Three
Day
It takes Nian to get us out of the darkness just in time for Algebra. While the others were fighting over who gets the body I decided it was mines for the taken. It has been some time since I was in control. Some time since I even wanted to be in this body. But I’m not that me anymore. Why cry over spilled milk? Why bitch about the past? Bad shit happened. It happens to even the best of us. Why should I complain about it? Why should I worry over what can’t be changed.
Seven months in darkness has taught me one thing. When it comes down to it all we have in this life is ourselves. I relied on Nian to much. I need to stand on my own two feet or I was going to fall flat on my face. I sat in class head down doing my work. Not because I wanted to be the good little Dian that everyone thought I was but because I knew my role. I was to be normal so that Ian could be normal. And I didn’t want to fail either.
I was a bit pissed though. I missed the ending of my sophomore year and all of summer as well. I felt like I was going in junior year blind. King has everyone calling me King it took half the morning to get people to stop calling me that dumb ass name and go back to just calling me Ian. I was happy that I was in school though. Nian and Evian were making plans and well that was just boring to me. I didn’t want to be in the dark like I had been but planning wasn’t my strong point. Acting was. Acting is now because actions speak louder than words.
The bell rung and I grabbed my stuff leaving the room. I was walking towards the cafeteria when someone touched my shoulder. Every action as a reaction and mines was grabbing the hand on me and slamming them into the locker my hand at their throat before I noticed that it was Malikai that had touched me.
“Damn Ian.” He yelled and I released him.
“Sorry.” I said but I still laughed a little because it was his own fault for not giving a warning that he was behind me.
“I thought you were Dian again.” He said rubbing his neck after I let him go.
“I am Dian that doesn’t mean I’m the same Dian though.”
“So you’re different now.” He said and I could hear the sigh in his tone. Malikai wanted me to be weak like I was before. But that wasn’t going to happen. I couldn’t be that person anymore. I’m not even sure I know how to. “You’re not going to be all crazy all the time now are you?” Malikai asked me and I frowned as I looked at him. All crazy all the time. What did he think I was before it made me wonder? Was I half-crazy most of the time? Or maybe I was slightly crazy some of the times.
“What can I say to that?” I asked as I started to walk again. I didn’t have any words for what he had said. I didn’t know what he wanted from me. No I did know what he wanted from me. He wanted me to be Dian. He wanted me to be the old Dian. The weak, submissive Dian but I just wasn’t him anymore. “This is me now.”
“What should I call you then?” He asked not even looking at me.
“Whatever you like.” I answered getting in line so that I could get my food. Malikai was annoying me now and the fact that he was following me didn’t help the fact.
“Josh and Matt put you out of the band.” He said as we moved through the line.
“It was for the best.”
“Seriously are you sure your Dian at all.” Malikai said grabbed my shoulder and making me turned around and look at him. First I looked down at the hand touching me and then I looked at my friend.
“Trust me you don’t want to meet the others.” I warned him and slapped his hand away.
“So what is this? You don’t want to be my friend anymore or something.” He said and I sighed as I rolled my eyes.
“I never said that.” I said. “I’m your friend right now but I do think that you need to face facts. I’m not the same Dian anymore. The last seven months have been hard for me. No the last eight months have been very trying.”
“For you Ian!” Malikai yelled and it made a few people in line turn around and look at us. When they saw me they turned around again and I laughed to myself because I wondered what King had been doing with the body to have them so well trained. If there was no other reason to praise King that was one. He knew how to train people well. Through fear King could do almost anything. “What about me? I’ve been dealing with that little prick King for the last seven months.” He said and I laughed this time. Just laughed out holding my side and letting out a laughter as if I had been holding it in for years.
I felt like I was Loki laughing so hard at one of his own pranks. Or like Hades that was laughing just because I had at last lost my mind. Malikai was so full of himself. I’m surprised I didn’t notice this before. He’s whining because he had to deal with King. He’s complaining because of what? I wasn’t even sure what he was launching a complaint about.
“Oh woe is me.” I mocked him. “You’re bitching because of a few hours at school or on the street that King ignored you. And I know he ignored you. He would never give you the time of day that’s just the type of person he is. But what about me Mal?” He just looked at me as if I was crazy or something. Oh the irony in that sentence. “I was locked away in the darkness for seven months. My mind has been breaking for eight months and all you can think about is yourself. Wow.” I said paying for my lunch and walking away.
He followed me to the table that I sat at slamming down his tray as if that was supposed to mean something to me. I only looked at him. The old Dian would have gave him a reaction. He would have said sorry. He would have tried and made everything right between himself and Malikai so that they could stay friends.
The new Dian just didn’t give a fuck. Malikai looked at me not saying anything with that dumb dick look on his face. I laughed to myself feeling satisfied that Malikai was pissed into silence.
Now that I had shut Malikai up I looked around the room and spotted Mischa. She was looking hot as always but even though the body was the same I would feel dirty for touching Nian’s girl. And I did see her as Nian’s girl even if she says she like Ian Nian would always be the Ian that had Mischa. Even with that said I didn’t feel the need to go out and find a girl of my own. It was as if Mischa was enough. For all Ian’s even if she only belonged to one.
It was weird that I felt that way but maybe it was because I was a part of Nian’s side of the body. I learned a lot when I was in the darkness. I learned about my role in this body. I learned that it was so much more than just playing the good son. My role wasn’t to be good it was to keep balance. I failed six years ago and we broke. I nearly failed again and we were breaking. I don’t want to do that again. Not to sound like my weaker self but I don’t want to let Nian down again. I don’t want to let True-Ian down again. I want to do my job like everyone else. I want to be useful. I will be useful. I am to keep balance between the left and right side of the brains and so I shall.
“Ian.” Mischa called when she came over. I saw Malikai look at her and roll his eyes as well. I didn’t know what his deal was but if he wanted to say or do something to Mischa he would have to go through me first. Not just me as Dian but as a whole. As all Ian’s or at the very least through the Ian’s on the left of the brain.
“Hey Mischa.” I said and she smiled. Maybe she was happy that I wasn’t King. I knew that she could tell. I knew that she knew I wasn’t King. She could see it in our eyes. She reminded me of the way Nakita was when she does that. There was a time when Nakita could tell what Ian I was just by my eyes. Just by looking at me and not judging me. Now my sister hated me. Not saying that I blamed her much. I didn’t see any reason why anyone in my family would love each other.
“It’s good to see you back in school.” She said and hugged me. I hugged her back of course but it was different then how it would have been if I was Nian. It was like hugging my sister-in-law or something. I liked Mischa I did she was one of the few people that knew me. That knew us. That looked at us and still decided what the hell she would stay. That’s why I liked her. Because she stayed. “Can I see you tonight?” she asked but the fact that she wanted to wait for night meant that she really wanted to see Nian and not me at all. But Nian wasn’t going to have the body tonight.
“Tonight isn’t good.” I said and she pouted a bit. It was really cute that she wanted to see us that bad. That she wanted to see him that much but that was all the more reason that she would have to wait. Tonight it wouldn’t be Nian that was in control of the body. Giving balance mean sharing with the right side of the brain as well. Tonight Loki would have his fun.
It was after school when I was walking home alone did I notice someone was following me. Did I think that there was someone following me? I wondered for a long moment who would want to follow me and why would they want to. I was just me. I was just Ian. I shoved my hands in my pant pocket feeling the knife that I keep on my person at all times. Whoever it was didn’t have a clue who they were dealing with. They might have thought that it was safe for them to attack Day-Ian but they will find soon that they were wrong. That mistakes like this can and will cost them their lives.
I turned down a corner leaning them to an alley that I knew for a fact was a dead end. I would let them think they had me. Then I would strike. I was taking a lesson out of Loki’s handbook. Play with ones prey before killing them. When I turned around I laughed to see who my prey was. Yuri stood there looking at me with this deadly dagger look in his eyes. I looked down at his hand to see a baseball bat. I pointed to it and his eyes followed my finger to the bat and back again.
“Is that meant for me?” I asked with an innocent tone. Channeling old Dian trying to play the role of the naïve fool.
“You take everything don’t you Ian.” He said his voice was hardly above a whisper. It was rough and raw with emotions. He looked up at me and his eyes were red and swollen as if he was crying all night or something. My eyes went to the bat again as his hand tighten on it. “First Yoru and now Seamus.” He said and I suppressed a smile.
“I didn’t do that.” I played my part. “It was King.”
“I don’t give a fuck!” he yelled and held the bat up and pointed at me. “You are like a plague Ian.” He said and took a step towards me. “You infect everything that you touch. Just breathing the same air as you is enough to get one ill.”
“Wow Yuri did it take you all day to think of that line. Did your mommy help you come up with it. Did she say have something clever to say when you run into the mean man?” I mocked him and I saw his hand tighten on the bat again. I knew what he wanted to do. He was Yoru’s brother after all. I knew that he wanted to bash my head in. I knew that he wanted to see me bleed. He looked down at the bat and then at me again and smiled.
“Did Yoru use this on you.” He asked rubbing the bat fondly. “Did he hurt you with this?”
“Yoru never was cowardly enough use a bat. He likes blades. He liked to get close. He liked to smell the blood to taste it. Yoru wanted to feel the knife going in. I hate Yoru and even still you’re not half the man was when he wasn’t even a man at all.” I said and Yuri yelled out in a rage.
“Ummm.” We heard and we both turned to see a guy standing in the mouth of the alley. “Am I interrupting something.” He asked and I looked at Yuri after all he was the one with the bat.
“This isn’t over Ian.” He said and I smiled as he walked away. Didn’t I know it. None of this was over. Not yet anyway.