Chapter 49: [Bonus Chapter] "Unconventional Exorcist" sneak peek
Ch01. While no one is looking
"If you spill a single drop, you’re dead. You hear me?"
The threat was clear, as much as in any other of the previous occasions. If Jace didn’t get through with the punishment, Karl and his goons would beat him unconscious as always.
Jace stuttered a "Y-yes, sir..." as he held the bucket full of ice cold water over his head.
His arms were getting numb, and letting go of the bucket was now just a matter of time.
Just as always, Jace getting beat up to a pulp was just a matter of time.
His hands began shaking, and the sole thought of Karl’s fist hitting him was enough to make him almost wet his pants.
He didn’t know if it was a clinical condition or what, but Jace was "allergic" to pain. Every time Karl and his underlings beat him, he would vomit everything he ate early in the day.
And the more he vomited, the more they’d beat him, leaving him nearly dead anywhere that people could find him to take him to the hospital.
Just so he could go back to the academy and be bullied again.
He was tall and clumsy, his jet-black hair was all messed up, falling over his eyes.
His height alone would be enough to instill fear in the hearts of the bullies in school, weren’t for the fact that he wore very thick glasses and was too clumsy to get a hold of his own size.
He would trip on his own feet, tumble upon his classmates, Jace was a walking disaster when it came to his height.
If he could get rid of the glasses and become just a little more gracious while moving around, the combination of his tanned skin, black hair and bright green eyes would’ve made him the primary target for all the pretty girls in school.
Instead, there he was. Running errands for Karl and his underlings.
The bathroom door opened suddenly and another student went in, stopping in his tracks as soon as he saw the group inside.
"What’re you looking at, Devon?" Karl looked at the boy, puffing the smoke of his cigarette in his direction. "Do you want to take Jason’s place?"
The scrawny boy looked at them, eyes wide and hands shaking.
He shook his head violently and turned around, leaving the quartet alone again.
Karl grinned, taking another drag of his cigarette.
Jace began to cry as Karl puffed the cigarette smoke right into his eyes.
Karl’s dark brown eyes gleamed with cruelty as he saw what was going to happen.
"Huff... Huff..."
Jace’s breathing became loud and erratic with the effort, and not one second later, the bucket dropped to the floor, spilling the cold water all over him.
Karl ran his fingers across his short, muddy brown hair, grunting in disgust at what Jace just did.
"Oh, boy... Look at the mess you made in my shoes..." His eyebrows went up and his fists went tightly clenched.
Yet, he carried a wicked grin on his lips.
Jace’s eyes were glued to the floor as he felt Karl’s grip on his hair.
"P-please..."
"What did you just say...?" Karl’s voice sounded through gritted teeth.
The years Carl spent at Military School before being sent to Hargrove Academy gave him enough muscle to overthrow anyone in school, making him the leader of one of the most prominent gangs in London.
And it made it easy for him to subdue even a tall boy like Jace.
"I SAID LOOK. AT. THE MESS. YOU MADE. IN. MY. SHOES!" The shout came pounding at Jace’s ears, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.
Next thing, he was at floor level, soaking wet face, cheek over Karl’s shoe, seeing stars after the first impact on the floor.
"Clean it." The order came loud and clear, but Jace was already crying, unable to take anymore of that.
Karl and his subordinates started laughing.
"Big baby is crying, oh my God!" Karl raised Jace’s face a little bit. "Wanna fight back ,big baby?"
Jace went static, not moving even an inch, and Karl smirked.
"That’s what I thought. Louis, Hector, teach him to not make the same mistake again." And he walked out of the bathroom, the sounds of punches and kicks echoing behind him.
***
Jace’s face was swollen, and he stumbled upstairs.
The class bell already rang several times, but he didn’t care. He wouldn’t dare show up in front of his classmates like that.
He wouldn’t dare show up in front of Sarah like that.
Or else, his only best friend would force him to tell her who did it, and she would confront Carl and his boys.
It would only bring her trouble, and Jace couldn’t let it happen.
It was better this way.
So he kept stumbling on his footsteps upstair, until the school’s roof.
When he arrived, it was still one of the prettiest sights he could ever see in life. The academy wasn’t such a tall building, but from up there, London seemed so tiny...
It was as if everything wasn’t anything but a bunch of toys waiting for a hand to pick them to play.
Jace approached the guardrail and watched the life down there on the ground.
He inhaled deeply and let out a sigh that was more than words could ever express.
"Hah..." A laugh left his throat, bitter and defeated. "Why does my life have to be like this? ARGH!"
*CLANG* His fist echoed against the guardrail, taking a painful grimace from Jace’s face.
"Shit, I’m so weak..."
He crossed over the guardrail, one step closer to the edge of the ledge.
"If only I was stronger... Maybe in the next life, I guess...?"
He let one hand go off the guardrail.
"Why don’t you just stop the whole drama king stuff and jump?" The female voice sounded from behind him.
Jace’s heart pounded in his ears as he almost let his other hand go.
"W-who are you?" He carefully turned around. "Are you one of Karl’s goons, here to make fun of me and then go tell him how pitifully I died?"
The young-looking woman studied Jace with her amber eyes.
She was very attractive with her prominent curves, red hair, white skin covered with freckles, and prominent curves.
"Tsk" She clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Lost causes like you are what gives birth to ’them’, now if you please, you’re ruining the view. So jump or come back, but if I were you..." She looked like she was thinking carefully. "I wouldn’t give up my life over some bullies."
Jace looked at her, astonished. How could someone go from a complete asshole to slightly caring so fast?
But it didn’t matter.
"You don’t understand..." Jace’s green eyes gleamed with tears. "They have everything, and yet..."
"They choose to pick on you just because they can?" Jace’s eyes went wide. "Yeah, kid. I understand it a bit more than you assume I do." She smiled, and Jace’s heart skipped a bit when her bright white teeth gleamed against the morning sun.
"What do... I d-do...?" He asked before he was able to refrain himself.
"Get stronger. Even a tadpole like you can do that." She scoffed. "You have nothing to lose by standing up to them."
"Would you please stop calling me names? It’s not a nice thing!" He whimpered.
"Oh, don’t tell me you’re sensitive too... Bollocks..." She rolled her eyes. "Come, let’s get you out of there."
She approached him, but something made her stop.
Jace felt it too. He also saw it.
"What is this smoke?" His eyes grew wide as he noticed tiny bursts of black smoke around him.
"Oh, fuck... Hold on tight, kid!" The woman said, running towards him.
But it was too late.
One of the black smoke bursts hit his hands and he let go of the guardrail.
Falling straight to the ground, far below.
