Descendants of Magic

CHAPTER XX. - UNRAVELING THE ANSWERS, ONE CUP AT A TIME

I was going to wait until I was alone in my room where no one could see me but the tears burst out of me. It was a rush hour at the cafeteria and the people were gathering to eat. I had to fight for my way through the crowd that was filling out the space of the dining room. I lowered my head to cover my red eyes and the tears cooling down my cheeks as they rolled down. My vision was getting blurry as I somehow managed to push through the students, get out of cafeteria to less crowded and I was striding to the staircase to get to my dorm. I used the back of my hand to wipe off the tears. I didn't care if I smudged the remnants of mascara from yesterday's make up and must look like a raccoon now. I sniffled a few times to make a space for the air and be actually able to breathe. A few of the tears made its' way to the corners of my mouth. I could taste the saltiness in my mouth so I kept on wiping my face to get rid of them. I didn't care if my lungs die or my knees before that, but I was ready to run up those bloody infinite stairs to get out of sight. I flashed through the first like thirty stairs when I could start feeling my breath running out of me. My ears were ringing and everything was muffled despite the staircase bustling with life of students walking up and down. It was less than during a week day but still it was enough of an audience to see me being miserable right now. I wasn't going to be bothered to look at them or even listen to them, but one of the voices sounded familiar and not in a good way. My body reacted to that muffled voice with annoyance. I stopped all of my movement and gasped for air when I looked up to face the person whos talking was focused on me. I was met with the big round puppy eyes with the colors of a dusk sky, her wavy blond hair that was so shiny and always in a perfect hairstyle even though they were just let free next to her body that was covered by a slim tight white dress. It was Saxa with her best friend and couple of others, guys, standing behind them like hawks and acting as her bodyguards but you could see it in their behavior that they wanted to be more. She stood on the little platform that is about fifteen stairs above mewith her arms crossed and raising one of her eyebrows at me. I met her stair and she probably saw my puffy red eyes because she laughed and then whispered something to her bestie to which she started to laugh with Saxa. I tightened my lips out of anger and started to walk again. I reached the platform and was going to just pass the group but Saxa didn't want to let me go. She told the brutes of her little clique to get in my way.

Saxa: I still don't understand how, out of all people, you are a Zeus descendant. He is the highest god on the Olymp while you look...pathetic.

She untangled her crossed arms and pointed on my whole body with her right hand. I don't know if she is just trying to pick up another fight, provoke me to start this one so that she doesn't get striked for it this time but it was working. I don't know why her words bothered me that much. I knew it. I knew she was right. Pathetic. It was the best word to describe me right now. I can't control my powers, I was probably left to die because of a curse or whatever this thing on my back is, and all I bring is trouble. How did Reilly manage to stay with me all those years and not hate me? It was coming from Saxa, which her opinions were completely irrelevant to me even though we might have the same ancestor, but the word stung like hell. The tears were pushing its' way onto the surface of my face and I wasn't going to give her more satisfaction to see me like this, so I tried to push through the muscle she brought, but with no luck. They were bigger than me and stronger because they looked like they work out regularly. My body only bounced back and I stumbled a few steps, returning to the spot I was before. I tried one more time. They didn't touch me, or grab me. All they had to do was move from right to left to block my path, and when I wanted to push them to the side, they locked their feet to the ground and stood still like a mountain. So I opted for another route. This time grit my teeth and moved to the side where Saxa was standing. The guys were too slow to move to the side to block me. I was already on my way. Saxa did try to stop me and make more fun of me but I gathered some momentum and then managed to pass around her while bumping into her shoulder, almost knocking her down. She stumbled in her stilettos and if she was standing on the edge of the platform, she would probably roll down. One of the guys grabbed her upper arm and then slid the other one around her waist to prevent her from falling on her butt. I stopped to watch the whole situation unravel for some reason. Saxa didn't even thank the guy and quickly brushed him off, telling him to let her go and don't touch her. She adjusted the skirt of the tight dress that got lifted up a little bit and then proceeded to stare at me. She started yelling, calling me names and I could see a new shade added to her blue and purple eyes. It was red. Flaming red that perfectly represented the anger she was throwing towards me. I started slowly walking back and wished she wouldn't start blasting her powers again because I knew for sure I wouldn't be able to stop her. The last time it was just luck on my side that I somehow managed to tap into my power source in a need, but right now I don't want to do it. I don't want to do anything with my powers. I don't want them at all. I knew she wasn't stupid to get herself kicked out even though there must be sort of favouritism when it comes to her. She is, was, the only living Zeus descendant. Of course they would protect her like they must have been lenient with the punishment for the first fight. But she wouldn't risk fighting in the open with other people around who saw what was going on as they passed us on the staircase and quickly assessed the situation that it would be better to just go and don't meddle or get caught in the crossfire. She had it all. Saxa was beautiful, rich, had her reputation and mostly, she had control over her powers. And she wanted it all for herself. She didn't want to share the glory of being a descendant of one of the main gods of Olymp so getting rid of me was better for her rather than befriending me and bonding over the shared ancestry. And she made her plan what to do with me pretty clear. I didn't want to loose but I didn't want to use my powers either. But I also didn't want to die despite the fact that it was probably supposed to be my fate when they left me alone during freezing winter. I was going out of this world my way. So the only option here right now would be to flee, to try and run as many stairs I could before my lungs would be on fire and my legs hating me. I didn't know how far I could get and if that distance would be enough. Enough to be out of reach for her powers, which I don't even know what they are in the first place, what it is that she possesses in her arsenal. Some sort of same electricity or lighting that she can blast out to incinerate me? But I needed to at least try and run away. I shifted my weight onto my toes and pressed into the ground and was getting ready to turn around to run. But then the reaction on Saxa and the others around her surprised me. Suddenly couldn't see me? I heard her yelling out, asking what happened and where did I disappear to meanwhile I was standing only a few steps in front of her. I didn't know if somehow my powers did that or not, but it was my chance to disappear for real this time. I grabbed the straps on my backpack to secure it while I run and spun on the spot to face the stairs that lead up to the dorms. I picked up my pace and took two or three stairs at once to get higher and higher, as far away as I can to not get pulverated out of existence. The only problem was that for some reason the people who were coming down the stairs also couldn't see me. If I didn't managed to jump out of the way as I was climbing up, I would have crashed into them. I stopped moving and stood on two stairs. One leg bent in knee, resting on the upper stair while my right leg was straight and pressing into the lower stair as I watched that person just walk down without even looking at me. Some other students were returning from somewhere when they saw their friends walking up and called their names and asked them to wait up. Two girls who were near my level stopped and then waited for the third girl that tried to catch up with them. I still had time before she reached them so I walked towards them and greeted them, but nothing. They just talked to themselves and continued their casual conversation. I lifted my left arm and waved my hand in front of their faces, but also no reaction. I was invisible. The staircase was bustling with life and I could also hear Saxa yell out orders to go and find me. The guys that followed her like puppies around scattered. One of them went in my direction but he just passed me. Yes, I was completely invisible. And then I remembered this feeling. It was the same like back then when I was walking with Mr. Hale and he used his powers so that other students weren't gawking at us because he noticed how uncomfortable I looked while walking with him. The girl caught up with her friends so I let them pass and then walked to the side of the staircase so that no one bumps into me and looked around. I bent over the railing and looked down but nothing. No trace of him. And then I heard his name resonate through the school. Good afternoon, Professor Hale, as someone has greeted him. I changed the direction of my gaze and lifted my head, and there he was. His eyes shining in bloody red while he stood near the railing and was resting one hand on it and keeping her other one in her pocket, he didn't even reply to that girl student who greeted him. Maybe because you could hear the subtle "hey notice me and I like you" tone in her greeting or maybe it was because he was focused on using his power on the whole school, on every person who was on the staircase so that I was erased from their sight. The toll on him and it was wasted just on me. The sheer amount of power it must take, I realized, and it made me shudder. The girls from Ossilor dorm before the party said that his powers are not that great and more defensive but this sight was far away from just being weak. I couldn't hide my amusement and at the same time the fear I felt of his power but also respect. It took me a few seconds until I gathered myself and then quickly ran up the stairs to meet with Mr. Hale. I went as fast as I could, maneuvering between the students on the stairs so that I don't hit anyone on my way up, and finally reached him. I thanked him, the words being cut by my heavy breaths. I was grabbing my knees, supporting myself and preventing myself from crashing on the floor like a domino before I could speak normally and properly thank him again. My breathing calmed down and my legs could support me standing again so I straightened myself and looked him directly in his eyes that were still glowing like two rubies. I remembered that I must look pathetic right now so I quickly lowered my head to hide my reddish eyes and puffy face. I tried to take a step back so that Mr. Hale won't see me but all of a sudden I was being pulled towards his body. My heart started beating faster and it wasn't because I was climbing those bloody stairs. Mr. Hale was holding my wrist that was leaning against his chest and I was pressed against his body. I looked him directly into his eyes once again but then quickly lowered my head and almost buried it into his chest. I cleared my throat and was going to speak up but Mr. Hale beat me to it.