“Pick a card for me! Please and thank you!” What? What is this kid talking about? He’s really quite enthused about this. His hair is messy and brown, it looks like he just woke up. His skin looks a little meek and is rather pale. Almost too pale for my comfort, but his eyes are what sell me.
“Hahaha!” I can’t help but laugh. His emerald green eyes shine with optimism and innocence, something there’s way too little of in the world. “Alright, alright.” He’s practically bouncing off the walls as I pick out a card. It’s the joker. That’s pretty neat. “Do I just…show it to you?”
“Yessir! Also, you can tell me your name now, sorry about that. Little habit of mine, haha!” He’s so bubbly, so unabashedly himself. It’s kind of like Mavis. When I look back to the kid I can see a resemblance between the two. She has the same eyes as he does, strikingly deep and green. Optimistic and determined.
“Alright.” I start looking closer at the card, and my heart almost stops when I see the back of it. It’s Mavis’s mark. He really does have Magnesis, her Emblem. This is the kid she reincarnated into. I look back at him, and I can recognize now that his eyes aren’t the only things that are the same. He has that weird mole way to the side of his face, just in front of his left ear. His chin comes to a pretty soft point, which is an oxymoron, but it’s hard to explain. “My name is Leonidous C. White.” I introduce myself, trying to keep my voice calm and casual. “And I guess I’m a joker.” I turn the card around to face him, and place it into his palm.
“Woah...That’s cool, I’ve never seen anybody pull a Joker before! Would you wanna...Pick again?” He asks me while shuffling the cards in his hands like he’s done it a million times. It’s really quite impressive to watch him fold the cards on top of each other and split them with such precision. When he holds the cards out to me again, I can’t help my smile. I know I shouldn’t, it’s probably a bad idea, but I’m going to use my Emblem for something as dumb as this.
I activate my Emblem and all at once his face, which is vibrant with life, freezes in place. And no sound can penetrate the world which only I live in. My Emblem lets me stop time. In exchange my heart freezes, making it impossible for me to live if I keep time frozen for too long. However, long enough to shuffle through his cards and pick the joker again. When time resumes I ensure I’m in the same spot I was before, and pick the card I’ve already seen to be the joker. “Look at that.” I bring up with a smirk spreading across my face, and flipping the card to show the kid. “I guess I’m just cool.”
* * * *
The clock ticks down at a speed far too fast. I have to get TJ to the Principal’s office within the next twenty minutes. He’s telling me the story of how he got here, his fight with Nia and how she bribed James to let the two fight to the death basically. “You’ve heard this before, haven’t you?” TJ’s voice finally reaches my ear with an observation that seems a little too observant given how TJ presents himself.
I can’t help but raise my eyebrows in amusement, and find myself smirking. I’m probably giving him too much credit because he has Mavis’s Emblem, but his abrupt acute observations are way too similar. I put my hands up in the air, leaning back in my chair. “You got me.” I admit in surrender, “What gave it away? I was listening to your version of the story.”
“You didn’t laugh when I called Nia a witch with oil for hair and hellfire for eyes.” Wait, there’s no way that’s what he actually said right? Moreover, I’m slightly impressed he had enough faith in that joke to make me laugh that it gave away that I wasn't listening.
I have to snort, “Wait, did you actually say that?”
“Nope! But if you acted like I did then I would’ve really known you weren’t listening.” I feel my heart skip a beat, and not because of my Emblem. His face splits into a grin with those words, and his eyes glitter like emeralds, looking more like Mavis than ever before. “What’s actually up? Why did you come see me? I know you can’t bear to go without seeing me every day-” My eyes flicker to the clock as he talks, and I rise to my feet. We don’t have much time to talk anymore.
“Alright, if you’re lively enough to joke around like that we can go see the Principal.” TJ’s eyes widen slightly. There’s nothing I can do about that right now, but maybe I’ll give him a quick hint. “Let’s go TJ. Try not to be so...You. It might get you killed.” I hold out a hand to help him off the bed.
“My back still hurts?” His voice wavers slightly, with a nervous expression on his face. It’s reasonable, the Principal isn’t somebody who’s meetings you typically enjoy. Even if his back does hurt, my gut tells me he’s making a joke. I grab him by the wrist and pull him up off the bed.
“That’s fair.” I tell him, adjusting him in the air so I can carry on my shoulders. “But, we’re in a bit of a time crunch. So, bear with it.”
“I’m going to be honest with you Leo…I don’t think the teachers here like me all that much. Nia definitely doesn’t, and I don’t think Thomas does either.” He talks as I carry him through the halls, and we wait for the elevator for a moment. I can’t help but reflect on Mavis, and how she would never say something like that. Which means the two are innately different after all. Or then again, maybe they are still similar, and Mavis just wouldn’t show that side to me.
“Your point? I doubt you care what people think of you.” There's a ding as the elevator doors open and we walk in. I’m getting way too nervous about this. TJ’s got it, he’s a pretty capable guy. At bare minimum, I hope the principal doesn’t make me kill him.
* * * *
“Leonidous. I see you’ve been assigned to guard me. Good, at least there’s some sense in the world.” He’s fat, he’s chubby, he’s stupid. He has a receding hairline of greasy black hair, and wears a formal suit as if that makes up for his hideous face. Covered in moles, stray white hairs, droopy cheeks and wrinkles unbecoming of his age. He’s our president? He’s barely sixty and makes King Tut look like a supermodel. “Well! Come now boy, speak to me, it’s an honor to talk to the president of the United States. Let alone work with him! At such a young age too, barely able to drive.”
“It is an honor sir.” I mutter through a mouth that doesn’t want to speak. He holds a hand out to me and I shoot a glare over to the Principal. His face remains rigid and cool, he gives a soft nod to me. Which means, as much as it sucks, I look back at the president and shake his hand. His security detail is behind him, their weapons unholstered as a wordless threat. A threat? Please. At least I have the courtesy to keep my knife sheathed during meetings. I take my hand back and comment coldly, “Your guards shouldn’t have their weapons out. It seems like a threat.”
“Hahaha!” When he laughs, spit flies off from his mouth and almost hits me. The action of laughing makes his blubber move like crazy, it jiggles almost hypnotically and showcases what a pig he is. “A threat! Even the great Leonidous White and Malcom Lamprouge, the boy the world praises as the deadliest weapon, and the supposed most dangerous man in the world! Even you’re scared by my personal guard. I admit, they’re quite dangerous. Armed with the latest Vein weaponry, completely bullet proof armor that is lightweight and heat resistant. Each one of them trained since birth! I guess you Evolved are still human after all, no?”
“Leonidous.” His hand falls on my shoulder slowly, controlled, but with hidden malintent abundantly clear to me. “Your job is to keep the president safe as he meets with the United Nations Emblem Federation. Only the president.” He takes his hand off my shoulder. In the same instant he does so I activate my Emblem. There are twenty five guards, all of whom are on high alert…But frozen in place.
“Die.” Somebody says, as I walk through the line of guards. I thrust my blade into the first, not taking any time to savor the sensation of the metal slicing through their body but instead moving to slice the throat of the next in line. I imagine they’re the president, the stupid fat pig I have to protect. They’re Mavis. My stupid old teacher who left me alone with the Principal at that god forsaken school. They’re my first target, they’re my last target. And when I get to the last one, I look at his face. A stupid skin tone, with stupid blue eyes, and stupid black hair that will never get neat. “Just fucking die already.” Somebody repeats in the world where only I exist, before slicing the last person’s throat as well.
* * * *
She’s sitting in front of us in the classroom. At a chair that’s turned around from us, she sits in it wrong and faces us with an infectious smile on crimson lips. Black hair, cut pretty short for a girl, and messy enough to look like she just got out of bed. Green eyes that glisten in the light, making me want to grab them and hold them as though they’re precious jewels. Pale skin that seems maybe a little unhealthy. She doesn’t look that much older than us, maybe she’s eighteen? Why is she our new teacher?
“I’m Mavis. Nice to meet you kids! What do you want to do today?” What do we want to do? I look around nervously at the rest of the people in my class. We don’t get asked what to do, we get told. I can’t come up with anything, which makes me really sad because she seems upset that we don’t say anything. A frown shows up and her eyebrows furrow closer to her eyes.
“U-Um!” I raise my hand, without any idea what I want to do. However when those gleaming green eyes light up I don’t regret anything.
“Yeah! You in the back. What’s up?” I don’t know what’s up. My face feels hot, and I search through my brain trying to figure out something to say.
“I um...I want to, to…I want to kill somebody!” I exclaim, proud of myself for my answer. The rest of the class nods and whispers to themselves in agreement. That’s something fun to do! And we have to do it, so it all works out really well for us if we do that!
My face falls when I see Mavis. She seems exasperated, a defeated expression. She sighs and leans against the chair with shoulders that sag like her bones turned into limp noodles. “Well then, change of plans. We’re going to do what I want to do! It was a trick question, I tricked you all!” She exclaims with a small laugh and the downtrodden expression seamlessly morphing into a teasing smile. She’s so fun, she acts all bubbly! Our whole class gets angry that she tricked us, and we start booing at her. She only laughs though, she doesn’t even seem to care. “And I want to go outside. Come on!” She rises to our feet and guides us to a world we’d never experienced before. It’s weird, she’s sweet. Somehow though it feels like I shouldn’t have her as a teacher, like the world went crazy to allow such a thing to happen.
“What?” She asks me with a slightly surprised face, leaning back lazily in a maroon chair with a crimson cushion on it. Just sitting there she seems to own the entire room. I don’t repeat my question, getting nervous and looking at my feet. Maybe I should bring it up again, but it would be too embarrassing. “I guess so. If I had to answer, I think people like me, even the Principal.”
“Why don’t you call him Dad like the rest of us? I don’t think he likes it when you call him the Principal.”
“Hmm..” She smirks, leaning back in the chair, considering how she wants to answer the question. “Well, we’ve got a complicated past. So a lot of people assume the two of us have quite the rocky relationship.”
“Do you?” I call out, watching intently to see if she gives anything away in those emerald eyes of hers. She looks to the right with a nervous chuckle, and I notice there’s a really small mole just in front of her left ear.
“Leo…” Leo? She called me by my name but not my name. It’s so informal, but it’s really nice too. I’ve never thought of myself as that before. It’s so slick, and cool, and concise. “It’s an adult thing. You’ll figure it out when you’re older. Don’t worry about it right now.”
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“Ok! O-Oh! And one more thing. My birthday is tomorrow. Will you, um, can you get me somebody to kill? For my birthday?” I ask Mavis without being able to look at her. My face is firmly facing the ground and it feels really warm in the room.
“Oh, ummm…you know what? Why don’t we have a cake and a party instead!” She exclaims brightly, and when I look up at her face she has a huge grin plastered across her face. “You sure you want a teacher at your party though? I’m a few years older than you.” A party? I’m confused, I don’t really know what that is. When Mavis explains it to me I don’t get the appeal of it either. There are only six other people in my class, and we’re all supposed to kill people. I don’t really get why we’d celebrate something else with a party.
“But killing people is fun, it’s what we’re supposed to do.” Mavis snorts and looks almost amused by what I’m saying. She runs a hand through her own messy black hair, and keeps the hand there to massage her brain.
“Leo.” There she goes again. There are these little butterflies in my chest when she calls me Leo, and I don’t know why. “You’re special. You’re crazy unique, you have an Emblem that we have no documented history of in the whole world. So stop trying to fit into the crowd, don’t kill people because you were told to or because everybody else is doing it. Do what you want to do as much as you can.” She explains with a patient smile. I already broke into her office after hours, but she’s still being so nice.
“Then…Can we go outside?” Mavis laughs and ruffles my hair with a hand. It gets really messy really quickly, just like hers.
“Of course! How does the roof sound?”
* - - -
“Happy Birthday!” Mavis exclaims with a bright smile on her face. The other members of my class are all with her, hiding in the dark classroom that lit when I opened it. She has a cone on her head with the words ‘Happy Birthday’, and a lot of my classmates have these weird things in their mouths that make fun noises. “You’re eight today. That only happens once you know!” She calls out with a laugh, reaching behind and grabbing a large cake covered with white frosting and blue letters that spell out ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEO!’
“T-Thank you!” I shout out with a huge smile, looking over to the table that Mavis set up for all of us to sit down and eat the cake. “How did you know blue was my favorite color?” I ask Mavis, as she starts setting up eight candles on the cake.
“You look at the sky a lot when we go outside. Plus, you have the cutest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Now blow out the candles! You get to make a wish.” She explains happily, as my class and I look at each other confused. She laughs softly, and then explains that on your birthday you can make a wish! You’re not supposed to say your wish out loud, or else it doesn’t come true when you blow out your candles. I don’t know what to wish for…I guess I’ll just wish that I get to be a big help to Dad and Mavis!
* * * *
It’s cold today. I’ve always had cold hands, because my Emblem makes my blood flow bad and stuff. So I can’t circulate warmth through my body well. That's why the fire on top of my cake is really nice, and when I hold my hand over the nine candles it starts to warm up. It’s a small cake, only the size of the hand that I hold it in. Last year my wish came true. Da…The Principal. Not Dad. He realized that I could be really useful to him. My Emblem really helps his hard jobs become easy, and all I have to do is kill people. Mavis said I shouldn’t do that though. I guess she said not to do that unless I wanted to? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter anymore.
I wasn’t very useful to Mavis. She’s gone now, and I can’t really do anything about it. She left a week ago I think. She got into a really big fight with Dad, no, not Dad, with the Principal. She got into a big fight with him when he found out she took us outside, and celebrated our birthdays, and told us not to kill the man the Principal told us to kill. “I wish…” I really don’t want to cry on my birthday! I feel too much pressure on my nose, and my eyes feel really hot, “I wish to see Mavis again.” I admit, blowing out my candles. I guess I can’t stop myself from crying. But I’ll stop myself from sobbing.
* * * *
I can’t stop sobbing. “Leonidous.” His voice is so cold, so evil. It’s so malicious, like oil forcing its way into my ears, it’s nothing like how Mavis would say my name. She wouldn’t call me Leonidous! I’m not Leonidous! I’m Leo! “Come now, I understand.” He takes me into his arms, my body freezing up but tears still falling from my eyes. Oh no, oh no oh no. What am I gonna do? I have blood on my hands and they’re going to stain the Principal’s clothes! He’s going to kill me. “You did wonderfully Leonidous. Truly, you have a gift. You’re my child. The rest of them were Mavis’s offspring. Little monsters who couldn't listen to their father and allowed the devil to whisper into their ears.”
His hug isn’t comforting at all, I feel trapped. I’m trapped in his arms, I’m trapped in my body, I’m trapped by this school, I’m trapped by even my own name. I’m trapped from the past, the recent past, of minutes ago. “Why did I have to kill them though?” I whisper, barely managing to talk between the sobs that cause my chest to convulse.
“To prove to me that you, Leonidous, are still you. Untainted as a child of mine.” I’m not, I’m not Leonidous, am I? I have to be, I’m trapped, I’m trapped. I can’t be anybody but Leonidous, not anymore.
* * * *
I’m twirling the knife between my fingers, “What are you doing?” Why does she keep trying to talk to me? Doesn't she know who I am? I’m Leonidous Carter White. I turn over and shoot a glare at Jennifer Cadmium. The stupid girl who keeps trying to act like we’re friends. “You shouldn’t have a knife in school.” She whispers at me when Mrs. Kraus isn’t looking. In response I stab the blade into the desk, and stand from my desk.
“I’m going to see the Principal.” I state flatly, leaving the classroom without Mrs. Kraus or her supervisor trying to stop me. Not that they could. I’m Leonidous White. I’m the most prolific assassin of the last century, I strike fear into the hearts of every government official, every political leader, every military officer. Somehow, they put me back at this school? This school for everybody else?
I’m special damnit. I can recover any Emblem without problem, kill any person, and break into anything. I’m the truly Evolved one, I’m the only one who managed to graduate from my class. The rest of them had to be killed because of Mavis. Principal’s order, there was nothing I could do about it. I don’t get why he thinks I have to hide out at this school. So what if the United Nations Emblem Federation figured out I assassinated their last leader? They can’t do anything to me, they barely have enough power to fight me by myself. Let alone with the Principal and the United States on our side.
I kick open the door to his office, and storm in through the veil of darkness he set up with Dark Vein. “Dad, why am I here?! You promised that after I killed Griegor Amu we’d have the world in our pockets. You lied to me! I have to hide out at a school filled with people worse than me!” His face is immutable, his legs crossed, and a glass of crimson wine is in his left hand. He sips it gently, and then responds after taking time to let me calm down.
“Leonidous, I would never lie to you. Did I lie when I said killing the former president would allow us to install a puppet leader? No. Did I lie when I told you we were special and destined for great things? No. Do I lie now, telling you the world is closer to being in our grasp than ever before? Not at all.” His voice washes over me. All I need is for him to tell me what to do, that’s who I am. I’m Leonidous White, and I do what I’m told to perfection. “You are special, but the children here are your siblings. Treat them well.” He rises to his feet and stalks towards me, slowly placing a hand gently onto my shoulder. “And don’t kill them.”
* - - - -
A crash echoes through my room and wakes me up. My eyes explode open and I burst off the bed, taking the knife from my bed stand and freezing the world in place. Who intruded into my room? Jennifer. Jennifer Cadmium. I’ve never seen a clearer death wish in all my life. I bring down my knife on the girl who’s suspended in midair, unable to finish falling from my ceiling vent that she was crawling through.
A stream of blood splashes across her frozen face, and I stumble back in pain. Why? Why did I just throw my hand out in front of this girl? I stabbed my hand, and that hurts like a bitch! Damnit, I can’t keep time frozen while losing blood. My vision is already fading, and I have to resume time while falling back onto my bed. I ignore the sounds of Kandace crashing against the ground, accompanied by some groans of pain and reflection. I know why I did that, he told me not to kill them. So the Principal’s order flashed across my mind and stopped me. My hand is already healing, so it barely matters.
“H-Heyyyy buddy!” She calls out meekly, completely unaware of how close she was to dying. She has the most obnoxious brown eyes I’ve ever seen. They have this optimistic glow in them that basically announces they’re ignorant. She wipes her face, probably assuming my blood was just water or sweat of her own. After a few moments of silence, where I simply glare at her, she keeps talking. “Sorry, for breaking in and stuff. I just wanted to check up on you, make sure you’re feeling well. You left class in quite the hurry y’know?”
“I know. Kind of like what you should do with my room.”
She frowns at me, and puts a hand on her chin. Obstinately remaining where she fell and watching me like I’m in a zoo. She seems to get some really good idea, her eyes flashing back to life as she tries to grab my wrist. I can’t let that happen, and I tear my hand out of her reach, using my Emblem almost needlessly. Almost. She’s unfazed that she wasn’t able to get my wrist in her clutches.
“Come on Leonidous! Let’s go to the roof, I want to show you something.” My heart freezes for a moment, and I register what she said. I haven’t been on the roof since the day I found out Mavis died. I don’t go outside just for fun, that’s not something I do.
When did she grab my wrist? Damnit! I was so distracted by her question that I completely forgot to keep my guard up. She abused that and started dragging me out of my room. “Whatever.” I mutter, allowing her to drag my body out to the roof if she wants. If she gets caught I guess the Principal will finally let me kill her, so it’s not a big deal.
—---
“You’re late.” I remark flatly, standing on the roof of the school for our seventh weekly meeting. Jennifer is breathing heavily, her hair falling listlessly. She looks up to meet my eyes, a grin spreading across her face.
“Late? C’mon, don’t be like that! I have a surprise for you. It was pretty hard to get this in the first place, so you better be grateful!” She explains as though I’m a child. I cross my arms and turn away from her, looking at the clouds that rest just below the isolated floating island this fortress of a school was built on. “Remember when I pestered you about your birthday.” Yeah, I do actually. I also remember I didn’t tell her anything about it. “Well, I did some digging, and I found out you’ve got a very special day today.” I do? I can’t help but turn back to look at her in moderate surprise, I’m unsure of what she’s talking about. “Tada!” She pulls out a small cake, a triumphant smile on her face. “Happy Birthday Leo!”
“Pft.” I barely manage to stifle a laugh in time. It’s the middle of November now, and my birthday is in May. “Haha!” I can’t help but laugh at her, she was totally wrong and came at me with this unbridled confidence. My birthday? Now? “I can’t say no to some cake.” I remark, stealing some for myself and taking a seat. “But it’s not my birthday. My birthday’s in May.”
“Aww, I was pretty close! Leo, how old are you turning in May?” Leo. She called me Leo earlier too. The cake is written out with ‘Happy Birthday Leo’. How old am I turning? I don’t know. How old is Leo turning? Did he live this year?
“Twenty.” I respond listlessly.
“Awesome! That means you’re only two years older than me, haha! I thought you were way older, you act like an old man.” What!?
“N-No I don’t! What do you mean? I’m cool, and stuff!” I exclaim while my face heats up at her provocation. She’s way too good at getting under my skin, it’s annoying.
“Haha! Sure you are, old timer! Oh! I have a present for you, come on!” A present?
* —---
“Hello Leo, Vhere are ve going today?” SHE GOT ME A CAR?! I stare at Jennifer with my mouth slightly agape. We’re sitting in a car with a sleek neon blue aesthetic and it’s ripped straight out of the future. It’s crazy that it can talk, and even crazier it’s mine.
“Like it?” She asks a little nervously, with a blush on her face that seems slightly unbefitting of her. I grasp the steering wheel and turn back to her with a huge smile as she elaborates on it. “It’s a really awesome science project. My family was working on it and gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday a while back.”
“Really awesome science project?” I mutter to myself. A vehicle needs a name. The voice that came out was automatically preset to have a Russian accent. So it only makes sense that I’d give it a Russian name. “R.A.S.P.” I announce, turning to Jennifer with a stupid smile on my face. “Let’s call it Rasp! Short for Rasputin.”
* * * *
“Come on TJ.” I murmur to myself, leaning against the wall of the building. I can’t keep energy in my legs, I’m too nervous. “Leave through any other exit. Just not this one.” I add on, shooting a prayer out. I find myself nervously smirking, if today was my birthday I could just make a wish that he’d get out safely through a different door. The alarm’s been blaring for the last thirty minutes easily, and that does give me some significant anxiety.
The Principal’s order was given, and that’s the red flag. I can’t deny him a direct order, doesn’t fit in with who Leonidous is. I’ve never failed a mission of his before, it’s what allows me to get away with being kind of selfish. That and I guess I don’t care if he kills me anymore.
I didn’t hesitate when I had to kill the president of the UNEF, the president of the United States, the countless Evolved whose Emblems I’ve stolen for this school. I didn’t hesitate when I had to kill the rest of my class, when he told me to break up with Jennifer because she was ‘unhealthy’. So it’s kind of annoying that I know I’d hesitate if he told me to kill TJ. I’m not supposed to have autonomy, it’s way too tough for somebody like me.
I’m nobody special, I’m just some ignorant kid named Leo who got dealt a pretty bad hand by life. I snort to myself, remembering the card I drew when I first met TJ. Joker. I wonder what that meant? Probably that my life’s been a joke. Maybe it was supposed to mean I’m unpredictable or something. However looking back at my life, everything was way too linear. I never really made a decision for myself, which sucks. I feel like I could have made the right decision at least a few times there.
“Any other door.” I repeat to myself a little upset, freezing the world and tapping the wall, destroying it with the instantaneous force that my Emblem allows me to generate. When time resumes the small force I applied to the wall abruptly slams into it, causing it to explode inwards with a massive crash. As the wall crumbles and concrete stones still fall loosely from it, I only can hope the hurried steps I overheard coming towards me move the opposite direction.
I’m a stupid kid called Leo, but when the time calls for it I’m the most deadly weapon in the world, the most infamous killer of Evolved, the Evolved among the Evolved. I’m Leonidous Carter White. I don’t really want to add Jay Jeremy Jones to my causality list.