Chapter 5 Who woke me up

CHAPTER 5

I arrived on the scene. The courtyard was already full of students.

Some carried baseball bats in their hands. Others, ropes, eggs and graffiti spray. Who knows what they intended to do to me.

Burying my fear deep inside, I passed between them with my chin held high.

– Get out of the way! – he grunted.

They led the way, whispering:

"You're going to die today, Hawk."

"Let's give your father a little message..."

"You're crazy to show up here."

I stopped in the middle of the courtyard, right in front of the Founder's statue. Below the statue was his tomb.

It was Skola's most central location. A popular meeting place.

That's why I chose him.

Yes, it was a bit morbid to build a school around the remains of one's ancestor, but the mafia had its quirks. We took family loyalty to the last resort.

I was shaking inside. Even so, I didn't let them see my fear.

I looked at my tormentors. The Madderos occupied one end and the Colombians the other. What was left of the Italians occupied the middle, and students from other families clustered in the center.

All of them hungry. People that my father deeply annoyed.

I swallowed my fear and announced.

– I'm Lavinia Falcao, the Favorite of the most powerful mobster in the world. – Whoever you are. – I don't know your identity, but I know you're here. Whoever you are, come forward.

Esteban Maddero laughed acidly.

– Oh, shut up, girl. Do you think we're idiots? We looked into your past before giving you the black card. You're nobody's favorite.

– Yes, I am! The strongest protects me! And whoever dares to touch me will have to deal with him.

The other Mexican leader, Alma Maddero, spat:

– Don't be stupid. There is no stronger mafioso. Power has been divided equally between three families for almost a century. Your belief is a fallacy, don't waste our time.

"That's it!" others shouted.

"Liar! Coward!"

"She brought us together to deceive us..."

"It won't work."

Someone came out of the crowd and stopped in front of me.

Roza Gonzalez. The Colombian woman I attacked.

– Hey, you Brazilian cow! – red and swollen eyes. – I finally found you. Does anyone have pepper spray? I have a personal vendetta to operate.

I walked backwards, swallowing.

Someone will come to save me, someone will come...

Suddenly, a voice shouted:

"Stop!"

Someone made his way through the crowd and reached me.

It was the Japanese Naomi.

– Don't touch this girl! – she gasped, pale. – Or the consequences will be very serious.

Esteban grunted.

– Shut up, yakuza. You've pissed me off enough. Don't get in the way of my revenge.

– Don't you understand? – she was terrified. – This is bigger than both of us, Maddero! The strongest mobster in the world will come to protect you! I gave the Order myself! When I fainted, I had a vision of the deed taking place.

– There is no stronger mobster alive.

She swallowed.

– I never said I was alive.

Suddenly, something happened. Lightning flashed in the sky. The earth beneath our feet shook.

People screamed and ducked, protecting their heads.

"Is it an earthquake?"

I gasped, terrified, and held onto the statue behind me.

What was going on? There were no earthquakes in the Czech Republic!

It was sudden. As quickly as it began, the thunder and tremors ceased. The courtyard fell into a frightened silence.

The students looked at each other. That wasn't natural.

– Oh, no. It's an omen. – Naomi concluded. – He's coming.

"Him, who?" they asked.

But there was no time to respond.

We heard abnormal noises. A stone seemed to be smashed to pieces. Sounds of sticks and hard things being broken.

Everyone looked at a point above me.

"But what...?", expressions wide–eyed.

I followed their gazes and...

I came up against the impossible.

The statue of the Founder was breaking from the inside out. As if there was something alive inside.

The statue's marble breastplate shattered. Someone came out of the wreckage.

The students got up from the floor, gasping in shock.

"But what is this?"

"Is someone hiding in there?"

"Wait, isn't this the Founder's tomb?"

The unexpected visitor emerged from the wreckage. He flexed his neck from side to side, as if he had been petrified for many years.

He wore clothes from another century. He carried a sharp cane. Young, tall and muscular.

He wiped the dirt from his eyes. He opened his eyelids and stared at us with a penetrating gaze.

Green. Frightening. Unmistakable.

Everyone started shouting.

"Holy shit!"

"That's him!"

I gasped and fell backwards. I crawled through the grass and away from that freak.

It's not possible. He'd been dead for almost a hundred years. What was he doing here?

Kaizen Petrov cracked a cruel smile.

– Who brought me back? Bad idea.

***

Some students ran. Others fainted. Others just screamed and hid behind each other.

"Ghost, apparition!"

"Someone call a priest!"

"It's not possible! Are we having a hallucination?"

"Is this a joke?"

He was exactly as portrayed in the books of our history. The original legendary cane... The moth–eaten clothes... The bearing of a gentleman from another era... The irises that pierced the soul...

You couldn't fake that.

It was him. Kaizen Petrov.

Naomi was the first to recover. She came walking towards him, trembling.

– You... Are you the Founder? Kaizen Petrov?

He arched an eyebrow.

– But of course, girl. Who else would I be?

Some fainted. Others began to pray. Others knelt down and cried out to God.

"It's a miracle!"

– It can't be. – Naomi blinked. – You've been dead for a hundred years. Look. – He pointed to the building behind him. – That statue is your tomb.

– I know I'm already dead. I'm not an idiot. Are you Naomi Mikan?

– Y–yes.

– It was you who conjured me. I heard your voice telling me to wake up, because someone needed me.

– Oh my God! My suggestion!

He raised an eyebrow.

– Suggestion? Are you a sorceress, like me? Do you have the gift of Manipulation?

– Yes. I gave an order for the most powerful mobster in the world to show up and carry out a mission.

– And did you specify that the person should be alive?

– No.

Everyone gasped.

– Well... – Kaizen smiled sideways, mischievous. – There he is. The most powerful mobster in the world is me.

She was petrified.

– Of course.... No one alive or dead has ever been more powerful than you...

– You should be more careful with the words you use in your orders, sorceress.

Naomi looked away. She whispered to herself, shocked.

– An Order always comes true. No matter how.

– That's right. It's a basic law. Don't they teach that in this school? Orders are dangerous and can even wake the dead. Believe me, I was born with the same power as you. I know what I'm talking about.

Shit, shit, shit. I was still lying on the floor, barely able to move.

Naomi brought a dead man back to life! Just to protect me!

In person, Kaizen was unbelievable. Tall, strong and tanned. Curly brown hair. Green eyes that mesmerized his enemies.

He looked around, intrigued.

Students with colored hair... The piercings... Skirts that are too short... Cell phones in their hands...

– What year is it?

– 2023.

– Hum. My last memory is from 1928. Ninety–five years ago.

– What else do you remember?

– I remember being shot in the head, the pain and the darkness... Then hearing a voice telling me to wake up and come do a mission... – he frowned. – I feel like there's someone I need to protect at this time. I just don't know exactly who it is.

Oh, my God. He was looking for me!

At that moment, some students emerged from the crowd.

– Mr. Petrov! – one of them gasped, delighted and terrified. – I'm Boris Petrov, your descendant. – He pointed to his Russian friends. – And these are Ekaterina and Grigori Petrov. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but... We're your great–great–grandchildren.

– Oh, good. The family came to pick me up. – Kaizen brushed the dust off his shoulders. – Take me to my quarters, I need a bath. It's been ninety years in a tomb.

Nobody could believe it. It was history happening before our eyes. Either a miracle or a curse.

At that moment, I realized something interesting...

Nobody paid any attention to me. I was forgotten.

Kaizen Petrov rising from the dead was much more interesting than a silly game.

Taking my cue, I dragged myself backwards. I entered the crowd. I got up and sneaked out.

I jumped over the back wall, where a car was waiting for me. One of my father's contacts.

The driver was wearing a mask and a cap. Anonymous.

– Ms. Falcon? I've come to pick up a package.

"Order."

It was our keyword for quick escapes.

– I'm the package itself. – I informed him and got into the car. – Let's get out of here.

He accelerated, taking me to my refuge.

During the journey, I tried to process what I had seen, but I couldn't explain it.

Who could?

That's why Naomi's gift was considered so dangerous... That's why she lived in isolation...

His talent knew no bounds. Dead or alive, the world's most powerful mobster answered his call. An irrefutable Order.

My request worked. The Founder himself rose from the dead to protect me. This meant that I was...

Your Favorite?

Jesus. That was necromancy.

I couldn't be the protégé of a freak. I had to disappear from the map and never set foot in Skola again.