I hated fucking heroes. They were, like, so nice.

Call it a biased opinion—since I was villain and all.

But that was what they told me;

The other villains.

Now the Hero.

He was here.

No one spoke of him; ever since the first day of freshmeat year you were told the heroes turned the human race against the villains and swore to stop at nothing until we were all in the ground.

But once the human population began dropping like flies, the heroes disappeared and left their mark as only myths and urban legends.

The return of the Hero terrified Villain Academy; they say his kind crept into the night with masked eyes and slit our throats for pleasure.

And there was one, in the girls' locker room, wrapping me—a villain—in his arms with a hungry desire to rip me to shreds.

His teeth grazed my ear and I leaned away, his voice sending my heartbeat on a wild frenzy.

"Do I scare you?" he whispered.

I gathered the bluff I had spent years perfecting and let out a bitter laugh. "Baby, I find you hella cute."

His body stiffened and a rush of warmth coursed through my blood.

"Excuse me?" he said, exasperated.

"Excuse me?" I repeated.

His hands did a funny twist on my wrists and I choked on my own laugh, black spots appearing in my sight. I caught the ends of Roger's weak voice. "Don't hurt her."

My numb wrists had me grinning. "Awe but sweetie---The more pain he gives, the more bones of his I'll break."

The Hero yanked a fistful of my hair and I screamed. "You want more?" He dragged me into the open shower rooms, my legs kicking and nails digging across the tiles.

He hurled me and my skull cracked against the cold cement wall. I slumped to the ground, darkness creeping in my eyes and a new wetness dripped down my temple.

"Still fun?" I heard him say.

"Very." I glimpsed up, seeing the reflection of my grin through his masked eyes. "I'm flattered you think red is a good colour on me." I spat blood across his black shoes, grinning wider. "But it looks better on you."

His fingers dug into the back of my neck and he threw my face up. "You even think about running we'll slit your friend's throat."

I ripped my gaze away from his black outlined mask and focused to the left where three sinks lined the walls of the open shower room. Fours blurs stood by the bench and I shook my head, clearing my mind.

"Roger," I murmured.

The kid had his back pressed against one of the Hero's partners and he whimpered at the threatening dagger held to his throat.

I made a frantic leap for him but the Hero pinched his fingers deeper into my neck, and I yelped.

"Chill! I won't run, 'mkay?" He pinched harder and I swallowed a cry. "Someone has trust issues."

"Remember you're the villain here," the Hero said.

I managed to raise a brow. "Am I?"

His eyes hooded any emotion and he pushed his fingers even further into the spine. The air seemed thin and I drew shallow breaths.

My gaze frantically darted back to Roger. My vision went glossy and blurry and I furiously blinked back.

The man holding Roger harshly spoke. "For heaven's sake Archer, hurry up. I'm itching to kill this wiggly worm."

"Archer," I said. My lips stung at the sound of the Hero's name.

Arched squeezed my neck and I gasped, his grip aiming my face so I could stare into his masked eyes. "Here's the truth. You have something I need."

The sweet madness I locked up for the sake of sanity poured open and coated across my broken face. I smiled. "Cupcake, I ain't giving you noth'in." Both my legs swung backwards to my ears and clamped down on his neck, flipping him over my head and I pounced, straddling him by the shoulders.

His brows narrowed and he shoved me off, my body rolling and setting me free before I bent down to spring. "C'mon sugar," I taunted, refusing to crack my walls again. "Why do you really need me?"

His nostrils flared and he stood tall between Roger and I. "Must you be so charming?" he asked.

"Flirting with death is a sweet hobby of mine."

He buttoned up his navy blue straight jacket and straightened his cuffed sleeves. I wanted to squirm at the discomforting smoothness of his voice as it slid into my ear.

"Vhalerie," he began. Hearing him say my name was surreal and I had to blink back to catch his next words. "I need your trust."

"My trust?" I grabbed onto one of the sinks to keep my knees from buckling. "Why would a fucking villain trust a hero? After this?" My bare hip leaned on the cold ceramic and I lamely crossed my arms.

Archer growled and moved fast, my feet dangling off the ground in seconds. One strong hand lifted me by my neck and all my eyes could do was fall into his. "If it was up to me, I'd want a bullet through that tiny brain of yours. But unfortunately, I need you."

Bruise marks surely formed on my neck and I sucked in a desperate breath, suffocating under his hand. I spoke with burning lungs, "Gee...way to draw the line between wants and needs." I snuck in a madman grin. "Sweetie."

He ground his teeth together and knocked my head into the ceramic sink and my tongue bled from biting down on the whimper. He used his shoe to roll my body over, and lowered, brushing the pink strand of hair away from my face.

I struggled to sit up but he harshly yanked me to stand, finally keeping his hands off me. My gaze flickered over to Roger's big, worried eyes, refusing to look at the Hero. "So, Archer right?" I rubbed my bloody lips together, the metallic taste waking my senses. "Care to explain this 'trust' you want?"

Archer sickly smiled and swiped a thumb across my bottom lip, leaning into me. "I need you to join us." Confusion accidentally slipped from my façade and he grinned, having the right hand again. "Oh, you know. What does your high school call? How the jocks stick together-the nerds, the geeks. Cliques? Groups? Packs? What you stupid adolescent teens use to blend into a high school setting?"

I snorted at his idiocy. "You want me to be a part of your school group for what? Popularity? Mister, I'm afraid you already knocked out your ticket to social hierarchy 'cause I'm the most unlikable villain at the academy."

"Popularity?" Archer's laughed shattered my smile that was worth ages of training. "You think I'm suffering from some teen drama? This is beyond some foolish high school spectacle. We need you for something else. It will be a temporary position at Villain Academy and once we finish our business here..." He kept silent and just grinned at me.

A frown deepened across my mouth. "Temporary position? As for this to work that means you have to-" My eyes widened and I felt the world spinning. I thrashed in protest, shaking with denial. "No, no, no."

"Worried I won't fit in?" he asked, mocking an offended face. "Although I may not match the requirements of a spineless bitch like yourself, I think with your reputation as an asset, you'd make us feel right at home."

I tried clawing out his stupid, stupid face but he just shoved my head harder into the floor. I slipped from his fingers and refused my body to come in contact with the ground again. Knees wobbling, I glared at Archer and spoke, "People will know you're a hero. They'd kill you within a heartbeat."

A smirk pulled the corner of his lip. "No they won't. Because you and your little friends aren't going to tell anyone-especially since you'll be hanging with us for a while."

I leaned my back into the wall to support me, standing now. "Sweetie, I'm the most feared villain for a reason; I don't need a group and I definitely don't belong in one. So if you even for second, think I'll be a part of your group you can go shove a finger up your ass. I'm sure you'd like that."

This power coursed through my veins and I straightened my back.

His hand whipped out of his jacket and I grinned. Hello, old friend. I stared into the gun with my nose barely kissing the barrel. "Perhaps a few bullets will help you decide?" Archer remarked.

A dark shade of humour coloured my mind, this vile blackness filling my heart. "Awe cupcake," I said. He kept glaring as I planted the gun into my lips, it just breaching the tip of my mouth. "You're going to have to bargain for something that's worth more than my life." I did a long, slow lick up the gun, wetting the cold metal and stared straight at him with twinkling, wild eyes.

But his eyes danced the same wicked tango. "I knew you'd say that." The back of his hand cracked against my cheek and my body crumpled by the sinks. A yelp was let loose and a distinct red lip dripped down Roger's trembling throat. "Agree or I kill him."

My head felt heavy and I couldn't even make out Roger, only the smug bastard's face staring down at me.

I wiped my mouth across my arm, trying to stand but legs collapsed in an exhausted jumble. Archer murmured a low curse and nodded to his partner. "Do it."

"Wait!" I screamed.

What replaced the blade was a metal band that clamped down on Roger's arm, his throat safe. The man holding him tossed Roger beside me in disgust.

Before I did anything Archer explained, "If you disobey me that bracelet will melt off his hand and the rest of his arm. A poison will simultaneously release into his blood stream, killing him in seconds."

I shoved Roger behind me and lashed out cruel, forbidden words that I hope stung the Hero, my verbal assault becoming stronger.

But Archer looked untouched; his eyes hooded any emotion and he stepped back, watching me until I was a huffing mess. "Alright spineless bitch. Welcome to the clique," he said.

Still on the ground, I let my pink hair fall over my eye and flashed my bloody teeth. "Sugar, how 'bout you shove that welcome up your ass."

His two other friends stood behind him, all three with identical thin masks across their smoky eyes. Archer spoke in a calm, hard voice. "Vhalerie. There's no escaping me unless you want to risk Roger's life. Just give in already."

He turned to leave and I pushed off the floor, my legs a blur as they swung across his temple. His head jerked sideways and the boys winced, the Hero dangerously close to hitting his head off the sink.

I smiled up with red lips and laughed-hells bells, I kept laughing until knuckles drove straight to my stomach.

His calm exterior split and he grabbed onto my throat and I faced only a slice of his wrath that made him the most feared creature.

His glare burned into my eyes, imprinting my vision with a look that terrified and fascinated me. "Heroes are gods. We walk the earth and you should kiss our feet. You villains are the monsters who poison our blessed grounds with your murderous, nightmare crafting hands. You ruined us-you ruin dreams."

The black spots reappeared and his fingers squeezed a gasp out of me. I held onto his arm-not for mercy; but to imprint my own distinct grin that was already tattooed on many other hearts. "That's where you're wrong, Mister. You and I-We're no different. Gods are the monsters."

His jaw tightened and I felt the blade split my wrists open, the knife dragging across in a single swipe. I disappeared under his hands with a yelp. "I refuse to be entertained by your fantasies," he spat. My head bowed down in pain, my body kneeling to his feet. "This is how it should be. You villains thought we were myths, but let me let tell you something. We are breathing. We are living. Oh baby, we're real." He bent and yanked my chin up. "Let those cuts remind you of that."

Rage burst through my chest and claws broke past my nails. I lunged, catching skin before a knuckle landed on my jaw.

I heard a sickening crack and he mimicked my gesture; my fingers touched my jaw and his traced the three deep scratches across his neck. "Let those cuts remind you of me," I hissed back.

He was in mid-stride before I let out a harsh breath and staggered to the side. Archer stopped and watched me clutch my stomach.

My skin was radiating heat and the throbbing in my wrists, head and jaw heightened. Suddenly the pain travelled deeper than I thought and I felt my body activate its natural defense.

Not now, not now, not now.

My chest burned, the inner beast raging to surface.

Roger paled, only seeing this happen once before. "Vhalerie"-he reached out a useless hand-"Don't do it!"

"Stay away!" I gritted through my teeth and swung my hand to keep him back.

The mixture of sweat and blood dripped off my face and I breathed out hard, my insides throbbing to explode.

"C'mon," Archer said, ushering a finger to reel me closer. "Let it out. Show us the real monster we know you are."

I hunched over, my bones shaking, trying to keep the beast in. "No," I said more to myself and looked up with a twitching smile. "What makes you cuties worthy of seeing my freak show?"

"We know what you are." I heard him take a step forward. "We know more than you."

My smile twisted into an animalistic snarl. "You know nothing about me! Stay away!"

Archer advanced a step and I failed to stumble back, his hand both terrifying and suddenly worth ripping apart. "Just let it out, Vhalerie. You know you want to."

Roger jerked his head to the side. "What are you doing?!" he screamed at Archer. "I've seen her transform! She'll burn this school to the ground and tear us apart from the limb and bone!"

Archer's grin widened and his eyes sparkled in fascination. "Now that'll be a freak show worth seeing."

Roger's brow had never seem so narrowed and I would've been afraid he'd lose his voice from the severe yelling, "You don't get it. I've seen what she can do! We have to do something before she shifts!"

Drenching in my sweat, my voice was meant to come out soft but instead sounded more of a raspy breath. "Roger. No one...can see...I'm trying..."

"I know," he said, the sudden stress raising his voice to a high pitch. He whirled back to Archer who kept his feed rooted, still too close. "No one else has seen her beast form and she'd like to keep it that way! So do something before we all die!"

Archer approached me and softly spoke, "Don't worry. Let the beast come out. You don't have to fight it."

My gaze steered clear of him and the locker dented with the imprint of my fist. "Stop!" My muscles shrunk, grew and then shrunk back; skin stretched and pulled, molding into the bone.

"Vhalerie," Archer said and my hearing intensified. I shrieked, covering my ears and tried shaking his voice off, my head thrashing side to side. But the sound of my name kept bouncing around in my mind and I barely heard his next words. "Let go. I can help."

"I said stop!"

"I can help you. Just let it out," Archer said.

My body the prison, the beast shook the bars and I could already hearing them breaking. Heaving in large gulps of air, I put my hands on my knees and felt my claws digging into my kneecaps. "Leave me alone!"

My eyes emptied into the blackest pits of darkness and Roger stumbled into the bench.

"Do it!" Archer was screaming now.

"Shut up!" Roger cried and slid beside me, careful not to make contact with my trembling body. "Vhal. Vhal, don't do it. Don't listen to them! Keep it in!"

The locks started rattling and water jetted out of the shower heads. My spine curved and then snapped straight back. Roger kicked away and two other men backed off except for Archer.

"Listen to me. Stop trying to fight it," he persisted.

The ceiling lights flickered on and off, and I heard the bulbs vibrating above my ears.

"Archer!" one of his friends hissed, clutching the trembling sink. "Listen to the kid! Leave her alone!"

I crouched, the beast triggering every pressure point to keep me down. The tiles shook under my palms and knees. Roger crawled behind the bench, becoming the defeated little boy again. "Vhalerie, control! Please."

My claws ran down the shower drain, metal burning at the scrap of indestructible bone. One of the men touched their ears to reveal blood and scrambled back in horror.

Archer pounded his fist on the bench and I flinched. "Stop fighting it!"

I screamed and heard my bones snap and click into place, tugging my skin to fit against the newly formed creases.

"Let go." Archer's voice knocked off my balance and the other world spilled open. The darkness flooded in, and I gasped before it swallowed me whole.

Roger cast a worried look at the Hero. "What have you done."

The monster sucked the oxygen out of my lungs and my neck cracked backwards. Skin peeled off, exposing midnight blue scales and the blackest fur.

My lips opened and released a beastly roar followed by a choir of children screaming; reverberating through the tiles, lockers and striking everyone's hearts with a bolt of fear.

The beast carved a devilish smile on my lips and my gaze snapped to the first thing these fangs wanted to sink into.

"Archer."

+++

A/N:

It was so hard not to write 'let it go' in this chapter. But I bet somebody broke into song at one point in the end of the chapter-it's inevitable. Frozen had made its mark in our generation.

I personally enjoyed this chapter more. How did you find it?

Vhalerie does have that Harley Quinn twist because she was the inspiration of that character so some lingo will be similar---just letting you know if you're into the Harley fandom ;)

Please vote and comment <3

The next chapter won't take as long to update!

Qotd: Who is your favourite villain? 

Xx twister