Dance Away The Cold

[Rika]

There's no question about it.

Liesl's dark eyes stared down at her boyfriend's face in the dim light of their bedroom. She could see the lines of his face twitching ever so often, his chest heaving up and down in sometimes sporadic motions. They had been together since she was a young freshman. Three whole years of being enclosed in cold arms. Liesl's nimble fingers touched his dark hair, tugging comfortingly at a bushel of tangled strands. Her hands cupped his face-- a face that had smirked at her when conscious. A face that twisted and spat whenever a man would approach Liesl. A face that would hold joy whenever a man that approached Liesl was crushed under his feet.

Silas Kostav is in love with me.

She thought, her hands slowly withdrawing from his steady breaths. She was none too surprised that, in the dark room, Silas had grabbed her pale wrist in one quick swipe. He gave it a harsh squeeze, his mahogany eyes meeting Liesl's. That was how their early mornings usually began, and after 6:30 AM, Silas would get up and take a shower while Liesl would turn on the news and make breakfast in an apron Silas had bought her. They had reached a point in their relationship where Liesl would not have to ask any questions, or make any demands. Silas would know. And in return, Liesl would know five times more. After setting up the table for breakfast, she would grab a towel and walk in the bathroom because she knew he had forgotten.

They were cute together. Everyone would say. They're so private, like their relationship is a mystery, but you can see how much they love each other. Liesl stared in the bathroom mirror, starting to brush her long, pale hair, watching Silas' upper body shine with water.

"Put your hair in a bun today, Liesl. I like it in a bun sometimes."

He walked past her. She did not move a muscle, and tied it up in a messy bun. Undressed, Liesl walked into their bedroom and slipped on a big sweater with some cute logo on it, along with dark leggings and fuzzed boots. She walked through the small apartment, and found herself chauffeured to the school, waiting to be dropped off in silence. She stared out the window as crisp snowflakes floated onto the Earth. If it wasn't raining in their city, it was snowing. When they had arrived at their school, Liesl opened the car door, but felt that undeniable grapple on her wrist. She slowly looked back at the face of Silas, who had his eyebrows enchantingly furrowed.

"Kiss me." He demanded. Liesl bit the inside of her cheek, and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his, and found herself free to go to class. Silas worked at a well-paying construction job out of the city, but he returned at lunchtime to take his classes at school and, most of all, make sure no one dared touch Liesl. She knew. Everyone knew. No man dared. Even teachers were wary of interaction with her.

And her first hour class, Zoology, was a room filled with boys that ignored her for the most part, and a teacher that was either very late or never showed up. That was fine. Liesl walked into the classroom, petite and under the radar, and she took a seat at the left corner of the room, popping open a book. The teacher's desk was empty of course, and boys were leaned up against the wall, talking about their weekends.

"Oh, heard we were getting a new kid in this class. I hope it's a hot girl."

"I call dibs!"

"That shit doesn't even count here, Scott!"

A hot girl.. Well, that would be a change of pace. Liesl's low-lidded eyes slowly turned to see what kind of fresh new face would walk into the threshold. Either way, if it wasn't a hot girl, he would learn quick not to talk to her either. Liesl turned a page in her book, blinking as her eyes faced the words.​

 

[Gore]

d i o
​

His cheeks tingled faintly. The soft breeze, the chill of the snow drifting down, bit relentlessly at his fingers and his nose. His hands flexed. The calm of the day was so different from the bustling life he'd seen in other places.

It was fresh and nice, though. He had forgotten how quiet could be so relaxing.

His teeth clicked together behind closed lips, one corner pulling up into a little smile. Bright eyes flickered from spot to spot, before sliding back forward, onto his destination. He never failed to be alert, even with the flakes of white slowly floating down from the sky. The clouds were gray, silver with the sun's light shining through behind them.

It was a new day, and here he was, approaching the doors of the high school.

He might have looked like a sure high school student - his youthful appearance could fool any unsuspecting human into believing that. He was fair in height, though smooth in features, with subtle masculine features that fit quite nicely into the teenage demographic. He had decided that, after facing the new town, he would fit far better in the high school scene - as a senior, of course. He had just the right maturity to him to fit there.

Little did they all know, though, was that Dio had aged far beyond his appearance. His years had become a long road of jumping from location to location, to keep the appearance up. He'd always tell them eighteen, to have his own place to live, to avoid all the legal complications - and it always worked so perfectly.

And here he was again, pushing open the doors with such tiny, human force. He knew his own strength - and he knew when and how to use it. It required much care to handle a human, as they were weak beings and could break so easily.

Eyes darted to him as he passed. Heads turned. Fresh meat. Newbie. He had been through the drill. In such a tight-knit community, he only expected people to find him unfamiliar. His eyes would flicker up and meet the eyes of others on occasion, past black hair that he'd flick from his face. That caution he'd see, flaring briefly, was something he couldn't miss. He nearly craved it, so that he could smirk lightly and feel a little rush from it.

At the bases, he was alone there. He didn't mind it. Typically, he was alone. He had taken on the habit of avoiding others, avoiding attachments. It had worked most times, but others, it had failed him. He still spoke to those people.

The boy strode through the halls, ignoring, for the most part, the kids that trained their eyes on him briefly. He approached the classroom door, sliding off his winter coat as he did to reveal a simple black T-shirt underneath. His messenger bag held the typical supplies, pencils and notebooks, the usual books. He'd been through the process before, of course.

His arm stretched out and his hand gripped the door's handle, clicking it open and pushing the door forward. A small gust of warm air met him, quite a few different scents in the mix that gave his thoughts a pause at the intensities. And, of course, most everyone looked his way.

It was full of a good balance of males and females. His expression shifted from the cool smirk to a blanker expression, his features smoothing out to show nothing. He didn't stay in the doorway for long - his feet started their stride again. He was sizing up everyone his eyes laid on, tracking the scent that he detected from them, as he would be with them for a whole school year. He'd have to know what they left behind.

He always preferred the back, since most of the problematic ones sat at the front. The teacher made sure of it, always - it was a fad in high schools he had come to notice. He didn't pay attention to the stares once again, until his eyes moved from one of the boys and landed on a girl near the corner of the room.

Immediately, he began to size her up. Petite, quite obviously. Her eyes were very calm, very sure. He picked out the scent that drifted from her, one that - whoa. It jarred him a bit. It was .. very sweet? Still with that tang that humans tended to have, but it wasn't sharp or too gentle. Just .. correct. He moved back up to her eyes quite briefly before blinking and grinning, just to himself. Very interesting. Girls tended to slather on make-up and perfumes, which would often give their scents an industrial or unappealing smell, but she seemed to handle herself better.

Dio, finding the girl a nice pick out of the others to sit near, swung his bag off of his shoulder and let it drop onto the ground next to his desk, casually sliding it underneath as he sat down. Each motion was fluid, coordinated. His hands gripped the edge of the desk for a moment, orienting himself to the room's warmer temperature. It wasn't fun to get overloaded by new scents and surroundings, but he'd adjust eventually.

He pulled in a breath and exhaled, his eyes closing for a moment. Now, it was a matter of waiting for the teacher to show up. Nobody sat at the desk at the room's front, so he only assumed they'd arrive fairly soon.

 

[Rika]

She had only caught a glimpse of the new student. Liesl was well aware of the consequences of staring at him for too long. She had to be on her toes. She had to time it precisely. She had to know five times more. Her eyes devoured another page of her book, and her heart twisted in a way to remind her that today would be different. As always, Liesl was caught in a net that she had woven herself. The short glimpse at the new student was replaced with a whole group of nervous high school boys. Nervous for him. The school, ever since Silas Kostav arrived, had grown to become sympathetic towards those who were ignorant of the consequences in having interactions with Liesl Gottschalk. Even girls, as America became more and more open towards homosexuality, maybe distanced themselves from the already distant junior. And here this new boy was, sitting next to her, so very unaware of what could happen to him. Images of mangled and begging bodies coursed through Liesl's mind. She dreamed of them in the day time.

Surely, this was another student that would ignore everyone else's pleas to stop. Don't, before it's too late. Don't do that to yourself. The horror and caution became a mask on the huddled group of high school boys at the front of the room. Some stared directly at this new student and shook their heads, mouthing the word "no". Some gestured for his company to be closer to them where it was safe. Last time a new student had come into their classroom, he did as was told. He moved from the desk next to the pretty girl's into a world of understanding and safety. As long as he was there, Silas would not touch him. Liesl turned another page in her book, the very last page, and set it down, disappointed to have finished it so quickly. Through pale locks of her, Liesl's eyes traveled to the new student once more, just to see his face before it was ruined. She moved her gaze to the front of the classroom after inspection. That was a shame. He was nice to look at. That was a horrible shame. The fact that his face was so pleasant to look at, Silas would bash it until it was no longer like that. The boys at the front knew it.

"Hey, um-- Hey, new guy, why don't you come sit with us? C-Can't learn any Biology back there, you know?" One guy nervously asked, his teeth clenching as he desperately gestured the new student to come sit at the front.

"This is Zoology, you dumbass." One of the guys said, "But come on, dude, come sit with us. It's better up here. T-Trust me."

They all nodded in unison, but before any of them could badger the new student any further, the teacher walked in with a mug of coffee and a tired expression on his face. He must have been tired. This was such a taxing class after all. The middle aged man set the mug down, rubbing his eyes, and sat at the desk, turning pages in some important teacher's book. "Good morning, class. Uh, today you all should just, uh, read Chapters 14 and 15, and answer the questions on th--" He sniffed, taking a long sip of his coffee, and stared over at the new student who sat next to the untouchable Liesl. "Oh, it seems we have a new student." He became five times more cautious. That woke him up for sure. "Another boy. Big surprise there. Er, how about you stand up and introduce yourself, kid?" He set the mug down, tapping his fingers on the desk, his eyes raking the student up and down. "And-- And are you sure you don't want to sit up at the front with the other students?" He, too, was under the spell Silas had cast over the school. Despite not looking his way, Liesl was intrigued that the student hadn't caught on yet to everyone's desperation to get him to sit elsewhere. Either he hadn't caught on, or he was very brave.

Now, one might ask, why was Silas Kostav so scary? Why was everyone under his spell? Surely one of his tormented could stand and call the police. Surely someone could call Sheriff Kostav. Ha. As far as the police knew, Silas was a humble Senior in high school, taking care of his devoted girlfriend for three years. God had given Silas an impeccable, beautiful way of making people believe in him, and follow him. Kind of like Hitler. No matter. Just like every other new student, this one would learn fast. Inside of her, Liesl calmed the raging storm in hopes of Silas learning not to be so unkind. That fire had died long ago. Nonetheless, she would at least listen to this mysterious student's introduction. She could at least learn his name before he was horrifically dealt with.​

 

[Gore]

d i o​

An odd energy seemed to spike the air around him. His eyes flickered around, and caught on to the stares, finally, of the other students. And - boy, was it a surprise to see concern in their eyes. They seemed rather huddled away from where he sat - in fact, the chairs around the girl he now sat next to were fairly barren. He didn't seem to realize this until his eyes darted and his head turned subtly to the side, to observe. Strange .. his eyes moved back to the girls' face. She was buried in a book, but there was something off about her expression. It seemed determined - sure still, of something, something he wasn't sure -

"Hey, um-- Hey, new guy, why don't you come sit with us? C-Can't learn any Biology back there, you know?"

Dio's eyes darted back forward, head turning quickly to meet the rather desperate gaze of one of the boys. He gestured him to come over, jaw clenched, but his expression was .. worried? One of his eyebrows cocked up. "This is Zoology, you dumbass." One of the boys had caught on to the incorrect statement. Dio was quiet, only listening with his sharp ears. "But come on, dude, come sit with us. It's better up here. T-Trust me."

The other, too, looked concerned. All of them did, as they nodded with each other a bit vigorously. The air of desperation surrounding them now was bewildering, but at the same time, unique to him. His expression remained curiously confused, and he felt like responding - but before he could speak, the door opened again, and in came a new - well, older, technically, as the man was middle-aged - scent. He strode tiredly to his desk, and Dio's eyes were flitting everywhere. What is this? He glanced back at the small girl, but her strands of loose hair made it harder to see her face.

It was definitely the girl. There was something up with her, something that obviously made every male in the room nervous - and perhaps a few females, who seemed spaced away as well. What was so scary about her? She certainly didn't look imposing, by any means. Very petite, one of the more fragile humans, an easy kill for him. But nobody was really frightening to him, now that he thought of it -

"Good morning, class." Dio blinked out of his odd little thought trance and glanced back forward. His hands, rested on the table, tensed a little, tendons sticking out. The middle-aged man, whom he assumed was the teacher, spoke in an exhausted voice, "Uh, today you all should just, uh, read Chapters 14 and 15, and answer the questions on th - " The teacher paused then, his drooping eyes darting towards Dio. His expression seemed to tense.

Dio's eyebrows rose a bit, a tiny smile forming on his lips. The teacher realized he was new and asked him to give an introduction. And, amazingly, the teacher tacked on, "And - And are you sure you don't want to sit up at the front with the other students?" That same expression, that concern, etched onto his features suddenly.

Dio was stuck, silent for a moment. And then, the boy couldn't help but scoff, a small noise that was followed by a small, breathy chuckle. He grinned entirely to himself. This was so odd. They all looked so afraid. Whatever was so horrible, he was positive he could handle - it was just a little girl. His eyes closed as the vampire braced his hands flat on the desk and rose to full height, flashing a little grin at the students scared so stiff in their corner.

"Thank you sir, but I think I'm fine where I've chosen." He was satisfied at the silent reaction that came from it - the increase in tension in the room. Something was off, and he found himself excited to figure out what. "My name - " His eyes flickered quickly to the girl, " - is Dio Hennley. Nothing more or less than that." He glanced back forward. "I'm a senior. Pleasure to meet you all." He didn't take his eyes off of the teacher then. Eye contact was never an issue for him, and the teacher blinked in surprise at his steadiness.

The tall boy then, in the small silence that reigned, drifted back down onto his seat and reached under his desk, swiftly grabbing his bag and removing the textbook from among the supplies. His eyes flickered to the girl, for only a moment, and they seemed to meet eyes for just a fleeting second. Her eyes were colored gray, with a hint of deep violet. Quite nice.

The boy placed his textbook on his desk and flipped it open to Chapter 14. He had been interested in the study of animals for a while, since he mostly hunted them for sustenance instead of humans. Occasionally, he'd treat himself, but he tried not to be villainous and prey on the innocent. It was a happy balance for him - good natural nutrition from animals and sweetness from humans. The boy's thoughts wandered as he read sentence after sentence, quickly-paced. He had a feeling today would be eventful, feeling a spark in his stomach in excitement.

Whatever it was, he was ready to take it on.

 

[Rika]

Thank you, sir, but I think I'm fine where I've chosen.

He spoke so eloquently. Each word flowed mellifluously with the other, but held the depth of a raging waterfall. Who was this new high school student? He had said his name. He had said he was a senior. But who was he? How dimwitted could he be, to ignore the forced pleas of the boys at the front? I'm sorry, Dio Hennley. She thought, not even bothering to read the Zoology chapters the teacher told them to. Everyone knew this was a slack-off class, and the teacher just wanted everyone to be quiet and kept busy. Instead, she took out her notebook and began working on work from another class. Instead, her mind raced and her lungs tightened. One of the boys would tell Silas, for sure. Telling Silas meant being safe. And her lover would begin plotting his wrath for such a handsome face. He would hit, and hit, and hit, and if something did not go his way, he would hit harder, harder, harder. I'm sorry, Dio Hennley. The grip had tightened on her pencil as her writing became bolder.

Kkch!

Liesl set her broken pencil down in one slow motion, and stared down at her paper. I'm sorry, Dio Hennley, whose words sound like music. The air around the new student was bouncy, light-hearted, and most of all, probably confused. Sadly, probably confused. But there was more depth to it than Liesl was capable of digging into. She remembered the first time she met Silas Kostav. She thought the same thing. He wasn't like the rest of the boys. He still wasn't. And this Dio Hennley wasn't the same. The only question was.. How different was he? Her eyes flickered towards the boy, and she was caught in his gaze for a mere second, before quickly averting her own. It was obvious someone would see. And they would tell Silas. And it would be another cold, fearful night in their humble abode. Frustrated, Liesl stared down at her broken pencil, and sat the rest of the hour studying an Algebra II book instead. She didn't want to be tormented with her guilt, her thoughts, her mind. All of those people she allowed Silas to hurt. And for what? A friendly glance? A conversation? They paid the price for being intrigued? And she didn't stop him. The same fate would go for this different Dio Hennley.

Different or the same, he didn't deserve it.

None of them deserved it.

As class flew by, the bell rang and Liesl stood from her desk, gathering her books to her chest. And with that, Liesl had quickly walked out of the classroom, as if she hadn't intended of returning. She passed students among students in the hallway, finally stopping at her locker and staring into the dark tunnel stacked with books. Sometimes, she did not want any of it. She did not want to walk on egg shells, perpetually on a toe rise for the duration of her life. But what else was she to do? The unfathomable.. Liesl touched her cheek. That's what scares me.

Meanwhile, the boys had practically barricaded the entrance, their nervous faces still plastered on. Some left. Some didn't care. It's your funeral. But the ones who did care stayed behind, intrigued and fascinated by Dio Hennley. Intrigued, fascinated, and terrified. "Look, we didn't want to say this in front of Liesl, but.. you really shouldn't sit by her. Or talk to her. Or-- Or even look at her. Please. It's for your own good." One of the boys explained. "The last person that talked to Liesl Gottschalk is still in the hospital. Her boyfriend is bat shit crazy, man, crazy. If anyone even looks at that girl, they get fucked up. Really bad. It may even already be too late for you." Another boy said, anxiety raking his tone.

"D-Don't say that, dude, don't freak him out."

"Sorry. W-Well, come on, whaddya say? We're just tryin' to help, man. You just moved here, yeah? We don't wanna see another guy get near beaten to death." They all stared at the strange new student, hoping for an agreeable answer.​

 

[Gore]

d i o​

He had to admit - that little tingle of energy that shot through the room was satisfying as hell. He had done his job, egging on the tension and fear that these strange students felt for the little girl next to him. Dio sunk back down into his seat after he had concluded his introduction, watching the teacher blink in surprise before he broke eye contact with him. He let his eyes rest on the Zoology pages of his textbook, finding his place again quickly. Stares felt like pinpricks on his skin.

Dio was in trouble, and the feeling in his stomach was a clear indicator, but the adrenaline from the very thought was invigorating. He was an odd, daring little duck.

The scratching of pencils eventually started, along with light whispers and chattering, a discomforted atmosphere settling over the classroom, but not over Dio. He managed to keep his aura cool and light, having no intent on being affected by the fear of the others. There was a certain confusion that accompanied the excitement, a curiosity of sorts. There was a tenseness that had hardened, in the aura of the girl next to him. The scratching of her pencil was sharp and quick. Dio decided to keep his gaze away from her, continuing to read with a calm expression hiding an inner anticipation.

It seemed like a minute that the scritch-scratch began to get louder next to him, pressed harder, and it was barely a few seconds later that there was suddenly -

Kkch.

The snap of a pencil made his eyes flash and dart to the side. Observing, it seemed that the girl had broken her pencil - and that deeply hardened, tense expression gave him a slight idea why. He was intrigued. What about her was so impossibly scary, that many of the boys - all noticeably taller and stronger than she - were grouped away? She seemed to have been not expecting his own defiance to the fear - the tenseness did not flow with her features. The calm was natural, this was not.

Dio looked away. He let his curiosity rest for then. Even despite these spikes in thought, he was there to read up and learn a little more about his prey, not lolly-gag with strange girls and scared students.

Time ticked by. It went quickly for Dio - he had finished the two simple chapters quickly, and had scribbled down the questions with their answers with ease. By this point, he had crept on to start reading the next chapters, and was progressing at a pretty nice rate. He was in the middle of a sentence when the obnoxious bell rudely interrupted his thoughts, making his shoulders tense and his eyes flicker up immediately. Processing that the bell was the signal to let the students out to the next period, Dio relaxed quickly, blinking once. Time passed fast when you were actually invested into something.

Dio started to pack up, but felt a rush of air in front of him and a small gust of the scent of the girl next to him. He looked up fast, to catch her quickly exiting the room, not looking at anybody on the way. He had actually almost forgotten that she was even there .. and yet, people quickly moved out of her vicinity as if she had a cloud of poisonous gas surrounding her.

His brow furrowed, now feeling the confusion of some minutes ago returning. As he stood and grabbed his packed bag, he tried to brush it off. If something happened to him, something happened, and he'd handle it appropriately. However, the students, now with the girl gone, grouped around the door and all had their eyes rested on him intently, voices growing a little louder as they chattered with tones of intrigue and anxiety.

Dio blinked as the group approached, and one of the boys piped up, speaking apparently to him. "Look, we didn't want to say this in front of Liesl, but .. you really shouldn't sit by her. Or talk to her. Or - or even look at her. Please. It's for your own good. The last person that talked to Liesl Gottschalk is still in the hospital. Her boyfriend is bat shit crazy, man, crazy. If anyone even looks at that girl, they get fucked up. Really bad. It may even already be too late for you."


.. Oh.


"D-Don't say that, dude, don't freak him out," one of the other boys interjected, as if trying to defend Dio somehow from his words.

"Sorry," the other boy said. "W-well, come on, whaddya say? We're just tryin' to help, man. You just moved here, yeah? We don't wanna see another guy get near beaten to death."

Practically every student in that group then focused their eyes on him with utter, purely honest concern. Real concern. About the boyfriend of a girl. I mean, as a human, it sounded like they had a right to be frightened of this boy - he beat the shit out of a kid for speaking to his girlfriend? Did they mention him being in the hospital?

Despite these warnings, a silence filled the space around them as Dio looked honestly surprised. He just watched them, before a shift in the atmosphere made his composure break - and out of all the reactions he could have offered to them, Dio's expression cracked with a purely amused grin. His breath started to huff out in little laughs. He couldn't help it. Was that it, just one silly human being an asshole?

"Well shit, I'm terrified." Sarcasm practically dripped from his voice. One of his eyebrows had lifted, his eyes a little brighter. "Look guys - I appreciate the warning, seriously. I do." He looked around at the little group. "But it's one guy. And I promise that I know how to fight, dirty or no, and if anything comes down to that - " he shrugged, " - then honestly, that's his problem." He looked around at them again. Then, without another word, Dio walked forward and through the little crowd, feeling satisfied with how he left that. Vague and confusing. The new student pushed through the door and entered into the hall, starting a calm walk towards his next classroom.

Dio didn't know what he was getting himself into - in fact, the boyfriend could have a whole little gang of followers and he had only assumed it was just the one guy. But in any case, Dio felt so sure that he could handle whoever it was that he still found himself amused by the fear of the other students. The idea that this kid had sent someone to the hospital for just speaking to his girlfriend practically screamed 'stuck-up asshole' right next to his ear. The idea of that made that anticipation grow stronger. It was almost as if Dio wanted this mystery kid to find him.

He was getting too caught up in that drama though. With a blink and a deep breath, Dio let the excitement and the swimming thoughts recede back into his head. It was his first day at the school - he ought to have focused on that instead of some silly drama. If something were to happen, so be it, as he had said before. Calming down, he let his hands - which had balled into fists - relax and open again, continuing a quiet walk, the stares landing on him every so often.

He'd have to get used to that. ​

 

[Rika]

Shock rained over the crowd of boys, dampening their desperate hopes into keeping Dio safe. They all awkwardly scattered away, surprised by the blatant disregard of the wrath of Silas Kostav. What was wrong with this new student? Was he suicidal? Well. It was his funeral. We tried. Most of them thought, brushing the rejection off like dust on their pants. It was no skin of their backs. Dio Hennley was some cocky transfer student that was already one foot in the grave. He was a dead man. At least he had appreciated the warning that died on his ears. It meant nothing to him. He must have been crazy, absolutely insane. Life was nothing to him. ​

And so, the same boys that warned him would be there to account for his downfall.

The morning dragged on slower than intended. News of Dio Hennley buzzed all around the school - even the teachers were aware, shaking in their boots. Liesl had heard about it in her U.S. History class, by one of the bespectacled girls who played in the marching band, and doodled little drawings on her notebook. She sniffled, auburn strands falling out of place in her attempt at a neat bun on the top of her head. She pushed up her round glasses, eyebrows furrowing in concern at the petite girl sitting in front of her. The girl's words were ice picks digging deeper and deeper into Liesl's ear drum.

"Please, Liesl. He's going to do it again, and to a kid who just got here. Please." She squeaked. "H- He's in your Zoology class, right? You must have picked up on some vibes from him. He thinks he can win, just like the last one. M- My mom had to send flowers to him, a- and everything just gets awful and nasty to the confident ones. Why don't you stop him? Why don't you-"

Liesl turned, all the anger rising up within her, burning her throat in an attempt to get her to scream. No words came out. Nothing. Not even tears. She had no answer for this sweet girl behind her, who had enough problems with being tormented by the girls in the school. And here she was, worrying about the well being of someone she had never met before. Liesl's small wrist reached out to the girl, and she touched her shoulder. She stared into her almond-shaped eyes, boring into her dark freckles. The girl's face became speckled with traces of anxiety, and she placed a book in front of her eyes, softly apologizing. But Liesl shook her head.

"Don't." She whispered. "Don't apologize for being right, Rebecca." Liesl stood from her desk, and put her US History book up on the shelf, excusing herself from class. Lunch period was next, an hour long, and maybe that would be enough time to convince Silas. Last time hadn't worked very well. It was an endless cycle; her hopes were crushed over and over and over again, no matter how hard she tried. Why would this time be any different? Liesl's small body stopped in the hallway. Dio Hennley. Images of him sitting in the desk next to her coursed through Liesl's mind. The fleeting eye contact with him for a mere second-- it troubled her.

Suddenly, a swift arm grabbed her wrist, and started tugging her towards her locker. Her violet eyes widened, and she peered up to see a ruffle of dark hair. He was angry. Liesl somewhat struggled in his grip, all the way into the gym, where no one was at this hour. In the dim lighting, Liesl stared at her lover's mahogany eyes, which burned with wrath. "Did he look at you? Did he?" Silas demanded with a roar, and Liesl knew that whether she said "yes" or "no" was going to be a trap. Some idiot had blabbed to him. And now.. this was what the consequences were. "Did he - he talk to you?! I'll smash his fucking-"

Liesl tried to be rid of his grip, and that made him tighten it. She winced with pain. "What, are you trying to run away? I'm trying to have a fucking conversation with you, and you want to turn your back on me?! You want to talk to that bastard?! Well, you can't! You- You can't! You won't! You won't leave me!" His voice broke a bit, and Liesl heard her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She pulled away from him, holding her bruised wrist. Her head sunk to the floor, and she watched pale strands of hair loosen around her face. "I guess I'll have to teach him a lesson too. I'll bash his fucking face in until he doesn't even have eyes to see you, Liesl, to see your beauty. It's only for me. For me. Okay?" Silas' eyes were wide as he pulled the cold girl against his sizzling chest.

"I - I'll protect you, Liesl, so nobody can have you except me. You- Your purpose on this world is to be with me. Don't you know that?" He cupped her face, staring into her broken eyes.

"Silas, please. Just let him be." Her voice was silk cutting into the harsh air. "Just leave him alone. He- He didn't do anything wrong. He didn't-"

Silas' hands grabbed her shoulders harshly, squeezing them until Liesl winced with pain. "Don't. You. Know. That?" He repeated through his teeth the previous question. "We're going home, Liesl, and I think you won't forget who you live for ever again." He turned back to her, smirking, and Liesl looked away.

"I'm begging you, Silas, please. He didn't do anyth-"

"Come on." He tugged her towards the gym door exits.

 

[Gore]

d i o​

The day carried on. The adrenaline had calmed in the vampire, but a buzz spiked the air around the school. Whispers floated about, eyes trained on him wherever he walked. His classes had heads turning towards him, people with expressions of worry, or even disgust. Dio, personally, was excited for whatever was going to happen - he was loving the attention, even if it wasn't good attention. Even the other teachers looked at him warily. Whether he was being feared or pitied, it didn't matter. He'd show them eventually.

And unbeknownst to him at the time, the first sight of his rival would come much sooner than first expected/

His class before lunch was P.E., and it was a simple first day. The teacher simply went over regulations and schedules for the entire period, and it had everybody nearly falling asleep - when they weren't stealing glances at Dio. It was slow for even the vampire, and he found himself spacing out before the bell snapped him back to attention. Dio and the rest of the class stood and scurried to the changing rooms - because the teacher thought it would be a good idea to make them dress out, for some ridiculous reason. Dio let himself hang back a bit as he strode towards the mens lockers, entering in and watching all the boys leave quickly out of the locker doors once they had their clothes back on and packs on their backs.

After a minute or so of the room draining of kids, with a bustle of changing clothing and footsteps and voices, it was suddenly eerily silent as the last of the kids drained away. A distant drone of voices could be heard, but quite a ways away. Dio let himself enjoy the quiet, pulling his clothes back on and neatly placing his dress-out clothes back into his assigned locker. He picked up his bag, situating the strap comfortably on his shoulder, and -

.. Wait. He perked up as he detected a sound coming, muffled, from the gym. It was easy to focus in on, though he hadn't noticed it until then. Whoever it was spoke loudly, yelling. Dio's eyes darted towards the doors to the lockers. He went still, statue-like, for a moment. Definitely in the main gym room .. He was slow to start his stride, his footsteps now intentionally quiet as he started a walk towards the locker doors. There was a spike of energy in him. Conflict was always juicy, he had to admit, and whoever was out there didn't sound happy.

He reached the door and placed his hands lightly against the surface of the door. Carefully and slowly, Dio pushed open one of the locker room doors open a crack and peeked out of it. His sharp vision immediately spotted two figures on the gym floor, one significantly taller than the other. A boy and a girl, from the looks of it. And it was quite clear who was yelling .. in fact, it looked like the boy had a grip on the girl, on her wrist, as he bombarded her with cruel-toned words.

A red flag shot up. His eyes narrowed. He listened in on what was happening, completely still. "I guess I'll have to teach him a lesson too. I'll bash his fucking face in until he doesn't even have eyes to see you, Liesl, to see your beauty."

.. Liesl? That girl? Yes, he couldn't forget that name. The boys in first period had told him. She was the one that he had looked at, to start all of the buzz of whispers and rumors, to kick-start this yearning for a fight in him. It was the girls' name with the prick of a boyfriend. The one that everyone was afraid of, because he would beat you up for anything done to his girlfriend.


.. You're shitting me. That can't be him, not already.


Dio didn't think he'd find this boy so soon, but apparently, this must have been him. The way he domineered her confirmed that assumption. The strongest scents in the room were the familiar sweet scent of the girl, and a more harsh, masculine scent that came from the boy. Dio felt his expression contorting, his lips twitching. His eyes flared up. The way he gripped her, it wasn't light, and he could see the effect on this Liesl girls' face.

So .. not only was he a prick to everyone else, but he liked to hurt his own girlfriend in the process, eh? The discomfort, the fear and the pain - it was clear on her expression. Yet, she didn't resist. She just .. took the treatment. She was afraid of him, just like everyone else was, even as she was the thing he claimed to want to 'protect'.

"Silas, please. Just let him be." He was surprised to hear such an opposite voice so smoothly cut in. He had to listen a little harder to hear this. She was so quiet, her tone was soft, frightened coaxing. Among her words, he finally caught the boy's name - Silas. A cruel-sounding name for a cruel person. "Just leave him alone. He - He didn't do anything wrong. He didn't -"

It happened very quickly after that.

Suddenly, the boy's hands whipped up to her shoulders. He heard something as he gripped them tightly, a small noise. A quiet, quiet squeak, like a wince. He knew damn well that boy could hear it too. Dio felt his blood start to boil. The boy whispered something in a slight snarl, a phrase that made his hands clench into fists. But oh man, it wasn't nearly as bad as what was coming after this:

"We're going home, Liesl, and I think you won't forget who you live for ever again."

Dio caught sight of this boy's expression as he stared down at Liesl, this delicate girl. It was one of the most shit-eating smiles he had ever seen. A cold, dangerous smirk, a pretentious one at that. Everything, from the tone of his voice to the harshness of his actions, to the fear and only very timid resistance that this girl expressed, to even the lack of acknowledgement to her obvious pain, as if it was nothing to him - it screamed abuse at Dio. He had seen abuse in action, he'd had people in his life living under someone's thumb, and this Liesl girl was in the exact same situation.

And he had to admit - it pissed him the hell off. He didn't show anger a lot, but as his teeth clicked shut behind closed lips, as his eyes lit with a fire inside, he knew it angered him. Despite this rush that was threatening to overtake him, threatening to make him leap out of his spot and rip this kid's throat out, he resisted. His hands closed into fists and he squeezed them tight, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath. Not now, not now. It was too soon to do something like that. He had barely ever spoken to the girl - how would Dio going after her boyfriend do anything? Abusive situations couldn't just be taken away just like that. It took easing, coaxing - gently helping the victim realize their situation.

He wouldn't go after him - Silas. He had to remember that name, Silas. Such an unappealing name, in Dio's opinion. Even as Silas dragged Liesl out of the gym, Dio managed to hold his ground and not follow. He had a feeling in his stomach that she wouldn't come back to the school unscathed - the rotten kid would probably beat her when they were to get home. Dio sucked in a breath through his teeth, a hissing sound of sorts slipping out as he exhaled. That burst of anger was .. strange. Not normal. He had to control himself.

Dio shook his head and finally pushed out of the doors and into the main gym floor, starting a steady stride towards the gym doors. He should have been safe by then. With the force he was dragging the girl, he probably was halfway home at that moment. His fingers flexed, and he shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from strangling something. He pushed through the gym doors and slipped out into the hallway, feeling a sharp twisting in his stomach. He wished he had gone after the Silas pig. His instincts had been screaming at him so loudly, but he had resisted for the sake of better approaches. Dio, only just now cooling down, ignored the stares he got completely. They'd fade, eventually, hopefully.

 

[Rika]

The ride home was silent as the snowflakes that spiraled down towards Earth's surface. Liesl stared out the window, her breath visible in the tense air of their car. Silas was using quick, jerking motions to put the car in gear, and gripped the steering wheel as he sped away from the school. From the corner of her eye, she could see his knuckles turning white. That was as bad a sign as any. Liesl's eyes moved to the front of the window, and Dio's face flashed in her mind. His.. smile. His soft face. His eloquent way of speaking; it would all be crushed under Silas' feet. And she- And she-- Liesl's knuckles began to turn white themselves as she gripped the fabric of her sweater, staring down at the car floor. We will arrive home. She thought, opening the car door that stopped in front of their apartment and stepping out into the cold air. We will say nothing until.. Liesl made her way up the steps, and when she opened the door, the Earth turned its back on her. She was in a dark lobby, and Silas softly shut the door behind her, catching her by the wrist before she could retreat from him.

With one gentle motion, he wrapped both of his arms around her small body. He rested his chin against her shoulder, and gave her small kisses on her cheek and neck.

He will say it.

"Don't leave me."

Liesl shrunk inside, and let her head hang to stare at the floor. He will say it again.

"Don't leave me."

The girl turned to face him, and she wrapped her own small arms around his neck, leaning up to place a kiss on his lips. It used to not be that way. Silas would play the game more towards his own favor, but Liesl weaved and weaved and weaved a net over his sadistic desires, until there was nothing but her own wishes to be met. An endless cycle for three years. It did not matter whether she was growing tired of it or not; it worked, and that was the whole point. Liesl turned around, slowly kicking off of her shoes and unwrapping her scarf. She untied her bun, and let pale strands die against her back. Her head turning back to stare at her boyfriend, who took a step closer to her, his arms aching to hold her, Liesl sliced open the melancholic air with the precision of a needle.

"Don't scream at me, then."

Any anger on Silas' tongue was shot down by the piercing stare in Liesl's eyes, and he submitted with his head down, gently pulling her close and tugging desperately at her shirt.

~ ~ ~

He was as still as a corpse in the morning. She touched his lips, and placed a hand on his forehead, letting it rest there for a moment until she left the bed to change clothes. They were there without her having to look into a mirror to see them; the pink-purpleish circle marks all over her neck and collar bone. If she skipped another day of dance class, her coach would string her up from her toes and beat her with a spiky bat. As if she hadn't experienced that already. Annoyed, Liesl put on a violet sweater, dark jeans, and brown boots. To top it off, a scarf, and her hair down and straight. She took the keys from the nightstand, and locked the door behind her, hurrying down the stairs to school. As she was driving, she realized that no one else dared to test these icy roads. She was surprised school wasn't cancelled.

Pulling in to the barren parking lot, she opened the doors to the school and noted that there were barely any students there. None wanted to risk the icy roads. It was funny. She figured most of them were more so afraid of their car wrecking than the risk of them dying. Personally, Liesl was no longer afraid of touching death. They had talked many times before. The small girl gathered her books and made her way to Zoology. Dio Hennley. Liesl stopped as kids walked past her. I guess I'll have to teach him a lesson too. I'll bash his fucking face in until he doesn't even have the eyes to see you, Liesl, to see your beauty. And that confident smirk Dio flashed towards the class on the first day--it was a ghost that haunted her. This upperclassman was-- there was something odd about him, that was for sure. As if.. he would not be crushed like the others. Liesl did not know what the anxiousness buzzing in her ears was about, but every time the name Dio Hennley flashed in her mind, she-- she grew weak. And she grew strong too.

The girl left the hallway and walked into the Zoology room, taking her seat as usual. The teacher, surprisingly, was actually there on time, and he had a newspaper popped open as he sipped his coffee. When the bell rang, the man calmly stood and set his mug down, beginning to speak. In the background, she heard.. rustling behind his desk; little high-pitched noises.

"Alright, class, settle down. So, today is the day we begin our big Zoology project. Now, this year we're going to try something different. Instead of demolishing pretend-animals like you knuckle heads usually do, I'm going to give you something real. Before we get into it, I want you to know that if this animal is harmed in any way, you will fail this class and repeat it next year. This is life you're carrying in your hands, and you are responsible no matter what happens." The teacher smiled at the wide eyes in the front row. "You and your partner will be raising a baby duck together." Some giggles surfaced in the class, but the teacher nonetheless continued. "And no; you can't pick your partners. I've made a list."

He pulled out a notepad from his desk drawer, and began reading off the names. Even before, he called them, she knew who she would be paired with. That was the only reason a list was made. She knew Dio was the sacrificial lamb. There was no hope in saving him; they might as well make his death a quick one.

"Dio Hennley and Liesl Gottschalk." Silence swept over the classroom, and was later filled with awkward and uncomfortable conversation. It all faded away when the teacher pulled out the ducks, and began handing them to students. There's no use in making this difficult. She thought to herself as a baby duck was placed on Dio Hennley's desk. She slowly stood, turning to face the boy, and sat down in a desk right next to him, staring at the small, fluffy creature.

"I've never raised a duck before." She touched the baby's beak, and he stared at her with soft, dark eyes. "What shall we call it?"