It's been an even two years since their first day of school at The Moonshine Academy. The students, made up of the children of the League of Heroes and their friends, are now in fifth grade. The youngsters are grown up.... well, almost.

Lily is now 13 years old. Ernest is already 14 like the rest of his siblings, except for Atlas, who is 15 and the oldest of the group.

Thanks to their group of class friends: Tsireya, Lo'ak, Pedro and Neona, they were able to find their way around the Academy perfectly. But there was one but... Aonung, Neteyam, Roxto and their gang.

Lily and her siblings learned quite quickly about the true colors of these guys and found out that they were not at all as friendly as when they first met them.

Normally, they kept their distance from them, but everything was destroyed  when Aonung and his friends started bully Atlas.

-----

Atlas was sitting in the cafeteria at one of the tables reading a book. He had headphones in his ears so as not to hear the shouting and conversations of the other students. His siblings were scattered elsewhere, helping teachers, or were in the library, or were with Pedro, Tsireya, Lo'ak and Neona.

Suddenly, something hit Atlas in the back of the head. The hybrid jumped up surprised and turned his head, noticing Aonung, Neteyam, Roxto and two other boys. Atlas sighed in exasperation.

- What do you need, Aonung? - He asked and pulled one headphone out of his ears.

- Are you some kind of... freak? - Aonung asked with a weird expression on his face that resembled concern, but had a deadly sneer in it.

- He said, are you a freak? - Roxto asked with a mocking smile, repeating Aonung's words like an obedient servant.

Atlas furrowed his brow in deadpan, watching Aonung's friends burst into mocking laughter.

Atlas snorted and closed the book he was reading. - No.

He got up from the table and took the book in his hand and picked up his book bag from the floor, intending to leave the cafeteria, so he wouldn't have to listen to these retards.

- Are you sure? You're not human, not even Serpentine. - Neteyam added to the stove, watching the hybrid walking past him with a mischievous grin.

- Yeah. Look at him. Freak! - called out one of the unknown guys in the group.

Atlas rolled his eyes at them and hissed under his breath, sticking out his tongue. Then Aonung took Atlas's book from under his arm and lifted it into the air, laughing

- Give it back. - Atlas hissed, turning abruptly to him.

- And what is this? A pathetic snake reading a book about a pathetic love story? -  Aonung said with laughter.

Atlas hissed and shook the end of his tail, feeling a growing anger at the boy. His friends's laughter didn't help either.

- Me, at least, learn about other emotional acts than the constant display of an act of dumbassery, of which you are a perfect example. - He hissed at Aonung, pushing his shoulder.

https://youtu.be/ebZDA0l24jE

Aonung furrowed his brow in anger and his friends made an owl sound in shock. Neteyam allowed himself a small smile of amusement, but quickly hid it with a cough.

- What did you say, weirdo?! - Aonung growled, quickly approaching Atlas's face, sending him a look full of sharp daggers.

- What you heard, fish lips. - Atlas hissed, sticking out his tongue.

Aonung growled, before an exasperated grin appeared on his lips. - But that's not me, I am not a freak who looks like paint was covered on him. Look at his skin! His tail! What are you anyway, huh?

Atlas fell silent as Aonung's friends started howling with laughter and mocking his appearance. Roxto raised Atlas's hand in the air. - Freak!

Atlas jerked his hand away and hissed hostilely. - Back off!

- Hey!!

Cried the angry voice of a young Serpentine and a white-haired girl. Rose and Ophelia, with angry expressions on their faces, approached the teenagers who surrounded Atlas.

- Get away from him, fish lips! - Ophelia hissed, pushing Aonung away.

Rose looked at Neteyam, and he looked at her. The girl sent him a disappointed look that didn't hide her anger. The boy with amber eyes flinched slightly and looked down. However, his guilt was covered by a grin, when Aonung looked in his direction.

- Oh, a freak protector and another alien! - Aonung mocked.

Ophelia hissed. - Leave him alone and back off.

- Or what, freak? - Roxto sneered.

- Or, fuck, I'll hit your faces. - Rose growled, standing up to face Neteyam, forcing him to step back with raised eyebrows in surprise.

- Oooooh, I'm so scared!

- Leave us alone! - Rose yelled.

The teenagers laughed. Ernest with Pedro and Neona at his side angrily approached the group. Ernest grabbed Aonung's arm and pushed him firmly away from Ophelia. Aonung's smile quickly disappeared replaced instead by a deadpan and all the laughter and smiles of the others disappeared.

- You heard her. Leave them alone. - Ernest said in a low voice to the teenager, who looked at him annoyed.

- Ooh, dangerous big brother. - sneered one of the unknown teenagers, wanting to approach Ernest, but was stopped by Aonung.

- Back off. Now. - He growled, pushing Aonung with his finger.

Aonung looked at Ernest with a stone face. His eyes flicked quickly to the duo behind him, Pedro and Neona looked at him with furrowed brows, and Neona let out a low growl of rage. Pedro pulled Ophelia and Rose away from the boys and Neona protectively put her arm around them.

Neteyam looked at Rose, who stuck out her tongue at him in mockery. The black-haired boy smiled slightly and winked unnoticeable at her.

After a while, a smile appeared on Aonung's face and he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. Ernest smiled slightly.

- Good choice. And from now on. You must respect my siblings. - He pointed out and turned to his friends. - Let's go.

The siblings and the two friends began to walk away toward the exit. The group of boys jokingly waved at them and said goodbye, before whispering about them, but Ernest, Rose and Atlas didn't hear it. But Ophelia did.

She stopped as if she had been caught off guard, hearing the mocks about her and her siblings, and furrowed her brows. She sighed and turned toward the boys, starting to walk slowly toward Aonung.

- Ophelia. - Rose said.

- I on it, sis. - She assured and walked up to Aonung.

Aonung approached her, smiling proudly. Ophelia raised her hand. - I know we are weird. Look at my hand, I am a freak. An alien.

Aonung laughed under his breath as did his friends behind him. However, he tilted his head to the side with interest when Ophelia began to speak further.

- But I can do a cool trick. Do you want to see?

- Bring it on.

- Okay. First I tide my fingers together and hide them like this. - Ophelia said, doing it. Aonung leaned closer to her hands and a smile appeared on Ophelia's muzzle. - Yeah, and then...

Then Ophelia hit Aonung hard in the face not once, not twice, but as many as three times! The surprised teenager didn't even defend himself, and fell to the ground shocked. His friends gasped in shock, as did Ophelia's siblings.

Neona and Pedro roared with laughter at Aonung's shocked face and his bruised face.

- Good job!! - Pedro laughed and wiped a tear of amusement from his eye.

- That was probably the best thing I've ever seen at this academy. - Neona added with a laugh.

Ophelia smiled at them, before looking hostilely at Aonung, who was still lying on the floor.

- It's called punch, bitch! Don't ever say that to my brother or touch  any of my sisters again! 

Aonung growled furiously and rushed at Ophelia, knocking them both to the floor, starting a fight. However, Ophelia quickly gained the upper hand and hit Aonung hard in the face as she towered over him.

Then Aonung's buddies, without Neteyam, rushed at Ophelia and grabbed her by the tail, pulling her away from their friend/leader of the group.

Pedro scratched his head and exchanged a look with Ernest. They exchanged a communicative smirks and ran up to the struggling group.

- Pedro/Ernest!! - Rose, Atlas and Neona gasped, opening their mouths amazed. 

Pedro pulled one of the boys away and kicked him in the stomach with his knee, before punching him in the nose with his fist. Ernest kicked Roxto, who was pulling Ophelia's tail, in the stomach, before throwing himself at the other boy.

Neteyam sighed and sent Rose an apologetic smile, before throwing himself at Ernest and knocking from him one of the boys. Neteyam sat on his chest and started punching him in the face.

Then Tsireya, Lo'ak, Lily, Ingrid, Flame, Jake with two other teenagers entered the cafeteria. Kiri Sully and Miles "Spider" Socorro.

Kiri is a 15-year-old girl with short black hair and green eyes. Miles or Spider as he is called by Lo'ak, Tsireya and Kiri is a 16 year old boy with long blond hair and brown eyes.

All the teenagers who entered the cafeteria when they saw what was happening on the floor in the middle of the cafeteria dropped their jaws in shock and amazement.

A group of boys and one Serpentine rolled on the floor, beating each other. They shouted furiously, hissed and sweared.  

- What the hell...!? - yelled a surprised Lo'ak.

- Hey! Stop fighting! - Lily cried and ran up to the group of boys.

Lo'ak, Spider, Flame and Jake quickly ran after her, trying to separate the fighters.

- I'll go get some teacher! - Tsireya cried and ran out of the cafeteria.

- What happened? - Kiri asked, looking at the fighting teenagers, as if they were some freak of nature.

- It started that Aonung with your holy brother and the other dumbass started mocking Atlas, then Ophelia started the fight. Can you believe that she hit him in the mouth three times in a row!? - Neona said still excited about it.

- Seriously? Woah... - Kiri replied and crossed her arms, watching with amusement as the group still jerked  in the arms of the teenagers, who dragged them away. - He deserved it. - She added after a moment, when she saw Aonung's battered face.

- That's an understatement. - Neona laughed lightly.

Just then the door to the cafeteria opened with a bang and Professor Strickler walked in with Principal Finch.

- WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!!!? - Principal Finch  roared and everyone flinched.

- Uh-oh... - Rose whispered with Kiri.

The teenagers who were fighting quickly stopped their actions and looked in horror at the furious principal, who was walking towards them.

- Mr. Finch, I can explain...! - Neteyam began.

- Shut your yap, Sully! - the principal growled and directed his gaze at Aonung.

- Tsakarem! Explain it right now!

- I... They attacked us. - Aonung pointed to Ophelia and Ernest with Pedro.

- Not true! They were the ones who accosted us, sir! They mocked and laughed at Atlas's diffidence! - Ernest yelled, pointing at Aonung.

- What!? Don't lie, it was you who started it! - Roxto accused.

- ENOUGH!!! - the principal roared. - I'm not interested in who started this fight. I'm still calling your parents today. All of you!

All the teenagers in the cafeteria gasped in horror.

- Yes. And those who fought will have detention. End of discussion!!! - Mr. Strickler ordered with a cold expression on his face. One eye even twitched in anger. - You bring shame to our Academy.

- Exactly. Sully, Tsakarem, Chumsworth, Moorington and others. To my office. There you will wait for your parents. - Principal Finch ordered and turned to leave.

All the students groaned but nevertheless followed the director. There, they would be awaiting murder from the wrath of their parents.

Mr. Strickler, who followed the group, had a small grin, which he quickly covered with a cold expression. His eyes, alarmingly, quickly glowed a lava color, before returning to their normal state.

------

At a secret base in an unknown location, the Skeleton King sat at a desk and his eyes glowed the same color as Mr. Strickler's.

- Everything is going according to your plan. - he said to a figure in a black cloak, who was standing by the glass and looking at the skeletons at work.

- Perfect. We have waited fourteen fucking years for this. And SHE will return in great, dark glory. Just as I announced to you a decade ago. - said the mysterious person in a cold tone.

- The skeleton of the Red Death is already almost complete. Her coffin has been found, now only need to catch these kids. - The Skeleton King said.

- I'm not the one doing the dirty work. - said the figure in a dismissive tone and shrugged his shoulders. - You have to catch them. I'll take care of the rest.

- Sure. Because you have to have everything handed to you on a platter, right? - hissed the Skeleton King at the figure. - I won't be your servant forever, Basilisk.

Basilisk laughed under his breath, before raising his hand and lighting it with purple fire. The Skeleton King gasped in pain and grabbed at his bony arm, which is covered under his clothes.

A symbol was engraved on his bone, allowing him to be resurrected.

- For now, until SHE returns you are my pawn. At my mercy is your existence, Skeleton. I gave you a mission and a reason to live, which you screwed up the first time. You have a chance for redemption, because without me.... You're just a pathetic pile of bones that can.... accidentally fall apart. - said the figure in an over-sweetened tone, but also with deadly venom.

The Skeleton King groaned in pain. - Okay, okay! Stop it!!!

Basilisk's hand stopped burning with fire and he hid his hand in his cloak.

- You see? Want or not, you are my pawn. If you try to defy me or worse.... Ignore my words. I'll throw this pathetic carcass of yours into Purgatory. And you wouldn't want that, would you?

The Skeleton King squirmed and a shudder ran through his body. - No. I will do whatever you command me.... My Lord.

- Great. You must to kidnap all the descendants of these pathetic heroes and bring them to me. This is your only mission... For now.

- Yes, sir.

The figure then turned to face the Skeleton King and nodded. His blood-red eyes turned black and after a moment the figure disappeared in a black streak.

The Skeleton King breathed a sigh of relief, as he disappeared and leaned back in his chair. He looked at the spot where the figure had just been and growled, grinding his teeth.

- Damn reptile. 

= END OF THE CHAPTER FOUR =