The Devil Wore My Name

VII. FAKE LIAR

Elfric didn't notice his feet as they darted off the tiled floor of the school until he bumped into Christopher on his way out.

"Whoa…Whoa," Chris called out, holding his hands up to reduce his friend's momentum.

"Where have you been all this time, and where are you going in such a rush?" he said, taking in Elfric's horrified expression, he could see that something was serious.

But his efforts weren't enough to put Elfric to a halt. Instead, he was forced to try and keep up with his friend's ridiculously long strides.

"Joanna called," said Elfric.

"Your sister," puzzled Chris. "Is there a problem back at your home? Is your mother sick?"

He tried coming up with all the possible scenarios that could have happened, as he kept up with his friend.

"I don't know, Joanna said that she is in trouble in school," Elfric growled under his breath. Preparing himself to assassinate whoever was bothering his sister. His anger from before made it worse.

"Wait, wait," Chris exclaimed as he came to a sudden stop. "I'll get our bags! Go on ahead." He watched as Elfric gave him a nod from over his shoulder, his feet never coming to a stop.

'Joanna, please stay out of trouble,' he prayed as he tightened his fists.

Though he doubted that God would listen to someone who had the devil dwelling inside his body.

~~~~

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Joanna!"

Joanna stood in front of the principal's desk with her head held low, her hands holding each other as she tried to keep herself from crying in front of Carol. Carol Frankenstein, the reason that she was there in the first place.

From her name, it was clear that she was Noble.

She never mingled with the Nobles, as there was no reason for them to cross paths. The Nobles' wing was on the complete opposite side of the school perimeter. Joanna just happened to be unlucky enough to enter through the gates at the same time as Carol was coming out.

"How could you lay your hands on a student! A Noble at that!" said Principal Liam, slamming his hands on the desk. This caused both girls to flinch from the sudden action.

"Don't you care what happens to you?"

Joanna couldn't raise her eyes off her feet. She felt the words abandon her whenever she raised her eyes to meet those of the Principal. Her fury was further ignited whenever she saw how Carol was sitting on the leather chair before the Principal's desk, clearly enjoying the misery that she had caused her.

Joanna doesn't even know her! She would have remembered if she came across a noble with blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes.

"Aren't you going to explain your vulgar actions, Miss Joanna?" he hissed again.

'What's the point?!' she screamed in her head.

She knew that this was a hopeless cause. There was no way a commoner like her could prove that Carol was wrong. She clenched her fists tight, thinking about how her brother would have reacted if he found himself in a situation like this.

Elfric, being what he is, wouldn't stand down from the fight even if he knew that he was going to lose. For a moment there, she felt ashamed.

The Principal insisted that she call her parents, and there was no way she could call her mother to come to her. So, she was left with no other choice but to call her brother.

She hated being a bother, but no matter how much she begged, he still insisted on seeing someone from her family.

"I-I never hit her," Joanna finally said. "We bumped into each other and she fell on her own." She held her breath, trying to maintain eye contact with the Principal.

"Never show them that you are scared," her brother always told her. And she did her best to live by his words, but it was always easier said than done.

"Joanna," Principal Liam sighed as he rested his head on his hands.

"I know that your father is dead and your mother is sick. But that's not an excuse for you to be A LIAR!"

The words rang hard in Joanna's chest. She felt a tear escape her eyes as the words echoed. No matter how this world worked, no matter what she did…she never deserved to be called a liar in front of someone.

"YOU ARE GOING WAY TOO FAR!"

Joanna's eyes went wide as she heard the comfortable voice she heard every morning. Her head jolts upward to see her brother's familiar broad frame towering in front of her, protecting her from the eyes of the real criminals.

"R-Rick," She mumbled under her breath in relief. She saw in the corner of her eyes her brother's hands extend to the back, and she gladly took them. Allowing the warmth of it to calm her wrecked nerves.

"Are you her brother?" said the Principal. His stares at Elfric couldn't go unnoticed, but he wouldn't blame him. He had nothing in common with his sister other than his left honey-colored eye. 

Carol had her jaw dropped. Joanna could see the hint of flush that came to her cheeks. That's the effect he has on teenage girls, she thought, and hated the fact that someone like her was checking her brother out.

"Yes, I'm," said Elfric firmly.

"Then you should be well aware of what your sister did!" yelled the Principal.

Joanna flinched as she closed her eyes. She never felt her brother tremble or back down. Instead, he wasn't backing down.

"Would you be as kind as to tell me what it is that my sister has done?" said Elfric as he narrowed his eyes.

"She pushed Miss Carol to the ground! Don't you see the bruises on her knees?!" he exclaimed, pointing down at Carol, who was pretending to be hurt. 

"But Rick…" Joanna muttered.

"Last I checked, Joanna also had the same bruises on her knees," Elfric stated, holding his composure.

Inside, he felt his blood boil into thin air. For something so stupid, a ruckus was made all because that girl was a noble while his sister was just another lowly commoner.

"Shouldn't Joanna be unscathed if she was indeed the one who pushed her down?" The last words felt like poison in the skin.

Carol ground her teeth in fury, throwing a glare at the principal, who was losing the conversation. He cleared his throat.

"Y-you have nothing to prove your speculations," he stuttered.

Elfric snorted. "And do you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"S-She is suspended for 3 days and that's final!" exclaimed the principal. "Now leave before you cause any more trouble for yourself!"

Carol didn't wait another minute before hurrying out of the office. Joanna could see the displeased look on her face as she slammed the door behind her before she half-dragged her brother out of the office. The killer's look on his face displayed how he was strangling the old man in his head a thousand times.

Elfric finally shifted his attention to his sister as soon as the door hid the principal from his sight.

"Are you alright?" he breathed out, squatting down to his sister's level. Scanning her for any wounds.

He frowned when he saw the wounds on her knees. Despite his anger, his grip on her was nothing but gentle, like it had always been.

"That bastard!" he muttered under his breath. "Just because of that bit.."

"BROTHER!" she interrupted before he cursed further. "You could get in trouble!"

"Tsk…" said he. "Fine, get your bag. I will take you home."

~~~~

Crane's eyes jolted up as the door to his office was slammed open. Before he could scold whoever was there, he was greeted with the ruined appearance of Zeph. Blood spattered on his white shirt, his always perfectly combed red hair was now a mess atop his head.

"What the hell happened?" Crane questioned as his eyes scanned his ravished servant's state.

"H-He has got Orathan!" exclaimed Zeph as he fought for his breath.

Crane took his time taking a sip of the whiskey that was in his hand before sending the cup smashing on the wall behind Zeph, glass shattering on the rage beneath the expensive furniture. Zeph stood unmoving, foreseeing his Lord's reaction.

"All of those idiots couldn't catch a mere teenager!" his tone gradually increased as he jolted to his feet; the wheeled chair was sent banging to the wall behind him.

"W-What are your orders, My Lord?" Zeph hesitated, watching Crane fall with a loud thud on his chair again.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose between his fingers in an attempt to help him think.

"If we can't have Orathan alone," he murmured. "Then we get both of them."