Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 89

June 26, 2022

NOTE UPDATE (Aug 7, 2022): As I’m sure most of you know at this point, each of these chapters can take upwards of 20 to 30 hours to write (including self-edits and plotting), which is why I only release one chapter per week.

However, in the past, I often try to release a ‘bonus chapter’ whenever I can (no more than once a month at most)

Thus, since I haven’t released any Combat Healer in a few months, and since I was finally was able to get some time in to figure out more of the plot, I plan on posting the next chapter today (Aug 7)!

Yay! Bonus chapter day!

(So be on the lookout for that soon.)

NOTE: Okay, so based on some of the suggestions I got on Discord, I did make two 'very minor' adjustments to the end of the last chapter.

Mainly, I added a short description of Avery’s reaction, as well as a sentence implying that Kai isn’t interested in giving the guy time to defend himself or otherwise attack with magic.

(In a later chapter, I'll probably elaborate more on how magic battles would actually play out, and how Kai's decision, to end it fast, is actually a very smart one, especially since he knows no defensive magic.)

<< Chapter 88 | Ch 1 (Book 1) | Ch 16 (Book 2) | Ch 31 (Book 3) | Ch 46 (Book 4) | Ch 61 (Book 5) | Ch 76 (Book 6)

- CHAPTER 89 -

Knowing that all evidence of my enemy’s mauled body had been incinerated, I didn’t want my victim’s vehicle anywhere near my house, or even near the very city where I lived in. Which meant, I decided to drive it as far away as possible, having no idea how far would be ‘far enough’ to avoid any kind of suspicion. Not when the drive to meet my father was going to be almost four hours long in a currently undisclosed direction.

In the end, I decided I didn’t want to chance it, and thus just kept driving for hours, until the sun was finally setting about five hours later at right around 8:30 PM in the evening, thanks to it being the end of April.

Yet, I still just kept driving, knowing Serenity, Michelle, and Avery were about an hour behind me in Serenity’s car, slowly catching up.

At first, I’d just planned on flying back once it got dark, but when Serenity got home from work, having left early shortly after the fight, she quickly decided that they would follow me and pick me up the moment I was done getting rid of the car.

In the meantime, I drove in complete silence, feeling a little numb about the situation after-the-fact, the scent of brand-new leather filling my nose, as well as something else.

Something familiar that I couldn’t quite pin down.

The engine also sounded strange too, a couple of rhythmic sounds accompanying its rumble, with this particular vehicle not sounding as quiet as I would have assumed, almost seeming like it had some of the features of a sports car, including an interesting and somewhat elaborate instrument panel just behind the steering wheel.

I didn’t focus much on it though, instead finding myself deeply worried about another issue entirely.

Miriam.

And her potential feelings about the situation.

Unsurprisingly, from the moment that a strange woman pulled up to me in the school parking lot, Gwen had been keeping her updated on what was going on, the maid only observing and not otherwise attempting to interfere with my decisions.

But now I was worried, not because I was afraid that the short succubus wouldn’t approve of my decision to end this threat while I had the chance -- one that could have affected her own life too – but instead because…

I’d enjoyed it.

In the heat of the moment, with my mind almost entirely synchronized with Natalie’s werewolf psyche, the two of us had sincerely enjoyed the act of killing. Enjoyed the rush of crushing, shredding, mauling, and incinerating our prey, as one.

And that’s what bothered me.

Because Miriam didn’t know that part.

Gwen hadn’t informed her about how I actually felt when doing it, and thus Miriam was simply under the impression that this time had been much like the other serial killers I’d murdered. Done only out of a sense of justice.

But it wasn’t the same.

Or it at least, it hadn’t been in the moment.

It was true that I felt dirty now.

My soul stained and guilty.

Even though I’d do it again.

I wanted to shower, and to scrub my hands, much like I’d done after killing the serial killer who tried taking Gabriella’s life. But never before had I actually enjoyed the act itself.

This was different.

And knowing how much Miriam valued life, I was afraid of how she’d react to that difference.

I mean, shit, even just realizing that she might be bothered by it, really made it clear how much of a good person she was. Truly, she was a good person, loving all people, cherishing all life, taking absolutely no joy in anyone’s death, even if they deserved it.

And here I was becoming exactly what she feared.

She was the one who cautioned me that power corrupts.

Always.

The one who pleaded with me to always remain good -- to at least love others as much as I love myself.

The one who was concerned about the kind of monster I might become if I lost sight of my values, and who warned me that becoming evil would be like a thief in the night, if I wasn’t careful…

The one who truly loved me, and just wanted what was best for me, much like a mother would.

Of course, the others loved me too, but Miriam was the one who had the wealth of experience and foresight to know how this type of problem might progress into something else over time.

She was the one who could see far ahead to the endless pit at the bottom of that slippery slope, which only seemed like a slight incline to those of us who had only lived a normal mortal life.

Gwen at least didn’t seem to have any negative opinion about it, but she didn’t focus on it either, or otherwise offer any opinions on how her mistress might respond to the truth. A truth she would not share until I was ready to share it myself, with me knowing we wouldn’t get to Miriam’s place until after midnight at this point, assuming I decided to go straight there, but with me also feeling like I needed to let her know as soon as possible.

To kneel before the much shorter woman and reassure her that I wanted to be good.

And to reassure her that I both wanted and needed her approval.

Unfortunately, my own concerns, and Avery’s initial reaction to it all, made Natalie a little depressed, who had stayed behind with Mrs. Rebecca and Gabriella at my place, feeling like she’d allowed herself to get too carried away and inadvertently influenced me negatively, having truly become bestial when transformed, her mind matching her inhuman appearance. Avery especially had been really shaken up, not because she didn’t approve, but just because she’d witnessed such a violent act happen right in front of her eyes, being able to witness Natalie’s killing even after the man was out of sight. Of course, my blonde classmate had done her best to get a grip on her own reaction and try to reassure her blue-haired girlfriend, but it didn’t help much. Not when I had my own regrets now too.

Oddly enough, despite the transformation, Natalie was entirely back to looking normal, including her dyed hair, something that even she admitted wasn’t normal. Because, in the past, whenever she transformed on the full moon as a werewolf, her hair was back to its dark brown coloring when she finally woke up. She would then usually have to dye her hair based on whatever color her previous alpha decided on.

But this time had been different.

Not that she put too much focus on it right now, since she was mentally beating herself up so much, for losing control.

Of course, no one actually blamed her, with Avery and me both having spent time reassuring her in our bond that she had nothing to be sorry for, but it honestly didn’t help much. Especially not when Mrs. Rebecca was likewise depressed about what happened, feeling absolutely miserable to the point of tears, leaving two of the three people back home dwelling under a cloud of sincere despair.

From what Natalie could tell, the man’s compulsion hadn’t been quite like how Rebecca described mine. Sure, it was true that he had caused her to ‘want’ to go with him, but it didn’t erase her desire to stay. It didn’t erase the knowledge that this man was a threat to me, as well as the rest of us, and that she shouldn’t go with him.

But she couldn’t help but do as she knew his eyes demanded, and that alone made her feel forced and violated. She both wanted to go and didn’t want to go, and yet she only had one choice -- or rather, there was no choice, despite the conflicting desires. Her freewill had been taken away by a forceful desire not originally her own, a sensation not unlike what Natalie experienced underneath her former alpha.

Although, that information actually seemed to help a little, with Natalie sharing her own experiences with Mrs. Rebecca, not as an attempt for pity, to suggest that her situation had been far worse than what my busty MILF was crying about, but to instead share in the heartbreak and horror of not having control of one’s own body and actions.

As a way to simply say, ‘I understand, and I’m sorry.’

I was pretty sure Mrs. Rebecca spent as much time holding Natalie’s hand as she did her own daughter, the two young women working to reassure the older one that they were there for her, no matter what.

But…at the very least, we did have one thing to be sincerely happy and relieved about.

One thing to shine a light on this otherwise dark moment in our lives, while half of us were still in the process of working together to finish hiding the evidence of our most recent transgression.

One major thing, to even give Mrs. Rebecca hope back at the house.

Out of the four women who had been home when the incubus named Jonadab arrived, only one of them had been compelled…

Because only one of them could be compelled.

Gabriella, Michelle, and Rebecca had all been glancing out the window when he finally tried to take control of them, and only one had been affected by his gold gaze.

Only one of them had marched out of the house without hesitation.

Because only one was compelled.

All this time, I’d assumed that I could still accidentally compel any of my women, but I was only beginning to realize that might not be the case anymore. Not only had I made four of my women like me, but I might have also inadvertently given them immunity to the one power that made incubi so dangerous.

And that reason alone, was enough to make me want to press for all my other women to receive my blood too.

Gwen, Rebecca, Miriam…

I had a way to protect them now.

A way to allow them to make their own decisions, no matter what.

And I desperately wanted to give that to them.

To Mrs. Rebecca, who was understandably upset about what might have happened had Natalie and the others not stopped her.

To Gwen, even though she admitted it might not be possible to truly compel her, due to the powerful wards tied to her existence, the ones that wouldn’t even allow helpful magic to be used on her.

And most importantly…

To Miriam, who I knew had already suffered so much. Far more than I could probably even imagine.

Out of everyone, she was the one person who I desperately wanted to offer this gift to, so that she could be free from the possible shackles of compulsion, so that she could also possibly be free from the bondage that was her ‘need for lust,’ and so that she could be convinced without a doubt that I only wanted what was best for her.

The desire to give her all that almost made me want to stop now, dispose of the vehicle and immediately head back, but the conflicting fear of telling her about the incident from my own experience, and fear to have this murder come back to bite us in the ass, propelled me onward. It wasn’t so much that I couldn’t stop, as much as I just felt numb and couldn’t help but continue to drive.

But I knew I probably would be stopping soon either way, since I’d been on backroads for a while now, just aimlessly driving further and further away from the nearest city, much of the streets surrounded by fields and patches of trees.

Yet still, I just wasn’t ready to stop yet…

At least, not until I finally heard a disturbing noise coming from inside the vehicle.

A quiet whimper.

Unexpectedly alarmed, I focused more intently on my hearing, suddenly shocked when I realized one of the rhythmic noises I’d been hearing all this time wasn’t coming from the engine at all.

It was coming from the trunk!

It was someone breathing!

So even and quiet that I could barely hear it over the sound of the engine. Over the sound of the AC gently blowing.

But when I focused, I realized I could also hear the sound of a heartbeat.

A heartbeat that had finally picked up speed.

Breathing that was beginning to become panicked.

Holy shit, there was someone in the trunk!

Immediately stopping the car in the middle of the road, already being in the middle of practically nowhere, the sun having set fully and twilight rapidly transitioning to pure darkness, I quickly jumped out and went for the trunk, only to realize there was no way to open it from the outside.

Hurrying back to the open driver’s door, the interior light causing me to notice a cellphone charger and bottle of water for the first time, I looked for a button or lever that would open the trunk, only to find it and quickly hit it.

The person inside the trunk immediately whimpered again when the trunk lid popped open just a little, beginning to sound even more panicked, even while I was passively directing my thoughts urgently to Natalie.

‘I know you probably don’t want to go back to where you killed him, but we need to make sure that he didn’t have a cell phone on him. I’m pretty sure your flames burned everything, but we need to double-check.’

‘On it,’ Natalie agreed without hesitation, a bit more collected now after five hours, quickly informing Gabriella and Mrs. Rebecca of her intentions, who both immediately agreed to use their own phones as flashlights and go with her.

In the meantime, I was reaching the back of the black car to pull up the lid, still so shocked that there was a person inside to even worry about them possibly seeing my face. Honestly, the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind…

Until I opened the trunk.

“Oh my God,” I exclaimed in complete disbelief, immediately recognizing the girl.

Dressed in jean shorts and an overly fancy pink shirt that had frills at the bottom to almost look like an impossibly short mini-skirt, the skinny platinum blonde sincerely looked terrified as she focused up at me.

Only for tears to immediately begin filling her green eyes when she recognized me.

“Claire,” I said in disbelief, unexpectedly realizing that she was also the source of that familiar scent I’d noticed earlier. “How…” My voice trailed off when I realized she was beginning to hyperventilate, her skin drenched in sweat, with me realizing she was actually soaked…

Because it was hot!

It was hot in the trunk!

Oh shit, all this time I’d been driving, the late April sun beating down on the black car, I suddenly realized it was a miracle that she was even alive right now, suspecting that the AC from the car did cool the trunk at least a little, enough so that groceries didn’t bake in the summer, but it was still probably over a hundred degrees!

Way too hot for a person!

Enough to nearly suffocate someone with enough time!

Claire was a bit of a bitch, but she didn’t deserve this!

Even if she said a lot of shit and spread ‘mostly harmless’ rumors, she didn’t deserve to suffer like this for it! But when in the hell had this happened?!

I recalled Avery saying Claire disappeared from school early, not showing up in her last class for the day, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought she’d been kidnapped by this guy!

And why her?

Recalling the barely touched water bottle in the cup holder of the center console, I quickly ran to grab it, returning in record time, and then set it down briefly to scoop Claire up in my arms to help her sit up, her hands tied behind her back with a zip tie, her ankles likewise tied up.

She was now sobbing hysterically, clearly identifying me as her savior instead of captor.

“K-Kai,” she whimpered, her chest hitching repeatedly.

Letting go of her briefly, I grabbed the water bottle, smelling it briefly as I opened it, to verify it was safe, and then held it up to her trembling lips.

She drank without hesitation, gulping it down as fast as she could, even as her body still shook with sobs she was trying to control.

She finally started coughing once one sob got through, uncontrollably spitting water on the interior carpet as she tried to suck in a desperate gasp for air. I used the opportunity of her being distracted to grow out my black claws, reaching behind her back to slice through the plastic tie, only to quickly go for the one around her ankles before she noticed she’d been freed, realizing it was actually two or three zip ties linked together down there.

There were red marks in her skin from how tight they’d been.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up with bruising.

When Claire was unexpectedly able to pull her arms forward, and then when she realized her legs were free too, she started sobbing even harder and abruptly threw her arms around my neck, her heated upper body conforming to mine as she cried against my neck.

“Oh Kai,” she whimpered again. “Please get me out of here. Please don’t let him take me.”

I wrapped my arms around her thin waist, holding her tightly against me, but made no effort to pull her fully out of the trunk since there was no longer a threat to begin with.

“You’re safe,” I whispered reassuringly, giving her another tight squeeze when she sobbed even harder. “You’re safe, Claire. He’s gone.”

Her body was trembling, she was crying so hard.

I decided to try to get her to calm down by attempting to get her to explain to me what happened.

“How did you end up in here?” I asked seriously. “When did you leave school?”

“T-The office c-called. Said m-my mom had come to p-pick me up,” she stammered. “B-But it was t-that man.”

I was so confused. “But why you?” I asked seriously.

“S-Said something about m-me being the p-prettiest girl in s-school. Like, someone told h-him I was. He t-told me to get in, and…” She whimpered again. “I don’t even k-know why I did. I’m so s-stupid.”

“You got in the trunk at school?” I asked in confusion.

“N-No, I was up front at f-first,” she whimpered again.

I gave her another gentle squeeze, pulling her warm body fully against mine, having a general idea of what must have happened now. Enough to not need to ask any more questions at the moment.

More than likely, the man had compelled someone in the office, possibly the administrative secretary, and told the woman to call for the prettiest girl in school. Of course, it would have been based on the woman’s opinion, but clearly that man didn’t disagree when Claire showed up. More than likely, he had her get into the passenger’s seat, but then not long after, once they were away from prying eyes, he pulled over and put her in the trunk instead, possibly drugging her as well, considering she’d been seemingly calm all this time.

Either that, or it was possible his compulsion had worn off after a few hours, which might be indicative that the compulsion of an incubus wasn’t permanent. Or at least, the compulsion of a dead incubus wasn’t permanent.

Either way, at least she seemed alright…

Or was she?

Shit, Claire had been picked up before seventh period, which meant she’d been with that guy for well over an hour before he showed up at my place.

Shit!

“Claire,” I said urgently, finally reaching up for her shoulders to look her in the eyes. “What happened after he took you? Did he do anything to you?” I asked seriously.

She sniffled, her green eyes tearful. “H-He actually a-asked me about y-you,” she stammered. “A-Asked where you lived and…he assumed you and I were…” Her voice trailed off and she averted her gaze.

“Dating,” I realized, everything finally making sense.

Assuming this guy didn’t know much about my current situation, he’d kidnapped the prettiest girl in school, assuming that she was probably one of the women I was with, or that she would at least be enthralled enough with me to have information, and he’d unfortunately been exactly right…

Because apparently she’d known everything he needed to find me.

“Kind of surprised you know where I live,” I admitted.

She grimaced, her gaze still averted, shifting her weight slightly on her rear more, still kind of sitting with her legs to the side on the carpeted trunk floor.

My tone was more gentle. “Did he do anything to you though?”

She grimaced more. “N-Not…not yet,” she whispered with a sniffle.

“Can I trust you?” I asked seriously.

She looked up at me in complete shock and confusion. “W-What?”

“Can I trust you to keep this a secret? To not tell anyone that you were kidnapped or that I saved you? You’ll have to come up with some other story.”

She seemed stunned. “I…I won’t tell. I promise I won’t say anything, Kai. But…what about that man?”

“He’s gone,” I said simply.

Her green eyes, sharply contrasted against her tan skin and platinum blonde hair, widened at that. “Y-You mean?”

“You’re safe now,” I replied firmly. “But it’s very important you not tell anyone what happened.”

Her expression became emotional again, as she nodded adamantly with a sniffle. “I won’t. I promise, Kai. I’ll think of something to tell my mom.” Her face scrunched up even more. “Thank you so much for saving me,” she whimpered, reaching out for my shirt again, clearly beginning to fall apart a second time, prompting me to return my arms around her thin warm waist.

She buried her face against my chest as she started crying again, more controlled this time, but obviously feeling both distressed over what happened and simultaneously relieved for it to be over with her unharmed.

In the meantime, I was silently communicating with Serenity and Avery, having no reason to leave this spot just yet, especially since we were on such an obscure road already, but knowing it was likely someone might eventually drive down this way.

Serenity was advising that I burn the interior of the car some, just to ensure that no evidence of my or Claire’s DNA were left behind, but ultimately the only way to hide it for a long time was going to be to take the approach I’d done last time -- shove it into a random body of water, making it look like someone had just had an unknown accident.

It might be found eventually, but not for years.

Between that and burying the license plate in a random forest, we shouldn’t have anything identifying this man’s death in connection to us, even if it did eventually become known that he was missing.

It wasn’t until Natalie directed her thoughts toward me that I paid attention to their group searching in the darkness around the burnt area of blackened dirt.

‘Kai, there’s no sign of a phone, but those rings he was wearing are here. They aren’t damaged at all.’

‘How many are there?’ I silently asked, recalling that I’d seen at least four, two on each hand, all of them with different gemstones.

‘Four,’ she said simply, already knowing it was the correct number that I’d seen.

‘They might be dangerous, so make sure no one tries putting one on. Have Gabriella call Miriam and…’ My thoughts trailed off when I realized I could just tell her maid. ‘Never mind. Gwen, can you ask Miriam to meet in the field? I don’t want to bring something dangerous to her mansion.’

‘Yes master,’ she thought simply, immediately doing as I asked, since Miriam was with her. ‘We will leave in a few minutes,’ she then added.

‘You may have to send directions to Rebecca, since I don’t know if Gabriella or Natalie remember how to get there.’ I shifted my focus to Natalie. ‘If you’re sure there’s nothing else, then get ready to leave to meet them. After we get rid of this car, we’ll probably go to Miriam’s mansion, so you can follow them there, if the rings seem okay.’ I shifted my focus again. ‘Gwen, make sure Miriam knows she’s free to do whatever she wants with them. If they’re just regular jewelry then she can dispose of them, and if they’re something valuable, then she can have them.’

‘I will, master,’ she thought simply, relaying my message.

I wasn’t sure how long Claire had quietly cried and sniffled against my chest, but I knew Serenity, Avery, and Michelle were a lot closer now. Maybe only twenty minutes away. Which meant it was probably time to get rid of the car.

Giving the platinum blonde a reassuring rub on the back, I finally pulled away, prompting her to look up at me with a pained expression.

“Here, let’s get you out of there,” I said gently.

She immediately nodded, moving as if she was going to try to climb out, only to yelp in surprise when I reached underneath her armpits and hoisted her out effortlessly, being careful to set her down gently on her feet.

She quickly reached out for the taillight to steady herself, even as I pulled out my phone to look at a map in search for a nearby body of water. However, we were so far away from regular civilization that I barely even had cell service.

It was technically enough to pull up a map, but it was loading super slow.

Finally, while it took a few minutes to find a large pond nearby, I did find one, with Claire being surprisingly patient as she waited for whatever was next, beginning to tremble slightly as if she was now cold. However, once I stuffed my phone back in my pocket, she spoke up.

“N-Now what?” she whispered.

I sighed. “The less you know, probably the better. Obviously, I need to get rid of this car, so I need you to get in the passenger’s seat. We need to drive a few more miles.”

She grimaced at that before nodding, obediently moving to do as I asked, still seeming unsteady.

I used the opportunity of her being turned away from me to focus on getting the license plate off, only to realize it had some kind of weird antitheft screws that made it look nearly impossible to remove normally. Thus, figuring I might just muscle it off, I was surprised when the license plate itself began to tear, rather than the bolts, until I’d yanked the flat piece of metal hard enough to separate it from the vehicle.

Just tossing the plate in the trunk for now, I then slammed it shut, and then got back in the driver’s seat. Claire was noticeably shivering a lot more now, but I ignored it as I put it in gear.

She spoke up after we’d driven barely a mile down the road, her hands stuffed between her thighs, seeming really tense. “Umm, h-he…asked me to turn off my phone and drop it out the window.” Her voice became more pained. “I…I did. I don’t even know why I was so stupid, but I did.”

“Do you know where?” I wondered.

“N-No. And…I don’t know what I’m going to tell my mom. She’ll be pissed. And…” Her voice trailed off.

I glanced at her, realizing her green eyes were filling with tears again. Reaching over, I gently rested my hand on her wrist, causing her clasped hands to tighten between her thighs. “Hey,” I said softly. “If your mom really knew what happened, then she’d just be thankful to have you back. She wouldn’t give a damn about the phone.”

Her tears started brimming over as she sucked in another sob, nodding weakly in acknowledgment.

I sighed, removing my hand from her skin, prompting her to reach up to wipe her eyes.

We were then both quiet, until I made another turn, knowing it was probably best if she not see the actual disposal of the car. Deciding to stop in the middle of the road, I focused on her confused expression.

“I know you probably don’t want to do this, but I need you to get out for a few minutes. I need to ditch the car, and I don’t want you to see what I do with it. That way, if you’re ever questioned, you won’t have to lie.”

She immediately focused out the window at the darkness, looking really nervous.

“Kai, I’m scared,” she whispered. “Please don’t make me get out.”

I sighed. “Then maybe I could blindfold you or something, but you have to promise not to look.”

“I promise,” she said sincerely.

Taking another deep breath, I decided to just use my shirt, easily reaching down to begin tugging it off since I hadn’t bothered with the seat belt. Claire’s tan face immediately flushed as she focused on my torso, only to stare at my shirt like I was handing her gold, almost seeming confused as to what she was supposed to do with it.

“Go ahead and turn a little, so I can tie this around your eyes.”

“Oh, o-okay,” she stammered, twisting in her seat to do so.

A shirt was kind of bulky to use as a blindfold, but it was long enough to get tied, and once I had it in place, she confirmed that it was fine and that her eyes were also closed. Not wanting her to think I was being overly weird, I decided to apologize for being so dramatic about it, only to be surprise by her response, speaking more confidently.

“No, it makes sense. As you said, if anyone ever asks me, I won’t have to lie, even though I have no idea where we are to begin with. And if there’s no evidence, then there’s no reason for this to end up becoming a problem.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” I said simply, beginning to continue down the dark street again, and finally pulling off the road into a small field that preceded a large pond.

Stopping the car again a good distance from the water, I had her wait as I got out, and then walked around to her side, opening her door to help her climb to her feet. Then, once she was out, I scooped her up in my arms, not wanting her to trip, and carried her back closer to the asphalt street.

Setting her down, I tried to reassure her again.

“You’re just by the road. I’m not going too far away. I can see you just fine. You’re safe, okay? I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“O-Okay,” she stammered, nervous all over again, but obeying.

Leaving her to run back over to the car in the darkness, I put it in neutral before turning it off, planning on letting it burn for a few minutes, before eventually pushing it into the water manually, hoping to be able to pick up enough speed through my own strength to get it submerged.

Worst case and I could just grow larger and get into the pond myself to push, to ensure it was far enough in.

Knowing Serenity, Michelle, and Avery were much closer now, I popped open the trunk to get that ready, and then created a blue flame on my finger underneath the seat, waiting for the foam to catch fire…

Only to be dismayed when it started melting, but didn’t actually catch.

‘Must be flame retardant,’ Serenity commented in my head.

‘Yeah, must be,’ I thought simply, realizing I was going to have to put a lot more effort into it.

Taking a step back, I glanced over at Claire to ensure she was still blindfolded, and then held out my hand, an azure blaze immediately ejecting out of my palm and rapidly beginning to melt the leather seating, orange flames finally appearing as it grew hot enough to burn on its own, prompting me to move to the trunk to grab the license plate and do the same there.

Unlike movies, I knew it was unlikely the gas tank would ignite anytime soon, since modern vehicles had safety features in place to prevent a car fire from spreading to the fuel, though I wasn’t planning on letting it burn for long either way.

It was obvious Claire had noticed the fire though, turning more in this direction when it became brighter, though when she spoke up again, it wasn’t about that.

“H-Hey,” she finally stammered.

“What?”

“H-How are we going to get back?”

“Serenity and Avery are almost here,” I said simply. “And Avery’s mom too.”

She seemed sincerely stunned by that, falling silent for a few seconds as she processed that information.

“Oh,” she finally managed. “A-And Serenity’s your…” Her voice trailed off.

“Yeah,” I said simply, knowing pretty much everyone I’d gone to school with since middle school had a general understanding of my situation. “Now, if you don’t mind, please turn the other way. I’ll be done in just a few minutes, and then we can get out of here. Okay?”

“O-Okay,” she agreed, slowly turning around to face more toward the street.

Deciding the growing blaze had done the job needed of destroying any DNA evidence, I moved toward the smoking trunk, which hadn’t quite caught but had been burned thoroughly with my initial blast of blue flames, and dug my feet in the dirt and gravel.

Giving it a firm push, the flaming car began moving with ease, allowing me to pick up some significant speed just before it hit the water.

However, sure enough, it slowed down a lot the moment it began submerging, prompting me to keep up the pushing, ending up knee-deep in the pond before I finally let go, the momentum still carrying it another five or six feet, before it slowed down to a halt as the fire died out.

I actually was barely a couple feet away from dry land, but the bottom of the pond clearly dropped off steeply, making it perfect for submerging the car.

Figuring that was good enough, I trudged back out of the water with the license plate in hand, and made my way over to Claire, clearing my throat just to make sure I didn’t startle her.

“Keep the blindfold on just a little longer,” I instructed, again picking her up so she didn’t trip and just carrying her in my arms, being careful not the cut her with the metal from the plate. I was well aware that carrying her like this was making her heart flutter and her breathing pick up in nervousness, but my intention wasn’t to seduce her or otherwise be handsy with her.

Something that Serenity, Avery, and Natalie all understood.

Rather, I was just taking the easiest approach possible, which was to be able to walk as fast as I wanted without having to worry about her keeping up or asking questions as to how I was moving so quickly.

Thankfully, Claire was silent and didn’t ask questions, just keeping her arms loosely around my neck, until she noticed headlights through the blindfold, her entire body tensing.

“That’s them,” I reassured her.

“A-Are you sure?” she stammered nervously. “How do you know?”

“It’s them,” I repeated simply, only to come to a stop and begin setting her on her feet. “Here, let me help you get the blindfold off.”

Claire allowed me to slip my shirt off her face, and only ended up staring at my torso for a brief second, before looking nervously at the headlights again. I got the knot untied and put my shirt back on by the time they were stopping, with Avery jumping out of the car without hesitation the moment she could.

Claire froze solid when she saw her.

The two of them were supposed to be friends, and Avery had certainly believed as much all this time, but it was obvious Claire couldn’t help but feel guilty about the rumors she’d spread earlier that day. Rumors that I was beginning to suspect were truly out of jealousy -- a jealousy that might actually have stemmed from her perceiving Avery as staking a claim on me, by sitting with me at lunch and otherwise trying to be near me, even though Claire had known me much longer.

And possibly liked me for much longer.

For the record, Claire was not one of the kids who bullied me in middle school, but she was also female, which meant I had avoided interacting with her like the plague just the same as most other girls.

But it would at least explain why she spoke with so much disdain in the past when calling Avery pathetic for her behavior. Especially since Claire was normally the kind of girl who thought it was the guy’s job to do the pursuing, potentially frustrated with me when I wouldn’t pursue her, no matter how much she flaunted herself around me.

That wasn’t necessarily to say that she was completely shallow, even if she generally was too heavily focused on superficial things, but it was obvious she had a particular perspective on how the world was supposed to work, and had been fairly inflexible in that worldview for a long time now.

Needless to say, even despite everything, Avery walked right up to the platinum blonde and wrapped her arms around the girl’s tan shoulders.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Avery said sincerely. “And…I forgive you for spreading the pregnancy rumor,” she added.

Claire’s entire body tensed, probably not realizing until now that Avery actually knew.

“I…I…” Her face scrunched up in obvious guilt and agony as she finally returned the hug, squeezing her friend tightly. “Avery, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I’m such a bitch, and you don’t deserve that. I’m so sorry. I’m such a stupid idiot.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Avery repeated in a whisper, holding her tighter. “Now, let’s get out of here, and we’ll figure the rest out later, okay?”

Claire sniffled, nodding adamantly against her shoulder. “Okay,” she said in relief, seeming more than happy to do so.

FEEDBACK: Were you surprised by who was in the trunk?

My goal here was to show that, in the grand scheme of things, Claire isn't actually a horrible person, acting mostly out of jealousy, and that a little bit of humility was all she needed to be a nice person.

Or put differently, she is a nice person (she does have a heart), but has made poor decisions out of a sense of jealousy, as well as out of a sense of being an elite individual, which largely stems from how her mother views the world.

Feel free to offer any feedback about how well I did (or didn't do) at communicating that. I can always make changes, or clarify things.

Although, at the end of the day, if you decided you don't like her, that's perfectly fine. She doesn't have to be a likeable character.

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