There were mountains in the distance. Sand covered my black boots as I walked among the dead soldiers, who lay beaten and bloody, turning the golden sand into a scarlet hue. It was a slaughter, a magnificent slaughter of warriors who finally revoked against a tyrant's rule and idiots who wanted to keep them ignorant. It had to be done. There was no other way, as Father would never listen to me or anyone. I have no regrets or guilt for what I did. Why would I be when seeing such a battle?

I stared over the horizon of a new era of humanity, grinning at the sky. I had never felt so free, and I was sure the others felt the same way. As the wind brushed against my cheeks, a familiar presence came closer to me.

"What… Have you done?" the frightened voice asks.

I turned and smiled at him. You know exactly what I did. 

Now.

I would show them how much of a monster I could be.

~~~~~

"Ellis?" someone said, shaking me," Hey, son, wake up."

I opened my eyes and saw dad looking at me with worry. I was back outside, sitting on the bench by the school entrance. 

Was it a dream? It felt too real to be one!

How could I dream within a dream? 

One with me actually in it and the other… 

The other was too different as I didn't die or suffer. I had a mission and was determined to fulfill it. The guy in my dream felt more like me than the others. His thoughts and mine were the same, but I couldn't remember what they were, which was strange because I always remember, but the longer I stayed awake, the faster the memories faded.

I don't know what I was going to talk about anymore.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice still groggy from sleep.

"You called me, remember?"

I pulled out my phone. It turned on and showed that I called Dad around 19:00, but that couldn't be right. I don't remember calling him. Plus, was my phone broken, or was that a dream too?

Was I going crazy, or was this a sign of early dementia?

"Right, silly me. I guess I'm more tired than I thought," I yawned.

Dad patted my shoulder, "You can sleep once we get home. I'll pack your dinner for lunch tomorrow."

~~~~~

"I think you two know why you're here," Headmaster Wineman said.

It was 5:45, an hour before school started. Crawford and Ross sat awkwardly by each other with only their chairs to separate them. She wasn't smug now, looking at the ground like a child waiting for her parents. Ross knows why they were here because rumors spread quickly in this age, especially negative ones. 

"Sir-" Crawford said.

"This is one of the most prestigious schools in America!" Wineman interrupted, "We do not need any false scandals tied to this school. What were you thinking?!" He pointed at her, waiting for a response.

Crawford stayed silent, fiddling her old fingers. Ross waited to hear her horrible excuse, and anything that came out of her mouth must be entertaining. 

"I-I was only thinking about the safety of my students."

Such a saint.

"You may have good intentions, Ms. Crawford. However, spreading lies among staff and teachers is unacceptable. The last thing we need is the media breathing down our necks. You're one of our best teachers, so I'm going to go easy on you," Wineman sighed, "I want you to publicly state that you falsely accused Mr.Ross of whatever reason, and I want you to apologize to him. Here and now."

Ross bit his lips. Her apology would be like a cobra bite, as every word from her was venom, and he didn't want to be tainted by it. Ross closed his eyes in deep thought. Even if she was genuinely sorry, it doesn't mean he accepted it. It was just a word, a phrase that people say to make people forget every hateful and evil thing they had done. Actions matter more than words, and Crawford would show none of that.

Her lips curled as she spoke, "I'm sorry for accusing you of an awful crime. I was generally concerned for my students. You know how I am."

"I sure do," Ross said smiling, "apology accepted."

Headmaster Wineman told her to leave, and Ross sat there, watching her, as Meyer walked through the door, bumping into Crawford. She quickly wiped her arm as she entered the room. They waited for the footsteps to cease and the lobby door to close before discussing what happened yesterday night.

"Care to report about what happened?" Wineman asked, his hands folded in front of him.

"The wraith is dead, sir. The remains have been delivered to the lab for testing," Ross answered.

"And the boy?"

"Nothing new, sir," Ross shrugged," I believe further observation is needed."

"I see…" Wineman sighed, "Do you want to add anything, Agent Meyer?"

"Uh.. no. No. Ethan already said everything," She nodded.

"Then you both may leave."

Ross and Meyer got up, closed the door behind them, and walked silently to their "normal" jobs. Meyer waited until they were out of sight to talk.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking into Ross's eyes.

"What for?"

"For not following through with the plan."

"Oh, that…" he shook his head, "It's fine. As long as the mission was a success, it doesn't matter."

"Alright, then let me ask you a question," she hesitated, "why did you lie?"

Ross gazed at her dully, but she knew she had hit something that bothered her. It wasn't like Ross to care about anyone, much less someone that could be a threat, and Ellis being immune to the effects of a veil could be one.

"I didn't lie."

"But, it wasn’t the truth either."

"Don't worry," He interrupted, "everything is under control. We can handle it."

He walked ahead in front of her, leaving her to wonder what his true motivation could be.

~~~~~

"So, what does your brother do?" I asked Mariel during homeroom.

Mr. Fish sat at his desk reading, waiting for the first bell to ring so he could see my unfinished work. The perks of being a new student were nonexistent as the teachers treated everyone the same regardless of how long they had been there. It doesn't help that math was my worst subject.

"He's a biology teacher?" Mariel looked confused. 

"I mean, what else does he do?" 

I'm not sure why I'm asking. It was just a dream, but why would I dream about him? There was no reason to dream about Mr. Ross unless it wasn't a dream at all.

"Nothing. Mr. Ross just works and goes home. Well, occasionally, he would hang out with Erin."

"Who's Erin?"

"Oh, I mean Ms. Meyer. She's the librarian. You might have seen her a few times."

Could she be… No, there was no way he would be friends with someone as cool as her.

"I think I might have, yeah." I nodded.

The first bell rang like a banshee as I dug out my unfinished homework and placed it face down on my desk, fearing that it would rise like an undead spawn.

"Alright, class," Mr. Fish announced, "pass your homework upfront."

~~~~~

I had quiet alone time in the library with nothing but my messed-up thoughts about that dream of blood and death. I craved to dream that again. I know that person was not me, holding a sword and swinging it like a madman. He was both loved and feared, but I don't know how I feel about him. Admire to be him? No, no, that was crazy talk. Out of all the crazy murderous sociopaths I had dreamt of, he was the one I wanted to be?

What was wrong with me?

I stared at the blank page inside my drawing pad. I don't remember what he looked like besides his eyes, those flaming orange eyes that belonged to the depts of Hell hungry for chaos. 

I smiled at the thought as I was craving it too. No. 

No, I don't!

I shook my head, erasing those thoughts. It was too early for that. I tapped my pencil on the page, focusing my mind on the other figure, but it was the same as I thought about those crystal blue eyes and the sweet taste of his fear. I ground my teeth.

Why was everything such a blur?

Why was this dream different? Was it even a dream?

I groaned at my constant thinking, maybe too loudly, as people glared at me. I don't need to taste their emotions to know they don't want me here. No one really wanted me here, to begin with, besides Mariel. I sighed deeply, wishing that she was with me, but she had something to do, or that might be an excuse to leave me.

I packed up my things, pretending that I didn't notice them, and climbed the library stairs. Their angry stares followed me as I ascended. I should have been there first as it had the book I wanted, and now that I have an ID, I should be able to check it out. I went to the history section looking for that WWII book. There were tons of war books, which piqued my interest, but I would read them later. 

"Later," I mumbled.

I grabbed the book and waited before I descended the stairs. Every movement felt slow and unreal. I guess I'm tired after overthinking, but I couldn't keep that dream out of my head. Those fiery eyes burned my soul. I wanted to know if it was real, even if I had to ask Mr.Ross.

I went to the front desk, breathing heavily from nervousness and exhaustion as Mr. Ross and Ms.Meyer were there, the ashy blond hair woman and that emotionless bastard. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"Hello!" her voice was bitter, "are you going to check that out?"

"Ye-yeah. But I have a question" I glared at Mr. Ross, "What happened to that monster?"