A/n
The 'e' is silent in Duante.
(pronounced as doo-aunt)
~~~~
"What's going on here?" A cold, clear voice echoed through the crammed corridor and, immediately, all chatter wound down to a deathly silence. The people, who were earlier watching two guys beat up two juniors, cheering them on chanting "fight, fight, fight," stopped and dropped their eyes to their feet.
The two boys engaged in the fight froze, and looked towards the source of the voice, their eyes burning with rage; ready to challenge whichever mindless fucker dared to intervene.
From the end of the corridor came the four famous students of Kaynhar Uni, the Kings. The crowd parted for them almost in a daze.
In the lead was the young Prodigy of Kaynhar Uni, Aqil Abeer Faiz. Only a year away from being the future Student Union President, he was an undisputed genius who was loved by his peers (secretly hated, of course) and a national level violinist. Almost always seen in a formal shirt and pants, pressed to perfection without the trace of a crease or speck of dirt, no matter how long or humid the days, Aqil was the epitome of every parent's ideal son and every teacher's ideal student.
Beside him stood the Protector, the one feared by every bully in Kaynhar Uni, Duante. Though he was the most approachable of all four Kings, when he wasn't smiling – like right now – it was easy to mistake him for a delinquent, with his long messy hair and the lines and lines of tattoos covering both his arms. The fact that he liked dressing in a rather rebellious fashion didn't help either. But everyone who knew him knew he was the best friend anyone could ask for – loyal to a fault, and ever ready to engage in a fight to protect those in need.
While the Prodigy and the Protector were shooting cold glares at the two bullies, the other two Kings weren't the least bit interested in the high tension that was felt by everyone else present. Those two had come to a halt by their lockers, chatting amongst themselves, unbothered by how their voices reached all ears in that now silent corridor. And though I say they, it was mostly one of them doing the talking, while the other was wordlessly listening.
"... she asked me if I had Justin Timberlake's number, and I was like – girl, if I had his number, do you really think I'd share it?" said Yamata Shohei, aka, the Celebrity. A professional model by the age of fifteen, a philanthropist by the age of seventeen, and the owner of a shamelessly confident personality since birth, he lived the life everyone dreamed of. People everywhere were lining up to either befriend him or date him; after all, who else could rock an emerald necklace with a t-shirt and jeans?
"What's so special about Justin Timberlake?" came a dry reply. Leaning against the lockers, with his hands folded over his chest, was Drayden Hawthorne, the King of the Kings. Heir to one of the biggest business empires in the country, he was the coldest and the most arrogant of the four. Yet, people couldn't help but be awed by him. He was a mystery, in all sense of the word. Reserved yet straightforward with his peers, charming to his teachers, bold and professional for the public, ruthless with his enemies, no one knew what his real face was. The curiosity drove people crazy!
Shohei gasped, "Are you blind?" He pulled out a few books from the locker and frowned at the cover. "How am I going to pass accountancy, Dray? Did you understand anything from..."
Drayden blocked him out, without quite meaning to, as his gaze shifted towards his two friends who were now the center of attention, standing shoulder to shoulder in front of the bullies who must have been their senior.
"Who the fuck do you think you are, huh?" One of the seniors, the one with a mohawk and an unkempt beard, shouted before lunging at Aqil, who sidestepped effortlessly and kicked him in the shin, for good measure. The senior fell to the ground with a loud crash.
"Dean's office, tomorrow morning at nine," Aqil said, his voice calm as always. "I'll see you there."
The guy on the floor let out a howl and was about to launch another attack when two of his friends from amongst the assembled crowd stepped in and grabbed his arms, restraining him. "Benz, stop!"
"Let me go, you fuckers –"
"We're trying to help you –"
Aqil ignored them and turned to the remaining senior. "Take your friend and get the hell out of here."
He hesitated. Being publicly humiliated by a junior was bound to leave an indelible mark of shame on his reputation, but it was better than messing with the Kings. He saw Duante glowering at them, and further away he could see Drayden Hawthorne looking at him with an impassive glare.
The senior caught his friend and walked out as fast as he could. "You better watch your back, Faiz," the one with the mohawk shouted as he was led off.
The audience gasped at such a bold remark but Aqil ignored it.
A petite girl with a bright face stepped forward, and everyone recognized her as one of the members of the current Student Union. "I'll go report them to the Disciplinary Committee."
Aqil gave her a curt nod. "Can you also raise the issue of replacing these useless CCTV cameras with ones that actually work?" He added.
She fumbled, but only for a second. "Yes, it's... it's on our agenda. We'll definitely get it done." She then turned to the crowd of people, "What are you all standing here for? Move along!" Her voice carried through the corridor, breaking the silence that had descended on the students crowding in for the show.
As the gaping audience awakened, life, chatter and movement returned to the corridor. You couldn't really blame them for the daze they were in, could you? Every young person in the city of Raumah knew that, no matter what, you do not mess with the Kings. It was only natural that people stopped whenever they moved, fell silent when they spoke, and couldn't help but be intoxicated by the ambrosia that seemed to surround the Kings and all that they did.
"Are you okay?" Duante asked, kneeling in front of the two juniors who were sitting on the ground, bruised and a little bloody. They nodded vehemently, avoiding his gaze. Duante briefly glanced at his watch. "Nurse Myra must still be here. Go to the infirmary and get your wounds checked." He advised the dumbstruck pair.
The boys nodded again and slowly got to their feet.
Aqil came to stand beside Duante. "Please go report it to the Disciplinary Committee."
"It's not... it's not necessary," one of them said. His eyes wide and fear written all over his features.
Duante gave them a genuine smile, trying to reassure them. "Don't worry, I'll have a word with the coordinator on your behalf, she knows me. No one's going to hurt you. You have to stand up to bullies; today they hurt you, tomorrow they'll hurt someone else. Someone has to step up and stop this chain of violence, right?"
The boys reluctantly nodded.
"Give me your names and departments," Aqil said. "Then you can go get your wounds cleaned. The infirmary should be open." He checked his watch as he spoke.
"You're not listening to me, are you?" Shohei cried, throwing an arm around Drayden's shoulder. A few people around them gasped at the gesture, and then scurried along, talking in hushed voices.
"Of course not," Drayden replied, and then turned to Shohei. "Are you done? Let's go."
The two had barely taken a step when a girl walked up to them and Drayden recognized her as one of their classmates.
"Hey, Shohei," she began, smiling shyly.
"Hi, Grecia," Shohei grinned. "What's up?"
"Uh..." She shot a glance at Drayden whom Shohei had hooked to his side, then shook her head and returned her focus to Shohei. "Last night was fun."
Shohei let out a laugh. "I'm glad you had fun."
"Do you, uh, do you wanna hang out again this weekend?"
His smile vanished. "Er... I can't, I'm not free. I have a... a..."
"Fundraiser event," Drayden prompted coolly.
"Yes, a fundraiser event this weekend."
"Uh... do you... are you taking someone to that?" Grecia asked.
"Yes, I already asked someone, I'm sorry," Shohei gave her a helpless smile.
"Oh," she nodded. "It's okay. I'll uh, see you around."
Drayden let out a dramatic sigh after she left. "Why do you keep going out with girls you don't even like?"
"Oh, I don't know Dray, maybe because I cannot go out with the person I like," Shohei jeered, then added, "On that note, why do you not go out with the girl you like?" He countered with a wry smile.
Drayden ignored the truth in the question.
Shohei looked into the distance and Drayden followed his gaze towards a certain boy with wild hair and dark tattoos. "Are you ever going to tell him?" Drayden asked, softly.
"He's straight," was all Shohei said in return, in an unnervingly calm voice.
Drayden said nothing.
"Let's go, we're done," Aqil called out to them, beckoning Shohei and Drayden; and the four of them walked out of the main university building together.
They were greeted by an overcast sky and strong winds.
"A storm's coming," Shohei sighed.
"It's not the season for storms," Aqil frowned. "And people still think climate change is a myth." He added, shaking his head solemnly.
As if on cue, lightning flashed through the sky and loud thunder followed. Shohei flinched and involuntarily took a step back, bumping into Duante.
Duante chuckled lightly.
Shohei shot him a fake glare, and then huffed and stepped away from him.
"I have to go pick up Aria from her music class," Drayden said as he hurried down the stairs. "I'll see you guys later."
"I'll hurry along too, I hate the rain," Aqil said, running after his friend, waving as he left.
"Do you want a lift?" Shohei turned to Duante.
"It's fine, I brought my bike."
Shohei rolled his eyes. "Does your bike have a rain cover by any chance?"
"It's not going to rain..." Duante broke off as drops of rain began to fall at their feet.
"Come on!" Shohei caught Duante's wrist and pulled him down the stairs and towards the parking lot. "I'll send someone to come and get your bike later, how's that?"
"Whatever you say, Soho-san," Duante chuckled, letting his friend drag him.
The rain came down harder as the two got into Shohei's car. Duante smiled as the familiar scent of fresh leather and expensive perfume washed over him. He looked over at Shohei who squeezed his eyes shut and clasped his hands over his ears as another flash of lightning burst through the sky.
Everyone was afraid of the Kings, the four untouchable boys from Raumah. They saw the gold lining of their crowns, the curves of their smiles and their polished diamond hearts. But only the four Kings knew the true weight of the gold, the stakes behind their smiles and the quivering of their hearts. The higher the pedestal, the more difficult it was to maintain your footing.
And greater was the fall.
As the rain pelted down harder and harder, the thin sheet of paper that someone had wedged onto the seat of Duante's bike – a mess of letters cut out of different magazines and newspapers that spelt out a warning, a battle cry, a death threat – slipped and fell on the ground, beside a small pool of dirty grey water, melting into nothingness, unseen by anyone, much less it's intended target.
A storm was coming.
.
.
A/n
This was an overall stage-setting kinda chapter, the real drama starts from the next chapter eep!!
Stay tuned - nefelibatanSoul and I have good stuff planned mwahahahhahaaa