What exactly is a blackout?

Some people may define a blackout as a sudden failure of electric lights, or even a short loss of consciousness.

But I define it as the thing that killed my parents. Strange right? It may sound that way, but if only you were there 11 years ago...

     "Come on, Zia." my mom said. "Try it again."

I was sitting in the living room with my parents Lucy and Matthew Cage, who were trying to teach me magic.

My mom held my hands and stretched them forward. "Try again, sweetie."

"I can't." I protested.

My dad grunted. "Why couldn't she have just practiced her sword fighting today?"

My mom turned to him. "Matt! Don't say that. She's better at magic than sword fighting. Besides, how do you expect a five-year-old to hold up a sword?"

"It's practice, Lulu. She's better at magic, so she should spend more time learning something else."

My mom rolled her eyes and turned back to me, "You can do this, Zia."

I closed my eyes and extended all my magic willpower to my palms. My mom clapped and squealed excitedly.

I opened my eyes and saw a ball of flame in my left hand and snowflakes in the other.

My mom laughed and hugged my dad. "I told you she'll have both! She's special!"

My dad rolled his eyes. "I need to see her parry. Then I'll be impressed."

"Matt..."

"I'm kidding. I'm proud of you, Zia. Magic is a really good skill and it can be applied in other techniques, even sword fighting. If you can ma-"

Across the street, the lights from a house flickered out. The residents screamed. The same thing happened to the next house.

What is that?" I asked.

"I don't know," my dad said. "But it looks bad. We need to leave."

Just as he said it, a tendril of darkness grabbed my mother by the waist and pulled her into the dark abyss.

"Mom!"

My dad hauled me on his shoulders and ran to the garage. He set me on the ground and opened a chest. He handed his katana to me.

"Look," he said. "I have no idea what that thing is, but I can show you how to defend yourself against it."

"What about mom?"

"She's gone, and I don't have much time left either, so listen carefully."

"But-"

"When the darkness comes for you, point the katana at it and channel that ball of flame that you created before. But no ice, just fire."

"I can't just leave you!"

"You don't have a choice." The lights in the garage turned off. My dad brought out a golden necklace from his pocket. It had a pendant in the shape of the full moon but the crescent was illuminated. He put the necklace around my neck.

"I love you, Zia. Don't ever for-"

I watched in horror as my dad was dragged into the darkness.

I unsheathed the katana and pointed its blade at the darkness. A column of fire pierced through the darkness and it retreated but didn't die. I opened the garage door and ran, but I stopped in my tracks when I saw the darkness right in front of me.

"Zia." It said. "Zia."

"No! Leave me alone!"

"Zia! Wake up, god dammit!"

My eyes flew open.

"Finally!" my best friend, Kris, was standing in front of me dressed in a white turtleneck with jeans and combat boots.

"You're late. Mrs. Mendev sent me to get you. Dress up and go to the hall."

She left the room.

I got out of my bed, showered, and changed into a black long-sleeved v-neck with black jeans and combat boots. I wore my moon necklace and went to the hall, where everyone was seated on the floor.

Mrs. Mendev turned around and glared at me.

"Thank you for joining us, Miss Cage."

"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Mendev."

The students snickered nervously as is sat next to Kris.

"You can't talk to my mom like that."

The twat that had said this was Taylor Mendev, aka my ex-boyfriend. If you don't see why I broke up with him, just keep reading.

"I can talk to her anyhow I want, especially after she almost expelled me just because I broke up with you."

"You can't blame her. I'd do the same thing for my kid."

"Wow. I guess both you and your mom are condescending bitches."

"I'm not a bitch."

"Right, sorry. Your mom's a condescending bitch, you are a condescending bastard."

Taylor scoffed. "You're just jealous that my parents are always going to be richer than your measly parents."

Now, do you see why I broke up with him?

Before I could freeze and then melt his pathetic little nose, Kris quickly spoke up.

"Taylor, you can't say that, your parents wouldn't have this establishment if her parents weren't faithful to them, and instead of rewarding them, your parents kicked them out of the BlankHouse. And your mom didn't expel Zia because she found out that she was the daughter of Lucy and Matthew Cage. Also, you are a condescending bastard."

Mrs. Mendev turned to Kris. "What was that, Kristabel?"

"Nothing at all, Mrs. Mendev. And please call me Kris. Only my grandfather called me Kristabel."

"But he isn't here because Noir-Petit devoured his fragile little soul. So we have to continue the tradition. Don't we, Kristabel?"

"The fucking bitch." Kris muttered.

"Anyways," Mrs. Mendev continued, "We have a new member. Everyone, please welcome Alan Kirsh Decker."

The hall doors opened and a boy with curly black hair and dark blue eyes stepped inside. He was about 5,10" and had a nice build. He wore a grey hoodie with matching grey sweatpants and white sneakers. He seemed okay to everyone else, but he had the smirk of a player, and I could just imagine him breaking all the girls' hearts in just two weeks. I hated him instantly.

"Hello everyone, I am Alan Decker. Kirsh Decker is my father." He glared at Mrs. Mendev. "I hope we can all be friends." Not all of you, though he mouthed, still glaring at Mrs. Mendev.

Mrs. Mendev forced a smile. "We hope so as well, Alan. Kris and Zia, you two and my son Taylor will take Alan to the library and tell him everything about this prestigious academy!"

Kris coughed into her fist. "Prestigious my ***."

I clamped my hands over my mouth, trying to control my mirth. The new boy Alan must have heard her as well because the edge of his mouth was twitching like crazy.

Mrs. Mendev glared at Kris "What was that, Kristabel?"

"Nothing at all, Mrs. Mendev."

Alan chuckled silently and Taylor glared at Kris.

"Anyways," Mrs. Mendev said. "Hop to it."

The three of us stood up and led Alan to the library.

///////////////////////////////IN THE LIBRARY///////////////////////////////////

After telling Alan everything about our 'prestigious' academy, Kris rushed to a shelf, brought out a rune, and tapped her head. Her shoulder-length hair grew all the way to her waist. She hastily tied it into a ponytail.

Alan turned to me. "How did she do that?"

"It's a growth rune," I said.

"A rune. Is it like a Norse rune?"

"Yeah, no. I hate to break it to you, but this isn't Valhalla."

He frowned in mock confusion. "Huh. And to think I mistook you for a Draugr." (A Draugr is a Norse zombie.)

I clenched my fists. "Why you little meinfretr-"

Taylor suddenly pushed me away from Alan.

"Pay no mind to that Venus flytrap. She enjoys being bitchy, especially towards men, but once you put her in her place, she'll learn to keep her mouth shut."

"Just what do you think you're-"

"Shush. When elite high-class men like me are speaking, little girls like you stay quiet."

"Shut up," Alan said.

Taylor turned to him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me the first time, shut up. Your parents obviously didn't teach you chivalry because that is no way to talk to a woman."

"How dare you-"

"I wasn't finished. Second of all, your mom owning an academy doesn't mean shit. It also doesn't give you the right to be such a condescending bastard."

He stood up and left. Kris whistled. "Damn, bro was tough. And savage. Definitely savage. And he used your line!"

Taylor wheeled on me. "You! This is all your fault!"

"But I didn't act out in front of the new kid, you did." I flashed him a fake smile.

"AAAAARRGGHH! I HATE YOU! I HATE THAT DUMBASS NEW KID! I HATE EVERYONE IN THIS SCHOOL!"

He stormed off.

"Jeez," Kris said. "That guy needs some serious therapy."

"Don't let Mrs. Mendev hear that."

"Not like I care. Wait. Where's Alan?"

"He left...shit! I have to find him! He might be lost!"

Alan wasn't lost.

I found him in the gym, beating the shit out of a punching bag. He had taken off his hoodie and he was drenched in sweat. He turned to me.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"Do you need anything?"

"No...yes, actually. I wanted to thank you for what you did back there."

Alan grunted. "It's not a big deal. I don't like people who are full of themselves."

"Well, I actually hated you at first."

"Me? Why?"

"You called me a Draugr. And you look like a player."

"I was joking. And I'm not a player, even though I may look like one. I will never break a girl's heart."

"Good to know."

He kicked the punching bag and his foot pierced through the bag and got stuck. He yelped loudly.

I laughed. "What the heck?"

He pulled out his foot. "I have no idea how that happened. Will I get in trouble for this?"

"Hardly. Things get destroyed here all the time. I'll see you tomorrow."

I turned around to leave when Alan grabbed my arm.

"Uh, Zia?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we friends? I'm just asking out of curiosity, you don't have to be."

"Of course we are. And you'll need to meet Mrs. Mendev to let you train with the bots instead."

I left the gym and headed to my room.

A/N: Hey guys! This is the first official chapter of Blackout! If you enjoyed it, please consider following me for more.

P.S: I upload every Saturday. (No exact time.)

BYE 4 NOW!

I'm never going on a mission on a mission with Taylor again. Never.

I woke up and wore a camo tank top with olive cargo pants tucked into boots after showering. I headed to the gym and opened the door as a knife zipped past my arm and impaled the wall.

I looked at the bleeding cut on my arm.

"Thanks," I said. "My outfit needed more colour."

Alan turned around.

"Oh my gosh! Zia, I'm so sorry. Kris was teaching me to learn to use throwing knives."

I pulled the knife out of the wall and tossed it back to him.

"Well, you've obviously got the hang of it."

'Yeah, yeah." He walked over to me and looked at my arm. "Shit. That cut looks very deep. Come on, I'll take you to the sick bay."

"You know where it is?"

"Nope," he admitted. "But you can show me."

///////////////////////////// IN THE SICK BAY //////////////////////////

Alan was surprised to find out that we didn't have a nurse.

"That doesn't even make sense! Why wouldn't Mrs. Mendev hire a nurse?"

"'Cause, she's an absolute bitch. She makes all of us learn first aid and some medical bullshit. According to her, "Military philosophers have a saying: Kill the healer first. Basically, this prevents your other enemies from coming back into combat. But if you're healers and  fighters, Everyone will come back alive.""

"Or everyone will die," Alan said.

"Of course, but being Rayla Mendev, she fails to mention the fatal consequences of a situation, and when people die, she'll say, "Oh, they died? What a shame. We'll just give their families money to compensate!""

"Heartless creature," Alan grumbled.

"Right? The only person she cares for is Taylor."

"Who is Taylor to you? You guys look like you have a lot of history."

"We do, actually. Taylor is my ex-boyfriend."

"Wow. Whatever did you see in him?"

"I asked myself the same question when I broke up with him. But looking back, I guess I see why."

"Why? Was he hot?"

"I wouldn't say hot. Good-looking, yes, but-"

"Am I hot?"

"Alan..."

"I'm kidding. Continue."

"Taylor was good-looking. We first met when we were 5. We were the pioneers of the BlankHouse. We weren't best friends but we were very close. Kris came along 4 years later and we became BFFs. There were more students and I started catching feelings for Taylor. We started dating when we were 14, but Kris began to tell me that Taylor was very sexist and spoiled. I thought she was just being jealous so I didn't believe her until I found him cornering a new girl just because she tried to show him how to swing a sword. Not to mention the constant pleading for sex-"

"Wait, what?"

"Yes, Taylor was constantly begging for us to have sex, and I kept declining him, telling him I wasn't ready. Then I realized I was just his sex object. I broke up with him a year later. Then and only then was when Taylor revealed his true colours to me."

"Wow. That is a lot of history."

"Yeah," I agreed. "And to top it all off, his mom really had the gall to expel me-"

"What?" he sounded more furious than surprised.

"Relax. As you can see, I wasn't expelled. She had told me to pack my bags and leave the BlankHouse, but when I was about to leave her office, she asked to have a closer look at my pendant. And when she did, she changed her mind."

"Why? What's so special about your necklace pendant?"

"It's our family's symbol. We come from a long line of mafias that called themselves the Cage Clan. According to some myths, if someone does something horrible to a Cage, they'll get cursed. When Mrs. Mendev kicked my parents out of the BlankHouse, her best friend and Taylor's died. So I guess she was scared."

"Of ghosts? And curses?"

"I guess so. Maybe- Ow!"

I was so lost in the conversation that I didn't even notice that Alan had lifted my hand to the sink. He ran water over the wound, which surprisingly stung. I yelped and squeezed his wrist. He looked up at me.

"I'm sorry," I said. really hurts."

"It's fine. As long as you don't moan. Then things will get awkward."

"Yeah."

He finished rinsing the wound (and enduring the pain of me twisting his wrist every 5 seconds) and wrapped the cut in fresh bandages.

"Zia?"

"Yeah?"

"When will I go on my first mission?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Usually, the newbies are sent on missions two weeks after they arrive. Mrs. Mendev would have to be deranged if she sends you on a mission anytime soon."

"You're going on your first mission."

After we had left the sick bay, Mrs. Mendev had sent for Alan and me to tell us...Well, you know what she told us.

I clenched my fist.

"No way," I said. "Alan isn't going on his first mission now. He just came here yesterday!"

"And I decided that he's good enough to go on his first mission."

"Why can't you send someone else?"

"Because I have a choice. Sukoshi Kuroi was sighted nearby last night. He needs to learn to face a Blackout Demon."

"It'll kill him!"

"Irrelevant. This is necessary."

I slammed my fist against the wall. "No! It isn't necessary! You must be deranged and demented if you think I'll let you send Alan on a suicide mission!"

"Zia," Alan said. "It's okay. I-"

"Shut up, Alan. I'm saving your player-looking *** over here."

Mrs. Mendev cleared her throat. "Alan won't be alone. He'll be with his friends."

"Oh really? Who are these friends?"

"You, Kristabel and my son Taylor."

"It's Kris, and Taylor isn't our friend. He's an acquaintance. A very annoying acquaintance."

"Irrelevant, once again. You three will go with Alan to fight and kill Sukoshi Kuroi."

"I see your little games. You think if Alan dies, you'll be able to push the blame on me because I demanded his protection. Hate to burst your bubble, but Alan's going to be safe with me."

Mrs Mendev smiled coldly. "I'm glad to hear that. Now leave my office and get ready."

Kris was the only person excited to go on the mission.

"I get to fight a Blackout Demon!"

She stuffed her satchel with runes and throwing knives. She already had an Inferno Blade (The Fire Weapons given to us in the BlankHouse) but she felt the need to carry more. Why? Because she's Kris.

Taylor sighed and stretched. "I honestly don't care. I'm ready to test out my insane powers on an actual villain."

Kris slipped her satchel across her chest. She picked up another bag filled with our clothes. (By our, I mean mine and hers. Taylor was carrying his and Alan's)

"Oh please," she said. " What you have doesn't even count as a power."

Alan raised an eyebrow. "What powers do you guys have?"

Kris smiled proudly. "I'm a weapons expert and I can teleport. Zia can summon fire and ice and Taylor can read."

Alan laughed, a soft and clear melody. "He can read?"

Taylor pouted, which actually made him look cute. "She's being a dumbass. Basically, my brain has access to all the books near me."

"All books?"

"Published books. I can't read someone's diary, unless it's Dork Diaries or Diary Of A Wimpy Kid-which I don't read...And I can reach books that are far away, but it takes a lot of concentration and it's exhausting."

"Tests must have been very easy for you."

Taylor smiled.

Alan turned to me.

"So, you can summon fire and ice?"

"Yep"

"So you're like a Todoroki genderbend?"

"Who's Todoroki?"

"You don't know who Shoto Todoroki is?"

"No."

"Katsuki Bakugo?"

"Nope."

"Izuku Midoriya? Doesn't ring any bells?"

"Nada."

Alan took my hand and pretends to wipe his tears. "Do you even watch anime?"

I yanked my hand away. "Only two. Dragon Ballz and Naruto."

"Oh thank the gods!"

"But I stopped watching them."

He clutched his chest. "Aaah! Mommy save me! It burns!"

Kris and Taylor laughed.

I rolled my eyes.

Alan smiled. "I'm still calling you Icy Hot."

"What?"

"And it really fits your personality. You're all icy and cold, but you're so hot! Like damn~"

Kris rolled on the floor, laughing her *** off.

I slapped his arm. "Stop it. So what are your powers?"

I could have sworn he glanced at the light bulb. "It's best if I don't show it here. It's kinda hard to explain. Now about this Suck-she Kunai-"

"Sukoshi Kuroi," I corrected.

"Whatever. What does it look like?"

"It depends. Its main appearance is just dark mist, but sometimes it takes the form of your sleep paralysis demon."

"You're joking."

"Nope. The demon you used to fathom or fear as a little kid in the middle of your sleep. It will take its shape and terrify you ten times more than it did when you were younger."

Alan shuddered. "How do you know so much about them?"

"I study."

"Right. So what am I going to use to kill this demon?"

"Inferno blades."

"Huh?"

"They have an essence of fire. Specially designed to kill the Blackout Demons."

"Can I get one?"

"Sure."

I reached into my own satchel and gave a slab of silver the size of my pendant.

"Uh, what is this?"

"Your Inferno Blade."

"It's a silver block."

"Throw it in the air, genius."

He throw the slab and it transformed into a glowing white sword. Alan inspected the blade.

"This is nice. I can definitely kill a demon with this."

"Excuse me, Mr Player," I said. " You're not killing any demons. You're going to stay behind us."

"Why?"

"Because you don't have any experience. And I'll be slightly disappointed if you die."

"Whatever. Let's go kick demon butt!"

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I hate cars. And planes. Basically, I hate all means of transportation.

The thing is, I get really motion sick when I'm in a vehicle, No matter which it is. So of course we had to pick the worst one-driving a Jeep all the way from the BlankHouse to the Louis Sweet Hotel car park, which was where Sukoshi Kuroi was sighted.

I wasn't driving, luckily, but it really didn't make a difference. My stomach rumbled, my head was aching, and every time the car swerved, accelerated, or ran over a porthole, I felt like dying.

Alan, who was sitting beside me, looked at me and frowned. "What's wrong? Are you car sick?"

I shrugged. "Motion sick, in general."

"I'm sorry, that must suck."

"You think?"

He held my hand and squeezed it. "My aunt Erica is car sick, not motion sick, but we're in a car-"

"So..."

"So whenever she feels queasy, my Uncle Alex would take her hand and tell her to focus on him; to focus on the sound of his voice."

"Did it work?"

He shrugged. "Most of the time. Other times my uncle would end up with puke all over his shirt and face."

I giggled.

Alan met my eyes. "So," he said. "Just focus on my voice. We're going to have a successful trip and you're not going to puke all over my face although that be a bit hot..."

"Don't."

He laughed.

We talked throughout the entire trip and I didn't even feel that nauseous. We got to the hotel and checked in, which confused Alan.

"Isn't this just a one-day thing?"

Kris took two hotel room keys. "It can be. Some missions last days, even months. And we can't keep travelling back to the BlankHouse."

"Why does it last so long?"

"Because some demons can be very bitchy and annoying. They can attack here and there, so you'll constantly be on the run, tracking it down. Or sometimes they'll make you run around in circles then just return to their state of origin."

"Whatever. At least I get to share an awesome room with Zia!"

I looked at him. "What?"

Kris rolled her eyes. "For a pretty boy, you act so dense. What made you think you'll share a room with Zia?"

"Uh, because we're friends?"

"Zia and I are best friends."

"Won't you share a room with your boyfriend?"

"My who?"

"Your boyfriend, Taylor."

Taylor gagged. Kris rolled her eyes.

"He's not my boyfriend. Not in a million years. And you'll be the one sharing a room with Taylor. We have to keep things PG here."

I could feel my face turning red. "What do you think we'll be doing?"

"Oh please. I saw you two holding hands back in the car. If I let you two sleep in the same room, We'll be leaving this hotel with five people."

I blushed. "Kris!"

She walked to the elevator. "I'm just saying. Let's go."

////////////////////IN ZIA AND KRIS'S ROOM/////////////////

When Kris and I entered the room, Kris sat me down.

"Do you like Alan?"

"Uh, no. Why do you think I like him?"

"Oh, I don't know, holding hands, staring into each other's eyes..."

"He was helping me with my motion sickness."

"Uh-huh. Anyway, I'm going to take your word for it. You should shower. It's already getting late."

"Aren't you going to shower?"

"Yes, but I hate showering first. I also need to scout the area, place shield runes all around the hotel, all that stuff."

I stood up. "Whatever. Don't take too long."

I entered the shower.

/////////////////////////////AFTER THE SHOWER//////////////////////////

I stepped out of the shower and wore a grey t-shirt with a cupcake design and red ribbed jersey pyjama bottoms. Kris still wasn't back from her scouting and I didn't want to start looking for her so I sat on my bed and opened my phone.

My phone didn't have anything special, just a few games, Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, Wattpad, Snapchat and MangaToon. The only contacts I had were Kris, Mrs Mendev ( Who I had her name to Deranged Inferno) and Taylor. (Who I had saved as Wikipedia)

I was scrolling through TikTok when I heard a loud scream.  I stood up and ran out of the room to the car park.

I saw Alan and Taylor trying to kill the Blackout Demon, who was holding onto Kris. Her face was pale and she wasn't moving anymore.

The demon turned to me.

"Just in time, Zia Cage. Shujin gave me orders to whatever I please with you. This is going to be so much fun."

     That awkward moment when you're outside in your pajamas while your best friend's soul is being devoured by a Japanese demon.

If I had a dollar for every time that happened...

The demon wasn't huge, but it was just as terrifying. It was still a dark mist, but its presence relayed all my worst nightmares.

Taylor and Alan backed up from the demon and Alan turned to me.

"Why does it speak Engl-Holy Hera! Why are you in pyjamas?"

I glared at him. "In case you didn't notice, Mr. Obvious, it is currently 7:30. Anyways, what happened here?"

"We followed Kris outside but she left us, well, more like we split up because she and Taylor kept bickering. We were about to head back inside when we heard the scream. And did that demon just speak?"

The demon cackled. "Of course, I speak. How else would you the curses and insults I lay on you as I rip out your larynx?"

"Of course," Alan growled. "How rude of me. Now let go of my friend!"

Kuroi held Kris up. "Oh, this thing? I have no use for her. Neither does Shujin. She merely had the scent of the one I want: Zia Cage."

It tossed Kris and Taylor caught her.

I reached for my katana and then realized it was back in the hotel room. Nevertheless, I looked up at the demon.

"You have me," I said.

"Yes, yes." the demon said. "It would be a pleasure torturing you."

Alan frowned. "Hold on. Who's Shujin? And what does he want from Zia?"

"It's sad for you to assume Shujin is a man. Shujin has no need for gender, as they are omnipotent." It turned back to me. "Now then, let's get the killing."

The demon lurched forward but Alan jumped in front of me. The demon slapped him across the car park.

I ran back into the hotel and grabbed my katana. I got back to the car park,  but Alan, Kris, and the demon were gone.

I turned to Taylor. "What happened?"

"The demon took Alan. I wanted to chase after them, but the girl told me to stay behind. Claimed that I was too weak. That being a walking Wikipedia is extremely useless. Well, excuse me, Miss-"

"What girl?"

"A Japanese girl. Kinda hot, big boobs, black-"

"How do you know she's Japanese?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because she spoke to me in Japanese, but who knows?"

I rolled my eyes.

"She also took Kris," Taylor added. "She was feeling better so she decided to tag along."

"Do you know where they were headed?"

"No. The girl mentioned something Grand. Is there anything grand in Arizona?"

I facepalmed. "You're such a dumbass. They're at the Grand Canyon!"

"Oh. Right. So how far is it?"

"Approximately 2 hours if we drive."

"Yeah, I don't think the demon is going to wait for us before devouring them."

I groaned. "I wish Kris was here. She'd be able to-"

Kris suddenly appeared beside us. She had soot marks and a nasty cut on her face, but she was grinning like a maniac.

"Hey guys," she said. "Sorry I left. Kyoshi really needed me."

I blinked. "Have you been fighting a demon or playing Super Mario Bros.?"

"You just said Yoshi needed you."

Taylor snorted. "She said Kyoshi. She's the Japanese newbie."

"Newbie?"

"Yes. She had a BlankHouse Acceptance Letter. It fell out of her pocket when she left with Kris."

"So that means she was on her way to the BlankHouse."

"Yes," Kris said. "And she sent me here to get you guys. Well, Zia more specifically."

She took our hands and the world turned black. Then I found myself at the Grand Canyon.

I turned around and saw a girl with shoulder-length wavy black hair with two blonde streaks in the front, Jennie Kim style. She had chocolate brown eyes that were currently glaring daggers at the canyon. There were dark webs inside of it and Alan was trapped at the center.

I stepped forward. "Alan!"

The girl stopped me. "Don't. She'll attack anyone who tries to come close. She says she's looking for somebody called Zia Cage. Do you know this person by any chance?"

Kris giggled. "Kyoshi, that is Zia Cage."

Kyoshi blinked. "Sorry. My bad. She's all yours."

I shook my head. "I need backup. Kris, you'll need to make sure that the demon doesn't leave the Canyon or attack tourists. Maybe place some special-"

"Runestones. Got it."

"Great. And Taylor...Taylor, what the hell are you doing?"

Taylor dropped his bag.

"Sorry, señoritas! You're on your own! No way I'm fighting that. It's every man for himself. Adios muchachos!"

He took off.

I gritted my teeth. "That son of bitch."

Kris walked up to me. "Forget about him. Kyoshi and I will back you up."

"Thanks," I said. I walked over to the edge of the Canyon and looked down at Alan.

"Alan!" I yelled. "I'm coming to get you!"

From all the way at the bottom, I could see Alan's widened eyes.

"Are you sane?" he yelled back.

"As sane as a mundane!"

"Wait. Was that a-"

I clutched my katana and jumped in.

Now, seeing Alan trapped in the shadow webs, I assumed they would be like webs; sticky, worst-case scenario. But they were as hard as a rock.

A landed in front of Alan and pain shot up my legs. My knees buckled.

"Zia Cage," the demon's voice echoed around the canyon. "Give yourself up or the boy dies."

"So you can kill me then kill the rest of my friends? No way."

The demon cackled. "You act so tough, but you couldn't hurt a fly. Why Shujin wants you dead, I will never know. Now I'll say it for the last time, hand yourself over or the boy dies."

I jumped and tried to cut the webs but my blade bounced back. I grabbed it just before it slipped into the void.

"Zia," Alan whispered. "Help me."

I turned around and gasped. Alan's body was beginning to wither. He was growing paler and thinner by the minute.

A sob built in the back of my throat. My eyes became blurry with tears. "Let him go!"

"No can do, little one I told you, give up or he dies."

"Not happening. Now let. Him. Go."

"Nope. I think I'll do this instead."

The dark webs around Alan tightened. He howled in agony before going limp.

I screamed and my vision turned red as I slowly lost consciousness.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I woke up in the sick bay of the BlankHouse. I sat up in the bed and lifted the covers and saw my left foot was in a splint.

"Did I really fall that hard?"

"Yes."

I flinched. Alan was sitting beside me. He was back to normal and had band-aids on his arms.

"Hey," he said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine. So did you guys finish the mission?"

"Yeah, we did. And I still can't believe you-" He stopped himself.

"You can't believe I what?"

"I can't believe...what you said back there."

"What did I say?"

"That you're as sane as a mundane."

"So?"

"So, you don't watch anime, but you watch Shadowhunters?"

"Shadow...Oh, mundane!" I laughed. "Yes, I prefer Shadowhunters to anime. Why don't you like it?"

"Because it's stupid! The mundanes and shadowhunters are classified differently. Why? I don't know. At least werewolves and vampires have an excuse. And also, you can't just mix different religions! Like, you have a vampire with the Mark of Cain, a shadowhunter whose husband is the prince of Edom, and not to mention Angels not being allowed to draw demon runes with their...stylo? Stethoscope?"

"Stele."

"Yes, stele. Anyway, and let's not forget Jonathan Morgenstern, the psychopath that fell in love with his own sister! It's all bullshit!"

"I like it."

"You're dead to me."

"Oh really? Am I now? How about this: I have a dad joke for team 7, but only Sakura would understand."

Alan cracked up. "Did you come up with that?"

"Yes. I did watch a bit of Naruto. And Naruto Shippuden. Maybe up to episode three hundred and something. I genuinely miss-"

Just then, someone stepped into the sick bay. It was Selena Bliss, one of the students.

"Mrs. Mendev sent me to get you two," she said.

"Thanks," I said. We'll be right there."

Alan handed me a pair of crutches and we went down to the hall where Kris, Taylor, and Kyoshi were standing before the other students. We joined them and Mrs. Mendev stepped forward, holding medals in her hand.

She gave the first one to Kris.

"Congratulations, Kristabel Maywell, for completing yet another quest."

Kris grit her teeth but said nothing.

She gave the second to Kyoshi.

"Congratulations, Kyoshi Miyazaki, for making it to the BlankHouse. We hope to see more of your courageous spirit."

Kyoshi bowed.

She gave the third to Taylor.

"Congratulations, Taylor Mendev, my son, for tactically retreating when things were hectic. Very wise of you."

I rolled my eyes.

She gave the last medal to Alan.

"And congratulations, Alan Decker, for completing your first mission. As a bonus, you'll be giving the students a little speech."

Alan glanced at me like, sorry.

I shrugged. I didn't want Rayla's scrap metal on a string. I'd rather she shoved it down her disgusting throat.

The students applauded Alan as he stepped forward. He cleared his throat.

"Hey everyone. As you all know, I'm the new kid. And as you also know, I came here yesterday, so going on my first mission was pretty hard, especially when the only fighting/killing experience I have is from playing GTA and Apex Legends."

Everyone laughed.

"Yes, it's true. And speaking of truth, I'd like to say something that Mrs. Mendev 'accidentally' forgot to mention. You see, Sukoshi Kuroi didn't run away. It...She was killed. And the person who killed her is none other than Zia Cage."

The crowd gasped and I did as well.

"Yes," Alan continued. "Zia killed the demon with five, and she saved my life. I tried to save hers at the beginning- a pretty dumb move- and ended up trapped. I would've died- all of us would have- if Zia hadn't intervened. Why did she intervene?"

His eyes met mine. "Because she's brave, beautiful, and Gods of Olympus, she's freaking amazing."

I felt my cheeks warming up. I tried to steady my nerves. At least he didn't say, "And she so hot. Like damn~", so that was a plus.

He walked over to me and put his medal around my neck.

"You deserve it more than I do," he said, as he turned back to face the rest of the students.

"We know that the standard amount of BlankHouse students required to go on a mission is four, and our 'honourable' proprietress hadn't planned for Kyoshi's arrival. Therefore, I hope you all understand that Mrs. Mendev had not meant to exclude Zia from the medal-giving ceremony. Thank you."

The students applauded as we left the hall.

As soon as we left, I hugged Alan.

"Thank you," I said. "For everything"

He shrugged. "No biggie. Although..."

He walked up to Taylor and jabbed his chest with his finger.

"You."

Taylor looked offended.  "What? I didn't do anything!"

"Exactly," Alan growled. "Zia and the girls risked their lives to fight that demon and you just pulled a John Cena on them!"

Kyoshi arched her eyebrow. I did John Cena's signature gesture- You Can't See Me.

Oh, she mouthed. She giggled silently.

"Your mom might have called the bullshit that you did there a 'tactical retreat', but she's a brainless and power-blinded bitch. And you're a *****."

He headed to his room and took me with him. He had just chewed Taylor out, but when he turned to look at me, he was smiling.

"Come on," he said. "I want to talk to you."

"Okay..."

We got to his room and I sat next to him on his bed.

"So," I said. "The real thing you wanted to tell me in the sick bay was that I killed the demon, Isn't it?"

He nodded. "Zia, if you weren't there for me, I would have died."

"Yeah, no shit. Why didn't you use your powers?"

"Huh?"

"You know, your indescribable powers."

"I didn't use it because it's dangerous."

"Really? More dangerous than fire?"

Alan sighed. He reached over to his nightstand and touched the lamp. Its light began to flicker.

"You have eletrokinesis?"

"And fulgurkinesis."

"Why do you have two?"

"Why do you have two?"

"My dad has pyrokinesis, and my mom has cryokinesis."

Alan scoffed. "Icy Hot. Anyway, in addition to those two, I have super speed."

"You have super speed?"

"Yes, and don't you dare-"

"I am so calling you Flash now."

"Fine then. I guess Icy Hot is now official."

"Whatever." I hugged him a second time and left his room.

A/N: Hello. Bonjour. Guten Tag. Whatever. I'm really tired because I finished this chapter when I got back from school, so pardon me if the ending is bit...weird.

BYE 4 NOW!

~KristyTGP