"Ke'Undre Wolf fun fact: I've actually never been to a museum."
"Really?" Kimmy asked, taken aback as they, along with a handful of fellow students, walked through the parking lot towards the main building of the high school. They marched up cement flight of stairs in front of the cafeteria as Kimmy asked, "And you've lived here for how long?"
"All my life."
"Wow. You've never even been to the science museum in Hot Springs? I must have gone there about-" she cut herself off to start counting off her fingers.
"Okay, no need to rub it in," he groaned. "After seeing the 'museum-'" he used exaggerated quotation marks with his fingers, "in the city, I thought that just about all museums were that size."
"Kim laughed. "Are you serious? Have you never seen the huge museums on TV? Those places are almost as big as Prescott itself."
"You're... You're joking, right?"
She shook her head as the group of students behind them gave an awe-struck gasp. Parked in front of the maroon cement PHS sign was a pure white limo with deep tinted windows. A golden grill shone in the sunlight. "Dude, that's a freaking limo," one of the students said in a low voice.
For a while, nothing seemed to happen. It was as if the person inside deliberately waited until everyone's curiosity peaked before they showed themselves. Dre and Kimmy, however, already knew whose limousine it was. The question was why Rose decided to come to the school.
The driver's door opened and an older woman wearing a white tuxedo with a green vest walked around to the back end of the car, her silvery-blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Dre gulped in anticipation that Rose would rush to him, tear-stricken as she informed him of Aggaron attacking Ian. Instead, to Dre's surprise, Keiko hopped out and ran to the cement sign, smiling wide; Michael, to Francesca's displeasure, calmly exited on the other side. He turned and said something to Francesca, who nodded before reentering the car as he walked towards Keiko.
And then the rumors began.
"Devil Boy is rich?" one of the students whispered.
"He can't be," another student said. "I heard that he and that girl are orphans."
"They must've been adopted by a rich tycoon."
"Who'd want to adopt a devil worshipper?"
That one struck a nerve.
Dre spun on one foot, his fist balled tightly with negative intentions. Snarling, he turned to the student, a tall, darker student with an extremely short haircut, his fist homing towards the student like a wrecking ball freefalling from space. Before he was able to break the speaker's face, he felt a hand grip his wrist, stopping it within inches of the boy's nose. A towering shadow stood beside him, his grip so tight that Dre would be surprised to be able to budge his arm. "Don't waste your time with them," Michael said, sounding angrier than usual. "Idiots like these won't learn a lesson."
"Michael?" Dre breathed as the small group of students, now noticing Michael, collectively gasped. He looked down the hill, where both he and Keiko were dropped off. Only Keiko stood by the sign, looking around for Michael, perplexed. But that's more than twenty feet away, Dre thought as the group yelled.
"He's a freaking demon! I told ya'll!" he managed to hear from one of the retreating students. Michael scowled as he released Dre's hand.
"H-how did you get here so fast?" Kimmy asked, looking as if she'd just noticed Michael. Keiko rushed up the hill towards them.
He kept his eyes glued to the side door of the main building. "It's one of the perks of working for Death." His face softened as Keiko reached them. "He told me that he'd allow me to have full control of the Human body, so long as I do my job well." He gestured to the main building. The group started towards the building as Michael continued. "Excluding my memory, I can control how much I can use my sight, reflexes, hearing, and the strength in my arms and legs. The only thing is that even though I can control my body's output, I still have certain limitations that I can't surpass. If I do, I'll die. Painfully." Keiko whimpered beside him. Michael placed a hand on her head. "Don't worry, Pipsqueak. I'm not dying anytime soon."
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Dre asked.
"I didn't trust you. You heard what they call me. Everyone thinks I'm some devil worshipper, and I figured that if you'd saw that, you guys would think the same."
"You're forgetting that we can shoot fire from our hands," Kimmy said with a reassuring smile. "So, why did you guys come here in Rose's limo?"
"Oh, we went to Rosemarie's house earlier today," Keiko said. "I got worried because she hadn't answered any of my calls. That's why we're so late."
"Yeah, and she basically demanded that we get a ride from her butler while she went to Amity," Michael added. "She said that she was going to Ian's exam. My guess is that she's going to make amends with him."
"Good. We don't need our team to implode this early," Kimmy said as they reached the art room. The narrow, rectangular room glowed with greens and blues of a mosaic-style painting. Notes were taped to the maroon door, though Dre never paid any attention to them. "Looks like this is our stop," she said to Dre with a smile.
"I guess we'll see you at the academy then," Michael said as he waved. "Oh, and Dre?" He leaned to Dre's ear. "Go to the target range whenever you get to Amity. I've got to discuss something with you." He turned to the door, with Keiko following behind.
"What was that about?" Kim asked as she opened the door.
"I don't know."
~~~~~
The apartment had an especially somber feel since yesterday. The news played on the television, though no one but Jeremy was paying any attention to it. Chris was still in bed, his snoring echoing through the house. Jeremy, sitting on the sofa with Joel and Alisha, sat with his elbows resting on his knees as he watched the television intently. Emma and Garnet knelt in front of the coffee table; Emma read from a thick, leather-bound book as Garnet knitted, her usual cheerful humming was silent. She seemed to be knitting to take her mind off of seeing Aggaron.
Loyalty kept his eyes on his bandaged hands, distant from the melancholy atmosphere surrounding him and the ache in his lower back from sitting hunched for so long. He wasn't sure which was more disbelieving, the fact that he'd seen Aggaron, twice including the confrontation in Sylvia, or the fact that Dre, his baby brother, was the King of Elements, the champion of their people. How could this happen? Of all the people who could've been chosen, why did his little brother get chosen to fight against someone that he couldn't even scratch?
Sakura, sitting by him on the love seat, gingerly took his hand. The silver engagement ring shone on her finger, as if it tried to shine light to the darkness surrounding his mind. He struggled to keep his arm from flinching. Loyalty looked up at her grinning face, though he could see the worry in her eyes.
The doorbell rang, taking Loyalty's attention away for a second. "I'll answer it," Emma said as she strode to the door. "Oh. Good morning, Mr. Kimachi, Mr. McManus. Also to you, Mr. Wolf." A jolt of anger flashed through Loyalty as he saw the tree walking in, dressed in their usual attire. He was surprised to see Ichi in something other than a formal outfit, but that wasn't of his concern.
"How long have you known, dad?" Loyalty asked before Raheem could fully enter the room.
He gaped at Loyalty's tone. "Loyalty. Bro-" Loyalty glared at Joel, silencing him.
"I've known for a while now."
"And you didn't think to tell me?"
"Of course, I did." Anger rose from Raheem's voice. He opened his mouth to speak again until Loyalty interrupted.
"Then why am I just now hearing about it?!" Loyalty demanded, standing to his feet.
"I didn't tell you because neither of us were supposed to know! Not you, not me, no one! Not until he was ready!"
"Wait, what's going on?" McManus asked under his breath.
"Ke'Undre is the King," Ichi whispered back.
"Ah."
Loyalty barred his teeth, staying his unblinking eyes on his father. The room was quiet, save the television playing a news story in the background and Loyalty's heavy, uneasy breathing. Every eye was turned on both Raheem and Loyalty; the air was so tense that it threatened to smother them. A tear fell from loyalty's cheek. "I don't want to lose him," he said, his voice wavering. "I don't want to see my brother dead. Not before me."
Raheem closed the gap between them and placed his son's head on his shoulder. "I know, son. I know. I don't either. But we've got to be there for him. Especially since Aggaron's back so soon."
"Actually-" Ichi addressed. The room's attention shifted to him, except Loyalty's and Raheem's. "I have an announcement about that. You've seen Aggaron twice now already correct? Why would he have shown himself to you and allow you to live?" he asked.
"What are you saying? Joel questioned. "It could've been a rat-and-mouse situation. Toying with his prey before killing them."
"Not likely," McManus butt-in. "He's not the type that would just let you go so easily. If he would play with you, he'd take a limb or two as a souvenir. Dude's sick."
"While you may be right," Ichi interjected, "the point is that if Aggaron let you live, he'd torture you first. Believe me, he'd go medieval on your asses. And yet, here you are, unhurt for the most part."
"Maybe it's because he needs the renegade Sirens to help him fight," Jeremy suggested.
"And why would that be, if the only person who can hurt him is the King?" Ichi asked as he placed his hands behind his back, sneering. The room feel silent.
"Well, maybe he wants an army," McManus assumed.
"Maybe, but he wouldn't send his army to the battlefield and not demand Ke'Undre. That would be the same as attacking a castle and voluntarily leaving empty-handed."
"What if he did it to send a message?" Alisha asked. "You know, telling the world that he was back?"
"Precisely. My theory suggests that he wasn't actually there. Perplexing I know, but it wouldn't add up otherwise. I mean, has anyone even physically touched yet? Or even grazed him with your weapons?"
"No." Loyalty rose his head from Raheem's shoulders, his eyes red. "It makes sense, now. Every time I attacked, he had an Edge Walker take the hit."
"Exactly. He must be doing it for intimidation; scare his enemies to death until he regains full power and really do some damage. Looks like it worked, too."
"So, what should we do?" Sakura asked.
"Two things, actually. One is to not panic. We've got plenty of time to get you all ready to fight."
"And two?"
He and McManus grinned.
"Hey guys," Chris mumbled from the hallway, rubbing his eyes. "What's up?"
McManus simply said, "Get ready for combat."