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I'm so proud of myself, look at me with all my daily updates...

...and then work starts next week...and tennis tryouts...my writing updates are gonna go down and I might cry...

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I'm so sorry. 

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Chapter Fourteen

~Thea's POV~

Videl and I make it precisely two feet inside the dormitory before Sue blocks our path, her arms crossed. Usually, Sue is smiling. She sure as heck ain't now.

My laugh dies off my lips. Videl stops talking.

"Thea, did you leave this campus?" asks Sue in a firm and knowing voice that leaves no room for manipulation.

"Uh," I say, "Yeah..."

Sue's eyebrows arch.

"...Sorry?"

Five minutes later, Videl and I are standing against the wall in Sue's office while Sue is on the phone and while Headmistress Maya Brown sits at the desk in front of us.

Mrs. Brown is normally a very cheerful person, from what I've seen of her, which isn't much, but she isn't now. She has mocha-colored skin, a very short haircut, large lips, and rimmed glasses. She is now sitting upright in the chair, her fingers steepled together and her dark eyes looking steadily at Videl.

Videl isn't probably helping my case, not with his ripped jeans, very disheveled curls, worn tank top, cross tattoo, and two piercings while holding two flat things that look like skateboards. Not to mention the fangs.

At least he's staying though, and being more silent than I've heard from him in a while. He offers Mrs. Brown a charming smile, which she does not return, or seem to appreciate. Probably the fangs.

"Miss Marahn," says Mrs. Brown, turning to me. I feel like I'm being looked under a microscope and fiddle with my charm bracelet. I probably look a mess. My hair's just as tangled and wind-blown as Videl's, and I think I have dirt all over my face. "Where did you and this...this young man go?"

I decide to be honest, "Ardhigiza."

"Please do not lie to me, Miss Marahn, it'll be worse for you."

"No really," says Videl in his dry accent, "We went to Ardhigiza."

"Ardhigiza is currently a war zone, and humans are not allowed to go there," says Mrs Brown, although she's saying it like she wouldn't put it past us to actually go there under those conditions.

"It's not a war zone," says Videl, "And-"

"And you know this how?"

"Because I'm its prince," says Videl impatiently. He waits, apparently hoping that this'll win him a few pointers from Mrs. Brown, and when it doesn't, he continues, "And Thea isn't human. She's Asgardian."

"Yes, so I've heard," says Mrs. Brown, looking back at me. I try to look very sorry.

"Maya," says Sue, from where she's putting up the phone, "Max Calen didn't pick up."

Videl and I glance at each other. Max not picking up right now means that we we'll be scolded by one less person.

"I'll try the home number," continues Sue, looking through the spreadsheet on her computer, looking for the number.

I decide not to mention that if Max isn't home, it's not like Klaka is going to pick up the phone or something.

"What did you even do on Ardhigiza, assuming you did go?" asks Mrs. Brown. "With those contraptions of yours? Skateboarding?"

"Uh," I say, not daring to look at Videl, "Yeah...yeah, something like that."

"Yes...yes, this is Sue Snow from Umber Academy...yes, Thea is fine...hold on please, I'll put you on speaker."

Videl and I look at Sue, who has apparently gotten ahold of someone at the Calen household. Weird.

"And who are you?" asks Mrs. Brown.

"I'm Angelique Mikhailson," says a familiar voice. Videl's eyes bulge and I thud my head against the wall. "I'm...in charge of the Calen's place while they're out, did something happen?"

"Yes, Ms. Mikhailson," says Mrs. Brown, "Thea and this...a young man left campus without permission and claim they went to Ardhigiza, which is currently a war zone, as you understand."

There's a pause. Then, in a distant sigh, Angelique asks, "Who's the young man?"

"He says his name is Videl. He's a Velah."

I can practically imagine Angelique rolling her eyes in exasperation, and I think Videl can too because he has a smirk on his face again.

"Well they're not hurt, are they?" asks Angelique, apparently not able to figure out anything else to say.

"Not hurt, no," says Mrs. Brown, "They look like they've been skateboarding or something of that nature, but not hurt."

"Skateboarding?" asks Angelique, her scratchy voice rising with danger. I've got the feeling she knows exactly what kind of skateboarding Videl and I have been doing.

"Yes," says Mrs. Brown, "Now, Ms. Mikhailson, I'm not sure what sort of authority you hold over Thea and Videl-"

"Oh I hold authority over both of them, all right," says Angelique.

I don't look at Videl. I'm afraid I'll start laughing.

"...Yes..." says Mrs. Brown uncertainly, "Well, we take the students' safety very seriously here at Umber, and seeing as Thea was admitted with special concern, we want her to know how dangerously and rashly she has acted today."

"Totally," says Angelique, then hastily says, "Er, yes, of course."

I hear Videl sniggering from next to me. I want to tell him to shut up.

"As part of school protocol, Thea will be limited to her dorm room before and after class until Thanksgiving break, and she will serve detention every Wednesday and every Sunday. On weekends, she will be limited to her dormitory building."

"What?" I squeak.

"Busted," mutters Videl.

"Does this sound arrangeable?" asks Mrs. Brown.

C'mon, Angelique, help me out.

"Er," says Angelique, "How about Yom Kippur?"

"Ms. Mikhailson, Yom Kippur is next week."

"Oh," says Angelique, sounding almost as crestfallen as I feel, "Halloween? You know how those parties are, she-"

"Ms. Mikhailson?"

"Yes, Thanksgiving sounds fine," sighs Angelique.

"That's not fair!" I exclaim.

"Indeed it is, Miss Marahn," says Mrs. Brown sternly, "You broke school rules and more to the point, you endangered yourself."

I'm at a loss for what to say.

"Then give her more homework or something," says Videl, "Thea can't be cooped up for that long, she'll probably set the whole dormitory on fire."

"You're not helping!" I hiss as my eyes burn from tears of fury and injustice.

"It was my fault," says Videl, leaning against the board, "I told her to come with me, she didn't really want to."

"I find that hard to believe," says Mrs. Brown while I kick the ground with the heel of my sneaker in frustration.

"Look, Thea's been under a lot of stress, you can't deny that, can you?" asks Videl, looking straight at Mrs. Brown.

"I cannot," says Mrs. Brown, "But that is beside the point. I-"

"I took her off campus because I wanted to give her a breather," says Videl, "She needed it, and I don't regret it, but if you're going to do something to someone, do it to me. Or you can try, I'm a little busy right now."

"Your intentions may be noble and considerate for Thea," says Mrs. Brown, "But did you consider the danger you placed both of yourselves in? If what you say is true, then both of you are in line to rule your subsequent realms, and both of you are wanted by Neidra."

"You know about Neidra?" Videl and I ask at the same time.

"I'm the Headmistress of one of the few schools in the country that deals with spies and the supernatural," says Mrs. Brown, "And I also work for SHIELD. Of course I know about Neidra."

She turns to me. "And I know that your father's imprisonment has made things difficult for you. You have been through a lot. But you also acted rashly, and you can't get away with things like this."

"She's right, Thea," sighs Angelique from the phone.

"Now as for you," says Mrs. Brown, turning to Videl, "You are no longer allowed on this campus."

"What?!" I exclaim, feeling a lump in my throat, "No, please no, he's basically the only thing keeping me sane!"

I know I'll regret saying this later, but for now, it's my only hope.

Videl glances at me, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll do detention every night, I'll stay in my dorm until Christmas, just don't send Videl away," I beg.

"If I may make an intervention," says Angelique, speaking , "Videl has been assigned to protect Thea. He's the only one who can reach her in a split second, and he's the only one who can go back and forth from SHIELD to Umber. I understand that you make the rules at the campus, and that's he's been extremely irresponsible-"

Videl gives the phone in Sue's hand a look.

"-But removing him is probably not the most wise idea."

There's a pause. I'm looking at the ground again, but I can hear Mrs. Brown tapping at the desk with her pen, Sue shifting near the window, and Videl clearing his throat.

"Let me stay," says Videl, "I swear I won't take Thea off campus again unless in absolute emergency."

I look up. Mrs. Brown regards him through narrowed eyes. He shifts his face to look slightly pleading and extremely innocent. I'm too upset to want to laugh.

"Very well," says Mrs. Brown, "But you are to report your presence on campus directly to me and only me as soon as you arrive, and you will report your departure directly and only to me, is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am," says Videl.

I'm still too upset to take note that Videl used just said 'ma'am'.

"Thank you, Ms. Mikhailson, I will be in contact later," says Mrs. Brown. "Have a good day."

"You too," says Angelique as Mrs. Brown hangs up.

"You may go now," says Mrs. Brown, nodding to Videl, and then glancing at the two boards. "And please take those contraptions with you."

Videl nods once."One question. How did you know we were off campus? Jaunting usually leaves no trace, and we left from her dorm room, where there was nobody there."

"I received a tip-off," says Mrs. Brown calmly. "Have a nice day."

Videl shrugs and turns to me. He ruffles my already messy hair. "Sorry, idiot," he says with a crooked smile, "Hang in there and keep smiling."

I give him a very fake smile because my desire to smile is several degrees below zero. He pinches my cheek and I slap him. Nodding again to Mrs. Brown and to Sue, Videl vanishes in a spiral of black mist.

As the mist vanishes, Mrs. Brown looks at me, and so does Sue. I have a terrible pit in my stomach. Videl and I should never have gone out. He shouldn't have persuaded me to go.

"I will be contacting the Calens," says Mrs. Brown, "Considering Angelique is only six or so years older than you and currently in a relationship with Videl."

I mean, she works for SHIELD, how wouldn't she know that?

"I will also try to get word from the Calens to your father," continues Mrs. Brown, "To inform him of what you have just done."

I can't decide if Loki will be furious at me or mildly amused, but it doesn't really matter since the most he could do is write in all capital letters in the next letter.

"You may go to your room," says Mrs. Brown, "And please take a shower. You look like you've been rolling in mud."

More like surfing the air and occasionally running through a tree or flying dirt, but close enough.

I nod and turn away, scuffing my feet on the floor as I go.

*

"It was Esmeralda," says Jack.

Sue has banned me from leaving my room for the entire rest of the day and night, which also means no visitors. I'd had to text Jack and tell him that I couldn't meet to talk to him, but he'd just called me, not to talk about whatever he'd wanted to talk about, but to talk about other things. Like how he'd already figured out that Videl and I had snuck off-campus and that he'd used some of the hacking traits he'd inherited from Clint to also figure out who'd snitched on us.

"She heard us talking at Simulations," continues Jack as I lie on my bed and stare up at the ceiling. I'm dressed in sweatpants and an old shirt, my hair still slightly wet from the shower and having the first real and civil conversation with Jack in six months. We're both talking in polite, careful tones. "And told Mrs. Brown. She was texting Fantine about it."

"You hacked into her cell phone?"

"Yes, I did. She isn't very nice."

"I could've told you that," I humph, playing with my charm bracelet for the fifieth time today, "Okay cool, now I'm basically landlocked because of a freaking annoying redhead who's probably laughing her socks off right now."

"She won't be laughing by the time we're through with her," says Jack.

I stop fiddling with the smiley-face charm. "Say what?"

"This is not Hannah Montana, Thea."

"And you are still in hot water, continue."

"You're the one who threw punch on my shirt and the pineapple in my eye!"

"And you're the one who acted like a prick for half a year and totally ditched me and stole Peter for good measure."

Pause.

"Continue," I say.

"Anyway," says Jack in a perfectly normal tone, "I've already thought of a way for us- and you- to get back at her."

"How, exactly?" I ask, "I send her secret messages from my room?"

"No, it's more elaborate than that. I've got a rough outline of it, and I assume Dara will help, right?"

"If it's revenge, if it has to do with Esmeralda, and if food is involved, then Dara is on," I say.

"Great, I'm bringing pizza. And Sidney says he'll help too."

"Who's Sidney?"

"My roommate."

"Does he have five-foot pair of wings like you?"

"His are eight feet, and mine are ten, which makes mine bigger."

"Jack."

"Sorry," says Jack, humbly trying to keep down the mischief in his voice, "I couldn't help myself."

"What's the plan?" I sigh.

"Like I said, I just have the skeleton of it," says Jack, "Seeing as you're banned to the dormitory until approximately forever, can Sidney and I just come to your common room tomorrow?"

"Okay," I say, wondering if this could be a positive direction upwards in our relationship, assuming we don't get expelled, "But don't bet on Sue not popping in every five minutes to see if I'm still there."

*

~Nobody's POV~

"You screwed up."

"I know I screwed up, but Angel, she was miserable," says Videl, sitting on his girlfriend's couch and throwing a stapler up and down. Angelique is sitting at the table, papers spread out before her, trying to concentrate on the swimming of phsycology notes and terms she has to memorize for her upcoming exam.

"But you had to take her and push her off a cliff?" she asks dully.

Videl raises an eyebrow and says, "You should have heard her laugh though, I haven't heard her laugh like that since...I actually can't think of the last time."

Angelique doesn't say anything.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Videl sitting up. She feels his warm breath on the back of her neck as he leans towards her, one of his ever-mussed curls prickling against her skin. She feels unconcious goosebumps creep on her arms. She tries to rub them away.

"You look as stressed as Thea," says Videl, leaning around to touch her forehead, "I can feel you frowning. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she says hurriedly, "It's nothing."

"You need to relax," says Videl softly, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her towrads him. "Come on, gorgeous, relax with me."

Angelique bites her lip, trying not to feel the fireworks of feeling she always gets when Videl touches her like this.

Then, "No," she says curtly, pushing him back and away from her. She stands up, tucking a dark wayward strand of hair from her face, and steps over the piles of paper. She puts her hand on her forehead, then takes it off.

"Angel, I know you, something is bothering you and you're not telling me." Videl stands up too. "Please, just tell me what's wrong. Did I do something?"

"Videl," begs Angelique, bracing herself against the wall, her back to him, "It's not-"

"You've been acting like this for weeks, and I haven't said anything," says Videl. She can hear him walking towards her, and she avoids the temptation to turn into his warm, strong arms. "What is it? What did I do?"

She shakes her head, at a loss for words.

"Angelique!" he says desperately, "I can't read minds. Well, I can if I want to, but I haven't in forever, Angel, just please, what is it?"

She takes a deep breath. "I just...just..."

"You know I love you, right?"

She closes her mouth. She feels tears prickle in her eyes. She sniffs and balls up her fingers in a fist.

"Do you love me, Angelique?"

"Yes," she sobs, turning around, not caring if he sees the tears on her face, "Yes, I do, and that's the problem!"

"Angelique!" Videl reaches forward to take her hand, but she tears it away, "You're scaring me."

"No...no," she chokes, "I'm fine. Just...I need to be alone. I need you...us...you need to leave me alone...you can't possibly want me."

She hears the bewilderment in his tone, "Why wouldn't I want you, Angel? I wanted you the first second I laid eyes on you, and I've wanted you ever since."

"For what reason? For what reason?"

He's properly concerned now. "There are too many," he replies, "I love you for your eyes and your hand in my fingers and your skin next to mine when-"

"See?" she shrieks, "See, that's why!"

He stares.

"Just go then!" she sobs, "I can't give it to you! I can't give it to you anymore!"

"Angelique!" He runs his fingers through his curls, a habit that she'd always found endearing and now makes her want to break down even more. "Please, please tell me what's-"

"Go!"

There's a moment of silence, except for the cries Angelique is trying to hold back. She feels him near her, feels the soft brush of his lips on her cheek, feels him squeeze her hand, hears him whisper, "I love you", and feels the black mist against her skin as he vanishes.

Anyone have the slightest idea what's going on? Or are you just as confused as Videl? 

The chapter title references the maybe upwards direction of Thea and Jack's relationship and the maybe downwards direction of Angelique and Videl's. 

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xx Sierra xx