island. I knew better. I knew the General was out there, nursing his wounds and plotting his next move in the heart of Jo-burg.

But as Dwayne tackled me into a hug that nearly sent us both into the pot of food, I let myself forget the war for just one night.

'I'm home. And this time, I'm bringing the fight to his doorstep.'