Chapter Text
The sun was high in the cloudless sky, barring down onto the people below. In a guarded plaza, a prestigious academy stands tall. The walls are made of limestone, the stairs coated in thin iron. All the doors were covered in delicate carvings, surrounded by bronze and wood.
In a large office, two students sat in lavish chairs, glaring at each other. The brunette had a swollen eye and scratches on his uncovered arms. The blonde had blood coming from his nose, blood smudged across his left cheek, and bruises forming under his clothes.
The principal sat behind his desk, rubbing his temple as he let out a sigh. “You two really need to stop fighting. This is a prestigious academy, not a building to house troublemakers.” The two turn their gaze away, grumbling under their breaths. “Adam. Samael. Look at me.” The two students reluctantly look at the principal, giving each other a quick glare. “If you two continue this, I’ll have to expel both of you.”
“WHAT?!” Adam jumps from his seat, Samael tightens his grip on the chair. “Fighting is not tolerated. I’m being generous as both your fathers fund this school. Speaking of which, I’ll have to call them about this incident, again.” Adam falls back into his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
The three wait until Adam and Samael’s fathers arrive. “Mr. Starling and Mr. Newman.” Samael looks away, his body tensing as the two men walk behind him and Adam. “You two should already know why I called you here.” “Yes. It’s very clear from their appearance.” Samael gives a small look at the two adults, Mr. Newman stared back at him with a look in his eyes. Samael immediately looks away, his hands trembling against the seat.
Samael feels a hand wrap around his arm, forcing him up with its tight grip. “Let’s go.” His father drags him out of the room, not caring if his son was in pain. Samael catches a glance from Mr. Newman, averting his gaze as he was forced out of the room. The school was empty due to being after dismissal. Samael let out a quiet sigh of relief, he didn’t want anyone to see him like this.
It was silent as the two got into the car and drove away, Samael looking out the window, sensing his father’s rage from the front. As they drove, Samael saw the cafe he frequented, several students sitting at the tables, likely studying for the test on Friday.
The car drove into the driveway of a large mansion, entering a large garage filled with several expensive cars parked in their spots. Samael quickly got out of the car and went inside, wanting to avoid his father. When he got to the stairs, he froze at his father’s cold voice. “Samael. Get over here. Now.” Samael did as he was told, knowing it would be worse if he didn’t.
He stopped in front of his father, looking at the carpet beneath them. “Look at me.” Samael hesitantly looked up, fear in his eyes as he saw the anger in his father’s. He let out a small gasp as a hand grabbed onto his jaw, forcing him closer. “How many times have I told you to behave?” Samael lets in a sharp breath, too scared to speak. His father narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on his son’s jaw.
He throws Samael into the counter, his son collapsing onto his elbows in pain. Samael feels a hand grab his hair, forcing his back to arch as he was pulled up. He let out a groan of pain. His eyes widened as his father’s stare back. He had no time to react when his face was thrown to the floor, pain shooting through his body. The hand moved away from his hand, allowing Samael to get up.
Samael watched as his father walked away, slamming the door of his room. He moved his hand to his face, feeling blood coming from his forehead. He could feel blood from his nose, but it wasn’t flowing out. He made sure no blood got on the white tiles before pushing himself up, slowly making his way to the guest bathroom.
The water felt cold against his skin as he cleaned up his wound, making sure no more blood dripped out. He looked at himself in the mirror, seeing the dark eyebags under his blue eyes. He let his expression fade, finally allowing himself to be tired now that he was home. His hands were trembling against the silk, continuing to stare at himself in the mirror.
He dried off his hands when he heard the front door open, the familiar sound of heels clicking against the tiles along with the chatter of a young girl. As he walked out, he saw his step-mother and his half-sister, new bags placed on the counter, likely from another shopping spree. “Sammy!” His half-sister let out an excited yell as she jumped into his arms. “Hi, Emily.” Samael hugged her back, spinning her around in his arms. Emily let out happy giggles, refusing to let go.
“What happened to your face?” Emily tilted her head curiously, Samael tensing up. “I got into a fight at school. No need to worry.” “Did you win?” “Emily!” “What? I’m curious.” Samael let out a chuckle, letting Emily go to her room at her mother’s request. “Samael, did your father hurt you?” “…he got mad about the fight…” His step-mother walked up to him, gently holding his face in her hands to check his injury. “You shouldn’t have gotten in a fight in the first place. But you’re lucky he didn’t do worse.” “I know…ma’am.” “Samael, you can just call me Sera. You don’t have to call that without your father around. Now, go rest.”
Samael nodded, walking upstairs to his room. He climbed onto his bed, pulling his phone from his pocket. There was already a text when he turned on his phone. He opened the app and read the text, his expression falling more. It was from Mr. Newman, Adam’s father. Samael was used to these texts, but he never looked forward to them unless he was having a terrible day.
‘Saturday night. Your outfit is waiting.’
He let out a trembling breath, staring at the message before responding.
‘I’ll be there. No one will be around? Last time we almost got caught.’
He saw three dots appear, showing that Mr. Newman was responding.
‘Don’t worry, I made sure no one would be here Saturday.’
‘Goodnight, dear.’
‘Night.’
Samael turned off his phone, placing it on the nightstand to charge for the night. He turned onto his back, looking at the ceiling. He let out a sigh, pulling the covers over him. Everything will be better tomorrow.