C4: Powerless

Back in College

The following day, I followed her to her college and watched her attend her lectures with a confused look on her face. She would never know that a Thompson’s ultimate skill was his ability to hide in shadows, I thought with a smile.

She took her seat between two men. One was a nerd, and another seemed to be a worthless looking fellow with brown eyes and blonde hair who never let her out of his sight. Whether it had been the question-and-answer session with the professor, taking notes or even a ten-minute break, his eyes ogled over her.

Scarlet was wearing a tight leather dress that barely covered her thighs, ending just above her knees. It also allowed for a comfortable amount of cleavage revealed as she bent over to pick up her pen as the ‘careless’ jerk knocked it over. Right, he was just inducing her to expose more. In addition, she was wearing one of those lacy strapped bras that showed slightly as she moved. Sexy. But when she was so exposed, it just didn’t feel comfortable to me.

I took the vacant seat between them, my keen ears picking up any communication between them. Apart from some clairvoyance, her campus limits my abilities. The campus has some anti-magic zones that block out the full extent of my innate powers. It’s just like mobile network coverage in hilly regions. Sometimes, they work. Sometimes, they don’t. And they prohibited most of the abilities that make me a demon from usage.  

I nickname the man Jerk, although my clairvoyance told me he is a regular human nicknamed Jackal. I don’t know what business he has with Scarlet, but she is allowing him to flip up her skirt under the covered table, which I can see from the table behind. His left-hand glides down her skirt and feels her bare bottom. She is wearing a lacy thong that matches her bra and while seeing the lace gives me a reaction; I am jealous that someone else, instead of me, has his dirty fingers touching her intimate parts.

She blushes and winks at the man before scrawling a message on his notebook. I can’t see what she has written on the paper, but my guess is that she wants to head somewhere later. I watch how she struggles with understanding the rest of the lecture and shrugs before dumping her notebook, with barely anything on it, into her book bag.

Arabelle had never been an intelligent person. To say she was dim-witted was an understatement because she was always being made a fool in the village when we were alive. If she had been smarter, probably we wouldn’t have died that way. But opposites attract, so despite her stupidity, I am deeply attracted to her.

Scarlet is not an idiot. She just doesn’t have an interest in studying, but in this world, being intelligent does not equate to being street-smart. Intelligence Quotient and Emotional Intelligence are two different measures. The fact she ran into poor company while attempting to discover the reason behind the death of her friend did not mean she was stupid. She just didn’t realise the true face behind the mask, trusting others too easily. Even after becoming a pawn and a tool for men to relieve their desires, she still continued to allow others in her life, even if it was just for a night. 

I assumed they would meet in a library to discuss the lecture earlier since she left in a daze, but soon I follow her into a study room down the hall, which she locks behind her. The room is dark and seems abandoned. She throws down her backpack and pulls off her jacket. It is rather warm in the room, which I blame for faulty air-conditioning.

Jerk is already sitting in the room, waiting for her. He types away on the laptop, while a pile of scribbled notes is scattered over the large desk. Finally, he closes the lid of the laptop with a broad smile. Grinning ear-to-ear like a Cheshire cat, he acknowledges Scarlet as she approaches.

“Babe, you’re here as you promised,” he smiles as he accumulates the pile and slips it into a folder, pushing it towards her. Scarlet’s eyes widened with excitement. 

“And there’s also the online version, which I’ve typed out in a way that makes it look like you did the work,” he adds with a tease. “But in return for that… I want trifold of what you offered.”

She swallows. “I…”

“The assignment is due in a few hours, Shayle, or shall I say, Scarlet.”

She shudders as she stands before him, looking small under his tallness. She steps back before nodding anxiously.

“Jack, I agree with your terms. But please, can you keep my identity a secret-”

I see how her eyes tear up slightly as she struggles with completing the sentence. Why is she so scared suddenly? 

“My lips are sealed, Shayle. But you need to go by your promise.”

She calms down as she hears his answer. Her confidence returns and she smiles seductively, making some teasing sounds as she embraces him boldly. My heart sinks as I hear her say the words, “For you, I’ll make an exception.” Her words remind me of how she said she would break the rules for me, but now she is doing the same for a jerk, a lesser male.

“We have some time before the submission time. So what say you? Do you want a down payment?” she says amorously as she nears Jerk. 

No, Scarlet! I shout, but of course she doesn’t hear me. My pleas fall on deaf ears.

She lifts her dress up enough to expose her slim figure, taking Jerk’s rough hand and placing it on her torso. Wickedly, Jerk laughs and, lifting her up, sets her down on the table. 

“Have you been taken this way, Shayle?”

She blushes, shaking her head bashfully. I can see not the slightest bit of discomfort in her eyes. Her face flushes, but not because she is embarrassed. She is excited. I can see it all in her eyes.

“You’re hot, Shayle. The next few days will be heavenly, I promise.”

She just giggles innocently. “As long as you keep my secret hidden, I will satisfy every single one of your needs, darling. I’ll do whatever you want.” She makes her statement in a confident and flirtatious manner, which just makes Jerk pleased.

“Dress off, now,” he orders in a domineering manner. At his call, Scarlet whips off her dress, pulling it over her head and lays in her matching lace set. Jerk steps out of his jeans, hovering over her while he inspects her body as if he is checking an antique for defects. 

“Ah, Shayle.” He breathes in her scent. The man can’t seem to wait any longer before he unhooks her bra and pulls off her thong. Scarlet doesn’t seem bothered by her nakedness. I forget she was a prostitute before. So such things don’t seem new to her, although it makes my heart bleed seeing her defiled like this.

The room fills with their moans as Jerk’s lips claim hers, humping her on the sturdy table which can take their added weight. She calls out his name, again and again, her voice getting louder as she begs him for more. I look away, unable to take the weight of her desire.

Our lovemaking the night before remains within my memory, plaguing me with the fact she had just slept with another man for benefits after I believed us to be exclusive to one another. To add, Jerk seems to pleasure her more with his rough treatment and orders. Even though I lured her with desire, I have been gentle to her in bed and treated her with kindness.

My heart just burns with fury as I hear her implore Jerk with the cursed F word, which I do not wish to pronounce.

“F me as hard as you can, Jackal. Please. I need you,” she moans, as if Jerk is the only man she has on her mind. Our sweet moment yesterday just crumbles to dust as she positions herself against the wall at his instructions and allows him to grab her cruelly from behind and take her in that manner.

But no matter how infuriated I am, I cannot break past Vernon’s barrier. The flames of fury that I spin from my eyes just dissipate harmlessly into nothingness. As I exit the room, all I can hear with my heightened hearing is just their dirty language to each other.

A soft and cold palm slithers around my neck suddenly as I step silently through the corridors of the college hall.

“Thompson, this isn’t the place for you,” a dark voice sounds in my ear.

As I turn around, I come face-to-face with the most fatal woman in the universe.