War of the Sun

Two

    As soon as I got off my private plane, I was greeted by my right-hand man, Diego. His hair was dancing with the breeze. His hazel eyes already staring right into mine. A cocky smirk replaced the grim line that was once plastered on his face. He tensed his perfect jawline right before that little s**t shot me a wink.

    I remember the first day that I laid eyes on him. I had just passed the five-year anniversary at the Academy. My name had already gained a lot of street cred at the age of twelve. My rage became uncontrollable. I was a danger to the other kids, but I never did anything without a purpose. The teachers just thought I was a unpredictable. I later learned how to control my anger. I started to train. I couldn’t do much being in elementary, but I got to learn different types of fighting techniques. Before I knew it, word circulated throughout the school like wildfire. Half of the kids feared me because I was a wildcard. The other half feared me because I had information to shut them up. One of the perks of being the quiet kid the first year. I was the type of kid that went unnoticed. The betrayal I felt towards my father, and the disappearance of my mother

    It was the first day of middle school when I noticed the academy jackasses in the corner. Their hands and feet were moving in a way that I knew someone was getting pummeled. As I started to approach them, I finally saw a little blonde boy on the floor. His lip had been busted by the kicking. All the pain he must be feeling for being kicked nonstop by a group of six, yet there were no tears in his eyes. An anger that I had thought I suppressed rushed out of me. A ticking time bomb and the poor jackasses were about to get scorched. I grabbed Cole Kandinsky by his hoodie and yanked him to the floor. This poor excuse was the leader of the jackass crew. He was also the future CEO of Kandinsky Corporation. An entitled ass who was going to end up overseeing the construction on celebs houses. Right now on the other hand, he seemed fragile as he laid in fetal position.

    There was a terror in his eyes as he registered my face. When Cole initially got sent to the academy by his father, he thought he could come in swinging and make everyone his little minion. In front of the teachers, he was a godsend. Behind their backs, he was terrorizing the other kids. The poor fool had even tried to rattle me up when he first moved here. Not only had I beat him to a pulp. He didn’t realize I had dirt on him for a lifetime. Until I said otherwise, he’s my little puppet.

    Cole had done horrible things just like his father, even at a young age. In case he ever tried to cross me, I dug into his past till I found the dirt that would keep him in line. His terror might also come from our sparring sessions during physical education class. I was the only one strong enough to take on the boys.

The rest of his stupid posse took one look at me and backed away in panic. My eyes drifted towards the boy on the floor. I automatically looked at the blood that was dripping from the gash on his lip. Bruises were already forming on his skin. Cole Kandinsky and his minions had backed this boy into a corner, and these idiots overpowered him by cornering him on all sides. They had height and size on their side, so the boy didn’t stand a chance. No matter how hard they hit him or how many times. The new kid did not shed a single tear. He had nowhere to go and nowhere to run. Only to endure the abuse they inflicted on him. One glance at the boy on the floor was all my temper needed to explode. I grabbed Cole Kandinsky off of the floor and pinned him to the wall.

    “If you and your goons come near this kid again, it will be you guys on the floor begging for me to stop. Do I make myself clear?” My voice was coated with venom. Once the words left my mouth, the members of the jackass crew immediately nodded and took off. Leaving Cole there to fend for himself against me. I quickly moved my mouth closer to his ear to make sure there was no miscommunication for what I was about to say next.

    “You so much as look in his direction again, and I’ll make sure the whole world knows your daddy’s little secret. If you dare go against me, and I’ll make sure the whole school knows yours.”

    Before I let go of the hold I still had on him, I made sure to look one more time into his eyes. Then slowly released my hold. His feet began running in the opposite direction to get away from my wrath. I started heading to the little boy that was now standing with blood all on his shirt. As I walked closer to him, his eyes bore into mine. I could see the cautiousness they held. Who could blame him? The only other kids he’s met were the dumb and dumber squad, and they attacked him. I approached him cautiously.

    I didn’t want to scare him or set him into a defensive stance. “My name is Aurora. Let’s get you cleaned up. Shall we?” I tried to say in the most serene voice I could muster. I extended my hand to make sure he knew that I was no threat to him. His hand reluctantly joined mine, and we headed off to see the nurse.

    Who knew that handsome bastard would end up being my closest and trusting friend for the next six years? He started training with me at the academy, so nobody could ever bully him again. He was now 6’1’’ with huge biceps and thighs to match. It was too bad that hunk of a man and I had the same taste in men.

His voice ripped me away from the recollections that were currently replaying in my head.

    “Hey gorgeous, it’s been a minute.”

I could help the smile that formed on my lips. I had missed him these past six months. His eighteenth birthday was before mine, so the only way to leave the academy is by aging out or by a guardian’s written permission slip. Once you leave the academy, you aren’t allowed back on the property. This was the first time I had been with him in person.

    “I needed a break from being at the hip with you for so long.” I couldn’t stop the chuckle that left my mouth. I really tried to be as serious as possible, but I couldn’t help it. He was the only one who could make me feel normal. After all the years away, I had turned hard. Emotionless. Cold. I couldn’t trust anyone. It turned me into someone I didn’t even recognize.

    His arm snaked around my waist pulling me into a hug. He was the only one I allowed to get this close.

    “Are you heading straight to your father’s or to your place?”

    My mood soon turned sour after those words left his mouth. I had put the reunion with my father at the back of my head, and I was not ready to ruin my first day back in America.

    “f**k that, show me my new place. I can’t wait to see what you picked out.” That was all Diego needed to hear. Before I knew it, he began to drag me by my hand and haul me to a limousine that looked like it could fit twenty people. As he opened up the door, I couldn’t help, but marvel at the beauty of the interior of this limo. Everything was perfectly balanced between modern and sleek. It was definitely Diego’s doing. I Just couldn’t wait to see how he had done my house.

    Diego wouldn’t stop talking about all the adventures he had been on since leaving the academy. I couldn’t help but feel envious. His father might have sent him to the academy, but he had come back for him within the same year. It was Diego’s decision to stay there for as long as he did. His parents both loved him endlessly. He had already taken over his father’s position as CEO at their tech company. His company designed the latest software to the latest guns for the military. It was a match made in heaven. The pinging of my phone stopped Diego from his rambling. I had forgotten all about it the second I had been reunited with him. I quickly took it out of my jacket pocket and unlocked the screen.

A message from Zach.

    ‘Where the hell are you? I am in Sicily with your father trying to surprise you, and they said you withdrew yourself yesterday. Your father is worried sick. Nobody has any idea where you are. Please tell me you’re okay.’

    Why would Zach think that I wanted to see him for my eighteenth birthday? Then he was a day late too. There was still a lot of work to be done. People that I needed to go see, and deals that need to be made. I didn’t need my father making a scene in Sicily either. I quickly pulled up the keyboard and began typing.

‘I’m okay. I’m eighteen. He has no power over me. I’ll be in touch soon.’

    I quickly pressed send, and I put the phone back in my pocket. I’m going to have to thank Diego for making my phone untraceable. If he hadn’t, they’d be able to find me in the span of ten minutes. I was on my way to start a new chapter that wasn’t going to be controlled or manipulated to my father’s gain, but right now I’m on my way to see the lavish place Diego had built for me. The best part of it was that it was two minutes away from my father’s home. Let the games begin Mr. Russo.