Chapter 18

Barbie

The House of Underworld set up their establishment between the business district and the Veil. It was on the south side of the campus, so at least it'd be a long walk for Queen Lilith to stroll to the House of Chaos.

Yet it offered me little comfort. My stomach felt queasy at the prospect of their reunion, even though Queen Lilith hadn't made her appearance while her demon boys settled down.

Several demons had been in the same classes as me. They always stared at me, as if I were fresh meat and they wanted to take a big bite. Vampires stared at me all the time too, but they wouldn't dare touch me. I was under the protection of the meanest chaos prince, and even though I was no longer in the House of Vampires, Louis had extended his command—anyone who drank from me would experience a brutal death. But he himself glued his hungry eyes to my neck every time he saw me.

I was always the monsters' favorite.

I expelled the thoughts of demons, vampires, and monsters and looped my arm around Bea's as we headed toward Clockwork. Bea was going to help me study for the midterm. She was a grade-A student. I was a grade-D. I didn't feel too bad, since there was only B and C between A and D. But I didn't want Killian to puff his mean, royal breath down my neck, so I needed to get a couple of Cs at least.

I surveyed the lime-colored building that curved around the campus street. Sy had first fucked the fae prince here, or more precisely, she'd gotten fucked while he pressed her against the brick wall of Clockwork.

Sy grinned at the memory, a dreamy look on her savagely beautiful face.

Has Rowan texted you yet?

He hasn't brought any diamond as payment,I said sharply. I'm not giving you to him for free!

Sy pouted. She'd be brooding over it for a while, leaving me alone with my friend.

We strolled into the building of Clockwork. The study hall was enormous. Rows of desks stretched to the end of the hall, one-third of them already occupied. A dozen lanterns made of fae light hung above each desk, even though the afternoon sunlight was shining through the windows.

Bea led me toward a corner table where no one would notice us. Before we put our butts on the chairs, clamor broke out across the hall.

I looked on, but Bea tugged my sleeve. "It's not our business. Let's just lie low."

"Okay. I'm in no shape to stir shit," I agreed.

I sat down and pulled out a textbook titled The Origin of Magic.

"Move!" Bellona's shout instantly caught my attention. "My friends and I want to sit here."

I turned my head in the direction of her voice and stood up. "It's Jinx! Bellona dude is bullying Jinx!"

Every house was divided into popular chicks, minions, outcasts, and geeks. Popular chicks were royals and nobles, like Medea, America, Dixie, and Cami. Minions were Fake Silver, Fake Silver's fae boyfriend, small-eyed Javier, Bellona, and Imelda, among many others. I was the number one outcast, and Bea was both an outcast and a geek.

"But we were here first," Jinx said. "We're in the middle of studying."

Jinx was a geek from my house. Seven other geeks from the House of Vampires, the House of Fae, and the House of Shifters shared a long desk, with Jinx near a window that provided a view of a line of blue jacaranda trees.

Bellona's new friends were three giant demon students from the House of Underworld, and they wanted the seats that came with a beautiful view. As a new member of their house, Bellona was eager to impress them.

"You think my friends and I are inconveniencing you?" Bellona drawled.

Her demon friends sneered. They were itching for a fight and to make a statement in Shades Academy.

Medea perched on a long desk two rows away with her minions, drinking tea and looking on. Bellona had been her attack dog before Killian kicked the dog out, and she remained loyal to Medea. It was probably Medea who'd gotten her into the sixth house, since the princess of the House of Chaos had claimed a close tie to Queen Lilith.

"Look, we want no trouble," said Drusilla.

Drusilla was a dhampir, half-vampire and half-human. Her kind's social rank was lower than a pureblooded vampire. She'd once told me that powerful vampires could breed with humans in this realm, even though it was rare. In general, it was harder to even make a vampire, since magic had become so watered down in Mist of Cinder.

She hadn't been impressed with me when I was Little Bob, and she'd joined Medea and America's small army to beat me up in the Ring, her retribution to me for stabbing Prince Louis. She'd been in love with him, and I bet that he hadn't shared with her or anyone else why I'd put a knife in his chest. He'd never looked at her with desire, instead had her bring him blondes to feed on and fuck. When I was in the House of Vampires, she'd been his love-sick assistant.

I wondered why she had jumped ship and now hung out with the geeks.

"Let us finish studying for the midterm, please," Drusilla continued. She didn't cower like the witch geeks or even the shifter geeks, who mostly shifted into smaller animals. "We won't sit here again if you like this spot."

"She said please." A light-skinned demon snickered, and the others joined him.

"It takes time to remove our textbooks." Wyatt gestured at the desk, where a stack of books was piled in front of the geeks. "Be reasonable, man. You can have this desk next time. How's that?"

"How about we help you remove your stupid books?" a bronze-skinned demon barked, lashing his clawed hands out and sweeping the bundle of textbooks that belonged to Wyatt to the floor.

Wyatt shook in anger, but he froze in place as a third demon got in his face, sneering.

"Leave!" Jinx shot to her feet.

Her friends also stood but passed hesitant glances between them. They weren't fighters. They couldn't win if a fight broke out. In this realm, it was the right of the strong to take from the weak.

Hellfire sparked from the demons' fingertips and horns. Bellona smirked like their bitch, even though she was several inches taller than them as the descendant of a frost giant.

For the first time since I'd been dragged onto the wagon of bride candidates, it wasn't me who was being targeted. It was kind of nice for a change, but Jinx and Wyatt were my friends. I couldn't just sit on my ass and watch them be bullied.

Bea looked conflicted. She wanted to help our friends, but she was afraid. Even though her power had upgraded, she didn't believe that she could take on Bellona and the demons. And we both knew that if we interfered, especially if I helped, Medea would lead her army to attack us. It was her personal mission to see my ruin.

"Make us," Bellona purred.

"You guys are from a new house in the realm. Know your place!" Drusilla clenched a fist.

Vampires only bowed to their king and prince, and in Shades Academy, they obeyed only Prince Louis.

"How are you going to put us in our place, then, human?" Bellona sneered at Drusilla. "You shouldn't even be in this school. Now let me show you how to know your place." She swung her massive arm at Drusilla.

The dhampir ducked, then drove her fist toward Bellona's jaw. Bellona was equally fast, despite her size. She grabbed Drusilla's fist to pull the dhampir toward her and headbutted her. Dark blood trickled from Drusilla's nose.

The demons sniffed, getting more excited at the smell of blood.

Shit, it was going to escalate.

"Screw the one-by-one rule!" Jinx snarled. "Let's take down the giant bitch!"

The geeks rushed Bellona as one. Jinx had ice magic, and her ice slammed into Bellona to encase her opponent.

Bellona laughed. "Playing ice with me? You're a joke."

Ice had no effect on Bellona.

Our geek friends traded determined looks and tossed their wind, vines, and fire at Bellona. The three demons lunged, insanely fast. The light-skinned one grabbed Wyatt and slammed him to the ground. The other two demons had Jinx and a shifter girl by the throats, choking them for fun.

Bea let out a terrible cry. "No!"

I sprang toward Jinx and her group, leaving Bea behind. Students gathered in groups, blocking the aisles, so I had to leap onto a desk. Then I was jumping from one desk to another, ignoring gasps and shouts and keeping going, until I had vaulted over a big crowd that had gathered to watch the fight.

I touched down in a crouch on the desk where the dispute had started, planting one fist on the wood. That was one of my favorite martial arts postures. I slowly raised my head, letting my golden curls bounce a little.

"Hello? Hello!" I smirked at Bellona and the demons. "Why wasn't I invited to the party while you're giving my friends a nice massage?"

The demons snapped their attention to me, hunger in their eyes. I managed not to shudder, but I couldn't maintain my smile any longer. My facial muscles were tired.

"This is Barbie, the bad actress I told you about!" Bellona said loudly.

I frowned at her. "Dude! You just spoiled the surprise. You're a party pooper, do you know that?"

She snarled.

"Barbie, Prince Killian's new pet, right?" the biggest demon asked, swaggering and still holding Jinx by the throat while she tried to throw magic at him, to no avail. "He had other pets before you. You should ask His Highness where they ended up."

Everyone who wasn't on my side laughed on cue, though some laughter sounded a bit nervous and accommodating.

"Hmm." I tilted my head. "I see, your queen sent some small-time demonic comedians to Shades Academy. I don't think you'll make it in this business. The market is very tough now."

Shocked gasps rose from the crowd. No one dared to disrespect the Queen of the Underworld, even if she wasn't around.

"Watch your fucking mouth, little cunt!" the demon bellowed, slashing his claws toward me.

I had already dropped to the desk, my hands planting on the smooth surface as anchors, my feet kicking out and making hard contact with his jaw from the side to avoid booting Jinx.

The demon boy had to drop Jinx as his head snapped back from the impact, a shocked look flashing in his dark red eyes before rage clouded them.

Jinx rolled away.

I flew into the air—an impossible acrobatic move for the untrained—and grabbed the horn of his bronze-skinned friend. While the bronze-skinned demon shrieked in pain, since horns were one of the most sensitive parts of a demon, I used his brown horn as a prop for a roundhouse kick to the throat of his pal.

They might be strong and fast, but I was better.

The third demon crashed into the crowd, which parted in time to let him fly by, thanks to their supernatural reflexes. He collided with a desk, shattering it, and dropped to the ground, groaning in pain. No dignity.

These demons, though tougher than other supernaturals, were easier to hurt than their beastly brethren due to their humanoid forms. But then, their queen wouldn't send beasts to Shades Academy, would she, if she cared about public opinion?

The supernaturals in Mist of Cinder might be savages, but they still wanted to maintain the appearance of civilization.

Two demons lunged at me, their prolonged claws slicing toward my neck for the kill. I leapt away, but the third demon got me with his fangs, piercing my left shoulder.

I pulled back and rolled to the other side of the desk. Pain bloomed in me. Sy hissed, sucked the pain into her, and pumped her strength into me.

The other geeks rushed to help Jinx, Wyatt, and Drusilla get to their feet and then brought them to stand on the other side of the desk, flanking me.

Everyone tensed and sniffed as I bled; my blood was powerful, and its potent scent permeated the air.

Drusilla jumped to the desk and stood by my side. I turned at an angle, not wanting to give her my back while I still faced the demons and Medea's goons. If she used this opportunity to lunge at me, I'd kick her harder than she could take and return her to her former demon captor.

"I'm not your enemy, Barbie," Drusilla said over my wary glance. "I never was. I'm sorry for joining them to beat you up last time."

She tore off the sleeve of her uniform and jerked her chin at my wounded shoulder. There were vampires in the room, and she knew how enticing my blood was to them.

I gave her a thankful nod, and she moved closer to me and wrapped the makeshift bandage around my shoulder to stop the bleeding. With her vampire speed, it took her a couple of seconds to get the job done.

Drusilla nodded at me and slid off the desk, not wanting to hinder my fight.

The demons' stunned, enraged looks never left me. This was our first fight. They hadn't expected a doll-looking chick with ridiculous golden curls to have that kind of speed and strength.

A goddess versus demons. It's barely a fair fight!a voice chimed in my head, then my ghost familiar appeared by my side, though no one could see him.

He scanned the hall, grinning ear-to-ear, loving all the bloodlust and anger and fear in the hall.

I haven't come to Clockwork for two centuries,he said. Not much has changed. Immortals!

I'm busy here, Pucker.

I can see that, my dear girl, he said. I had to zip here in fast and furious style.

You should've brought my Deathsong, I said.

If I'd gone solid, I wouldn't have been able to get here in time to watch this, he said. That sentient blade gives me the creeps. The other day it told me it needs to murder more people.

Let me wrap this up, I told Pucker.

"Bellona, my dude friend, how's going?" I flashed a sharp smile at Bellona, her big bosom, which could suffocate a man to death, rising and falling as anger and frustration seized her.

"How many times must I tell you that I ain't your friend?" Bellona spat.

"Don't worry, big dude," I said. "Your secret is safe with me."

"You think you're untouchable because you're an Echo?" Bellona sneered before she turned to her demon pals. "Amon, would you do the honors and wipe that stupid smile off her face with your hellfire?"

My eyes widened as I spotted hellfire twirling on all three demons' fingertips. Would hellfire burn me?

We won't know until we take it,Pucker said expectantly.

It wasn't him who was going to take it!

The demons smirked evilly at me, their hellfire dancing on the tips of their claws.

"It's forbidden to use hellfire on students!" Bea shouted. She'd come around and stood with our geek friends.

"Barbie started the fight, and we're merely defending ourselves," Amon said.

So, it was true that demons were all liars.

"Let's talk about this first, dudes," I said. "We can still solve this conflict without resorting to violence. Violence should be the last resort, don't you agree?"

They stared at me in distaste. Demons loved violence and always rushed toward it without thinking twice. All three demon students raised their hands, their hellfire at the ready.

I put up a finger. "Wait! I still have a couple of questions."

"Don't listen to her!" Bellona called. "She's stalling. If you give her time to think it through, she'll trick us!"

"Bellona is speaking from rich personal experience." I smiled knowingly. "But you aren't her bitches, are you? You don't seem to be the type. She says shoot, and you say where? You're demons, fierce and nasty demons! My question is simple. Is Lucifer your boss? The textbooks say Lucifer took Hell for his domain after he was cast out of Heaven. Does he still hang around, or has he abdicated, so there's now a new queen in town? Or was the Underworld divided, so Lucifer and your queen split Hell between themselves?"

"Lucifer left a long time ago!" a second demon said. He was a bit shorter and looked younger than the others.

"How come?" I squinted. "What happened? He couldn't just disappear like that, right? It was irresponsible, since he had people depending on him!"

The second demon opened his mouth to answer, but Amon smacked the back of his head to stop him.

"Do you know that your prince will soon be our queen's consort?" Amon smirked. "Soon the entire House of Chaos will bow to our queen."

My heart skipped an icy beat.

"I see you're a curious little thing, aren't you?" Amon said. "There are rumors about you. Other houses are warned not to touch Prince Killian's pet, but we're from his betrothed's house, so Prince Killian will be more than happy to share you with our queen however she wants."

He threw up his palms, eager to shoot a jet of his hellfire at me, and the other two demons followed suit.

"Wait, demons! Wait!" I called urgently.

"Make her bald first!" Bellona hissed. "I hate her full head of golden curls!"

"Stop, demons!" Bea screamed.

From her table, Medea smiled, watching the scene over the brim of her teacup. She hadn't said a word, but I knew that she had orchestrated this.

I sat down on the desk with my legs crossed, resting my hands on my knees in a lotus posture.

"Now go ahead, demons," I said. "Shower me with your hellfire. I'm a bit thirsty here."

"Barbie, get out!" Bea shouted. "Hellfire is the most destructive fire!"

"Are you sure?" I asked.

A stream of hellfire hit me in the face, then another stream followed.

My geek friends cried and shrank back. They shouldn't worry. My shield had them all covered, and Bea had thrown up her mage shield in front of me, which was unnecessary, though appreciated.

The hellfire, warm and naughty, sank through my golden curls. I closed an eye, swimming in the dark red fire.

"It's a bit weak, demons," I called out. "Don't hold back. Do better."

The demons snarled, their hellfire now engulfing me, sparks dancing on my curls and arms.

Are we getting a sauna?Sy asked. It's a bit ticklish, though.

Pucker's here, I told her. We can have him suck away the ticklish part of the energy. We should've known that demon energy isn't all friendly, like its owners.

No, thanks,Pucker said, floating between the demons to study them closely, as if to check if they had pimples. There hadn't been demons in Shades Academy for centuries. When you can take a sip from a goddess or Hades's dragon grandson, why would you want to drink from much lesser beings such as demons?

You're so snobbish. You promised to be a better man,I said in disapproval.

I'm picky, he countered.

"Can you give me more fire, demons?" I asked, struggling to keep my other eye open. "I'm getting a bit sleepy here."

"What the fuck are you?" Amon demanded.

Seize this chance to build an army, your army, while all see what you can do, Barbie!Pucker shouted in my ear. Rally the oppressed around you. A thousand ants can take down an adult elephant.

I blinked. Are you serious?

How did Superman fall?Pucker asked.

How? I asked.

He smiled. He fought alone.

Fascinating. Sy leaned forward in the backseat. Maybe we should listen to your familiar.

Numbers win! It's all a numbers game,Pucker explained, puffing his chest out in self-importance. In human history, powerful kingdoms fell all the time. When the weak banded together, they brought down the strongest. In this realm, the strong have the birthright to prey on the weak. But you can have the weak. Rally them and they'll be your army. They'll walk over hot coals for you, as no one has spoken up for them before. Be their leader, so they won't cower again. Shake things up. You aren't passing through here. It's your home now. A power shift in Mist of Cinder is long overdue!

Let's turn the sheep into monster sheep that aren't afraid to bite!Sy howled. We got this.

I bit my lip. They were probably right. I had to go profound now. Mist of Cinder was the last patch of pure magical land. Darkness and corruption roamed in the human world now. I wondered if it was because Ruin was closer than ever.

Even as the hellfire warmed me, I trembled at the sudden flash of memories of my father feeding on me, worse than being eaten alive by a pride of lions.

I expelled the dark memory and swallowed, surveying the hall of prey and predators.

I'd always told myself that I was no one's hero and that I couldn't even save myself. I carried the shame and terror of my birth and past, hoarding my darkest secret.

Pucker was right about shaking things up.

With the demons from the sixth house joining Medea and her army, they would be unstoppable. If they won this fight, they'd pick on anyone they wanted. They'd hurt my friends to get to me.

So let's make a fucking stand.

I wouldn't just rally the weak from my house. I'd gather every sheep from every house, and I'd be the baddest shepherd dog that fended off lions and wolves.

The demon Amon had opened the floor for me by asking, "What the fuck are you?"

"What the fuck am I?" I laughed, shooting to my feet. The hell energy gave me a surprising boost, as if it was part of my genetic origin. "I'm the new voice for the underserved, the good, the smart, and the worthy. I'm the defender of those who can't defend themselves. I'm one of the underdog bride candidates!"

I looked into the crowd, making eye contact with those who hunched their shoulders. They'd been repressed for so long as the bottom feeders that they didn't even know how to straighten their spines.

"Listen up, chicks and dicks," I shouted. "You've been sheep all your life, but you don't have to stay sheep. You've been told that you're weak and everyone can stomp on you and take away whatever little you have. Even in Shades Academy, you're treated as second and third class. Today, I say, enough is enough!"

Silence. Everyone just stared at me.

Then a shriek rose behind me.

"Enough is enough!" Bea shouted.

"Enough is enough!" Wyatt echoed, then all our geek friends joined them.

Then shouts of "Enough is enough!" rocked through the hall as many more voices joined theirs.

"And today, we're mad as hell about all the shit we put up with!" I roared. "Today, we say: No. More. Shit!"

"No. More. Shit!" Even more voices added to ours.

No shit!Pucker shouted into a demon's ear.

"Yes! That's it!" I pumped my fist into the air. "Rally behind me, my friends! Today, we have a voice! Who's with me? Who's rooting for the underdogs?"

"We are!" Even more voices shouted across the hall.

I cupped my ear. "Who's rooting for the underdogs?"

"We are!" they roared, their pent-up anger carrying them.

"Who are the underdogs?" I roared back.

"We are!" half of the crowd roared.

The demons stared at me, shocked. Medea and her army shot daggers of hate at me.

A hologram that was streaming live on Spinchat appeared in midair. At the bottom, hashtags—#RootforUnderdogs, #UnderdogsArmyisBorn, #BarbieleadsUnderdog, #TeamUnderdogBrideCandidates—flashed by.

Jinx smirked at me, typing furiously on her tablet. Her geek friends followed suit.

Hundreds of comments appeared at a rapid speed.

Medea's army countered with #PutdownBarbie, #StompUnderdogs, #ExpelBarbie…

A social media war broke out in the middle of our fight.

Pucker threw his phantom head back and giggled like an evil mastermind.

"Who the fuck am I?" I laughed at my opponents, sweeping my predatory gaze over them. "I am the one who fucks all your magic! I'm the one who never fucking bows, kneels, or bends!"

"You bowed to Prince Killian!" Medea shouted furiously, standing now, surrounded by her minions. "My brother stripped your power in the ice rink, and thousands of us witnessed your shame. You can't fuck his magic, can you? Look again! Look at how pathetic you are!"

"Behold the pathetic loser Barbie!" Bellona bellowed.

Another hologram streamed, playing the scene of Killian stripping off my clothes with his darkness and starlight and showing my utter humiliation.

"Pathetic Barbie! Loser Barbie!" Medea's followers chanted.

"Underdog Barbie! Brave Barbie!" my crowd chanted back.

I giggled with Sy's lung capacity, and my laughter drowned out the noises in the hall. "Princess Clown is spot-on!" I pointed at Medea and roared. "She and her army make us look powerless and helpless, then call us pathetic. I say: No more bullshit!"

"No more shit! No more bullshit!" my crowd roared after me.

I nodded, kicking up a classic tap dance on the desk to go with my campaign. Pom-pom. Dong. Tar-ta!

"We say stop today!" I called, letting my voice carry to every corner. "They beat us into submission in the past. That stops today! We aren't weak, even though we might look it, even though we might act it, even though we might appear to be loners. But we're not weak. We have got strength inside! Now let our steel come out and let our bravery guide us. We. Are. Underdogs! Together, we're stronger than ever! Together, we don't bow down. If they pick on one of us, they pick on all of us, and we push back as one!"

All for one, one for all!Pucker tutored, grinning.

I pumped a fist into the air and roared, "All for one! One for all!"

I might just let Pucker come up with all the campaign lines. He'd do it for free anyway.

Clockwork Hall divided into two crowds. The underdog crowd gathered to the left, getting into a glaring and shouting match against Medea's army on the right.

"Hit one of us again, and they hit all of us!" I called. "We'll fucking push back. We'll fucking punch them back double hard!"

"Solidarity, underdogs! We're one!" Bea screamed.

Wow! I didn't know she had it in her, but she always came through for me due to her loyalty. She didn't have my lung capacity, but she made up for it with an amplifying spell. She was a powerful mage now.

My crowd stomped the ground. "We're one! We're the underdogs!"

I howled, and my new army howled back.

I broke apart the hellfire that had gathered on me and sent it into the air. It exploded into fireworks. The demons stared at the fireworks, then at me, and growled. But there was nothing they could do.

My crowd cheered and applauded.

Jinx, Bea, Drusilla, Wyatt, Charlie (a fae girl), and Mila (a shifter geek) jumped onto the desk and stood by my side, lifting their chins high.

We had representatives from five houses.

"Today, we have a voice," Bea shouted. "We're no longer the weaklings!"

"Join Team Underdogs! Sign up with us," Jinx called. "Every underdog will get a token that serves as your protection. If they beat one of us, we punch back as one!"

My seven friends clasped their hands together and raised them into the air.

Medea landed on the desk facing ours. "Today is the day we put down pathetic Barbie and mark her as a dead underdog!" she roared. "I, Princess of the House of Chaos, claim the right to cut off Underdog Barbie's head and quell this rebellion!"