Dara:

After the show he made in front of everyone, including the cute guy he tried to “seduce” into letting him stay in his room, Dara had no place to go. He called a few “friends” and some acquaintances, but with the start of classes they had more important things to do than worry about a boy they once fucked with.

He was running out of options, making a mental list of the people he knew, and if they were on good or bad terms with him. Dara was a good guy, but he was easily drawn to trouble. That meant he had messed up with a lot of people. People who now hated him and wanted to beat him up. Or worse.

So, after making a few calls, Dara found out he didn’t have a choice. The freckled guy wasn’t proud of a lot of things that happened in the past. A long time ago he promised himself he would change. But now he was fucking up again, so what if he went to that place? What if he made it worse?

The place where he made a lot of mistakes, one after another. It was a very dark part of his life, and now he was coming back.

Dara tried to think about something else. He didn’t want to pity himself or make others feel sorry for him, for the life he led when he was younger and didn’t understand this world... literally.

The only thing that came to his mind was that boy. What was his name...? Oh, right, he hadn’t asked. He just flew away, like an idiot. How could he not? He wasn’t on his right mind at that moment, having seen how Adrian destroyed his beautiful Caty, the last cat plushie of his very large collection. He had to fight with an old lady for that... but it was a story for another time.

Back to the boy, the first thought that came to Dara when he saw him was: why is he looking at me like I’m less than a bug beneath his shoe? Is he looking for a fight?

Then, he saw those eyes. They were like little gems, in a cat-like form. They fit perfectly on his almost childish face. He was cute, very cute, and if there was somthing Dara loved from the human world, they were cute things. He wanted to hold him and crush his body on a hug, like he did with his plushies. He wanted to grab his cheeks and squeeze them between his hands, and see if they were as soft as they looked.

Then, after the plushie scandal, he decided to approach him, drawn like a moth towards the light. There was something about him, something Dara couldn't decipher. He could only stand there, watching him, trying to find whatever it was that made him so special...

But he only saw another ordinary human, enjoying a good book. Nothing more.

His voice snapped Dara out of his thoughts, and looking into those eyes again, he could see some interest despite the sharp words that came out of his mouth. Dara took advantage of the moment to try and find a place to stay temporarily, but that only ended up making him look stupid in front of the other. Not that it bothered him, he was used to look stupid all the time. The freckled man didn’t know what shame was.

Even if it didn’t end well, something made him think of that boy. His thoughts were drawn to him again and again, as if it were magic. What was the little bookworm hiding?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Ah, time really flies when you’re doing nothing...”

Dara was leaning against the wall of one of the old buildings in the area. The zone itself was neglected, though quite crowded with people, it just wasn't impressive enough to care for its looks.

Every city has its suburbs, those neighborhoods where most people had to be careful, especially after a certain hour. Nightfall was the perfect time for robbery victims, and the poor souls there weren’t going to be the exception.

The dark-skinned guy wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. He preferred to turn a blind eye to certain incidents, especially now that he was staying with his friend.

Carla was the definition of "bad girl", and more than that. She was constantly surrounded by criminals belonging to one of the many gangs in the city, her “family”, as she called them. She was tall, with sharp eyes and words, and a horrible personality. She was not a good person, nothing about her was warm or welcoming, and she even seemed to lack empathy most of the times.

But, for some reason, the women had a soft spot for Dara.

Dara had come to the city thanks to an exchange scholarship, so that he could finish his high school studies and begin to specialize in music. He was an extremely smart and talented boy, so the principal saw him as another investment. And it was easy at first: for the first time he would have a stable life, something that belonged to him. He just had to behave and get excellent grades.

But old habits die hard, and he soon felt lost. Things stopped making sense. Why study, if no one really cared? Why try so hard, if his whole life he was going to be seen as a number? He found himself hating that world as much as he hated his own. Yes, Dara didn’t belong to the human world. He didn’t want to go back to the Magic World either. He just wanted a place where they could let him be. And that place did not exist.

So, he ended up going back to old habits. Stealing, getting into fights, creating conflicts... and he knew. He knew very well that this was not him. But it was the best way to release everything he carried inside.

That was how he met Carla. The girl was a couple of years older than him, and she was the responsible for giving him one of the beatings of his life. He ended up with several broken bones and two black eyes. But she took him to the "base" of her gang (an abandoned old building, almost in ruins but still served as a refuge), and there she cured him, claiming that the only way to clean up his debt was joining her gang.

They were so different, yet so similar that for the first time Dara felt he had a place in the world. But being in a gang meant doing worse things. Stealing insignificant things turned into violent robberies. The fights between two, in big conflicts for territory. But what changed his life the most was technology. With his intelligence, it was not difficult for him to learn to navigate the darkest places on the internet, getting into businesses that even now would stir his stomach.

In a nutshell, Dara fell very low. So much that when he realized, it was too late. The damage was done, and he was a criminal. It was a miracle he wasn’t discovered yet, his life ruined.

When he decided to leave without looking back, he promised himself that he would never return.

And now, a year later, he was there. Surrounded by these people, by criminals who would not hesitate to harm others, to ruin lives and families, to kill.

Three days had passed since he left campus. He was grateful that he hadn’t lost contact with Carla after leaving the gang, since only one call was enough to be welcomed by her again.

She had been the reason they didn't look for Dara after he left, since the woman was practically the boss's right hand. If it weren't for her, he might not even be alive. He kept too many secrets. But she was able to convince them, promising that Dara was not a threat, that he would just finish his studies and go back with them.

Ha! he couldn’t even finish them.

The freckled guy lit another cigarette. A bad habit that, apparently, he picked up again in just a few days.

The alley was dark and damp, perfect for dragging people around and robbing them without being seen. He would feel sorry if it weren't for the fact that you had to be a real idiot to walk through that place in the middle of the night. Everyone knew what was going on there, and soon the gang would have to change locations to search for new victims, which was easier said than done.

The guys seemed to be impatient, until one of them signaled, marking the arrival of an oblivious, poor target.

And then, he heard a scream.

“Ah... there, they have him.”

He stomped on the cigarette butt and took another one from the pack. He was about to bring it to his mouth when he heard that voice:

“What the hell do you want?! I have nothing on me, leave me alone!”

“Shut the fuck up and give us what you have!”

His eyes went wide.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Oliver

Oliver never thought his luck would be that bad. Being robbed on the third day of school? Yeah, just his luck.

Yes, he was a bit far from campus, but it wasn't his fault that the best cafe in town was in the middle of the suburbs! It was like a jewel hidden inside an ordinary stone. It had the best coffee Oliver had ever tasted, the more delicious cakes and a huge library. The place was also quiet and not too crowded, so he had spent a lot of time studying there, while having a good latte, until the evening.

He must have paid more attention to the group watching him from afar as he made his way back to the dorms. The boy had noticed a few suspicious glances, but he didn’t think something like that would happen to him.

But he wasn’t that stupid either. He never went out with much money or valuable things. That day he only carried enough for a latte and a chocolate muffin. He hadn’t even brought his phone. Oliver just wanted a quiet place to read.

But those idiots didn't seem to understand what he was saying!

The guys had taken him by surprise, grabbing him by the hood of his sweater and practically dragging him into one of the dark alleys. “Thank gods, I didn't bring my phone with me. If they stole it, I would have killed myself”, he thought. And he wasn’t exaggerating, the little electronic device had his life in it.

The place was dark and he could barely make out the figures, but he knew there were at least five guys. He also knew that he couldn't escape this unharmed, but common sense didn't work on Oliver when he was nervous. If he was a little shit all the time, when he was anxious it got worse.

“I already told you! I don’t have anything!”

“Easy now, shorty”, the brunet went stiff as he felt two hands on his shoulders, a voice talking almost sweetly next to his ear. I took every drop of self-control to not give in and show his true form, something that happened when he felt too nervous or vulnerable “Just be a good boy and give us anything you have. Your phone, money, a watch, anything, really... do that and we’ll let you go unharmed.”

“ARE THEY DEAF?!” The poor boy shouted internally.

“Why can’t you understand? I. Do. Not. Have. Anything. I don’t carry my things around because of people like you! I didn’t bring my phone, and my wallet is fucking empty! Want me to repeat it so you dumb fuckers get it already?!”

When he was done shouting things, he realized his mistake. “Fuck, Oliver! Why on earth would you insult the guys robbing you?! You idiot!”

As expected, the guys didn’t take it well. The one behind him was really fast, trapping him with an arm around his middle, and suddenly the short boy had a knife against his throat. Oliver didn’t move, the fear making him paralyzed. He could feel his heart beating fast, and he wondered if the others could feel it too, if they knew the effect they had on him, if they liked the feeling of having power over another’s person life. Maybe they didn’t. Maybe they were just high and wanted more drugs. Maybe they were nervous too... but in the end, they were the bad guys.

They were going to kill Oliver, because he had nothing to give them. And they wanted something.

His head was spinning, and he could hear laughs around him, making him feel small, so small. They were saying something, but Oliver couldn’t hear.

He felt the knife pressing against the skin of his throat, and he closed his eyes tightly. Maybe if he didn’t see it, it wouldn’t hurt.

“Mierda. Perdón, mamá Miri, mamá Jade, hermanas... lo siento mucho. No quería causar problemas.”

Was he really prepared to die?

“I don’t want to die.”

Then, he heard a growl. It was deep, almost animal. Oliver just wanted to run. And he did, when he felt he was being released. He couldn’t feel the blade on his skin, either. So, he ran, as far as the alley let him. Then he curled up on the cold ground, wanting to disappear. There was a ringing in his ears, and he felt himself changing, transforming.