"Lass, it's about time you got up, aye?"
Allistor's voice cut sharply through my dream, causing my eyes to snap open. I sighed and rolled over to face the fiery haired male, immediately regretting my decision.
"Allistor! Put a shirt on! Aye yi yi..." I ordered, covering my eyes as he laughed. I heard the fabric of his shirt brush over his shoulders as he pulled it on, along with the swipe of his cigarette being lit. I hesitantly looked back to him, groggily rubbing my eyes as I flopped out of bed. I rubbed the scar on my arm as I trudged tiredly to the closet, fingers brushing along the outfit I'd set out for today. Allistor waved a quick goodbye and stepped out of the room, leaving home to get changed as I heard his footsteps get farther and farther away.
I pulled on my neatly ironed grey skirt, along with a black dress shirt. I then slid on the creamy white vest I had, securing a tie over it as I fixed the buttons. I undid my soft brown hair and let it flow freely down my back, pinning a small grey flower near my left ear. I smiled at the mirror as I packed up my art supplies, grabbing the painting of Allistor off of the easel before heading toward the door. I looked out the windows lining the hall as I walked, seeing that the sky was a greenish orange color. It was likely due to the high frequency of bombs being dropped, but I'd never seen the color so dense before. I didn't think anything of it, however, stepping into the elevator with a yawn. There were two other individuals in the elevator along with myself, a blonde female I recognized as Gabriella although I didn't know her too well, and Lorenza's brother, Lorenzo.
"If it isn't Raven herself! Long time, no see." He grinned, reaching out to shake my hand. I took his hand with a laugh, offering a small smile to Gabriella as well. Lorenzo was a nice guy, but he and his sister fought a lot. She didn't really like me being around him, as he and I did share a dalliance not too long ago, though it wasn't serious. So, in turn, we only hung out when she was on trips. They resembled each other fairly well, both with the same lively hazel eyes. His hair was dark, and he always had it swept messily to the side, but Lorenza's hair was a tad lighter.
"Well, you know Lorenza. She'd kill me if she knew I was ever this close to you."
"You're not lying." He grinned, flashing the same charismatic smile he always wore. The elevator came to a slow stop and we all stepped out, Gabriella nodding a farewell as she waded off into the large crowd to her first class of the day.
I wouldn't see Allistor until my third class of the day, so I figured I'd just hang out with Lorenzo until then. We both had advanced arts first, which I was still nervous about. I really hoped Jessê didn't screw up my other work. Even if I was confident in 'Smeraldo Occhi e un Cielo D'autunno,' the painting I did of Allistor, I still put a tremendous amount of planning and effort into my other work.
"Raven?" Lorenzo inquired, snapping me out of my trance. "Is anyone in that head of yours?"
I couldn't help but to laugh, but found myself quickly overcome with the same gloomy feeling I had only moments ago. Lorenzo's lips curved in a small, concerned frown, slinging his briefcase over his shoulder as we walked. I couldn't lie to him and say I was okay, so I only sighed. He nodded as if he understood, not even asking why I was so down. That was another thing I liked about Lorenzo. He knew when to ask questions and when to keep his mouth shut.
He held the door open for me as we entered the main area of the campus, quickly engulfed in the swarm of students rushing to get to their first classes. The room was alive with various accents and languages, although English and Italian were the most predominant. As I said before, Italy wasn't involved in the war, so allot of people came here from other countries in hopes of starting a new life.
It was honestly surprising how gracious our officials were when granting foreigners into our homeland, but I didn't have a problem with it. As long as the immigrant wasn't F.B.D positive and entered the country legally, no one protested it, to be honest.
I'm getting ahead of myself, I apologize. F.B.D stands for 'Feral Black Death.' It's a super virus, with no known cure. It mutilates the cells of the host and changes the chromosomes, which eventually creates an extremely contagious beast with unreal strength. It's a constantly mutating virus, which makes it all the harder to cure. It first broke out in The Netherlands, but the world is so wrapped up in WW3 that no one even bothered with it. There's not too many cases, only about 200, so it's been ignored primarily.
It was then I saw Jessê across the hall, and to my horror, he was walking out of the art room. The look on his face was one of halcyon, a mischievous smile stretching across his lips when he saw I was looking right at him.
"Well look at that." Lorenzo grinned. "It would appear that Mr. Santiago is checking you out."
"Is not!" I grumbled in response, pushing him lightly and approaching Jessê with a rising sense of anger in my stomach. Lorenzo stuck beside me smirking wildly, but Jessê ran off before I got to him. I lowered my head in defeat as he did so, knowing there was no use in chasing the boy.
"Mrs. Antonelli! Mr. Lombardi!"
The voice of my art professor was harsh, sending both Lorenzo and I sprinting into the classroom as he called us out.
"Mr. Falco," I began, drawing in a sharp breath as I snapped open my massive briefcase. "I can explai-"
"Nonsense Mrs. Antonelli, you're not in trouble!" He laughed, and I then exchanged confused glaces with Lorenzo, who looked bewildered. Anyone who was even a second late on mid-terms day usually never heard the end of it. "I just needed you in here while I bragged on you to the rest of the class. Don't worry, your boyfriend was kind enough to turn it in for you."
"B-Boyfriend?" I stammered, feeling myself redden with embarrassment as hushed whispers clouded the air around me.
"I'd assume that much." He claimed nonchantly, motioning behind him, where he'd hung the large painting, 'Fuoco-volare Amore.' I almost passed out when I saw it, and what Jessê had done. He'd drawn himself. And not only that, it was beautiful. You would never be able to tell it was done by two artists. He copied my style almost perfectly. His dark hair was blown about in the wind as he stood protectively against me, deep brown eyes casting a warm gaze down at me. His long coat he wore pooled around him, one of his hands intertwined in mine.
"Oh, so you're interested in him too?" Lorenzo grinned, patting my shoulder as Mr. Falco continued his rant about the amazing painting. I cast him a sharp glare and clenched my teeth, nails digging into his arm as I grasped it tightly.
"You know I don't."
"Mama Mia, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He said in surrender, and the rest of the class looked away in shame. Everyone knew I had a decent temper, but I only got really mad when the subject was centered completely on me and made me look like a fool. I hated being criticized or proven wrong in public.i
I could feel the heat on my cheeks as I looked back to Mr. Falco, who was stunned by my actions. I felt hot tears drip down my cheeks, turning away with a frustrated sigh.
"Ravenna, I'm sor-"
"Save it." I snapped, pushing past Lorenzo before he could finish. I stormed out of the classroom without another word, tears intensifying as I did so.
"...Raven?"
It was then I felt someone grasp my arm, sending a wave a shock through my body. I spun around to meet the concerned brown eyes of none other than Jessê himself, who looked awful surprised to see tears streaming from my own eyes. I tried to pull away from him but he refused to let go, grip strengthening as I tried to escape.
"Shut up," I sobbed, feeling increasingly embarrassed with each second that passed. "Just shut up."
"This isn't about... Oh jeez, Raven, I'm sorry." He said, voice dropping to a soft tone. I frowned and turned away, but he pulled me back to face him. "I really didn't mean to offend you..."
"Jessê, please. Just leave me alon-"
He cut me off by pulling me into his arms, causing me to tense up immensely. The mesh of his rugby jersey felt weird against my skin, and I could feel his soft breathing against me.
"I'm sorry. I had to admit my liking for you somehow... I didn't know it'd embarrass you so badly... I apologize..."
"J-Jessê..." I stammered, pushing away from him with a slight bit of force. "The only r-reason it bothered me so much is b-because... I l-like you allot, and I didn't think you f-felt the same... I thought you did it t-to mock me..."
"No, no, that's not why at all..." He said, face red with embarrassment as well. "But I have to go. I was supposed to get the rugby equipment, I'll get in trouble if I don't get back soon."
I nodded and begun to turn away, but he quickly spun me back into another quick hug. He ran off without another word, leaving me speechless in the hall.
"Umm, Mrs. Antonelli?" I heard Mr. Falco say awkwardly. I took a hesitant swallow and turned to face him, surprised to see him looking so sympathetic. "Why don't you just go relax for this period, alright?"
I nodded and refused to stay a second longer, offering a faint smile as I turned away. I proceeded to walk past the gym, where I caught a glimpse of Jessê as he walked outside for the daily rugby scrimmage.
I eventually found myself walking slowly back to my dorm room, filled with astonishment and embarrassment. I knew I wouldn't hear the end of this, and it'd spread fast.
My steps felt heavy and sluggish, and I was relieved when I found myself back in front of my dorm room. I opened the door with a quick turn, startled when I heard a groaning noise from the kitchen. I became much more hesitant then, steps light and worry some.
"L-Lorenza?" I said shakily, peeking into the kitchen ever so carefully. Sure enough, there she was, but her back was turned to me as she peered into the fridge.
"Umm... Lorenza?"
I said it a little louder this time, but she still never responded. She didn't even acknowledge my presence.
"Lorenza, are you alrig-"
It was then I was cut off by the tear of flesh, causing a nauseated feeling to wash over me. The flesh started to pool around her feet in large chunks as a new coat of black scaly skin grew over her. I felt bile rise to my throat as I stood paralyzed there, watching as my friend was slowly turned into a monster. I knew all to well what is was, but didn't have the guts to admit it. This should've never happened.
It was then the smell of rotted skin finally got to me, and I couldn't help throwing up all over the tan tiled floor. Huge mistake. It caught the attention of the beast who was once an innocent young girl, and it made me want to vomit again just looking at her.
Her eyes were filled with blood that drizzled slowly down her ripped, scaly face, that was tainted with fragments of leftover human skin. Her bones were exposed in some areas, including her right arm and neck. Her mouth was cut horrendously to both ends. Teeth sharp daggers that hooked inwards like that of a eagle's beak.
Feral Black Death.