***

"You are still alive," I told Frederick as I arrived in the kitchen for my breakfast. After three days of avoiding me, my cousin finally decided to face me. Frederick rolled his eyes at me as he continued to have his breakfast.

"You don't seem really happy to see me still alive," Frederick informed me as I made my way to pour myself some mango juice.

"I just thought that you disappeared from the surface of the earth as you were avoiding me like I was the plague. I haven't seen you since the night of the party three days ago," I informed Frederick and he shook his head.

"I wasn't," he protested his mouth full of pancakes and I rolled my eyes. I took some pancakes that were already prepared and my glass of juice and went to sit in front of my so fantastic cousin. 

"Where is my mom?" I asked Frederick and he shrugged. My mom should normally be in the kitchen right now, preparing something before I came down to take my breakfast but today it looked like it wasn't the case. The food was already prepared which meant that she must have gone out.

"I don't know. I'm not her personal bodyguard," Frederick snapped at me and looked up at me for the first time, his eyes narrowing as he examined my face, "You look horrible."

"Thanks," I simply replied before I took a bite of my delicious pancakes. I moaned at the taste. My mom really knew how to make delicious breakfast.

"Nightmare?" Frederick asked me and I nodded.

"Yeah. A giant you was running after me in the wood. I was so horrified by the sight of your face that I couldn't go back to sleep," I answered sarcastically and he rolled his eyes. 

"Seriously, what did you dream of?" Frederick asked me again.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked him in response suspiciously.

"Do I need a reason to know what is tormenting your sleep? I'm trying to be nice here," Frederick told me and I chuckled.

"Stop being nice then. You are weird when you are nice," I informed him, "Besides it was just a nightmare of one night. I would feel better when I get some sleep tonight."

I hoped at least.

"If you say so," Frederick said and we continued to eat in silent.

Tonight was a bad night for me. I couldn't sleep. After I had woke up for the first time and put the book back in its place and went back to sleep, I had another nightmare. It was the same thing as the first one but it was a bit more intense. The man ran after me, I fell to the ground, I saw his bloody hand before he removed his hood to reveal himself as Cloud.

It was terrifying to be chased by him. He looked different in my dream. When he removed his hood and looked at me, it was like he didn't recognize me. He had a murderous look in his eyes. A murderous look that stayed on my mind the whole night preventing me from going back to sleep. I was too afraid to see it again in my sleep.

"I'm going to give you a ride today," Frederick said suddenly, snapping me out of my thought.  

"Why?" I asked him curiously.

"Because," he simply replied.

"Because.." I repeated before I took a sip of my drink.

"None of your business," he said before he stood up, "Alright, lets go."

"But I haven't finish eating," I objected and Frederick shrugged in a non-caring way.

"Now Luffy," he ordered and I groaned before standing up, taking my bag and following him out of the house. I locked the door behind me and walked towards Frederick's car alongside with him. We both got in the car and Frederick started the engine, getting out of the driveway which made remember something.

"Wait! I forgot to take my book," I shouted as I remembered that I forgot to take this old book that was still on my table in my bedroom.

"Is it important for the day?" Frederick asked and I shook my head in response, "So you will get it when you get back."

Great! I wanted to get rid of this book as quickly as possible but now it looked like I had to wait for tomorrow. I sighed as I leaned against the window and appreciated the view before me. Storm Hill looked like a quiet town. This was my first thought when I arrived here for the first time. 

I didn't know what was waiting for me here. I was new to everything and I guessed that I was still new in some ways. Now that I realized, I didn't know anything about this town and I didn't even visit it since I arrived here. The only places that I went were my house, the school and the party. I guessed I should start to visit the town later.

"Frederick, why did you lie to me?" I asked Frederick, breaking the silent.

"When did I lie to you?" he asked me in response and I looked at him. His eyes were concentrate on the road. 

"Why didn't you tell me that I got drunk at the night of the party? You told me a complete different story," I said and his face changed suddenly before quickly going back to normal.

"Who told you that?" He asked me and I groaned as he didn't answer my question again.

"Cloud told me. I don't know if you know him but he said that I was at the party and was completely drunk. Other people also told me," I snapped at him angrily, "Why did you lie? It's not like you."

"I had my reasons," he replied.

"You had your reasons," I repeated in disbelief, "I had enough. Everyone is lying to me and not telling me the truth."

"It's for your own good Luffy. It is not for fun that I am hiding certain things from you. I'm trying to protect you here," he explained to me.

"Protect me from what?" I asked quietly but I didn't get an answer as always.

Frederick continued to drive in silent and I didn't try to start a conversation again. As soon as I arrived at the high school, I opened the door of the car and got out without telling Frederick goodbye. He looked like he wanted to stop me but then changed his mind. I walked towards the high school without looking back at his car.

I arrived inside and I sighed before I went to my locker. The place was already full and like always people were staring at me but this time it was different. They were looking at me with hate in the eyes. I was confused at first. I wondered why they were looking at me like that.

I continued to walk not minding them. These stares really needed to stop. If it continued like this I was going to snap and badly. I was nearly in front of my locker when I saw Rain, with a worried expression on his face, and the twins standing at my locker waiting for me.

"Cloud is going to kill me," Rain stated as I arrived in front of them. 

"What?" I asked Rain and they all looked at me.

"Luffy," Calum greeted me with a smile, "We were waiting for you."

"I see that," I told him and looked back at Rain before asking him, "What are you talking about?"

"Cloud is going to kill me," Rain repeated again and Cale rolled his eyes.

"He isn't going to kill you. You're his brother," Cale reminded Rain and the latter looked at him.

"So if I wasn't his brother, Cloud would have killed me?" Rain asked and Cale shrugged.

"Maybe," he replied and Calum punched his twin on the shoulder.

"You are not helping him," Calum scolded his twin.

"What did you do?" I asked Rain as I opened my locker to put my bag in it and took out my books for the first class.

"I lost it," Rain answered and I looked at him in confusion.

"Lost what?" I questioned.

"The book," Rain replied and my eyebrows furrowed.

"Cloud is going to kill you because you lost a book," I repeated just to make sure and Rain nodded, "That's stupid."

"I know that exactly what I told him," Cale informed me and Rain groaned.

"It isn't just a simple book. It is the book," Rain exaggerated.

"Rain, how could you lose it?" Calum asked the latter in disbelief.

"It was still there yesterday morning," Rain told us, waving his hands in every direction, "But when I went to check if it was still there in the afternoon, the book has completely disappeared." 

"Where had you put it?" I asked him and he looked at me.

"In the school library," he replied and Cale taped him on the head and Rain glared at him.

"Idiot," Cale insulted Rain, "You don't hide a book in a school library along with other books which everyone could easily get access to."

"Yeah, I know but it was the best place possible. You know that we couldn't keep it at home," Rain explained, "Nearly nobody went in the school library. Besides, Cloud is always there most of the time and his presence gave the book a sort of protection but now it's gone."

"Where was the book specifically in the library?" I asked Rain curiously.

"In the last aisle, far back in the library. It is a big and old book," Rain informed me and my eyes widened.

"With a strange symbol on the cover?" I asked Rain and he nodded a frown coming to his face.

"How do you know?" he asked me.

"I think I found your book. I took it yesterday and brought it home," I informed him and they all looked at me with widened eyes.

"You took it!" Calum exclaimed loudly, "Please tell me that you didn't open it."

"Calum, no need to panic. Even if Luffy did open it. He wouldn't find anything as it would appear as blank pages to him," Cale said before murmuring, "At least to his human eyes."

I looked at Cale in confusion at his words but before I could say anything to him, Rain suddenly hugged me.

"Thank god! You practically save my life!" Rain exclaimed in relief and a few persons passing by looked at us.

"Rain, stop being dramatic," Cale scolded him, "We all know that Cloud couldn't do anything to you even if he wanted to."

"Where did you put the book?" Rain asked me, ignoring Cale and stepping away from me.

"It's at my place," I replied.

"You need to go search for it now and give it back to me," Rain ordered me.

"Are you crazy? I'm not going to search for it now. If you want you can come to my place later and I will give it back to you," I suggested and Rain nodded in agreement.

"Why did you take the book anyway?" Calum asked me, "It's a creepy book. Myself, I didn't want to even touch it when I first saw it."

"I don't know," I replied honestly, "I just found it and then I took it."

"Good then. At least the book is safe at your place," Rain said and then the bell rang and we all groaned.

"Study time. Great!" Cale deadpanned lazily. 

"I  guess I will see you at lunch," I told the guys and they all nodded.

"You have English, don't you?" Rain asked me, looking at the English book in my hand and I hummed in response. "Please be careful."

"Why?" I asked Rain but Cale replied.

"Because of Alexandro Vins. Cloud was supposed to be here with you but the idiot is late again."

"You should have woken him up, Rain," Calum chided Rain but he only shrugged.

"I tried but waking up Cloud is like trying to make a wall dance the salsa," Rain explained and we gave him a weird look.

"Weird comparison," Cale stated but I was occupied with something else.

"Wait a minute," I started, "You mean that every time Cloud come late at school, it's because he is sleeping."

"Yes. What did you think he was doing?" Rain asked me but I only shrugged. I didn't know that Cloud was sleeping every time he came late to school. All of this time, I thought that Cloud was on some sort of important mission or meeting or something like that.

"Alright, guys. I think we should go to class before we are late," Calum advised us and we all nodded.

The boys all went into separate ways and I made my way to my English class. Alexandro Vins, I thought. I still didn't know who that guy was. I forgot to ask Rain about him. I guessed I was going to ask him later or maybe I would ask Cloud when he arrived. I turned the corner and came face to face with the man that was currently in my mind. 

Alexandro Vins.

He was leaning against the wall beside the classroom that he was supposed to be currently in, as well as myself. His hair was still tied into a ponytail and his skin was as pale as ever. I gulped slightly as I started to walk towards the classroom.

"I was waiting for you," he said suddenly and I stopped dead in my track a few meters away from him. I glanced around but there was only us there. I looked back at the professor who was now staring at me.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked him, pointing to myself and he laughed.

"I don't see anyone else here. Do you?" he asked me and I realized that it was a stupid question. Mr Vins pushed himself off the wall and took a step towards me and I stepped back immediately which made him smirk. "It looks like they already told you about me."

"They didn't tell me anything," I protested. I knew who 'they' were. He was talking about Cloud and the others. But, they didn't have to tell me anything about him. I already got a bad feeling about Mr Vins. The latter sighed as he examined my face.

"You are absolutely perfect," Mr Vins told me, "I understand why he wants you so much."

"Who?"

"Ask Cloud," he simply replied but the look that I gave him made him understand. "Oh, he won't tell you anything. Let me guess, you don't know the whole thing, do you? What a pity! I thought that you did after what happened at the party."

"What are you talking about?" I asked him and he smirked.

"The truth," he replied, a smirk still on his face, "The truth that everyone seem to be hiding from you. But you know, the truth is here just in front of you but you just don't see it."

"You are crazy," I stated but he shook one of his fingers in the air.

"I think that it is time that you step out of the dark. Allow me to show you the truth," Mr Vins said before he snapped his fingers and I froze into place. I was like paralyzed, just like in my dream. I couldn't move one inch and the professor smirked at my state. "Your eyes are the door to the truth. You just have to open them and I will do it for you."

My books fell from my hands to the ground. And I felt it. The same pain inside of my eyes as before but now it was more intense than before. I wanted to scream but my voice was stuck in my throat. What happened next did really shock me. My glasses broke into pieces with my eyes still wide opened.  But it didn't hurt me. No pieces of glass came into my eyes. I didn't feel any pain from it. I was too concentrate with the pain inside of my eyes. 

Just when I felt that I was going to start to really scream, something clicked in my head and I fell to the ground, feeling the darkness engulfed me.