"You're telling me I have to move schools?" Pepper faltered, indignant.
Pepper's mother, Linyao, smiled up at her daughter, a bead of sweat dripping down her brow. "It's what your principal has decided, Pepper. She thinks you're a… hazard around the students."
"I'm moving to the school across the road! Whatever I did at Rosewood, I can do it from twenty metres away!" Pepper ran a hand through her choppy hair that fell over her dark rimmed eyes. Half of her hair was carelessly tied up in a spiky bun, the other hanging over her shoulders. She had stayed up late last night, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for her final verdict.
The night before the start of the semester, Pepper and her friends had snuck into school grounds as a futile attempt to celebrate their freedom. They cracked open cans of cheap beer, crushing empty cans in their hands as they yelled up at the sky. The three stuffed their mouths with chips and sweets, burping loudly as they complained about their teachers. They had even brought tubes of honey to mix with their energy drinks. When the clock hit three, Pepper and Chloe had begun to pack up, but Amelia had decided against it.
"Why not?" Pepper had asked. "You know Jonesy gets to school at five."
Chloe nodded. "If we stay any later, we might get caught."
"I have a better idea. It'll be worth the risk." Amelia cracked a sinister smile and pointed up to the IT office. Pepper and Chloe exchanged an exasperated look. "Oh come on, you two! Remember how last year Mr. Gentry gave us shit drawing on our computers? He made us pay fifty bucks to replace it!"
"Well, we did draw dicks in permanent marker on them," Chloe reasoned. "It makes sense."
"Yeah, Mills. It's a new year, we should let it go," Pepper scoffed. She tied up her rubbish bag and hauled it over her shoulder. Pepper began to walk over to Amelia's car, snickering as she added, "Besides, what are we even gonna do? Dump our leftover honey into the electric circuits?"
Amelia suddenly appeared in front of Pepper and clasped onto her shoulders with delight. "Pepper, you fucking genius."
The trio had been caught in the act by Principal Jones and expelled for their constant streak of misbehaviour. Now, Amelia had moved across the state, attending a public school in North Melbourne. Chloe had found herself being homeschooled by her doctor parents. As for Pepper, she received the more merciful outcome.
Pepper's academics was the only thing that had saved her from being fully kicked out. Principal Jones had strongly suggested for Pepper to enroll at the neighbouring rival school, Silverlake Prep for the rest of the year. Though her expulsion was written in bold on her application, Principal Jones had pulled a few strings for Pepper to continue her education at Silverlake.
"Pepper," Linyao said. "Considering what happened to your friends, this is the best opportunity we have. Don't take it for granted, alright?"
"Silverlake Prep is just another name for a nuthouse. Have you heard the things that happen there?" Pepper groaned and dipped her head. "Those kids are batshit crazy, Mum."
"Then you'll fit in pretty well," Parker commented dryly. Pepper glared at him. He only shrugged in response. "You don't actually believe those rumours, do you?"
Pepper blew a raspberry. "Obviously not."
"Which means yes." Parker barked out a laugh.
"Why are you still here?" Pepper shot back. "Shouldn't you be, you know, being an adult, getting a job, going to university?"
"I'm taking a gap year, dumbass." Parker rolled his eyes. He sat up from the couch and placed a hand on his heart. "I'm going to use this time and figure out my true passions."
"Right, because sleeping in until six in the afternoon's going to help with that." Pepper clapped. "Innovative thinking, Parker."
Linyao sighed. She dropped a packaged uniform of navy blue onto Pepper's lap. "Try it on. You have school tomorrow."
⋆⭒˚.⋆
Pepper strolled into the Silverlake gates the next morning with a bored look on her face. Her hair was in its usual half bun style and her fingers decorated with silver rings. She braced herself for a lecture about uniform policy from the Silverlake teachers, but nobody seemed to care; most of the girls she walked past had their hair out completely. The other half of the school had their hair dyed in colours so bright Pepper almost got whiplash.
She also noticed how many variations the uniform had. Pepper had worn loose, grey pants and navy blue vest that cinched in at her waist. Under the vest was a button up that had untucked throughout the duration of her bus ride there. But, as she looked around, girls wore pleated skirts and button ups of different lengths, paired with jumpers, vests, or blazers all marked with the Silverfall crest. Some had even worn dresses and long white socks. The boys either wore shorts or pants, with the same variation of jackets and blazers.
"So everyone's breaking the rules then," Pepper muttered. "How do the teachers cope?"
Pepper was amused. She had been a victim to the multitude of pranks Silverfall had done to Rosewood, but she never stopped to entertain them. Why would she? The rest of Rosewood were already planning their revenge. But that meant she hadn't really seen Silverfall students and their culture. She could understand why Rosewood and Silverlake were such rivals; their differences were so stark.
Amelia and Chloe would love it here, Pepper thought. She wandered around the school in an ill attempt to find the science rooms. Even Jonesy wouldn't be able to handle this mess.
Pepper's first class was Biology 1/2. She had reread the syllabus online multiple times and was ready for her first lesson on cell structures and cycles. So, when she barged through the door twenty minutes late, ready to answer any questions from a stern Biology teacher, she was surprised with what she saw.
The classroom was completely empty, except for a dark figure hovered just above the ground. It had it's back turned towards her, hunched over something. Pepper doubted it was even human; it was just a shadowy ball of gas that resembled a person.
Pepper inched back, careful not to make any noise. When she thought she was out the door, she whirled around and sprinted headfirst into the wall. She scrambled up from the ground and came face to face with the figure who was smiling at her.
"Oh, hey…" Pepper laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "I—I was just about to leave."
The figure froze. Pepper took her chance. She darted past the shadow and ran down the hall. From her peripherals, she could spot packed classrooms and what was meant to be her Biology class. A frustrated noise crawled up her throat. They were talking about organelles. She knew everything about organelles.
Pepper felt a cold air rush behind her. She whipped her head back and her eyes widened. The shadow was flying towards her like a bullet.
"You!" it called in a distorted voice. "I know you!"
"Oh, hell fucking no!" Pepper screeched. Students from passing classrooms looked aghast at her screaming. One boy's hazel eyes widened at her and the shadow behind her. He nudged his seatmate beside him.
Pepper clambered down the stairs, using the handrail to push herself forward. She jumped down the last steps, almost falling over, and stumbled forward. She tipped the nearby garbage bins over with a loud clatter, hoping to slow the shadow down. She swiftly turned the corner and was met with the locked gates of Silverlake Prep.
Pepper skidded to a panicked stop. Sweat coated the sides of her face. Her vest was unbuttoned and her feet hurt. She looked around frantically and clumsily pulled herself over the fence. Her face met the concrete.
Pepper grunted, wiping her bleeding cheek with her new, white sleeve. "Mum's gonna kill me, isn't she?"
Pepper rose from the ground, gasping for air. Between the copious amounts of Maccas she shoved down her throat and the beer cans she stole from Parker, Pepper was in no shape for a chase. She looked around again. The shadow was gone.
Pepper looked up and laughed in pure disbelief. She fell to her knees and clasped her hands together. "Oh, God. I know I've been shitting on your existence for the past sixteen years, but thank you! Thank you so, so much. I'll never doubt you again, Sir."
Pepper felt that same cold air in front of her. She immediately regretted her words. Pepper peeled one eye open, hoping that it wasn't that strange shadow, but of course, it was.
"Lilith," it said its distorted voice. It sounded like three voices in different pitches, shaking the earth. "You… you'll pay for what you've done."
Pepper made a disgusted face. "My name's Pepper, dumbass."
The shadow suddenly swung what looked like an arm at Pepper's head. She quickly ducked and rolled on the ground.
The shadow shook, black slug spasming. "I sense Lilith's presence on you. The spirit realm will never accept you! Never again!"
Pepper's brows twitched angrily as she shot up from the ground. She hurled her fist at the spirit, but it went straight through it's body. Pepper choked down a shocked gasp. Her eyes widened at her fist and the spirit. "Hey! That's not fair at all!"
The spirit only grew, towering over Pepper and covered the sun. The spirit had transformed into something akin to a demon. Two horns sprouted on either sides of its head. It's eyes were completely red and bared its fangs at Pepper. Two large wings kept it afloat and its hands turned to claws.
Pepper's shoulders slumped and let out a long sigh. "Not even a handicap? Really, it's the least you can do…"
Pepper was interrupted by the loud roar. She gripped onto the fence, waving about like a flag. "I'll get you! I'll kill you! You'll pay for what you've done!"
"As you've already said. Multiple times." Pepper grimaced. The spirit hurled a fist at Pepper's face. She instantly let go of the fence and dived to the ground. Pepper pushed against the pavement and cried out with a waving fist. "Come at me, you little—"
"Don't be stupid," a tired voice sighed. "Somebody like you can't defeat a demon."
Pepper felt a hand on her shoulder. Before Pepper could respond, she collided into a nearby tree. She coughed up blood, her chest burning with every intake of breath. She looked up to find two students in Silverlake uniforms glowering at the demon.
"Who's going to take care of this one?" a girl asked.
"I already killed one yesterday," a brunet boy reasoned. "Plus, I did do your Methods homework the other day."
The blond exhaled sharply. "So I guess it's my turn."
The girl flicked her wrist, revealing a bracelet under her sleeve. She unclasped it. The bracelet unfurled into a long, gold chain. She clicked a button and the pieces connected together, forming a sword.
The demon lurched at the girl but she leapt up, landing on its arm. She ran, dodging the demon's attacks with barely any effort. She leapt up, stabbing the demon as she fell to the ground. The sword sliced through the demon in one sharp cut. The beast exploded into dust.
Pepper's mouth hung open as the pair swiveled around. They stalked up with almost bored expressions.
"Not bad, Claire," the boy drawled lazily. "Though, it wasn't as entertaining to watch."
"As if you could do better, Ajax," Claire scoffed back. Her sword lost its shape and turned back into a bracelet. Claire stopped in front of Pepper. Her blue eyes scanned Pepper's face. Pepper was surprised that Claire's bun was still firmly bound together. She didn't even look winded.
Claire poked Pepper's bloody cheek. "You good there?"
Pepper pointed to Claire's wrist. "Can I have one?"
Claire's expression didn't change. "No."
"But—"
"Didn't you hear me before?" the boy suddenly asked. "Somebody like you can't defeat a spirit."
Pepper made a face. "You didn't let me try."
Now that they were closer, Pepper noticed tattoos on their faces. On the outer corner of Claire's lower eyelids, there was a white line reaching up to her ears accompanied with five dots on her upper eye. Ajax had black tattoos on his nose bridge. Three short lines next to each other with jagged lines connecting to the bottom of his brows and meeting at a swirl at the tip of his nose. There were lines on his cheekbones too, splitting in all directions like frayed fabric.
"Ajax's right," Claire said with a casual shrug. "You can't even run properly. Your form is terrible. I'm surprised you even managed to outrun the spirit."
"It's a third tier spirit," Ajax quipped, bemusement in his hazel eyes. "Those things are weak as hell."
Pepper's eye twitched. She opened her mouth, but was cut off by a sharp, prolonged blow of a whistle. The three pivoted to the sound. Claire and Ajax groaned beside Pepper who only raised a brow in response.
"Carter, Bennett," an old man bellowed. He pointed to Pepper next, the words dying on his tongue. "You— the Asian one. What do you think you're all doing outside of Silverlake grounds?"
"Sorry, Coach Murdoc," Ajax and Claire murmured sheepishly. Pepper realised their tattoos had disappeared.
"My name's Pepper," Pepper clarified, feeling a strange sense of deja vu. "Pepper Yin."
For a second, Coach Murdoc was a statue. Then he yelled, "Get back to class!"
The three muttered quick apologies to the Coach and scurried back over the school fence.
Once they were out of hearing distance, Pepper asked, "Hey, how'd you do that? With those tattoos?"
"They're not tattoos. They're spirit markings." Ajax sounded annoyed at Pepper's lack of knowledge. He pointed to Pepper's face. "You have them too."
"Where?" Pepper touched her cheeks and winced at the sharp pain from her gash. "What do they do?"
"You need to awaken your spirit half," Claire explained. "Your spirit markings let you touch other spirits exorcise them."
"Awakening my spirit half? How do I do that? What's a spirit half?" Pepper jerked her head back with a wrinkled nose. She patted her sides. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm full human."
Ajax ran a hand over his face. "You ask too many questions."
Pepper threw up her arms defensively. "Kinda hard to avoid that in this situation, you reckon?" Pepper watched the two walk away. "Hey, you're gonna have to answer my questions eventually!"
"Not really," Ajax muttered.
"Being one of us doesn't mean we owe you anything," Claire added.
"What exactly is one of us?"
Claire slowed to a stop. Her shoulders were rigid and hands were clenched. She called over her shoulder with a tone of finality, "A Half Soul."
⋆⭒˚.⋆
Pepper spent the rest of the afternoon staring at her reflection. She poked at her face, pulled her eyelids apart, and opened her mouth wide. There was nothing unusual on her face at all. Pepper fumbled for her zipper on her pants and stripped herself bare, until she was in nothing but her under garments. She inspected her legs, stomach, back, and arms, but she couldn't find any markings on her body either. Pepper awkwardly fiddled with the waistband of her underwear.
"What if…" Pepper cringed and shuddered. "No. No, they cannot be there."
Claire had said Pepper's markings hadn't been awakened yet, so what did Pepper have to do for them to show? Claire's marking showed when she was fighting the demon spirit. Maybe a brawl was what Pepper needed. She slapped her face and immediately looked in the mirror. Nothing changed, apart from a red imprint that was starting to form on her already injured cheek. Pepper clicked her tongue and slammed her fist against the sink.
"This is so stupid," Pepper whined. "I mean, a demonic spirit calling me by a demonic name, seriously? What's next, an angel falls from Heaven?"
Pepper heard a loud thud on the other side of the bathroom door. Her head snapped up and she frantically pulled her stiff uniform over her body before bursting out the door, armed with a soap dispenser.
Parker was on the other side with a laundry basket at his feet. He was tapping his foot, sighing at Pepper's messy appearance.
"What are you doing?" he asked dryly.
Pepper tossed the dispenser behind her and cleared her throat. "I was practicing."
"For what? A club?" When Pepper slowly nodded, he snorted back. "What kind of club, exactly?"
"I joined a… you know… like— like a… ugh, just get out!" Pepper spluttered. She ushered her brother out the door and slammed it shut. Pepper sighed as she leaned against the door. She ran a tired hand over her face. All she could think of was that demon spirit and how many more there was to come.