The Fall of Pacifica Academy

Writing the Rules II

Harrison Meritte

T + 160 minutes

Pacifica Academy, Free Speech Square

Standing in the third row, Harrison could see what was happening through the gaps between the bodies. The people in front all fell back, and he was shoved back alongside Teresa and Dimitri. Mr. Elgin Misday, the chemistry teacher with a name both widely revered and widely feared, stood in what was now the center of the new circle. To make matters worse, he was pointing a pistol at Xavier.

"You let... you let all the students go. Or I'll pull the trigger."

Mr. Misday's voice was shaking as much as his hands. The pistol carried by Pacifica patrol proved to be a sizable weight for his bony arms. He tried to stand tall with flaming conviction in his eyes, but he still had to raise his head up to meet Xavier's gaze.

Idiot. What an absolute idiot.

Harrison spent a fraction of conscious effort to prevent cursing out aloud. He then spent the rest of his effort to conceal the sneer about to emerge on his face. What did he think he could do? Play the hero? The police could have sent in three SWAT teams if they wanted, but they decided against that because Xavier had the upper hand in this intimidation game. And this fool thought a pistol could scare Xavier.

Xavier raised his hands up slowly, empty palms facing Mr. Misday. While Mr. Misday's body shook like a willow tree whipped by a hurricane, Xavier's movements were smooth and languid. Every single muscle on his body, from his face to his toe, displayed no sign of tension.

"Why don't you put the gun down? We can't talk like this."

"Shut up." Mr. Misday took one step forward, clearly mentally occupied by attempts to fend off Xavier's hypnotic persuasion. "You tell your mob to get the hell out of here, or I shoot."

Xavier let out a faint sneer. His gaze passed from Mr. Misday's eyes to his outstretched arms holding the pistol, now almost close enough to touch Xavier's face. Harrison became aware of how much Xavier's sneer mirrored his own, but he felt no shame. Stupidity was supposed to trigger the same reaction in all of us.

"What do you think will happen after you pull the trigger? My team will simply drop their weapons and turn themselves in?"

Mr. Misday's arms lowered for a second. Harrison saw that the four bodyguards around Xavier all had their revolvers pointed at Mr. Misday. Harrison's eyes scanned every inch of Mr. Misday like an eagle about to swoop down to prey. The sweat beads rolling down by the tense eyelids, dried out from not blinking. The overly crunched abdominal muscle, caused by a torso cowering back subconsciously. The stiff legs providing barely any balance, and nowhere nearly enough support for the recoil of the pistol. Harrison read through those tells of fear like an open book.

Harrison might not have a Counselor's impeccable observation skills, but he could still outperform any common civilian. What he didn't know, however, was that he was getting closer and closer to the Counselor's capability. That would be both a blessing and a curse.

Mr. Misday still stood there, tense and shaking, but Xavier's four bodyguards now fanned out into a circle around Mr. Misday, weaved together a matrix of intensity too stressful for Mr. Misday to handle.

Then Mr. Misday made a fatal mistake.

Mr. Misday's eyes darted back for an instant, just to assess the threat around him. The very moment his eyes looked away, Xavier turned his elbows and slammed Mr. Misday's pistol-wielding arms out of the way. Before Mr. Misday even registered what was going on, he found his wrists grabbed and pinned onto the left shoulder of Xavier, who closed their distance in two quick steps. With the force and precision of a blacksmith hammering his sword, Xavier twisted his entire torso towards the ground. The loud snap from Mr. Misday's shoulder, coupled with a piercing scream, reached the ears of those standing in the back row.