Chapter 2 Ms. Hoodie

The bell rang out loud and Aurelia heaved a sigh of relief. After sitting put for more than an hour, she felt she was about to reach her limit. Grabbing her bag, she slung it over her shoulder, careful not to pull off the hood over her head. she then headed home.

What a day!

"Hello there, Miss. Hoodie."

Aurelia halted, knowing that voice fully well. It was Bella, the class beauty and bully, and her crew. She made to move again but the girl's harsh voice halted her again.

"Did I say you could go?" Bella asked, folding her arms just below her bosom.

"She's dangerous, Bella. Don't you see, she hasn't spoken to anyone since her first day in school." One of the girls behind Bella said.

Bella rolled her eyes, "Dangerous? Well, I cant wait to see what stuff she is made of." She turned to Aurelia who still had her back to them, "You will show me, won't you?"

Rolling her eyes, Aurelia walked away, not giving a damn about the bluffing girl behind her. She knew Bella Morris only had the guts to challenge her because she was the dream girl of almost all the guys in school and touching her would mean facing the wrath of more than a hundred boys. As she walked away, Aurelia wished she had slapped the lousy girl's mouth shut, but then, her father's voice began to ring her ears, ...Learn to ignore insults and walk away from trouble... she sighed; so much for trying to graduate from high school and get good grades. She walked past the school gate, ignoring the cluster of flashy cars that lined up to pick students from school. She walked down the busy road and after making sure she wasn't followed, she diverted to a lonely path that led the woods. After walking for quite a long while, a cottage came into view. She knocked and entered and almost immediately, she removed her hood, allowing her silver hair to cascade down her shoulders. Gathering them, she tied it up with a band. Just then, an adjoining door opened and a man came into view.

"Look who's home." He said trying to lighten the mood but the joke died right at his mouth.

"Good afternoon, Dad." She greeted, dropping her bag on a rickety armchair nearby.

"Lunch is ready. Come on, let's eat." He spoke again. The duo then sat down to eat. Aurelia looked into her plate, nit surprised to see porridge on it. She had eaten the same thing for the past two days without a change.

"We ran out of foodstuffs." Gerald, her father explained as if able to read her mind. He knew his daughter so well and despite her usual expressionless face, he could tell what ran through her mind, "I'll stop by the supermarket tomorrow to replenish our stock."

Aurelia remained quiet.

"So, how was school today?" He asked her.

"You mean the usual 'ignore 'em all' thing? It's working out fine except I badly want to kick some people's ass." Her voice lowered to a whisper, "Can't you just let me?"

Gerald dropped his spoon and sighed, "look Aurelia, I told you before. The rules of life are graduating..."

"Graduating with good grades, land yourself a well-paying job, marry, have kids, and be a good mother." She helped him finish it off, "But that doesn't mean I should stand still and watch someone make a laughing stock out of me."

"Rule number ten." Her father reminded her.

"I know it like the back of my hands, Dad. Ignore insults and walk away from trouble."

Gerald picked up his spoon again, "I'm glad you do remember."

Aurelia nodded quietly. She had learned to be a good girl and do exactly as she was told without question. Quickly, she cleared her plate of porridge and carried it to the kitchen but not without gulping down the glass of water her father had placed for her. It had been some sort of rule ever since she was a kid. She always had to drink up a glass of water, twice a day. According to him, it was good for digestion, and knowing she couldn't complain, she always did as she was told.

The rest of the afternoon passed by uneventfully and after dinner, she went straight to bed, after doing the dishes. After making sure his daughter was asleep, Gerald crept into the room, carefully sitting beside her on the bed to avoid waking her. He pushed away the strands of hair on her face and sat there quietly watching her sleep until he probably developed a crane in his neck. Turning off her bedside lamp, he kissed her forehead before heading back to his room, closing the door noiselessly behind him. Entering his room, a familiar aura alerted his senses.

Quickly, she bowed his head, "My Lord."

A figure appeared on the only sofa in the room, his face hidden in the dark, "Report."

"I don't think we have the right girl, my Lord. There have been no signs. There is no reaction to the portion either."

"You should know I hate failures, Azazel. I didn't come all the way to earth to hear such bad news." The man spoke nonchalantly.

Gerald's heart skipped a beat, "Forgive me, my Lord."

"The black witch confirmed the seal or do you have a reason why I shouldn't trust her words?"

"No, my Lord."

"Then find a way to get me the seal. If I return here next time and you give me the same report, be sure to lose your head."

"Yes, my Lord." He remained in the bowing position until he could no longer feel the aura of the intruder. Only then did he lift up his head, heaving a big sigh of relief before slumping on his bed. This was going to be much harder than he thought.