Leo was the first face I saw the next morning. I was heading toward the cafeteria, hoping for a quiet breakfast, when there he was again—this time with another girl. Unlike yesterday, she carried herself with a maturity that suggested experience, and if I wasn't mistaken, she was the same girl who had ruined my mood in the cafeteria the day before. I refused to give them a second glance, letting my gaze slide past. Their sight alone was an ache.
"Leo, what's wrong? What did I do?" the girl demanded, her voice sharp and entitled.
Students had already started staring. Leo looked bored—probably embarrassed. The girl, however, seemed immune to the whispers and sideways glances.
"I know you're pathetic, Amber, but don't overdo it," Leo muttered, tilting his head in mock pity.
I cast them both a single glance as I walked by, meeting Leo's eyes for a brief second before returning to my indifferent mask. I didn't care about anyone here. Not him, not her, not their petty dramas.
"Xena, wait!" Leo shouted, but I ignored him. I had no intention of entertaining his theatrics. Then, without warning, he draped an arm over my shoulders. I stiffened, cold rage sparking through me as I fixed him with a stare sharp enough to cut glass.
"Let go," I warned, voice low and threatening.
Leo's grin only widened—too easy, too familiar. If I didn't know better, I might have fallen for his dangerous charm. He leaned in, playful and predatory, tugging at my hair. "Chill, Xena. Still mad?" His voice was soft, teasing. "You're so cute when you're angry. Makes me want to mess with you."
I ground my teeth, preparing to wrench his arm off my neck, but he only laughed and stepped inside the cafeteria, leaving me scowling. He hadn't even looked back, striding toward a table of laughing boys as if nothing had happened.
"Leo, you son of a—" I muttered, brushing hair from my face as I joined the line.
Minutes later, a sharp slap across my cheek yanked me from my thoughts. I spun to see Amber, her face twisted in fury.
"What the hell is your problem?!" I demanded, throbbing cheek and all.
She smirked. "Xena, right? How dare you steal my boyfriend!"
I blinked, incredulous. My eyebrow arched. Steal? I hadn't even been aware there was anything to steal. My eyes flicked to Leo, lounging arrogantly at the table, smirking at the spectacle. Typical.
"You mean Leo?" I said, voice tight with disbelief. "You have no idea who you're dealing with." I turned to leave, but she grabbed my hair. My body moved automatically, twisting her grip and glaring down at her.
"Stop acting like a thirteen-year-old, bitch! I don't have time for this!"
I shoved her, but she didn't budge. Stepping back, I seized the moment to exit, aware of every pair of eyes on us while Leo sat cross-legged on the table, watching like it was a show.
"Just you wait, you little—" I muttered under my breath, blood boiling from Leo's games. He thought this was fun. He thought he could push me around. He had no idea who I really was.
I was headed for the dorm to grab my things and make my way to class when a sudden blow to my back sent me sprawling. Before I could react, everything went black. When I came to, I was in an empty room. No blood, no wounds, just a stiff neck and the lingering ache of last night's sleep-deprived tension.
I had just begun to rest when the door creaked, and Leo appeared, breath ragged, a predatory smirk plastered across his face. I glared, forcing a deep, steadying breath.
"Coward, huh?" I muttered under my breath. "Needed to throw me in here yourself?"
Before I could respond, five others entered, and the red-tinged light of the setting sun filtered through broken windows. Amber and her gang, along with her accomplices, faced me. My neck throbbed with annoyance as Amber raised a pistol to my temple.
"Like this? Want him to miss you?" she taunted, pressing the cold metal to my skin.
Leo laughed, low and cruel. "Hey, hey, hey. Don't do that. Put it down, Amber. This isn't a game," he warned.
"Do you think I care, Leo? I'll go as far as I want! I don't give a damn!"
Her voice pierced the room, shrill and venomous. I wanted to move, but before I could, she pressed the barrel harder.
"One wrong move and you're dead," she spat.
"Go on," I said, my stare unflinching.
Her surprise at my lack of fear made her pause. Even her gang laughed nervously.
"You don't know who you're messing with," she hissed.
"You're the one with no idea, Amber," Leo interjected. But he went silent as she gave him a sharp, killing look.
I stood, eyes locked on Amber, still pointing the gun. Her face reddened with fury. I stepped past her, only to be struck in the stomach by a baseball bat. The force sent me stumbling back, everyone frozen for a beat.
"What the hell?!" I snarled at the man, brushing myself off as Amber blinked in shock at my resilience.
The man readied another swing, but I intercepted, catching the bat with my left hand, wrenching it from him, and smashing it into his thigh. He collapsed. The others stepped back, alarmed. Amber's pistol instinctively went up, halting their advance.
"Like that?" I spat, scanning them all, even Leo, who leaned against the wall, watching like it was theater.
Leo laughed, sharp and teasing, and I slammed the muzzle toward the wall, two inches from his face. He froze, amusement replaced with faint unease.
"Asshole," I muttered before refocusing on Amber.
Tears shimmered in her furious eyes as she stammered, "I think you got the wrong idea… Leo and I—"
I cut her off, letting Leo catch my glance. "I am Leo's youngest sibling. Xena Calyza Fontanilla. Next time, know who you're messing with before you look stupid." I tapped her cheek and walked past.
Leo called after me, "Lil sis, wait!" but I ignored him, clutching the pistol tight, anger and grief coiling inside me. My true name—Lebrina Sheii Valle Jaranilla—echoed in my mind.
"Xena," Leo said softly as he reached my side. I pivoted, leveling the gun at him. His smile faltered at the fury and grief in my eyes, at my bared teeth and clenched fists.
"I will kill you," I said, voice sharp as a blade. "I will destroy your family, tear down your father's empire. I will kill all four of you—and anyone who stands in my way."
Confusion crossed his face. "W-what are you saying, Xena?"
"Your father stole my childhood, trained me to be a killer, and made me one of his assassins. I've been chained to his orders while my life was stolen. I'll kill him. I'll kill you, Max, Ace, Damian. Everyone."
Tears streaked my face, my pulse rattling my ears. I pressed the gun against the floor, imagining the bullets striking the hearts and skulls of the people who had stolen everything from me.
Before I could fire again, Leo stepped forward, placing himself between me and my target. "Pull the trigger while pointing that at me, Xena," he said, cold and measured. "I didn't know this is what was running through your head…"
I paused, lips curling in a grim smirk. "Once I know Kiel will be safe, then I'll finish you."
I released the gun and turned, walking out, leaving Leo frozen against the wall. I wiped the tears from my face and realized, halfway through my retreat, that we were still in Oxemburge—this place, this school, a trap disguised as a campus.
I had said what needed saying. If he reported it to his father, it would only prove how weak he really was.