Threatened Love

~ Chapter Nine ~

Since I couldn't get my plate washed by my own self. I tossed it in the sink quite harshly to aware him that I was mad. I passed by the living room and still got no comments, so I walked towards my bedroom instead when another door bell rang.

It took almost three door bells when I got annoyed because he wasn't clearly planning to open it.

I turned around and went to check who the heck is ringing the doorbell when I saw him.

"Caleb Duke?!" I called his name.

"Yep, that's me, princess." He winked.

My head then slowly turned around thinking this was an ambush when I saw Pierce Danger standing right behind me, with cold eyes that looked at Caleb, probably annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Pierce asked him with arms crossed.

"I brought some snacks for Violet, " Caleb answered him.

"Go back to your room, it's past the school hours." Peirce told him and forcibly closes our main door when the curfew bell rang.

"Come on Pierce? You wouldn't let me get caught here right?"

"No,"

"But- but what are friends for?" He continues getting through our door begging Pierce.

He sighed and then faced me.

"I'll handle this." He said.

I looked at Caleb Duke and he was still standing there waiting for Peirce to let him in. I also had a few moments of contemplating whether to accept his snacks or to help him when Pierce forcibly pushed him outside our door step.

"What are you doing?!" I whispered to him.

"He's not supposed to be here." He said.

"But he'll get caught!"

Peirce then paused and looked at me. His expression confused like he couldn't understand me.

"Seriously? He'll get pass through it he's a student council remember?"

"Oh yeah... Well okay then I'll be right in my room sleeping."

"Okay." He says and walks away going back to playing his game.

'I was a quick wet boy

Diving too deep for coins

All of your straight light eyes

Wide on my plastic toys'

"You're finished here Midnight." A mysterious man said to me while I was agitating to whether move or not and pull the trigger?

'Then when the cops closed the fair

I cut my long baby hair

Stole me a dog eared map

And called for you everywhere'

I don't know exactly what is happening but I'm clearly seeing myself pictured in a wild m******e. The weird of it was when I didn't clearly understood why I was holding a gun against someone until I was falling to the ground.

'Have I found you?

Flightless bird, jealous, weeping

Or lost you?

American mouth

Big bill looming'

I can hear loud screams while I was waiting for myself to patiently fall to the ground and die.

However, the outcome wasn't what I was expecting.

'Now I'm a fat house cat

Cursing my sore blunt tongue

Watching the warm poison rats

Curl through the wide fence cracks'

I saw myself caught in the arms of this angel, secured and safe. I didn't clearly saw his face because of the sun's light and it's shading his expression, but when I did. It terribly gave me a shock.

'Pissing on magazine photos

Those fishing lures thrown in the cold and clean

Blood of Christ mountain stream'

"Danger?"

'Have I found you?

Flightless bird, brown hair bleeding

Or lost you?

American mouth

Big bill, stuck going down'

I opened my eyes shocked and sweating, it was then I realized that I just had a nightmare of my own. It was so weird how my heart is continuously racing even after I woke up and convinced myself that I was fine.

'Have I found you?

Flightless bird, brown hair bleeding

Or lost you?

American mouth

Big bill, stuck going down'

When I heard the music that's coming from my phone due to setting my alarm I immediately turned it off and looked at the time.

"Great. I'm ten minutes late." I frustratingly sighed.

Well of course since I'm not in the mood for taking a long shower and breakfast I had to skip it and instead wash my face and all the necessary stuff then put on my uniform.

The fact that my hand was injured it kinda took another whole ten minutes for me to completely wear and look decent in it.

"I swear I'm not gonna let those guys live when I recover." I hissed feeling helpless in my current situation.

As usual Pierce left earlier than me, I assume that he's already in class sleeping again. I think he hates me though because he's always been like that ever since I came and started living in his dorm. Speaking of dorms, I forgot to ask Harris about that yesterday because of the sudden commotion which those council leaders proposed.

I wonder what happened with Caleb Duke yesterday?

When I arrive in History Class all eyes were on me. I assume they were thinking how pathetic I look today. Luckily, Mr. Raven saw me and immediately called me for a short conversation in front.

"Sorry Mr. Raven I admit I overslept." I apologized to him in advance.

He didn't really have that menancing reaction though but it was more like he cared for his student.

"I heard from Mr. Harris. I'm sorry no one was able to help from the faculties." He sincerly said to me with authority.

"No, I didn't neccesarilly needed that much of help they were just being lucky." I said to him to somehow ease up the mood between us and then he smiled.

"Don't worry we already dealt with those students yesterday, and I'm glad nothing worse happened. However, are you sure to attend my class today? You can take a three day leave if you want." He suggested to me.

"No, I'm fine Mr. Raven, staying indoors only makes it worse for me." I snorted.

Don't make me wrong but I almost leap in joy when he said that I could take a three day leave, but seeing Pierce taking all the responsibilty and highly ignores my presence I didn't have the strength to say yes.

Apparently because I hate seeing him there sitting on his desk all relaxed and silently listening to my business.

"Okay, well then take a seat."

"Thank you."

As I sat comfortably on my desk, Marissa who was behind me tapped my shoulder and gave me a note which states the lists and name of our group. I then frowned when I saw his name stated beneath mine along with te position of "Vice Captain."

My eyes widened.

"He's joining our group?" I asked Marrisa who just smiled.

"Phiilip asked him to join us since no one was willing to take him."

"No one? Why? Isn't he the most popular student here? He's the president of council leaders!" I almost sounded like I was complaining.

"Well yeah he definitely is but you know about the rumors going around and legends..." Marissa started whispering and it's riducolous how it catches my interest.

"Legends? What kind of legends?" I asked her.

"Well...I better tell you later at lunchtime." She carefully says and I notice how she stayed focused behind Pierce Danger's back seat.

"Okay..cool." I said and turned around listening to Mr. Raven's lecture.

Today he presented the history of Paris in which it began in the 3rd century BCE when a Celtic tribe called the Parisii built a fortified settlement on the Ile de la Cite.

The Romans conquered the Parisii in 52 CE and they built a town on the River Seine. The Romans called Paris 'Lutetia'. However, Roman Paris was not a particularly large or important town. It had a population of not more than 10,000.

Hmmm..... I don't know but it sounded kind of familar to me? Anyways let me continue my understanding here.

"In the late 3rd century Paris and the surrounding region were converted to Christianity. However by then the Roman Empire was in decline. In 486 a race called the Franks captured Paris."

"Under the Franks Paris flourished. In 845 the Vikings raided Paris. The French king paid them 7,000 pounds of silver to leave. But from the 11th century onward Paris prospered again. In the Middle Ages, Paris grew rapidly and it became one of the largest towns in Europe. Its population probably reached 200,000 (that might seem small to us but it was huge by Medieval standards). King Philippe-Auguste (1180-1223) built a wall around Paris. He also built the Louvre fortress."

Mr. Raven seriously explained but some of us were beginning to get sleepy and bored. I took a glance on Peirce and it surprised me because he wasn't sleeping in class at all.

I wonder why?

"Medieval Paris was also a busy inland port with goods being brought to and from its wharves along the Seine. Paris was also noted for its scholars. Paris University became famous. Meanwhile, from the late 12th century onward the most famous cathedral in Paris, the Cathedral de Notre Dame was built."

"However in 1338 the Hundred Years War between France and England began and in 1348 Paris was devastated by the Black Death. In 1357 the mayor of Paris Etienne Marcel led a rebellion in Paris to try and gain more rights for Parisian merchants. However, Royalist forces captured Paris in 1358, and Marcel and his followers were executed. In 1420 the English captured Paris. However, the French recaptured the town in 1436."

"Seriously? Why do we have to learn about these things here?" Marissa complains behind me.

I shake my head.

So, Paris gradually recovered from the Hundred Years War and in 1528 King Francois the First, moved his court to the town. Once again Paris flourished. Meanwhile, in the 16th century, the Reformation swept France. French Protestants were persecuted. The persecution reached a peak in 1572 with the St Bartholomew's Day m******e. About 2,000 Protestants in Paris were murdered by Catholics.

I then gasped.

"Then in 1589 King Henry III was assassinated leaving a Protestant, Henry of Navarre heir to the throne of France. Many Catholics refused to accept Henri, however and he had to fight for his throne. Yet in 1593 he converted to Catholicism and in 1594 he entered Paris."

My dream it couldn't be just a coincidence right?

"King Henry IV began building great public buildings in Paris. He also built the Pont Neuf in 1607. Henry was assassinated by a Catholic fanatic in 1610 but his widow built the Palais de Luxembourg. The Palais Royal was built in 1629 by Cardinal Richelieu."

"Building great buildings in Paris continued under Louis XIV in the late 17th century (although he moved to the palace of Versailles outside the city). However there were two sides to Paris. Alongside the splendid buildings there were many cafes and Paris was famous for its philosophers. However there was also a great deal of severe poverty in Paris. The poor lived in squalor."

Okay so of course Paris was, at the center of the French Revolution which broke out in 1789. On the morning of 14th of July in 1789 and Parisians seized cannons and guns from the Invalides (a hospital for military veterans).

They then surrounded a fortress and prison called the Bastille. The governor was forced to surrender. To the ordinary people, the Bastille was enormously important as a symbol of royal power and arbitrary government.

Suddenly when Mr. Raven notice our boring faces, he paused and called a random name to stand up and continue the lesson.

"Philip can you read page 187 in your book and explain to em what happened after what I have discussed?" Mr. Raveb demands and immediately everyone turns their attention towards the history class lesson again.

"S-Sure Mr. Raven." Philip replies and embarrassingly open his book to read.

"-From September 1793 the Great Terror swept France. In the next 9 months, thousands of people were guillotined in Paris. Meanwhile, in September 1793 a movement called De-Christianization began. Churches were vandalized and closed. The church of Notre-Dame was renamed the 'Temple of Reason'. However, the Terror ended in the late summer of 1794. Thousands of prisoners were released and life gradually returned to normal."

"-Napoleon became ruler of France in 1799. He built Pont des Arts. He also built the Arc de Triomphe and La Madeleine. However allied armies occupied Paris in 1814."

"-In 1830 another revolution took place in Paris. Louis Philippe became a constitutional monarch of France. In the mid 19th century the Industrial Revolution began to transform France. Paris grew rapidly but many of its inhabitants lived in dire poverty. In 1832 cholera killed 20,000 people in the city." Philip finishes his part and immediately Mr. Raven turns his ears towards Philip and listen to his brief explanation.

"Uhm t-to me I think Paris went through a l-lot Mr. Raven." Philip nervously says.

"What do you mean to a lot?" Mr. Raven contiously questioned him and it's kinda funny how red Philip is slowly turning due to his embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry sir I wasn't paying attention." He apologizes and people began laughing silently except for Jason that's seated beside me.

Mr. Raven then turns his head towards him.

Philip now grins.

"Jason?" Called Mr. Raven and his dying laughter now turns into a quiet hiss.

"Y-Yes?"

"Do you think you could provide a better explaination than Philip?" Mr. Raven challenges him and it's funny how he stood unto his pride and said yes.

My classmates were obviously holding back their laughter's except for Peirce's and me who's listening to them carefully.

"I-I think Paris should have a better king? "

"Why would you say so?"

"Well simply because if I was king I would make my army's strong and fight those colonizers alone. They shouldn't have then faced those consequences." He answered irrationality and my classmates couldn't take it anymore and laughed so hard.

Of course Mr. Raven closed his eyes in disbelief then grab the textbook and slams it to Philip's and Jason's table angrily.

"Do you think we're playing here?" Mr. Raven hissed and then the entire class went quiet.

"You know what? This is why we're classified as the least favourite class. It's clearly because of students who behaves exactly like you guys." Mr. Raven said.

"I don't mean to offend you but take this opportunity as your second chances. Those who came here aren't just randomly picked okay? Your mentors probably saw something inside each of you that others cannot. So please at least make yourselves worthy that you're studying here at Imperial without paying anything but determination."

I gulped.

What he said was true and it's kinda scary how serious Mr. Raven now looked like. He's features were definitely sayong something thay he's not just an easy person who's interested with History itself. There's so much more behind his mask and I'm sure he's not willing to unveil some of it because he has a good self control there whilde scolding the whole class.

"Anyway, let's continue, Peirce Danger kindly read page 189." Mr. Raven called and thankfully Peirced followed his orders and being that rude we often see.

"

-Paris soon recovered and it prospered in the late 19th century. The Eiffel Tower was unveiled in 1889 and the Metro opened in 1900."

"-Paris escaped the First World War relatively unscathed. In the 1920s and 1930s, Paris again prospered. However, on 14 June 1940 Paris fell to the Germans. On 19 August 1944 Paris rose in rebellion and on 25 August allied forces entered the city."

"-In May 1968 Paris was rocked by student riots but stability soon returned. In the late 20th century new buildings were erected in Paris such as the Tour Montparnasse in 1973 and the Hotel Concorde Lafayette in 1974. The Pompidou Center was built in 1977. Today Paris is a flourishing city and tourism is booming. Les Quatre Temps Shopping Mall was founded in 1981. Beaugrenelle Shopping Mall opened in 2013. In 2020 the population of Paris was 2.1 million." Pierce finishes reading and sat down on his chair while Mr. Raven continue the question and answer portion.

"Does anyone here can relate to how Paris began?" Asked Mr. Raven to everyone.

As suspected no one dared to explain when Mr. Raven called me.

"Midnight, do you think you could provide some?" He asked me and I stood from my chair quite nervous as this ks my firat time voicing my own opinion.

"Well...." I started.

"Well?"

"Well I think we could relate Imperial High to Paris." I said.

"And why do you think so?" Mr. Raven asked as if he was expecting that answer from me.

"It's simply because just like Paris, Imperial High is new and isolated from others. It doesn't mean we have already established an organization here doesn't mean it's permanent and safe from curious business minded people." I explained.

"So you're saying?"

"I was saying that what Jason said was true, we should have a better ruler, however that ruler should also have better allies, change may be bad, but without also experiencing awful events it wouldn't develop Paris to what we call as a 'city of love' today. I believe Imperial Isle might be the same as well as for Imperial High in the future." I answered and nervously presed my feet to the floor.

Mr. Raven then grinned.

I assume I answered well right?

"Good point there Midnight, I guess you're the only one listening here except for Danger." He said.

"Anyways I'm not saying that's impossible but yes it could happen."

"Is that why we're trained here? To be soldiers of Imperial Isle?" One of my classmates asked.

"Yes, however that depends on what ranks you're classified into."

"Ranks?"

"Yes, ranks that you will only gain after the results of your examinations."

There he's finally mentioned it.