Evening had arrived quickly. The once mellow-like ocean pigments of the sky had been blotted with the cool, crisp, wild Savannah of evening. Under the sun's watchful gaze, the moon had arisen prematurely – as if demanding that the last strongholds of day cease at once. Hanging like a guillotine, the sky could only observe as tragedy had befallen Edgar.
"–hrk."
Edgar was stopped from leaving the school and entering his taxi. As per the request of the scummy Caeleb, he would be forced to remain after school, for purposes he did not understand but knew that only negatives could be a consequence of such.
That was why he was currently with his former friends. In truth, he wanted to run away. His gut roared at him, screamed at him, to leave before things escalated. Yet, there remained a question unanswered in his mind– something he had to find out no matter what. He needed to know if Caeleb and the others even liked him in the first place.
If there was any shred of genuine connection within their chaos of a relationship. If it was truly something not only present within Edgar's mind. For that goal, he would pursue the answer no matter what his 'friends' did to him– as long as he could ask them that.
With deep trepidation, Edgar stared at the dying sky. The once crisp, harvest colours of the sky had begun to evaporate into the endless abyss of night and in its place rested a regal purple. That, which reminded him of royalty and authority. Which was ironic, considering the travesty about to be committed under its judicious gaze.
Edgar sighed; his parents would probably be frantically looking for him about now– that would be the case if he wasn't ordered to tell them that he was going to a club and would come back home late. However, even if his parents were looking for him, Edgar found that a part of him didn't want to face them.
It was incredibly frustrating how much Caeleb had planned his extortion out. For a twelve-year-old boy not smarter than himself, it seemed that Caeleb's plans were endless. Was that why he attracted friends? Because of his cunning wits?
Then finally– as if answering his question- Caeleb turned towards Edgar. "Y'know, it's really easy to tell what you're thinking, Edgar," he said condescendingly.
He then turned around so that his back was facing Edgar. "Do you know what makes someone a leader?" he asked brusquely with a hint of pride in his tone. Edgar decided not to respond and to wait for him to answer his question. In response to this, Caeleb folded his arms onto his head and clicked his tongue.
"Their inability to change."
At this, Edgar stopped walking. He stared at Caeleb mockingly– as if he just heard the most implausible thing in the world. Stopping too, Caeleb huffed and then coughed into his fist.
"I believe that people are attracted to certain personality traits. When they find someone with that trait, they'll begin to follow them– either blindly or on equal footing. If that's the case, then what happens when that said person loses those traits? They'll lose that following. Which is why the best leaders can never– will never change," he declared.
What the boy had said struck a chord within Edgar. As the heir to a tech conglomerate, it was his responsibility to become a leader who would command hundreds- no, thousands of employees. Trying to change himself for others was a useless endeavour. Becoming approachable, becoming less awkward, those would only push the people that were attracted to him in the beginning away.
With that knowledge, Edgar smiled. He stayed where he was, looking directly into Caeleb's cold eyes. He took off his bag while staring.
"I won't follow you," he said. "You can tell everyone about me being the heir for all I care!"
He then readied his fists, expectantly. He wore a determined mask; however, on the inside, his heart was a torrent. "I won't let you steal money from me! I won't let you come near me! I won't let you push me around! We're done-"
"Oh, really now?" Caeleb cut him off, his features contorting into a sadistic grin. "So, then I guess that's it then."
Quickly, Caeleb jutted up his arm; his palm was open, and three fingers were up. It looked like some sort of signal.
'Is he trying to call his friends?' Edgar wondered, and in anticipation of such a thing, he looked to run away. Before Caeleb could react, he had darted off into the corner-- or he hoped that would be the case, but the boy was rather cautious.
The moment he tried moving to the side, the bigger, stronger and more experienced Caeleb grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close. No matter how hard Edgar struggled, he was no match for someone who was going through puberty earlier than him.
'What strength! I can't avoid this, can I? Is there anything I learnt in martial arts that would help?' Edgar panicked.
"Let me go! Let me go!" he shouted, hoping that some maverick would arrive and save him.
And, to his delight, two figures emerged from the bushes. One was the shape of a young girl, and the other was more masculine in appearance; however, he had a small, mousy build and blonde spiky hair. To Edgar's disappointment, it was Yuzu and Pickle.
"There was always something I hated about you. Stop being so stubborn," Pickle said without his usual charm. His eyes had gone slightly dull. "Just come with us and stop resisting."
Edgar grunted and then met eyes with Yuzu. Awkwardly, she stared off to the side and hid behind Pickle.
"I don't think we have to go that far, guys. Besides, what happens if he tells his father? We'd have to fight an entire company!"
Caeleb snorted and then tightened his grip on Edgar. "You're right. In that case, bring your phone here, Yuzu."
"Why?" she questioned as she slowly walked over to the pair. Then, brusquely, Caeleb grabbed the phone that was tightly clenched within her hands.
"Hey, that's-"
Smack.
A red mark formed on her face as Caeleb slapped her and then, with his other hand, locked Edgar in place. While holding Yuzu's phone, he proceeded to snap a photo of the now-downed Yuzu. Then, he took a photo of Edgar– making sure to crop out any signs of him struggling as well as adding a filter to decrease the quality, making it harder to discern his expression.
"If you call your daddy on us, then I'll upload these two photos and frame it as: 'Famous nerd exposed' That would really make things easy," he smiled.
"I guess you could say he's stuck between a pic and a hard place!" Pickle chortled.
"Shut up, Pickle," replied Caeleb.
"Eep...!"
There really wasn't anything he could do right now, was there? His uselessness, his lack of foresight and continuous inability to see what was in front of him resulted in this situation.
Those people he chose to follow out of fear of being alone appeared nice. He was lured to them because he felt like they accepted his faults; was that just tolerance? Suddenly, he felt really sour.
He clicked his tongue and stared so sharply into the floor that one could drill holes into it with the intensity alone.
Caeleb quickly noticed this fact. He knew what kind of person the boy in his arms was. He had surely, surely, made up his mind regarding this kind of pressure. He was definitely going to be brash if Caeleb himself didn't pre-emptively counter. 'In that sense, I've got to make up my mind too,' Caeleb decided, his features marked by a grin.
"You look really happy, Edgar," Caeleb smirked. "Why don't we make you even happier?" He continued as he released Edgar from his bind. In that instant, Edgar tried to swing at him with such intense ferocity that the air slashed against Caeleb's face. However, that was nothing.
Caeleb struck him in the liver. It was just a quick jab, maybe with only two of his knuckles actually connecting. Yet, it hurt like hell. Edgar yelped in pain. He wasn't used to that kind of hit and didn't anticipate Caeleb's moves.
Crumpling to the floor like paper, Edgar held his abdomen. "How dare you!" he bellowed, trying to stand up once again, but he was greeted with a strike to his face. He finally was down for the count as he lost strength in his arms. That blow to his face had rattled him in some way, but Edgar couldn't exactly figure out why.
"While he's down, let's beat on him," Caeleb said. "Don't rough him up too much."
"Alright!" Pickle blithely replied.
"I don't know, my cheek is feeling kind of sore and-"
"Let's do it, Yuzu," Caeleb said, his grin widening. Slowly, she looked down at the already beaten Edgar. Slightly trembling. Her brother was really going to make her harm another.
She thought that by helping him befriend Edgar, a kid from her preschool, that he'd finally calm down and realise the error of his ways. But now, she was outright terrified. He seemed to be getting worse ever since he met Edgar.
"Alright…" she said.
Caeleb and Pickle had both been kicking at the downed boy mercilessly. At his stomach, at his legs, at his face and into his eyes. It was like they were trying to ensure that every part of the boy became desecrated in some way.
Feeling disturbed, Yuzu finally turned to see Edgar's dropped school bag. She had found her out. She started plundering the items in the bag, from textbooks to leftover lunch to even a spare phone. It was disgusting to her.
To see someone so privileged and spoilt. He was given everything. While she and Caeleb were left with nothing– not even parents. That was why, when she walked over to Edgar– all trepidation and deliberation had long since escaped her. Caeleb, upon noticing this, smirked.
Then, the blue-haired boy, out of curiosity in between strikes, examined his environs. "I… wonder …where… Tamarin … wondered … off … to," he said.
"Knowing … him … he's … probably … off … working … a … job … again!" Pickle replied in between strikes.
"I found him!" a rather light voice, like the ambience of an autumn forest, resounded.
"That's good, Yuzu!" Caeleb responded.
Suddenly, Yuzu stopped.
"Caeleb… that wasn't me."
"Huh! What do you mean-"
"And snapped! Wow, what a disgusting photo. Are you sure you guys are all 12?" a girl asked. She had rose-gold hair and golden irises. With a rather bewitching smirk on her face. If she wasn't taking a photo of them beating on another, Caeleb would've asked her out on a date. She was quite attractive and as if answering his thoughts-
"She's pretty…" Pickle said, having stopped hitting Edgar to fully admire her.
"Oi! Why'd you go and take a photo of us? Do you even know what you're setting yourself up for?" Caeleb warned.
"Yes, I do, in fact. But I also know that ignoring this wouldn't sit well with me," the girl said altruistically.
She was holding a briefcase in one arm and her phone in the other. Realistically, what could she do? In the time it'd take her to discard her things, Caeleb could rush her. 'This was going to be easy,' he reasoned, a malevolent grin forming across his features.
"Really? A girl, all by herself, left to the mercy of 3 others? You're in no place to fight."
"Does the little spiky punk over there have anything to add, or do you do all his speaking for him?" she said, completely dodging the topic. "Is he a yes-man or is he your dog? Oh, I've got it! He's a 'Yes-dog', isn't he?"
Pickle bristled slightly. Clearly indecisive about whether he should respond or not. He then turned to Caeleb with apprehension.
This did not go unnoticed by Clarissa. She knew some things about Pickle through rumours. However, those rumours tended not to be kind, often referring to his upbringing and allegiances.
It would seem the boy developed slower than his peers and especially his studious siblings. She shivered at the thought of what life must've been like living with lower intelligence.
However, she didn't refer to his slowness to be cruel. She did it to insult Caeleb. She hoped that he would take the bait and charge. By studying his face right now, with that furrowed brow and gnashing teeth, it seemed incredibly likely.
"How dare you! Don't you say such things about him again!" Caeleb said, charging at her. "You're finished!" he poised his arm ready to strike.
In that instant, a strong force met his cheek and blew him back. It was blunt, and it blew him away. He recoiled back. Before he could open his eyes to see who struck him, he was struck in the liver. The stomach. The groin. And the chest. All in rapid succession. He could taste the iron of the blood in his mouth.
The liquid in his throat dried out. But most importantly, he felt tired. Like a huge weight was dropped on him. The pain and the tiredness were overwhelming. Was this what everyone on the receiving end felt like?
"I knew there was something wrong with you, you shit! To think you'd beat up another kid like you're some mafia boss!" A boy said. He had spiky black hair and void-like irises. On his face was sketched the most shit-eating grin, and to complement that, he wore himself messy. With an untucked shirt, a tie wrapped around his forehead, and trainers for shoes. He looked like a guerrilla fighter more than anything.
"I know, right! Disgusting!" The girl agreed with the boy, "He's definitely the sort to end up on the streets. Lecher."
"Oi! Don't mess with Caeleb like that. He's the strongest on the block for a reason!" Pickle said whilst charging at the girl. "I'm gonna teach you a lesson! One that you'll never forget!" he screamed while lunging at her.
"Clarissa!" the boy said.
"I know, Inuwa!" she replied. As Pickle lunged towards her, she harshly whipped her arm up, revealing her briefcase. Then, as he edged closer, she swung down on the boy. An audible 'SLAM' could be heard, and in that timeframe, a meaty thud followed. Pickle was down.
Opening his eyes, Edgar was surprised to see a downed Pickle and a Caeleb clutching at his abdomen. To his right was Yuzu, who was cowering behind the building. 'She's trying not to be caught… by something,' he thought.
Turning to the left, he figured out what that was immediately. Two people, a boy and a girl. They were returning what looked to be his things (Although they were broken now) to his bag.
'That's nice,' he thought as he saw the perceived respectful act. However, a small inkling at the back of his mind told him that he was being robbed. With an uncertain fate, he huffed and then let the tiredness overcome him. He could figure that out whenever he woke up again. Now it was over. 'Finally, safe,' he concluded.