average human’s Reviews > Hectic Elements: Fairview Academy Book 1 > Status Update

Aletha
You couldn’t even text me happy birthday?
First you move out of Paulos Estate, then you just disappear. When did you become so selfish?

Blinking, the text is a kick to the gut.
No word from her. Not one word for an entire month.
And this is what she says.
She didn’t even bother texting me happy birthday. I’d been debating all day whether I wanted to or not.
We’d been born two hours apart – me before midnight on March the 9th, and her after midnight on March the 10th.
Twins, but we had different birthdays.
Twins, but we’d never been close. Not like I’d deluded myself into thinking.

Sinta
They kicked me out, I didn’t choose to leave.
And you didn’t say happy birthday either.

Setting the phone on the counter a little harder than necessary, I blow out a breath.
Something moves near the patio doors.
“Penelope?” I exclaim, tensing.
She gives me a tentative smile, stepping further into the house. “Hi, Sinta.”
“What are you doing here?” I question, looking to the sliding glass door she’d come through. “How did you even get in?”
I was sure that door had been locked, and the house was warded.
“Magic is a wonderful thing.” She murmurs, watching me with wide guileless eyes that were just a little too innocent. “Don’t you think?”
“I… I wouldn’t know.” I mutter, taking her in.
She’s dressed in expensive clothes just like usual, her hair and makeup flawless, her posture refined.
But there was something…. Off. Something that had my dragon rising, peering at this girl with an avid distrust.
It was like she had this manic energy. Something felt fundamentally off.
Broken.
Tilting her head, blonde ringlets falling over a shoulder, she hums a sound and examines the kitchen with a detached gaze. “Yes, I suppose you wouldn’t. You’re powerless. Weak.”
Her words aren’t aimed to hurt.
She sounds like a robot. Emotionless.
Everything in me is screaming to get out of the kitchen, to get away from her.
My dragon is puffing smoke within me, tense, her eyes wide like a horse sensing danger.
“Penelope, what are you doing here? You have to leave; this isn’t your House.” I tell her, my voice low.
“I can’t leave.” She mutters. “I started watching you weeks ago, you know? I had the perfect plan. Until I realised Aletha didn’t give a shit about you.”
My eyes wide, my chest seizing, it takes a solid minute for her words to penetrate. Then I’m wondering if I should be panicking or preparing for the worst.
“Watching me for what, Penelope?” I question.
Not daring to move and attract her attention, I look to my phone just a few inches from my hand.
“She doesn’t care about you, I realised. She doesn’t even know you are here.” Scoffing, shaking her head, Penelope waves a lazy hand. “I shouldn’t be surprised, that bitch is beyond selfish. But I understand why she doesn’t associate with you – if I were a unicorn with a twin like you, I wouldn’t either.”
“I suppose that makes sense.” I agree, but it’s like she’s not even listening to me now, her gaze turned inward.
She’s lost in her own thoughts, and I don’t know if I should run for it or go for my phone.
I don’t know this girl, I don’t know what she can do. There are too many factors and double the risks.
“That’ll change. I left her a nice little letter telling her about you, and what I’m going to do. I hope it at least makes her feel bad.” Penelope hums. “But she’ll be furious when Grande keeps her promise, and that will make me happy.”
“What promise?” I demand, slowly sliding my hand along the counter for my phone.
Wide manic eyes suddenly focusing on me, the pale blue void of any natural emotion, she smiles softly. “My father has many children, you know? And my family has been allied with House Earth and Bronze for thousands of years. My mother is High Lady Dalimia’s closest confidante.” Face tightening, eyes narrowing, Penelope takes a step further into the kitchen. “But I’m the one that angered the Princess. I’m the one that lost my position. Now our business is going bankrupt. I have to fix it. I need to fix it. I begged her for a chance, and she gave me one. She promised me.”
“Penelope.” I breathe, my fingers brushing the edge of my phone. “Whatever she promised you, it isn’t worth it—”
Screaming in pain, I yank my hand to my chest and stumble back, blood dripping down my arm.
Penelope holds up another blade of ice, twin to the one imbedded in the counter, her features creased with fury. “You don’t get it!” She screams, her sanity gone. “She controls everything. If I don’t fix it, if I don’t kill you for her, my entire family will fall. I have to do this!”
“You don’t.” I cry, backing away. “You could go to Imelda. She can help you—”
“House Fire and Gold can’t help me. The Houses do not interfere in each other’s business.” She sneers. “All I have to do is kill you, and she’ll give me my position back and oust Aletha. She’ll reverse the damage to my father’s business, my mother will be by the High Lady’s side again. All I have to do, is get rid of you.”
“I am under the protection of Princess Imelda and Prince Rapid.” I blurt out, backing away further when she reaches the counter. “Even if you do kill me, they’ll kill you. You won’t get your position; your family will fall anyway.”
“Princess Grande is stronger than them both. She’ll protect me.” She insists, rounding the counter. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to hurt you. It’s not you I’m angry with.”
Backing further away, moving towards the hall behind me, I shake my head at her. “You are trying to kill me, Penelope. Kill me.”
She pauses, nodding. “Yes. But I’ll make it quick. Painless.”
As if that made it all better.
“I wanted to hurt Aletha, but she’s Grande’s new favourite. I can’t touch her. You would understand, if you were powerful. Power is everything.”
“It’s not worth your life.” I refute, my hand screaming in pain, my shirt soaked with my blood.
“No.” She murmurs, raising her hand. “But it is worth yours.”
The ice shard extends into a long jagged spear, sharp and razored, blood from her hand dripping down the blade.
It’s gruesome, and horrifying.
Heart in my throat, panic thumping in my ears, my limbs shaking, I try to plead with her.
“You can stop – you don’t have to do this.” I beg. “It’s Grande, Penelope. Do you really think she will keep her word?”
“She has to. She promised.” She murmurs with a chilling smile. “Stay still, yes?”
No.
Turning, I make a break for the hallway.
I’m not fast enough.
I’m swept up and slammed into a kitchen cupboard.
I scream in pain, crumpling to the floor, but I shove myself away from the spear she thrusts towards my head.
“I said I don’t want to hurt you. Why don’t you get that!” She screams, coming after me as I scramble away from her, back into the kitchen.
I’m tossed again, sent flying over the counter.
My head slams into the marble top, pain splintering across my temple.
I can’t grab hold of anything, dragged along the floor and hurled into every available surface.
I’m scraped and jabbed and slammed into objects. I’m bleeding, writhing in pain, struggling to think.
She hoists me into the air with a deranged laugh and slams me into the ceiling, pinning me there.
“This could have been painless.” She sighs, shaking her head.
“Fuck… you….” I rasp, my head spinning.
Suddenly I’m weightless, and gravity drags me down.
I’m dumped onto the floor before her, the wind knocked out of me.
Coughing, gasping, my lungs refuse to work.
Kicking out weakly, I strike at her legs.
I somehow land a strike just as she takes a step.
She stumbles, falling against the counter.
I flip over onto my feet.
Her spear pierces my thigh with a blinding sting of pain, my leg buckling as I scream, collapsing against the counter beside her.
She tries to land a hit to my face, the punch strong but sloppy.
I block it and twist, elbowing her in the joint of her shoulder.
“Fucking bitch.” She snarls, her hand thrusting into my hair, slamming my head into the counter.
I scream, ripping at her hand, kicking out with a leg.
It’s like all of my training has fled and I’m left scrambling for my life.
Managing to grab hold of her hair, I slam her head against the counter.
Leveraging upwards, I grab her with both hands, frantically slamming it down again.
She’s screaming, cursing, and lets go of my head to thrust a hand into my middle.
Something tears at my skin, ripping into me.
Releasing her to stagger back, I clutch the wound.
Shards of ice cut my palm.
She flies at me, the spear raised, and I don’t know how I manage to dodge her wild hits.
I don’t have time to think. I barely have time to fight back.
Grappling, I catch the spear in both hands, locked in a deadly tug of war as we fight over the weapon, spinning around the kitchen.
“Let go!” She barks, slamming a heel into my calf.
Grunting, I wrench her forward and head butt her.
Yelling a curse, she stumbles back but doesn’t release the spear.
Risking her wrestling it from me, I rear back a fist and slam it into her jaw.
Her head wrenches to the side.
But she doesn’t let go.
Abruptly spinning it, she manages to rip it from my hands.
“Just die!” She roars and thrusts a hand towards me.
Her magic flings me about, tumbling me across the floor only to then drag me back to fall in a heap at her feet.
Surging upwards, I manage to catch her in the stomach with a fist, then dodge the swipe of her spear.
She catches my foot, tripping me, sending me crashing into the sink.
It jostles the wound in my stomach.
I scream my pain, my dragon arching inside me, both of us hurting.
I reach for her, pulling, trying to draw her strength.
But I’m too panicked, I can’t concentrate, and I pull something else.
Something that brings more pain.
Arching, screaming, something cracks in my spine.
Just as Penelope thrusts her spear into my shoulder.
My dragon rears, trying to reach me, her claws shredding my organs.
Sobbing, pinned to the counter, my spine feeling as though it was being ripped apart, I desperately run my hand over the surface.
I’d been cutting mushrooms – where was the knife.
Too far away.
The mushroom.
Head rolling, half mad with the pain, I look for the chopping board.
It's been knocked away, the slices of mushroom scattered, almost too far for me to reach.
Almost.
“This could have been so easy. I hate it when lower borns don’t understand their place.” Penelope seethes, jostling the spear.
I yell, my fingers missing a mushroom slice by inches.
The pain comes again, my spine bulging with each crick and crack, a crippling burn spreading to my arms.
My injured hand burns like it’s on fire, the pain unbearable.
But it’s no longer a hand.
It’s a green scaled four-fingered paw, with long wicked black claws.
I don’t even think about it.
Roaring a battle cry, powering through the pain, I rake those claws down Penelope’s face.
She falls back, screaming, the spear going with her.
Jolting, crying out, I shove myself up.
Lunging down the counter, my injured leg dragging, I scoop up slices of mushroom and turn to meet her.
She’s already flying back towards me, screaming, my claw marks dripping red down her face.
My clawed hand grabs the spear.
Green fire races up my arm.
And it snaps in two.
Holding one half of the weapon, she goes for my stomach.

Roaring a battle cry worthy of a Valkyrie, I side-step the hit and grab her by the throat.
And lift.
She dangles in my grip, spasming.
I shove my free hand over her mouth, forcing her to swallow the Dethsol.
Choking, trying to shake me off, she conjures another wind and slams me into the floor, holding me there.
My limbs pinned, unable to move so much as a finger, I growl and struggle against it.
But the magic is as immovable as concrete.
I couldn’t fight her if I wanted to.
Something’s happening. My dragon is roaring, thrashing, expanding within me. My skin pulls tight with excruciating pain.
Screaming, tensing, my head tossing with the unbearable agony, I writhe on the floor.
Shake with tremors. Seize with wave after wave of pain.
Pressure builds within my skull, pushing outwards, my eyes rolling as if they might burst.
Burning magma floods my insides, smoke billowing from my mouth.
“Fucking pathetic.” Penelope sneers, kicking my stomach.
I heave, curling up, shaking.
Raising a jagged spear shard, triumphant, she beams down at me. “Goodbye, Sinta.”
She thrusts it downwards just as lightning riddles my back, my body jolting sideways, my mouth gaping in a silent scream.
“What—” I hear her choke, the spear falling by my head.
Veins of purple crawl over her jaw, her neck swollen, greyish foam leaking from her mouth.
Collapsing, she seizes at my side, those manic eyes staring into mine – desperate with a familiar plea.
The same thing I begged for.
Mercy.
But it’s too late. She’s dying.
Writhing in agony, both of us suffering, she stops breathing long before I do.
The weight of her magic evaporates.
But I cannot rise.
I writhe and arch and scream for hours or minutes, lain next to a corpse, the pain wrecking my mind.
Everything feels like it’s tearing. Some wild creature is shredding my limbs and dipping them into vats of scorching acid.
I don’t know how long it goes on for. I don’t know how much blood I lose, or what is even happening.
I whimper a pathetic sound, echoed by my dragon, her body twisted and deformed within me.
The last thing I remember is a head of fiery red-bronze curls, and a familiar face.