CRYSTALS
of monsters and men
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↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
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A Friday afternoon at Auradon High was easily distinguishable from all other days of the week.
The latter consisted of sulking students trudging around from one class to another, their delicate shoulders drooping dully with the weight of their bulky books, dreading each moment of being in school, confined behind bars that restricted them to all things academic.
Friday, however, was a stark contrast to this.
The difference could be felt floating in the cheery air, it could be heard in the roaring laughter that echoed in the hallways, it could be seen flaring in their wide smiles.
It was radiance.
Today was one of these days.
The bell had screeched in a broken melody not even five seconds ago when the students of Auradon came tumbling out of their last class of the week, scrambling around to huddle close to their friends in groups, some small and others bigger, already escorting themselves out in the open noisily.
Not a soul there was that wasn't elated at the thought of leaving campus, they had survived another tiring week at school, after all.
The weekend was at last here and everybody deserved to treat themselves to an evening full of recklessness.
Thus, here they were, Auradon High goers skipping down the corridors with their arms looped around each other's, faces lively and smiles glowing.
Nobody bothered to hush their voices, carelessly sharing the day's gossip, some reciting their pre-made evening plans while the remaining made new ones altogether.
Amidst this exuberant crowd was Nyx Hayden, the lone wolf of Auradon who walked on her own without anyone by her side.
This scenario wasn't new, it was pitifully ordinary.
The girl's schoolmates hadn't ever really bothered to make any considerable attempt at acknowledging her presence. They'd gone out of their way to ensure that it was obvious how they didn't want anything to do with her.
She had tried so much, so hard to make friends with her classmates, exhausting her genuine endeavor to the core till she was left with none, but they had never cared enough to return her effort.
To them, she was no more than an insignificant face in a horde, so they stayed out of her way as if she were a disease.
It saddened Nyx at first. Nobody liked being the lone wolf.
She had racked her brain to the last bit trying to figure out what was wrong with her, what was so unapproachable about her that kept everybody away, why was there not even a single someone that wanted to willingly stand by her side?
Nonetheless, the way she had given up initiating friendship with her peers, Nyx had also lost the heart to understand the reason why they treated her as though she were just a mere shadow of all that they avoided.
She had convinced herself that it wasn't bad like it seemed - she didn't bother anyone, no one bothered her.
It was sad, yes, but life wasn't only rainbows and fairy dust.
Presently, Nyx followed her schoolmates in the direction of the double doors that led them away from the one place they needed a break from.
Her hands were tucked in the pockets of her baggy jean jacket, sinking in deeper to hug it closer to herself, it being the only warmth she had while she watched her peers with a blue smile.
Just because she had accepted her solitary didn't mean it had quenched the itch of loneliness that lurked in her heart like a constant reminder of what she didn't have.
Wanting to drown out the brew of lively laughter and sunny joy that only she wasn't feeling, Nyx searched her bag for earphones and her cell phone.
Before she could even begin to sort out the irritating tangles that the colorless wire got into all the damn time, a shoulder rammed right into hers, sending her stumbling a step forward and forcing the devices out of her grip.
Whoever had knocked into her in hasty excitement wasn't polite enough to turn around and apologize, or even acknowledge the damage caused.
"Fight on the grounds!" the faceless boy simply yelled out in information.
Now this, the announcement of the unfolding of a violent event, caught the attention of the crowd in entirety.
Fights weren't exactly a rare or alien occurrence in Auradon High, there had been countless colorful brawls with overused insults, and some of them included the involvement of fists too. Even then, those participating in the scrimmage had managed to get in only a couple of sloppy hits before a staff member intervened, ending the embarrassment right there.
Judging by how quickly and determinedly her peers were turning what had previously been a relaxed walk into a hasty circus, Nyx could only guess who was involved in this 'fight' mentioned not even five seconds ago.
As if a single hit to the shoulder wasn't enough, the girl was sent pushing side to side and back and forth like a ping pong ball lost in a huddle of wild animals let loose, so many elbows stabbed at her sides with absolutely no care of their insensitivity.
Her attention, though, was targeted on watching her cell phone tumble down the stone stairs as everyone kicked it around, her earphones long lost in the jungle of shoes.
Although it felt like a painful eternity, the crowd had vanished and moved on in the snap of a finger.
Nyx reached for her phone, picking it up from the ground and wiping the dusty screen with her palm. She examined her newly cracked screen with a defeated sigh, it was badly damaged, a reflection of how carelessly her schoolmates had stomped down on it.
Clutching the broken gadget in her hands, Nyx's flaming eyes followed the huddle of easily entertained teenagers racing each other to get closer to the growing circle in the distance, their twisted minds looking for amusement just as twisted.
This ruckus could only be made for one person, someone who wanted none of this nonsense.
Nyx wasn't a fan of fights, she hardly ever lingered to watch any.
This particular one, though, was going to send at least one of the concerned individuals back with a broken bone or possibly more.
She only wanted to see if her hunch was right or not, there was no other reason for the brunette to walk in the direction of where the mass had gathered.
Nyx succeeded in struggling past the circle and cramming her way to the front of it, earning a clear view of what was happening in the middle of it.
A sickening crack silenced the persuading huddle into a quieter state of 'oohs' and hisses, as if they were feeling the pain of whatever had just been wrecked.
Nyx slammed her eyes shut immediately before even glancing at what lay in front of her, an icy chill tickling her spine.
It was after a moment of absolute tranquillity that the girl risked revealing her sight to the terrifying scene.
There were two boys standing in the middle of the circle, and only one of them was left standing, no doubt the reason for getting everybody all riled up without even intending to.
Nyx's portion of the huddle was facing the victim's side of this fight.
This being said, she recognized the figure that was helplessly sprawled on the ground, making no movement initially, scaring the living bejeezus out of her.
It was Troy Moore from the school's football team - a group of boys that Nyx often referred to as a band of brainless douchebags.
Knowing that even in a situation like this her peers weren't sensible or sensitive enough to put judgment above drama, she tore apart from the crowd and jogged over to Troy.
The copper-haired boy let out a strangled cough when the brunette placed a delicate hand on his shoulder and helped him sit up straight.
Nyx held back a grimace when she noticed the tilt in Troy's nose which, now dripping with blood, was definitely broken.
With a frown on her rosy lips, she dared to look up at the winning side of the fight.
The universe gasped when the nyctophile locked gazes with the raven monster.
Azriel Logan's eyes were churning with a storm, dominating the fire in Nyx's own in accordance with its wishes.
It was only then that the girl noticed how colorless the sky towering over them looked, mirroring the boy's own empty canvas for he had lost all his stars to adorn it with. His gorgeous lips were tinted with a rose's blush, similar to how the pent-up clouds were stained beautifully with varying hues of stardust, dark and grey like his thoughts. The lightning surging through him was calm like the whistling breeze that teased her cinnamon hair, swaying it from one side to another.
He was thunder. She was night.
The universe feared their collision, never before had two elements so powerful come together.
They kept their eyes trapped together for what seemed like the slowest rhythm of their hearts, blazing ambers being held captive by a magical merge of earthy hazel and frost blue.
It was as if a punch had been thrown at Nyx's chest, her senses felt clouded with a haze as though someone was forcing her underwater, the pace of her breathing had dropped, escaping her parted lips ever so slowly.
She felt like a motionless puppet under the boy's gaze, his eyes were in full control of her, commanding her awareness into unconsciousness.
Azriel diverted his attention to Troy, strangling him with the coldest of glares.
Nyx could feel the latter shivering under her palm that was still on his shoulder, she could hear the fear he swallowed down his throat, she could see the heavy rise and fall of his chest as his heart hammered against it.
"Stay in your fucking line," the raven monster's voice rumbled.
Nyx's eyes narrowed at the trickle of blood that slithered down his knuckles and landed on the ground, marking the land in crimson.
Troy could only nod in obedience, chocolate eyes blinking in fear, a trembling hand cupping his bleeding nose that was doing a marvelous job at tainting the blue and bronze of his varsity jacket.
The stain would forever be a memory of this day, the day he had dared to go against the boy with iron fists, a haunting reminder of how stupid he'd been.
Without another word, Azriel swung his bag around his left shoulder, slid a beanie down on his head, let a couple of strands of his wavy raven locks kiss his full, thick brows.
As he turned around, Nyx noticed how the laces of his combat boots were left untied, jeans lazily tucked into the borders in rolls.
The huddle of students parted wordlessly to let him pass.
He didn't care enough to spare a single glance at the crowd that he'd left stunned into silence with his mystical charm, one beyond comprehension.
A boy from the crowd, the same one who had spread word of the fight, went to pat Azriel on the shoulder only for the latter to raise his bloodied middle finger in warning, leaving the former to run an embarrassing hand through his hair at the humiliating rejection.
Azriel got inside his Chevy Camaro that stood dethroning the presence of all the other sleek vehicles standing around it, and with the richness of its beastly matte glow, it growled in sync with the first roar of the raging thunder, fading further away into a blurry distance just as the sky began crying.
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