School of the Supernatural

Akumu: I Believe You

It doesn't matter how many times I do it--the sound of fists hitting a punching bag is the most comforting thing in the world.

 Again and again I hit the bag, sweating. The gym is empty, so my music isn't confined to my ears. I let it play through the entire room as I jump around and punch the bag to the rhythm. However, sometimes I break from my training and dance around the room, singing the songs.

"I'm waking up I feel it in my bones, enough to make my system glow. Welcome to the new age; to the new age. Welcome to the new age; to the new age." My knuckles pummel the tough fabric while I sing the song.

I hear slow clapping as the song ends and look over to see a girl standing beside the locker room door. She seems to have just changed. "You've got a good voice," she says, walking forward. As she gets closer I see her red eyes. A demon giving a compliment? What twisted thing is this?

Then I recognize her. She'd be my main competitor if not for being in different classes. "You're Amber, right? The demon fighter?" I clarify. She nods, crossing her arms and leaning against my punching bag. She replies, "Yeah. And you're Akumu Maki, the dark angel who only gets noticed in self-defense class. I bet that pisses you off." I shrug. "Not really. I enjoy the bliss of the shadows," I reply.

Amber snorts, rolling her eyes. "Right," she says sarcastically, "I bet you do. I hated it. You know what I did to get that shit out? I burned a kid's hair off." I look at her, wide-eyed.

She continues, "But I'm not here about me. Actually I was here to train, but you being here was just a nice coincidence. You're climbing the gossip ladder, Miss Maki. Everyone's talking about how you and that phantom guy are hooking up." My head snaps in her direction. "Wha--phantom?!" I say in surprise. "Abel's not a phantom." Amber cocks a brow, looking at me. "You sure about that?" She goes to walk away, but, I grab her arm and stop her. She looks down at my hand on her bicep and I see her lips purse--demons and their fiery tempers.

I say, "I'm sure. Wha--why do they think that?" Amber answers, "Most Supernatural's races are obvious, like demons with red eyes or dark angels with black wings. But there've been Supernaturals that come and don't show any signs of race. That's when they do a DNA test. Abel got one, but he didn't come up as anything. They tested for phantom, but nothing came up again. But, y'know, gossip fucks up stories a lot. So your boy may be a phantom; but he may not be. I don't know." She shrugs, walking away. I stand there, staring after her. Then I run to find Abel.

XX

I knock on his door. "Abel?" I call softly. It's late--there's a chance he's asleep. I check my watch. "Oh, shoot!" I mumble. It's not late--it's early. Two in the morning, to be exact. I start to walk away when the door opens.

Abel blinks at me, his light green eyes half closed. He wears a white t-shirt and dark green pajama pants. "Akumu?" he asks tiredly. I nod and say, "I'm sorry for waking you, Abel. I didn't see the time." He shakes his head and replies, "You wouldn't have done it if it wasn't important. Come on in."

I follow him inside and Abel asks, "So what's going on?" I take in a breath, then say, "Are you a phantom?" He pauses, those tired eyes waking up a bit. "A phantom," he echoes, rubbing his forehead, "is the offspring of an angel--dark or light--and a demon. The purest creatures with the second impurest creatures. The highest of crimes. That offspring, the phantom, is marked for death with a small black triangle on the back of their neck." He turns around and shows the back of his neck. There's not a triangle, but a circle. "The circle was a...gift. From my mother." He sits down on his desk chair.

"I never knew my parents. All I know is that when I was an infant they found me in a small oatmeal box on the stoop of this place. I was raised amongst other Supernaturals and they waited for my sign of race to come through. It never did. They did a DNA test, but it was empty." He stands again and walks right up to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. He says seriously, "I am not a phantom, Akumu. I have no idea what I am." I look up at him, my eyes meeting his straight on. There's a long moment of silence. "Okay. I believe you," I whisper.

Abel pauses, then smiles at me. "Good," he sighs. Then he grabs something from his bedtable and says, "You left this here yesterday. Turn around, I'll put it on you." I do so and he clasps my necklace on. I watch as the red diamond drops down over my head and comes to rest on my chest. I say thanks and add, "I'll go now. You look tired, and I probably smell like sweat. I was training." Abel smiles, "Okay."

I go to leave. Abel follows me to the door and I turn, saying, "Goodbye, see you at school tomorrow." He nods. He goes to shut the door, but hesitates. Then he leans forward and kisses my cheek. Then the door closes and I'm left there, dumbstruck.