Free Runner (House of Night Fanfic)

Chapter 18

Vic

He was still in his Spirit form, and he looked at his battered body that Ryan beat to a pulp before the whole mourning ceremony began. Vic didn't care, he deserved what he got and so much more.

He was the last to return to his human body. When he did, a wave of agony in his heart and his face burned. It's okay, he kept telling himself. He deserved what he got and so much more than that. He let out a groan to express his pain but silenced himself when he got a glare from Ryan. Instead, he got to his feet and started walking to his dorm. He didn't even bother to climb into his unlatched window, taking the long way up the stairs.

He could see it. He saw the whole thing. The blade that buried itself into Kai's back, her look of...

What? Vic still couldn't figure out what emotion crossed her face before she died.

The words that she said, though. Those words brought his body out of the Puppet spell that Anna put on him, but by that time, it was already too late. He lay on his bed, not bothering to clean his face of his blood. What would be the point? Vic had nothing else to live for, now. The one person that showed him love was gone now, and the one person that he ever really showed unconditional love was gone.

She's gone and I was the one who pushed her there.

Kai's dead.

I killed her...

A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts, if only for a moment. He didn't bother to say anything, because he knew that rhythm anywhere. Instead, he stayed where he was, not even being polite to take his arm that covered his eyes.

"Badge? You in there?" Leo's voice was nearly through puberty, but it still held that little childish squeak when he raised it an octave. "Look, dude. I know you're sad and everything about that but we gotta go to school, man."

Vic didn't answer. He noticed that Leo was tip-toeing around what happened, but he could barely bring himself to get up, much less focus on school.

There was a minute of silence on the other side of the door.

"Okay, I'll tell your teachers that you're taking half the day off but they'll expect you to be there after lunch. " pause. "I'll see you later, then."

Under normal circumstances, Vic would show slight annoyance at himself for ignoring one of his best friends, and he probably still should, but Badge just couldn't bring himself to do so. Vic didn't have that kind of energy.

My body'll probably reject the change if I lose a whole day in missing school. What Ray did was pretty generous.

Vic looked to the one picture on his desk across from his room, the only picture of Kai that he ever got of, smiling.

Leo

"Badge didn't really say anything. So I left him." Leo was filling Chris and Ryan in while sitting in Earth Science, Leo picking at his nails and eyes cast as he did so.

"It's a damn good thing that he did, otherwise I'd probably kill that bastard," Ryan fumed.

"Mulch, enough about that. I will not let Kai's death have even an ounce of negativity grow on her grave, so you shut your gob before I castrate you," Chris' voice wasn't raised in the slightest, but the venom was still present. It was enough for Ryan to shut up.

Both Ryan and Leo had their eyes to the ground now, barely being able to contain themselves with even the name of their dead friend.

"Did you at least check to see how he was doing?" Chris diverted their attention on the topic that they were supposed to talk about.

Leo shook his head, "No, I didn't want to see how he was doing because we three know how he's doing. The man's a mess, and this time, he's actually letting people see that. Kind of."

"Yeah, okay" Chris replied quickly. "I guess we'll have to see how well he's holding up later. I'll give him an excuse to not attend my class during last block. "

Ryan spoke up at that point. "I don't get why he gets special treatment. We were her friends, too, and yet he's the one moping around saying, 'Oh poor me! My best friend is dead and now I might as well be dead, too!'' He dropped his voice an octave to try and match Vic's.

Leo snapped at that point. He had quite enough of Ryan's crap about not liking Vic. He got up and pulled Ryan by the collar out the door and shoved him out the classroom. Chris was already pulling his 'professor' card to excuse them as he went out with the viper and the cat, shutting the door behind him.

Leo shoved Ryan away hard enough for him to hit the cobbled walls, winding him, and collapsing on the ground. "I've had enough of your shit, Ryan Mulch!" he was yelling, voice not as scratchy from his rage. "You're right about not getting it, so let me fill you in; Vic and Kai were imprinted and very much in love, you Holier than Thou fucking Feline!" He took a breath to keep going. "And if you didn't know that, then you're more dense that I thought when I first met you!"

Ryan looked at Leo with wide eyes before rage fueled him to get up, standing chest to chest with Leo in a challenging way.

"Look who's talking, you talking scaly tentacle! I knew that they loved each other because I loved her!" he pointed to his chest while he said this. "I am in love with her, but you don't see me looking weak and depressed like the brooding crow in his nest. In fact, isn't his spirit supposed to mean 'death'? It's all his fault that she's dead, now. You don't know who did it? Let me fill you  in; Victor Badge is Kai Riddleson's fucking killer!"

"I know that, you Hot Headed Asshole! you wanna know how I know that? Because I saw what happened at the Willow Tree, too! But I saw the look on Badges face when he said that, and you might've too if you cut your fucking mop of hair that you can barely see out of!"

"Now listen here, you little-"

"ENOUGH!" Leo knew that Chris didn't usually raise his voice in anger, but the two of them were not helping the situation by yelling at each other, and if he thought he believed in the Goddess as much as anyone in this school, he knew that she was watching this go down with a disappointed look on her face.

"Mulch, go to class and sit your blond ass down in the left corner of the room. Ray, you sit your ass down on the opposite side of the class and if I hear one fucking word out of any of you, I will see to make sure that you are shunned by the whole House of Night!" 

Leo shut his mouth, knowing that what he was saying was, under no circumstances, a bluff. He allowed himself to glare at Ryan who also silenced himself but met Leo's gaze with so much anger that he thought he was going to call the not-bluff. Leo looked away in relief that e didn't call the not-bluff, though, because Chris looked more pissed than the two of them combined.

"Am I understood?" Chris' voice had lowered a notch in volume, but not in authority and venom.

Leo nodded and, without looking at Ryan again, returned to class and sat where he was told to sit.

He looked up and saw Ryan walk in the door a few seconds after he sat down and walked to the farthest corner away from Leo and sat in silence

What is happening to our circle of family?