Chapter 31

       As soon as the barriers were down, chaos broke out in the headquarters. All the Protectors were running around, finding out where to go next to take out the demons crawling over the city or grabbing a different set of weapons.

       There were demons everywhere. Thankfully, none have killed anybody yet because the demons seemed to be more interested in going for Protectors and supernatural creatures and we all knew how to defeat them.

       I had never seen the HQ so hectic before and honestly, it was a bit amusing. That sounded horrible of me but it wasn't my fault. I already thought of a solution for everyone to get a new location they needed without having to come back to the HQ but nobody was listening to me.

       So I decided to sit back and enjoy all this chaos.

       By sitting on a beach chair in the Op Centre, sunglasses shielding my eyes and a glass of lemonade I conjured up in my hand. And it was the best lemonade I'd ever had.

       It felt good to relax for once, even with all the mayhem the Protector Circle was going through.

       My siblings came into the Op Centre to find another place to deal with and they saw me relaxing and having the time of my life. "What the hell are you doing, Nolan?" Ryder asked. "There's a demon attack on the city right now!"

       "Shh," I said. "This is my vacation time. I'm trying to relax."

       "How can you relax with the demons here?!" Ryder asked.

       "Simple," I said. "Like this." I leaned back into the chair, taking a sip out of the lemonade. 

       "Nolan, now isn't the time to be acting like this," Ryder said. "The whole city of Miami is in danger right and and you're... I don't even know what you're doing right now."

       "I thought that was clear," I said, lifting up my sunglasses and resting them on top of my head. "I'm relaxing, thus the chair and the lemonade. Well, I was relaxing but you just killed my vibe so thanks for that."

       "You're unbelievable, you know that, right?" Ryder asked. "Do you not understand how dangerous demons are? How dangerous it is for them to just be roaming the streets?"

       "Oh, relax," I said.  "They're not going for humans. Only Protectors and supernaturals, and they can take care of themselves."

       "That's not the point, Nolan," Ryder said. "Humans have been seeing the demons. It's risky to have them know about the existence of supernatural creatures."

       "You know, supernaturals creatures have always seemed like an offensive term," I said. "One of the definitions of creature is a fictional or imaginary being, typically a frightening one. Hello? Do I look frightening?"

       "You're not even a supernatural," Alan said.

       "Oh, okay, I'll just take away my magic and tell myself I'm not a sorcerer anymore," I said. "Why are you guys still here? There's a demon attack. You shouldn't be dawdling."

       Martha walked into the Op Centre to check on the Protectors that were in here just in case some didn't know where to go. When she saw me in my relaxed state, she didn't look happy. "Nolan, what on earth are you doing?" she asked.

       "Why do people keep asking that as if it's not obvious?" I asked. "I'm relaxing."

       "In the middle of a demon attack?" Martha asked. "We need all Protectors working to get rid of them."

       "That's odd," I said. "Because I specifically remember you telling me that I'm too weak to help with the demon attack, and when I tried telling you of a way to make things more effective with everyone finding a new location to go to, you brushed me off."

       "What's this idea?" Martha asked. "If it will help, by all means, tell me what it is."

       I only shrugged in reply and leaned back into the seat. Sure, it may seem like I was being unbelievably selfish but the solution was a very simple one that anyone could have thought of. And if anything, I was also being respectful towards Martha since she was the head of this HQ and a Tribunal member, and she told me not to go out into the field.

       What kind of Protector would I be if I disobeyed her?

       "Nolan, now isn't the time to be petty," Ryder said.

       "It's always the time to be petty for me," I said. "Especially when I'm not being treated like a Protector unless it's convenient for certain people."

       "If you don't tell me this plan of yours or do something to help out, I might have to reconsider your spot in this HQ as a Protector," Martha said.

       "Well, you already don't think I'm one so that's not really a negotiation," I said. "Until you have a better offer, I'll just be relaxing here."

       Martha was about to say something else but a portal opened and Jerome stepped out. "I wasn't able to find out who destroyer the barrier, but with the help of other sorcerers, we put up a brand new one," he said. "So no more demons should enter. Unfortunately, the ones already in won't leave unless they're, you know, killed."

       "At least you're doing something to help," Ryder said before gesturing to me.

       Jerome looked over and furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

       "Relaxing," I said. "I think I deserved a well-needed vacation. Ooh, and I conjured up this lemonade with my magic."

       "Really?" Jerome asked. "How does it taste?" To let him see for himself, I handed him the glass and he took a sip out of it. "Wow, that's one of the best drinks I've ever tasted. You did a good job."

       "Are you seriously praising him right now?" Ryder asked. 

       "Well, in his defense, he was told that he's took weak to go fight against the demons so I don't see why he should be criticized."

       "Even though he isn't allowed to go out to fight the demons, that doesn't mean he could help around here," Ryder said.

       "I tried," I said. "Everyone was ignoring me. So I decided to take the opportunity to relax despite the city being up in flames."

       "Nolan, this isn't the time to act like this," Martha said. "Either you tell me that plan of yours or you'll no longer be a Protector here."

       I stared at her for a bit, considering my options. I really wasn't treated like a Protector right now so it wouldn't make that much of a difference if I was kicked out yet again. Part of me was even wanting to join the Sorcerer Circle to get back at Martha but the only reason why I wasn't doing that was because the head sorceress was worse than Martha.

       In the end, I said, "Get all the Protectors who aren't able to be on the field in here, whether it be because they're too young, too old, or they're just getting over an injury. Tell all the other Protectors to text one of them when they're done and they'll be sent a new location to go to. Simple. Solution. I get I'm not the most athletically inclined Protector but I seriously can't be the only one with brains."

       Martha didn't say anything as she left the Op Centre, probably to get the Protectors that were still in the HQ since my plan was the only plan they had; as oppose to just going out and killing the demons, then coming back to get a new place where they were located.

       "You know," Ryder said. "Even if Martha told you not to go out, a true Protector would have done it anyway."

       "That's really easy for you to say," I said. "You're always allowed to go out and you never have to break the rules. You've never been discriminated against and you've never actually had to break the rules. I would only get into a lot of trouble if I went out anyway, even if it's the right thing to do, and I'm sick of getting in trouble just for doing what a true Protector would do. So just back off."

       I stood up from the chair and was about to create a portal but I still didn't know how to so I looked at Jerome. I didn't even have to ask him what I wanted before he waved his hand to create one. He followed me inside of it, both of us going to his apartment.

       "Is it bad that I'm tempted to leave the Protectors again?" I asked. "I mean, what's the point of me being on when I'm basically not allowed to do anything."

       "I wouldn't blame you if you quit," Jerome said. "Martha's a bitch. She even bosses me around. I don't have to lend her my magic. And speaking of, I really want to know who took down the barriers. I thought it would have been someone from Dirk's team but he is the only sorcerer on his team, and he's captured. So why would someone want to bring demons into the city?"

       "Well, demons are special," I said. "Their body parts can be used in potions and other things like that. Like the..." I stopped myself when I thought of the one spell that could screw us all over.

       "The death spell," Jerome finished. "It's extremely difficult to get all the ingredients for it, but demon blood is one of the things on there."

       "And that spell is the opposite of the one Dirk has been wanting to use," I said. "The one that brings a deceased person back to life but if it goes wrong, it will be an truly gruesome creature."

       "Unless he wants it to go wrong," Jerome said.

       "I have a headache now," I said, rubbing my forehead. "So Dirk wants to kill someone and use their corpse as one of those gruesome creatures? But that would mean..."

       "That there's another sorcerer on his team," Jerome said. "And we have no idea who it is."

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nolan is me. i am nolan. we are one.

petty nolan is the best nolan. jk sassy nolan is the best nolan. jk all nolans are the best nolan.

so i was hoping i would finish this before midnight so it still would have been the 30th which is nolan's cast birthday and whenever i realize it's one of my character's cast's birthday, i like updating a book they're in. 

which is a good thing because it means i'll possibly update one of my neglected books ahahaha (psst not alike is next that i know of)