Encased

Persephone

The bone ached as I stretched my jaw; pins and needles of heat stabbed through the muscles. A warm thick liquid trinkled down my bottom lip; my fingers rose to meet it and brought back the bright red stain of my blood.

Damn it! I had been forced to crouch down nearly on my knees to steady myself from the force of his attack. It was humiliating, but we were alone; cornered in one of the restricted halls during lunch hour.

“Don’t ever do that to me; you may not live the rest of the school year, understand me?” Ben shouted with hatred glinting in his eyes.

“Don’t be a pansy, Benny boy.” I chuckled halfheartedly.

His full cheeks flushed red as his lip curled into a nasty snarl before twisting into a wicked grin. “Do I have to put you in your place?”

 A shiver ran up my spine as his dark eyes seemed more like blackened marbles than the mucky brown they were. I started to laugh with such pleasure that he lost his grin to confusion. I could not help it as my abdomen shook and the hearty laugh escaped my lips.

“What are you laughing at, dumbass?” He demanded.

“For a second there, I almost considered you a real threat.” I pushed back onto my feet fixing my clothing as I went. “You almost had it; the façade is coming along nicely.”

Twisting my hips as I went, I swung my bony fist into the soft flesh of Ben’s face. He managed to let out a cry before my foot inserted itself into the center of his ribcage. As he stooped over, his hands grasped onto my ankle as a lifeline to board a ship from the sea.

“You are so dead.” He huffed.

A sense of dread dried my throat as I yanked and tugged on my leg. With both of his holding firmly, he forcibly jerked my foot against its natural position in my body. Spikes of pain were driven down the length of my leg like a nail being hammered into a piece of wood. My remaining leg shook as I could only lower myself slightly and turn in the direction the pain demanded of me.

It was not long before he pounced with full advantage. He traded in my leg for a handful of my hair as he yanked back my head. I could do no more than seethe as his glare came into view. He snarled. “This suites you; I think you better bow just like this anytime I’m around.”

My elbow swung back only to hit his thigh; over and over again I struck to of no prevail. I cursed and snapped at him as he tried to force my head to the ground with the full force of his weight.

Damn it! Burn in hell, you power-hungry prick! I hate you. I hate you. I Hate You! My eyes burned as I turned against the roots of my hair for a glimpse of his form and let loose a desperate strike with all the force I could muster. There was only a groan and the full release of the pressure on my head before my body sagged with relief.

“You know you’re a real piece of shit.” I got to my feet glaring at Ben’s winded state. I kicked him down to his back and propelled my fist into him repeatedly before I composed myself at the sound of the class bell ringing.

Sore, I limped down the winding halls to the office. I had decided it was futile to detour to class; I’d be called to the principal’s officer soon enough. The high school was a maze and most halls during breaks were restricted for this reason. All students were meant to be kept under watch in the courtyard or the commons. It was only for this reason that I was able to hobble through the narrow corridors without confrontation or gawking eyes.

“Is Mrs. Oolong in?” I asked the front desk. “I twisted my ankle and fell outside in the rocks.”

The red-haired woman’s eyes were fixated on her magazine and waved me on without so much as a curious glance. I stumbled to the blue padded bench in the nurse’s office to wait. Mrs. Oolong was a stubby short woman with graying hair; she was nice for the most part.

“You shouldn’t be fighting.” She scolded as she pressed a cold pack to my face. “What will your future employers say if this goes on your record?”

“I told you, I fell,” I grumbled. “Besides, I don’t know what I want to do. Maybe, they won’t care.”

She clicked her tongue, but her lecture would have to wait. The intercom beeped in, “Do you have Persephone Viotto?”

“Yes, I do,” she sighed.

“Could you send her to the principal’s office?”

“She is on her way.”

“Okay, thank you.”

I grimaced as I got up and the nurse wished me luck as I hobbled across the administration's office. Mr. Norwin’s face was stern with his hands folded on the desk in perfect posture. I sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk as he watched me with his beady eyes.

“A student has reported a violent confrontation with you, is this true?”

“Which part? About you receiving said report or that I was in a violent confrontation?” I refused to meet his accusing eyes as I picked my nails.

“Did you or did you not participate in violent activity with a peer?”

“Participation was required if I wanted to be able to walk home,” I gritted out.

“Were you provoked in some way?” Mr. Norwin relented to soften his voice.

“I was cornered!”

“Huh,” he grunted. “I’m going to have to call someone to get you. Go wait out front.”

“Okay.”

“What were you thinking getting into a fight with a boy no less! You could have been seriously hurt!” My father shouted as we walked into the house. I tried not to cover my ears against his booming voice knowing that would only encourage him to be louder.

“I was defending myself!” I retorted.

“That makes me feel much better,” Dad replied sarcastically throwing his hands up to his chest as if given a gift. “Just go to your room; I need a breather.”

I plopped myself on my bed; my body became sluggish as I melted into the mattress. I was thoroughly exhausted; I would welcome any dream to just escape this. School was a constant pressure on who was I and what I wanted to do. I wished I had a fully realized passion or goal like my peers; I felt empty and useless.

“What happened?” The soft croak of a boy interrupted my slumber. I barely lifted my head to catch a glimpse of my younger brother, Cassian, inching into my room. “I heard Dad cursing downstairs when I got home.”

“I had a bad day at school.”

My brother was just entering two digits in age but he disliked confrontation. He had shaggy curls and hazel eyes that tended to change to a bluish-green throughout the year. He was only shoulder high on me, yet, we all knew he would be the tallest one in the family. “Dad said you got in a fight.”

“You’re awfully nosy.”

Cassian sat down on my bed and laid back next to me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, he wasn’t so tough.”

“You won!” He gasped in awe.

“Didn’t you see my trophy downstairs?” I grinned as I rolled over with my fingers ready to wriggle into his sides. Cassian squirmed and yelped as I tickled him until he managed to run out of my room. “Now get going on your homework before Dad catches you!”

I closed my door behind him and returned to my bed. I turned over to my side to stare at my window when I noticed a white square lightly flapping against the glass. I swore as I got up to open the window to retrieve the piece of paper; if Ben came to torment me at my house then I would not hesitate to call the police.

We have a proposition for you.

-- Your Employers