Enemy of my Enemy

𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊

Crescent Cliffs was a town that had been founded in the late eighteenth century, right in the middle of the woods. Because of its scenic view and its directly available resources, it had quickly taken on the role of attracting only the richest and the wealthiest to its vicinity. In this sense, not much had changed even after the world had entered the 21st century. Families who were high up in the social hierarchy often made the small yet luxurious neighborhoods of Crescent Cliffs their home.

Even in such a town, the Blackburns were revered above most. For one, Bianca's ancestor of centuries ago had been a founding member of the town. For another, the generations of Blackburns who had inherited the family's assets had doubled and tripled them over time, and as everyone knew, money was capable of buying just about anything- Especially respect.

There was a third reason, too, known only to a small portion of the population of Crescent Cliffs. But after Briare's little speech last night, Bianca was trying very hard to ignore the existence of the third reason itself.

Not that Grayson Briare had scared her, of course. There was very little on this earth that could scare her. It was more like she was reluctant to let go of the last bit of hope left in her that had been insisting that a normal life for her might be possible.

You're a Blackburn, she could hear her mother's voice in her head. You were born to be extraordinary.

Born to be extraordinary... And born to attract unwanted attention from patricide-committing madmen.

Bianca could've ruled the school if she'd wanted to. Her family name alone would have been enough to influence half the kids in her year to fall behind her like an army. But she'd chosen not to do that, for she deserved a place she wasn't Lorenzo Blackburn's daughter. So for three years, she'd been the weird girl who hung out with her weird friends in the back of classrooms.

Not this year. She needed to stop pretending she could ever be normal.

So, at lunch that day, she approached James Romero, the captain of Crescent Cliffs Academy's football team, and casually forced him to his feet and made him start walking. Once they were in the hallway, Bianca stopped trying to hide the fact that she was completely dragging him towards where she wanted against his will, and threw him into the boys' locker room.

"Blackburn, what are you-"

Bianca cut him off by punching him in the face. James was thrown off balance, and landed on the ground several feet from where he'd been standing. "That was for last summer," Bianca said, not winded in the slightest.

"Last summer?" James coughed, seeming to be on the verge of tears. But that wasn't good enough for her. So, Bianca stomped down on his stomach and used her left hand to dislocate his jaw. Now, James was in such pain that he couldn't even muster a scream.

"For calling me a bitch," Bianca shrugged. With one hand, she took his chin, and with the other, she grabbed the side of his face. One sickening snap later, James's jaw was back in place, and he was writhing on the floor.

"Why would I call you a bitch? What kind of suicidal idiot would have the nerve to call you a bitch?" James scrambled away from her, then paused, apparently surprised at how well his jaw was working.

"You stood by and let one of your bastard friends call me a bitch," Bianca corrected herself. "In July? Kenna's party?"

"I'm sorry," James gasped. "Look, I swear to god-"

"Get ahold of yourself, Romero, you're getting out of control," Bianca gestured to his eyes, which were glowing gold. "And stop overreacting. You know I'm not going to kill you or something, don't you?" she laughed.

His lack of an answer told her that he had not, in fact, known this.

"You thought I was going to commit murder in broad daylight, at a school parents pay small fortunes for their kids to attend?" Bianca laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself.

"I don't know what to think," James muttered. "I don't know anything about you, apart from the- The rumors..." He faltered.

"Here's what you're going to do for me, Romero," Bianca began. "You're going to gather up all the wolves at our school, and you're going to make sure they're all present in the gymnasium by ten o' clock tonight. And feel free to tell anyone who doesn't feel like coming that Lorenzo's daughter will be making a special visit to their houses once she's finished saying what she has to say."

James nodded furiously. "Your eyes." He gulped. "Blackburn, your eyes are glowing red."

Bianca rushed for the nearest mirror and found that he was right. She shut her eyes and breathed in deeply. Yet the color still remained.

"Do you... Need help?" James said nervously.

"No," Bianca replied. "I like them much better this way."