On the Academy Roof*

The school’s roof was a sanctuary. When the building was first constructed, the original vision was having the roof be a courtyard with a view—provided you ignored the fence. It even had benches and greenery to liven up the area. Didn’t take long for administration to ban it for students. Four months after the school opened, a student climbed the fence and took a swan dive onto the pavement below. Instead of rooting out the cause of the tragedy—namely the severe bullying she was receiving from her classmates—administration took the path of least resistance and banned students from using the roof.

There were ways around the ban. For most students who broke the rules, it was a name thing. Their family name and the wealth and power behind it protected them from any consequences. For students like me who didn’t have a fancy name or unlimited funds, it took some greasing the wheels. I did have some connections thanks to my extended family, but it was a card used only when necessary.

My access cost a pair of court side seats. The head security guard was a fanatic fan and took his son as a birthday present. That favor earned me access to the rooftop during lunch. Even better was my new friend disabling the only camera to ensure there wasn’t any evidence. Administration never pulled footage unless it was to cover their asses, but it was better to cover all my bases. If there was one thing this school had taught me, it was never allow someone to gain leverage against you.

My rooftop sanctuary took me away from all the Noise. It allowed me to think with a clear head. Hands resting at my side, I took a deep breath as the breeze tugged at my posh uniform. The smell of earth and tinge of sweetness filled my lungs. Below me, I watched students move about their day unaware of my passive observation. It was a lunch period and a nice day, so people were taking advantage to eat their lunches out in the carefully maintained landscape.

The thought of food caused my stomach to rumble in soft protest. I ignored it. The last place I wanted to get near was the cafeteria during lunch. It was the battleground of the countless invisible wars being fought on a daily basis. There, the Noise was a roar I couldn’t escape as people were torn apart by their enemies and backstabbed by their allies.

No, it was best to avoid the cafeteria. The student body in general. Here, giants and titans sent their offspring to learn. When you were a mere man, it was only a matter of time before you were crushed underfoot.

The burst of emotions warned me of their presence before the door opened. I took a few steps back to be out of sight behind the walls covering the doorway and stairs. This was the reason I didn’t stand out in the open courtyard. Even if students rarely came up here, there were still times when I had visitors.

The door opened and voices spilled out into the air. They were speaking too low for me to hear properly, but the laugh told me that there was at least one girl. A glance around the side of the building confirmed it. One girl and a boy. Ducking back around the corner, I closed my eyes as I found I recognized them both.

Adam was a big name around school. His mother was some big CEO and his father had political connections. He was in the untouchable class of students here at the academy. His family’s wealth and power inflated his ego and he walked around as if he owned the school—and considering how staff and administration bent over backwards to accommodate him, that might as well have been the case. It also made him a grade-A asshole with a god complex. He was one of the worst bullies around school. While he wasn't the most creative when making other people’s lives miserable, he could do so with impunity. What made it all worse was his Gift. He had an aura of charisma which won him easy allies despite his rotten nature. When activated, it would weave itself into your mind and make you want to believe him, even if you objectively knew better.

Adam was hardly the only one here who abused his Gift, but his was uniquely egregious. It went against some cosmic balance that such a horrible person could be so universally loved. The man was popular, extroverted, and attractive—yet there was some nugget of evil at his core that everyone else simply ignored.

As for his companion, I knew her by reputation as well. Chloe Reed. Unlike Golden Boy, her notoriety was definitively negative. It was no secret that she was the school’s fucktoy, even if people went about pretending that it was a rumor. The mystery was never about whether she was sleeping around, but rather why so many guys were willing to metaphorically line up to do it. As squeamish and hot-headed as they normally got regarding their girlfriends, I simply couldn't understand why she had so many repeat customers.

Literally. It wasn’t enough that she put out, but she charged for it, too—and considering the sickening amount of wealth most people here had, it wasn’t an insignificant sum either. And they paid. Even someone like Adam, whose charm could talk him into any pair of panties in school, seemed perfectly willing to pay. The only thing I could figure was that it had something to do with her Gift, but the specifics eluded me and I wasn’t about to ask.

I risked another glance around the corner at the sound of Chloe’s bubbling laughter. The way she moved reminded me of a dancer. Graceful and flowing as she moved toward the center of the courtyard. Arms out, she spun in gentle circles as she took a breath and enjoyed the sunlight. Her dark brown hair fluttered from her movement and the slight breeze. The skirt of her uniform lifted just enough to reveal the white of her thighs where they were not covered by her black, thigh-high socks. She appeared to be in a joyous mood, her smile as radiant as the sun.

But that was a lie. I might not have been able to hear their low conversation, but her Noise was deafening. Sadness, Resignation, Disgust. Her emotions rolled off her like ocean waves, unrelentingly crashing into my mind. Strong emotions like these were always the easiest to read as they broke against the fortress in my mind again and again.

Adam was the polar opposite. He was calm as he followed after her, hands in his pockets and a swagger to his step. Even if he was following after Chloe, it didn’t seem like he was chasing her—stalking was a more apt description. A casual pace that indicated he had all the time in the world. His Noise showed me otherwise. I could feel his impatience and annoyance at her antics. The only things that kept them in check were his lust and anticipation.

“Well? We’re on the roof,” he called out, loud enough for me to hear. “Just like you wanted.”

She stopped her slow spin and focused on the golden-haired boy. His Gift was in play. It brushed against the fortress of my mind, whispering demands for my attention, my respect, wanting me to hang on to every word he said…

I ignored it, brushing it off like an unwanted bug crawling up my arm.

“What’s the rush?” she asked, keeping her smile in place. Her Noise told another story. She was stalling against the inevitable.

“I’m hungry and we only have thirty minutes. The quicker we're finished here, the sooner I can eat.”

The mask slipped as she stared at him. “Then go eat if that’s more important. Nothing is keeping you here.”

I couldn’t see his reaction, but I felt it in his Noise. He was smiling. From the tapestry of emotions on display, it wasn’t the good kind of smile. “True, but I’m also horny. Can’t take care of that in the cafeteria.”

Arms crossed, the facade was tossed aside. Chloe’s face was more in tune with her Noise now, annoyance and disgust marring her pretty face. “Then get your girlfriend to take care of it—or is she also charging you now?”

“You really need to work on your customer service, Chloe. I am a paying customer, after all. Isn’t the customer king?” The moment the last word left his mouth, I felt it. A crash of his charisma slammed against the walls of my mind. This wasn’t like the whispers from before, it was a thunderclap. The voice of a God.

Powerful as it was, it failed against the impenetrable bulwark of my mental fortress. Whatever broken piece of my mind kept my emotions at arm's length also protected me from others’ Gifts. A blessing as much as it was a curse.

As for Chloe, she was not as fortunate. His Gift didn’t dominate her—that wasn’t what it did. Instead, it nudged her attitude towards him. The hostile emotions she felt for him turned towards annoyance now as his Gift soothed her anger.

“Whatever,” she said, dropping her arms. It wasn’t enough to make her like him, but the disgust she had felt for him was absent—for the moment.

Once more, Adam was abusing his Gift. Using it on someone like this would land a normal person in a heap of trouble, but rules didn’t matter much to someone like him. Taking a few confident steps forward, he made a show of pulling out his wallet.

“How much?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Three hundred.”

Annoyance flowed from Adam. “It was two-fifty three days ago.”

“And now it’s three hundred.” This time, she wore a genuine smile. The way it hit her eyes made all the difference. “Supply and demand. Demand is up, prices go up. Aren’t you planning to go into economics or something? Thought you’d know that by now.” She plopped back on one of the benches, stretching her arms out over the back as she crossed her legs. “Take it or leave it.”

He said nothing as three hundred dollar bills appeared in his hand.

“Thank you!” she said in a sing-song voice, snatching the offered money away. Folding the bills, she tucked it down the front of her uniform. “You providing the condom, or do you want to buy it from me?”

“I’m not buying your thirty dollar condom.” She clicked her tongue, as if disappointed in the lost sale. “Don’t give me that. We’ve always done it raw.”

Even with his charisma blasting from him, it wasn’t enough to stop a pulse of disgust from running through her Noise.

“It’s extra.”

“Fine.” He didn’t even ask for a price, tossing another few bills at her.

She scrambled to collect them. “This—”

“Not pulling out is extra too, right?”

A slight pause. “Right.” The bills disappeared the same way the others did.

Eagerness radiated from Adam. Giving a short whistle, he spun his finger around in a silent command before reaching down to the front of his black slacks.

Seeing what was about to happen, I slid back into cover. Even if I couldn’t see them, their Noise was as clear as ever with them being so close. At least it wasn’t overwhelming with only the two of them. Adam was a mix of lust and smugness. Chloe’s was a bit more varied. His Gift had removed a lot of the disgust and dislike she’d been feeling before. There were the usual things I would have expected in this situation. A bit of lust. Some excitement. Anticipation. The usual things associated with pleasure.

I’d almost written the whole thing off until I felt the whisper of sadness underpinning her Noise. I latched onto the sorrowful undertones as one would an artistic rendition of a somber scene. It pulled at me. Deeper and deeper my mind fell into the cold embrace. It wasn’t only sadness that gripped me, but a profound loneliness. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen such emotions in someone’s Noise, yet this one seemed to resonate with me like a song taking hold of my attention and making me want to listen despite the sorrowful lyrics.

Before it could consume me, I pulled away and retreated into my mental solitude. There, the Noise battered against the walls and left me unaffected. Looking down, I found my hands quivering before balling them into fists. It had been a long time since I’d experienced Noise strong enough to move me. Here, in my mental fortress, I was calm and collected. My racing heart continued to slow as I took deep breaths.

My collected self returned as I tuned out the Noise as best I could and thought about my situation. I figured it wouldn’t take long for them to finish and go about their way. I just needed to endure.