What type of king is the best at ruling?

One who is amiable or one who is brooding?

A kind king gains love and loyalty from its source

A harsh king makes people accept him by force

But if a king is too lenient, people will not be afraid to betray

If a king is too ruthless, his people will be too afraid to stay

A king that does not balance the two is inevitably prone

To be killed by his people and fall off his throne

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jules felt like she was falling. Not physically so but it was the same type of heightened panic that one gets when they are about to fall off their chair--except that feeling lasts for seconds. Jules' panic would not subside anytime soon.

She wasn't quite sure which was scarier, Alec taking sharp turns at sixty miles per hour or the hideous creatures hot on their tail.

"You need to slow down! We might hit someone!" Jules had to yell over the high speed winds whipping at her numb face. Despite the August heat, she felt chilled to the bone.

"Stop screaming like a banshee little lamb. This is a private road we own and use for situations like this. It's an escape route." Randall sat with his chair laid back as if he was on a night ride for leisure. He had an arm sling around his shoulder and thick sunglasses covering his eyes.

But it's night time?

Jules took a closer look and realized Randall was actually wearing swimming goggles. That made less sense.

"What's happening?" Every time she thought she was one step closer to understanding Dalmellington and all its secrets, she ended up being pushed a hundred steps back.

Ellen rolled her eyes. "Randall, your dumb goggles are confusing her even more. Ignore that Jules. Randall is in his moron phase right now and is acting solely on paranoia."

Randall kicked Ellen's chair. "I'm telling you. I woke up this morning and felt it in my bones that my eyes would be in danger today. I have a talent for predicting the future."

Skye--who sat besides Randall with pink curls in her hair--slapped his foot away with her manicured hand. "Ellen is right. You've been too paranoid since you lost your hand. You're acting like a crazy man and frankly, it's embarrassing." She then pushed Simon's head off her shoulder. "Simon, I swear, if you drool on me, I will sew your lips together."

Simon groaned in reply when his head smacked against the window. He somehow still managed to stay asleep.

"I thought you told her everything." Jake turned to Abby from the front seat with a glare.

Abby looked away and scratched the back of her head.

"Well, I kinda did tell her. I said to come to the academy before sundown. Jules was about to have a panic attack from just hearing about the whole Dealers thing. There was no way I could tell her about this!"

"Ummm guys..." Jonathan was ignored as Jake continued to complain about commoners always making excuses for not completing a task. "Guys!"

Everyone turned around in alarm.

No one had to ask. They simply saw.

"Son of a b*tch." Alec murmured while staring at the rear view mirror.

There were so many of the devilish beasts that their appearances merged into a giant wave of claws, horns, and fangs engulfing the road at an alarming pace. Their bodies drooped like molten lava and emitted grey smoke. If it weren't for the flaring flames in their skulls, their black figures would have been invisible in the darkness of the night.

"This is insane. There has never been this many before. What the hell is going on?" Jonathan backed away from where he sat, trying to place as much space between him and the back of the car.

Alec grumbled lowly to himself about everybody being a pussy. "Hold on tightly everyone!" He stepped on the accelerator and the car launched forwards with a jerk, pushing everyone tightly against their seats.

"Babe, slow down!" Ellen screamed.

"I can't or they'll catch up. We need to start fighting them off."

The wind was so loud that Jules could no longer hear what they were saying. Even with Ellen's silky black hair covering most of her face, Jules could make out with the way her lips and hands moved ferociously that she was yelling at Alec.

Alec nudged Jake with his elbow and the boy slowly got up and began to make his way towards the back of the car to where Jonathan was. On his way there, he whispered in Ana's ear and she followed him.

Jules watched intently as the three held their hands out with their palms facing the creatures. They kept the sides of their hands touching. Suddenly, a white oval glow began emitting from their hands and combined to create a shield of light. This shield moved towards the creatures, making them screech as it made contact and burnt them. It was able to hold them back for a second before too many creatures began to pile and push against it until it shattered.

"D*mn it! There's too many of them, this wont work!" Jake ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

Skye slapped Randall on the shoulder and gave him a stern look. He sighed before they both stood up and joined the others at the back.

They did the same thing again with Skye and Randall joining them. This time the shield was larger and brighter. It was able to hold the creatures back for a bit longer but it shattered once again in less than five seconds. They continued to do this multiple times. The creatures got an inch further away with every shield thrown at them.

Jules could tell that this was taking a toll on the five. The academy students were panting with sweat glistening on their foreheads.

"Hold on tightly everyone!" Alec instructed before turning the wheel all the way to the right. The car screeched on the cement road, leaving dark tire tracks as it turned relentlessly and came to a quick stop.

Before Jules could puke from motion sickness, Abby pulled her out of the car.

"Come on Jules. You need to run as fast as you can."

Jules nodded and tried to catch up with Abby's grueling pace. Her throbbing calves and burning lungs were motivated by the increasing sound of the creatures not far behind her.

A few academy students were waiting for them, keeping the large metal doors of Dalmellington Academy open.

Even Jake, who was holding Simon's sleeping body with just his right hand, was able to run pass Jules. Sometimes Jules wondered if Simon was possibly dead. The way his eyes remained close as his body bobbed up and down roughly like a noodle in Jake's arm was beyond her.

Once Jules got inside the building, she instantly collapsed and tried to fill her aching lungs with air. She was the last one to run in. Upon her arrival, the academy students quickly closed the doors and locked it. About thirty students ran up and placed their hands on the door. The door was slowly engulfed by a spreading golden light.

A large force hit the door with such strength that some students fell backwards and dust fell from the ceiling. The students quickly recovered and placed their hands on the door once again as more banging followed. The door rattled at an alarming rate. It looked like it would break at any moment.

After a few minutes, a new group of students slowly replaced the tired ones whose hands were shaking once they left the door's metal surface. Another group waited closely behind the new one, getting ready to switch when needed. This was a routine that they were used to doing.

Once Jules caught her breathe, she turned around and looked at the student council sprawled out on the cold marble floor in exhaustion.

"Someone needs to give me an explanation right now." This was the most demanding tone Jules has ever used. The experiences she had today was the last straw. She was not going to wait any longer. She deserved answers especially now that she was stuck at Dalmellington Academy at 9:00 PM on a weekend with horrifying beasts banging on the front door and students emitting light from their hands as if it was normal.

Alec tsked and jumped up from the floor before stalking towards Jules in an aggressive manner.

"Piss off. We risked our lives to save yours and you're still going to talk to us like--."

"Alec, calm down," Ellen turned the fuming man around before he could touch Jules and caressed his face. "Look at me in the eyes. Take deep breathes."

Alec clenched his fist and was going to protest but then he saw the warmth in Ellen's eyes and gave in to her soft touch. After taking a few breathes, he felt the anger in him dissolve.

"Hey, it's okay," Ellen whispered gently as she wrapped her arms around Alec's torso, "I'll take care of it. You're safe now. I won't let anything hurt you. You can go rest now, okay?"

Alec nodded his head.

Jules looked away and blushed when Alec gave Ellen a peck on the lips.

Jake noticed and scoffed. "Oh give me a break." Every time he thought he couldn't hate the new girl any more than he already did, she always found a way to irk him even more.

Ellen walked up to Jules and offered a warm smile.

"I'm sorry you've been left in the dark this whole time. Luckily for you, I specialize in teaching newbies."

Ellen reached into her bra and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"How the f*ck do you always have that in your bra?" Jake asked in bewilderment.

Ana laughed. "If you're impressed with that, you should see all the snacks I hide under these puppies."

Jake smirked. "I mean, I don't mind if you're offering to show me."

Ana took a metal spoon out of her bra and threw it at Jake's head. "Pervert."

Ellen ignored their bantering and continued on with her task. She handed Jules the paper. In neat handwriting, the front of the paper read "Understanding Satan's Stupid System for Dummies."

Jules unfolded the paper to reveal a chart filled with strange drawings.

"Alright I'm about to give you the quickest and easiest rundown. Time for Ellen's crash course!"

Ana clapped her hands excitedly and moved to sit by Jules who was still trying to make sense of the weird looking chart.

"I know Abby already told you some of it but I'm a better teacher so I'll start from the beginning." Ellen cleared her throat. "Satan makes deal with human, human becomes a Dealer, and Dealer must eat up innocence to survive. Just like how if you don't eat food, you die, if Dealers don't eat innocence, they die. To eat, Dealer first must make a deal with a human and they become the Dealer's mate—AKA a Peccator. Dealers then have to make their mate sin. Now for the last part we got demons."

"Demons suck." Ana booed.

"Yes, indeed they do. Those creatures you saw tonight are demons. I'm sure you know that demons are fallen angels, but I'm also sure you didn't know that not all fallen angels work for Satan. Some of them blame Satan for their fall and go against him. We are Satan's workers which naturally makes Dealers and Peccatores their enemy too. Here's the really crappy part. If Dealers don't eat up enough innocence, they don't have the power to fight back the demons and die and go to hell. You know what that means right? If Peccatores refuse to constantly sin, their Dealers cannot protect them from the demons and they eventually get possessed by one and kill themselves."

Ana booed again.

"So what's the good news? The demons we've been dealing with so far are pretty predictable. They only come out at sundown. It is also rare to get attacked by one during the weekday. You see, these demons are very petty. They like to swarm and come out on Sunday which is the Lord's day. It's kinda their way of going against God. That is why Saturday nights are the most dangerous for us. It is when all the demons decide to collect and try to murder us until 3:00 AM. With this knowledge, we have been able to plan ahead and survive as of so far. So what's the bad news? Basically, as a Peccator, you have two options: get possessed by a demon and die young or live the rest of your life in sin. Unfair system? Yes, absolutely. Does Satan give a sh*t? Nope, not at all. Alright, any questions?"

Ana raised her hand. "Can we have a snack break?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jules wasn't sure how much time had passed. The loud crashing sounds against the academy door was starting to become white noise. She sat in a corner alone, with her legs held against her chest.

She wasn't able to digest the things Ellen had told her. It didn't feel right. Jules refused to accept that there was no other options for Dealers and Peccatores other than dying or going to hell. There had to be a solution.

Jules looked at the other Peccatores sitting around her. They were all from her school. She recognized many of her classmates but they did not speak to each other. It was a mutual understanding of if we don't acknowledge it, we can pretend its not happening. Most had brought their own pillows and sleeping mats and were fast asleep. No one looked scared. They were used to this.

Jules looked at the front of the room and felt bad for the academy students. Even with their strategy of switching groups constantly, they all looked like they would faint at any second.

Jules watched as an academy boy approached Randall in a panic. Randall was sitting in a couch pretending to read a book even though he couldn't read through his blurry goggles. The other council members were sitting in couches around him, each doing their own thing to entertain themselves.

"Sir, we have an issue. The demons are getting stronger while our people are getting weaker. I don't think we can last much longer. The demons have never been this strong before. I don't know what's going on."

Randall raised a hand to silence the boy from continuing his pointless ramble. Randall didn't show it, but he was starting to get nervous too. He needed to stay calm to keep his people calm. He noticed that the academy students were getting weak to the point where the door was slightly opening every few minutes.

"I guess we have no choice but to take over." Randall sighed and motioned his hand to the student council. Simon stayed sleeping on the floor. No one felt like doing the impossible task of waking him up.

Once the student council took over, the door glowed even brighter and no longer opened. This made the restless academy students feel relieved. However, that peace did not last long.

Within thirty minutes, the demons must have doubled in numbers because even with the strongest six academy students, they were still struggling to keep the door closed. The banging was getting louder and louder.

"Simon!" Randall yelled from across the room. "Come help us!" Sweat was dripping off his face and his swimming goggles were so fogged up that he couldn't see anything. "Simon! Get your a*s over here now!"

Simon slowly sat up and observed his surroundings.

"No thanks. I rather die in my sleep," He replied before laying back down and snoring again not long after.

The student council tried not to show their anxiety or fatigue on their face. The last thing they needed was for everyone to panic.

"We're not going to last much longer," Skye stated through her rapid panting, "What are we going to do? We still have hours before 3:00 AM."

Randall tried to think of something but his mind was coming up blank.

All the academy students were staring warily at the unstable door but their eyes shifted to the back of the room at the sound of a scream.

The right side of Jules' neck began to burn as the Dalmellington Academy tower clock began to sound, signifying that it was midnight. Abby ran over and tried to comfort Jules but the pain drowned out everything happening around her. She grit her teeth but some groans still managed to escape her lips. It was a burn that engulfed her from the inside out.

The familiar sound of squawking crows could be heard in the distance. Not long after came the screeching of the demons. The crows were attacking them from the outside.

The student council backed away from the entrance, knowing that the demons would be taken care of soon. But they did not feel as relieved as the should have. Their savior could easily turn into their executioner.

Within minutes, the piercing screams of the demons stopped and so did the banging on the doors. It became silent.

Black smoke appeared at the center of the room. It continuously caved in on itself until it thickened to reveal the figure of a man.

Jules could feel something detach from her scorching skin as a crow flew out of her neck. Her eyes followed the black winged creature as it flew and perched itself on a shoulder. The black smoke was gone.

There stood a man who could have been sculpted by the devil himself. He wore a dark navy dress shirt, unbuttoned down so low that it exposed the tattoo of a snake. The snake's head laid in between his toned pecs and its tail wrapped around the left side of his neck. It made his towering height even more intimidating. His tousled brown hair fell above his right eye where his dark eyebrows sloped in such a way that it made Jules think of a deviant fox. To top it off, his prominent jaw accentuated his symmetrical facial features. Everything about him was robust and defined as if he was carved from marble.

Jules was caught in a mesmerized trance once again, one that was stronger than when she first saw him.

He stood with a such a presence that immediately dominated everything else in the room.

"Kneel." His command was like the first crack of thunder during a storm--unexpected and penetrating.

All the academy students dropped to their knees in the blink of an eye.

Jules remained in her crouched position, not moving a single muscle. She was not one to be in denial when it came her thoughts and emotions. Dr. Johnson had taught her that if there was anyone she must be absolutely truthful with, it was herself. And so she was.

She could not deny that there was a moment between Dixon's arrival and now that her rapid heart beat had ceased to be from fear and began to thump wildly in her chest for another reason.

She wasn't the only one.

The academy girls would ordinarily stare at Dixon at any chance they got. He was free eye candy, a secret pleasure that wasn't so secret because everyone did it. But they knew he was angry and the fear subdued the desire. The academy students kept their eyes cast down.

"This is so unfair," Ana whispered very lowly to Skye.