(Outdated) The King of Elements

Attack on the School

Dre slumped as he made his way past Dixon to the office. He almost gagged on the scent of cigarettes and cheap whiskey as he passed him. Dixon slammed the door shut behind him.

"So," he said as he strode behind the L-shaped counter, "picking fights with students, are you?" He sat down on the leather chair with a grunt. "And with a football starter, no less. I really hope you can explain yourself."

"I wasn't the one who provoked the fight, sir. Doug is the one who was making unwanted advances on Megumi. I tried to stick up for her and then he sent Preston on me. Coach Falls was in his office when it all happened."

Dixon chuckled as he began rubbing the four large gold rings on his stubby fingers. There was a blood-red mark at the base of his hand. It almost looked like a tattoo. "You know what these are, boy? These are state championship rings from when I was in school. I brought that team up from the run-down piece of crap it was back then to one of the best 4-A high school football teams in Arkansas. As long as they continue to win state, I'll turn a blind eye to whatever they do to the other students."

Dre's temper flared. Dixon just admitted that he was turning a blind eye towards the jocks who bully the weaker students? He had to have imagined that. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Dixon interrupted him. "Now, the question is what to do to you? I suppose that suspension will be a good enough punishment for you, boy."

"Suspension!? Just for defending myself and Megumi?! That's... That's asinine, even for you!"

"Asinine?" Dixon repeated, his voice raising. "This is a business, boy. I, just like all the other faculty, are here solely to make money. Anything other than that would be a lie. You boy, just like all of the other non-athletic students here, are nothing to me. Nothing but annoyances."

"So you'd actually be willing to jeopardize our education and well-being for money?" Dre snarled, his heart pounding in his ears. "How do you sleep at night knowing that you are putting our future at risk for your own personal gain?"

"Like a knot on a log," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I've already made up my mind boy. Your suspension will begin today." Dixon stood up and made his way around the desk. "Now then, you may be dismissed," he said with a dismissive wave. "And bring that other brat in with you."

Dre turned to the door, his rage reaching the boiling point. As he approached the door, with Dixon tailing behind him, Dre heard him say, "Compared to your other brothers, you are a major disappointment."

Dre paused as he opened the door, his heart thumping against his rib cage, ready to explode with anger. His hands were shaking, making the doorknob rattle. "If I am so much of a disappointment," Dre began, turning to Dixon, his blood-red eyes glaring into Dixon's gray, glazed over eyes, "why am I doing a better job at protecting students than you?"

As Dre opened the door, he felt a hand grip firmly on his shoulder. The sickening scent of whisky and cigarettes grew even stronger. Dixon growled, "What did you just say, boy?"

Dre turned around and opened his mouth to repeat himself, until Dixon's cold, clammy hands wrapped around Dre's throat, strangling him with a surprisingly strong grip as he slammed Dre against the door. Dre's feet dangled from beneath him as he clutched Dixon's hands, trying to pry them apart. Dixon's eyes turned dark, as if he were looking in the eyes of a demon. 

Behind Dixon, Dre could see a young boy with spiky unkempt hair and a dark cloak hovering at eye level with Dixon, holding a hand out from behind him. Dre tried with all of his might to pry Dixon's hands apart, but his grip was far too strong for even his fingers to budge. His brain starved for oxygen, Dre's eyes began to roll into the back of his head as darkness started swimming around his vision, creeping towards the center.