Knight in Bloody Armor

Kaden

This is some fucking bullshit. I can’t believe the asshole that’s currently sitting in front of me had the audacity to report me to the principal. I’ll get him back for this, that’s for sure. I’m a Knight, I don’t back down when someone challenges me. He’s the one at fault, yet he made it seem like it’s me who should apologize. Tough luck, big boy. I’m not gonna tolerate your shit anymore.

As we sit in front of the principal’s office, waiting for our parents to arrive, there’s only one thought in my head.

Please let it be mom who comes here.

I am close to kneeling on the floor and praying to god at this point. I am hoping that my mom will come here and not my dad.

I mean, it’s not like I don’t want dad here or that I don’t like him… It’s just that… he’s quite temperamental and hot-headed, while mom is usually calm and stoic. Nothing bothers her, unless it concerns the safety of her family.

She’s deadly protective.

And I mean deadly.

Both my parents are, actually, but mom is worse than dad in that aspect. I’ve seen her slash a man’s neck with no remorse after he tried to threaten my life with a knife. I was twelve at the time. The guy just showed up at mom’s hotel, where I was casually spending my afternoon, then put a knife to my throat in front of my mom. She burned his arm off then slit his throat open. For the rest of the day, she kept me coddling me to her heart’s content, not letting me leave her sight even for a moment. After that incident, the number of guards at the hotel went from five to twelve. Just like that.

My dad may not possess mom’s power to burn things with his eyes, but he has insane strength. He can crush bones with his bare hands, which I’ve also seen a few times, and he can literally throw people across the room with no effort at all.

Both my parents are amazing, actually. They’re extraordinary and I wish they were my biological parents so that I’d inherit even a bit of their power. Alas, I’m just their adopted son. Not that it changes anything. To me, they’re my real parents, even if we’re not related by blood.

Even though I love both my parents equally, I’ve always had a deeper connection with my mom. She’s my savior, my rock, my idol. I don’t know whether it’s because it was her who found me when I was on the verge of death, or it’s because she showered me with so much love and affection that she’s ingrained into my very soul. Whatever the reason, I know that no one will take the special spot she has in my heart.

Maybe that’s why I want her to come to my school, and not dad. I know that as soon as I explain to her what transpired between me and this shithead Dorian, she’ll understand and take my side. Maybe she’ll even praise me.

“Just you wait until my dad gets here, Knight. - Dorian taunts, holding onto his broken nose - You’re fucked. You’ll pay for this.”

“Sure I will.” I scoff, not at all fazed by his empty threat. I know I did nothing wrong, so why should I be scared of being punished? And even if I did get punished for this, I wouldn’t worry, because getting suspended would mean getting some free time to spend it with my family. As much as I like going to school and getting education, I miss the days when I’d just stay with my parents. I’d either go with dad to his office or I’d join mom at the Warriors Hotel and spend time with Cindy. She was actually my first real crush. For almost two years I was completely in love with her, even though she’s eight years older than me. I was just a child back then and I pretty much fell in love with everyone who showed me even a little affection.

Thankfully, I’m not like that anymore.

I’m no longer a nine-year-old boy that mistakes care for love.

I’ve watched my parents long enough to know what true love is. I know exactly what I want to be like when I find the right person for me. I mean, I have the best role models in the world when it comes to being in a relationship. And so far, none of my relationships worked out the way I wanted them to. None of my previous girlfriends - and there were a few - were worthy of being introduced to my parents.

The moment I feel like I can openly tell my girlfriend about my family, I’ll know she’s the right one for me.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when I hear someone stomping towards me like a fucking bull. It’s Dorian’s father. Son of a bitch looks ready for a fight. Fine, I’ll give you a fight when my parents arrive.

Dorian talks to his father quietly for a moment then they enter the principal’s office, even though the headmaster hasn’t called us in yet. It’s not long before I’m summoned inside as well, but I’m not scared. I have no reason to be scared.

“Mr Knight, is it true that you’ve broken Mr Holden’s nose?” The principal asks sternly.

I only shrug at him, neither denying nor confirming anything, all the while ignoring the icy glares I get from the Holdens. They don’t scare me. Nothing can scare me, to be honest. Perks of being raised by a witch and her inhumanly strong mate. Yeah, I know all about that. My parents told me about it when I turned fifteen. They said that I was old enough to learn the truth and hopefully understand it.

“So, you admit to hurting Mr Holden?” The principal asks again, getting the same response from me. If he thinks he’ll corner me into confession because my parents aren’t here, he’s mistaken.

“You fucking broke my nose and you just shrug?! I’m gonna kill you!” Dorian fumes, only to be held back by his father.

“If you cause trouble here, I won’t be able to help you.”

Just when I’m about to tell Holden Senior that his son doesn’t intimidate me, someone barges into the office, catching everyone’s attention. I don’t even try to hide the sigh of relief that escapes me at the sight of my mom. Phew, my prayers were answered.

“Why don’t you try to threaten my son again, huh?” Mom taunts, glaring coldly at Dorian, who just stands there with his jaw slack and his eyes wide in shock. Yeah, I know, it’s astonishing that a woman who looks like she could be our age is my mother, but do you have to react like this?

“Hi mom.” I break the deafening silence in the room and greet my mom with a peck on the cheek, as always. I’m not afraid to show my affection, since I was brought up by the most affectionate couple in the world.

“Hi, sweetie. - Mom smiles softly - I’m sorry it took so long. The traffic is horrible.”

“No problem. What matters is that you’re here.”

“So what’s the issue?” Mom asks me, completely disregarding the principal and the Holdens.

“This asshole was bullying a girl, so I punched him and broke his nose.” I explain shortly, getting a quick nod from mom before she goes to sit by the principal’s desk beside Mr Holden.

“Let’s get straight to business, I’m a busy person. - Mom says coldly, her sweet persona long gone - What course of action were you planning to take regarding this incident?”

“Mrs Knight, I don’t think you understand the situation… Your son broke another student’s nose. It’s a serious injury. He needs to get punished for it.”

“Is that so? And why is that? He said he did it in defense of a bullied student, so why should he pay for that?”

“Did you see my son’s face?! How is he supposed to come to school with his face red like a beetroot?!” Mr Holden booms furiously, but all he gets is a cold glare from my mom. Uh-oh.

"I’m not talking to you, am I? So shut up and don’t interfere unless you want to look like your son," mom warns lowly before turning back to the headmaster, "I know my son, and I know he wouldn’t hit another student for no reason. He said that this boy," mom gestures at Dorian, "was bullying someone, so what you, as the person in charge of this school, should be doing right now is punishing the bully, not the one who stopped him. I see no reason to hold my son accountable for this boy’s injury and possibly ruin his rap sheet with a pointless punishment. Because even if you punish him for his actions, I will reward him." She tells the principal, getting a loud scoff from Mr Holden.

“So you’re saying there’s nothing wrong with punching my son?!”

“I’m saying that if you’d raised your son well, he wouldn’t have gotten punched.” Mom retorts coldly. “If it eases your mind, I can pay for your son’s treatment, but I won’t punish my son for stopping a bully from hurting someone innocent.” I knew mom would understand. She’s the best!

“Mrs Knight, I understand your sentiment, but there’s no way to verify your son’s claims.” The principal argues, grasping at straws to get through my mom’s defense.

“Isn’t there? There was one more person involved from what I’ve just heard.”

“Ah, yes, the ‘bullied’ student…” the head teacher mutters sarcastically.

“Yes. Where is she now?” Mom asks.

“In the infirmary,” I tell her when no one else responds.

“Why don’t you show me the way there, sweetie? I want to speak to her.” Mom smiles at me warmly, leaving me slightly shocked at how quickly her attitude changed.

“Mrs Knight, I can’t allow that.” The principal says seriously, getting up from his comfy chair to loom over my mom. Bad idea. Mom hates it when people use their height against her.

“I’m not asking you for permission.” Mom retorts then gets up as well. “Darling, show me the way to the infirmary, will you?”

“Of course.” I smile.

To get to the infirmary, mom and I have to go across the whole school, which means that we pass a lot of students on our way. Some of them just stare at us, some whisper between themselves, and some openly gape at my mom in amazement. I know she stands out from the crowd with her young appearance, silvery grey hair, leather jacket, ripped jeans and combat boots, but for god’s sake, it’s not a reason to stare at her so blatantly! Is it really so unbelievable that the woman beside me is my mom?!

I even catch my friends staring! Damn it. They haven’t really seen my mom up close, cause we usually don’t meet at my house, and when we do, mom’s not there, so I just know they won’t shut up about this now that they’ve seen her. I just hope they don’t go overboard.

“Wait here, sweetie,” mom instructs with a smile when we reach the infirmary before going inside. She purposefully doesn’t close the door so I can watch her talk to Faye, the girl who was being bullied by Dorian.

"Hello, there," I hear mom greet warmly, "I’m Lia Knight, Kaden’s mother."

"H-hello," Faye says quietly, almost too quietly for me to hear, "I’m Faye Morgan."

“Nice to meet you, Faye. Would you mind talking to me for a bit?”

“Not at all,” Faye smiles shyly. It’s the first time I’ve seen her smile. She's beautiful when she does it.

Mom only nods at the girl then sits beside the bed Faye’s lying on. “I will cut straight to the chase, alright? Is it true that my son punched that other boy in your defense?” Wow, mom, you sure don’t pull punches!

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

"Oh, please, none of that ‘ma’am’ stuff," mom quickly corrects Faye, "Just call me Lia.”

"I couldn’t possibly do that…" Faye gasps fearfully, "Maybe… Mrs Knight?"

"Alright then," mom chuckles, "So, my son punched that other boy because he was bullying you…"

“Yes.”

“And how long has that boy been doing this?”

"Um… a while. He torments everyone who shows weakness," Faye says quietly, quickly opening up to my mom, "He always steals my crutches, knowing that I can’t walk with my whole leg in a cast, he sometimes shoves me around and mocks me for looking like a mummy with all my bandages, but today he tried to hit me for the first time. And… your son protected me. Please, Mrs Knight, don’t be mad at him, he just defended me!" Faye pleads, clearly misunderstanding my mom’s intentions.

“Oh, I’m not going to punish him, darling. In fact, I’m going to reward him for protecting you.” Mom smiles warmly, gently patting Faye’s hand. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen my mom in action many times, but I think I see my mom’s hand glow for a split second when Faye isn’t looking. Damn mom, you’re incredible.

“Really?” Faye mutters softly after a moment of silence. “You’re not going to punish your son for hurting someone?”

“No, I’m not, because he did it to protect you.” Mom grins.

“That’s a relief. I was worried that he’d get in trouble for this…”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t.”

“Thank you, Mrs Knight.” Faye smiles at my mom, getting a soft chuckle from her.

“Get some rest now. You look tired.”

“I’m sorry…”

“No need to apologize,” Mom leans over Faye slightly and pats her head gently. “Get well soon, darling.”

“Thank you, Mrs Knight.”

When mom leaves the infirmary, she’s met by the sight of Dorian and his father. “What did she say?” Holden Senior asks sternly.

“She only confirmed what I knew was true. Your son bullied her, then my son stepped in to protect her from getting hit,” Mom rebukes harshly. “For me, that’s the end of it. I don’t see the issue and if anything, it’s your son who should get suspended for continuously bullying an injured person.”

“So you’re not going to do anything about this?” Mr Holden scoffs.

"No, I’m not. And you won’t either," mom warns. "Unless you’ve forgotten who you’re dealing with."

I barely stop myself from smirking at my mom’s words and Holden’s reaction. He knows exactly what kind of business the Knights run. We don’t like flaunting our name and use our reputation to get what we want, but we will if we have to. And it seems that even an airhead like Dorian has finally realized he messed with the wrong person, dropping his gaze in fear to avoid pissing us off further.

That’s right, fucker.

I’m a Knight.