章 9: Chapter 9

A demagogue.

"A leader skilled in oratory, flattery and invective; evasive in discussing vital issues; promising everything to everybody; appealing to the passions rather than the reason of the public; and arousing racial, religious, and class prejudices – a man whose lust for power without recourse to principle leads him to seek to become a master of the masses."

Mr. Bode moved his eyes to Caspian, they remained on him as he wrote the word Demagogue, and leader on the board. I curiously snatched my eyes from the Teacher Mr. Bode to Caspian behind me who was staring unwaveringly back at Mr. Bode.

Mr. Bode continued.

"He has for centuries practiced his profession of 'man of the people'. He is a product of a political tradition nearly as old as western civilization itself.

Some students here may be familiar with a demagogue leader, isn't that right Mr. Caspian Crescent?"

Caspian's smirk fell easily. All that remained was an intense expression that could burn through steel. It was thoroughly hateful and perhaps it were gleams of vengeful thoughts that made his red eyes suddenly darker.

Why was Mr. Bode targeting at Caspian like this? Did he not know he was not human? Did Caspian not scare him as he did others? Because just watching the way his jaw hardened impossibly, his dark red eyes turned deep-set, reminded me that he was something like an animal.

Caspian finally spoke. "Is there a reason I should be familiar with a Demagogue Mr. Bode?"

Mr. Bode jolted both eyebrows, and a knowing glint flashed past his green eyes. "Might your brother know then?"

What the hell? What sort of provoking was this? I saw the way Caspian's folded hands had squeezed so hard they had turned blatant white.

I was intending to continue staring when a leg kicked me again. I was shocked, the first time I regarded it as a mistake but….. I continued glancing back at Caspian's face which were attentive at Mr. Bode.

Couldn't have been him then.

"Sinui has met a lot of prominent figures so he might know of a Demagogue Mr. Bode, after all leaders are everywhere. In our homes, our government, our…. Schools."

Sinui. That…. That was Sin's full name. It turned out I was not the only one using a nickname.

Turning back, I continued looking at Mr. Bode as he finally broke his eyes from Caspian's eyes, his lips twitching as he wrote something else on his board.

The Statesman. "The Statesman is….." Mr. Bode continued the lecture without another shade thrown at Caspian.

Even though I was not really sure what the shade was. Must have been he was insulting Sin as a demagogue leader, after all Sin was the Head prefect of the school.

"The Statesman is not like the Demagogue….." Mr. Bode turned mute when his phone rang.

He stopped the phone from ringing, then continued teaching but his phone started ringing again so he picked it up and checked. From his blank expression I couldn't tell what he saw but I was observant enough to see the flash of panic that crossed his bottled green eyes.

He put his phone into his pocket and cleared his throat. "I have some matters to attend to for a moment, please excuse me for a minute."

My eyes followed him walking out of the class in what looked like another one of his large strides.

I was kicked in the leg again. Oh for Heaven's sales! I snapped my neck to the side enough to see Caspian who was already looking my way.

The gusto that enabled me to snap my neck so far back suddenly flew away when his dark red eyes bumped with my own. Fucking traitorous confidence!

Damn staring at him so close reminded me of my earlier conversation with Sin which I found heart-rending. Sin's face was empty and aloof like he was born without an expression, and Caspian while looking like a direct carbon-copy of Sin seemed to be utterly different when you stared at him closely.

Why? Because of how damn expressive that face was. Maybe, just maybe it had something to do with my gift that I could see the huge difference in the way their faces were expressive, but Caspian's face made him as easy to read as a book, even though most of the time his expression said he wanted someone dead.

Sin on the other hand. Tch, it was like you were playing poker with him. I didn't know if I was being paranoid but we had talked twice now and both times I felt like I escaped a myriad of traps in every word he spoke.

"..... Do you have a death wish?"

In my heart I couldn't shake the feeling that the wrong reply might have landed me in trouble, but at the same time I wasn't sure I had given the right reply which was why I was relieved when I put a distance between us.

Honestly I would stay far away from Sin after that last conversation. I wasn't sure I was mentally ready to talk with someone that made me feel like something large had climbed my shoulders whenever we spoke.

As for Caspian. It was true that to me he was easy to read his emotions, but that could very well just be my 'gift'. It made him seem somewhat easier to be around, but for someone like this who had so many intense emotions on his face at once it was obvious he was a storm inside.

The storm was in no way better than the snake. Who was to say he wouldn't suddenly kill me if I did something the slightest bit wrong? No. I internally shook my head. Maybe I was overthinking things. The brothers were obviously dangerous but they wouldn't kill someone….. would they?

"Problem?" I heard a crusty, and deep voice.

My eyelashes trembled. "Is there a reason your foot is kicking mine?" I suddenly blurted before I could stop myself.

Bloody hell. This was why my brother said being observant didn't make you smart. I didn't know what I was expecting as a response but I certainly didn't expect him to shake his head meekly.

That…. My throat was feeling a bit itchy. The act made him seem… T-tamer?

Spontaneously his hand grabbed my collar and pulled me over. Jesus. His face was leaning far too close for my comfort. "I heard you were asking questions, Persephone was it?.... Or Penny?.... Pennylover? Yeah, Pennylover."

My throat was itchier. This was why I said the storm was in no way better than the snake. He was so close, closer than any boy had ever been, I think it was his breath that was fanning my face.

"You wanted to know about Predators? You asked if we shifted during the full moon. Did you wonder if we stalked Witch Kind for food? If our claws ripped things apart?"

Fucked. He was fucked up. "Is this a threat?" I rebuked, fearlessly, stupidly.

No reply. The hand on my collar released me because the hand dived into his ringing phone. He raised an eyebrow at something, stood up, completely ignoring me, and walking out of the class.

Haha. I breathed out loud, once again today I was feeling heftily relieved. From the corner of my eye I caught a crow that was perched on the edge of the window.

I jolted, and gasped seeing the black crow knocking its beak on the window. The crow then flew away, to the direction of a figure in a hood.

I knew this figure. It followed me from Charmed Hills.