◇SUPERNATURALLY INTERNAL◇
It was a day or two before summer break began, Drew Ford, a regular and mundanely average student with noticeably messy dreadlocks and wearing a white hood underneath his school uniform, paced across the school hallways.
His expression was sharp and focused, and as he turned a corner, he saw his target.
"Let's go, outside after-school, I'm sick of the taunts and the crap you keep saying."
The person in his line of sight was a much taller student, with a blonde mullet, and as he turned to Drew, he smirked as he said.
"Why? Your still just mad over Olivia-"
Immediately Drew bolted at the student trapping his blazer and shoving him into the wall, causing the boys around them to rush over and pull the two apart.
"You know what!? Fine! Let's go a few rounds! Then you'll piss off."
***
"ARGH!"
Drew landed a right hook on the student in front of him. They were both surrounded by a crowd. Being yelled at and cheered on.
Drew was an average student; skinny but not muscular, smart but not a top student, quiet but able to click with a group he knew. He usually refrains from fights; however, this time, he was driven up the wall too much to shy away.
The student before him was, however, well built; he, too, could be average if not because he was an MMA fighter in his club. Drew charged at the student; he reeled his hand back for another punch. But it was blocked, and immediately countered with a jab to the gut, and two consecutive punches to the face.
"Shit."
Drew muttered. He grasped his nose as his dreadlocks covered his eyes while he looked down, and he felt blood drip into his hands.
He wasn't prepared for a second hit to the stomach, followed by a leg sweep, and a powerful and heavy stomp to the face. He gripped his face as his head bounced off the ground floor.
"OHHHHHH!"
The crowd roared as they celebrated the winning student. Several ran over to him, congratulating him, trash-talking Drew, and clapping for the winning student.
Whilst Drew remained down, and pushed his hair back, holding his forehead, in shame and humiliation.
"UGHHHH!"
He screamed and bashed his arm against the grass. It was the start of summer, yet the rain was insane for this time of the year. It soaked Drew's uniform. The crowd disappeared. But Drew stayed.
The fight had lasted 10 minutes, maybe less. It was pitiful, he threw random punches and kicks, expecting to make real damage; however, all he did was make a fool out of himself.
And the end result proved that. He sighed before he got up and wiped his bleeding nose.
"FORD!"
A voice yelled across the pitch. He turned over, and to his shock. The principal of the school stood behind him, enraged and disappointed. The maddest Drew had ever seen him.
"God…dammit."
Drew muttered.
This summer had only started, and he could already tell it would be the worst.
***
He sat in the principal's office.
Alone.
He was the only one caught, as he was the only one left outside; meanwhile, the other students had run back home, never to come back until the next term.
"Drew, if I'm going to help you, you need to tell me who did this to you."
Drew kept his head down, and he left his arms resting on his legs.
"They didn't do this to me."
He whispered. However, the Principal didn't believe it.
"So, you did this to yourself?"
He sarcastically implied, and watched as Drew nodded his head.
"Drew. Please, you need to be honest here. Otherwise, you will be in serious trouble when we find out what happened."
Drew shook his head again.
"Didn't you go to school? Don't you know it only gets worse for you when you tell the staff who did it?!"
He just wanted to leave, go home, and never come back to this school again.
Every day, someone either starts a rumour or makes someone else's life unbearable, and he's had both happen.
The principal massaged his forehead and sighed; he, too, knew how he felt; however, he was sick of Drew being uncooperative.
"Alright, fine then. If you don't want to say who, you don't have to say who. But school rules apply that if you have six strikes, or three suspensions. You are expelled."
"Drew, you have been caught smoking in the school bathrooms, cheating in the middle of your exams, and you have been reported to be in more fights than I can count; the only reason we let you off is because of your grades."
"But that can't help you anymore; Drew Ford, you are hereby expelled from Ben Henswood's Grammar School. Enjoy your summer, and I advise you to look for a new school over it."
He was speechless. Expelled. But deep down, he knew it was his own fault – He instigated the fight. And now he has to deal with the repercussions. Drew got up to leave the room, grabbing his bag and opening the door.
"However, I have to say, Drew…I expected you to at least win one."
He didn't say a word.
Drew slammed the door, loud enough for an echo to go around the hall.
"Screw this place."
***
The next day came by fast. The rain from yesterday had rapidly ended overnight and had become the true summer weather. Drew left the house as fast as possible; he couldn't face his parents, and didn't want them to learn the truth that he was expelled. So, to clear his head, He went into town with his only friend outside school.
Tyler Thompson was a good guy, good-looking too, better than Drew in most, if not all, aspects aside from education. The two spent the entirety of the day going into shops, buying sweets, and messing with random people. It put Drew's worries and frustration to rest.
They managed to get the next bus to Tyler's house, which only took five minutes. As Drew attempted to pay, he realised he'd spent all of his money on sweets and drinks. The driver then looked him dead in the eyes.
"Just get on."
He nodded and replied quickly with a bit of shame.
"Yeah, thanks-thanks."
Tyler, who had gotten halfway up the stairs, looked back at him.
"You know he let you on out of pity, you poor bastard."
Drew gave him a tired glare and retorted.
"Screw you, you're as poor as me."
But Tyler shrugged the remark off.
"Yeah, but who spent all their money on take-out? Duhhhhhh"
He ended, getting in Drew's face, before he went up the stairs.
Drew muttered as he followed Tyler up the stairs.
"I was hungry."
An hour later, they were seated on the top half of the bus, still waiting to arrive at their destination. Drew sat with his arms dangling between his legs. He looked out the window, half bored, half irritated.
Only paying attention to his reflection.
Then Tyler, who sat in the seat just in front of him, turned to face him, placing his elbows on both heads of the two seats he was currently occupying.
"SOOO, you wanna explain what the yelling earlier was for?"
Drew raised his eyebrow.
"What yelling?"
Tyler lowered his eyelids in dissatisfaction at Drew's response.
"You know, when you were yelling about how much you hate this place."
Drew looked at him like he was crazy.
"Are you nuts? Why are you asking about that now? We've been here for an hour! Why didn't you ask then?"
"Shhhhh-sh-sh-sh-sh-shhh, this isn't about why I can't remember to ask about things when I should, this is about you, so, why did you even need to yell in the first place?"
Drew squinted his eyes at Tyler before he shrugged.
"I dunno."
"Seriously, what was so bad?"
And when those words left Tyler's mouth, Drew's jaw dropped.
"I'll tell you what was so bad."
"I got kicked out of the store 'cause you stole a meal deal; AND THEY'RE HALF PRICE BY THE WAY!"
"And I nearly got my phone stolen by some weirdo in a trench coat! And worst of all, I'm expelled from school next year!"
Tyler sat back, ignoring every word after "Way", as he scrolled through his phone. He mumbled, frustratedly closing the various pop-up advertisements.
"Oh, I feel ya, man."
"At least act like you care."
Drew muttered, sitting back on his seat with his arms folded at his waist.
"Well, you could always come to my school, y'know."
He continued to play with his phone as he suggested the option to Drew, who considered the idea brilliant. Tyler's school is full of suffering students.
Which made Drew think that he would be the school's messiah to boost grades, prompting him to grin and give small nods to himself. Until Tyler randomly yelled in irritation.
"Man, I frickin' hate these ads, like why have I never seen any one of these women before if they supposedly live here?!"
Drew raised his eyebrow as he leaned over to look at Tyler's phone, seeing the various ads for cults, women, and phone cleaners before rudely responding.
"You may wanna get that checked out then."
Tyler, who immediately closes all pop-up ads and goes back to playing his games, replied without batting an eye to Drew or caring about the attitude.
"It's never much of a problem, besides, they make for good motivators, if you know what I mean."
Drew then sat back and shook his head, giving Tyler an exhausted look.
"Yeah, no, please shut up–"
He paused.
Drew felt a pulse in his temple.
It stung in an incredibly discomforting way, causing him to hold his head down.
"Ugh."
He groaned.
Everything started spinning.
"What's going on?"
He brought his head back up and looked around.
His vision started becoming blurry as Tyler's features started to meld together into one.
And his hearing began to get worse; the only sound he could distinguish was a ringing.
And his senses all started to become numb at once.
Unable to smell.
Unable to see.
Unable to hear.
And unable to feel anything.
Until.
There was nothing.
He couldn't see anything.
He couldn't hear anything aside from the loud, consistent ringing.
It was all dark, and he was alone.
At least it felt like it.
Questions began arising in his head, but he couldn't even think clearly.
Then.
There was a soft.
Subtle. Whisper.
A voice.
It was indistinguishable.
Because there was more than one.
Despite the ringing sound still playing in his head – he could hear them.
"Wake up, wretch."
The first voice was barely even a whisper, more of a low, deep voice that was talking to him slowly and with frustration, like it wanted something more.
"Look at him, he's so scared!"
The next voice, squeaky, almost childish, spoke in a singsong, mocking tone, as it seemed, prepared.
And the final voice.
Was the voice of a woman.
There wasn't malice in her tone, nor was there kindness or even insanity either.
There was only order, power, and demand behind that voice.
"End Motion."
And with that.
It all stopped.
Drew's vision and senses returned.
He immediately sprang out of his seat, darted his eyes, twisting and turning his head to look for the person responsible for the voices, but ultimately, there was no suspect.
Tyler, who had now stopped playing his games, turned to Drew, a little concerned but still casual in his tone of voice.
"What's wrong, man? You sweet?"
Drew was panting, sweating, and still searching.
Until.
He fell.
His head slammed onto the floor.
Still conscious.
But paralysed.
Tyler's eyes widened, and he got up from his seat, still holding his phone. He assumed it was some sort of prank, but was still willing to give the benefit of the doubt.
Whilst Drew lay on the ground.
His eyes were wide open too, and he tried to move, but nothing happened.
The stress was killing him.
The utter randomness and terror of this situation had him wanting to scream.
But he couldn't even open his mouth.
In his mind, he asked so many questions.
"What's going on?"
"Someone help me."
"Please, I don't want to live like this."
"Help", "help", "FUCKING HELP ME"
He couldn't breathe.
But his heart rate accelerated.
Until.
It stopped.
◇◇◇DIVINE DOMAINS◇◇◇