He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did you kill anyone?" He asked directly. "What did you do?""I did hurt a lot of people that's for sure." She brushed her blonde hair back. She was starting to get passionate again after recalling how she suffered through the events. "These are...pirates and black marketers whom I thought gave me the insurance that I would not suffer legal action, whatsoever, once I got the job done. One last go, they said just to get me out of The Rat Race and I was...I was hooked." Her eyes turned glassy. She turned around. "I stole merch, I stole game, and pricey artefacts, just to sell them off."He tried to remain in the observer's point of view. Even if he was deeply hurt. "So...""The law caught up to me, business shut down and I...screwed up." She raked her hair. "I passed through 15 years in jail for Grand Larceny." Emily wiped her eyeliner. "Without parole. I served 1 year in Baltimore before I got my proper release." She sniffed. "Now I'm here."Maks frow
"Artemis! What the hell?" Victor said while he steadied himself. Then he shakily checked on the lenses of his glasses for any cracks. He groaned inwardly."Sorry, Nosebleed. Did I hurt you?" Artemis said and took his hand. Artemis Kroner was 19, she possessed frizzly waist-length red hair, heterochromatic green eyes with inner golden irises around her pupils, a tall athletic figure and olive skin. She had a snide look on her face, her dark eyebrows were carved up mischievously with notches, and anyone with wits would look her twice over before getting involved. She wore a black hoodie, a white shirt, black tartan pants and black boots. She picked up her skateboard. Maks grimaced at her. 'Seriously?' He thought. "I told you. Come on, Vic, we're wasting our time. It's almost first period." He said taking his arm. "It's just 7:00 AM, Wombat. Nice to meet you, by the way, I'm Artemis." She said in a dry voice. "Kroner.""Likewise." He frowned. "You don't sound like it." She wiggled
Victor swallowed."None." Miss March noted on her clipboard. "You look fine. Don't shy away from Dodgeball. Alright everyone into your positions." Dom had black hair with spiky bangs, he had light brown eyes, a dark smile, and olive skin. He was big for his age. He looked like a human-sized Hulk now. His arms and calves twitched and the shortest boy fainted. Andrew the one with the nape-length blonde hair and a fang necklace grinned. He was Maks's nemesis from Summer School. He grinned like the dickens. "You scared to lose, Victor?" Andrew said drily and positioned himself. "Nope, I'm just scared that they'll break every bone in my body." Victor said gulping simply referring to the ghosts. In dreams and the astral plane as a matter of fact. He took a deep breath. [ I can do this. No, I can't ]The ghosts were still lurking. The game was about to start."Chill everyone," Maks said looking around. "It's not like we're not gonna last." He grinned."Easy for you to say." The shortest o
He pulled back a fist and Maks zigzagged around him before he punched the lockbox dead-on where his face was supposed to be. Dom grappled his fist hissing. His gap teeth were displayed. He hadn't seen the last of him. "You son of a_Grab him.""Listen!" Maks retorted with every atom of courage he could summon, "This is really_ getting out of hand. I_" He dodged his fist. "Look, you really need to stop!" He parried his hand and pushed him off. His friend crashed against a locker.He grinned darkly. "Who says I have to?" Someone attempted to punch him and he dived. Another kicked him down and he slid outside of the locker room, running away. Huff* Huff*He picked up speed."Get him!" Maks looked behind him at them coming and he ran along the hallways ahead of the horde coming. He slid past a man and jumped over a cleaner's bucket."Hey Hey!" He screamed with eyes the size of almonds. Maks could not lose his scholarship. Not today. If he ever tried to fight anyone or incite violence
"Maks...I'm still being trailed by a pack of spirits."Maks blinked. Victor glared at the phantoms lurking by the fence. They did not approach him. They simply watched him wide-eyed. He heard small hints of their voices calling him. Their desperation hung over them like a thick cloud. He swallowed."Why don't you...ask them for what they want?" Maks pointed out.Victor scoffed. "Would you have me assassinate a person I never even heard of? I'm a guy, not a hitman."Maks wanted to say something about using his powers but then he clamped up. "Bring back the Zhou Dynasty?" He continued with frustration. "I see why grandma never listened to them. They're maniacs!" He raised his hands."First, the Yuan Gui are haunting me in my dreams, my home, they're at my school! I can't take this anymore. I have to get rid of them." Maks stopped petting the foal. "Good for you."Victor saddened. He was fresh out of ideas. Maks felt the foal licking on his palm. "Ew..." He shook slobber off his hand.
He forced himself to settle down at the low table while he watched the video."It's probably nothing." He muttered resting a palm on his cheek. Tapping the table.***Emily hopped down from her old Harley bike. She sighed. Her heart was pounding, beads of sweat shimmered on her face, they turned into icecaps once the breeze touched her face. "That's odd. I'm not always this nervous." She sighed.She hoped the Lees would be gracious enough to give her a job. She had nothing else to fall back on and she needed to keep her hands dirty. For Maks's sake and for hers. The society had a lot of demands these days and she had to survive.She sighed and pocketed her keys then strolled into the large foyer.There were arches and columns. A few Chinese Earth dragon vases were placed by the arches with flowers, there were open squares gardens with more cacti plants and red mats.She whistled at the interiors and winced at the lion statues by the large oak door. "Woo. Fancy place you got here."Ma
"I told you to stay down." Jessica played with her hands."That's what I said when you tried to play with my porcelain. I mean your father's porcelain." She groaned settling down. Maks sat up from the couch. "What's wrong?"Doreen looked pale. "It's nothing. I'm just feeling a little lightheaded.""Oh, good, just stay down. I'll help with the rest of the work." He muttered.Doreen marvelled at his offer and his physical strength. She blushed and rubbed her wrist. "Chivalry. Those classes of yours really do help, don't they?" "I suppose." He served lunch. Mashed potatoes with peas on the side, turkey sandwich and pot pie. He snorted. His dad was out making arrangements for a course overseas next week. That left three of them in the house again. Jessica stayed on a high chair at the dinning table swinging her legs. "I'll be turning five next week. I've been counting." She faced him. "October.""That's fantastic, Jess." He recited drily from the corner of his mouth. Sometimes, she wa
It laughed in a high pitched voice and Ping slinked. The others laughed with him. "You have got to be joking." Ping gritted his teeth. He thought the flaming ghoulish being had been what it was before. His robe was made of gold so the flickering was plausible enough to believe. "Who are you? And H_how do you know my name? And why do you wish to h_help me?" He stammered. He stood a big chance of getting killed just like the driver. The demon was repulsive. So many unsavoury thoughts crossed his mind when he saw those claws. Run. Run for you dear life. He thought."You may call me, Hu." He spelt out and these are my subjects. One looked like a dead twisted tree trunk with its branches spread out like antlers, those were the only graceful parts of it, it had a mouth gaping open and close with sharp teeth on its stomach, another one had the face of a bat, a lean skeletal structure, long drooping bat wings, its talons were so long that they almost touched the ground.He shuddered thinkin