Villain Academy #JustWriteIt [WATTY AWARD WINNER OF 2015]

+ the 4 with the gum chewing +

I yanked my wrists away, feeling the stares around us. I whipped my head to the side and students hurried off.

"Do you always scare children?" Archer said.

"It's built into a habit." His gaze wandered along the academy's brick walls, and I snapped my fingers, causing him to blink. "So how does this hero shenanigan thing work?"

"Keep it down, will you?" He leaned in further. "Go to your regular classes. Blend in."

"I need more than that. If I'm part of your 'school group', I need to know what the plan is."

He smirked and fixed his backpack, one strap smoothly hanging on one of his shoulders and the other half dangling off. "Blend, Vhalerie. You'll figure out the rest."

My gaze soaked into their casual rugged jeans and dark coloured shirts that nicely hugged their well firm torsos.

Blend, my inner beast echoed in a laugh.

My face must've said it all since Archer's scoff snapped me back to reality.

"A term you're not familiar with?" he asked.

I silently turned and Roger joined me by my side. Soon I was walking away, chewing harder on the gum. The abrupt sound of my bubble popping startled students and immediately they scattered at the hint of my presence.

"Blend my ass... I could take those heroes. Why am I listening to them? I don't listen to anyone..." The stream of mumbles leaked under my lips and Roger gently tugged at my cropped blouse.

"Vhalerie!"

"What?!" I snapped and a group of freshmeat jumped.

"This isn't our usual blend..." he said.

"Roger, we don't blend."

"Not like this."

Students leaned off of their lockers and whispers about the "new kids" rushed through the academy.

I spotted the dark shadows looming behind us and could feel Archer's smirk burning at the back of my head.

Soon the whispers started rolling into a ball of questions and while speeding downhill, it even collected me in the talk of the hall.

"I thought she didn't belong in a group."

"Isn't she supposed to be alone?"

"Who are those boys?"

"Not who, but what."

I slowed my pace enough for Archer to walk beside me. Feeling his strong presence at a close enough distance, I whispered, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Walking to class with you?"

I hurried my pace but they easily kept up with their long strides. "Don'tcha jerks have your own class to get to?"

"We do," one of Archer's friends said.

"With you," Archer finished and grinned, knowing he was wiggling under my skin.

I wanted nothing to do with these heroes.

I felt something wet in my hands and I looked down to find blood dripping off my palm. I retracted my claws and hissed, my nailbeds now gleaming in red.

Skin healed over the claw imprints and I fished for another gum inside my pocket, adding it to the pink gunk in my mouth. I scrubbed the blood off with the gum wrapper while chewing. This time the bubble pop was loud enough for the whole hall to hear.