DEVIATE X / / AN UNORDINARY FANFICTION

IX.

I hugged myself tighter as the Infirmary door clicked shut behind me.

I haven't heard those voices in awhile. I thought I was strong enough to shun them back into the dark corner of my mind, where they belonged. But once they got a sliver of light, the flood of emotions came back again, and I felt as I did when I first experienced them. Even though i've managed to push the back, I still felt the remnants of those memories still plaguing my mind.

I felt strangely violated, yet confused. Although the day was just beginning, I already wanted to run back to my dorm and sleep for the rest of the day.

"What do you think you're doing?! You bumped into the King and that's all you have to say?!"

"Look, I said i'm sorry. What more do you want me to do? You want an apology too?"

A blue haired boy, a fourth year by the looks of it, had his hand clamped down on John's shoulder, yelling obnoxiously with Arlo silently accompanying his side.

"You think I bumped into you?" John challenged. "Maybe if you took your eyes off that screen every once in awhile you wouldn't be flustered at looking like the idiot right now."

"You little—!"

"Is there a problem here?"

Before the student's fist could connect, all three boys turned to me. His eyes widened at my presence and immediately let his power dissipate.

"D-Delta..!" He stuttered awkwardly. "T-this cripple purposely ran into Arlo...!"

"Really? There's all this hallway space." I gestured to the nearly empty hallway, looking past him. "The odds of even skimming each other are low."

"B-but....!"

"She's right."

I narrowed my eyes at Arlo's response as his eyes locked into mine. There was still a strange, unwelcoming tension between us that was left as a result from yesterday's events.

"You said, you had a history test coming up, right?" He asked in an oddly friendly tone.

"Yeah....."

"Good luck." He said as they carried on to their next class.

"Thanks." John said to me as he sighed in relief, scratching the back of his head he watched Arlo and his friend circle the corner.

"Don't mention it. You look better." I commented. The bruise blotting his eye was now a subtle yellow. His wild mane of hair was now gelled down, making him look like an inexplicable dork.

"Thanks. About that....Sera told me what you did. I can't thank you enough for that." He admitted sheepishly.

"Who?"

"My friend, Seraphina. The purple haired girl." John said. "She said you fended off those students and dropped me off to the infirmary." His cheeks flushed a slight pink. "It was....um....really cool of you to do that."

Seraphina, someone who emulates an assertive and calm attitude, is friends with a kid who looked like he was wearing a slicked down helmet? It was difficult to imagine their dynamic as friends.

"Like I said before, don't mention it." I said, ready to turn away.

"Hold on," he said, grabbing ahold of the strap of my bag. "You have history at this period too, right?"

"Yeah."

Despite having fourth years in some of my more advanced classes, the same circulation of third years usually wormed their way in my class schedule. John was one of those recurring faces, one I never really cared to pay attention to until recently.