Melanie smiled while looking at the bracelet she was making after she put in the metal pendant and sealed the nylon. The jewelry consisted of black, white, and transparent beads and it also had two words engraved on the pendant, 'Light and darkness'.

"Guess who this is?"

Melanie giggled when a pair of hands covered her eyes. She hid the bracelet underneath her skirt and tapped the hands across her eyes. A playful and manly laugh echoed throughout the windy ambiance of the garden. Melanie turned her head and met those emerald, green orbs. She reached for the boy's head and then she gently ruffled his natural ginger hair. The boy's cheeky smile faded away and was replaced by a gasp.

"You!" the boy exclaimed and leaned forward. His fingers went to Melanie's waist, and he started tickling her. The girl's eyes instantly watered as she started to giggle and eventually mumbled for the boy to stop. The mixture of pain and pleasure was unbearable for Melanie to think straight.

"S-stop it, Luce!" stuttered Melanie between her laughs, "I-I'm not going to do it again, I promise!"

The boy's pinkish lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, haven't I heard the same thing before?" he said and continued his onslaught of tickling. However, when he finally noticed Melanie's flushed expression; cheeks turning red, breaths getting heavier, and gaze turning sultry, Luce quickly leaned back and withdrew his hands. He gulped and averted his eyes, trying to erase the image from his mind.

"Luce, your ears are turning red," Melanie said and brushed her fingers against ears.

The boy instantly flinched, "U-uh, it's just the sun."

Melanie smiled and tilted her head. "Hmm, okay, " she said and pulled something from behind. Her bright smile widened as she said, "Close your eyes, Luce."

Luce looked at her again and furrowed his eyebrows."What for?"

Melanie shook her head and flicked the bridge of his nose lightly. "Just because."

The gesture made Luce roll his eyes and smile. He complied. "Okay. Here. Don't do anything bad to me, okay?" he said and patiently waited.

Melanie bit her lower lip as she reached for Luce's arm and carefully locked the bracelet she had made. The beads shimmered when the rays of the sun bounced on them. The bracelet looked exactly like the one she wore every day. She lifted her gaze, "You can open your eyes now."

Melanie saw how Luce's lips curved into a smile when he slowly turned his wrist back and forth to check out the bracelet. His fingers then stroked the words written on the pendant, "Light and darkness," he whispered then glanced at Melanie, "our names."

"Yes," responded Melanie and reached for the boy's hands. "One cannot exist without the other. I'd like to think that we're also like that, Luce."

"Me too," answered the boy and intertwined his fingers with Melanie's. "I can't imagine my life without you by my side."

Melanie opened her eyes and was welcomed by a wooden ceiling. The feeling of despair instantly filled her senses. Her head throbbed as if she sustained a major injury that pulled her skull open, while her chest felt heavier than before. She sat up, inhaled slowly, and attempted to calm herself but to no avail. She still felt that familiar cold and sharp feeling that she had felt when she had initially found herself in the outskirts.

She looked down and suddenly remembered her dream. She clenched her fists on the quilt and felt a lump in her throat. Tears started to fall from her eyes as her long black hair covered her entire face.

Lucian Oliver Marris.

How could she forget the person who always made her day back in the times when she was only a normal girl living in The City? The person who told her that no matter what happened, they would eventually find a way to each other and be reunited; the person that Melanie trusted the most other than herself and her family; her best friend, Luce.

Melanie shakily raised her hands and hugged herself. She recalled that the day she gave Luce the bracelet, she never thought that it would also be the last day that she could ever see him. Even her own bracelet that had the same design was stripped off of her since there was nothing that the participants could bring during the Purifying Ceremony other than themselves.

Luce was a year older than her, and he successfully passed the Purifying ceremony with no problems at all. Then, when it was finally Melanie's turn, the boy visited her and made a promise to be with her forever. But, deep inside, Melanie knew that whatever promises they had shared together before, Luce might have chosen to forget her because, in their eyes, she is one of the Damned now and she was nothing but a cursed being. Every tie she had from the Sanctified race must have been severed and forgotten.

"Melanya,"

"W-what?" Melanie startled and quickly wiped her eyes when somebody opened the door. She hastily looked up and saw a familiar figure of a little girl with long grey hair and crimson red eyes, "T-Tamonjie.."

The girl smirked and walked casually towards Melanie's bed, "What's with the stutter? I won't bite you."

"B-but..." Melanie could not help but be uneasy by the little girl's presence. Their last encounter was traumatic, and her mind also played tricks with her and gave her thousands of possibilities how Tamonjie might just lunge at her any moment and turn her into a corpse of some sort.

Tamonjie laughed and lowered the hood from her head. She sat on a stool beside Melanie's bed and settled her foot on the seat while the other remained on the ground. "Don't make faces like that, Melanya. I might not contain myself and slit your throat right now."

"S-sorry," mumbled Melanie, that earned her an evil laugh from Tamonjie.

"Calm your balls. I'm not a threat here," Tamonije said then she sprung on her feet. " President sent me here to check on you. Since I'm certain that you're alive and..." Tamonjie looked at Melanie from her head up to her toes, "...alive, I'll bring her up here."

"W-wait!" exclaimed Melanie before Tamonjie could even take a step back. "Do you know where's..."

Tamonjie shook her head and picked her ears. "Who? Axel?"

Melanie looked away. Her grip on the quilt tightened but she eventually let it go. She sighed. "No, leave it."

Tamonjie ignored Melanie's hesitation and continued to stride towards the door. She pulled her hood over her head and stuffed her hand into the pocket of her jeans then opened the door. But before she closed it, she threw a glance at Melanie. "Try to act nicely, Melanya. President doesn't like people who don't know their place."

When Tamonjie finally closed the door, Melanie was still staring at the space the little girl had left unoccupied. She did not know if she could even handle a conversation at that point. Her thoughts were all over the place and she did not feel secure at all. She felt like if she showed even the tiniest of vulnerability, she would be devoured.

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How could she even act nicely? What was that supposed to mean? Melanie knows that everything in the Damned does not make sense. Everything is twisted. If being nice there would mean that she should transform herself into an insane version of herself as she did when she was nightmarized, would that not mean that she would be killed on the spot?

"Melanie Faye Harlow. "

Melanie almost jumped from her bed when a gentle voice called just beside her. Melanie stared at her and saw a girl wearing a beige Grecian dress, her beautiful long black hair was styled into a waterfall, and her porcelain skin shone like glass. Melanie instantly felt confused.

Is this girl the president?

"I'm afraid I'm not who you think I am," the girl said as if answering Melanie's thoughts. Melanie's mouth gaped open upon the reply. The girl smiled. "And yes, I can also hear the mess going on in your mind right now."

"U-um," Melanie stuttered, still feeling perplexed, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect this to be..."

"To be this formal?" the girl finished her sentence and that made Melanie nod. "Well, compared to other people here in the University, I'm the only person in the student council that can relate to you the most. I'm one of your kind."

Melanie's purple eyes widened, "K-kind? What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm also from the Sanctified race," the girl said and gracefully placed her right hand on her chest. "My name is Nariella Adrienne Azarel, you can call me Adi."

A tint of recognition passed through Melanie's pupils, and she was instantly terrified, "I.." she gulped. "I heard things about you back in The City."

Adi's expression didn't even change. "I know that whatever you heard about me are all bad things," she said as she returned her hand to her lap. "I want you to know that I was also brought here against my will. I didn't mean to kill my parents and I didn't even wish to have these powers to be bestowed upon me that cost me my sanity."

"But," Adi paused and stared straight at Melanie, "I have never been free until I got here. There's no hiding or running anymore. I'm just being...." Adi smiled as she said, "...me."

Adi reached for Melanie's hands and gently tugged them. "I can see my old self in you. Confused, lost, and hurt. I'm willing to help you to adjust if you'll just let me."

"Adi..." Melanie was lost for words. This was the first time that Melanie felt real warmth upon entering the Damned region and it made her heart melt. Aside from that, the girl who was accompanying her that moment was also a Sanctified-born girl like her, and she managed to survive despite being alone in that twisted place. Melanie's eyes had tears in the corner of her eyes, "You don't know how your words meant a lot to me."

"I'm glad that I met you," Adi mumbled. She then released Melanie's hands and placed her hands on her lap again. "The President will be visiting you any moment now. I think you're ready."

"To be honest," started Melanie."I thought you're the President. Tamonjie mentioned that she'll bring the President here and then you came in minutes later."

Adi shook her head, still wearing the same half-smile. "It was supposed to be like that, but Tamonjie told me that you look..." Her eyes went in another direction and looked like she was trying to find the right word, "...bewildered so I went here."

Adi cleared her throat and then she stood up. " I'll go now. If you need anything, feel free to approach me. I'll call the President now."

"Wait!" exclaimed Melanie and grabbed Adi's arm. The latter looked at her with her dull jet-black eyes. "Thank you, Adi."

Adi's eyes widened and her lips even slightly parted, but she quickly regained her composure. She gently squeezed Melanie's hand on her before she moved it away. "Don't mention it."

Melanie only watched Adi's back until she closed the door and heard her clicking heels fade as soon as she moved away. Melanie leaned on the headboard and stared blankly. Melanie thought that Adi seemed like a nice person and that maybe, the President might also be the same. Melanie wondered what type of person Adi is to the President. Is Adi just a normal member of the student council? Or is she a person with authority?

"Maybe it's the latter," muttered Melanie to herself. "Her beauty and grace are not something that one could ignore. She definitely stands out."

"I was not informed that you tend to talk to yourself when alone."

Melanie once again, for the second time of that day, almost jumped off her bed because of someone's voice suddenly echoing in the room. There was a girl leaning sideways on the doorway, arms crossed, and golden eyes glaring at Melanie. Despite the small appearance of the girl, her voice was rich and deep. Unlike Adi's formal clothing and bright aura, the girl wore a gothic outfit; a tight corset, a lace skirt, arm-length gloves, and a pair of velvet boots.

"P-President," said Melanie. "You're the president, right?"

"Yes," the girl said. "The name's Amirah Melantha Festin and before I became president, I was also known by my alias as The Wicked Princess."

"O-oh..."

The president noticed the blank reaction, so she closed her eyes and cleared her throat. "Let's not beat around the bush," said the President and moved her fingers in soft motion. Numerous blue and transparent cubes flew to the room from outside. They all landed on Melanie's bed.

"Inside them are your uniforms for your classes. I also added some things that might come in handy during the school year and for the dormitory, Axel insisted that you will be sharing the room with them since they have one vacant."

Melanie frowned. She did not know if she really liked the idea of sharing a room with Axel anymore. The girl only burdened her with more immeasurable damage in mental, emotional, and physical aspects. Melanie lifted her gaze. "May I make a request, Miss Amirah?"

"Please," the president replied abruptly, "don't call me by my name."

"Ah, okay. I'm sorry," muttered Melanie and gained her courage again, "Can I take a different room other than Axel's? I-I just don't want to be with her."

The president did not respond immediately and proceeded to sit beside Melanie first. The glare that the president was giving was still there, but Melanie choked her fear and tried to pursue her to grant her request by maintaining eye contact.

"You know, Axel is very troublesome, especially if she doesn't get what she wants," the president started then she twirled the ends of her silver hair, "do you have the means to fix the damages she might cause in the future?"

Melanie was taken back.

Is that what Tamonjie was telling her earlier? That she should know her place? That even in the eyes of the president, Melanie was no other than a toy that Axel was allowed to play with? The president was indirectly implying that Melanie must give whatever Axel wants, or else, she would need to pay and who knows what the cost of that trivial matter would be.

"I'm kidding. " Melanie's mouth gaped open when the president talked again, "For now, I can't grant your request since it's dangerous for you to stay with people you don't personally know. Axel might be a handful, but when it comes down to it, she has the means to protect you."

"But President," Melanie cut in, "she tried to kill me a lot of times ever since I came here."

"I know," the president cut her off, "but why do you think she did what she did?"

"I don't know," replied Melanie and shrugged before adding, "entertainment?"

"Well yes, partially it may be that but," said the president, "she's also pushing you to your limits. She even used Demerise's power to help you unlock your real potential."

"That was not me," mumbled Melanie and she started tearing up again. "That will never be me."

"Listen, Melanie," the tone of the president suddenly became deadly serious. "I don't know what power lies inside you, but you are different. Your nightmarized version looked familiar to me, but it was on the tip of my tongue. The wisest move that I can do right now is to make sure that you are oriented and will not wreck havoc in the future if ever your powers get uncontrolled."

"Powers again," thought Melanie, "Why do people keep telling me I have powers? They must have been mistaken.

"I'll let Tamonjie and Adi lead you back to Axel's dormitory," said the president then snapped her fingers. The hologram-like cubes disappeared and the items inside them fell on the bed, "Go to the Criterion by tomorrow so you'll know what classes you must take."

"I-I understand, President."

"And before I forget," the president kept the door opened, "during class hours, I prohibit students from disturbing each other. If you don't want things to get messy again, don't leave your dormitory in the wee hours."

The door was then shut off.

"So, it's my fault for going out late that day?" said Melanie into thin air. She shook her head and directed her focus to something else. Her bed was filled with lots of clothes and items, and she needed to sort them all. She looked around and found a bag nearby. Her forehead curled up as she walked closer. Did they prepare that for her?

As if answering the question inside her head, the bag has a small tag on it.

Put them all here and they'll be organized so save your ass some time and go back to me.

- Axel

Melanie bitterly smiled. She actually did not know how to face Axel anymore. If ever what the President had told her was true, that does not erase the fact that she traumatized her big time. However, on second thought, nothing really happened to her despite Axel's attempts to hurt her.

She sighed. "She's really inconsistent. I can't understand her."

Melanie complied with the instruction and the items she put inside the bag automatically flip and fold on their own to fit on the space. She could not stop herself from being amazed so she repeated the deed again.

"Melanie won't even think of you as a love interest with your form right now."

While packing, Melanie remembered President's words when her consciousness was having a tug of war inside that human-sized cube when she was still nightmarized. Melanie was unsure if what she heard was right, but it kept making her wonder if Axel's form was not what she knew to be.

"Hey, Melanya, you done?"

Melanie turned to look at the door when she heard Tamonjie's high-pitched voice. She also saw Adi standing at the side. Melanie closed the bag and nodded, "Yeah. I'm ready to go."