Seldom

[Okay so, this is something I have been planning on writing since...June, I think. At first it was only going to be a simple, lame story with an overused plot, but as things began happening around me(depression, friend issues, etc.), I decided to change it a little. There will be things that I will refer to that actually happened to me. So this story is basically to help me release many, many things I've kept bottled up for years. So don't be surprised if there's suddenly a lot of dialogue. Also, I wasn't planning on dedicating this to someone, but as I thought more and more, everything I thought about during these past few months and the things I told people, I knew I had to keep pushing forward. By the way, just for the record, I don't like this chapter. Seems awkward to me. Anyway, I'll shut up now. Enjoy.]

Our dreams and our goals are what drive us to be who we are. The challenges we face are what drives us over the edge. We are human, and there should be nothing that can avoid that. We are who we are because of the choices and mistakes we make, and the dreams we wish to see.

-In dedication to my grandfather who always pushed me and told me I must push myself in order to reach what I want. The one person who gave me the strength I always needed. Rest in peace.​

Prologue​

There were always those kinds of stories and rumors based on something that cannot be real. The imagination of someone can make that person create these kinds of things by simply thinking about them and then telling others. But what if the things that were told were true? What if they were not made up and actually happened? Or, what if it could happen?

We all end up meeting someone who has a wacky mind and creates silly stories. If you haven’t met someone like that, well then I guess you’re lucky. We all want to believe in fantasy stories just to get out of reality. Let’s face it, reality is a *****. But we might as well deal with it. It’s not like we can escape it. It’s impossible. Unless, you decide to lose your mind and let it wander. Okay, so I’ve done that before, so what? Losing my mind for an entire day didn’t really help. It just showed me that we might all end up losing our minds at one point. Anyway, if the fantasies we wish to see come to “lifeâ€, would that mean the reality we believe in is no longer…reality? Would it all feel like a dream or a nightmare?

Chapter One: Normal Day​

The sound of a phone ringing echoed throughout a small house, causing a young girl to wake up from her sleep. Slowly opening her eyes, she groaned, annoyed that the sound continued even though it usually stops in a matter of seconds. She brought her bed covers over head, wanting to block out the noise. A minute felt like forever to her; she frowned as she pushed her covers off of her body and sat up straight. At that moment, the phone had finally stopped ringing. Finally. She answered it, the girl thought, referring to her mother. She sighed as she turned her attention towards the clock that sat beside her bed. Seeing the time, she wished she could have slept a bit more. The girl groaned once more, getting out of bed to begin her day.

***​

Rushing out of her room and into the living room, the young sixteen year old girl-Rena-spotted her mother and her younger sister, Alice. The both of them sat on the couch together as Alice giggled happily for something Rena did not know about. She rolled her eyes and walked to the front door, figuring her mother would not notice her presence. It was always the same for her; Alice would always receive the attention while Rena barely received any. It was actually rare, but it never really surprised her when she did get it. She quickly picked her bag off the ground with one hand, while putting her other hand on the door knob to open the door. Rena stood up straight, ready to leave for school, but she waited a few seconds to see if she would be the noticed. Although she had her back turned, the only person she knew that really did notice her was her younger sister. Alice smiled brightly, looking passed her mother’s shoulder to look at Rena.

“Have a good day at school, Rena,†Alice cheerfully said watching her sister.

Rena looked over her shoulder, looking at Alice to see she was smiling at her. Rena tightened her grip on the door knob, showing a small, fake smile before opening the door and leaving. As soon as the door closed behind her, Rena walked away from the front steps and headed down the sidewalk. She casually put her hands into her pockets, staring straight ahead of her as her mind began to wander; then again, it always did that when she was alone and even when she was with other people. It did annoy her friends from what she knew whenever she would stay quiet and stare off into space. But, it annoyed her when they would pester her to tell them what she was thinking about. Apparently, to them, thinking is something bad. Then again, the things she would think about were never good, or rarely good. Everything she thought about always somehow put her into a bad mood, whether the thoughts were good, or bad.

“Rena!†the sound of her name being called caused her to stop walking and to turn around. She already knew who it was; she would recognize that male’s voice anywhere. The only time she actually felt the feeling of happiness was when she was with him.

“Hey there!†the boy said as he ran up to Rena to catch up with her. He smiled cheerfully at her and slightly moved the strap of his backpack. “Ready to go?â€

Rena showed a small smile and slightly nodded her head. “Yeah,†she said, turning away and began to walk again.

The boy’s smile faded, automatically knowing something was wrong with Rena. He bit his bottom lip and stuffed his hands in his pockets, and began following her. He stared at her quietly, hoping she would speak, in hopes that maybe he would be able to help her. The awkward silence was actually making him uncomfortable, though. He picked up his pace to walk beside Rena, and looked down at her. They were just a few inches apart. Rena stood to about five feet and six inches tall, while he stood up to about six feet tall.

“So, uh…everything al-â€

“I’m fine, Scott.â€

“You sure? Doesn’t seem like it.â€

“I am. Don’t worry.â€

Scott quietly sighed as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Once he opened his eyes, he looked towards the direction of the street and shifted his hands in his pockets. “Well, just know I’m here, if you need anything.â€

Rena nodded her head in response to what Scott had said, she had nothing else to say; she would ask how he was, but knowing him, he would change the subject to her. The rest of the walk to school was complete silence.

***​

By the time Scott and Rena had gotten to school, the bell had rung already for them to head to class. They could not meet up with someone else they were always with. The two friends had separate classes. Rena had Biology for her first period while Scott had Math Analysis; he was one smart boy for a sixteen year old. While they walked to class, Scott kept his eyes on Rena while he walked closely behind her. He knew something was wrong with her; or, she was most likely thinking of a few things. Sometimes he wished he could know what Rena was thinking so he would be able to help her. Sighing quietly, Scott averted his eyes away from Rena and saw his classroom number and some of his classmates entering the classroom. As they got closer to the room, Scott slowed down his pace as Rena did the same.

“I’ll see you later, alright?†the brown-eyed boy said, directing it to his friend that walked beside him. Rena nodded in response and showed a weak smile as she picked up her pace again. Scott watched her leave and waited outside of the classroom until she was out of sight.

As Rena walked down the hall, her eyes darted back and forth as she kept her head down. Something felt out of place, but she could not put her finger on it. Either she was just in a bad mood, or something really was out of place. I can’t wait until tomorrow. Hopefully that field trip will help me or something. She thought to herself. Within a matter of seconds, the bell rang, causing her to take off running.

***​

“Is that even possible?†a male’s voice slightly echoed throughout a large room. In the center of the room was a large table where five people sat. He stood just in front of the table while a young woman stood beside him remained quiet; the five figures that sat at the table all had their heads turned to their direction.

“Of course it is,†a female’s sharp voice was heard just to the right, causing the two that were standing up to turn their heads to the woman’s direction.

“How can it not be?†another male’s voice said just across from the woman that had spoke earlier.

“Well-â€

“Quiet! You were not asked to speak,†A deep voice hastily shouted, cutting off the young man that was about to speak. “Do not question the things you are told.â€

“Now, now, relax everyone,†a different male’s voice spoke. This one was a bit more calm and relaxed than those that have spoken already. “I just need the both of you to head there and patrol around, I suppose. More odd readings have begun to show up in that place and we need someone to check it out.â€

The young woman that stood beside the boy that was interrupted earlier took a step forward and straightened her posture. “But sir, why us? There are others more suitable for a job like this,†she stated, trying not to seem as though she was trying to insult those in front of her.

“You were chosen because we believe the both of you fit this job perfectly,†a calm, gentle feminine voice spoke. “Now, get going.â€

The two that were standing looked at one another before turning their attention back to those that sat at the large table. They both raised their right hands up to their foreheads, saluting the five people.

“Thank you for giving us this job. We’ll be going now,†the boy quickly said before lowering his hand, turning away and leaving the room with his female companion following closely behind him.

As soon as they were out of the room, they both relaxed. The girl crossed her arms around her chest and closed her eyes. “Do you actually trust them, Austin?†she asked in a low voice as they walked down a corridor.

“We can’t question our jobs, remember?â€

“I’m being serious.â€

“I don’t want to, but if they’re sending us, we might as well take that as an advantage. We can simply do…part of our job and then do what we want.â€

“That’s called slacking off, idiot.â€

“I didn’t mean it as in take a vacation, I meant the other way. Remember what I told you a while back. That is what I mainly plan on doing once we get there.â€

The girl opened her eyes and looked at the young man she called Austin. She stared at him for a couple of seconds before smiling and closing her eyes once more. “Well, then I guess it’ll be eventful while we’re there.â€

Chapter Two: History​

~10 years ago~​

It was the first day of school and a young dark haired six year old was surprisingly eager to get to school. Most little children that were starting school tend to cry for their mothers, afraid of being separated from them. As she walked down the sidewalk with her mother holding her hand, the little girl stared down at the pavement; her eyes open wide with anticipation. She raised her head and looked up at her mother, smiling and began to tug at her mother's hand. The little girl giggled as soon as the grown woman looked down at her with a smile on her face. The girl moved forward and tugged her mother along with her.

“Come on, Mom!†the girl's tone was filled with happiness and joy.

The girl's mother stared at her daughter as they reached the entrance of the school. The girl let go of her mother's hand, taking a few steps forward; her eyes still filled with anticipation. She suddenly felt someone grab her hand; looking up to see who it was, her mother stood beside her and began walking, heading to the classroom the six-year old was enrolled in. In a matter of minutes, the mother and daughter stood in front of a classroom that had a sign above it that read "Class 48". Children rushed into the classroom; some looked as though they were eager as well to get to school, while others were crying and clinging to their mothers' legs. An elderly woman stood at the entrance of the classroom, introducing herself to all of the parents that would walk their children into the classroom before leaving. The elderly woman was carrying a black notebook that she looked into every time a parent and their child would walk up to her.

The elderly woman turned her head and noticed the brown-eyed girl and her mother as they walked up to her. The woman smiled, recognizing the woman that held the girl’s hand.

“I’m glad you were able to make it instead of your husband,†the woman’s voice sounded fairly gentle and kind. Although, it just seemed like an act.

“My husband would have brought her, but he had work to do,†the little girl’s mother spoke; her tone seemed different than what her facial expression showed.

The woman with the notebook nodded her head as she looked down at the eager six year old. She smiled and opened the notebook, moving her finger down a list that had the names of all the students in the classroom. Her finger soon stopped on a name that read “Johnson, Rena Scarletteâ€.

“Ah, yes. Here she is. I can take her now. Thank you for coming.â€

The girl’s mother nodded her head and mouthed a ‘thank you’ before moving her hand that held her daughter’s hand, giving her to the teacher. As the elderly woman pulled on her new student’s hand to take her inside, Rena looked over her shoulder, refusing to go inside as she watched her mother walk away. “Mom…†she mumbled, attempting to tug her hand away from the grown woman.

“Come now, dear. Your mother will come for you once school’s over.†Before she knew it, she sat in a single desk, other children surrounding her. Some were standing and were already making friends with one another; others were crying out for their mothers to come and get them. Rena simply sat there, her hands firmly against her lap as she stared down at wooden desk. She could feel tears begin to build up in her eyes, but she held them back. Class soon started as soon as the teacher walked into the classroom, ordering the children to take their seats and to pay attention.

***​

It was recess and all the students in Crest Elementary School were out in the playground, laughing and running around as they enjoyed their time. The screams of little children as they ran echoed; teachers, administrators and teacher assistants walked around the playground, talking to students and keeping an eye on everything.

Rena sat somewhere far away from everyone; somewhere she felt she could be alone and be able to cry without people asking her what was wrong. She sat against the brick wall of the school, her knees against her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Tears streamed down her face and onto her dress and arm; she could only wish that it was her father that had dropped her off instead of her mother. The things she had heard in the morning before she left for school rang in her ears repeatedly, making more tear build up in her dark brown eyes. Rena kept her eyes tightly shut and resisted the thought of running to a teacher.

“Is something wrong?â€

The sudden voice caused Rena to quickly open her eyes and to look in the direction the voice had come from. Her tears had suddenly stopped coming down as she stared at a little boy that looked about her age. “W-Who are you…?†she asked.

“Answer my question,†he said, taking a few steps closer to Rena.

“Why do you care?†she asked as she moved her knees away from her chest and placed her hands against the cement floor.

“You’re crying. Obviously something must be wrong so maybe there’s something I can do to help you or to at least make you feel better.â€

Rena was stunned. This boy didn’t even know her and he wanted to help her. Who would even do that? It all just seemed too weird. “There’s nothing you can do,†she retorted, raising her voice a little which caused her to start crying again. “So leave me alone.â€

The boy walked closer to Rena and knelt down by her side, staring at her as she stared back. His direct attitude was a bit odd to her and a bit uncomfortable as well. She blinked a couple of times before looking away, feeling blood rush up to her cheeks.

“You know, if you continue crying, you’ll become ugly,†he said; his tone seemed so calm and relaxed.

Rena sharply turned her head to look back at him, curling up her fingers in her hand. She certainly did take completely offense to his words, but she actually felt a smile trying to cross her lips. Although the entire time, in the back of her mind she knew he looked familiar. The boy suddenly smiled and stood up, looking down at Rena.

“Now stop crying. Whatever it was that upset you, I'm sure it'll get better,†he said as he stretched his hand out to help Rena stand up. As she stared up at him, wondering if she should take his hand, the boy was smiling the entire time. Rena wiped her eyes with her left hand and took the boy's hand with the other.

***​

I had always blamed myself whenever Rena would cry. Whenever she buried her face into my chest, I always felt as though I couldn’t do anything to make her happy. As though all I could do was hold her and nothing else. She had always relied on me to be there for her; to protect her from others. To protect her from those that wanted to break her heart. When I had met her, although she was crying, I knew she was happy then. But now, it's completely different. I can't bear to see her like this.

Scott stared up at the clear blue sky, his head leaned back as he let his mind wander freely, remembering certain things that made him smile, but other things that made him angry. As he narrowed his eyes, he felt someone put their hand on his shoulder and began to gently shake him.

“Scott?†a girl's voice softly said just to his right.

Scott turned his attention to a redheaded girl that had snapped him out of his thoughts. “Huh…?†Somehow, whenever he would look at the girl, her hair and eyes were the first things he would always see. The color of her hair was a fairly dark red which reminded him of a rose, and the color of her eyes were a bright green.

“We should go look for Rena,†she said, removing her hand away from Scott’s shoulder and placing them on her lap. She blinked and tilted her head at the same time, noticing Scott had given her a confused looked. “Everything okay?â€

“Uh...Yeah. Everything's fine. Just kind of dozing off,†Scott nervously laughed as he looked away from his friend and stood up from the bench they were sitting on. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and began walking away from the area. The girl stood up from the bench, watching Scott as he walked away; she closed her eyes and sighed.

“They're exactly the same,†she muttered under her breath before she opened her eyes and took off running to catch up with Scott.

Chapter Three: Let It Begin​

That day had gone by a little too fast. Then again, Rena did not really pay attention to it, and she actually wanted it to go by already. It was already after school and she was just leaving her last class. The bell had rung just a few minutes ago and the students in that class were already eager to head home and rest; she was always the last person to leave other than her teacher. During class, Rena always had a lot of papers on her desk which most of them was her work from not only that class, but other classes as well. She never really did like the idea of heading home and having so much homework to do in just a few hours. Plus, she was always “busy†after school.

Once she had finished collecting her papers, she put them in her bag and put the strap of her bag over her shoulders. Sighing, Rena quickly left the classroom before her teacher would ask anything; all of them did, they all wanted to know about her life and what was going on. It always annoyed her to no extent.

As she walked down the hall, she could hear other students talking and laughing; she figured most of the students had gone home already. She even sometimes stayed after school with Scott and another friend. She actually wanted to stay after school today with them, but she felt more like she just wanted to head home. Rena put her hands in her pockets and stared straight ahead of her, lost in her train of thought.

“Hey!â€​

Rena slowed down her pace until she came to a stop and turned around. Someone had called out, but nobody was there. “Hello?†she called back, but there was no response; she was the only one in the hallway. The voice she had heard sounded a bit feminine and it sounded as though it had echoed. Rena slowly shook her head and turned back to the direction she was heading, continuing to walk.

“Rena!â€​

This time hearing her name, Rena quickly turned around, taking her hands out of her pockets, looking around. There was nobody there; was someone trying to pull a trick on her? “Who’s there?†Taking a step back, she waited for a response but there was nothing. She suddenly felt someone put their hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn around and swing her arm. She felt the person catch her arm and as soon as she saw who it was, she relaxed and pulled her arm away.

“Don’t think you can actually hit me, Rena.â€

She stared at the brown-eyed boy that stood before her; it’s not like she meant to swing her arm at him, she just simply got tense when he had touched her. Rena looked over his shoulder to see a redheaded girl standing behind him with a concern look on her face. It was the same look she got whenever she acted different. Rena looked away, taking a step back and lowering her head.

“I’m sorry…†she muttered putting her hands back in her pockets as she took another step back.

The boy that had approached her raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms as he stared at her. Rena didn’t bother looking up; all she did was take another step back. Hearing the boy suddenly sigh, Rena lowered her head, causing her bangs to cover her eyes. Whenever she heard one of them sigh, it felt like a stab to the heart for her; she always knew it wasn’t a sigh of frustration, but a sigh of worry, something she hated causing others to do.

“Rena-â€

“I have to go now,†she raised her voice a little as soon as her dear friend said her name. “I’m not staying after school with you guys today.â€

Already knowing her other friend would say something, Rena quickly turned around and walked off, leaving her two friends confused and most likely worried.

“Scott…â€

“Leave her,†the dark-haired male said as he shook his head, turning the opposite direction. Not bothering to wait for a reply, he brought his arms down to his sides and began walking away. The girl he was leaving behind ended up letting out her own sigh, a bit bothered by the way the two were acting. “Might as well wait until later,†she mumbled before turning around and following Scott.

***​

Rena sat just outside her room on the balcony she would always spend most of her time alone. If she wasn’t in her room, she was on the balcony; if she wasn’t on the balcony, then she was most likely at the park with Scott and their other friend. She stared down at a small MP3 Player she held in her hand, rubbing her thumb against it, thinking and listening to the music. It was already dark out and it was going to be 9:00 PM the last time she looked at the clock in her room.

“Who was it that I heard at school?†she quietly asked to herself, narrowing her eyes. The voice wasn’t familiar and when she heard it, it sounded as though it had echoed. All she really knew that it sounded pretty feminine so it must have been a girl. She pressed her lips tightly together and took off the earphones, putting the MP3 Player in her sweatshirt pocket. She brought her knees up to her chest and leaned her head back against the stone wall of her house.

Since the voice she had heard at school wasn’t familiar, she couldn’t accuse anyone for messing around with her. Maybe it was someone from another school…? Then again, who would even go to Chronic just to mess with someone? Nobody from another school even knows my name so that can’t be it. Rena trailed off in thought as she placed her arms against her knees, staring up at the star-covered sky. The light in her room was off and the only light that could be seen were from the streetlights. There was even a full moon. If it was completely dark out, with no lights, it would look beautiful to her, knowing there would be moonlight.

“Thinking again?â€

Rena turned her attention to her left, seeing Scott climbing over the railing of the balcony. As soon as he was on the other side, he turned to face Rena who was staring at him with a blank expression on her face. He showed a small smile and leaned against the metal railing.

“Kind of,†she finally replied.

“You always say that,†Scott quietly said, just loud enough for Rena to hear.

“You don’t believe me when I say it?†she asked, turning her attention away from Scott.

“At times I do and at other times I don’t.â€

“Why is that?â€

“Because you have the habit of lying to not make me worry. Or to not make others worry.â€

“Hm.â€

“Whether you lie or not, we still worry about you. Both Rose and I.â€

Rena looked back at Scott, smiling a little at his comment. She closed her eyes and rubbed her head as she let out a sigh; she lowered her hand down against her lap and leaned her head back against the wall, keeping her eyes closed.

“Why were you….jumpy earlier?†Scott asked, keeping his eyes on Rena.

“I heard…something,†her quick response caused Scott to raise his eyebrows in surprise.

“What did you hear?â€

“It’s hard to explain.â€

Scott narrowed his eyes and looked into Rena’s room, seeing her clock right by the window; it was already passed 10:00 PM. Scott blinked once and looked back at Rena. There was a long pause between the both of them.

“I should go now,†he muttered closing his eyes.

As soon as he had spoken, Rena quickly opened her eyes and looked back at Scott to see him climbing back over the railing.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at school. Good night,†he said before jumping down into the bushes. From where she was sitting, Rena could see Scott leaving. She had suddenly felt something hit her inside. She could never explain the feeling she felt but she got it a lot whenever she watched Scott leave. She felt tears build up in her eyes, making her suddenly hug her knees and lower her head, shutting her eyes tightly.

“Come back…â€

***​

Rena sat in a yellow bus, sitting next to her redheaded friend; it was odd that her name was Rose when the color of her hair reminded everyone of a rose. Rena sat by the window, staring outside to see a museum just outside.

“We’re here,†Rose quietly stated, looking at Rena with a smile.

Rena looked at Rose, showing a weak smile and nodding in response. She was looking forward to this field trip, but she figured Rose was looking forward to it more since she was a bit of a History nerd. Scott didn’t have that class with them so he ended up staying at school with other friends.

As soon as the teacher told the students what they needed to know, everyone in the bus exited it and went into the museum. It was fairly large and the look on Rose’s face when they entered made Rena smile. She had the facial expression as though they had just entered heaven.

The small group of students were guided throughout the museum with someone who worked there and knew everything well. In the back of the group, Rena could hear a few students whispering something that kind of caught her attention. She soon lost track what they were talking about when she heard their guide start speaking again.

While their guide talked, Rena was lost in her own thought of what she had heard. She crossed her arms and lowered her head. Can they really be that naïve? She closed her eyes for a brief moment, letting out a quiet sigh. She figured she should ignore the thought.

She looked ahead of her once again but soon noticed something from the corner of her eye that caught her attention. It was off in the corner and it was glowing with an eerie red color. She heard footsteps but kept her attention on what was glowing. The group was already walking and she paid no attention to them. She closed her hands into a fist and walked over to the unusual object.

“What is this?†she asked, speaking to no one in particular.

She knelt down next to the object and picked it up with her left hand; she couldn’t keep her eyes off of it. Rena shook her head and blinked a couple times, taking her eyes off of the red object and looked around. “No one’s here…†she muttered, also noticing there was a case not that far from her. She stood up straight, taking a step forward but soon stopped, noticing the glow of the object become stronger. She looked down at it and suddenly felt a burning sensation on her arm and hand that held it. Her eyes grew wide and she dropped down on her knees, using her other hand to hold onto her burning arm.

“What the hell is going on?!†she yelled, gritting her teeth as she dropped the red stone. Her vision suddenly began to blur as the burning feeling on her arm began to calm down. Her breathing suddenly became heavy as she tried keeping her eyes open. Before she knew it, she fell unconscious.

Chapter Four: Nightmare​

Rena’s vision began to clear as she open and closed her eyes repeatedly. She could see someone standing above her, looking down at her. She could not make out the face of the person but the figure had long hair so she was sure it was a girl.

“Rena…†the girl’s voice was gentle and familiar. Although, her tone made it clear she was concerned for Rena.

Rena looked at the girl, finally able to see it was Rose who was looking down at her. Rena was lying down on a bench inside the museum while Rose was on her knees next to the bench with a water bottle in one hand and a damp towel in the other. Rena raised her head a little, quietly groaning as she shut her eyes for a brief moment.

“Wh-What happened…?†she asked opening her eyes.

“We found you on the floor unconscious,†Rose answered as she handed Rena the water bottle.

Rena’s eye grew wide as she took the bottle and sat up. “What…?â€

Rose stood up and tilted her head a little, giving her friend a confused look. “Do you know what happened? You seemed perfectly fine throughout the field trip, but when you suddenly disappeared, I told the guide and our teacher so we ended up turning around. When we found you, you were on the floor unconscious and barely breathing. Right now, everyone’s at the park that‘s right next to the museum.â€

Rena stared up at Rose, remembering what had happened before she blacked out. She lowered her head and placed her hand over her mouth; she shifted her eyes to her left hand, remembering the burning feeling she felt while she was holding that red stone.

“Rena, what happened?†Rose’s voice broke Rena’s thoughts.

“Um,†Rena paused before looking up at Rose with a smile. “I was just hungry and really thirsty. Sorry for making you worry. Don’t tell Scott, please.â€

Rena quickly stood up and walked away from the room they were in, leaving her redheaded friend behind. What was all of that? she cursed under her breath and closed her hand into a fist. Was it a dream or did it really happen? Rena left the museum while Rose had ran to catch up with her. She turned her head and saw the park that Rose had mentioned. Rena looked over her shoulder and soon continued walking, seeing some of her classmates sitting down on the grass and having their lunch. I must have been unconscious for a while.

Not that far away from the two girls, Rena saw their teacher, Mr. Watson, raise his arm and wave at the two girls. He walked over to the girls, grinned and looked at Rena. “Hey there, Rena. How’re you feeling? You gave us all quite a scare back there.â€

Rena looked up at her teacher, who was a few inches taller than Scott, and smiled a little. “I’m fine. Sorry about that. I’m pretty hungry so I guess it was because of that,†she lied. “I’ll go eat now before I pass out again.†Rena laughed before she began walking again, passing her teacher and leaving Rose behind, again.

Mr. Watson had let out a chuckle but he didn’t mean it. He crossed his arms and looked at Rose. “That girl can be confusing at times,†he said as he shook his head.

Rena sat down under a large tree and sighed, bringing her knees close to her chest and placing her arms against her knees. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, continuing to think about what had happened before she fell unconscious. She soon raised her head as she opened her hand, spreading her left hand. She rolled up the sleeve of her sweater and stared at her arm, seeing no burn mark on it. “What the hell?†she murmured. She sighed once more, fixing her sleeve and leaning her head back against the tree. “Was it really a dream?â€

***​

Rena laid on her bed; her hands behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling. Her sister, Alice, had told her something about what happened to her at the museum. She figured Mr. Watson would end up calling her house to tell her mother that. But, her mother didn’t tell her anything; her sister did. Shows me how much my dear mother cares.

Rena sat up, looking around her room before looking at her alarm clock that sat beside her bed. She blinked a couple of times before looking somewhere else, taking off her sweater. As soon as she took it off, she briefly looked at her left arm and then looked away. But, something had caught her attention. As soon as she looked back at her arm, her eyes grew wide; Rena shrieked as she leaned back and accidentally fell off her bed, her face hitting the floor before the rest of her body. Her eyes were tightly shut as she winced, her face hurting because of the fall. She opened one eye, soon opening the other, staring at her left hand. “That…wasn’t there,†she said to herself, seeing a dragon tattooed around her wrist and the head of the dragon on the palm of her hand.

She blinked a couple of times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, but it was actually there. She pressed her lips together, pushing herself off of the floor and sitting down, her back against her bed. She raised her left hand in front of her, opening it and closing it into a fist. “It wasn’t there when I was in front of everyone, but now…†she trailed off, wondering why it wasn’t on her arm when she was with Rose and everyone else at the museum.

Rena suddenly heard her phone vibrate, causing her to slightly lung towards it. She grabbed it and noticed she had just received a text message from someone. She opened her phone and narrowed her eyes, seeing the text message was from Scott. She bit her bottom lip, having second thoughts on reading it, but she figured curiosity would get the best of her. She pressed the button on her phone to read the message.

Don’t think you can actually hide things from me. Rose told me what happened. I would have gone to see you at your house after school but I’m a bit busy. Please be okay. I’ll see you tomorrow at school. Take care…please.

Rena groaned in frustration, sick of the way she’s been making Scott and Rose feel. She dropped her phone on the carpet, lowering her head as she put her hands on her head. “I’m sorry…†she mumbled. She could feel the tears begin to build in her eyes, but she inhaled deeply, resisting the urge to cry.

“Rena.â€​

Rena quickly raised her head and looked around the room, hearing someone say her name. “Alice?†she called, standing up and looking over towards her door, seeing no one.

“Don’t be scared.â€​

Rena quickly turned towards the window that led out to her balcony; still, no one was there. She narrowed her eyes, looking around her room, noticing that voice was familiar. “You’re…that person from yesterday,†she said as she continued to look around her room.

“Yes. I’m glad you recognized me.â€​

“Show yourself,†Rena quickly responded, clenching her fists.

“As I said, don’t be scared. I am not your enemy.â€​

“Enemy?â€

“Yes.â€​

Rena crossed her arms around her chest, thinking for a moment. “What do you mean by enemy?â€

“There are people who will come here who will want to cause harm to you and to your hometown.â€​

“These people are…?â€

“I cannot say.â€​

Rena rolled her eyes as she turned towards the direction of her balcony, nodding her head a little.

“That mark on your hand is proof enough.â€​

“Proof for what?â€

“That it will be you who will save your home and the people around you.â€​

“Wait a minute-â€

“I want you to head out into the city. Prepare yourself.â€​

Rena cursed under her breath, figuring she had lost her mind once again since she was hearing some voice. She looked down at the floor and picked up her phone, putting it in her pocket. Might as well. She walked towards the window that led to her balcony, climbing outside and climbing down into the bushes. She looked up towards her room before shaking her head and taking off running. “I’m going to regret this.â€

Soon after, Rena arrived at a park that wasn’t too far away from her house. She stopped running and looked around; there was nobody out, there weren’t any cars driving by, people walking, nobody. “Where is everyone?†she asked in a hushed tone. If she spoke any louder, she had a feeling she’d end up hearing her voice echo. Rena took one step forward and suddenly felt something thrust against her. Closing her eyes, she felt fear build up within her, but when she felt nothing happen to her, she opened her eyes and looked around. “What was…†she cut herself off as soon as she looked down at herself to see she was wearing something completely different. She wore dark brown boots that went just below her knees, a short brown skirt, a sleeveless light brown shirt, a dark brown cape that went around her neck so she can use the piece to cover her mouth, fingerless gloves on both hands that reached past her wrist and on the side of her waist, she carried a sword. “What…the…hell…?â€

“Get ready, Rena.â€​

“Get ready for what? I wasn’t even ready for this damn outfit change,†Rena hissed, looking around the area she was in. “Show yourself already!â€

The sound of someone laughing was heard just behind Rena, causing a sudden chill go down her spin. She slowly turned around, seeing something black. It looked like it stood about her height; it’s body was twitching.

“Wh-What is that…?â€

The black figure suddenly lunged towards Rena, it’s mouth open wide, revealing it’s sharp teeth. Rena gasped, moving to her right, barely dodging the figure. She stumbled backwards, her eyes set on the figure that just tried attacking her. When she saw the figure turn it’s attention back at her, Rena’s first instinct was to run. She gasped once more, turning around and taking off, sprinting. What am I supposed to do? I don’t know that thing is and I don’t even know where it came from. As she ran, she looked over her shoulder to see the creature chasing after her. “This has to be a nightmare.†She looked back ahead of her, trying to run as fast as she could.

Rena looked over her shoulder once more, seeing nothing behind her. That thing had stopped chasing her. She began slowing down her pace until she came to a stop. She leaned against a wall, panting as she tried regaining her breath.

“Do not run away. Stand your ground and fight.â€​

Rena raised her head, looking up at the dark sky, hearing that voice again. “I was scared. I couldn’t think of anything else but to run,†she muttered.

“You cannot do this every time you run into an enemy.â€​

Rena gritted her teeth, beginning to get annoyed with whoever she continued to hear. She stood up straight away from the wall, turned around towards the direction she had come from. Her eyes grew wide, feeling sweat roll down her cheek. The creature that was chasing her was right in front of her, their faces close to an inch apart. “Someone wake me up…†The thing smiled, revealing it’s sharp fangs again. Rena simply stood there, suddenly feeling something pierce through her stomach.

***​

The sound of an alarm clock rang, piercing it’s annoying sound throughout a room. Rena quickly sat up, panting as beads of sweat came down her forehead and cheeks. She moved her eyes back and forth, from one side of her room, to the other. “That was…†she cut herself off as she looked down at her hand, seeing the dragon mark still there. She took in a short breath, soon exhaling it and closing her hand into a fist. “It wasn’t…â€

Chapter Five: Let's Start​

Rena had rushed out of her house and ran her way to school. She didn’t want to wait for anything, and she felt as though she needed to get to school before Scott and Rose. If she were to walk to school with them, Scott would end up asking who knows how many questions while Rose would remain quiet, listening to Scott practically lecture Rena.

Rena rolled her eyes at the thought of hearing Scott “talking†to her again. Then again, it wasn’t his fault for being worried; a lot of her actions lately having been making almost everyone worry, not just Scott and Rose. Rena sighed as she reached over her shoulders, reaching for her hood on her sweater to put it on. As soon as it was on, she rolled up her left sleeve, seeing the dragon mark still on her arm. Let’s see if my ‘theory’ is correct.

As soon as she had reached the gates of her school, Rena kept her sleeve rolled up and looked around the area, seeing quite a few students were already there. She looked down at her arm to see the marking had disappeared. So you only appear when I’m alone. A smile crossed her lips as she fixed her sleeve and began walking. That means I don’t have to be paranoid with people grabbing my arm and stuff. Although, I should probably be away from everyone today.

Rena arrived to her first period class in a matter of minutes, thinking about the things that happened the night before. She had felt something pierce through her stomach, yet there was no scar or fresh wound. She placed her bag on her desk and leaned against her chair as she placed her hands on her bag, lightly tapping her finger against it and staring at her bag. Apparently I have no other choice. She raised her head, looking at the front of the class, suddenly hearing the bell ring.

***​

I won’t be with you guys again today. There are a few things I need to do at home. I’m sorry.

Scott stared at the text message he had received from Rena, tapping his finger against his leg as he narrowed his eyes. He sat alone on a park bench; Rose had gone home herself since she was actually going to be busy with things. Scott looked away from the screen, closing his phone and leaning back against the wooden bench. “Damn it Rena…†He had his head leaned back, his eyes closed, wondering if he should go to Rena’s house to talk to her.

Scott opened his eyes and sat up straight, suddenly hearing footsteps coming towards him. At first, he thought it was actually Rena, but he was mistaken to see a different girl standing about a foot away from the bench. He recognized her from one of his classes.

***​

“Come out, come out wherever you are~!†Rena paced around her room, looking under her bed, over the balcony, in her closet, practically everywhere. She sat down on the edge of her bed, crossing her arms. “Where the hell did that voice come from?â€

Rena groaned in frustration, leaning back to lay down on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, wondering if that voice was only temporary. “I want to know about yesterday.â€

“Do you really? Those things will continue to show up.â€​

Rena quickly sat up, looking around her room and grinning. “So you decided to finally show up. Care to tell me about that thing that attacked me yesterday.â€

“The creature that attacked you was basically a demon. They will continue to show up no matter what.â€​

“Do they all look the same?â€

“Yes. Although, some are a bit more…crazy, I guess you can say.â€​

“You said yesterday there will be people who will come to bring harm to me and to Chronic. What would happen if I decline all of this?â€

“Everyone will most likely die. Depending if they arrive to save everyone.â€​

“‘They’? Who’s ‘they’?â€

“You will learn that soon enough. Now tell me, what is your response?â€​

Rena remained quiet for a moment, inhaling deeply as she lowered her head, thinking. She pressed her hands against the edge of her bed, exhaling and smiling a little. She stood up and turned towards the direction of her balcony. “There are people who I’m willing to give my life for. If it meant taking my own life that they’d be saved, I’d do it. These people mean the world to me and I can’t let anything happen to them.†Rena paused. “I accept.â€

Chapter Six: Fight​

Rena quickly ran through the streets of Chronic, turning corners, entering alleyways, and passing by familiar houses. It was dark out already and the weather during that time was chilly and rather eerie for some reason. She could hear heavy footsteps following closely behind her. Irritated, Rena cursed under her breath and gritted her teeth, picking up her pace more, wanting to distance herself from her follower.

“Stop running and fight! Stop being a coward!â€​

“Can you shut up?! I've got this!â€

Rena looked over her shoulder to see her plan was working; her distance from the demon was larger now. Grinning to herself, Rena looked back ahead of her, hearing the footsteps of the demon coming closer now. Its speed was amazing. Rena quickly turned a corner, entering an alleyway and stopped, pressing her back against the brick wall, listening to the footsteps coming closer and closer. While she waited, she put her hand on the hilt of her sword, slowing unsheathing it. Once she heard that the demon was just beside her, getting ready to enter the alleyway, Rena quickly stepped away from the wall, swinging her weapon at the demon, cutting it in half. “Gotcha!†The two halves fell to the ground and soon disintegrated.

Rena sheathed her sword, proud to know her plan had actually worked. She briefly looked over her shoulder, looking at the spot where the demon’s body had fallen. That wasn’t the first demon she killed tonight and it most certainly won’t be the last. Rena sighed as she began walking, heading the direction she had come from. “I did well, didn’t I?â€

“Don’t think too much of yourself, Rena.â€​

Rena rolled her eyes as she shook her head, finding the thought funny. Like I would. She suddenly stopped walking, lowering her head a little as she crossed her arms. “I don’t think you’ve told me your name. I keep calling you Voice in my head so…yeah.â€

“That is not important. I won’t be much to you at one point so my name isn’t important.â€​

“Wait, what do you mean by that? You won’t be around all the time?â€

“Yes. When the times comes where I do not respond and I no longer guide you and such, do not be frightened.â€​

“Can you elaborate more?â€

“No. Now, I think you should be getting home. From what I can tell, it’s late.â€​

“Oh great, you’re a time keeper now,†Rena muttered under her breath, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword. “Sorry, but duty calls.†She quickly turned around, seeing two demons standing a few feet away from her. Rena grinned as she unsheathed her sword and charged towards the newcomers.

***​

Rena sat quietly in her History class, staring at the front of the class as Mr. Watson continued to talk the subject they were learning. Rena was barely paying attention; in her hand she played around her pencil, lightly tapping it against her desk. She rested her head on the palm of her hand while her elbow was pressed against the desk. It’s already been a week. What did she mean by she won’t be much to me? She said she won’t be around forever, so does that mean she’ll just randomly disappear out of my mind or what? Rena thought as she narrowed her eyes.

“Alright class, enjoy the rest of your day and I’ll see you Monday!†At the sound of Mr. Watson’s words, Rena snapped out of her train of thought and looked around the classroom, seeing everything packing their belonging and leaving the classroom. The bell had rung for lunch.

Rena looked to her right, seeing Rose collecting her things and turning towards her direction. Rena shook her head as she began collecting her own things, figuring she better start before Rose started her series of questions, just like Scott.

As soon as the two girls were done, they headed out of their class and began walking to the small garden-like area where the three friends would always spend their lunches.

As both Rena and Rose approached the area, they noticed Scott was standing next to a girl; they both were talking amongst themselves. Rena raised an eyebrow and turned to Rose. “Who’s that girl?†she asked.

“She’s a classmate of Scott’s. They started talking last week, I believe, and have become a bit close,†Rose answered. “I would have assumed Scott would have told you by now, but I guess he hasn’t had the chance since you’re always busy now.â€

Rena turned her attention back at Scott and the girl, smiling a little at what she was just told. As soon as the two had noticed Rose and Rena approaching, Rena noticed the young girl looking directly at her. The girl smiled at her, which surprisingly caused Rena’s smile to fade. As soon as they stopped, Rena averted her gaze away from the stranger and glanced at Scott. Scott placed his hand on his new friend’s back, looking at Rena. “Rena, this is Alecia,†he said, introducing the two girls to each other.

Rena returned her attention to Scott’s fellow classmate. Her light blue eyes stared at her; her hand stretched out for Rena’s. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Rena. Scott’s told me several things about you,†Alecia said; her smile seemed so fake to Rena.

“It’s nice to meet you too,†Rena finally said, taking Alecia’s hand.

What the hell is wrong with me?

***​

Rena sat in the same spot of her balcony where she had last spoken to Scott when he had come over, which was almost over a week ago. She had a damp towel on her head, her knees close to her chest while her arms rested on her knees. She always stared up at the sky whenever she was in this position. Nothing’s going to happen tonight, I assume. But…that girl, Alecia, she seemed…

“You’re always thinking when I come over,†a familiar voice spoke. Again, he was climbing over the railing of her balcony.

“Sup?†Rena casually said, keeping her gaze on the dark sky.

“You seemed off today at school during lunch. Care to explain what was wrong?â€

“Nothing was wrong.â€

“I doubt that.â€

“Why do you suddenly doubt everything I say?â€

“Because I have a right to. You always lie to prevent people from worrying about you.â€

“Why don’t you go and pay attention to Alecia? I bet she’d be happy to hear you nag at her. Or Rose. Either of the two.â€

“Rena, what the hell is wrong with you?â€

“It’s no-â€

“Don’t lie to me!â€

Rena remained silent for a moment, grabbing the towel from her head and putting it on her lap. She glanced at Scott before looking at a different direction. “I can’t tell you much, but there are just a few things that haven’t been right lately. Everything is beginning to feel out of place.†As soon as she finished speaking, Rena felt Scott wrap his arms around her, hugging her tightly. The sudden embrace had caught her off guard, but she didn’t bother pulling away. She relaxed herself and hugged Scott back, closing her eyes. Why is it that I only feel happy when I’m in your embrace?

Chapter Seven: Flashback

~5 years ago~​

“Move on! Stop dwelling on the past!â€​

“I want to move on.â€​

“Then do it!â€​

“It’s harder than you think.â€​

“I don’t see you trying to move on. You’re always crying and complaining about things that happened! Grow up! Move on! Stop dwelling on something that’s happened in the past!â€​

When will they realize that’s something I want to do, but they always have to bring back that pain I felt when I’ve already forgotten about it?​

Rena laid on her bed with her face buried in her pillow, her arms underneath it. It’s already been two years since her parents divorced and she could hear them fighting all the way from the living room. Her father simply wanted to visit but instead, it led to fighting.

“Rena…†the sound of Scott’s voice caused Rena to raise her head and look towards her balcony. He was just climbing into her room and as soon as his feet were on the ground, Rena quickly got off her bed and ran towards Scott. She wrapped her arms around him, her face pressed against his chest, her eyes tightly shut.

“They’re fighting again, Scott,†she said, feeling tears stream down her cheeks.

Scott nodded his head in response, getting down on his knees, bringing Rena down with him. “It’ll be okay. It’ll stop soon…†he assured, stroking Rena’s hair as he had one arm wrapped around her.

It was always the same. They always fought whenever they were in front of each other. Once the fighting did cease, I was ignored. My happiness was beginning to fade.​

***​

It’s already been two months and she still has yet to tell me things. We promised we’d never keep secrets from each other, yet that’s what Rena’s doing. What the hell is going on?

Scott stared up at the sky, dozing off in his own thoughts again. He felt someone gently put their hands on his arm and lightly kiss his cheek, causing him to snap out of his daydream. He looked to his left, seeing Alecia sitting next to him on the bench where they had first started talking. Her light blue eyes stared into his dark brown eyes; she smiled at him before leaning forward and kissing him on his lips.

“You kind of dozed off there for a moment,†she said as she pulled away.

Scott blinked a couple times before looking away, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry about that. Just…kind of starting thinking.â€

“Thinking of Rena?†At the sound of her name, Scott quickly looked at Alecia; her smiled seemed as though it wasn’t a problem to her.

“Uh,†Scott hesitated for a moment as he glanced at the grass before looking back at her. “Y-Yeah. Just kind of worried about her. …Sorry if it bothers you.â€

Alecia laughed as she shook her head, grabbing Scott’s arm and placing her head on his chest which then made Scott wrap his arm around her. “It doesn’t bother me,†she assured. “I understand why you’d be worried. If I was close with her, I’d be worried too.â€

“Really?†Scott paused. “The both of you don’t talk very much. Why is that?â€

“I would like to spend time with her, but she seems always in a hurry.â€

“That’s true…â€

“When or if I do get the chance, I’ll try spending time with her, alright?â€

***​

Rena leaned against a stone wall, breathing heavily and dressed in her combat outfit - which was something she liked to call it. In one hand was her sword while the other was over her chest. “You…didn’t say these…things came out during the day…†she said in between breaths.

“I would have assumed you wouldn’t have been so dense about this. These aren’t demons that only come out during the evening. They come out during the day as well. I’m surprised you’re out of breath, though.â€​

“Did you not see how many there were?! There were like ten of them or something!†Rena hissed as she began breathing normally. “I almost died, damn it!â€

“Oh please, you’re acting like a child.â€​

“I’d kill you if you weren’t just some stupid voice!â€

Rena gritted her teeth, looking to her right to see more demons coming towards her. “Damn it,†she cursed, turning the other direction, quickly running away. More are showing up. Why?

Rena turned a corner, passing by two of her classmates from her third period class. Although she had passed by too quickly, she was able to see the look on their faces. Did they see me…? She suddenly skid to a stop, hearing the two girls she passed scream. “Oh no!â€

She quickly turned around, seeing the demons that were chasing her start chasing the two girls. Rena quickly ran towards their direction, swinging her sword at a demon that lunged towards one of the girls. “Run!†she yelled as she killed another demon. The two girls watched Rena, completely confused as to what was going on.

“I said run!†she repeated, swinging her sword at another demon, killing it as well.

The two girls screamed once more before turning around and running away from the area. By the time they had finally reacted, Rena had killed all of the demons. She quickly looked around the area, seeing nobody else around or any demons around. “Finally,†she muttered, sheathing her sword and taking off running. Those girls saw me, but I doubt they recognized me. I had my back turned the entire time, but…I thought nobody could see me. Fearing she’d run into more people she knew, Rena quickly covered her mouth with the piece of cloth that was around her neck.

“You need to be careful. People cannot know about this. You need to watch who’s around you.â€​

Rena chose to ignore the voice and head into an alleyway. She looked around and noticed a ladder a few feet away from where she was standing; by the looks of it, it led to the rooftop of one of the buildings. Rena quickly jumped up, grabbing onto the ladder to begin climbing up. She could hear sirens coming closer to the area, which made her climb up faster.

As soon as she was at the top, she looked over the edge of the rooftop, seeing police cars driving by, heading to the area where she last fought the demons. “Alright, start talking!†she said, turning away from the scene and looking around the area. “I would have assumed people couldn’t see me. I guess I was wrong. I’m tired of all of this. Show yourself and tell me everything I need to know!â€

“You are one annoying child.â€​

“Damn it, I said tell me! I’m sick of this! I won’t give up on this, I just want to know everything. I’m doing this because I want to protect the people around me. That’s all I ever wanted to do! Prevent people from suffering! You always called me a coward just because I ran away from the demons. But…I wasn’t being one. I may appear as a coward, but I am one who is willing to give my life to save another!†Rena shouted, clenching her fists. “Now show yourself, damn it!â€

Her eyes suddenly grew wide, feeling a sudden gust of wind hit against her body. Rena turned around, seeing a bright light forming. She stared at the light as she took a couple steps back. Once it began to dim, it looked in the form of a human. Rena took a couple more steps back, seeing the figure of a woman.

“What the hell…?†Rena mumbled.

Once the light was completely gone, the woman that stood before Rena has long brown hair, she wore what looked like a kimono but it seemed like a dress as well, which touched the ground. The gown-like kimono she wore had long sleeves which she hid her hands in. Around her neck was a necklace; its jewel was in the shape of a dragon. The same dragon on Rena’s wrist.

“W-Who are you…?†Rena hesitantly asked.

Chapter Eight: Reborn​

Rena stared at the woman, confused as to what just happened; was she the one that was guiding for these past few months? Rena opened her mouth and took a step forward, but before she could speak, the woman slowly shook her head.

“To be honest, I wanted to avoid this, but I had a feeling you would figure a few things out eventually,†she said, closing her eyes. “You may be slow at times but you have a keen eye.â€

“So you’re her?†Rena asked, crossing her arms. “You’re that woman that’s been in my head this whole time?â€

“Yes,†the woman paused as she turned around, turning her back on Rena. “We really do look alike.â€

Rena slightly tilted her head as she raised an eyebrow, staring at the woman. “What…do you mean by that?â€

“My name is Stella and I am not part of this world. I was once human, until I died and was sent to a different world. But, I have died once more from that world and I’m now, as what humans call, a simple spirit lurking among the living.â€

“When did you die from this world?â€

“One hundred years ago.â€

Rena stumbled back, surprised for how long she’s been dead; she lowered her head for a brief moment before looking back at Stella. “When did you die in the other world?â€

Stella smiled, laughing a little at Rena’s question. “Sixteen years ago.â€

Rena’s eyes grew wide, gasping to her answer. She lowered her arms down to her sides and took a couple steps forward, pressing her lips together before opening her mouth. “You can’t mean….â€

“That is exactly what I mean,†Stella said, turning around to face the dark-haired girl once more. “Rena, you are me and I am you. Sixteen years ago I died and sixteen years ago you were born. You are my reincarnation.â€

Rena clenched her fists as she took a couple steps back, looking back and forth from Stella to the ground.

“I won’t tell you much except you need to be careful. It won’t be much time before they come. Now, I think I should re-â€

“Wait! Why me? Why did it have to be me of all people?†Rena quickly asked, refusing to let Stella go before her questions were answered. “And who are these people that are coming? And what about those stupid demons?†Noticing Stella simply stared at her, Rena gritted her teeth, glaring at the young woman. “Answer me!â€

Stella shook her head as she smiled, turning her back on Rena once more. “To be honest, I’m not too sure myself why it had to be you. Although, judging by what you had said before I showed myself, I think that’s a good response. Just by what they are, it’s obvious the demons come from Hell. We were never sure how but they always managed to enter our world and this world. The majority of them stand to about five feet and six inches tall. But, there are those that stand probably to about seven feet tall. All of them are completely black with red eyes, sharp fangs and claws. Some even appear to have a personality. There are those that are a bit wilder and actually talk. Those are a bit rare though and aren’t born naturally. All of the demons you have faced were once humans. But, those humans committed terrible sins, which then caused them to be sent to Hell after death and became demons while down there.†she paused for a moment, quietly sighing. “As for your other question, I’m afraid I can’t answer that.†Without another word, Stella suddenly disappeared from sight, causing Rena to run over to the edge of the rooftop.

“As I have already told you before, do not be frightened when I suddenly stop responding to you.â€​

“Great, you’re back in my head,†Rena mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand while she placed the other on her hip. From the rooftop she was on, she had a decent view of Chronic; the sun was setting, making the city seem a lot more…prettier. Rena lowered her hand, placing it on her hip; a grin appearing on her face. “Alright then,†she said to herself. “I’m not stopping.â€

***

~3 years ago~​

“Today we have a new student. She just moved here and I would appreciate it if all of you got to know her.†a woman’s voice spoke, directing her words to the students that sat in front of her. Standing right next to her was a young girl; dark red hair, bright green eyes. She was clearly nervous due to the fact she had her head bowed; the woman that spoke saw the girl’s reluctance to say her name or to even raise her head. The woman smiled and whispered something in the girl’s ear which then made her nod and take the only empty seat that was in the back of the class.

Her hair color reminded everyone of a rose.

Scott looked over his shoulder, watching the new girl take her seat. He quietly smiled before turning his attention to the front of the class.

***​

“What’s your name?†Scott’s voice rang into the ears of the redheaded girl from his class. She was sitting by herself in the cafeteria and Scott’s sudden approach left the girl speechless. She stared at Scott for a couple seconds before looking down at her lunch.

“R-Rose…†she stuttered tucking her hands down on her lap.

“It’s nice to meet you, Rose. My name’s Scott. I’m in your second period class.â€

“O-Oh, okay…â€

Scott smiled, laughing a little. “Judging by the way you’re speaking, you must be pretty shy, but it’s okay. It’s hard moving, even though I’ve never really moved before but I know someone who has. Welcome to Chronic High.â€

Rose looked back up at Scott, seeing him put his tray of food on the table and sit down next to her. She pressed her lips tightly together, feeling blood rush up to her cheeks.

“I always found it odd that our school was named after the city,†Scott plainly stated. “Anyway, do you mind if I see your schedule?â€

Rose quickly shook her head before reaching into her bag and pulling out a piece of paper that had all of her classes for the semester. Scott took the paper and smiled.

“You have a class with a friend of mine. Her name’s Rena, she’s a nice girl once you get to know her,†he said, waving the paper around.

“I-Is she mean to strangers then?†Rose hesitantly asked, staring at the brown-eyed boy.

Scott laughed and shook his head, handing Rose her schedule. “No, she’s actually pretty kind to people she doesn’t know. But lately she’s been a bit anti-social due to…things.â€

Rose slowly nodded her head in response, figuring she shouldn't ask anything if Scott hesitated for a moment. She averted her eyes away from him and looked back down at her tray of food.

“Look for her. Trust me.â€

***​

While on her way to her next class, Rose kept thinking about what Scott had told her and wondered if she should even take his word. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and saw her class just ahead of her. As soon as she picked up her pace, she saw Scott talking with another girl. Rose raised an eyebrow, wondering if that girl was Rena.

Once she saw Scott turn around and leave, Rose picked up her pace once more and walked up to the girl. “Um…†she quietly said, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. She reached her hand out, wanting to lightly tap her finger on the girl’s shoulder.

“Rena!†a male’s harsh tone caused Rose to stop herself and step back, seeing someone who seemed a few years older approaching the girl she wanted to approach. Rose then heard Scott’s friend mutter something as she turned her attention to the male that was approaching her.

“What the hell do you want, James?†Rena hissed.

“Don’t talk to me like that! I just need to talk to you about a few things,†he smirked, grabbing Rena’s arm.

“And what makes you think I want to talk to you about these things, hm?†Rena pulled her arm away and turned around, beginning to head into her class, but was soon stopped by James grabbing her arm again. The students that were around them simply watched, not bothering to go into their class and get their teacher.

Before saying another word, James glanced at Rose who had backed away; a grin crossed his face as he let go of Rena and walked towards Rose, causing her to back away even more. “Then maybe-â€

“Touch her, I’ll hurt you,†Rena threatened.

“Strong words from such a small girl,†James snickered, reaching his hand out to grab Rose’s arm. Before he could lay a hand on her, James suddenly stopped, seeing Rena in front of him. She picked up her leg, swinging it at James’ stomach; he immediately dropped down on his knees, clutching his stomach.

“I warned you, dumbass!†James looked up at Rena, glaring at her as he put one hand against the tiled floor.

Knowing what he was going to do, Rena once again swung her leg at him, but this time hitting his face. He fell on his side; one hand clutching his stomach while the other clutched his face.

“Get the hell out of here before I kick you again!†Rena shouted, finally hearing their teacher coming outside. But before their teacher could say anything, James managed to stand up and run off.

Rena crossed her arms and sighed, turning to face Rose. “Sorry about that,†she said. “He tends to irritate me by threatening other people.â€

Once she had finished talking, Rose saw a smile on Rena’s face; Rose nodded her head in response before smiling as well. “Thank you.â€

Rena chuckled, reaching her hand out for Rose’s. “I’m Rena, by the way.â€

“Rose,†she said, taking Rena’s hand.

Rena pulled her hand away as she turned around, heading into the classroom, with Rose following behind her a moment later.

Chapter Nine: Further into the Past​

The sound of thunder roared throughout the valley. The sound of swords clashing together could be heard miles away; the closer one got to the battlefield, the stronger the stench of blood got. Countless corpses could be seen when one walked through. The shrill screams of people could be heard coming from the other direction.

Blood soaked every hint of clothes; countless wounded, countless dead. Is this how war is supposed to be?

Rena quickly sat up, pushing her bed sheets off her body. Sweat rolled down her cheek as she placed her hands over her face, inhaling deeply. “Weird dream…†she muttered, remembering the faces of those she saw lying on the ground dead. Some of them looked familiar. She slowly removed her hands from her face, staring down at her bed sheets, remembering she saw both Scott and Rose lying in a puddle of their own blood. Her eyes suddenly grew wide, soon jumping out of bed to get dressed for school.

***​

The sound of rain gently hit against the pavement, windows, anywhere it could reach. Students were to remain inside due to the weather; both Scott and Rose stood by a window in the school building, watching the rainfall.

“Rena’s late,†Rose stated, turning her attention to Scott who seemed to have not been paying attention to her. “Sc-â€

“I heard you,†Scott cut her off, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “She told me something two months ago.â€

Rose blinked, raising both eyebrows as she took a step close to Scott. “What did she tell you?â€

“She…said something about how she felt as though things were out of place,†he paused. “But, it’s weird because I’m beginning to feel it as well. It’s as though I can feel as though something’s about to happen to all of us.â€

Rose gently put her hand on Scott’s arm as she opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself as she heard footsteps coming towards their direction. Both she and Scott turned their heads, seeing Rena running towards them; she was soaking wet because of the rain. Scott stepped away from the window, soon feeling Rena press her body against him, wrapping her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Rena…†he muttered as he wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong?â€

“You’re alive,†she mumbled, shutting her eyes tightly as she tightened her embrace, causing Scott to tighten his embrace as well as Rose stepped closer, putting one hand on Scott’s shoulder while the other she placed on Rena’s back.

“Please don’t leave me,†Rena said as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Alecia stood behind the three friends, far enough where they will not see her. She had her arms crossed and leaned against a wall, watching the three of them. She raised one hand and tapped her index finger against her lips, mainly watching Scott. She narrowed her eyes, lowering her arms down to her sides and turning the other direction, beginning to walk away.

***​

The stench of blood entered the survivor’s lungs; it was so strong it made her nose burn. Behind her could be heard the screams of agony, guns being fired repeatedly, swords clashing together. Refusing to stop, she continued forward, passing corpses, some of which she was able to recognize. Her chest began to tighten, due to how strong the smell of human blood was and since she had been running for so long.

The more she ran the more familiar bodies she began to see. Frantically, she looked around, wanting to see at least once face that was not familiar or to escape the pill of corpses. The girl suddenly came to a stop; her eyes grew wide as she shrieked at the top of her lungs to see the face of…

An ear-piercing scream escaped Rena’s lungs as she quickly sat up from her bed, her hands on her head as she closed her eyes tightly, tearing falling down on her bed sheets. Her hands trembled as she held onto her head, seeing that familiar face once more. She gritted her teeth as she opened her eyes, hearing her sister come into the room.

“Rena, are you alright?†Alice quickly asked as she ran to Rena’s bedside, staring at her.

Rena slowly turned her head to look at her sister as she removed her hands from her head. “W-Where’s Mom…?â€

“She left for work already. Are you alright?†Alice responded, noticing her sister only stared at her.

Rena narrowed her eyes, feeling more tears coming down her cheeks. She quickly turned to the small table she had beside her bed, grabbing her phone as she opened it, quickly looking through her contacts. As soon as she saw a name, she quickly called that number, pressing her phone against her ear. “I need to hear your voice…â€

The phone continued to ring as Rena waited for that one person to answer their phone. She clenched her hand into a fist, closing her eyes tightly.

“Hello?†the sound of his voice caused Rena to quickly open her eyes as she lowered her hand. “Rena?â€

Rena remained silent for a moment before she opened her mouth, struggling a little to speak. “S-Scott…â€

“Rena, what’s wrong?â€

“C-Come over…please…†Rena stuttered, closing her eyes once more. “Scott…â€

“…I’m on my way.†Without another word, the other line was cut off, causing Rena to lower her phone. Alice stared at her sister, clueless as to what was happening.

“Should I-â€

“No,†Rena interrupted. “Don’t call Mom. Everything will be fine. Just go back downstairs.â€

Alice sighed, nodding her head as she turned around, leaving Rena’s room. Rena closed her phone as she got out of bed, walking over to her window that led to her balcony. “I’m sorry…â€

***​

Minutes passed and a loud knock was heard on the front door; the knocking continued until Alice had finally ran to the door, opening it to see it was Scott.

“Where’s Rena?†he quickly asked, panting; he had ran all the way from his house to Rena’s.

“She’s up in h-†Alice cut herself off as Scott entered the house, quickly running up to Rena’s room. He hastily opened her door, seeing her standing in front of her window; when Scott had entered, Rena turned around, watching him step further into the room.

“Rena…â€

Before he could say another word, Rena quickly ran towards him, wrapping her arms around him as she buried her face in his chest. “What’s wrong?†he asked as hugged her tightly.

“Scott…there’s something I need to tell you,†she muttered.

“What is it…?â€

“Two months ago…I-â€

“Rena, stop!â€​

Rena’s eyes grew wide as she moved her face away from Scott’s chest; she felt her eyelids become heavy and her legs become weak. Her vision blurred until she lost consciousness.

“Rena!†Scott shouted, holding her up so she would not fall. He cursed under his breath, putting one arm under her legs and the other on her back; he picked her up and carried her to her bed, gently putting her down as he stared down at her. Scott quietly sighed, moving a few strands of hair away from her face.

“What the hell’s going on?†he asked in a hush tone. He sat down beside Rena, watching her sleep.

***​

Rena groaned as she opened her eyes, blinking a few times, seeing Scott looking down at her. She groaned once more, putting a hand over her forehead, feeling a damp towel over it. She soon opened her eyes again, looking at Scott to see a weak smile on his face.

“How are you feeling?†he asked, his tone made it clear he was worried.

Rena removed the towel from her forehead as she slowly sat up, staring at Scott. “I’m…alright. Sorry about that.â€

“What was it that you wanted to tell me?â€

“I,†Rena paused, remembering she heard Stella’s voice before she passed out, and she had a feeling if she tried telling Scott what she wanted to say, Stella would make her pass out again. “I’ve…just been having nightmares lately.â€

“What are the nightmares about?â€

“Seeing…you and Rose…dead,†she answered, closing her eyes, causing Scott to move closer and wrap his arms around her. “I’m terrified of losing you…Scott…â€

“I’m not going anywhere,†he whispered, stroking Rena’s hair. “Not any time soon. So don’t worry. You won’t lose me.â€

Rena inhaled deeply, nodding her head in response; she rested her head against Scott’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. He’s alive…he won’t die. I’ll….protect him.

“Do you want me to stay with you to keep you company?†Scott’s question snapped Rena out of her thoughts. “I can stay, if you want me to.â€

“Um,†Rena looked up at Scott who was looking down at her, watching her. “No, it’s fine. You should head home.â€

Scott sighed, tightening his embrace for a moment before letting go of Rena, sliding one hand down to Rena’s hand. “Take care, alright? Need anything, just call.â€

Rena nodded her head and smiled as Scott leaned forward, kissing her on the forehead before turning away and walking away. She held onto his hand until she could no longer reach. Once he was out of her room, Rena turned her head, seeing Stella standing a few feet away from her bed.

“What we-â€

“I want you to tell me what these dreams are. Are they just my fears or are they your memories?†Rena interrupted, raising her voice a little.

“You stupid girl,†Stella sighed. “They are my memories. Somehow everything that I witnessed is being sent to you, revealing themselves as dreams or nightmares.â€

“But why do I keep having the same dream?â€

“I do not know.â€

“Those people I always see right before I wake up. …Why do they resemble Scott and Rose?â€

“The woman that resembled Rose was a trustworthy servant of mine. I loved her as though she was my own sister,†Stella quietly said, smiling as she remembered certain things from when she was alive.

“What about the guy that resembled Scott?â€

Stella closed her eyes for a brief moment, sighing quietly. “That man was my lover.â€

Rena’s eyes grew wide as she leaned forward a little, moving her feet off her bed and onto the floor, standing up. “He was your lover?â€

“Yes. He was a simple soldier while I was someone he had to protect. I didn’t tell you this but, I was the ruler of the world I died from sixteen years ago. His name was Anthony and he was a lot like your friend Scott,†Stella smiled before she continued to speak. “Anthony was sent to protect me because we had received threats of someone wanting to kill me. When we met, it as though it was love at first sight. And most of the time, he only wanted my attention so he would show off, which only made me laugh and love him even more. Eventually, there was a war and the dreams you have are of me running away from the battlefield. Anthony and I promised that we’d take my servant, Julianne, and the three of us would escape the war. Anthony had promised me that once we were far away from everything, he and I would get married and forget our pasts. When I was on my way to meet them, the both of them were waiting out by the gates that led out of the area, but as I ran, the more bodies I began to see the more I began to panic and wonder if Anthony and Julianne were fine. However, once I arrived at the gates, I saw Anthony and Julianne dead. Then that was when I was killed. That’s where you keep waking up screaming.â€

Rena brought her hand over her mouth as she lowered her head, taking everything in. “But…why do they resemble my friends? Are they reincarnations as well?â€

“Honestly, I’m not too sure. Rose is a bit different from Julianne, as for Scott…it could be a possibility. It might even be a hint that you two will fall in love with each other.â€

“I doubt that!†Rena quickly said as she raised her head, her cheeks a light shade of pink. “Scott and I are only friends, we only see each other as friends. Besides, he’s seeing Alecia.â€

“It could happen later, not now, but you will never know. It could be a possibility the both of are already in love with one another but you just can’t see it.â€

Rena pressed her lips tightly together, lowering her head once more as she took a step back, sitting back down on her bed.

“Just pay attention to the things around you, Rena. In addition, try not to wake up screaming because of the dreams. If Scott is a reincarnation of Anthony, and since you’ve been waking up screaming because you see the face of Scott, then it could not only be a hint that you and Scott could fall in love but also a hint that Scott may die.â€

Rena eyes grew wide, quickly raising her head to look back at Stella. “N-No…I-I won’t let that happen. I-I’ll…protect him…â€

“Just a warning,†Stella stated, staring at Rena. Seeing she wasn’t going to respond anymore, Stella closed her eyes once more and disappeared from sight.

Rena sat on her bed, gritting her teeth as she clenched her bed sheets. “I’ll protect him!â€

***

~2 years ago~​

“Rena, can I ask you something?†Rose’s voice came from behind Rena, causing her to turn around. Rena smiled and nodded her head.

“Of course. What is it?â€

“W-Well…it has to do with Scott,†Rose quietly said, looking away as she felt blood rush up to her cheeks.

“Really?†Rena asked, crossing her arms, watching Rose. “What’d he do?â€

“He didn’t do anything but…†the redheaded girl trailed off, beginning to have second thoughts on telling Rena what she wanted to say. But before she could make up her mind, she heard Rena laugh.

“I had a feeling this would happen,†she chuckled. “It’s okay. I’m guessing it’s hard for you to tell him you like him, right?â€

“H-How did you know?!†Rose asked, leaning forward a little in surprise.

“I may be slow at times but I’m not completely stupid either,†Rena laughed, turning her back on Rose as she put her hands behind her head. “Do you want to tell him?â€

“I do but…â€

“You’re afraid he might not like you, right?â€

“Y-Yes.â€

Rena laughed again, lowering her arms and shaking her head. “Well, I’d say tell him how you feel, but I’m not too sure if he still likes you.â€

“He used to like me?!â€

“Yup. But, he figured you didn’t like him back so he just moved on.â€

“O-Oh…â€

Rena laughed once more, shrugging her shoulders a little. “He also told me that he didn’t say anything to you because he was afraid that it’d ruin our friendship. The three of us. That it’d supposedly bother me and that you’d feel uncomfortable that he liked you, so he stopped himself from saying anything because he said its best we all stay friends. But to be honest, I found it cute. It wouldn‘t have bothered me at all. I actually kind of wish that he should have told you something. But, it’s always hard for someone to say what they want to say because of fear.â€

Fear is such a burden.

Chapter Ten: Attack on Chronic​

The sound of thunder cracked throughout Chronic as rain poured down from the heavens. Wind howled throughout the city, leaving an eerie feeling. Rena stood by her window, watching the rain come down and the trees blow in the wind.

“Rena,†the sound of Stella’s voice caused the dark-haired girl to turn around, seeing Stella standing behind her. Seeing the woman simply staring at her, Rena turned her back on Stella.

“I know what you’re going to say,†she said, raising her head a little to stare up at the clouded sky. “It’s been three months, why haven’t any shown up?â€

“I do not know. But it’s beginning to worry me,†Stella answered as she closed her eyes.

Chronic’s been peaceful since the demons stopped showing up. I have a bad feeling about this.

***​

Scott sat on his bed, his phone pressed against his ear as he waited for the person he was calling to answer. The other line continued to ring until it led to the person’s voicemail. Scott sighed, lowering his head as he lowered his phone and closed it. He placed his arms against his knees as he stared down at the wooden flooring. He soon felt his phone vibrate, causing him to quickly open it and see he had a text message from Alecia. Scott blinked a couple of times before opening the message.

I’ll try spending time with Rena tomorrow at school, so don’t worry.

Scott narrowed his eyes, closing the phone and leaned back on his bed. Damn it Rena…

***​

“So this is the human world,†Austin’s voice echoed in the alleyway he and his female companion stood in. “I would have expected it to be less…wet.â€

“Well, you haven‘t been here in a while, correct?†his female friend said as she headed to one end of the alley.

Austin chuckled. “I know.â€

The young woman stepped out into the rain and looked around the area they were in to see nobody around. “Should we continue our search?â€

Austin left the alleyway and stood beside the woman, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, even though there really hasn’t been anything, we should still continue.â€

The blond-haired woman, Eve, closed her eyes briefly before nodding her head in response. In a blink of an eye, the two disappeared from sight.

***​

As soon as it was lunch, Rena had quickly left her second period class to head somewhere she would be alone. She left Rose confused and worried but she assured her everything was alright. She walked through the halls of the school and headed outside, figuring she would see nobody she knew; as soon as she had stepped out, she spotted Alecia talking with one of her own friends. Rena pressed her lips together and turned around to head back inside.

“Rena!†Alecia called, causing Rena to stop. She turned to her friend, telling her she had to go before she walked up to Rena. “Do you mind if we talk?â€

“Sorry Alecia, but I need to do something,†Rena quickly said, taking another step but was soon stopped again by Alecia grabbing her arm.

“It won’t take long,†Alecia assured, smiling as Rena turned around.

Figuring she had no other choice, Rena looked away, letting out a sigh of frustration as she pulled her arm away from Alecia’s grasp. “Fine. What is it that you want to talk to me about?â€

“It’s about Scott,†Alecia’s tone suddenly changed as her smile faded.

Rena slowly looked back at Alecia, raising an eyebrow. “What about him?â€

“The both of you are really close,†she stated, turning away, beginning to pace from one side to the other as she clasped her hands together behind her back.

“Yeah…â€

“Then you should know that he and I are together, correct?â€

Rena narrowed her eyes, nodding her head a little, watching Alecia.

“Well then, I hope you’ll understand that and disappear from Scott’s life.†Alecia suddenly stopped pacing, turning completely to face Rena who was stunned at what she was hearing. “Scott and I have been together for a few months now and you’re always disappearing from sight or always in a hurry. You’re making Scott concentrate more on you than he should be on me. You are only his friend so therefore, you should barely mean anything to him. I mean more to him yet he’s constantly worrying about you. You’re always leaving in a hurry so why don’t you just disappear from Scott’s life completely? That‘ll make both of us happy.â€

Rena remained quiet, speechless as to what she had just heard; she lowered her head, causing her hair to cover her eyes. Alecia opened her mouth to speak but was soon stopped by Rena who began to laughing. She leaned her head back as she placed one hand against her face.

“You seriously think I’ll do that?†Rena asked once she had stopped laughing.

“You find this funny?â€

“Of course I do! People like you crack me up. Honestly, all I heard out of everything you said is, ‘I’m jealous, I’m jealous, I’m jealous.’ I understand what I’ve been doing is making Scott and Rose worry but you have no right whatsoever coming to me and saying to end my friendship with Scott. Yes, I’m causing him pain which is something I regret everyday, but telling him I don’t want to be friends with him anymore or just disappearing without a single word would causing even more pain. Think before you speak because the majority of what I heard was complete crap.â€

Alecia glared at Rena as she took a step forward, clenching her hands into fists. “Why you li-â€

A loud explosion cut Alecia off, causing the two girls to stand perfectly still. Another explosion was heard shortly after the first, then another which happened behind Alecia. She fell forward and turned around, seeing a large cloud of dust. Alecia trembled in fear while Rena simply stared at the cloud, seeing the shadow of a large figure within it.

“Run…†Rena murmured.

“H-Huh…?†Alecia stuttered raising her head to look up at Rena.

“Run!†At that moment, a bullet was fired towards the two girls. Rena quickly pushed Alecia away, causing her to shriek; Rena ran forward, changing into her combat outfit and drew her sword. She jumped into the cloud of dust and locked blades with someone else.

Alecia quickly stood up and ran into the school’s building and luckily found Scott and Rose looking out the window as soon as she had turned a corner.

“Scott!†she shouted, running over to him and placing her hands on his arms, panting. “R-Rena…its Rena. She’s not…human. She’s out where the last explosion was.â€

Scott’s eyes grew wide, taking off sprinting to area where Alecia was with Rena. Seeing only the cloud of dust, he frantically looked around for Rena but didn’t see her. Once the dust began to clear, he heard someone yelp and saw Rena fly out of the cloud of dust. She rolled on the ground in her regular clothes; she quickly got up on her hands and knees, coughing from the kick she got on her stomach. What the hell? Did my powers just cancel out?

“Rena!†Scott called, running over to her side with Rose and Alecia running behind him. “What happened?!â€

Before she could say anything, all four of them heard a menacing laugh coming from where Rena had been knocked out of. They all turned their heads, seeing a tall, somewhat bulky male looking down at them. “Well, well, it seems like I found my first prey.†he snickered.

Rena’s eyes grew wide, seeing the male swing his sword down at her and Scott. She cursed under her breath, pushing Scott away and leaned back, barely able to dodge it. “Run, Scott!†Rena yelled as she got up on her feet and took off running herself, in hopes her attacker would follow her.

She quickly looked over her shoulder to see she wasn’t mistaken; he was indeed following her. Rena narrowed her eyes as she looked back ahead of her, wondering how she would be able to defend herself if her powers were somehow cancelled out. Then again, there was hand-to-hand combat. She cursed under her breath once more, picking up her pace, feeling her attacker was catching up with her. In the distance she could hear the screams of civilians and the screams of students from the school. Her eyes suddenly grew wide, remembering the dreams she used to have a few months ago. “No….â€

Rena quickly turned around, seeing no one had been following her. She felt her heart begin to race and her body begin to tremble. “Stella!†she called. “Stella!â€

There was no response. “She’s gone already…?†she whispered. Rena narrowed her eyes as she took off running in the direction she had come from. Scott, Rose, please be alright.

Once she had arrived where she and Alecia had talked, she didn’t see the male that had attacked her and neither did she see Scott, Rose or Alecia. “Damn it!†she cursed, suddenly hearing students screaming. The screams were coming from the field.

Rena quickly took off running, following the screams, hoping she wouldn’t see any corpses. She ran through the building and soon spotted a teacher lying against a wall, blood coming from their stomach. They were dead. Rena covered her mouth, closing her eyes and quickly running passed the dead body, not wanting to stop. If she were to stop, she might not be able to save anyone else.

Within a matter of minutes, Rena finally arrived at the field, seeing students and teachers pressed against walls; some were crying, while others simply trembled with fear. In the center of the field were of group of unknown people. Four males, one female and four demons. One of the males was the one that had attacked her and Scott. Rena gritted her teeth as she looked around, seeing nobody dead and finally spotting Scott, Rose and Alecia. She quickly ran over to them, saying no word as she turned her attention back to the odd group. They all had their weapons drawn, except for the woman.

“Stella!†one of the males called out, taping his gun on his shoulder. Rena gasped as her eyes grew wide, shocked to hear one of them speak that name.

The one that had called out grew impatient immediately and walked over to a small group of girls. The girls trembled in fear as he grabbed one of them by the arm and pulled her closer and placed the gun on her head. “Stella, get the hell out of here or else this girl loses her brains!†he threatened, an evil grin on his face as the girl cried. He waited a couple seconds, before shrugging his shoulders and looking at the young girl. “Well then, you asked for it.â€

“STOP!†The entire field suddenly went silent as Rena’s voice echoed, making everyone turn their heads to her direction. The man that was about to shoot the young girl let her go and looked towards Rena’s direction.

“So we have a girl trying to be a hero,†he chuckled as he began walking towards Rena. “This will be fun.â€

“Stella,†Rena began. “You said her name. How do you know Stella?â€

The male with the gun stopped walking and tilted his head as he raised an eyebrow, surprised and a bit confused. “How do you know her name?â€

“Atsuo, are you stupid or something?†the woman that stood in the middle said, staring at Rena.

“Could it be her?†Rena’s attacker from earlier asked. “And I just finished chasing her not that long ago too.â€

Rena narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists tightly, hoping her plan would work.

“Rena…†Scott calmly called stepping closer towards her.

“Stay back,†Rena muttered, looking over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll be okay. This will end soon.â€

The one known as Atsuo laughed as he took a few steps forward. Rena looked back at the group, inhaling deeply as she closed her eyes. She relaxed her body and took a step forward, causing her regular clothes to come off as it began to reveal her combat outfit. Throughout the field could be heard students gasping at what they were seeing, while Scott remained silent, staring at Rena.

Once she was completely dressed in her combat outfit, Rena opened her eyes and glared at the group. “You called Stella’s name. Well, I hate to break it to you but Stella’s dead,†she paused. “I am Stella’s reincarnation.â€

Chapter Eleven: Promise and New Allies​

“See!†Alecia yelled, pointing her finger at Rena. “See! She’s not normal! What kind of person suddenly changes clothes that quickly?!â€

Alecia laughed at what she was seeing while everyone else simply stared at Rena and remained silent, shocked at what they were witnessing. The woman that stood in the middle took a step forward; she wore almost the exact same thing that Stella wore.

“Tell me, child, what is your name?†she asked, wrapping one arm around her stomach while she brought her other hand that hid in her sleeve up to her mouth.

“Rena, and who-â€

“Rena…†the woman interrupted, her tone filled with curiosity. “You said you are Stella’s reincarnation, correct? Well, do you have any proof for this?â€

“Isn’t this outfit proof enough?†Rena asked, spreading her arms down at her sides.

“Of course not. Your hand, show it to us.â€

Rena looked at her left hand as she raised it in front of her. She inhaled deeply as she removed the glove, only hoping the marking would appear in front of everyone. She took off the glove completely and showed her hand to the woman and the other intruders that were watching. The woman closed her eyes as the men that stood behind her grinned, tightening their grip on their weapons.

“Would you look at that?†Rena’s attacker from earlier smirked.

“Well, that’s proof enough,†the woman stated opening her eyes. “Atsuo, Trent, Blake, Dastan, go.â€

The four men suddenly charged forward, barely giving Rena any time to draw her own sword. Atsuo pointed his gun at Rena, firing a few bullets while the other three had their own swords drawn. Rena cursed under her breath, swinging her sword to block the bullets. She quickly moved away from the other three men and charged towards the woman who stood with the four demons. Two of them were drooling and crouched down as their bodies twitched uncontrollably, while the other two were down on all four, drool dripping from their mouths as they showed their fangs.

The woman narrowed her eyes, moving her hand away from her mouth and stretched out her arm. Rena stopped running feeling some sort of wave thrust against her; she dropped on her knees as she dropped her swords, watching the woman coming closer towards her. Once she was just inches away from Rena, the woman placed her hand over Rena’s face as Rena tried moving her body. What’s going on? I can’t move. What did she do to me? I can’t even open my mouth to speak.

“You must really be Stella’s reincarnation. You look exactly like her. It’s a shame though that you’ll have to see these entire people die before your eyes,†she said turning her attention to the four men that had attacked Rena. “Kill every living soul here. Don’t leave a single one alive.â€

Rena’s eyes grew wide as the woman removed her hand from her face and stepped back. The four men nodded their heads and turned towards all the students and teachers in the field.

“Time to die,†Trent, one who seemed calmed compared to the others, snickered as he lunged towards a small group of students, followed by the others doing the same.

Rena stayed down on her knees as she struggled to release herself from whatever force was preventing her to move. All she could hear were the screams of agony from students and teachers. She even heard bodies fall to the ground with a thud. Move. I have to move. Everyone’s going to die. Move, Rena! Move, move, move, move!

“Once all these people are dead, I’ll take the honor of killing you,†the woman’s voice cut Rena’s thoughts off. “All I will tell you now is my name is Chiharu. Enjoy the next few minutes you have left of your life.â€

“Scott!†Rose shrieked as she was pushed away by Atsuo who was pointing his gun between Scott’s eyes.

“Hope you enjoyed your life, kid,†Atsuo smirked. Scott closed his eyes tightly, waiting for his life to end already but nothing came. He slowly opened his eyes and moved back, seeing a blade pierced through Atsuo’s stomach. Atsuo slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder, seeing Rena standing behind.

“W-Wh…H-How did you…†Before he could finish, Rena moved her sword sideways, cutting from the center of his stomach across his side. Blood poured from the wound as Atsuo’s body collapsed. Rena lowered her weapon down at her side as blood dripped from it.

“S-She killed Atsuo,†Dastan, her attacker from earlier, stuttered.

How was she able to escape my power? Chiharu thought to herself, crossing her arms as Rena turned her back on Scott who was completely speechless. I didn’t even see her run towards Atsuo.

“Kill the rest of these people!†Blake shouted turning to face the small group of girls Atsuo had wanted to kill earlier. Blake suddenly stopped, seeing Rena in front of him; her hair covering her eyes. He grinned as he swung his sword at her but was soon stopped as Rena grabbed his arm, kneeing him in the stomach to bring him down on his knees. She twisted his arm, causing him to scream out in agony as his other hand clutched his stomach. She placed one foot on his shoulder and looked down at him; the last thing he saw were the eyes of a murderer.

“Die,†Rena hissed, piercing her sword through Blake’s heart. She pulled the blade of her sword out of his chest as the body fell to the side. He was dead.

Chiharu narrowed her eyes as she turned her attention to Dastan and Trent. “Trent, Dastan, kill-†she cut herself off, seeing Rena standing beside the dead bodies of Trent and Dastan. Blood rushed out of Trent’s neck while Dastan’s fatal wound was the same as Atsuo’s, except in the chest. Rena’s sword was covered in blood and she even had spots of blood on her clothes.

Chiharu turned around to even see the demons on the floor dead, but within a matter of seconds, their bodies disintegrated. She turned her attention back at Rena as she lowered her hands down to her sides. “Who exactly are you?†Chiharu asked.

“I thought I told you already,†Rena quickly responded in a dark tone. “My name is Rena and I am Stella’s reincarnation.â€

“I’m beginning to doubt that.â€

“Why? Just because I was brutal with your men? I am Stella’s reincarnation but one thing she failed to do was protect the people she loved. That is really only the difference between us. I’ve seen her past and to be honest, I saw no hint of protection with the people she loved. You and your men dared to lay a hand on these people so I fought back in order to protect them. You are my enemy and you need to die.â€

“Is that so?†Chiharu calmly said, unsheathing her sword. Rena suddenly charged forward as Chiharu did the same; Rena swung her blade down causing Chiharu to swing her sword upward, blocking Rena’s attack. “Don’t think you can beat me as easily as the others. They’re nothing compared to my power.â€

Rena’s eyes grew wide, feeling something cut her left side. She cursed under her breath, pushing Chiharu away as she placed her hand over her wound.

“Is this the first time you’ve been wounded by a sword, girl?†Chiharu asked as Rena noticed blood on the tip of her enemy’s weapon.

Rena grinned, removing her blood covered hand on the hilt of her sword as she nodded her head. “Pretty much. Didn’t think it’d hurt this much.â€

“Well then, prepare yourself to feel even more pain,†Chiharu calmly said, taking a step forward. Rena tightened her grip on her sword, expecting Chiharu to come charging towards her but the woman was not in sight. Rena cursed under her breath, feeling a sharp pain on her shoulder. She quickly turned around, stumbling a little as she saw Chiharu standing behind her. Without giving Rena the chance to regain her balance, Chiharu charged forward once again, cutting anywhere she could; the arms, legs, stomach, shoulder, even Rena’s face.

Within a matter of seconds, Rena stood in the center of the field, bleeding from every limb on her body; Chiharu’s sword was now covered in Rena’s blood. The students that had survived watched the ordeal, some even would gasp quietly or wince when they would witness Rena receive a wound.

Sweat rolled down Rena’s face as blood dripped down on the ground, soaking the dirt beneath her. She tightened her grip on her sword as she raised it in front of her, preparing to attack Chiharu. She slid her foot forward and started running, swinging her weapon sideways once she was close enough to Chiharu. But before she can even land a hit, Rena felt Chiharu’s sword pierce her stomach once more. She then felt a sudden force push her back to the center of the field.

“When will you give up?†Chiharu asked, walking towards Rena. “You’ve lost so much blood. Give up already.â€

Rena pushed her body up, turning her attention to Chiharu; her vision was beginning to blur. Damn it. She forced herself to stand up, struggling to keep her balance. “I-I won’t die…until I know…you’re dead.â€

“Really? And what makes you think you’ll kill me? If I wound you anymore, you’ll lose all you’re limbs. You’re soaked in your own blood while all I have a scratch on my cheek. Give up, child.â€

Rena raised her hand, pointing her finger at Chiharu’s side, grinning. “I gave you that wound too. You’re bleeding kind of bad from that wound I just gave you.â€

“I’m not the one closest to death,†Chiharu calmly stated, disappearing from sight once more and appearing I front of Rena. “Just die already, child.†Rena flinched, feeling Chiharu’s sword once more pierce her stomach, but this time, through it. Rena’s top lip twitched as Chiharu pulled out her sword; Rena’s eyelids became heavy as she fell to the ground with a thud. Throughout the field, students gasped, seeing the one person they thought could save them fall to the ground covered in their own blood.

“RENA!†Scott yelled, struggling to break free from Rose who had been holding him back the entire time. “Let me go, Rose! I have to help her!â€

“Scott, stop! She’s…dead and you’ll die too if you go over there,†Rose protested, tightening her grasp on Scott.

“Doesn’t matter,†Chiharu said, picking up Atsuo’s gun and pointing it to Scott and Rose. “You’ll die either way.â€

Chiharu’s eyes grew wide as Scott smiled faintly to see Rena’s sword pierced through Chiharu’s stomach. “W-What…?â€

“Y-You…assume I’m dead just…because I’m not moving,†Rena stuttered before coughing up blood. “Don’t…underestimate me.â€

She pulled out her sword as she stumbled backward, struggling to raise her sword in front of her while Chiharu stumbled forward, clutching her stomach. “How can you…still be alive…?†she asked, turning around to face Rena.

“I managed…†Rena chuckled.

Chiharu glared at Rena, tightening her grip on her weapon. “Die already!†she hissed, charging forward. The field fell silent once more; Chiharu’s blade was pierced through Rena’s stomach once more, while Rena’s blade was pierced through Chiharu’s chest.

“I’m….†Rena struggled. “I’m…not going…anywhere yet…â€

Chiharu’s body collapsed as Rena watched her body disintegrate, along with those she had killed earlier. Rena smiled faintly, dropping her sword as she fell to the ground. Rose let go of Scott, bringing her hands to cover her mouth. Scott clenched his hands into fists, taking off running to Rena’s side. “RENA!†He skid to stop and knelt down by her side, turning her over on her back. He put one hand under her back while the other moved strands of hair that were covering her face.

“Rena, Rena, open your eyes!†he shouted, bringing her closer towards him. He smiled a little, hearing Rena wince and move her head; he tightened his embrace and looked down at her.

“S-Scott…†she whispered, raising her hand to put it on Scott’s cheek.

“Rena, please don’t die…†he whispered back, grabbing her hand. Rena smiled weakly as the light in her eyes dimmed, causing her strength to completely fade, leaving Scott to hold her hand up with force. She slowly closed her eyes as Scott shook his head, letting go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her, hugging her.

“Rena! Please don’t go! Don’t leave us, don’t leave me, please! Don’t leave me! WE NEED YOU HERE, RENA!†he yelled, tears coming down his face; Rose shook her head, crying and running to be by Scott and Rena’s side.

Eve suddenly appeared in front of Scott as Austin appeared in front of Rose, blocking her path. Eve stared down at Scott and Rena as Scott raised his head to look up at the newcomer.

“Who…are you?!†he asked, tightening his embrace.

“Stop!†Rose cried, wanting to proceed to Scott’s side but Austin held her by the arms, refusing to let her go. “What did she ever do?! Rena doesn’t deserve this! Please leave her alone!â€

Eve took a few steps forward, shaking her head at Scott. “We are not her enemies. We’re here to help her. So please, let me heal her wounds. She’ll die any moment now if I don’t treat them.†she calmly said, kneeling down at Rena’s side. She gently grabbed her arm, causing Scott to let go of her. He slowly moved away, watching Eve move her hands over Rena’s body. A bright light appeared from her hands, causing Scott to stand up and watch what was happening before him.

Austin let go of Rose as he turned around and watched her run ahead of him and stand beside Scott. Austin sighed, walking up to Eve to kneel down beside her. “Can you save her?†he quietly asked.

“I’m not too sure,†Eve responded. “It looks as though whoever she fought wanted to cut her up into pieces. It’s a fifty-fifty chance she might not survive.â€

Hearing those words, Scott winced as he bit his bottom lip, turning his attention down at Rena. “She’ll live…†he whispered.

***​

The students that were in the field all watched what was happening; Rena had bandages over her wounds and was still lying on the ground. Eve hovered over her, watching her to see she was still breathing. She smiled, standing up and turning her attention to Austin and Rena’s two friends.

“She’ll live,†she assured both Scott and Rose. She looked at Austin who was smiling as he walked towards the unconscious girl.

“I’m amazed,†he stated. “She had fatal wounds and she still survived.â€

“So am I. But I guess you’d expect that from someone like her,†Eve quietly said.

“Who are you people?†Scott’s voice broke the conversation between the two newcomers.

“Don’t worry, kid,†Austin said, crossing his arms. “We’re not here to fight her like the previous people.â€

“But tell me who you are,†Scott repeated, raising his voice.

“Calm down,†Eve said. “We’re from the same world as Stella.â€

“Stella?†Rose asked, stepping beside Scott.

“You don’t know who she is?†Austin asked, followed by Scott and Rose shaking their heads.

“She’s…a ruler from some world she never told me about,†Rena’s voice caused everyone to suddenly jump and turn to look at her.

“Rena!†Scott shouted, watching her stand up.

“Lay back down. You need rest!†Rose stated, moving closer and grabbing her arm.

“I-I’ll be fine,†Rena protested, turning her attention to Eve and Austin. “Tell me, are you two from…the same world as her?â€

Eve nodded her head and closed her eyes. “We were sent here because there were readings here about demons showing up more than usual. Austin had suspected that Stella was here and that was causing the appearance of more demons.â€

“But,†Austin interrupted. “I guess I was mistaken. It was actually her reincarnation that caused more to show up and those people you fought before to show up. My name is Austin and she is Eve, we were once Majors who worked along side Stella for a few years before we were demoted to Lieutenants.â€

Rena stared at the two, noticing they were dressed almost exactly the same and in the same color as well; they both wore a cape-like jacket that was brown. It looked like regular jackets until it reached the waist it began looking more like a cape. Their shirts were brown as well; the only difference was that Austin wore dark brown cargo pants while Eve wore a dark brown short skirt; their boots were completely black and looked exactly like Rena’s, except just a different color.

“We came here not only to do what we were told to do, but to also look for Stella. But we found her reincarnation instead,†Austin smiled as Eve looked around, noticing the stares they were all receiving. Austin opened his mouth to continue speaking but was cut off by Eve raising her hand in front of him.

“We’ll continue telling you more later. Right now, I think we’ll just leave you and your friends alone to talk,†Eve said as Rena turned around, seeing everyone still backed against the walls and the stares they were getting. In the distance, everyone heard sirens coming closer to the school.

***​

Rena and Scott stood by a lake that was located in one of the parks in the city. Rose had left to leave the two to talk amongst themselves; she figured whatever it was Rena and Scott were going to talk about, she felt like she shouldn't intrude.

Rena’s eyes were fixed down at the grass while Scott’s were fixed in a different direction. It has been so long since they were able to be alone for once, so they were happy to actually be alone but there was an awkward tension that made the both of them uncomfortable. Well, Scott was mainly the one feeling happy and that awkward tension at the same time. He glanced at Rena who seemed sad to be there. Quietly sighing, he put his hand into his pocket while he raised the other to rub the back of his head and looked somewhere else.

“Man,†he began as he looked back at Rena and put his other hand in his other pocket, “who would have thought we’d end up like this, right? I mean, we’re so quiet with each other now.â€

Laughing a little, Scott stared at Rena, hoping that would have at least made her look up at him, but it didn’t. She kept her head down as if she was avoiding eye contact with her own best friend. Figuring she wouldn’t look up, Scott’s smile faded, causing him to look somewhere else as he thought of a way to make Rena look at him, or at least raise her head a little. He took his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms, thinking of anything he knew or had a feeling that would make Rena react.

“Do…you hate me?†Rena quietly whispered but it was still loud enough to cause Scott to snap out of his train of thought and turn to look at Rena.

“What?†he asked.

“Do you hate me?†she asked, raising her voice a little.

Stunned by the question, Scott stepped a little closer to Rena and shook his head. “No. Why would you think that…?â€

“Because…†she said as she grabbed her left arm. “I hurt you….â€

“And how did you hurt me?â€

“By keeping something so big and possibly extremely important away from you. We promised we wouldn’t keep secrets yet that’s what I did.â€

Scott stayed quiet for a moment, tugging a little down at his shirt as he thought of something to say. “That doesn’t matter…â€

Rena looked at Scott and lowered her arm down to her side. “Yes it does! I lied to you and said nothing was going on when there really was. I wanted to tell you but…I was just afraid…†She lowered her head and gritted her teeth as she turned her back on Scott, facing the lake.

Scott chuckled and shook his head, taking a few more steps closer to Rena. “I can understand why you kept it from me. Although, you should have put a bit of faith in me. But don’t think it hurt me, and don’t think I hate you because I don’t. Rena, I care about you and you have been one of the greatest friends I could have ever asked for.â€

Rena had turned to the side, looking at Scott as he spoke. This wasn’t the first time she’s heard him say that. Whenever they were alone, they would end up talking about serious things and would eventually make promises to each other. And every single time, Rena would hear Scott tell her she was such a great friend. But somehow, every time she heard it, it still caught her by surprise. She didn’t understand why.

“I don’t hate you, and I never will,†Scott said, “I won’t turn my back on you either.â€

Rena finally smiled at Scott, making him smile back at her. She clasped her hands together behind her back in a kind of childish way, and turned to face the lake once more. “Alright then,†her tone was much more cheerful but still a little different. “I want you to do something.â€

“What is it?â€

“Whenever you need me, at any given time, just call my name and I’ll come running, okay?â€

Scott nodded his head in response, moving closer to Rena, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

Chapter Twelve: The Military​

The events of the previous day had left everyone in the school traumatized. Quite a few students were killed and possibly about three or so teachers were slaughtered. No matter how much everyone wanted to forget about the traumatizing events, it was all lodged into their memories permanently.

Although in the eyes of many people Rena was seen as a hero, others thought she was a complete monster who should never show her face again. She received a few praises from teachers and students, but all she mainly heard whenever she walked down a hall were the whispers of students and felt all eyes were on her. It annoyed her so much.

Rena had figured that Scott and Rose were upset with her so she didn’t bother walking them to school. But, she doubted the feeling since she had spoken to Scott about everything the previous night; the only thing she didn’t know was how Rose felt about everything.

By the time the bell had rung for after school, Rena had rushed out of her last class and headed towards one of the parks closest to the school. She didn’t know where her two friends were, but she figured she might as well leave them alone for bit; right now, she wanted to know more about Austin and Eve’s world.

In a short amount of time, Rena arrived at the park she had a feeling where Austin and Eve would be. She walked further into the area, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she looked around, only seeing civilians of Chronic. She suddenly stopped walking and turned around, seeing Austin and Eve standing right behind her. Eve had her arms crossed while Austin had his hands in his pockets, the both of them staring at Rena.

“How’d you know we’d be here?†Eve asked.

Rena turned away, crossing her arms around her chest, shrugging her shoulders. “Lucky guess,†she plainly stated, turning her attention back at the two Lieutenants.

Before another word could be said, Austin took one hand out of his pocket and pointed his finger behind Rena, causing her to turn around. To her surprise, she saw Scott and Rose standing behind her. Rena raised both eyebrows as she lowered her arms down to her sides, taking a step closer towards them; she opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by Rose shaking her head.

“We’re here because we want to be. Although this all seems too…weird to even be real, both Rose and I will support you. We’re staying,†Scott quickly said, knowing Rena would want them to leave.

Without saying anything else, Rena smiled and turned back at Austin and Eve, rubbing the back of her head. “Well,†she began, lowering her hand down to her side. “You should know what I want from you guys.â€

“Well, what exactly do you want to know?†Austin sighed.

“Everything,†Rena answered.

Austin and Eve turned their heads, looking at one another before looking back at Rena. “Well, we were sent here by five people who are in charge of everything that happens in our world. They suspected things were going to happen here so they sent us,†Eve said.

“Although, I don’t really trust them. We work under them but I can’t trust them completely for some reason,†Austin added.

“Who are these people?†Rose asked.

“They’re Generals. Above them was Lady Stella, but since she died, the head General is in charge of everything now. And if he were to want to do something, he’d have to discuss it with the other four Generals,†Austin responded.

“Why don’t you trust them?†Rena asked.

“We’re not too sure,†Eve answered this time. “The both of us just have this feeling as though we can’t trust them.â€

“Stella told me something about a war. How did that start?†Rena questioned.

Austin scratched his head for a moment, before snapping his fingers. “It was something about her refusing to do someth-â€

“To get married with someone,†Eve interrupted.

“That! She said she didn’t want to marry someone’s son from a different city. She said that she preferred to marry someone she loved,†Austin continued.

Rena shifted her eyes towards Scott’s direction, staring at him for a couple seconds before looking back at the two adults. “So they just went to war because of that?†she asked.

Eve nodded her head in response. “Wars can start out just because of a stupid excuse. It’s pathetic, really.â€

Before the group could continue talking, the sky suddenly went dark as a light appeared beside the group. They all turned their heads, seeing a gate with chains all around it. Although, the chains were broken. Austin and Eve were calm, knowing what was going to happen; they both straightened their posture, preparing themselves for whatever was going to pass through the gate. It slowly began opening, and as it opened more, five figures were seen just on the other side. Austin and Eve raised their right hands, saluting the five people that had passed through. Once they were all stepping on the grass of the park, the gate closed behind them and disappeared.

The one that stood in the center of the other four, a male, nodded his head at Austin and Eve, causing them to lower their hands. All five people wore the same uniform as the two Lieutenants, except, the color of their uniform was white.

“So this is the human world,†the male in the middle said, putting his hands on his hips as he looked around.

“It’s changed quite a lot,†a female that stood right beside him muttered.

“What would you expect?†a different male’s deep voice asked. “You’ve been dead for quite some time now.â€

“I can’t believe I actually missed this place,†a woman’s sharp voice spoke.

“Man, you people are so depressing,†another male spoke, staring off somewhere else.

“Who are these people?†Scott asked, stepping closer to Rena.

Austin looked over at the three friends before looking back at the ones that had just arrived. He took a step forward and saluted once more. “Sir, we’ve found Stella’s reincarnation. Although that wasn’t our mission in the first place, we found her along the way.â€

The male that stood in the middle turned his attention to Austin before raising an eyebrow and lowering his hands. “Really? And which girl is this?â€

Austin lowered his hand and turned to the side, revealing Rena who was standing a few feet behind him. The black-haired male looked at Rena, stepping closer towards her. Rena took a step back, but was soon pulled forward by the man; he placed one hand under her chin, forcing her to raise her head a little.

“You really do look like her,†he muttered, letting go of Rena and turning away. “But, is there any proof it is her?â€

Rena rolled her eyes, wondering if everyone that knew Stella would ask that. The unknown male turned around, watching Rena roll up her sleeve, revealing the dragon marking. He crossed his arms and turned back at the other four he had come with. They all stared at him, figuring he would decide something without them; sighing, he turned towards Austin and Eve.

“Watch over this girl,†he ordered before looking back at Rena. Without another word, he turned back to the other four as the gate appeared once more. “Let’s go.â€

“Wait!†Rena shouted. “Who are you people?!â€

At her sudden outburst, everyone turned their attention towards her, seeing her glaring at the five newcomers. The black-haired male that had approached her earlier smiled at her, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry about us. My name’s Jack and the five of us will be popping in every now and then. The five of us are Generals in our military in our world. We decide everything seeing as how Lady Stella is dead. Austin and Eve were sent here beca-â€

“Yeah, I got that,†Rena interrupted. “Tell me what’s going on. Why you people keep showing up, why I had to be the one to save people. Tell me everything!â€

The one known as Jack raised both eyebrows, surprised as to how Rena was reacting. He crossed his arms and lowered his head. “You’re not like her as much as I expected.â€

Rena’s eye slightly twitched, beginning to get annoyed and frustrated with Jack even though she had just met him. She growled as she clenched her hands into fists before taking a deep breath and turning around.

“Fine then. If you people want to keep everything from me then I guess I’ll just leave. Choose someone else to do your dirty work,†she said, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she began walking away. “Bye~!â€

Rose and Scott both looked at one another before looking at Austin and Eve, and then at the other five. Scott sighed, turning around and following Rena, with Rose following him.

“Is she always like this?†Jack asked, directing his question to Austin and Eve.

Austin shrugged his shoulders. “We met her yesterday,†he muttered. “But I’m positive she isn’t.â€

“I would just assume she’s frustrated with everything that’s been going on,†Eve added.

Jack nodded his head in response. “Well, keep an eye on that girl.†Without another word, he turned back around and stepped through the gate, following by the other four who had come with him.

“Eve, I have a plan that might help me, or us, a bit,†Austin quietly said, watching the gate close.

“What is it?â€

“I’ll tell you later. We should follow Rena and her friends,†he muttered, turning around and running off into the direction Rena had gone to.

Eve watch Austin leave as she stood there, a bit confused as to what he wanted. She lowered her head for a brief moment before following after Austin.

Chapter Thirteen: The Truth​

“Rena!†Scott called. “Rena, wait!â€

Rena quickly walked ahead of both Rose and Scott; the two of them struggling a little to keep up with their friend. Rena tightly clenched her hands, listening to the sound of her footsteps and hearing footsteps following behind her. She knew whom they belonged to, but she did not want to stop now; she just wanted to get away.

“Rena!†she heard Scott’s voice one more time. She pressed her lips tightly together and before she knew it, Scott grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop walking and to turn around.

Seeing Scott panting, Rena pulled her arm away and looked down at the pavement. “Go home, the both of you. There are quite a few things I need to do,†she said.

“Now wait just one minute, Rena!†Rose exclaimed. “Don’t go pushing us away and thinking we’ll fall for everything you tell us to do. We’re here for you and we’re willing to help you in any way we can.â€

“Rose is right,†Scott stated. “We’re not going anywhere.â€

Rena opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself as soon as she saw Austin and Eve suddenly appear behind Rose and Scott. Rena glared at the two before turning her back on them and began to walk away. Without even taking at least five steps, Rena felt her body jerk back, causing her to lose her balance for a moment. As soon as she regained it, she looked up, seeing Austin standing in front of her.

“Rena, listen-â€

“Why? Just so you guys can tell me crap that isn’t completely what I want to hear?†Rena interrupted, glaring at the dark haired man.

Austin sighed. “Tell me exactly what you want to hear.â€

Rena slightly tilted her head, raising an eyebrow as she took a step back. She looked away, crossing her arms around her chest. “Stella always told me that ‘they’ would come to cause harm to Chronic. Those people I fought yesterday didn’t seem like…‘they’. Those people did want to cause harm, but it seemed as if it was only at my school. Who exactly are ‘they’?â€

Austin closed his eyes and crossed his arms, lowering his head a little. “Lady Stella grew up with this young man who had fallen in love with her. Although, she did not feel the same way, but she also did not know he had deep feelings for her. Although she ruled our world, her and this boy still kept in contact. He actually lived in the palace Lady Stella lived in,†he continued. “Since the two were close, she ended up telling him about the person she had fallen in love with; his name was Anthony, a soldier that was in our army. When she told him about her dream of leaving our city with Anthony and a servant, he became angry and told her what he had kept from her, which were his feelings for her. She apologized for not feeling the same way and that she only loved him as a friend. This man then became filled with rage and hate towards Anthony, believing he stole the love of his life. Eventually, he betrayed Lady Stella, leaving her completely hurt since she had trusted him so much.â€

Rena lowered her arms down to her sides, watching Austin, waiting for him to continue. “And then…?†she finally said.

“Due to his rage and hatred, this man then grew ‘hate’ toward Lady Stella,†Eve calmly interrupted. “However, it wasn’t technically hate. It was more as though his love for her became deeper to the point where he was willing to take Lady Stella’s life. He was the one that killed Anthony, the servant and Lady Stella. When we caught him, we interrogated him and he simply said he loved Lady Stella and despised Anthony. It was sickening to hear him laugh at his own answers and to even have listened to them.â€

“Where is this guy now?†Rena asked.

“Shortly after interrogating him, he escaped. We searched for years, but have not found a single clue as to where he may be,†Eve answered.

The group remained silent; all that could be heard were the sound of cars passing by the area and the sound of the trees gently blowing in the wind. Austin opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Rena spoke out.

“So, Stella wasn’t supposed to die?†she asked.

“No,†Eve answered. “The war was simply because she didn’t want to marry someone she didn’t love and that she wanted to marry a soldier she was in love with.â€

“During her murderer’s interrogation, he was asked why he had killed Lady Stella and he said, ‘If I can’t have her, then no one can.’ Pretty damn corny if you ask me,†Austin stated.

The group went silent once more. Rose and Scott stood closely behind the two lieutenants, surprisingly believing everything they had heard. Rena lowered her head and rubbed her chin thoughtfully; she suddenly snapped her fingers and looked back at Eve and Austin.

“So I’m guessing by ‘they’, Stella meant this guy, right?†she asked, watching Eve and Austin nod their heads. “I see.â€

“But wait,†Rose’s gentle voice spoke out. “If it’s ‘they’ then it must more than one person, right?â€

“You’re right,†Austin muttered. “When he had escaped, the higher-ups had come to the conclusion he didn’t escape on his own. He had others who had helped him.â€

“So these people are the ones that will come here and want to cause harm to everyone here. And those people I had fought yesterday weren’t the ones Stella meant by ‘they’,†Rena stated, putting her hands on her hips.

“Exactly,†Austin exclaimed. “But also, those people you had fought yesterday were those that were along side this person. By the looks of it, he had sent them here to look for Stella. He must have sensed that Stella was here.â€

“What’s his name?†Scott asked.

“Zayden,†Eve responded.

Rena opened her mouth to speak, but soon closed it, noticing the lighting in the area was changing. She raised her head as the others did the same, noticing the clouds were moving rapidly over Chronic. “What the hell,†she mumbled.

Within a matter of seconds, thunder roared and rain began to pour down. Rena raised an eyebrow as Austin and Eve turned their backs on her, looking up at the clouded sky.

“Some thing’s not right here,†Austin muttered.

Not that far away from them, lightning struck down on the street next to the park, causing the ground to lightly shake. Rena looked towards the street, noticing there was a hole where the lightning had struck. That wasn’t normal lightning. she thought to herself. Austin and Eve suddenly disappeared from sight, leaving the three friends in shock.

“Where did they go?†Rose asked; the rain drowned out her voice a little.

Rena narrowed her eyes as she raised her head, seeing someone standing on the rooftop of a building. She clenched her hands into fists, seeing the person carrying a thin sword. She couldn’t make out who the person was, but she knew it was a male. His long pitch black hair covered part of his face as it blew in the wind that had come along with the rain and thunder.

“Rose, Scott, I want you guys to go somewhere safe. It’s too dangerous for you guys to be out here,†she shouted. “Go indoors.â€

Rena quickly changed into her combat outfit, but without giving a warning, the male that stood in the rooftop pointed the tip of his sword at Rena, firing some sort of beam at her. Scott and Rose ran out of the way while Rena dodged the attack and charged towards the stranger. When she was just a few feet away, the male raised his other hand, pointing the palm of his hand at Rena. Rena’s eyes grew wide, feeling something take over her body. She collapsed on the ground, feeling her body go numb. Her vision began to blur, hearing Rose and Scott call out her name. Last thing she heard were the cracks of thunder.

***​

Rena slowly opened her eyes; her vision was blurry and she felt drowsy for some reason. When her vision began to clear, she looked around, noticing she was in a room and laying on a bed. What the hell…? she thought, sitting up. She looked down at herself, seeing her clothes was different and her hair was…longer and lighter. She quickly got out of bed and walked over to a mirror that was in the corner of the room. Her eyes grew wide as she screamed at the top of her lungs, seeing she was in Stella’s body.

Chapter Fourteen: In Her Shoes​

Rena stepped closer towards the mirror, putting her hands on her face as she heard footsteps coming towards the room she was in. The footsteps echoed throughout the hallway and soon stopped in front of her door. The door swung open as two guards stepped in with their hands on the hilt of their swords. Rena quickly turned around, lowering her hands near her stomach.

“Your Highness, are you alright?!†one of the guards asked.

“We heard you scream,†the other guard quickly stated.

Rena simply stared at the two, wondering if Stella’s voice would come out of her mouth instead of her own. She closed her eyes tightly, quickly nodding her head and opening her mouth.

“I’m fine,†she said, hearing Stella’s voice. She opened her eyes and looked at the two guards who were still ready to draw their weapons. “I just thought…I saw a rat. Sorry for bothering you.â€

The two guards lowered their hands to their sides and looked at one another before looking back at who they saw as Stella. Without another word, the two bowed and left the room, closing the door behind them. Rena sighed in relief, placing one hand over her chest as she closed her eyes once more. Opening her eyes, she turned back towards the mirror, still seeing Stella’s body. She narrowed her eyes and scratched her chin thoughtfully. Last thing I remember was that I was in the park with Scott and Rose. she thought, lowering her hand as she looked in the direction of the window. Beside it was a two door opening; the doors had white curtains over it and a bright light shone through them and through the windows as well. It was day already.

Rena walked over to the doors, placing her hands on the knobs. She pressed her lips tightly together, pulling on the door knobs to open the doors. As soon as they opened, the gentle breeze of wind rushed into the room, causing Rena to open her mouth in awe. She stepped onto the balcony that the open doors led to as her dark brown eyes looked around to see something completely different from Chronic.

Mountains surrounded the area as the ground below was covered with grass; a large gate that seemed about half a mile away surrounded the building Rena was in. Beyond the gate were more buildings and many citizens walking from one place to another. Rena placed her hands on the metal railing of the balcony, looking down at the ground, seeing a man watering the flowers that were blooming and another watering the dark green grass.

“Is this…Stella’s world…?†she quietly asked herself.

Following her question, a gentle knock came on the door the two guards had come from. Rena turned around and stepped back into the room, seeing a woman step into the room. She looked fairly young and wore a lightly brown dress that touched the floor and had her hair tied up into a pony tail; she had strands of hair coming down the side of her face and a few more coming down in front of her face. The woman smiled at Rena as she walked over towards her.

“I’m assuming you just woke up, right?†she asked, walking over to the bed, beginning to fix it.

Rena simply stared at her before nodding her head and turning back towards the balcony. “Yes.â€

“Everything alright?†the woman asked as she finished fixing Rena’s bed. “You seem a bit off.â€

Rena opened her mouth to speak, but soon closed it, seeing the woman’s face. She looked exactly like Rose. Is she Julianne? she wondered, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

“Stella?†the woman’s voice interrupted Rena’s thought. Although she didn’t hear her name be called, hearing Stella’s still made her respond. “Everything alright?†she repeated.

“Yes, everything’s fine,†Rena finally answered, still surprised to be hearing Stella’s voice instead of her own.

The woman smiled, walking over to one side of the room, grabbing a gown that was spread out on a chair. “Well then, get dressed,†she said, handing Rena the gown. “You have quite a few things to do today.â€

Without another word, the young woman bowed and left the room to let Rena get dressed. Rena watched the woman leave before looking at the gown. It was the same one Stella wore when she first saw her. Sighing, Rena closed the doors that led to the balcony and got dressed into the gown.

Within a matter of minutes, Rena had left the room she awoke in and walked through the halls of the building. Everything was clean and elegant; the walls were covered with elegant wallpaper, beautiful paintings were hung up on the walls while the flooring was wooden. It was quiet and every step she took, the sound echoed throughout the halls.

Turning a corner, she came across a staircase with two guards standing on each side. Seeing the presence of who they saw as Stella, the two guards straightened their posture and bowed their heads.

“Good morning, Your Highness!†the guards said in unison.

Rena stepped back, caught off guard by the sudden greeting; she stared at the two guards, seeing they weren’t loosing their posture or raising their heads. A faint smile crossed her lips as she began walking again. “Good morning,†she said as she passed the two guards.

The two males raised their heads and relaxed their muscles as they saw Rena walk down the stairs. As she walked down, Rena stared down at the steps, wondering how she even arrived to that world and even more how she got in the body of Stella’s. She narrowed her eyes and sighed as she arrived at the bottom step. Looking around, she spotted the young woman that resembled Rose. Rena bit her lip and walked over to her as she clasped her hands together in front of her.

“Julianne,†she calmly called, watching the woman turn around.

“Yes, Stella?â€

Rena raised her eyebrows, glad to know her guess wasn’t wrong. She slowly shook her head. “Just wanted to…know exactly what it is I have to do.â€

The woman known as Julianne raised an eyebrow before smiling and turning around. “You forgot?†she asked, beginning to walk away. “Come, follow me.â€

Rena nodded her head in response and followed after Julianne, looking out the windows they passed, seeing a large garden just outside. Rena wrapped her arms around her stomach, turning her attention in front of her, noticing two glass doors they were approaching. Julianne opened one door and stepped outside, holding the door open for Rena as she stepped outside as well. Rena’s eyes grew wide to see a large number of men dressed in brown standing in the field. Their uniforms were the same as Austin and Eve’s. Standing in front of them was a middle aged man who was dressed in black and wore the same uniform. He had his arms behind his back and soon turned around, seeing both Julianne and Rena.

“Well, one minor thing is that you need to meet one of the captains from the army,†Julianne quietly said.

Rena pressed her lips together before beginning to walk again, heading towards the man dressed in black. He completely turned his body around as he dropped down on one knee with his head bowed; behind him, the group of men dressed in brown did the same.

“Good morning, Your Highness,†the male dressed in black said. “Glad to see you’re doing well.â€

Rena slightly tilted her head and looked over at the group of men behind the one that had just greeted her. “Good morning,†she muttered, watching everyone stand up.

“Stella, this man is Titus. He is one of the captains in our army. For some reason, your father wanted you to meet him,†Julianne said.

“Your father fears that harm will come to you so he entrusted me into picking any of the lieutenants to protect you,†Titus explained. “I’m not sure why he didn’t tell this to the Generals, but we might as well accept his words.â€

Titus turned his back on the two girls and whistled, motioning for someone who stood in the middle of the group to move forward. A young dark haired male walked towards the three and stopped right beside Titus, getting down on one knee as he bowed his head.

“This man is the one who will be protecting you and who will be beside you every hour of the day. The other Lieutenants will be watching over the mansion and a few others will be watching over the city,†Titus continued.

Rena lowered her head, staring at the nameless man that was down on his knee. He raised his head, making eye contact with Rena. “I am honored to be the one to protect you, Your Highness,†he said.

Rena’s eyes grew wide, gasping to see the face of Scott. She tightly clenched her hands into fists, seeing the man smile at her.

“My name is Anthony.â€

Chapter Fifteen: Closer​

The man that called himself as Anthony stared up at Rena, waiting for a response from her, but none came. His gentle gaze soon turned into eyes filled with worry. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out; he closed his mouth and cleared his throat, looking away.

“Scott!†Rena shouted, causing Anthony and everyone else to jump.

“W-What…?†Anthony stammered.

Rena turned her attention away from Anthony to Julianne then to Titus then back to Anthony; the three of them were simply staring at her in confusion. Rena felt her cheek flush a light red as she brought her hands over her face. Anthony stood up and took a step closer before stopping to see Rena suddenly bow.

“I’m sorry!†she quickly said. “I-I didn’t mean to suddenly shout like that…â€

“No, no!†Anthony responded, waving his hands in front of him. “It’s alright, really. Please stand up straight.â€

Rena tightly shut her eyes as she pressed her lips together, standing up straight as she felt Julianne place her hand on Rena’s shoulder. Rena looked over at Julianne to see her smiling at her; it looked as though Julianne wanted to laugh. Titus cleared his throat as he turned to the rest of the soldiers.

“We’ll get going now,†he plainly said. “Dismissed!†All of the a sudden, the group of lieutenants, along with Titus, disappeared out of sight, leaving Anthony and two girls standing alone in the field.

Anthony looked around before looking back Rena and smiling. “Well, should we get going too?†he asked.

Rena looked up at the young lieutenant before nodding her head in response and smiling back at him. The two of them turned around and left the palace, leaving Julianne by herself. Rena trailed behind Anthony as she stared down at the ground, listening to every footstep they took. She moved her eyes from side to side, her gaze catching everything that was on the ground.

Anthony walked ahead of her as he, too, looked around, except noticing everyone’s reaction when seeing Stella out in the streets of the city. Rena raised her head finally noticing the stares both her and Anthony were getting. She saw a few get close to one another and whisper something to each other while staring at her; most of them were older women while a few men were glaring at Anthony. Rena raised an eyebrow as she got closer to Anthony, now walking beside him.

“Have you not-â€

“The stares we’re getting? Yes,†he interrupted.

Rena blinked, staring up at Anthony as he continued to look around. “It doesn’t bother you…?†she whispered.

“Not really. The people from the army get it a lot,†he answered quietly.

“How come?â€

“We’re not sure, actually. All we really know is that quite a few people from the army, mainly the higher-ups, have done a bit of damage to the citizens. That’s all I really know.â€

Rena raised her eyebrows in surprise before looking back down, having nothing else to say. Her fingers fidgeted down at her side as she felt the awkward tension become more and more uncomfortable. Although, it seemed as though she was the only one who felt uncomfortable. A thought suddenly crossed her mind, remembering what she did when she first met Anthony. Rena turned her attention back towards Anthony, opening her mouth to speak. “An-â€

“Look out!â€

Both Rena and Anthony turned their heads, seeing a ball come rushing towards Rena. Before she could react, Rena fell to the ground, her hand against her cheek as Anthony quickly knelt down beside her. He quickly sat her up and removed her hand from her cheek.

“Your Highness,†he said, seeing the red mark on her cheek. “Are you alright?â€

Behind them, two young teenage boys came running towards their direction, one headed to get the ball while the other ran up to the two that were down on the ground.

“H-Hey…are you okay?†the boy asked as he ran his hand through his blond hair; he looked back and forth at Anthony and Rena, biting his bottom lip. The other boy came running towards them, the ball in his hands.

Anthony raised his head, glaring at the two boys as he held onto Rena. “What the hell is your problem?†he bellowed.

The two boys looked at one another, taking a step back as Anthony waited for a response. Rena left her hand on her cheek as she stared down at the ground, tears trickling down from her eyes; her eyes were wide, filled with terror. That simple hit on the face brought back so many terrible memories.

Rena could hear Anthony and the two boys talking and from what she could hear, Anthony was angry. She could hear him yelling at the two boys as she felt his embrace become tighter. She could hear several footsteps coming closer and the murmur of a crowd forming. She narrowed her eyes, more tears coming down as she closed her eyes tightly. Rena heard Anthony whisper something in her ear; his voice had gone from an angry tone to a gentle assurance. However, this had caused her to cry even more. Scott… she thought. She placed her other hand on her head as she inhaled deeply, soon letting out a high-pitched scream. Everyone that was forming around the two boys, Anthony and Rena suddenly backed away; the boys that had the ball did the same. Anthony quickly brought Rena closer as she began whimpering, tears running down her face. Anthony looked back where the two boys were, seeing they were gone; all he really saw were the stares of many civilians.

Anthony cursed under his breath as he picked up Rena, keeping her close as she buried her face in his chest. He quickly stood up and took off running towards the palace.

***​

Rena sat on her bed as she stared down at her hands, hearing the voices of Julianne and Titus outside her door. She barely paid attention to what they talked about, but she knew it had to do with her and the scene she had done while she was out in the city with Anthony. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, sighing deeply, hearing the doorknob turn. When the door opened, she opened her eyes and looked towards the direction Julianne’s voice was coming from.

Julianne stepped into the room, closing the door behind her and walked up to Rena’s bedside. She placed her hands on the bed and smiled quietly at Rena. “What happened?†she asked.

Rena glanced at Julianne before looking away, not speaking a word.

“You won’t tell me?†Still, no response came.

Julianne sighed and turned her back on Rena. “If you need anything, just call me.†Without saying anything else, Julianne left the room, leaving Rena to bury her face in her bed sheets. She suddenly heard the sound of her door opening again and as she raised her head to see whom it was Rena quickly looked away, seeing it was Anthony. He stepped into the room and stood by the door, staring at Rena, wondering what he could say.

“Um…Your Highness…†he trailed off. “Ar-â€

“Please…†Rena interrupted. “Call me Re-Stella…â€

Anthony raised his eyebrows, rubbing the back of his neck. “…Are you alright?â€

“I’m fine,†she responded.

Anthony smiled faintly and nodded his head in response. “That’s good. I’m glad.â€

Rena finally turned her gaze onto Anthony who was staring down at the wooden flooring. She quietly sighed and lowered her head. “I’m sorry for earlier,†she plainly said.

Anthony was caught off guard by the sudden apology that he had no idea how to respond to it. He took a few steps closer to Rena and shook his head. “It’s fine,†he quickly said. “Really, it’s fine. I blame myself for not being able to protect you that moment.â€

“No, no,†Rena said. “It’s fine. Don’t blame yourself. It’s nobody’s fault.â€

Anthony lowered his head and slowly nodded his head again, remaining quiet once again. A few minutes passed as the two simply stayed quiet and the awkward tension appeared once again. Rena clenched her bed sheets, glancing back at Anthony; she pressed her lips tightly together, trying to figure out what to say.

“I think I should get going now…†Anthony finally spoke, turning his back on Rena. “Quite a few things to do.â€

Rena opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out when Anthony suddenly looked over his shoulder and brought his index finger up to his lips. “Shush. You should get some rest.†Once he had finished speaking, he opened the door and left the room.

Rena blinked a couple of times, surprised at what Anthony had just done. It was something Scott always did to her when she wanted to protest against him. Whether it was a compliment or a silly decision, she always heard the word “shush.†Rena smiled to herself and laid down on her bed, slowly drifting off into slumber.

Chapter Sixteen: Spark​

The dark crimson liquid now soaked Rena’s purple shirt as she pressed her hands and knees against the pavement. She had her head bowed as two boys towered over her, grinning from ear to ear.

“What’s the matter?†one boy said in a petty tone. “Done already?â€

“I think she is, Allen,†the other boy snickered.

Rena raised her head, glaring at the two boys as she brought one hand over her nose, wiping the blood with the back of her hand and forcing herself to stand on her feet. She suddenly lunged forward, the two boys moving backwards seeing Rena’s hand in a fist. The one known as Allen grabbed her fist and kneed her in the stomach, causing her to yelp and fall back down on the ground. Rena panted as she wrapped one arm around her stomach, her eyes tightly shut as she laid on her side.

“I guess she is done,†Allen calmly said.

The other boy grinned, swinging his leg to kick Rena’s stomach. “Doesn’t mean we have to stop,†he said.

The two boys looked at one another as their devilish grin remained on their lips; they soon turned their attention back towards Rena, throwing punches, kicks, anything that would cause the girl harm. All that could be heard were Rena’s yelps and whimpers.

Allen stepped back, his friend continuing to hurt Rena; he looked down at his hand, seeing blood spots on his knuckles. Allen shook his hand and briefly looked away from the scene. As he was ready to turn his attention back towards his victim, someone’s fist suddenly made contact with his face, causing him to stumble sideways, soon falling to the ground clutching his face.

“LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE!†Scott’s voice bellowed.

The two boys that had attacked Rena turned their attention to Scott, seeing Rose running towards their direction in the distance. The one that was still standing cursed under his breath, turning around to take off running, but was stopped by Scott who had grabbed him by the collar, swinging his fist at Rena’s attacker; he, too, fell to the ground clutching his face.

“Rena!†Rose shrieked as she finally caught up with Scott, kneeling down at Rena’s side. She gently sat Rena up against the brick wall, turning her attention towards Scott and the two boys.

Before Scott could make another move at the two boys, they got up from the ground and took off running. Scott took a step forward, but Rose quickly stood up, wrapping her arms around him to hold him back.

“GET BACK HERE!†he yelled. “LET GO OF ME, ROSE! I’LL TEACH THESE *******S A LESSON!â€

“Scott!†Rose shouted.

“I SWEAR TO GOD,†he hissed. “LAY ANOTHER HAND ON HER, I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL KILL YOU!â€

“Scott, Rena’s more important than them! Let them leave!â€

With those sudden words, Scott’s phase of pure rage suddenly disappeared as his body relaxed, pulling away from Rose’s grasp and quickly getting on his knees, gently bringing Rena closer towards him.

“Rena,†he calmly called waiting for her to respond to him. He quietly stared down at her as he felt Rose’s presence beside him. “Rena,†he called once more.

Scott placed his hands on Rena’s shoulders, feeling her body tremble out of pure fear and the blows she had taken. He looked around, seeing blood smeared on the pavement; luckily, it wasn’t a lot of blood.

“I-I-I’m…†Scott quickly turned his attention back at Rena, hearing her say something. Both him and Rose stared quietly at Rena, waiting for anything else.

“I’m sorry…†Rena finally said. “I’m so sorry.â€

Rose and Scott exchanged looks before they looked back at Rena, hearing her sobbing. Scott closed his eyes, slightly tightening his embrace, trying to be careful not to hurt Rena as he heard her sobbing become louder. He brought Rena closer as he sighed, feeling Rose’s gaze on him and Rena.

“I’ll protect you, Rena.â€

***​

Rena slowly opened her eyes, noticing the light in her room had dimmed from when she was awake. She narrowed her eyes as she looked around, making sure she was still in the body of Stella and that none of it was a dream. She pushed the covers of her bed off of her as she sat up, rubbing the back of her head as she continued to look around. She couldn’t tell what time it was since there weren’t any clocks in the room; all she could really tell was that she slept for a long time judging by the light outside her windows. Remembering what had happened earlier, Rena quickly got out of bed, rushing out of her room and down the stairs. She only hoped Anthony was still there.

As soon as she got to the bottom step, a smile crossed Rena’s face momentarily before seeing Titus standing in front of Anthony who had his head bowed and was down on his hands and knees.

“How could you allow harm come to Lady Stella?!†Titus questioned with a scornful look on his face. “You were given orders to protect her and on the first day you fail to do so!â€

“I’m sorry, sir,†Anthony apologized clenching his hands into fists.

Titus remained quiet for a moment, turning his gaze away from Anthony by turning his back on him. “I don’t care whether you say you’ll be more careful next time or not, I’m giving someone else the duty to protect Lady Stella.â€

At his words, Anthony quickly raised his head, preparing to protest against it. “But sir-â€

“Wait!†Rena shouted.

Titus and Anthony quickly looked towards Rena’s direction, watching her come closer towards them.

“Titus, it wasn’t Anthony’s fault,†she began. “It was nobody’s fault. The ball had come from behind so we couldn’t see when it was coming. Please give Anthony another chance. Please.â€

Titus stared at Rena, listening carefully to her words before looking at Anthony who remained down on his knees. Titus sighed as he rubbed his forehead with his index finger and his thumb. “Fine,†he said. “Anthony will continue to be your body guard. But if something like this happens again, you’ll be given a new body guard, Your Highness.â€

Rena smiled, filling up with joy as she nodded her head in response. “Thank you.â€

“Thank you, sir!†Anthony quickly said once Rena had given her gratitude. “It won’t happen again.â€

Titus waved his hand, turning away from the two and leaving the room.

***​

The light from the moon lit up the garden, giving all the flowers and plants a vibrant look. Rena stared down at purple roses as Anthony followed closely behind her. He quietly stared at her, a smile on his face. Rena’s eyes suddenly became filled with excitement, seeing a bud of one of the purple roses.

“Look,†Rena said, pointing at the rose and looking up at Anthony. “This one is barely blooming.â€

Anthony took a step closer and looked at the other roses. “Judging by the ones around it, it’ll become a beautiful flower.â€

Rena nodded her head as she turned her body completely facing Anthony. he smiled down at her before looking around the garden, seeing nobody else. “You sure they won’t say anything if we’re here?†he questioned, scratching his head.

Rena nodded once more and turned her back to Anthony. “I’m sure,†she confidently stated.

“Are you really?â€

“If they say anything, I’ll just retort back,†she giggled as she looked over her shoulder.

Anthony chuckled, placing his hands on his hips as he looked back at Rena. He slightly tilted his head before looking up at the star-covered sky. “I never thanked you for what you did with Captain Titus.â€

Rena spun around on her heels, clasping her hands behind her back, smiling at Anthony as she slowly shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault after all.â€

“Yeah, but…if you had never said anything, someone else would be watching over you.â€

“You like being my body guard?â€

Anthony’s smile soon faded as he slowly nodded his head, really having no words to say. Surprised by his gesture, Rena raised her eyebrows and slightly tilted her head. “Well…that’s good.â€

For a moment, there were no words escaping from either of their mouths as the both of them quietly stared at one another and simply stood there. Anthony suddenly stepped closer and embraced Rena in a tight hug which surprisingly hadn’t caught her off guard. She returned the hug, her ears pressed against Anthony’s chest, causing her to listen to his heartbeat.

He’s alive.

Chapter Seventeen: A Greater Bond Arrives​

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

A large room lit by a single light bulb. In the center of the room was a grand piano and in the corner standing against a wall was a grandfather clock. A young woman with silver hair and red eyes leaned against the piano as she listened to sound of the grandfather clock. Sitting at the piano was a young male wearing a top hat, staring at the keys of the piano. A faint smile crossed his face as he pressed his index finger against one key. The room echoed with the deep note coming from the piano. As the echo went on for a couple of seconds, the woman leaning against the large instrument smiled, turning her attention towards the male with the top hat.

“The girl…what does he plan on doing with her?†she asked.

“I don’t know,†he responded as he continued to stare down at the keys before him. “Why?â€

“Curious,†the silver haired woman plainly said, moving away from the piano.

“Curiosity killed the cat.â€

“Don’t tell me you’re not curious too?â€

“The girl is…interesting. I would like to kill her myself, though.â€

“I want to toy with her for a bit.â€

“Or,†the man with the top hat paused as he and the woman exchanged looks, both of them grinning devilishly. “We can watch her kill herself.â€

***​

Rena quietly stepped through the corridors of the palace, lightly tiptoeing to not wake anyone up. It was past midnight and everyone that lived in the palace were fast asleep. The bond between Anthony and Rena had somehow skyrocketed; although she understood he was not Scott, Rena felt as though she could depend and trust Anthony the same way she depended and trusted Scott. They now had the habit of sneaking out at night to meet at the garden of the palace so they would spend time together without being disturbed. The only problem was the guards, but they found their way around it fairly quickly.

As soon as she reached the door that led to the garden, Rena looked around, making sure nobody had been following her. She knew perfectly well if she was caught sneaking around, both her and Anthony would be in a great deal of trouble, especially Anthony.

Seeing nobody behind her, she turned the door knob and quietly, yet swiftly, stepped outside, closing the door behind her. Before Rena could continue off to the center of the garden where Anthony waited for her, she caught a figure run past the rose bushes and into the trees of the garden. She narrowed her eyes, slowly moving closer towards the area where she saw the dark figure run in to.

Rena came to a halt, turning her attention in the direction Anthony awaited her. She narrowed her eyes as she gritted her teeth, understanding perfectly well that the figure she just saw was more important than meeting up with Anthony. Inhaling deeply, Rena quickly turned her attention back towards where the figure had taken off and ran in that direction.

It was silent. The only sound were the light footsteps Rena made while running. She suddenly skid to a stop. Rena’s eyes stared at an odd figure just a few feet in front of her. It had its back turned and its head bowed.

“W-Who are you?†Rena questioned. No response came.

The figure twitched, the sound of bones cracking followed shortly afterward. Rena took a step back as the figure began to move around more, bones cracking with every movement; the more movements, the bigger the figure grew. Rena’s body had all of a sudden frozen. Her eyes were filled with terror; as much as she wished she could turn away and run, she was unable to. When the figure turned, Rena gasped and closed her eyes.

Everything went black.

***​

Everything surrounding Rena appeared black; the space around her and even the water that kept her afloat. Rena slowly opened her eyes, groaning and sitting up. She sat in a large pool of water. When she regained consciousness, she felt her arms and legs dangling below the liquid, but when she sat up, her hands and legs rested above the water. She didn’t understand what it was, but she felt as though something was suffocating her. She sat in what appeared as an abyss.

Quickly rushing to her feet, Rena looked around before taking a few steps forward. The splash of the water caused by her footstep didn’t even echo. She felt herself begin to panic; she needed to get out.

“Hello?†she shouted.

Nothing came.

“Hello?!â€

Again, nothing came.

Rena shook her head as she tightly shut her eyes, inhaling deeply. Before she could scream at the top of her lungs, she heard the giggle of a little girl. Rena’s eyes shot open, causing her to quickly look around to see nobody was there.

She was panicking, and she couldn’t control it. Rena took a deep breath and lowered her head to stare down at the water below her feet. She was able to see her reflection; she was back in her own body. The young girl let out a sigh, raising her head and placing her hand over her chest as she closed her eyes. At both of her sides, two hands that looked like they belonged to a doll appeared through the darkness. They quickly grabbed Rena, one cover her mouth while the other wrapped around her waist, the both of them pulling her down below the water. Rena stared ahead of her. She couldn’t move, speak, or even blink.

She felt the hands release her, soon feeling someone place their fingers on her forehead. A figure hovered above her while her body remained completely paralyzed. She wasn’t able to see whether the figure was male or female, but she could see their mouth moving. They were saying something.

Rena’s eyesight began to blur. The figure began to float up to the top, reaching for Rena while she continued to sink. She felt something push her down further, her eyes closed.

What’s happening?

***​

“Stella!â€

W-Who’s there?..................​

“Stella!â€...........................................​

...............................Who are you?

“Stella!â€​

Rena’s eyes shot open as she gasped for air. Her eyes darted back and forth before setting them on the person kneeling beside her. She took short deep breaths as the male stared down at her, his gaze filled with worry.

“Stella, are you alright?†he asked.

“Anthony…†she muttered. She understood well she was back in Stella’s body. “Where am I…?â€

For a moment Anthony stared at her a bit puzzled with the question. He opened his mouth, but closed it quickly to look around. He looked back down at Rena and slightly smiled. “You’re in the garden of the palace. I found you unconscious.â€

Rena’s eyes grew wide, quickly sitting up and looking around. She really was in the garden.

“Stella?â€

At the sound of her name, Rena turned around, seeing Anthony staring at her, confused, but clearly worried. “Are you alright?†he asked.

Rena slowly rose to her feet, keeping her back turned on Anthony as she nodded her head. “Yeah,†she said. “I’m fine. I’m sorry for worrying you.â€

Before Anthony could say anything else, Rena walked away, keeping her head down. Anthony rose to his feet as he watched Rena walk away. Figuring she would refuse to continue to speak, Anthony followed quietly after Rena, listening to the footsteps they both made.

***​

Who’s there?

Who are you?​

Where are you?..........................................​

........................Can you tell me your name?

…Hey, are you still there?..........................​

Please, give me an answer.

I can’t take any of this anymore.​

..............Please, someone help me.

I don’t understand what’s going on................​

..........Give me a name or something, please.

“My name is Zayden, my dear.â€​

Chapter Eighteen: His Time [FILLER]​

Scott quietly walked through the halls of Chronic High, listening to the sounds of students rushing to their classes as the bell rings for first period to begin. For one who cares about his education, being late for class never really crosses Scott’s mind in the mornings. He already knows his first period teacher arrives several minutes after he does. Walking into his Math Analysis class, Scott caught his friend, Jean waving at him to sit beside him. Showing a faint smile, Scott walks up to the open seat beside his classmate.

“Hey, Scott,†Jean greeted cheerfully. “How’s it going?â€

“What’s up with you?†Scott asked as he sat down, grinning slightly.

“What do you mean? Aren’t I always like this?†Jean smirked.

Scott chuckled, turning his head at the front of the class as he leaned back in his chair. He kept his hands in his pockets, feeling around in them. One pocket had his phone, while the other was empty. He stared at the front of the class; still no sign of his teacher arriving. Scott felt Jean’s gaze on him and it was beginning to make him uncomfortable. He turned his head towards his friend and raised an eyebrow.

“Checking me out or something?†he joked.

Jean laughed at Scott’s comment and shook his head in response. “What’s up with you? You normally have something to say whenever you come into class. You’re quiet today, it’s…actually surprising.â€

Scott blinked, surprised at Jean’s comment. For someone who is joking around half of the time to throw out a kind of serious comment probably wouldn’t have been taken seriously, if it wasn’t true. Scott sighed, turning his attention back at the front of the class. He sat up, leaning forward a little bit and with his hands finally out of his pockets and up against his chin. Jean suddenly started laughing; Scott turned his head towards him, watching his friend almost collapse on the floor from laughing too hard.

“Uh…What’s so funny…?†Scott awkwardly asked.

“I can’t take it anymore!†Jean said, finally regaining his breath. “Okay, this is what’s going to-â€

“Alright class, settle down!†a deep male voice said, coming from the front of the class. Without hesitation, Jean quickly turned his undivided attention to the front of the class. Scott stared at him, curious as to what he was about to say.

“Je-â€

“Shh!†Jean hushed. “Teacher’s here.â€

Scott stared at his friend in complete confusion. It’s usually the other way around; Scott is the one trying to pay attention in class while Jean wants Scott’s to pay attention to him. What the hell is wrong with him? Scott wondered. Sighing, he turned back towards the teacher, figuring he wouldn’t hear what his friend was going to say.

***​

It was after school and Scott was still curious as to what Jean was going to tell him in the morning. He briefly looked up at the sky before taking out his phone. While walking, he could feel a couple people he knew staring at him. Moving his thumb over one key after another on his phone, he soon closed his and saw Rose walking by herself. He ignored the gazes he was receiving and ran up to Rose. Once he was at arm’s length to her, Scott lightly placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn around. He was soon greeted by her gentle voice and smile. Exchanging a few words with one another, they soon began walking home together.

“Hey, Rose,†Scott said. “Have you noticed anything odd lately?â€

Rose looked at Scott and smiled. “Depends what you mean by odd. A lot of things have been going on.â€

“With Rena?â€

“Yes…â€

“Well, at least we know what’s been going on, even if it does seem too…farfetched.â€

“What’re you doing Saturday, Scott?â€

The dark-eyed boy suddenly stopped walking, staring at Rose as she stopped walking as well.

“What’s wrong?†she asked.

“Why do you ask?â€

“Well, you suddenly stopped walking.â€

“No, I mean about Saturday.â€

“Oh, well, because. Rena and I might go out again with. Now that she has that duty of protecting the city, I want to be around at all costs. You know, just in case of anything happens to her I’ll be there.â€

Scott let out a sigh of relief, clutching his chest. “Oh God! Okay.â€

“W-Why are you sighing?! Don’t tell me you thought of something else?!†Rose shouted, blushing a little.

“Well…maybe…It’s just that…â€

“Oh, shut up!â€

The two stared at one another; Rose with a deadly glare while Scott seemed like he was cowering in fear of Rose hurting him. Rose soon sighed herself, crossing her arms and continuing to walk again.

“Have you spoken to Rena?†she asked.

Scott took out his phone once more as she continued to follow Rose. “No. I texted her not that long ago, but she hasn’t responded back yet.â€

“Oh, that girl. She most likely is already off around the city somewhere without me,†Rose grumbled.

“What do you expect? It’s Rena we’re talking about,†Scott chuckled. “She doesn’t like it when we get involved with her affairs.â€

Rose sighed once more, nodding at Scott’s comment. “True.†She stared down at the pavement, listening to the footsteps her and Scott made as they walked. “We’re…sorry we can’t be with you on Saturday. We know that day is going to be pretty important to you.â€

“What happens Saturday?†Scott asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t tell me you forgot?â€

“Uh…I’m guessing I did since I’m not all too sure what you’re talking about.â€

Rose giggled, shaking her head. “Your birthday, silly.â€

“Oh,†Scott said, raising his head to look up at the sky. “Right, my birthday is on Saturday. Well, don’t worry about it. I’m sure it would have ended up in all three of us running around Chronic. Rena’s more important at the moment.â€

“If she heard you say that, she probably would have smacked you by now,†Rose giggled.

“Probably, but hey, she’s got a lot of stuff going on,†Scott calmly said, shrugging his shoulders. “Thank you, either way. I’m glad I have the both of you.â€

Rose smiled as she slowly nodded her head. “You know we’re always here, especially Rena.â€

***​

Well, I’ve gotten enough happy birthdays from my family. Scott thought to himself. Got simple texts from Rose and Rena.

Scott laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what he can do. Normally, Rose and Rena would be over and they probably would end up going to out to watch a movie, but today it was different for him. His parents were out and so were his two best friends. His parents were just out of town while the other two were out protecting the city from demons.

For the past hour he had been texting friends, asking if they wanted to do anything. They all said they were busy, even Jean which was a shock. Groaning out of frustration, Scott was about ready to throw his phone at the wall, until he felt it vibrate. He quickly opened his phone and saw he had an unread text message from Rena.

“Rena…†he muttered. He pressed his lips together and quickly opened the messaged.

Come over, Scott. I need you right now…

Without hesitation, Scott walked out of his room with his phone in hand. Worry had immediately built up, automatically thinking something was wrong. And I thought she was out with Rose.

***​

Soon arriving at Rena’s house, Scott looked up at Rena’s window, seeing it was closed when it’s normally always opened. He narrowed his eyes and walked up to her front door. Knocked once, waited, but nobody answered. Knocked once more, waited, but again, no answer.

“Rena!†he called. “Are you there?â€

He stood close to the door, hoping he would hear something, but nothing came. He cursed under his breath, placing his hand on the doorknob. Without thinking, he turned it, realizing the door was unlocked. “What the…â€

He quickly pushed the door open, remembering the text he had received from Rena. His eyes suddenly grew wide.

“Surprise!†a group of Scott’s friends yelled. In that group stood Rose who was smiling at him.

“Wait…is this…â€

“Yes it is for you, dork,†Rena’s voice came from beside him.

Scott quickly turned and stared down at her while she smiled at him.

“Are you surprised?†she asked.

“I thought you guys were out…â€

“Out getting everyone for this? Yes, we were,†she smirked.

“Hey!†Jean’s voice echoed. “Now that the birthday boy is here, let’s party!â€

Everyone suddenly started laughing at Jean’s sudden outburst. Rena nodded at Rose to turn on some music. Rena pushed Scott further into the room, closing the door and crossed her arms.

“Why’d you do this?†Scott quietly asked.

“Because I knew if it was only the three of us, it wouldn’t be enough,†Rena calmly responded. “I knew you were already depressed that your parents wouldn’t be home and that we’d most likely end up running out to protect Chronic, so I planned this out. I know you don’t like parties, but hey, we can just call this a little get together kind of thing.â€

Scott chuckled and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Where’s your mom?â€

“Beats me. She left before I woke up. She took Alice with her so it’ll only be us.â€

“Thank you, Rena.â€

“Scott, do you remember what I said to you the day you found out about my powers?â€

“Um…†Scott scratched his head in thought, but soon shook his head.

“Whenever you need me, I don’t care if it’s early in the morning, in the afternoon or late at night, just call my name and I’ll come running to your side, okay?â€

Scott lowered his head, smiling. “Thank you…Rena.â€

Chapter Nineteen: The Duo​

Rena’s eyes slowly opened, her eyes automatically set on the ceiling above her. Her eyes still half closed, she inhaled then soon closed her eyes once more. Before she could drift back to sleep, her eyes suddenly shot open as she quickly sat up, the palm of her hands pressed against her bed sheets. She brought one hand over her chest while the other lightly touched her forehead. She slowly closed her eyes, attempting to remember the figure she had run into in the garden along with everything that happened after that. She placed the palm of her hand on her forehead, groaning shortly afterward as she threw herself back on her bed. “What was all of that?â€

A knock on her door followed after she spoke causing her to sit up and open her eyes. Without her asking who it was, the door opened and stepped in Julianne. “What a surprise,†she said smiling faintly. “You’re up before I’m here.â€

Rena stared at the young red headed woman before averting her gaze down at her bed sheets. She brought her knees against her chest and hugged them as Julianne began grabbing any clothing that might have been on the floor. Hearing nothing from Julianne, Rena turned her attention back to the woman, wondering if anyone found out about what happened the previous night. Julianne would have been scolding her by now if she knew.

“Hurry up and get dressed,†said Julianne. “But before you do, what happened last night, hm?â€

Rena smiled and lowered her head as she shook it. “I knew you would tell me something.â€

“Then answer the question.â€

“I don’t know, to be honest. I just remember sneaking out and then waking up on the ground,†muttered Rena. “Sorry…â€

“Captain Titus has spoken to Anthony about it, and it seems Anthony doesn’t know either.â€

“Because he was the one that found me!†Rena said, slightly raising her voice as she looked back at Julianne. “I had snuck out to meet him, and he only found me on the floor before I even woke up.â€

Julianne stared at Rena before turning away and heading towards the door. “Hurry up and get dressed.†Without another word, Julianne left the room and waited outside.

Rena glared at the door before groaning in frustration. After sitting completely still for a couple of seconds, Rena got out of bed and got dressed. She threw her pajamas onto a chair a few feet away from her bed. She then walked out of the room, seeing Julianne standing beside the doorway waiting. Without saying anything to one another, they both began walking, heading downstairs.

As soon as they got to the first floor, Rena suddenly stopped as soon as she had reached the last step. Near the entrance of the mansion, Titus stood talking with a young unknown male. Noticing Rena and Julianne, Titus said one last thing before the male turned around. His face lit up in relief, spotting Rena. He quickly rushed over to her and embraced her. Rena stood in complete confusion; she didn’t know whether to push him away or to return the hug.

“Stella!†he said. “I’m so happy you’re okay!â€

The black haired male let go of Rena, but kept his hands on her shoulders. He opened his mouth to speak once more, but quickly noticed Rena’s clueless expression.

“Are you alright?†he asked in a worrisome tone. “It’s me, Zayden.â€

Hearing that name, Rena felt her heart begin to race and a nervous tension build up within her. She blinked several times before smiling and nodding her head.

“Y-Yes, I’m okay,†she stammered.

Zayden faintly smiled. “That’s good.â€

Rena slightly nodded her head in response. “W-What’re you doing here?â€

“I heard what happened,†he quickly said, causing Rena to look at Titus and then back at Zayden. “That lieutenant should have been by your side during the time. It’s his fault and if something would have happened to you, it would have been even worse on him. That s-â€

“Shut up!†Rena shouted, clenching her fists as she glared at Zayden. “It wasn’t his fault. It was my own. I choose to wander off, he didn’t know.â€

Before Zayden could make a response, Rena slapped his hands away from her shoulders and headed back upstairs. Julianne quickly turned around, watching Rena head upstairs; having nothing to tell her, Julianne turned towards Zayden.

“I’m terribly sorry!†she quickly said. “She shouldn’t have gone off like that…â€

Zayden shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s alright. I guess it was my fault for her outburst.â€

Rena, who had already reached her room, laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling as she pressed her lips together and kept her hands in a fist. She brought one hand over her face and groaned. How can I expect myself to trust this guy if I already know what’s going to happen? She thought, moving her hand away from her face.

“He’s going to kill me, along with Anthony and Julianne,†she muttered. “Maybe I can only keep an eye on him. Then again, if prevent anything, I don’t think I’ll be born…â€

Rena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, a knock on the door following afterward. Her eyes shot open and she quickly sat up. The door slowly opened and Rena quickly looked away, seeing Zayden walk in. He closed the door behind him and walked closer towards Rena who refused to even look at him. He stopped walking and stood about a foot away from her bed.

“Stella,†he quietly said.

“What do you want?†Rena sharply questioned.

Zayden sighed. “I’m sorry for what I said,†he said as he lowered his eyes. “You’re close with that lieutenant, aren’t you?â€

Rena remained silent as she pressed her lips tightly together, clenching her bed sheets. She took a deep breath and turned towards Zayden. “It’s…okay,†she muttered. “I am close with him. Does that bother you…?â€

Zayden quietly laughed and shook his head. “It doesn’t. The only thing that really bothered me was that he wasn’t by your side at the time.â€

“As I said,†Rena hastily said, turning away. “He wasn’t there during the time so stop blaming everything on him.â€

Zayden stared at the young girl for a couple seconds before turning away himself and headed towards the door. “I’ll be going now.†Without waiting for a response from Rena, he opened the door and left.

Rena relaxed her body as soon as the door had closed. Her gaze softened as she threw herself back on the bed.

What do I do?

***​

Mid-afternoon and many of the soldiers in the military were out doing their tasks. Rena hadn’t seen Anthony all day so she had figured he was either busy or was still in trouble. Rena had been wandering around for quite a while and eventually came across an area that was guarded by a few military soldiers. She looked up and saw a sign that read “Military Weaponry†on it. Figuring she had nothing else better to do and that nobody would mind, she quietly walked towards the guards. Seeing who she was, they quickly opened the gate for her after showing her their respect.

Once she had stepped in, the guards closed the gate and locked it. Rena briefly looked over her shoulder before she began walking and looked around. What are they hiding in here? She wondered, seeing several buildings.

Passing by a small building that looked more like a shack, Rena began slowing down her pace as she heard noises coming from that building. She soon came to a complete stop and narrowed her eyes at the shack. “Is…someone in there?†she murmured.

She scanned the area, seeing no one was around. Rena sighed as she shrugged her shoulders, approaching the small shack-like building. “Well, if I find something, might as well deal with it.â€

Rena grasped the metal handles and pulled on the two doors. As light came into the building, Rena heard voices and the sound of several weapons clacking together. Once the two wooden doors were wide open, Rena’s eyes grew wide, seeing a small dagger coming towards her. She quickly moved to the side, gritting her teeth as she leaned against one of the wooden doors.

“Who’s in here?!†she called out.

Her gaze soon fell on two girls that were on their knees, looking through weapons on shelves, boxes and the floor. One girl held a large amount of weapons in her arms while the other continued looking. The both of them were wearing lieutenant uniforms. The girl that held all of the weapons noticed Stella, who was coming closer towards them, and stared up at her as her body shook. Her arm then reached for her friend, and she began shaking her.

“N-N-N-Na-Na-Nalani…†she stuttered as strands of her light brown hair came over her eyes.

“Shhhh!†the other girl said. “Once we’ve gotten the weapons we want, we’ll leave. Don’t worry. Nobody’s going to catch us.†She turned around to look at her frightened friend, but instead noticed Rena herself. She kept a calm expression before smiling and standing up.

“Hiya~!†she said cheerfully.

“N-Nalani!â€

The girl that was still on her knees quickly dropped the weapons and bent forward, spreading her arms in front of her. “I’m sorry!†she cried. “It wasn’t my idea! It was Nalani’s! She kept insisting to come here and take a few weapons for ourselves, but I didn’t want to since I was afraid we’d get in caught! I didn’t expect we’d get caught by you of all people, though! I’m sorry, Your Highness!â€

“Emma!†the one known as Nalani said. “Stop apologizing.â€

The light brown-haired girl, Emma, quickly rose to her feet and faced Nalani. “N-N-Nalani, t-t-this is Lady Stella! You need to show your respect!â€

“Wait…who?†Nalani giggled. “I’ve never heard of her before.â€

“S-She rules this kingdom, Nalani!â€

“Um…Nope! Sorry, doesn’t ring a bell.â€

Rena’s eye lightly twitched as the two girls continued to argue of who she was. She eyes darted back and forth from one to the other. “Just who are you two?†she finally questioned.

“Oh!†Nalani quickly said, raising her index finger. “My name’s Nalani…â€

“Yeah, I got that, but w-â€

“And she’s Emma!â€

Rena growled as she gritted her teeth, glaring at the giggly girl. “I’m sorry, Your Highness,†Emma’s voice rang in Rena’s ears, causing her to turn towards the girl. “We’re both lieutenants in the military. We’re in charge of guarding the weaponry section. We’re deeply sorry for what we were doing.â€

Rena stared at Emma, seeing she was more calm, and frightened, than her partner who was just too…bubbly. Rena crossed her arms and looked down at all the weapons they were planning to take. She closed her eyes and sighed. “To be honest, I actually want to let this slide-â€

“Great!†Nalani exclaimed. “We’ll be going now!â€

“Hold it!†Rena ordered. “It doesn’t mean I will.â€

The two girls stared at their ruler; Emma slumped her shoulders and hung her head. “My life is ruined…â€

“But…†Rena began. “The military has been a little too uptight on some of their soldiers and it pisses me off, so…I’ll let it slide, I suppose.â€

Nalani’s face lit up in joy, while Emma stared at her superior in surprise. Rena turned her back and began walking away. “Just clean up the mess so it doesn’t look like someone was rummaging through this place.â€

She exited the building and headed towards the entrance of the area.

“Weridos.â€

Chapter Twenty: Broken

~5 months later~​

Key notes belonging to a piano echoed throughout a dim lit room; after each key, the sound of a grandfather clock ticked and soon rang when it reached midnight. A young male sat at the piano, moving his fingers over one to key to another. A faint smile was crossed on his lips as she stared down at the white keys. He played one last note before moving his hands down to his lap and turning his head to his left to see a silver haired woman walking towards him. A devilish smile crossed both their lips, the ticking of the clock echoing in the room.

“It is time.â€

***​

Rena stared quietly down at the pavement, listening to the footsteps Anthony made as he trailed behind her. She could barely hear the light footsteps she made while she walked. A smile was crossed on both of their faces, until Rena’s suddenly vanished and turned into a frown. She quickly spun around on her heels and looked straight at Anthony.

“I don’t know!†she shouted.

Anthony took a step back as he brought his hand over his mouth and began to laugh. Rena stared hard at the male, her eyes practically asking, “What’s so funny?!â€

Anthony shook his head and took a stepe which caused her to crinkle her nose. “I was ‘spying’ your hair, silly girl,†he said, soon ruffling the young girl’s dark hair.

Rena stood there, her frown disappearing as her expression changed more into a baffled look. She soon brought a hand up to her forehead, groaning out in frustration. “Well, everything looks black at night!â€

“Stop making excuses,†Anthony joked, a grin crossing his lips.

Rena mimicked his grin as she spun on her heels again, turning her back to him. “Fine,†she said. “My turn. I spy with my little eye something…â€

She turned her head from side to side quickly before turning back towards Anthony. “Gray!â€

“The pavement,†Anthony quickly responded, causing Rena to blink rapidly in surprise.

“That’s white!â€

“It’s gray! It only looks white because it’s dark out.â€

The two stared at one another; Rena was pouting while Anthony simply kept a smile on his face. The two suddenly burst out laughing; Anthony turning away to hide his face from laughing too much while Rena simply clutched her stomach. When the two finally settled down, they looked back at one another, a childish grin crossing Rena’s lips.

“Why are we even playing a game kids would play?†she asked, a bit of curiosity sounding in her voice.

Anthony shrugged his shoulders, then crossing his arms. “I’m not sure,†he said. “But it’s fun.â€

Rena nodded her head in response, clasping her hands behind her back as she began walking again. “Want to continue?â€

“I spy with my little eye…â€

“I take that as a yes,†Rena giggled.

“Someone I love.â€

The dark-haired girl stopped walking at Anthony’s words, turning around to face the man. He had no smile, only a plain bored-looking expression, but she knew it wasn’t that. “What…?â€

Anthony sighed, looking away before walking closer to Rena and wrapping an arm around her to pull her closer. He suddenly pressed his lips to hers, Rena’s eye growing wide, completely caught off guard from the turn of events. She felt her cheeks become hot and her legs become weak. Anthony soon pulled away, but kept his face about an inch away from Rena’s.

“I love you.â€

***​

“What?!â€

“You heard me.â€

“You can’t be serious. I don’t even know this person!â€

“Does not matter. You are of royalty and so is he. You are to be wed to this prince.â€

Rena stood in front of a male who appeared to be middle aged; he sat on what seemed like a throne as he elbow rested against the armrests of the chair. “It is final, Stella,†he said. “You are marrying this man.â€

“Can’t you at least give me an explanation?!â€

The male’s broad shoulders moved away from the chair as he stood up, his eyes staying on Rena. He walked closer towards her until he was about a foot away from her, putting his arms behind his back. “No.â€

Rena glared at him as she growled, before turning away and leaving the mansion. Julianne and Titus stood off to the side, restraining themselves from saying anything. The man simply watched Rena run off before he turned around and sat back down on the throne. He looked back and forth at Julianne and Titus before waving his hand at him, dismissing them. The two bowed and left.

Rena avoided contact with anyone that tried speaking to her. Some soldiers from the military would try stopping her, but she kept running. She soon arrived at a small camp that was to the right of the town. Two guards stood at the entrance and looked at one another before looking back at Rena. Her eyes narrowed and, without waiting for permission, she walked up to the gate and pushed them open.

“Your Highness!†one of the guards called, but Rena ignored them.

She walked down the main path of the camp before stopping at an entrance of a small looking building. She pushed the door open and at the end was a bed where Anthony sat as he put his shoes on. He raised his head as soon as he heard his door open and raised an eyebrow.

“Stella?â€

Rena panted and took a step forward, clenching her fists tightly. “They’re separating us, Anthony,†she said in between breaths.

“What do you mean?†he asked as he stood up.

“My father! He wants me to marry some…prince.â€

***​

“Are you sure about this?â€

“Yes.â€

“What if we get caught?â€

“We won’t. Julianne is coming with us.â€

“Seriously? I would have thought of all people, she’d be against this.â€

“No. She actually prefers you more than that prince my father wants me to marry.â€

“Well, alright. Tomorrow.â€

Why am I not thinking?!

***​

Late. Someone could hear a pin drop with the amount of silence in the mansion. Rena lightly tiptoed up the stairs, knowing everyone was asleep. As usual, if caught, she’d be in trouble. Once she had reached the floor her room was one, Rena quickly, yet swiftly, went to her room. Upon meeting her door, she quickly reached for the doorknob, turned it and entered. She sighed out in relief, glad she wasn’t caught.

Her eyes suddenly narrowed, feeling a slight breeze in her room. She cocked her head and turned around, seeing the doors to her balcony opened. She cautiously walked towards the opened doors, soon relaxing herself to see a familiar figure as they leaned against the railing of the balcony, completely forgetting the distrust she felt against this person.

“Zayden,†she called.

At the sound of his name, he turned around, a smile crossing his lips to see the person to have called his names. Before he could, Rena spoke out once more.

“What’re you doing here?â€

“I wanted to see you, Stella.†The male’s voice was calm.

“See me?†Rena asked, perking an eyebrow.

“Yes,†he paused, moving back into the room and closing the balcony doors. “Where were you, by the way?â€

“I was…with Anthony.†Her cheeks lightly flushed to a light pink as she looked away.

“That’s not a surprise. What were you guys doing?â€

“Um…He…†Rena trailed off, chewing on her lip as she felt her face heat up even more. “He told me…he loves me…â€

Silence. The two of them stared at one another as Rena suddenly remembered the distrust she felt against Zayden. Her lips pressed tightly together, before she looked away and sighed, closing her eyes.

“Do you love him?â€

Rena’s eyes shot open, turning her head to look back at Zayden. He had a sly smile on his lips that made Rena feel uneasy. “I…†Unable to bring out the words, she simply nodded her head in response.

Zayden slightly tilted his head, staring down at Rena as his eyes narrowed. His smile faded away. “I love you, Stella.â€

Rena’s eyes grew wide as she quickly turned her head towards Zayden, clenching her hands into fists. She quietly stared at him before she slowly lowered her head and shook it. “What?!†she nearly shouted, but remembered everyone was asleep already.

“I said I love you,†he repeated. He paused for a moment before he continued to speak. “I saw you and him…in the garden. I heard when he said he loved you and saw when he kissed you.â€

“W-Were you following me…?†Rena’s voice cracked a little.

“No, I wasn’t. I promise you that. I was simply out in the garden when I shouldn’t have been.â€

Rena stared up at his dark eyes as they stared into hers. She felt completely frozen; she felt fear. Zayden raised his hand and reached out to touch Rena’s face. However, Rena slapped his hand away and took a few more steps back.

“I don’t love you!†Rena quickly said as she shook her head once more. “I’m sorry.â€

The two stared at one another in complete silence. Zayden slowly lowered his hand down to his side and lowered his head. A faint smile briefly crossed his lips before it faded.

“Good night, Stella.†Without another word, Zayden left room.

Rena didn’t bother watching the male leave. She stayed where she was and kept her attention anywhere in her room. As soon as she heard the door close, she fell on her knees and let out a short breath. Her eyes darted from side to side as she brought her hands up to her head.

What have I done…?

***​

People were screaming, gunshots repeatedly went off and the sound of swords clashing against one another roared throughout the town. Those that were in the mansion were panicking; they didn’t know what to do. Quite a few soldiers from the military surrounded the mansion, pushing away anyone that might try to get near it. Rena sat up at her room, windows shut and door locked. She chewed on her lip as her hands pressed against her knees.

It’s starting…

***​

Chest burning. The stench of blood entering Rena’s nostrils, making her nose burn. The heels of her shoes clacked against the pavement with every step she took. In the distance where she was coming from, she could hear the screams of people, gunshots being fired and swords clashing together. With every corner she turned, she saw bodies of countless people.

It’s happening.

More bodies came into sight.

I can’t stop.

Closer and closer she got to her destination.

Damn it! I need to stop! Stop running!

Rena suddenly stopped running, arriving at the gate she was going to meet Anthony and Julianne. The sky was covered in clouds and the roar of thunder was heard. Droplets of water began falling lightly before it came down harder. Rena stared down at the two bodies before her, ignoring the rain that hit against her body. Both bodies were faced down, but she knew who they were.

No…

Rena gasped, feeling the area on her upper torso suddenly become warmer. Her eyes slowly lowered, seeing a blade of a sword pierced through her. She stared down at the sword that was covered in her blood. Her vision became a blur and her body went limp. The blade slid out of Stella’s body, causing it to fall down on the wet pavement.

A male dressed in pure black clothes towered over the dead body, staring at the girl. A devilish grin soon crossed his lips.

 

Yay. I like it. It's a good story. The last part made me curious though. So write and post more. xD Nao. :/gasp:​

 

It was a decent enough story, and the quality of your writing is good enough, but I see what you mean about this first chapter being awkward. I think the main problem is the way you introduce your characters. You rely on the use of dialogue to reveal their names (except in Rena's case) and this can be too frustrating after a while for the reader. Your sentences are limited if you don't reveal names soon enough (you can only use personal pronouns).

Find different ways to introduce characters. It can even be simple such as "As the boy turned around, he was revealed to be Rena's doe-eyed friend, Scott." Or, take less time to introduce them.

You used much less detail in the third part of the chapter- it added more mystery to the setting. I've brought to mind an image of a secretive meeting of assassins or something. xD I'm not overly eager to see more, but this has quite a lot of potential to go somewhere great. Keep writing. :3

 

XD Glad you like it.

B| No rushing. But I'm glad you like it.

Thank you. I really appreciate it. And yes, I had put less detail in the third part on purpose. XD I wanted people to become curious. Thanks again.

Anyway, this chapter's not very long and I have a feeling there might be grammar mistakes. Using a computer that doesn't have Microsoft Word so I can't check my grammar and such. If there are any mistakes, I'd be happy for you guys to point them out.

Updated.​

 

You weren't on when I updated.

I'm going to shoot you.

I'm glad you liked it. XD Anyway, this chapter is a bit long and I kind of rushed it. >> Mainly the last part. I have a feeling I made a few mistakes so point them out if I did.

Updated.​

 

You have no idea how happy that makes me feel. XD I'm really glad you like it. ^^ And yeah, I know. I've kind of been doing that by accident and on purpose a bit.

Anyway, long chapter. Still kind of have the feeling I made a few mistakes so point them out if I did. 8D8

Updated.​

 

I fixed that. I'm not sure if it's any better. >> And yay.

Short chapter. I had a slight writer's block so yeah.

Updated.​

 

I like this story very much. I think I may be addicted to it also. xD

I am really curious about who the girl is that came up to Scott.

I like Rose because she has red hair and green eyes like me. I relate to her. xD

I also like the character of Rena, she's strong.

I like your writing style.

There are a few sentece structure things that could be changed but hey, I think it's great anyway.

I can't wait for the next chapter. (:

 

That makes me happy. XD I'm glad you like it. Like I said, the more readers, the more satisfied I am.

Anyway, new chapter's a bit short but not as short as chapter five. Any mistakes, do tell me.

Updated.​

 

I'm glad. And you should have "awed". DDD: XD I'm glad you're liking the story. Backstory on everyone will be coming soon once I can figure out a few things.

Chapter is a bit longer but I was hoping I'd update with two chapters but I ran out of time. Kind of. Quite a few things sounds awkward to me in this chapter, I don't know why. I'll edit whatever I need to edit later.

Updated.​

 

Oooh, I quite like this. 8D
Kind of sad and sweet at the same time. But more sad at the moment.
The description of the demons are kind of vague, so I'm picturing something similar to a Heartless right now. c:
MAWR

 

XD I already have an idea on how to make you aw. B| I was thinking about it today. XDDD I didn't describe much on that on purpose. I'm glad you liked it.

Yeah. This story will be a bit sad. XDX Thank you, though. I'm glad you like it.

Somewhat a long chapter. Kind of ran out of ideas for a moment while typing but then I decided to do a backstory. 8D8
Any mistakes, tell me.

Updated.​

 

I'm glad. ^^ There might be a bit more backstory. Not too sure on that but yeah. 8D8

I think this chapter is the longest chapter so far. It was seven pages long on Word so...yeah. XD Anyway, I actually like this chapter since there's a bit more of an attachment and stuff with the characters. Any mistakes, please tell me.

Updated.​