Chapter 3

The bell sounded out as the start of class was commenced. The teens scrambled to their wooden desk. The wood had seen better days as they screaked loudly.

Swazzy, Dre and Jade sat closer towards the back. However, Juke sat closer to the front, having been moved the other day as a punishment. Juke turned around and threw the others an adorable sad face in which they just smirked and waved at him.

A lady in her early 30's strutted into the classroom. "Good morning the future of Ezico."

The students grumbled their responses.

The teacher, Ms. Lily, pushed her glasses closer to her face. Her hair was pulled into a neat bun, and her appearance was put together and pristine. "Today, we are going to discuss the fascinating history of Nas."

She turned to the blackboard as groans of displeasure chorused. Picking up the chalk, she scribbled Nas across it in neat cursive.

At least it's not counting. The numbers mix me up and who told them to add letters? Juke thought.

"Every corner of Nas is rich in tradition, legacy, and history. Our very own Ezico Village has its own story engraved in the histories passed down from generation to generation." Ms. Lily started her lecture ecstatic as she fiddled with her glasses. "We can admire all of the progress that our lands have made, although none of this would be possible if it wasn't for our ancestors protection."

Under the word Nas, Ms. Lily wrote the word, Nin'turi.

"Can anyone tell me what Nin'turi mean?" Ms. Lily asked, expecting an answer. The only response she received were crickets chirping. "Don't everybody answer at once." Louder crickets this time, accompanied by a few awkward coughing. "Well, the great spirits of the sky bestowed on our first ancestors, the Juswasi people, a gift to control the elements. With these gifts, or strengths or energy, they devoted themselves to enriching our lands, growing stronger and defending themselves. This magical energy is called the kana and the people who possess these abilities are known as a Nin'turi."

Juke laid back in his seat, semi-listening as he doodled on the desktop. None of this information was new to him, as his father had spent his early years drilling their history into his head.

"The Nin'turi are the heart and soul of Nas," His father would preach after long days of Juke's childish naggings. "The beginning and the end start with us."

The beginning and end, Juke's mind remembered as he idly tapped his pencil against the desk in thought.

The scratching of the chalk on the board was loud as Ms. Lily resumed writing.

Dre leaned in to whisper to Swazzy and Jade, "At least we're not in the front like, Juke."

The teens covered their mouth to stifle the laughs.

Juke turned around to throw his friends a quick glare, in which they gave him another wave.

From his right, someone cleared their throat, then a folded letter dropped on his desk. He looked over to see Haethena, the most beautiful It girl there is. Her loose curls fell past her shoulders in perfect ripples with her long lashes dusting over green eyes. She rubbed her glossy lips together and gave Juke a wink. She was one of the popular girls and older and smelled like the good soap you get from them fancy stores. And she's winking at me!?

A blush burned his cheeks. Play it cool, kid. What's this? He looked down and grabbed the little folded slip, unravelling it to read the message. Hey, you're cute, want to hang? Yes or no? it read with a little heart drawn at the bottom. Juke could feel his whole body slowly heat up. She wanted him? Seriously! His heart pounded with excitement.

Now, judge him all you want, but the boy wasn't unfamiliar in the relations world, but his young hormones was always rolling as he pants grew a little tighter. Play it cool. He sat up in his seat, then circled yes. Mustering up his charming face, the boy handed her back the slip with a deep smile.

Now it was her turn to blush.

On the board, Ms. Lily wrote totems spirits with a list of names. "After years of sacrifices, the great spirit granted our lands with 8 totems, which held the spirit and power of enhanced entities, known as spirit animals. For generations, these totems were passed down, bonding with new host over time to keep the land protected from mystical evils. The totems are the Phoenix, the Wolf, the Cheetah, the Serpent, the Owl, the Ant, the Gorilla, and the Dragon. We are especially honored to have our very own totem walking amongst Ezico's streets- The Wolf totem."

Ms. Lily hinted, not exactly putting the spotlight directly on him, but everyone knew. Dre had bonded with the Wolf totem.

"It is said that the spirit totems choose these host, called the Valkaura, when they are born. However, there are clans and families who have practiced force bonding which has a 50/50 chance of success. For generations, six of these totems have lived through our people, yet the phoenix and the dragon has only graced us once. No one knows when the land of Nas will see them again, but we pray someday they will return."

Juke's face frowned slightly. What's so special about the phoenix that they want her return so bad? To be expecting something so fiercely. The phoenix was nothing but pure destruction, he thought in frustration as his dark memories started to seep through. Ever since he was born, he was taught that the phoenix was pure, standing for rebirth and renewal. He spent many nights dreaming of what she'd be like, but that was then. A slight pang twitched in his chest.

A hand shot up, belonging to none other than Calcilum Rye, Haethena's brother and the snobbiest person Juke has ever met. They belong to a well-known and successful family of Nin'turi. Their grandmother is the chief leader of Ezico Village and has been running it for over 20 years. Though hailing from such greatness, the boy was devoid of any kana whatsoever.

Ms. Lily let out a sigh as she acknowledged him. "Yes, Calcilum."

"Wouldn't you say that the need for the totems is a thing of the past?" Calcilum asked, so calm yet so full of himself.

Ms. Lily eyebrows raised as she gave the boy an interested look, "Why do you come to that conclusion?"

Calcilum cleared his throat, speaking his mind, "Our lands are evolving to more conventional means, making the ways of the Nin'turi more ancient. The phoenix and dragon totems haven't chosen in centuries, which are the strongest of them all. As for some of the other totems, we don't know where they are. If we needed the totems, they would be here to help. The only ones practicing the Nin'turi ways are the thugs playing in the streets."

Calcilum stated harshly, and Juke could have sworn he saw the boy eyes quickly cut to him. He frowned, then leaned over towards Haethena.

"Your brother's weird," Juke mumbled out, causing the girl to giggle lightly. It was the sweetest sound he'd heard, like a flowing song.

Calcilum continued with his nose in the air, "The Nin'turi ways are playing out."

Who does he think he is, talking like he knows better than anyone else? Juke thought a little frustrated as he tapped his pencil against his desk, harder now.

"You could be no further from the truth," Ms. Lily spoke up shaking her head. "The ways of the Nin'turi will forever drive our lands. Whether it's with the patrol, fire squad, or healers, the practice is still prevalent in our everyday life. You have become too comfortable that you also forgot about the constant threat of the creatures from the dark side of the mountain, the shadiki."

The class let out a gasp, then whispers spread out.

"We have never seen the shadiki in the village before." Calcilum argued back.

A smirk pulled at the corner Ms. Lily's mouth. "You can thank the Nin'turi for that. Just because you cannot see the threat doesn't mean that it does not exist."

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Calcilum attitude was quite dismissive as he spouted, "Besides, I still believe that if we advance our village, we could get further. Relying heavily on the Nin'turi way is why there are still hidden dangers out there. We, the people of Nas should try a new tactic especially when some Nin'turi are attacking their own."

Juke's leg started to jiggle as his nerves were getting to him. All he wanted was to get through a boring lesson and move on with his day, yet here he had to endure petty interruptions from an annoying boy.

"With kana or no, we are all Nin'turi. We have the same blood of our ancestors, passing on the notion of peace. Spreading violence from any side goes against the very heart that Nas stands for." Ms. Lily defense was strong as she attacked every topic the boy brought forth with diligence and class.

He couldn't take it anymore, and before Juke knew it his mouth was moving before he could stop it. "Just admit you're a hater and let's move this lesson on."

The floating ooo's rolled through the room like a storm, setting a spark to the tension.

Calcilum turned to glare at Juke, "What did you say?"

"Look man, I get it." Juke stated, with a calm and cool aura. "You come from a noble clan of worthy Nin'turi, yet you didn't get none of their kana. It sucks, I know, but to disrespect your own people is low."

Calcilum let out a huff, "That's funny coming from you, Okoyeshi. What would I need kana for?"

Juke shrugged his shoulders as he pursed his lips, "Sound like a hater."

"Both of you are entitled to your opinions, but personal issues are handled outside of school hours." Ms. Lily intervened, attempting to deescalate the tension.

"Chill it, Juke." Dre's voice spoke up from the back.

Juke shot around, throwing Dre an annoyed face, "Me?" He snapped. He wasn't the one starting anything here.

Calcilum chuckled, the sound grating to the ear. "You better listen to your pet, Juke. You have tough words for a murderer. Acting like having kana makes you something special, so yes, I may be without it, but guess what? At least my family is still alive because of it."

Ba-boom ba-boom ba-boom

Juke's eye twitched as he jumped to his feet, his chair clattering to the ground. "How about you shut the fuck up!" He growled behind clenched jaws. The memories. The flames. The screams.

The screams.

Calcilum was too on his feet, glaring tauntingly. "Make me, killer."

"That's enough! Calcilum, you are way out of line. Both of you return to your seats." Ms. Lily pleaded, squaring her shoulders.

"Just sit down, Calcilum." Haethena pleaded out, voice strained with concern.

The flames.

Juke could feel his bottled rage simmering as he stepped towards the boy. Ms. Lily stepped in between the two as they continued throwing jabs at each other.

Dre was up and at Juke's side, trying to pull the younger teen back, yet he fought against his strength as Juke's focus remained on Calcilum.

"I'd think about my next words carefully if I were you." Juke threatened, balling his fist tight.

Calcilum growled, pulling in closer, "I'm not afraid of you. What are you going to do, burn me too?"

The remark was so deep that it tapped into a dark nerve in the folds of Juke's mind, triggering a snap.

As the boy stepped in just close enough, Juke reared his head then headbutted Calcilum. The feel of the boys' nose cracking against his skull was so satisfying. A loud crunching sound followed by the gush of blood spraying from Calcilum's nose was a sight as he fell back to the floor with a cry.

The class erupted into chaos.

"Cal!" Haethena screeched as she ran to her brothers' side, while Ms. Lily yelled at Juke.

"That is a huge violation, Mr. Okoye." The teacher yelled, nearly bursting a vein.

Juke just stood there with a devilish grin on his face, yet it wasn't because he was happy. His mind was darkening as everything around him spun around, making him disoriented and confused. He could barely register Dre tugging him towards the door.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Dre said and he pushed them out into the hallway.

Juke fumed quietly, his kana leaking out in a wave as he paced the halls fiercely.

Dre rounded on Juke and nudged his shoulder furious. "What was that, huh? What was you thinking?"

"Me? What about him, huh?" Juke retaliated, pushing Dre back in anger. Whose side is he on? "Did you not hear what he said to me?"

"Yeah, I heard. All I heard him doing was just talking. You didn't have to break the kid nose. Especially not that kid, a Rye." Dre yelled out, pointing a dangerous finger in Juke's face.

Juke swatted his hand aside, "Oh boo-hoo, a broken nose won't kill the big shitbag." Juke snapped as he resumed his angry pacing.

Dre placed his hands on his hips as he shook his head as he looked at him with such disappointment. "You took it too far this time, Juke."

Don't look at me like that. The anger in his pit grew as Juke hissed, glaring slit eyes at Dre. "Who back you have, huh? Cause it sure don't feel like it's mine."

Dre let out an exhausted sigh, "I'm behind you through whatever, but you can't go around beating people up every time they hurt your feelings."

Hurt my feelings. He thinks I'm a bitch, Juke fumed, "So I'm the bad guy, huh? Everybody wants me to be the bad guy, yeah, so I guess I'll be him."

That's quite fitting for me anyway. The boy who killed his whole family. A monster. His mental was in turmoil and confliction. It wasn't his fault. The world around Juke morphed as he tried to reign in his emotions, but it all became too much as he started mumbling under his breath.

"You didn't listen to me, Boony." Had it been the first time, the voice of Amani would've scared him shitless, however this wasn't his first time. Whenever his emotions got to be too much, he would see them. He looked over and leaning against the lockers was his sister's form. Everything about her was exactly how he'd last seen her, except her eyes were white. Devoid of any existence. Little x's flashed over them like a blinking light. "You must think of only yourself."

"Amani... No I..." Juke gasped out towards the hallucination, making Dre frown at him in concern. Dre's bright eyes were filled with such pity. Such fear.

Don't look at me like that!, Juke's mind whirled. Tears brimmed his eyes as he watched Amani's presence emotionally. Seeing them never became less painful either.

"Look at the boy with no balls." Another voice spoke from the other side, and Juke watched as his older brother was crouched down, giving him a crooked smile. His eyes were in the same state as Amani's. "You're going to run, pussy? You're always running away."

Juke growled grasping his head, "No, shut up. Shut up!" Voices were swarming in from everywhere, making him feel like he was going insane. He clutched at his chest as an intense pain shot across it. What is wrong with me?

Dre cautiously stepped closer to him, not sure how to help when he got like this. "Hey, Juke. Nobody's blaming you, okay. It's just us out here, no one else. They're not really here. You just need to calm down."

"You need to survive." His sister spoke proud.

"You need to man up." His brother's voice sounded out.

Juke let out a deep roar, "Will everybody just shut the FUCK UP!" The intensity of his rage was so strong as his kana shot up and knocked one of the lights out. He whirled around and punched a dent into the lockers.

Dre shielded his face as he watched Juke with keen eyes.

That little outburst seemed to have extinguished the fire in his pit a bit, but Juke's anger still festered. The world was still again as the hallucinations were now gone. Juke just stood there, taking deep breaths with his gaze downcast. "I guess I see where your loyalties lie then, pet." He bit out with enough venom to poison the air around them.

A growl rumbled deep in Dre's chest at the comment. Yet, his eyes were still filled with concern and fear.

The tension was thick in the hallway.

"Listen, I've been where you are, Juke. You can't keep letting the anger win." Dre tried to reason, knowing they were falling on deaf ears.

Juke pulled his hood over his head, casting a shadow over his face. "I only have myself." He said then turned to run out of the school.

"Juke, wait!" Dre called out but the teen was gone.

Juke's feet carried him through the halls until he burst out of the back doors. He paused, kneeling over to catch his breath as he hit the fresh air, allowing the sun rays to give him some sense of respite. Why are the spirits always against me? Like I don't have enough issues. He thought with frustration as he kicked at some dirt.

The deep breathing wasn't working as Juke's anger boiled. His nerves were so antsy, goosebumps prickled his skin. A broken nose wasn't enough. Well, I can't stay here, he thought then started walking, leaving the school grounds behind him. He didn't know where he was heading, just allowing his feet to carry him as he tried to clear his head.

As he walked on, his ears caught the sound of chatter and laughing before he saw five of Dante's boys posted up. Behind them was the Opie creek, a beautiful body of flowing water when it wasn't being littered into. The men were enjoying themselves as they smoked and conversed around.

The fire in Juke's stomach sparked as his fingers twitched. You see, most people fought for justice or to become a sort of vigilante. But Juke? He just like to fight.

The teen started in their direction. He knew once he got close, they would start to antagonize him. When one of them went to open their mouth, Juke clocked the man sending him spiraling to the ground. The unexpected punch sent the man crashing with a thud.

The other men, initially shocked demeanor was replaced with aggression.

"What the hell, kid?" One yelled from behind an orange bandana mask. "Who do you think are?"

Juke stumbled a bit to catch his footing as he released a dark heckle. His smirk was wide as he gave the men his attention, the cowl shadowing his face, "Your worst fucking nightmare."

Two of the men pulled out daggers and the men ran for Juke. Throwing signs, the boy took in a deep breath and blew out a stream of fire. He spun around, blowing his fire around to singe the incoming thugs. When they recoiled back with a cry, Juke dashed up and uppercut one off his feet. Spinning on his heel, he followed with a kick that sent him soaring.

Another one ran up on him from behind swinging his knife. Juke jerked around and dodge, but he continued swiping for him. Juke bounced on his feet, leaning side to side then grabbed the man arm and twisted it causing him to release his grip on the weapon. Grabbing the knife, Juke stabbed the thug in his thigh then flipped him on his back breaking his arm.

Juke fought the rest of them with a flurry of punches and kicks, taking out all of his aggression on their bodies.

One last thug made hand signals then summoned a block of rock to rise from the ground and dash for Juke. The boy however, spun around kicking through the attack like it was nothing. The rock broke, sending sprays of debris raining out. Juke's hand struck out and grabbed a chunk of the rock and glared at the last man standing.

"You... You're crazy!" The thug cried out.

Juke's smirk was big as he responded, "You have no idea." Saying that, he threw the rock so hard that it clucked the man upside his head and flipped him to the ground.

Juke lent down to pick up something a gangman had in their hand. Sitting on top of a guard railing, he brought the cigarillo to his mouth and inhaled then blew out smoke. The men, lay on the ground around him in crumbles, alive but all beat up.

This is what I needed all day, the teen thought as he inhaled the drug. That was what I needed to clear my head. Wish it was that stupid Calcilum instead though. He blew out the smoke then tossed the end to the ground. Hopping to his feet he started back to the home. Now, time to face the music.