Chapter 1: Bewitched Part 1

Chapter 1

A lone student, a young man, sat in the classroom with his history teacher. He fiddled with his tie, feeling it was too tight around his neck. He was serving detention for his involvement in another fight. The clock ticked steadily, but time felt like an external force for the young man. He huffed in frustration, which caught the attention of his teacher.

"Huffing and puffing won't help, Mr. Cross," the teacher reminded him as he began to pack his things and organize his desk.

Annoyed, the boy blew a strand of his dreadlocks from his face with a huff. Annoyed by the teacher's comment, he replied, "You do realize that the person who was disrupting the class is free now, right?" He then placed both feet on his desk.

The man frowned and gave the young man a stern look. "Feet off the desk, now!" he said coldly.

The boy, not intimidated, rolled his eyes but complied. Seeing that he had followed the instruction, the man sighed and said, "Mrs. Heyflower will be looking after you for the rest of your detention, so behave." With that, the older man left the classroom.

This was Mitch Nightwood, the history teacher at Heaven Academy, a private school in Pearl City, Hawaii. Himmel Cross, the young man who was pouting, had come from New Jersey. It had been almost six months since he was forced to attend this school. The teacher was harsh with him, openly expressing disdain, and the other students were wary due to the rumors surrounding his past.

Himmel couldn't blame them; being a suspect in a murder case and a drug dealer didn't exactly help his reputation at this preppy school. The only person who ever spoke to him was the one he mistreated the most.

As she entered the room, he noticed a redhead with long hair that cascaded down her back and striking blue-green eyes. She wore a casual white dress shirt paired with black slacks. She looked at the boy for a moment and said, "Why should I even be surprised? What did you do this time?" She folded her arms and glared at him as if trying to set him on fire.

The boy opened his mouth but quickly closed it when she added, "I don't care. Just don't get into any more trouble; you're a stain on this academy." With that, she took her seat.

Himmel mumbled under his breath, "Rude bitch."

She turned around and asked, "Did I hear you say that you want to stay a full week of detention?"

Himmel remained silent, unwilling to engage with her.

"If you kept your mouth shut and followed orders, you wouldn't get into so much trouble," Mrs. Hayflower said with a snarky tone.

Himmel simply slumped in his chair and stared out the window.

Thirty minutes passed dreadfully slowly, but it was finally over—he was now free. Quickly leaving the classroom, he rushed down the halls before calling someone. As he put the phone to his ear, he waited for it to connect. When it finally did, he said, "Hey, Hunter, I'm about to—" but before he could finish, he heard coughing and other guys talking in the background.

"SHIT!" he muttered before shouting his friend's name. "Hunter! Pick up! What is going on?!"

"Oh no! His phone accidentally dialed someone—it's Himmel Cross," exclaimed one of the boys before laughing.

"Are you fucking serious?! I bet he is happy that we accidentally dialed his boyfriend," said one of the bullies.

"Don't you fucking touch him; you hear me!" screamed Himmel, who was about to lose it.

"And what are you going to do about it? It's only YOU and no one else who is going to help," said a familiar voice.

Himmel gritted his teeth and snarled, "Brandon." He spoke with venom in his voice.

Brandon Leewood was one of the students who got into trouble with Himmel today and was partly responsible for his detention. Due to the influence of Brandon's father, Mr. Leewood, who invested heavily in this academy, there were few consequences for his behavior.

"If you want to save your friend, then you better be at Waves Park, and come alone, or else. Who am I kidding? Who would want to help a bunch of rejects like yourself?" laughed Brandon before hanging up.

Clenching his teeth, Himmel muttered, "Fuck," before running down to Waves Park.

Hunter Winchester, a young boy trembling in fear, was tossed against a fence by the bullies in front of him. He was hit in the face once more, knocking his glasses off. Holding his swollen cheek, tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"P-Please stop; why are you doing this?"

Kicking him in the gut, Brandon was tired of his whining. "Shut up! And stop your damn whining!" exclaimed Brandon, tired and annoyed.

Hunter's eyes widened as he suddenly threw up his lunch right onto Brandon's shoe. Stepping back with a look of disgust on his face, Brandon glared at Hunter and picked up a large rock. However, before he could do anything, he was struck over the head with a blunt object, which knocked him out and left him bleeding.

The three students turned around to see Himmel holding a pipe in his hand, now covered in blood. Seeing that Brandon was knocked out, the three boys charged at Himmel, facing the same fate as their friend.

"Bring it," said Himmel.

Blows were exchanged, and even though Himmel was at a disadvantage, he still managed to put up a good fight. Busting the three remaining bullies' skulls with the pipe, it was all over.

The following day, Himmel found himself sitting in the dean's office with handcuffs on. Beside him was Hunter, who was bruised from the previous day's beating. Hunter tried his best to explain the events that had transpired.

"But sir! Himmel didn't do anything wrong! He was trying to protect me from Brandon and his goons!" Hunter protested.

"Silence, Mr. Winchester! You and Himmel are already in enough trouble, and I don't have time for any more lies from you!" commanded the Dean.

Officer Jak arrived, placing evidence and photos onto the dean's desk. The images depicted Brandon and his gang assaulting Hunter, proving Himmel's innocence.

Jak activated his walkie-talkie. "Mitch, bring in Brandon Leewood and his crew. File the case as attempted murder."

"Understood," said Officer Mitch.

Turning to Himmel and Hunter, Jak grinned. "Come on, boys. Lunch is on me."

Later at a Korean barbecue restaurant, Himmel enjoyed his meal, while Hunter sat awkwardly, picking at his food.

"Hunter, are you okay?" Himmel asked, concerned.

Hunter shot him a glare before snapping, "I'm fine!"

Realizing his mistake, Hunter tried to apologize, but Himmel simply smiled. "We're friends, right? Just talk to me."

Hunter hesitated before standing. "I need time to clear my head."

"See you tomorrow?" Himmel asked softly.

"Yeah…" Hunter replied before walking out, head down.

As he wandered aimlessly, Hunter received a call. His father's voice spat venom. "You and your nigger friend ruined my promotion! Don't come back home!"

Tears welled in Hunter's eyes as the call ended.

A warm voice interrupted his thoughts. "Is everything alright?" A beautiful blonde girl stood before him, her ruby-red eyes gleaming.

"No, not really," Hunter admitted.

Unbeknownst to him, the girl licked her lips. "He will do quite well," she whispered before smiling. "I'm Imogen. Perhaps you should spend the night with me."

End of Chapter.