The Hidden Directive

Watched

As Mimori and Lou came of age, they decided public school would be best in order to build their social skills with other children. It has been just the two of them since birth. Now Bethany, with Elaina's approval, had enrolled them in middle school in the city.

"Hey, Mims, what's your first class?" Lou looked over to Mimori. He knew in the back of his mind that Mimori was going to have a tough time in regular school as a teenage girl. Anything could happen. He promised his mother that he would protect her at all costs.

"Ugh, it's math," she replied, looking down at her schedule. "I wish we had classes together. This sucks." She pouted at him.

"Ewe gross, math? I think we have gym class later." Lou shrugged his shoulders. "But these lame classes will be over fast…I hope". Leaning over, he gave Mimori a tight hug.

"Well, this is me…" Mimori motioned to the classroom. The other kids crammed into the room, choosing their seats near their friends. "I'll see you later?" She smiles.

"Yep. I'll be here as soon as the bell rings." Lou gave her a quick peck on the cheek, waiting for her to walk in before heading to his own class on the other end of the hallway. Books in hand, he chose an empty seat towards the back of the class. Since he was one of the new kids, he figured he might have to introduce himself to the class.

As the bell rang, students shuffled their way into their seats as the teacher followed behind. Lou immediately felt uncomfortable in the man's presence but pretended to ignore it, his gaze following the man as he made his way to the front.

"Good morning, class. I'm Mr. Maverick, this is my first year here as well, and if you can't remember that, then this class is going to be miserable." His voice projected to the back of the class, gaining Lou's attention. Some of the students groaned, others laughed. "Just kidding, you can call me Mr. M., and this class is Social Studies" He grabbed a dry erase marker and wrote on the board.

Lou propped his head on his closed fist, watching the other students.

"Lou," someone whispered.

He blinked a few times and looked around, even behind him. He concluded that no one called him, and he turned back to the front.

Mr. Maverick called attendance. "Loucian Kim?" Mr. Maverick called.

"Yo," Lou raised his hand. "You can call me Lou if that's easier for you, Mr. M," he replied.

"Looks like this is your first year here as well; would you like to come introduce yourself to the rest of your peers?" Mr. Maverick smiled.

"Uh, I guess. Sure," He answered, rising from his seat. Lou walked to the front of the class, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. He stopped at the podium and turned to face his classmates. "Hi, I'm Loucian Kim, you can call me Lou for short, ah…." he stammered.

"Lou," he heard his name being whispered, but this time it sounded demanding.

Lou stopped and stared at the class, then back at the teacher, a look of confusion on his face. He shook the feeling and continued his introduction.

"My family and I just moved here recently from the fields to the north. Figured I needed a life outside of solitude." He rolled his eyes.

"LOU!" The voice was much louder, almost growling.

Lou froze. Through the window, he scanned the outdoor cafeteria. His eyes widened as they landed on a dark figure, its elongated claws and fangs.

What the...hell is that? He thought.

"Hey, Lou? You there?" Mr. Maverick waved his hand in front of Lou's face, "Earth to Lou, do you read me, Lou?" Finally, he snapped his finger in Lou's face, pulling him out of his trance.

"Oh, hey. Yeah, sorry about that. So yeah, fields from the north and social life…" Embarrassed, Lou rubbed the back of his neck and finished his introduction. Returning to his seat, he turned to the window, wondering what it was he just saw.

When the bell for the end of the class chimed over the loudspeaker, Lou grabbed his books and darted out the door, back to Mimori's class. Her face a shade of red he had never seen before.

"What happened?" he questioned, wrapping his arms around her.

"Oh, I knew this would happen. Of course, one of the girls, who I guess is a bully, decided to pull my hair, and out of habit I… punched her… in the face", She turned her gaze down.

Lou pulled away from her, chuckling. "You did what?"

"I punched her in the face…. And there she goes." Mimori pointed to the girl with the bloody tissue crammed in her nostrils, red-faced and spewing insults as fast as her swollen lips could form them.

Lou facepalmed and laughed. "Your mom is going to be pissed.", patting Mimori on the back. "That was awesome."

"Well, yeah, whatever, how was your class?" Mimori c****d her head.

"It was fine. I did the same crap intro." He paused. "And some weird voice called to me. It sounded… angry."

"That's weird… when I did my introductions in class, I saw a creepy looking dude standing in the back. He gave me the heebie-jeebies." Mimori shuddered.

"Wait. What? What did he look like?" Lou furrowed his brow.

Just as Lou finished his question, Mr. Maverick strode past them. His aura gave Lou a very uneasy feeling.

Mimori leaned into Lou's shoulder. "That's him!" she whispered. "His aura is so creepy!"

"That's my teacher. How was he in your class if he was in my classroom?" Lou brought his hand to his chin as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"We need to tell our parents about this. Something isn't right here," Mimori piped up. "Let's skip class; this is really starting to freak me out," she whispered.

"Yeah, let me call my mom first," Lou replied, reaching into his pocket, he grabbed his phone and dialed. It rang, and a few moments later, she answered.

--

Bethany and Wilson are out exploring their town, hand in hand, as they stride down the city's sidewalks, admiring the average human's busy yet normal lifestyles.

"I wish things were different, sometimes, you know?" Bethany let out a sigh. "Have you gotten any more information on Elijah?

Wilson turns his attention to Bethany, stopping in his tracks. "No love, but I'm sure that there is someone out there that does. We can ask Elaina later to see if she's able to dig something up. But all we have right now is that he's human with a nasty track record. No one knows about our kind, so how did he find out? Is he capturing them for fun, or does he have another agenda?"

"I guess we will have to see," Bethany replies, her voice laced with anxiety. Her phone chimes before she's able to speak again. Bethany reaches into her back pocket, grabbing her phone, she reads the caller ID. "Oh, it's Lou," she slides the green button on her phone and answers, activating the speakerphone.

"Hi honey, are you enjoying school?" she asks excitedly.

"Mom, there's something weird going on here. Can you come get us?" Lou's voice filled with panic.

"We are on our way. We will meet you at the office, go there, and do not leave until we arrive," Bethany replied, disconnecting the call she looks to Wilson.

"I heard it all, no need to explain, let's go," he replied quickly before Bethany was able to open her mouth.

Bethany and Wilson run back to their parked sedan two blocks over. Wilson to the passenger seat as he knew his wife wanted to drive. They both threw their seatbelts on and took off screeching to the school.

Upon arrival, Bethany didn't turn the car off before she reached the front doors. She stopped dead in her tracks. There was a weird aura about the place, and she did not like the energy it was emitting. She looks around, trying to find her source of uneasiness. Her eyes landed on a man who stood perfectly still, his hands in his suit pockets, an evil grin painted on his face.

Bethany rushed into the school, ready to end their enrollment without a second thought. She turned the corner to the office and peeked through the window, letting out a sigh of relief as she caught sight of Mimori and Lou sitting in the waiting area. She darted up to the front desk and requested the sign-out sheet for both of them.

"Hi, is it Bethany? I'm Laura, the school secretary. Is everything alright?" her sweet tone sounded fake.

"Hi, Laura! No, everything is fine. These two aren't used to being around a lot of people at the moment. I'm just going to take them home..." She paused. "For the rest of the school year."

Laura gasped. "Oh, I do hope everything is alright! It's definitely hard to adjust to being around a whole bunch of people. I totally understand."

"It'll be fine. We'll get them adjusted. Now isn't the right time, but we do thank you for everything." Bethany signaled them over. "Let's go, guys."

Mimori and Lou rose from their seats and rushed over to Bethany as she scooted towards the door.

--

Lou kept his head low when they left the school office. He immediately felt uneasy as he moved from the front door to the car. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he scanned the area. "Hey, mom, do you feel that?" His eyes landed on Mr. Maverick, leaning against a tree by the front gates.

"Oh, crap." Mimori stopped, her hand on the door handle of Bethany's dark sedan.

"Is that… Mr. Maverick?" Lou's stare turned into a glare, "We need to get out of here, now. That's the one teacher that's giving us an uneasy feeling. Mimori also saw him in her classroom when he was clearly in mine this morning. I do not like his energy."

Wilson opened his door and stepped out of the car, urging the others to get in. "Guys, let's not do this here. People are watching." he gestured towards the windows.

Students watched out of the window, eager for something exciting.

The four of them glanced at one another and jumped into the sedan. Bethany put the gas pedal to the floor and peeled out of the parking lot, not caring that she left skid marks behind.

--

Mimori pulled her phone from her back pocket and texted her mother: "Meet at Wilson and Bethany's, urgent." Once finished, she sent the message and turned to Lou.

"Do you think he's one of us? How could he be in two places at once?" she asked, confused.

"I don't know, but he is not someone we want to be around," Lou replied. Shaking his head, he looked back to catch a glimpse of the school as it faded.

"Bethany, slow down. You're going too fast!" Wilson piped up from the passenger seat.

Bethany did the opposite. She sped up, only to slam her brakes as a man stepped out into the road. The smirk on his face only frustrated her more.

"What the hell!" she yelled, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. "I swear to god I am going to f*****g hurt this man." She spoke from between gritted teeth.

"Why is he following us? Wait, Mom, where are you going?" Lou asked as Bethany unbuckled her seatbelt. Stepping out of the car, she slammed the door shut and glanced back at everyone in the car.

"Don't you f*****g move!" Her voice was distorted. A black aura emanated from her as her eyes turned black. The shadow of her dark cast itself over her as she turned her attention back to the man in the middle of the road.

"Oh, well, this is going to suck," Wilson whispered. "And this, kid, is a visual reminder of why pissing Mom off is a bad idea." He turned to Lou, then back to Bethany.

Bethany slowly approached Mr. Maverick, her dark grumbling low, incoherent sounds. Mr. Maverick shifted his attention to the vehicle, then back to her, his mouth moving.

Mimori wished she could make out what he was saying from a distance.

--

Bethany approached the man with a stern look on her face. "Why are you here, and what do you want with the kids?" Her voice distorted. The wine-colored eyes of her dark made him stagger back.

"You... you're Violet, aren't you? Elijah told us all about you," he stammered, panic lacing his voice.

"Oh? Do you know about me? Then you know I will rip your f*****g head from your body and eat it for lunch." Violet licked her lips. "You stay away from my family, or else it's going to get really ugly for you and Elijah. This is my only warning," she growled loudly.

Violet turned to walk back to the car when Maverick unholstered a pistol, aiming for the back of Bethany's head.

Violet watched Wilson's eyes as they widened. Raising his arm, he cast his shield around her before Maverick could fire. The bullet ricocheted, puncturing Maverick's arm.

Maverick yelled in pain. Gripping his arm, he dropped the firearm. Violet stopped, pivoted, and walked back to where he kneeled, blood pouring onto the cement. She crouched in front of him, leaning close.

"Wow, you just don't know when to quit, huh? Wrong move." Violet whispered. A devilish grin appeared on her face as she reached for him. Grabbing his head with one hand, she grabbed his leg with the other and pulled him apart.

The screeching cries from Maverick died down quickly as he was ripped apart. Violet receded to the back of Bethany's mind. She quickly stood and examined herself. "Oh, c'mon, Violet, this is a new blouse! You always make a mess." Bethany shook her head and sighed heavily on her way back to the car. Hopping into the driver's seat, she rushed back to the house.

--

Elaina read Mimori's message and alerted Marcus that the kids were going to be coming home early. Marcus was stuck at work, unable to leave.

"I'll fill you in when you get home." Elaina sent a text to him before rushing across the small field that separated their homes. She froze, feeling a sudden surge of uneasiness.

As she scanned the area to find the possible reason, the chime of her phone pulled her from her thoughts. She'd received a text back from Marcus she read aloud: "Ok, stay safe. I'll be home as soon as I can. Love you." She smiled to herself as she continued through the clearing, arriving at the Kim residence shortly after. Elaina let herself in and sat at the breakfast bar awaiting their arrival.

A few minutes later, Wilson, Bethany, and the kids came barging into the house, slamming the door shut behind them, locking it from top to bottom.

"Are you guys, ok?" Elaina rushed over to Mimori, embracing her.

"We're ok. Their teacher, however, not so much," Wilson replied, looking over to his wife, whose hands were blood-stained.

"Bethany, what did you do?" Elaina's eyes widened as she turned her attention to her friend's hands.

"He got in the way. He was one of Elijah's men, stalking the kids at school. Lou called me as soon as he felt his aura. He tried to shoot me… but, thanks to Wilson, we're ok." She shifted her gaze from Lou to Mimori. "I am so sorry you guys had to see her." She sighed, slouching her shoulders.

"Wait, Violet revealed herself?" Elaina shifted her gaze from Wilson to Bethany, "She came out and killed him? What was his name? The man you killed." She brought a hand to her chest as she spoke.

"Violet recognized him as a threat and took care of it. I think his name was Mr. Maverick?" Bethany furrowed her brow.

"Yeah, and somehow he was in both of our classes today, Mom," Mimori spoke out. "He was Lou's homeroom teacher, but he was in my class with me, too. He gave me the creeps…"

"Mom," Lou whispered, "I think I met my dark today." He paused, taking in a deep breath as he glanced at Bethany.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Elaina chimed in. "He's probably the one who warned you about that teacher. But, if he is gone, then good riddance!"

"Yeah, I was doing a class introduction, and I just kept hearing my name being called. When I looked outside, there was this thing. It looked like Violet really creeped me out," Lou replied, his head hung low.

"Did it give you a name?" Wilson asked.

Lou shook his head.

"I also pulled them from school for the remainder of the year. They know we're here." Bethany glanced over to Elaina, switching the subject as she made her way to the kitchen sink to wash her hands.

Bethany's phone chimed. She glanced toward the counter to read the screen. It was a text from an unknown number. She read it out loud for everyone: "So, Maverick took it a step too far. Next time, Wilson won't be able to save you."

The group went silent. Bethany and Elaina exchanged motherly looks of concern.

"We need to be ready for anything. Mimori, as soon as we get home, I need you to pack a bag. Lou, you need to do the same. It's not safe anymore." Elaina sighed heavily. "Alright, we'll keep in touch. I'm sure Marcus is home and wants to know the details. Keep us posted, ok?"

Lou rushed upstairs to begin packing as Elaina and Mimori took their leave. Wilson and Bethany were confused as to why Lou's dark made an appearance so soon. He was only thirteen, but it was already time to begin his training to become one with his tortured soul.

Wilson and Bethany teamed up with Wilson to begin Lou's training. But Lou could not come back into contact with his dark; it seemed to have disappeared again.