A/N: Me: *Originally only going to make two parts.*
Also me: *Wants Seraphina to tell Keon off.*
Welp, three parts it is!
Hope you all enjoy! Love ya guys! ^-^
-KittCat
*Warning*: This chapter contains violence, description of blood and injuries, and mentions of past trauma. Viewer discretion is advised please!
They never should've let them leave the room...
That much, the five of them could see now.
They never should've let John walk out of everyone's supervision with Keon if they had known that this was what was going to happen to him.
.
.
.
It had started off with them all standing there, most of them confused with what John had done. But for Seraphina and Isen, their confusion was quickly smothered by anxiety.
Why would John willingly walk out of here with him?
They both knew of the terror the man had caused the ravenette and Seraphina of all people had seen just how much lasting damage he had done.
So...why?
There was nothing but silence between them while they waited for Nadia and Vaughn to begin calling them in.
However it was shattered as Arlo asked the fateful question.
"What the hell was that all about?"
Seraphina didn't even know where to begin.
Was it even right to tell them about what John went through at the hands of Keon?
The only reason Isen knew any of what happened was because Seraphina had asked him for help.
But the other three? All they knew was what was either on paper or what Isen had mentioned. John already had enough of his history exposed. If he wanted the others to know about what happened, he deserved the right to tell them himself.
Shaking her head, Seraphina looked to Arlo. "I don't know how much I can tell you. It's not my place to say. But what I can say is that Keon isn't who he seems to be. And John knows that."
Blyke raised an eyebrow. "That's...not cryptic at all."
Sera huffed and stood by the door, wanting to go out there.
"Again, there's not much we can say as it isn't our place...but I just hope John can handle this..."
She knew her involvement could make things worse for John, both in dealing with Keon or with his emotions around the man and the last thing she wanted was to escalate the situation in Keon's favor.
She just hoped John had it under control...
Meanwhile, Isen leaned against the wall before looking to Seraphina. "What do you think he would've asked us about?"
Averting her gaze to the floor, Seraphina sat down in a spare chair. "My guess is: they're going to ask us about the Joker incident and my abilities returning so suddenly. Plus, I have a feeling you three have been doing suspicious things if what Remi told me about those ability drugs was anything to go by."
Arlo shrugged. "Yeah but they all said they stopped doing their little outings awhile ago."
At this, Blyke, Remi and Isen all shifted nervously.
The blonde merely glared at the trio before crossing his arms, deciding to employ what Remi had dubbed his 'king tone.' "What did you all do this time?"
They were silent for a moment before Isen eventually spoke up. "Not necessarily all of us...but...Blyke may have brought amplifiers to the school after one of his own vigilante stints..."
Both Seraphina and Arlo stared at them in shock before speaking in almost perfect sync. "He did what?!"
The redhead in question looked away, sweat dripping down his face.
Arlo held the bridge of his nose. "Of all the irresponsible things you could've done-!"
Seraphina hid her face in her hands. "Why the hell did you bring them here?!"
Blyke held up his hands in surrender. "Look, it's not like I was actually going to take them or anything! I just...part of me wondered if I could beat John with them. But, I quickly realized it wasn't ideal and I refused to take them!"
The two god tiers deadpanned before Sera spoke up. "That's not even the point. What do you think would've happened if someone else with less than stellar morals, someone like Zeke for example, found them and decided to take them?"
Everyone in the room went pale at the thought of an amped up Zeke.
Isen shuddered at the thought. "There wouldn't even be a school left at that point..."
Seraphina nodded. "Exactly. Not to mention there's most likely side effects since almost all drugs have them. So it's not about whether you were going to take them or not. It's about what would've happened had someone else been stupid enough to do so and believe me, there's plenty of people here who fit the bill."
Blyke was about to say something before a scream broke through the silence, loud enough to be heard through the walls.
"YOU NEVER HELPED ME!"
All five of them looked between each other in shock. Arlo had opened his mouth and turned towards Isen but the teen was already on it, eyes glowing as he took a few cautious steps forward.
Isen carefully listened in but they were up against the same wall so he couldn't see them all too well.
/"-if you couldn't help me of all people, then you most certainly won't help any of them!"/
Everyone looked to Isen for answers but he quickly waved them away, trying to continue listening in on what was happening.
/"Or maybe, I just didn't try hard enough to fix you."/ At this, Isen went pale again, eyes going wide as he eyed the door.
/"Besides, how would you know what's good for them? Need I remind you that they all hate you? That they fear and despise you? How could you possibly know that this won't help them?"/ Remi looked to him. "Isen, what is it? What do you hear?"
He looked to the others. "Keon, he's...he's talking to John. He's talking about how we all hate him, how he doesn't know what's good for us."
The others grew confused and even a bit concerned.
But what Isen wasn't prepared for was what John had to say in turn.
/"-don't deserve to live like this...! They don't deserve to live hating themselves like I do! They're not like me! They're not monsters! I deserved what happened to me, but everyone left in that room doesn't! They're better than I ever will be!"/
Isen's jaw dropped. Did John really just...?
Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "Isen...?"
"Does he...does he really hate himself that much...?" Isen turned to her, something pained shining in his eyes. "Does really think he's a monster, Seraphina? That he deserved what happened to him?" The others stared at Isen in shock and confusion before looking to her.
The girl went silent but it was enough of an answer for them as Isen continued to listen.
/"-be right on that part, they still need help. And I refuse to let you get in my way."/
Before Isen could dwell on it much, John snarled out his words to the man.
/"They don't Keon! They don't and they never will and you want to know why?! Because even though I'm a monster, I'm not the only one! You may think you have better morals than the rest of us, but the truth is, you're no better than me! You hurt people despite them telling you to stop! You do whatever you want without thinking of how it'll effect others! In fact Keon, you're just like me! You're worthless! You're pathetic! You're a f*cking coward! You will never amount to anything because the only thing you seem to bring others is pain!"/
Isen gasped slightly. He...he never thought that John felt that way. That he thought so little of himself and his own value.
Even without Isen's ability, they could all hear Keon yell at the teen through the walls to shut up.
Blyke bit his lip. "Isen, what's happening-?"
/"At the end of the day, you're just like me! You're a monster too-!"/
Blyke's question was answered as the screeching sound of metal denting inwards ricocheted through the silent space.
The door to the main office had opened with Vaughn and Nadia peaking out at all the noise they were hearing but the kids had already broken into a sprint as Isen practically threw the door off its hinges.
The sight that greeted them down the hallway made everyone blanch.
Keon had John pressed to the lockers by his head where a large dent was crushed into them.
Rivulets of blood trailed down Keon's hand from where his fingers were tangled into John's hair, the palm of his hand blocking John's line of view.
John's shirt collar was soaked in red as it seemed to drip from his chin and down his neck, staining his clothes.
Nobody knew who started it, but someone had wrenched Keon off of John, snapping the wrist holding him up like a twig.
Arlo and Blyke had joined into the fray, punches being thrown in blind fury as Keon tried to retaliate. Someone ended up tossing the man a couple feet down the hall before Arlo threw a barrier over the cop, Vaughn standing behind it as he watched Keon's kneeling form. The seething man held his now broken, mangled hand as he glared up at the group.
Seraphina would've joined but sh had other priorities. She felt sick as she saw John collapsed on his side, eyes half lidded and his face smeared with blood that continued to drip down onto the floor, not to mention the bloody dent in the lockers where his head was.
Arlo huffed as he called back to Seraphina, asking if the ravenette was alright but he couldn't hear her reply or if she even gave one over Blyke screaming at the cop, asking what the hell he did to John. The cop told him to screw off which only further irritated the redhead.
Isen rushed over with Remi hot on his heels, the male helping Sera shift John into a sitting position against the lockers and earning a pained sound for their efforts.
Again, John did nothing but stare blankly, eyes roaming lucidly over each of them.
Seraphina had moved closer, holding his shoulder as she tried to get his attention. "John?! John, are you ok?! What happened?!"
What kind of question was that?! Of course he wasn't ok! Over half his face was drenched in blood and he had collapsed to the floor!
Isen quickly looked at Johns eyes and grimaced. "Sh*t, he might have a concussion."
But they would have to address it later. For now, they had to slow the bleeding as more blood had began to drip into a puddle beside him, his head lolled to the side. Remi quickly peeled away her blazer and handed it to Isen.
Bunching up the fabric, he pressed it against John's head and pulled another noise from his lips.
The moan of pain was followed by a hand trying to push Isen away. He mumbled something about how it hurt, how he didn't want more pain.
Isen gently lowered John's hand back to his lap. "Sorry, I'm sorry, I know this hurts but I gotta slow down the bleeding."
But it didn't last long as John tried getting to his feet, despite their protests and trying to keep him down. Once he got up, he began swaying like a dead branch until he started tilting sideways.
"Woah, hey!"
"John!"
Remi gasped. She quickly activated her ability to lend her the strength to bear his weight, making sure not to accidentally electrocute him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he struggled and failed to get even footing.
The pinkette braced herself as she tried to fix her grip. "John, stop! You can't stand like this! You need to calm down and let us help you!"
Either he managed to listen to her or he just didn't have the energy, but his legs finally gave out and Remi carefully lowered him to the floor.
Blyke and Arlo briefly turned their attention behind them where the others were. "Guys, what's going on?"
But they didn't answer Blyke as they were busy trying to shift John into a sitting position.
Seraphina quickly moved beside him and guided his head to her shoulder, his dazed gold eyes staring up at her.
From here, she could hear his mumbling. "Green-yellow highlights...pretty cool..." Sera almost wanted to laugh. Even back when she first did her hair, John always seemed to like her highlights.
Isen knelt down on his other side, putting pressure back on his head and trying to further assess any injuries he may have with help of his ability. "Damn he really did a number on John..."
Sera watched as John's gaze trailed around. He continued mumbling things. Something about colors, starting off with Purple and Orange, wondering if they'll let him rest his eyes. Then wondering if Pink was ok as they seemed worried. Then Red and Yellow as they seemed upset and that they may need help.
It was quite baffling as she looked up to where John's gaze was going.
Why was he going on about colors as if they were people?
Then it clicked.
He wasn't talking about colors specifically, he was talking about them.
She and Isen were Purple and Orange, Remi was Pink, and Arlo and Blyke were Yellow and Red.
So either he couldn't see them clearly and was just identifying them by colors...or he couldn't remember their names.
But both of those possibilities frightened her if John had experienced extreme head trauma like Isen was guessing.
Then John had muttered something that made her heart clench. "Can't remember...wanna protect them..."
Her eyes went wide as she remembered what happened a little earlier in the office.
Did he...did he really do this all so he could keep them safe? So he could protect them all from Keon?
She had that very question on her lips but it was already too late as John's head listed against her shoulder, blood soaking further into her blazer.
"John...?" She gently shook him but there was no reaction.
Isen swore under his breath but didn't let up on putting pressure against the bleeding area.
Sera couldn't help the shaking in her hands as her heart seemed to stutter.
John looked almost dead like this. The only indication that he was still alive was the shallow rise and fall of his chest.
Her and Isen looked up as Keene rushed over, quickly kneeling beside them. "Hey, don't worry. The nurse will take care of him but I need to get him to the infirmary, ok?"
They hesitated before nodding, slowly transferring John into Keene's hold before the man got up and carried John away.
Seraphina wanted to follow.
But, there was another matter to take care of.
She stood up once Keene had turned the corner, away from where the others had Keon entrapped in a glassy dome; away from the man who hurt the ravenette.
Vaughn eventually told Arlo to lower his barrier.
The blonde had stared at the man like he was insane.
Why the hell should they give this bastard any sort of leniency after what he just did?! He didn't deserve to move a single inch!
But regardless, he let the barrier fade away, prepared to activate it again should this man even take a step out of line.
However, that didn't stop the wrathful look Arlo fixed the man with as he hovered over him. If looks could kill, Keon would be dead three times over by now. "You've got some nerve to try the sh*t you just pulled here today."
Keon huffed as he narrowed his eyes, shifting where he knelt. "Says the group of teens who just attacked an officer-"
"An officer who just assaulted one of my students."
Keon turned his head to see Vaughn behind him, arms crossed and a faint glow in his eyes.
"What did I tell you the last time you came here Keon?"
He didn't give the man a chance to answer before speaking. "I told you that you will treat my students with respect. As a member of the authorities, you are expected to act professionally and treat them with courtesy. What part of assaulting one of our top ranked students is courteous to you?!"
The others watched as Keon slowly rose to his feet. "You don't understand Vaughn. Late bloomers like John are always doomed to fail. No matter how strong they are, they will always default to tearing everything apart! John is no exception. He hospitalized half of his graduating class back in New Bostin and if the rumors I've been hearing from here are true, he sent every single royal here to the hospital as well!"
He turned to face the rest of them. "Why are any of you standing up for him?! He's a danger to society!"
At this Seraphina finally spoke up. "No, he's not."
Everyone turned around to face her as she glared at the man, her eyes burning with hate.
"While you're right about the things John did, he's not that person anymore. He's not that violent, power obsessed kid from New Bostin or that torn up teen who wore a mask. He's grown, he's matured, and he's learned from his mistakes. So why are you still using them against him? Why are you still treating him like he'll never change?"
Keon only narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. All late bloomers are doomed to remain as they are because at their very core, they are filled with nothing but hate. It's why all of them fail. Because no matter how much you show them the truth, no matter how much you ingrain it into their heads to behave, they will always revert back to what they know: pure and unlimited chaos."
Seraphina said nothing for a second as she clenched her fists. "You know Keon, you say late bloomers are always doomed to fail, but you know who I think has failed? You."
Keon's eyes went wide but the girl continued, taking a step towards the man in the process. "John isn't doomed to fail because he's a late bloomer. He was doomed to fail because of you and whatever you and the authorities put him through! What you did never helped him. In fact, it made him even worse!"
Keon snarled. "It was to teach him a lesson!"
"NO! It was cruel and it was abusive! You hurt an adolescent who couldn't fight back and now years later, you do the exact same thing when he's TERRIFIED of you and WON'T fight back! Where's the lesson in that?!"
The magenta haired girl grit her teeth as the man scoffed. "And why should you have so much faith in him?! He's destroyed TWO schools now and hurt so many people!"
Seraphina placed a hand to her chest. "Because not all of this is John's fault!"
There was silence for a second before she continued. "Why do you think John is the way he is, hm?! Do you think one day he just woke up and chose to hurt people for a living?! No! For years, even before he ever gained an ability, the world has treated him like crap for something outside of his control! And then he finally got an ability and all that anger and revenge finally had somewhere to go! Then after what happened in New Bostin, you took him in and made all that pent up anger and pain ten times worse! You never taught him to let go! You never taught him how to move past the pain others have dealt him! Instead, you shoved it all away by traumatizing him to the point he refused to use his ability!"
Keon stood there, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, not knowing what to say.
"Is what John did right?! No, it's not! But you can't sit here and pin it down to all of it being John's fault when the people he was supposed to look to for help, people like YOU, failed in helping him when he needed it the most! And it wasn't until he was literally breaking to bits that me and others here finally saw just how much lasting damage you left with him! You didn't help him Keon! You NEVER helped John! The only thing you ever did was break him!"
The man said nothing.
Seraphina had to hold back tears as she finally finished her rant. "And I know you broke him...! Want to know why?! Because nobody in their right minds should call themselves a monster over making a mistake!"
There was nothing but stunned silence as the girl continued to glare at the man, huffing as she finally caught her breath.
Keon on the other hand looked away, not having anything left to say.
When they realized he wasn't going to talk, Vaughn finally looked over everyone's heads to the mint haired woman standing at the end of the hall in shock. "Miss Nadia."
The woman jumped but acknowledged him. "Y-Yes sir?"
"You and mister Keon here will leave the premises at once. And if I ever see either of you or another member of the authorities here again without permission, you will have to deal with me. Is that understood?"
The woman quickly nodded. "Fully, sir."
Vaughn nodded before grabbing Keon by the arm and beginning to drag the man away, though Keon seemed to lose any fight he had before.
Nadia passed by the group of kids, turning her head to look at them all.
Shame clouded her features before she turned and quickly followed the two men to the exit.
The group of five watched the adults leave before Remi finally spoke up. "Seraphina...I'm sorry...we had no idea you felt that way..."
The girl shook her head. "It's ok Remi. I've moved past it long ago. But right now, there's more important things to focus on."
Turning on her heel, the girl walked briskly in the direction of the infirmary.
Remi and Isen shared a glance between each other before jogging to catch up.
The pinkette turned her head to the other two who took a second before following along, the five of them curious and/or worried as to the state John was in.
End.