Chapter Text
“Karma Burns.”
Hugo’s POV.
Lucifer let out a huff of sorts as her body fell against Hugo. He chuckled as he moved his arm to rest on her shoulders. “Just about every morning…” he sighed with a slight smile, ignoring the new chatter sprouting behind him. Brutus called out to the redhead, “Yo, Hugo! New girlfriend?” The bus began cackling and giggling. Hugo groaned under his breath, but quickly built a comeback in his head. “Nope! But on the topic, where is yours?” Hugo spat back, followed by more laughing and a new row of ‘oOOoos’. In the crowd of noise he could hear the well known bully growl in annoyance, but at least he would shut up for a good minute. Hugo would stretch and exhale, letting himself rest. He wasn’t tired to the point of sleeping as well, but he wouldn’t mind just resting for now. The bus stopped, excelled, twisted, and turned as it drove to pick up students. The bus was relatively empty, students probably skipped due to it being a Friday or drove there due to being late.
Hugo sat still and grew more tired as he sat there, the bus had calmed down and went to their own conversations, but as Hugo sat there his mind went to places he could not control.
What if she feels different?
Am I sure this is what I think it is?
Why am I thinking so deeply about what Brutus said?
He then forced himself to sit upright, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. Hugo kept shifting his glance to Lucifer, feeling his face grow hot as he observed her tired, yet peaceful expression. Frustrated, he covered his face with his hand, turning to stare out the window. What was going on? His mind went blank as he observed the streets the bus passed by, his thoughts simply going to think about his outer surroundings. Hugo tapped his fingers against the seat as the subject of his other thoughts became more clear, but he then began coming up with other reasons.
Maybe the temperature?
Am I just embarrassed- and my reaction was delayed?
He exhaled, then his glance caught Lucifer waking up as the bus approached the school. Hugo quickly turned to face her as she rubbed her eyes. “Already?...” She grumbled, eyeing the school through the window. He nodded, “Yup.” Lucifer stretched her arms and legs, then cracked her neck. “What's with the sudden mood change?” She asked, now eyeing him. “O-oh, it’s nothing, just Brutus said something childish again…” Lucifer scoffed, rolling her eyes. “He acts like a toddler, but it's in character for him.” Hugo glanced out the window once more as the vehicle pulled into the carpool. Lucifer struggled to put her backpack on in her seat, mumbling something as she finally got comfortable in her seat again. The bus braked, then the doors swung open. Students funneled out of the vehicle, then Lucifer and Hugo eventually made it out too. Hugo walked with the crowd of students who wanted to eat breakfast, watching Lucifer break away from the crowd to head towards the bench she usually lingers by. His glance was locked on her, his thoughts too. More students broke off from the crowd to go to their classrooms or go to the commons. He continued with the main crowd towards the cafeteria. The aroma of freshly made pancakes and syrup filled the room, along with the usual yelling and shouting of students.
He sat his backpack on a seat at one of the round tables towards the front of the lunch lines, then he made his way to the end of the line. The wait was long, but it was honestly intriguing to listen into other people’s conversations- which was perhaps another way to get his thoughts off his mind. He glanced forward, the people in front of Hugo he could recognize, Autumn and Poursha. Hugo widened his eyes slightly, his mind now fully leaving from the words of Brutus.
Never knew they went here too.
He then tapped Poursha on her shoulder, now catching the attention of the two. “Hugo? Hi!” Autumn exclaimed, shining a grin. Hugo smiled back. “Hello! Have you two been going here this whole time?” He asked, moving his hand to his waist. “Yup, guess we never ran into each other,” Poursha chuckled, then turned around as the line moved up. “So any idea on what the school did to Brutus?” Autumn asked. “After the whole training thingy?” She clarified, turning to face him again. “I have no idea, but they more than likely didn’t do anything about it- after all it was off of school grounds.” Autumn folded her arms, facing forward again with a scoff. “Hmm. I heard there is some sort of feud between those two- why are they even fighting?” Poursha asked, giving a questioning glance towards Hugo. “Good question, either he just doesn't like her or… they were exes?...” he suggested with heavy uncertainty in his voice. “That would be bizarre though, wouldn’t it?” Poursha stated, now stretching her arms. Hugo nodded, then turned to look around the cafeteria.
Students chatted, shouted, argued, even one table was flinging pieces of apples at each other with spoons as catapults. He continued observing, eyeing the table he sat his bag at- hoping no one would fill that table before they did. They got farther and farther up the line until it was their turn for food. The three walked out of the serving area with trays of breakfast foods. So far the day was going smoothly, except for what happened on the bus. Hugo let himself sink into thought, then all of a sudden Brutus came out of nowhere and crashed into him.
“Whoops!” He exclaimed sarcastically, then laughed with Mark and Karson. It was obvious Brutus meant to knock him over on purpose. Hugo frowned at his spilled tray, then looked over to Poursha as she stormed towards Brutus. He narrowed his eyes, then quickly shoved himself to his feet, gathering the spilt food and such and putting it in a garbage bin. Autumn looked at him, confused, and he returned the glance with a worried look. Hugo jogged over to Poursha as she argued with Brutus. He attempted to pull the blond haired girl away with Autumn, but she just pulled herself from their grasp. “-What the hell is even wrong with you?!” Brutus spat, scowling at Poursha. Hugo then yanked her back, then Autumn quickly grabbed her and kept her away. “Some mood you’re in.” Hugo joked at Brutus, who then marched up to him and attempted to throw a punch. In reaction to the sudden movement, he punched Brutus in the center of his chest, pushing him back. Hugo stepped back, threatened. He could feel his heartbeat quicken as the cafeteria quieted down, even Poursha silenced herself. Most of the students who stayed outside from the buses now began filling the room, some not noticing the commotion and others waiting by the door to see what happens next. Hugo then shifted his glance towards the doorway, looking for Lucifer. Brutus then charged towards him, attempting to push him to the ground. He squeezed his eyes closed as he tumbled to the floor, his head beginning to throb in response to the collision, then hearing more muffled shouting and the grasp on him fade. He shoved himself upward and flickered his eyes open, watching Lucifer pin him and Poursha and Autumn keep the other two away.
She had him flat on his stomach, holding his arms behind his back. He grunted and attempted to break free, but Lucifer kept her ground. “Does anyone have something I can tie his hands with or?...” She asked, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. Hugo shoved himself up to the point he was sitting, “Should we get a teacher?” He asked, glancing over to the three girls who protected him. “Nah, let him ponder.” Lucifer hissed as she kicked him in his side, then released him. He whined and rolled over onto his back. “Are you okay?” She turned to Hugo as he struggled to stand. “Just a wee bit startled… heh…” He grabbed the rim of a waste bin to balance himself. “Well, nice to meet you again, Lucifer.” Poursha then abruptly said, folding her arms and shooting a quick, cheeky glare at Hugo. “Oh- This is the first time you met each other at the school?” Lucifer then folded her arms and relaxed her facial expression, “I ran into them a few times before, never a proper conversation or meetup though.” Autumn then let out a quiet laugh, “Neither was this.” The others then let out a few giggles too.
Hugo now had noticed people were crowding, a bunch of eyes on them. He went quiet as he backed up from the students. Lucifer eyed him, then glared at the crowd. “Eh, let's just go, the bell is going to ring anyways.” Poursha then dramatically sighed, “But I haven't eaten yet!” Lucifer then began coughing as she attempted to not laugh, this causing Hugo to burst out giggling. The crowd had broken up too, and Brutus and his goons were gone as well. Hugo snatched his bag from the seat as they passed by other tables. Students began asking them all kinds of questions, Lucifer clearly denying that it happened and Poursha and Autumn ignoring the questions. Hugo felt anxious, but he ignored it- as well as all the questions asked. His glance kept moving to Lucifer, on further observation she had scars along her face and arms that were a lighter color of her skin tone. She had a decent mark on her eyebrow too.
I wonder where she got those… or how long she had them.
Hugo then caught a glance of her amulet, it looked much different than what she had before. Was it damaged from the training situation? Where did she get this pendant? He thinned his pupils. His thoughts were interrupted as someone poked him on his shoulder. Heather had taken the place of the two girls, giving her same-old ‘are-you-obsessed’ look. Hugo furrowed his eyebrows out of confusion. “Hi?” He questioned, attempting to keep up with Lucifer as well. “What are you staring at?” She grinned. “Nothing, why’d you ask?” Hugo replied innocently, making Heather change her expression, sighing under her breath. “Never mind- who were those two girls with you guys?” Lucifer then chimed in, “Poursha and Autumn, Hugo’s fire buddies.” Hugo then nodded, followed by a not-so-surprised ‘hmp’ from Heather. “I’d pray Brutus doesn't attempt to bother us in science after that.” Lucifer sighed, stopping at her classroom doorway. “See ya’ later.” She spoke to him as she and Heather entered the classroom, Hugo continuing to walk down the hallway.
I pray nothing bad happens.
Lucifer’s POV
The ball rang as Lucifer calmly sat at her desk, sliding her jacket off and setting her backpack down. The empty classroom would be filled with students soon, which means more noise- but Lucifer seems more content today after dealing with Brutus. She yawned and rested her head in her arms, her eyes heavy again. As she drifted asleep students began funneling into the room- then a flash of pain went over her. Lucifer shot up, rubbing her eyes, confused. She felt around the right side of her face- does her random pain-flashes have to deal with those images she has been getting in her head lately? She sighed, then rested her head in her hand. Mr. Hollow entered the room, causing silence to finally occur. The tardy bell rang right as Brutus sprinted in, then he walked up the steps to the row his seat was, glaring at those he passed with an icepack held against his side.
Karma.
“Good morning, students.” Mr. Hollow loudly spoke, getting a returning ‘good morning’ from his class. He sat down a beefy stack of papers, more likely for another class or himself. He then wrote something on the board. It was a difficult math equation with quite a few new parts to it. The class groaned at the sight of what he wrote, then Winstead, the class clown, shouted. “Cmon, It’s a Friday and you do this?” A cluster of students then giggled. Mr. Hollow sighed audibly, then set the marker down and turned to the students. “Would you rather sit here silently and watch the news?” Students then turned to talk, deciding on an answer. “Hell, why not?” Winstead then shouted, his voice sounded a bit defeated however. Mr. Hollow squinted his eyes, then moved to grab the projector remote. Some students grabbed their bags to move down to the floor, then others moved to desks with friends. “Since I’m nice,” Mr. Hollow spoke, erasing the board, “I’ll let you talk- but no phones.” Lucifer eyed him, her facial expression relaxing. She then grabbed her items and moved to the first row of desks, slouching over in her seat. Mr. Hollow struggled to find the correct channel. He smacked the remote against his hand several times, giving the assumption of it needing new batteries. Heather then joined Lucifer, sitting next to her sister.
Lucifer pulled her notebook from her back along with a pencil. She turned to the next blank page she had, flipping past old sketches and notes- some from recently were written in the old language. Lucifer grasped the pencil in her left hand as she wrote down some creature names—again, in the old language. Her glance narrowed towards the screen as Mr. Hollow finally got the correct channel. But she then began drawing the creatures from what she had seen in person and from the book, looking for signs of evolution or other odd things. While comparing the demonicus she remembered something from the book. From one of her first flights she had crashed into an ordinary red demonicus- but if she recalled correctly, it had blue eyes. And in the book it mentioned that demonicus—unless hybrid or albino—could not have said eye color. But recalling the book she borrowed from Orbb, it mentioned blue-eyed demons- if only if she read more. She eyed the students around her, contemplating on grabbing the book to look through. With an exhale, she grabbed her bag and pulled out the large book along with the old one she previously had. Lucifer could sense eyes wander over to her, but she continued to ignore it and turn through the pages. She stopped in her tracks once she began to focus on the screen, replaying their words in her head.
They accepted the treaty?
Lucifer looked up at the screen, reading the headlines and such. It had happened after what felt like months, even years. Creatures could now live in peace among the city.
Mr. Hollow turned to face the screen himself, looking away from his book. “Did they say what I think they did?” He raised a brow as he turned to the students, which gave returning shrugs or nods. Mr. Hollow pondered in thought, then abruptly took off a ring- shifting to a shifterlet. Students stared with confusion, then one by one, a few turned into their forms. Lucifer glanced around nervously, wanting to stay human. Mr. Hollow then exhaled as he turned the screen off. “The bell will ring shortly, so grab your things.” It seemed he had chosen to ignore the situation, but Lucifer was glad at least he made no big deal about it. Lucifer turned to look at Heather as she threw her bag onto her back. “I’m surprised.” She said, raising a brow at her sister. “Why?” Heather turned to her. “You didn't change.” She frowned, “You didn’t either. Plus, I'm a weird looking hybrid.” Lucifer shrugged, “So what? There are like three other hybrids here.” Heather glanced away, mumbling.
The bell then rang, signaling the second period. Lucifer sighed as she looked towards the door, then made her way out of the room as well. She trudged her way through the waves of students, making her way to the other side of the building to get to ELA. Lucifer then was shoved back as another crowd came by, then Brutus emerged and shoved her again. They stood as the crowd stopped to observe. Both were silent, coldly eyeing each other. The crowd started to chant unevenly, instead of being unified it was just a blur of voices. Lucifer furrowed her eyebrows, now changing from neutral to a frown. Brutus raised a brow, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes- which had white rings around his iris and pupils? That's… odd. And familiar. Thankfully, Ms. Kittel shoved the crowd apart, disbursing them and yelling at them to go to class. Brutus, annoyed, joined them. Lucifer eyed Brutus as he walked away, then looked at Ms. Kittel. “Come on, let's get you to class.” She gave a grin, causing more wrinkles on her face.
6th period, science.
The bell rang, signalling 6th period. Students funneled down stairs and through the halls, making their way to their classes. Lucifer jogged up the steps from lunch, making her way to Mrs. Doffle’s science class.
Upon entering the room, she was greeted with a suspicious side eye from Brutus. She walked over to her table with her group as usual, waiting for the tardy bell to ring and for Mrs. Doffle to give instructions. Lucifer noticed something odd however, Brutus and his group were quiet. Too quiet. She eyed them, curious. Then Mrs. Doffle entered the room as the bell rang, then sat at her desk and grabbed the students’ trays of chemicals to finish their apple experimentations and then make a slideshow explaining it. Hugo went up and grabbed their group’s tray and sat down with them. “It’s odd how quiet they are.” Lucifer pointed out as she helped set up the table. “Agreed, Brutus is probably planning something knowing him.” Hugo said with a sigh, rubbing his temple. Heather stayed silent, occasionally eyeing the students as creatures, grasping her amulet. Lucifer raised a brow as she began to speak, “Heather? You’ve been quiet too.” Heather then looked up, surprised. “Sorry, I'm just tired. Also nervous with the treaty- I’ve had this weird feeling, like something is off.” Hugo turned to face her, giving a questioning look. “Odd- Well, we should just start working. Today is the last day of experiments.” The red-head pointed out, folding his arms nervously. Lucifer gave a nod, then turned to quickly observe the groups before starting with them. They continued where they left off yesterday. The group of three chattered and mixed chemicals, testing, and deciding if they would choose that one. There was about 10 minutes of class left now, and Brutus’s group had gone back to volume, but Lucifer eyed them as she noticed a corked bottle of a chemical near them.
Why haven’t they used that?...
Lucifer then moved her glance to the label on it. ‘Hydrofluoric acid.’ She narrowed her glance, a feeling of uneasiness upon her. Lucifer then turned to her group, occasionally glancing back to Brutus. Hugo caught her glance as he corked a bottle. “Lucifer, what has you so nervous?” He raised a brow, “Why would they need acid?” Lucifer asked as she turned to the other group. Heather widened her eyes, “How did they even get that in the first place? Didn’t the teacher prevent acids?...” Lucifer looked back at them, her eyes narrowed. Hugo put the items back on the tray, going to set it on the teacher’s desk. Brutus then shouted to Lucifer across the room. Lucifer stood up and turned to face him, attempting to remain calm. She could feel her sense of hearing weaken, her heart pounding being the only thing heard. The images flickered in her thoughts. The fire, the reflection. She caught a glance of the bottle of acid in his grasp, then in the blink of an eye...
Glass shattering could be heard as he threw the bottle at Lucifer- it collided with her head. She fell to the ground, her hearing now returned, the room silent however. She wiped her face, her hand meeting her line of sight, now covered in blue blood. Then drops of acid splattered onto the ground, one meeting a cord and a few others meeting her hands. Oddly, she could barely feel the acid… or her thoughts. Panic then filled the room, students sprinted out, then the fire alarm went off. Heather grabbed Lucifer’s items, then attempted to grab her, then winced as a drop of acid grazed her hand.
“I’m sorry…”
Lucifer then blacked out, smelling the smoke before losing all her senses.
Hugo’s POV.
Hugo grunted and tried going back to Lucifer, he screamed and yelled as Josh and a few others pulled him towards the door, he couldn’t even recall what he said mostly. “SHE’S STILL IN THERE!” Hugo bawled, slamming his fists where he could. He shoved his entire body against the two that held him back. They struggled against him. The blaze was quickly spreading, now retreating into the hallway. Hugo could barely see due to the tears he wept, but a glow of red and yellow hues could be seen. Josh and Heather, although both shaken up as well, shoved Hugo out the door, he figured that they also wanted to go back in for Lucifer, but the blaze already started. The red-head paced around, looking for any sign of Lucifer or Brutus, feeling adrenaline boil in his veins. He then sprinted towards the building again, then pulled back by a cluster of students. He stared at the building, feeling his entire mind go haywire. He glanced around, pacing around and showing his panic.
By this time parents had flooded the area, and Hugo could spot many adults he knew. He then caught a glance of the fire team roll in, same with Lucifer’s family. Hugo was hesitant about where to go, should he sprint in? Talk with the Quinlys? He eyed the surrounding people, then sprinted to the family. Rubi had found him as well, bringing him into a tight hug. “Where is Lucifer?...” Mrs. Quinly stared at the building as she spoke with concernedness. Hugo turned to the building, frowning sadly. “There.” He pointed to the building, causing a panicked conversation between the parents. Hugo turned to Rubi. “I have to get her.” He spoke, changing his expression to be more serious, although petrified emotionally. “You’re kidding? I get she’s your friend but-” Hugo raised his tone of voice, “I’m immune to fire- I- I- can get her!” Rubi then clasped her hands around his. She gave him a solemn look. “You both better come out alive.” Hugo stared at her, letting his expression return to how he honestly feels, then he pulled her into a hug. “I will.” He then glanced at the firefighters, who kept their distance from the building, knowing that it was a chemical fire. Dangerous and deadly. Hugo could hear his heart thump in his head, all the possible outcomes. His pupils slit, a flicker of yellow appearing in his sky blue eyes. Then he bolted towards the building, going to all fours as he shifted to demonicus. Students went after him, but stopped, seeing that he already made it inside.
Hugo stumbled into the building, now standing up straight. A door fell near him, which startled him. He glanced around in a panic, looking for a sign of her. “LUCIFER!?” He shouted, repeating after going around every corner. The demonicus weaseled his way through the debris, shoving some out of the way too. Due to his rare mutation, the fire didn't have any effect on him, not even singeing his scales. He repeated again, frantically bolting for the source of the fire. As he entered the room he saw no one. Hugo narrowed his eyes, pulling his ears back in a panic. He then frantically searched the room, then eyed a dark colored feather on the ground.
Did she escape?
He glanced around again, then grabbed the feather and ran out of the room.
Lucifer’s POV.
She struggled through the building, her senses unclear. She could feel herself occasionally shift back and forth between her forms. With a struggle, she managed to stay as an alephiod, but her pelt burned on her skin, the fire singeing parts of her. The worst areas of burn across her, excluding the acid spots, were her feet and right shoulder, which ached severely as she trudged across the floor weakly. By now her face was mostly melted, her eye also being dissolved now. She ducked back as a support beam fell in front of her, causing her to nearly fall in a smoking pile of books. From where she could see, this was the library. Lucifer had no idea how or when she got here, all she knew was to escape. With each weak step she took she could sense her noradrenaline begin to kick in. Her fight or flight response. The alephiod began to gain speed, grunting in pain however. She made her way through the second floor, nearing the exit. Her vision grew blurry as she became light headed, then collapsed onto the floor, just a few feet away from the door. Lucifer struggled to breath, unable to move. She let out a whimper, flinching in pain as embers hit her. Lucifer squeezed her last working eye closed, clenching her fists as she waited. All she could do was listen to the crackles of the fires, the sirens, and… footsteps?
Her eye opened up quickly, she then looked around frantically. The footsteps got closer and quicker, someone was running towards her. The figure grunted as they lifted her up. All of a sudden they emitted a cold body temperature, calming Lucifer slightly. The pillar above them began creaking, it was going to fall. The figure quickly rushed away from the doorway as it crashed to the ground. Lucifer would have turned to look, but she was so weak to even breathe. They cursed under their breath, then sprinted in the opposite direction. She could hear them talk, it was muffled though. From what she could guess it was reassurance or more swears. Either were likely. Her amulet flickered, changing her back to human. Now she had fully lost vision in her right eye, but her other was fine. Lucifer tried to look up, but let out a grunt of pain instead. The figure then stopped, changed how they held her, then bolted forward. They broke down a weak wall, then took to flight out from the building.
A strong gust of wind pushed against the two, keeping the figure up in the air. The sky seemed to be an orange hue of a sunset, signalling how long that whole ordeal was. They glided down to the crowd, which spread out to give them an area to land safely. People then moved to crowd the two, which was quickly stopped by the emergency responders. Their words were nothing but blurs of noise to Lucifer, but she tried to listen in. The figure then handed her to the medic they spoke with, then shifted to human. Their silhouette seemed familiar, but vague. The medic turned and carefully rested her on a stretcher, which they moved into an ambulance. She closed her eye, exhaling.
Hugo’s POV.
He stared at the medics as they drove off, sirens blaring. How the school was going to be rebuilt was far from the most important thing on Hugo’s mind. The crowd of scared, confused, and upset students were oddly quiet for a situation from this, but at least they all got out mostly safe. Well, almost all of them. Hugo turned to face Rubi and the Quinlys, who looked at him expectantly- they wanted answers. He went up to them, and Rubi immediately went to hug him. Mrs. Quinly stepped up to him after Rubi let him go from her grasp. “What happened in there?” She folded her arms. Hugo eyed her as he thought of a pleasant way to explain things. By now he had caught a glance of a claw scar on her, which puzzled him- but he figured not to ask right now. “Well… I’m not going to say names, but someone had gotten a hold of acid.” He then looked to the ground, frowning. Mrs. Quinly exchanged glances with her husband, then set her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for saving her. Mostly…” Mr. Quinly spoke as Hugo looked up, showing sympathy. Heather then walked up, then was pulled into a hug by her father. Hugo then turned to the city, more directly eyeing the hospital. “We should go to her.” He then spoke, turning back to them. Mrs. Quinly nodded, then began walking to her vehicle.
Heather’s POV.
She could feel her eyes water at the thought of what Brutus did. Why? I get they had a feud between them- but it was full on attempted murder… perhaps soon to be completed murder. Heather winced at the thought, then rubbed her temple. She would rather not cry, yet. The burnette stayed close to her parents, Rubi, and Hugo, not wanting the attention of reporters- who were of course looking for Hugo mostly. It felt like her heart was at the bottom of her stomach, making her sick. Heather then grabbed her father’s wrist, quiet however. He eyed her, then moved his arm to rest on her shoulders. Although she preferred talking, Heather was just fine with silent sympathy for now, it reminded her of Lucifer—who was probably in an emergency room in the hospital holding on to dear life. Hugo opened the car door, letting Heather go ahead. They both sat in the back row along with Rubi, however the whole car was silent. Not even Mr. Quinly’s scanner on.
Heather stared down at the floor of the car, wanting to scream and ball her eyes out. The drive felt like hours upon hours, although it was only a few minutes so far. The city was filled with lights and people. Heather eyed a group of creatures as they walked and talked- she looked at the sky. Some creatures flew above, then she caught a glance of a news helicopter. She felt a lump in her throat, praying that there wasn’t a crowd at the hospital. But knowing society, there would be a crowd. Heather clenched her fists, going back to looking at her shoes. Hugo glanced at her, then frowned, looking back out the window. They pulled up to the emergency entrance, which they were allowed to enter. Heather struggled through the cluster of people- most of which were students from the school who got burned in some way. The adults went ahead, but Hugo stayed behind to wait for her and someone else. A student emerged from the crowd- Josh. Burns covered his legs and back, but he seemed to ignore it. Heather rushed to hug him, tears now pouring. He stayed silent, but hugged her. They both shifted to creature, Josh turning into a kiriken. He kept his height, but gained paws, spines, a dragon tail, a short mane, and whiskers.
Hugo glanced at them, then turned to the front desk- who were being rushed by Rubi and the Quinlys. Heather eyed him, concerned. Was she even alive? Can they save her? What would she look like? Her thought was intercepted by an angry grunt from Rubi, who walked back over. “I guess we’re staying here for the night.” Hugo widened his eyes. “You’re kidding?” He frowned, followed by a sad whimper from Heather. Rubi shook her head, then promptly went up to a chair. Josh exhaled, frustrated, then sighed. “Hugo, you should get your burns checked.” The red-head turned to the kiriken, giving a surprised look. “I don’t have any.” Josh raised a brow. “How?” Hugo shrugged and went to sit in a chair. “I’m just immune?” Heather exchanged a confused glance to Josh, then went to sit in a chair next to her father- her mother had left for her little brother. She wiped her eyes and rested her head as she drifted asleep.
Lucifer’s POV. - Seven hours later.
Lucifer yawned tiredly, pushing herself up. The sky was a light hue, signalling that the sun was to rise soon. Lucifer recognized her surroundings, the hospital. She went to rub her eyes, but where her right eye was supposed to be all she felt was bandages. She frowned, then looked at her heart monitor, then looked where all the wires and tubes went. The majority went into her arms or throat, then a few were plugged into the wall. Suddenly someone quickly opened the door, giving a panicked glance. Lucifer widened her eye, confused.
The doctor stuttered several times, then looked her blankly in her eyes- or… eye.
“You flatlined.” They abruptly said, narrowing their glance.
Lucifer gave a confused expression, then looked at the monitor, seeing that it was steady. “Well. I’m alive, aren't I?” She glanced back at him, raising her eyebrow. She figured it may have to do with that dream she had- but she can’t quite remember it- so it was uncertain. They gave a concerned look.
“Ahem- well. I guess I can bring in the other doctor- he knows more than what I know about this kind of… scar.” He turned to the doorway, then glanced at her.
I bet Gradatur will shove his way in here sooner or later.
The doctor left Lucifer to her own. Just waiting. She pulled and picked at the bandage, if anything it was bugging her more than helping. It was dyed a slight blue color due to her blood. Her attention was then brought to her other wounds. Her feet were bandaged along with her left hand. Her fingers seemed more… slim on that hand. If she could recall correctly, acid had got said hand.
Footsteps then approached from the hallway, which made her glance up.
Another doctor entered the room, he was tall and relatively decent sized. He wore a mask and had neat, brown hair. They went to sit on the edge of the bed, then sat their hands in their lap neatly.
“May I take your bandages off?” He asked, keeping a calm voice. Lucifer sat up and nodded. He grabbed a pair of surgery scissors, then carefully cut off her face bandage. He threw it in the trash bin and then observed her scar.
“You’re still bleeding slightly, but the acid has been cleaned off fully. You will be here for a few hours if you're lucky, so I might as well show you how to clean it.”
Lucifer narrowed her pupil, confused. The doctor then looked at the other side of the room, letting her finally notice that there was a mirror on the wall. She slid off the bed and walked over to it, widening her eye. All her flesh on the right side of her face was gone, her skull exposed and contradicting her normal appearance quite unattractively.
He walked up to her. “We would have used tissue from your legs or arms to build it up again- but they were too badly damaged on their own.”
She looked at him, then back at her reflection, louring. He then walked back to the other side of the room, grabbing medical supplies.
“I don’t think I told you my name,” the doctor eventually added, “It’s Dr. Torren.”
Lucifer looked back at Torren, then nodded. Torren walked back over, setting some of the tools on the bed. He grabbed a towel and some liquid medicine of sorts—likely a pain killer or disinfectant—, then gently rubbed down her wound. She figured it would sting, but she couldn’t feel it- now that she thought of it, none of her burns hurt or even felt sore- aside from her inner aching.
“I can’t feel anything.” Lucifer fretted.
Torren eyed her. “What do you mean about that?”
“I mean- I can feel you scrubbing my face, but nothing hurts.” He reached for another towel, his hand hesitating to grab it before spraying some water on it, then wiping off the excess medicine.
“Odd. May I test something after I finish this?” The doctor inquired, getting a confirming nod from the younger she.
He rebandaged her and cleaned her other wounds- which helped her realize that her hand was also partly bone. Torren grasped a needle, which was probably filled with more medicine.
“Tell me if you feel this.” He questioned, then stuck the needle in her arm- injecting the medicine in her bloodstream. She flinched at first, but relaxed after the initial sting.
“Yes but… not on my skin?” She spoke, uncertain with her choice of words.
He put down the now empty needle, mumbling to himself. “I’ll talk with other doctors about this- but for now, do you want your stuff?”
Lucifer widened her eye. “Yes, that would be nice.”
Torren gave a contemptuous sigh, “I’ll bring that when I come back.”
She smiled contently- letting her notice how some of her mouth on the right side of her face had melted into a different shape, making it function poorly. She ignored it, however.
“Thank you.” She then sat on the bed, going to lie down.
“I have a question before you go.” Lucifer looked back up, catching the doctor off-guard as they stood at the doorway. “That is…?” He turned to look at her. “When can they visit me?” She moved to where she sat up, folding her arms. “After I figure out what else is going on with ya.” Torren then walked out of the room, closing the door behind. Lucifer blinked, but then shrugged.
She laid on her back, staring at the ceiling. So much has happened- if anything, this could be some of the calmest times of her life now. Gradatur, the book… Was there more to be found? Likely. Lucifer raised her bandaged hand to her line of sight. Could she even train still? Would this affect her future? She loudly exhaled, her hand falling to her side. What would she look like in her ‘true’ form now? Would the odd color remain or would it be gone? The door swung open again, interrupting her train of thought. Torren walked in quietly, setting her bags on the edge of the bag before leaving without a word.
Odd.
Lucifer narrowed her pupil as he practically slammed the door behind him. After a short pause, she began searching her bags, grabbing her phone. It would be a better idea to not stress her brain on translating and such- so for now she would just scroll through the internet, which may be worse.
Upon first thought, Lucifer figured things would be normal- fires happen often. But recalling what happened, not so much. She hesitantly opened Facebook, eyeballing things related to the situation.
“NFN posted at 4:02pm, Yesterday; BREAKING NEWS!-”
Lucifer quickly skimmed through the paragraphs- mostly looking for a certain selection of people’s views of the situation. She then paused as she began reading.
“Tiffinayrocksbetter posted at 1:01am, today; I believe the whole situation was an overstatement for a remodel of the school- I don't believe the news just yet until I see victim and suspect photos.
Quinley_brandonNF replied to Tiffinayrocksbetter at 1:29am, today; There will be absolutely no victim photos until said victim and their family consent to releasing them- and I assure you, the event is real and has done damage- but I guess you wouldn't know that for you being a couch dweller.”
She blinked at the poster’s ignorance, setting her phone down before glancing at the mirror again. It's for the better. I hope. Lucifer brought her hand to her face, staring at her reflection. She then scoffed, looking away. I should just see how our classes would work. She then grabbed her phone again, scrolling through her school’s account. Another post caught her eye instead.
“NFpolicedepOF posted 20 minutes ago; After speaking with witnesses, we have come to the conclusion of a suspect; Brutus Snider.-”
She paused. Brutus? Now thinking back, she wasn’t really sure it was him. His personality, appearance- all of it was… off. When he faced her- his eyes were different- like… Lucifer froze. The corrupted demonicus? Was this whole situation the result of them, or a greater cause? She shut her phone off and quickly grabbed the books- flipping through pages. There must be an answer- right?
Someone knocked on the door, diverting her attention. Lucifer sat the book down, getting up and going to open the door. With surprise, it was Gradatur- and two others? She backed up, letting them come in. The two who were with Gradatur were Brutus and some brown-haired lady. Lucifer glared at Brutus while he just gave a sorrowful look back.
“What a coincidence.” Lucifer spoke with a low tone, almost a growl.
“H-hey, I… I have no clue what’s happening either.” He hesitated, which was a first. Brutus’s words seemed pitiful, yet… longing- which kept giving Lucifer mixed feelings.
After a short pause, she responded. “What do you mean?” She practically spat, her pupil thinning as she glared him down.
The lady quickly retorted, stopping Brutus before he could even defend himself. “It wasn’t him.” The mysterious she then folded her arms, her piercing emerald eyes glaring at the troublesome boy. Lucifer stared, her pupil still narrow- but with more… fright then anger now.
“Take a seat.” Gradatur interjected, gesturing his hand to a row of chairs near the plain bed.
Brutus was quick to the old sire’s word, leaving Lucifer to believe that they had spoken beforehand. Lucifer somewhat limped over to the bed, both her feet paining her.
“So,” Gradatur began, adjusting his hoodie before sitting between the lady and Brutus, “Would you like it direct or numbed down.” He clasped his hands together, leaning back.
“Blunt. I want things straight to the point.” Lucifer relaxed her posture, crossing her legs before cracking her neck.
“Something had taken the place of Brutus. We would have never known if it weren’t for the white rings in their eyes and the fact Brutus was out of school for the time being.”
Lucifer adjusted her position again, folding her arms as her pupil slit again. “Go on.” She insisted, leaning forward slightly.
“I would, if we had more information.” Gradatur exhaled, relaxing his form.
“Oh, that’s just great!” Lucifer groaned, scratching at her covered wound Even with the newfound external low pain tolerance, these bandages drove her mad- er… itchy.
“May I see the book?” The lady emphasized, eyeing the old relic that sat next to Lucifer. She paused her scratching motion, eyeing the lady. She grabbed it, although extremely hesitant. The brown haired woman took it carefully, searching through pages before stopping in her tracks.
“What?” Gradatur turned to her.
“Someone took the pages.” She hissed, dramatically slamming the book close.
“What do you mean by that, Candura!?” He huffed, throwing his fists into his lap. Candura paused before speaking, eyeing Brutus, who was clearly frightened.
“Boy, you are dismissed.” She bared her teeth, shooing him out of the door. With a sigh, she clasped her fists together- resting her head against them.
“The pages are gone. And I think we know who took them.” Candura looked back up, her pupils softening slightly, however everything else about her was still tense. “Eventually, I’ll get the one I have chosen for my apprentice once he is alone. Until then, she will be on her own.” Candura practically mumbled, turning in her seat.
Gradatur huffed, standing up. “I’ll see if I can pull strings to get you out of here early. You know where to find me.” He turned towards the door, signaling for Candura to follow him.
“I know.” Lucifer reassured.