Van didn’t know how he got here, but he found himself at some abandoned establishment. His jet-black jacket wasn’t enough to stave off the cold wind from seeping deep into his skin. Another ear-splitting sound dragged him unkindly to the ground, his knees bent on the cold cobblestone as he endured it. Moments passed, his mind slowly wobbled back to life, and everything became clear. The unsettling specks of dust and several crowbars and knives that were either struck on the wall or sprawled on the ground – was the first thing that caught his attention.

“Damn,” he muttered, pulling himself up from the wet floor.

As he stepped outside the establishment, the rhythmic chirp of the ravens exploded outside as they flew by. Ahead was the main road and several establishments. Van walked ahead and glanced from left to right, scanning the surroundings. When he couldn’t make any sense of it for another ten uneventful seconds, he decided to ask the old lady who came out from a tailor shop nearby.

“Excuse me?” Van gently called the lady.

The petite old woman turned slowly, her face knit with question and curiosity. “What is it?”

Van blinked. “Do you know where this place is?”

The old lady gave him an uncertain look, studying Van’s dazzled complexion. “Why? You’re lost? Where are your parents?”

Van shook his head. “No. I just… I think I slept too much. I thought I was at my destination.”

The old woman nodded. “Well, in that case, you’re in Daletown.”

“Daletown?” Van began to look around, everything making sense, but at the same time, not.

“Where were you supposed to be headed?”

“Maryvale.”

“That’s a two-hour ride.” She looked at her watch. “Very well, turn right after that. There should be a bus that will lead you to Maryvale.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Van bade the old woman hurriedly.

***

Van flinched as another thunderous roar from the dense storm clouds reverberated through the room, followed by a fearful strike of lightning, snapping him back to reality. He wiped off the sweat on his face, even though the cold weather froze his glands. Van decided that it was time to stand up and do the old routine. He pulled the blinds open and saw the light rain slowly pouring onto the land.

In a flash of lightning, his thoughts began to float, just standing - staring pointlessly at the rain. What came next were the flashes of the memories of his childhood days, the day the accident happened, wherein his dad died, his mother went missing, and his life began to change.

It was the usual morning, his mom preparing the food for the grill, and his dad was outside of the house loading the grill stand. It was perfect weather when they went to travel to the place that his dad longed to visit, and then it all went wrong. They thought that it was a perfect sunny day, but heavy rain came, and that’s when it happened. No matter how hard he tried, some of the images of his memories are still blurred.

Van stared back at the journal lay flat on his desk. The blank pages flipped rapidly, empty as some of his memory with his parents. It was useless, whatever method he used, and he couldn’t seem to decipher the contents that his mother’s journal left to him.

He sighed as he glanced down at the road. There was nothing he could do to know the content, should there even be knowledge written in that journal. He tried every method known to mankind to unveil texts hidden in that journal, but to no avail.

Van could see a woman running towards the bus shelter, which seemed like she was about to go home after jogging, but he couldn’t see her face as she was wearing a yellow hoodie. He observed her for a minute, watching the woman make a phone call.

It was cold and the air was filled with a wandering breeze when he saw her glancing around, looking for a ride she could hitchhike. Once again, a roar of thunder drowned out the lapping sounds of rain. She was shaken, that was for sure.

Van wasn’t sure if some deity had willed it, but the second their eyes met, everything slowed down. She has blonde hair, glossy skin, and mesmerizing deep blue eyes. Her lips were thin and pale, her chin well-toned, and her nose nicely curved. The girl made herself flawless with thin eyebrows, and her skin was untouched by any makeup.

Their eyes gazed at each other as though there was some magnet pulling them together. Van got closer to the window, touching it and saw her stare into his deep, darkened eyes. The two were under the same spell. He saw something in her mouth, but he couldn’t hear it. Words were forced out of his mouth in an attempt to call her out but were interrupted by a loud honk.

The car parked in front of her. A middle-aged lady shouted at her, “Get in!” She flinched from another roar of thunder, serving as a bucket of cold water to wake her up.

There was something he couldn’t explain when he gazed into her eyes. He didn’t felt any malice from it, but a nostalgic feeling. Yet, he chose to leave. A feeling that cannot be explained was not good for his psyche.

***

“D’ya know where three of our knives are?” Timothy shot the question the moment Van got out of his room.

“I don’t know.” Van shook his head.

“Huh.” Timothy walked to the kitchen and put the lunch box in his bag. “That’s weird.”

Van ate his breakfast and hurriedly came out to their apartment.

***

The school wasn’t far, and Van could walk to school in ten minutes from his apartment. However, there were certain places that Van should avoid. He saw several groups of people gathering at the street end of the empty streets and plenty of them at the empty buildings.

All it took to withdraw the tension was a brief honk from the sheriff’s car, which was parked beside the sidewalk. Van halted and saw the window slide down with the investigative look of a sheriff. Van hesitantly moved closer.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” she asked.

Van paid close attention to her. “Yes, actually, my brother and I moved here last week,”

“Do you need a lift?” she offered.

Though her voice didn’t dictate pressure, her face did. Van was about to refuse her offer, but when he looked back at the gang who were staring at him, words wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

“Hop in. It’s free,” she said as she opened the door.

“You know, you shouldn’t go out alone, especially taking this route. There were a lot of delinquents hanging around here,” she warned.

“Well, I prefer to explore alone. My brother is quite embarrassed to be with me.” Van returned.

“An independent one. Huh,” she said, sounding impressed. “Well, if that’s the case, it wouldn’t hurt if you take my advice.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“You should go home early,” she said, flicking her brows. “Look, there are some cases of murder that have not been solved and you might be the next victim,” she said, her voice filled with seriousness.

“Why is that?” Van questioned.

“Most of the killer’s victims were teenagers.”

“Mostly?” Van questioned.

“Yeah, in the recent incidents, only teenagers have been attacked. The autopsy showed weird sketches of the victim.”

“That’s kind of open,” Van commented. “Are you sure it’s okay to share such information with me?”

“Well, it’s already out in the headline. So, it’s better to scare you off while I have a chance.”

“And?” Van urged her.

“There’s nothing much I can say for now about cop business,” she sighed. “Look, listen to me, go early, lock the door, and keep your windows shut.”

“Duly noted.”

***

After a few minutes, the car stopped in front of the gate of the school. Van looked up at the metallic carving of the school board as he stepped out of the car: Maryvale Pendleton University.

When Van made his way to the classroom, he noticed the students’ eyes darting at him. It was because there weren’t many people from big cities who came to a quiet city like this. The news must have traveled fast. It could be Tim who told his friends about his arrival. It was a small city, so it wasn’t surprising that some people might recognize someone who wasn’t from Maryvale.

It took him a while, but Van was able to find his classroom. There were only two vacant seats: one was near the window and the other was in front. Van would rather choose to sit near the window; he always hated sitting in front. It was the cardinal rule he has been following ever since.

Van looked at the window, his mind wandering, when he noticed the sudden silence. He turned around and saw the teacher with a stoic face, pounding the desk five times. Van straightened his posture, the same reaction that his classmates did. As he approached, the atmosphere became serious, coinciding with his presence. He must’ve done that to intimidate his students, or so he thought.

He began by introducing himself as Waldon Spotsman. Throughout the class, they did not talk about anything related to academics. Other than their schedules, school regulations, and other topics that most of the students grew bored with, nothing caught his interest.

The class was about to end, but a woman burst through the door and slammed it shut behind her. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” she apologized. When Van laid his eyes on her, he knew that she was somehow familiar. Her hair covered her face, but it was enough to recognize her blue eyes.

Mister Waldon looked at her and said, “Nah, don’t worry about it. We haven’t discussed it yet. The formal discussion will start tomorrow, be sure not to be late.”

“Yes, sir.”

“All right, class dismissed,” Mr. Waldon announced, and the others began to leave.

When Van was about to stand up, he heard the girls behind him gossiping about her. “I can’t believe she still has the guts to show up here, not after the rumour.”

“I guess she’s not aware of the gossip about her being a bitch to Brandon. The nerve, she has the leader of the jockey at her heels and she refuses him.” the other one added.

Van shrugged the words off. It wasn’t his business. Van would normally call them out of their bull, he just couldn’t stand people mocking someone behind them, but he was not going to set a conflict. After all, he did not want to create any kind of commotion that would attract unwanted attention. Van knew better than to make trouble on the first day of school. He already made a mess in his previous school back in New York, and he didn’t want to repeat that mistake in Maryvale. His last act of delinquency was final, and Van knew something was wrong with him. He always had this bizarre feeling: a twitch in his flesh, the desire to go out at night, and harmful thoughts that kept revolving until sunrise. He still felt uneasy by those lingering desires.

A crowded line greeted Van when he entered the canteen. He immediately picked up a tray and joined the line. Van only picked the items that he could eat: hotdogs, eggs, porridge, and juice. He didn’t want to add any more weight. He made his way to the reserved seat in the corner, away from the loud ones. He ate in silence until someone bothered his solitary backyard.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” The girl asked as she approached Van.

“No, it’s not,” Van replied, without looking up.

“Thanks, I’ll take this seat if that’s okay with you,” She said, sensing that Van wasn’t the most welcoming person.

“Go ahead, it's school property,” Van said, although he didn’t mean it.

“Okay,” She said, and they both sat down in silence. Van looked over at her, observing her as she read her book. She was wearing a pink sweater, a black skirt, and black shoes. Her hair covered most of her face, making it difficult for Van to read her expression. Suddenly, he caught her blue eyes looking back at him, and he froze when she smiled.

“Sorry,” he said, breaking the awkward silence.

“You know, out of all the people I’ve met at this school, I’m not sure I know you. You must have moved here from another city,” The girl said, trying to start a conversation.

“That’s probably why,” Van replied coldly.

“Where did you move from?”

“Manhattan,” Van said.

“Oh,” She muttered, thinking that the conversation came to an end. “Why did you move here? I doubt it was because of the popularity of this school.”

“That’s none of your business,” Van snapped.

“You must have done something, then,” She teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Van didn’t respond, but she could sense his discomfort.

“Sorry,” she said, feeling guilty for making him uncomfortable.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Van said, trying to ease the tension. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Van.”

“I’m Kate,” Kate responded, feeling relieved. They shook hands and smiled at each other.

“I’m sorry if I was being nosy,” Kate said.

“Don’t worry about it. I should be the one apologizing. You were just trying to be nice,” Van said, feeling more at ease. He knew she didn’t mean it, but it was still awkward though.

“I kind of like you, Van,” Kate said, surprising him.

“Have we met somewhere before?” Van asked, he was intently making out where he met her.

Kate raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to hit on me?”

“No, I mean, like, have we met before?”

Kate also scanned her memories and snapped her fingers when she finally found the resemblance of his face. “Aha, you’re the guy who was staring at me in the café, right?”

“I can’t believe it,”

“You’re the one who broke the plate and cup back in the café I’m working at.” Kate teased.

Van was mortified. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kate smirked, looking at him with a smirk, but Van could feel a tension rose.

“I admit that I admired you in that maid’s outfit, but that’s all. I’m not a pervert,” Van said, feeling embarrassed.

Kate looked at him with a serious expression. “I hate perverts. You should know that.”

“I’m not a pervert, I promise,” Van said, raising his hand.

Kate’s expression softened. “I believe you. You seem like a nice guy.”

“Thanks,” Van said, feeling relieved.

“But you owe me,” Kate said with a mischievous smile.

“What do I owe you?” Van asked, feeling apprehensive.

“You have to buy me something or take me out somewhere,” Kate said, still smiling.

“Okay,” Van said, not sure if she was serious or not.

Kate burst out laughing.

Van’s eyes traveled to the man who was wearing a red jersey with a bull printed on it. He was staring at him and Kate.

“Haha-ha. Was that your boyfriend back there?” Van asked.

Kate turned her back.

“Don’t look at him,” Van told her.

Kate spun to him and shook her head. “Nah, don’t mind that guy.”

“So, he’s not your…?”

“No.”

“No, as in no-no?”

“No-no-no.” She repeated and shook her head.

“For a second there, I thought I might end up dead.” Van exhaled in relief. “So, what’s his deal anyway?” He could still feel the stab of his gaze from a distance.

“I kinda dumped him. The guy is a pervert. He claims that he’s a fuck boy. He never fucks anyone in his entire life because no woman took interest in him.”

“Is that so?”

Van didn’t need to hear it, he could assume that Kate and he had a roughed past and it didn’t end well for him.

“Yep. So, Friday night, seven p.m. at the café.” She said, picking up her bag and standing.

“What?”

“Be on time,” she said and left in a hurry.

When Van headed out to the canteen, Brandon, the rejected one, came closer to him. Van could tell from his face that he was not happy. “Hey, new guy. Just because you look cool and flashy doesn’t mean you could just flirt with anyone.”

“I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t make my move on her,” he said, with pressure in his voice.

“You know, you better back off and play with your kind. You know, the weirdos.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“No, I don’t think I will.”

“You’re seriously getting on my nerves.”

“What’s with the comeback? You sound like a sissy, you know that, right?” Van mocked. “She’s the one who came to me first, so why wouldn’t you be the one to tell her that? Wait a minute, you can’t do that, of course. You got dumped, right?”

His furious eyes glared at Van as he was about to punch, but Timothy held him back.

“Hey, Brandon. What do you think you’re doing with my friend here?” Timothy said, with confidence on his face.

“Yeah, what’re ya doing? You want to get suspended again?” Lester said, with the other two guys behind him.

He looked at Van again, but this time it seemed that he was calmed and pulled his arm back, walking away from them.

“Thanks, by the way.”

“No problem,” Lester said.

“If he bothers you again, call us right away.” The one who wore the glasses said.

Timothy, however, has something different on his mind.

“I see what you did there, Van.”

“What do you mean?” Van asked, with his eyebrows raised in confusion.

“You were hooking up with a girl,” Lester said.

“What? No. nope, nope.” Van denied it and dismissively waved his hand.

“It’s more like the opposite. The girl is hooking on you,” Timothy said in a mocking voice. “One more step for the worm finally wiggles and enters the cave.” He added.

“I think we’re gonna be late for our next class.” The nerdy guy intercepted.

When the gang left, Van headed out for his next class.

***

Here he was, moping in his room, staring at the ceiling. Van was about to fall asleep, but then the twitch began. He hurled in pain and discomfort as he held his breath. He needed to go out.

Van looked at his phone. It was still 8:30 pm and the thing he did all night was play. He started to strip and change into his black hoodie.

As he opened the window, a blast of icy wind on his face greeted him. Van hopped from the second floor and ran to the nearest building, then he started to climb the stairs outside. He started to hop on from another building.

Van scraped and scratched his hands on the ledges before managing to pull himself up. His jaw clenched as he sprang up.

Van made his way and he breathed as he could feel it again. A single twitch. A force resided inside, but within a moment, it calmed down.

He placed his hand on his chest, and for the first time in a while, it doesn’t bug him anymore. He can finally move. He leaped at the nearby buildings, sliding, and propelling onward.

Van has been doing this since he was in New York. What he always needed was adrenaline pumping into his veins, because in this way he felt that he was alive.

Lost in thoughts, he did not notice that the building he was attempting to jump from was far-off, nor did he realize that the speed he was aiming for was not enough which would result in missing the landing spot. Van was certain that his face was going to hit the ground. But his eyes open up in a strong bough of a tree. He could feel that his face was pale, his lips chapped, and the adrenaline was rather slowing down. He breathed in, preparing for another leap.

“Holy crap.”

Until now, he couldn’t believe he survived that fall. A chill struck his spine as he could hear the grass whispering behind him. Van turned around, but there was nothing there. But his suspicion grew as there was something out there whispering in the darkness. There was no one, only Van. As he attempts to climb back up the building, it twitches again.

His eyes shifted to the alleyway in front of the building where he stands. A figure in the form of a shadow standing with his eyes glaring at Van. He shivered as a cold wind passed by, and in a blink of an eye, he was gone. For the second time, Van found him walking towards him.

Run.

He sprinted inside the abandoned building.

“Ah, shit, shit, shit!” He swore as he thrashed and climbed up the metallic staircase at top speed. He disregarded the tiredness as his feet stomped hard on the ledges. A hand reached Van As he made his way to the end of the stairs. He managed to kick it and plummeted to the ground.

Van was certain that he could not survive falling to such a height, but he was wrong. He stood and saw its first prey, the face contorted with hunger. Van managed to observe his stature, his skin was pale, and his eyes were white, and sharp like a blade.

Van struggled to get up as he breathed, struck and overwhelmed by fear at what he saw. Van couldn’t even feel tiredness or pain, as if the adrenaline overtook his capability to feel.

Van sprinted forward as the door slammed. He jumped into another building without a second thought, and because of it, he didn’t manage to land. Instead, he found himself hanging on an outside staircase with his wrist trying to pull up. When he reached the top, Van tried to spring his feet upward with the ledges as support. But that wasn’t enough for him to grab onto something. He was about to fall, but a hand grabbed him.

Thankful for being saved, that thought was eventually pulled out of his mind when he saw the sly grin of the monster. Van head-butted him and kicked his balls, but he just stared at him as if he was not hurt.

“You have no balls?!”

With sheer strength, he threw Van at the concrete wall. Van stood with his back erupting in pain. Once he got closer to Van, he kicked his knee, bowing in front of him. Van punched him again, even though he knew that it wouldn’t affect him. He answered by grinning at Van as he bent his knees, standing. Van did the best thing he could do.

He ran.

Van was about to head back to his room, but he heard someone.

“I’m impressed.”

When he turned around, no one was there, but he felt something bitter touch his neck and whisper.

“You will fall asleep.”

With those words, his mind turned blank.

***

It was late at night when Kate brought Jane home. She carried Jane to her room and laid her down on the bed. Kate went downstairs after placing Jane onto her bed. Feeling thirsty, she went to the kitchen and drank a glass of water. That’s when an eerie feeling struck her down. She knelt, and for a couple of minutes, it persisted, so she decided to go out and investigate what was happening.

She went out, wandering when her eyes fell on a man jumping onto another building. She followed but then realized that she couldn’t catch up to him, so she conjured a spell. “Gravija.” Kate floated not too far from the target while hiding in the dark. Looking down at him, she realized who it was. Van. She observed him with pure concern and amazement. Jumping into other buildings, he tripped off and fell. She saw that there was ground for the tree that could grow, and she released a spell to save him. “Implante savor.”

In an instant, a tree grew out instantaneously from the ground, and Van landed on a strong branch of that tree. She descended to the ground and ran to Van’s location, but when she got there, he was gone. She found herself standing outside the abandoned building. She investigated the alleyway, and what she found was another victim. She looked at the abandoned building. She could sense two presences out there. The other one was human, and the second one who was after him was somewhat supernatural. Her eyes scanned the entire place to know whether there was someone. When she realized that there was no one, she jumped off again at the top of another building. The monster was playing with the defenseless man. When Van was freed from the monsters' grasp and was able to escape, she entered the scene as it aimed to go after him again.

“Loopa Iradovia.” A force clutched the monster away from Van. Kate clenched her fist and threw it aside down the building. “It looks like it’s just you and me,” she smirked as she descended to the ground. The monster growled in anger. It grew louder. Kate realized what this meant. He was calling for backup. A few more screeches could be heard across the city, and they were getting louder.

“Oh no, you won’t! Silencio.” The monster’s mouth closed, and a couple of stitches appeared.

Its claws grew wider as it flew towards her. She flipped sideways, evading and casting another spell.

“Feurballe.” A ball of fire formed in her palm, and she threw it at the monster. Inflicted by the spell, the monster growled. Its wings grew out of its flesh and attempted to fly away. Kate already lowered her hands, opened her palm, and concentrated.

“Vignus fatus, omnis implantus vegus, daselica!” In an instant, dozens of vines reached out at the monster, dragging it back to the ground.

She invoked a fire spell and was about to finish the monster when she felt a presence beside Van. At that moment, she released the grip and raced toward his location. What she saw was Van falling to the ground.

She didn’t think twice and cast a spell on the man who she considered the perpetrator. “Graviga Pulsatio.” The man grunted as he was thrown out of the building. He rumbled as his feet met the ground. Kate drew her attention back to the unconscious man.

“Van, Van?” He didn’t respond. He may be unconscious, but his heart was still beating. She sighed in relief.

“Okay, I think we have a big misunderstanding here,”

The man who she blew out was floating and landed in front of them.

“Laswell! What the hell are you doing?!” she said, with utter annoyance written on her face.

“I saw this boy jumping from building to building. I found it suspicious, so you can guess what’s next,” Laswell explained. He stood with no trace of damage from the spell and even more annoying, he did not regret what he did to Van.

“No, he’s not. Dammit!” Kate exclaimed.

“Why are you angry all of a sudden?” Laswell asked, he casted his eyes on Van.

“Because he was the next victim,” Kate explained.

“Oh dear, I thought he was the one... Did you finish the job?” Laswell blinked, he was beginning to see his errors, but played it off. He didn’t want to further infuriate Kate.

“Nope. If it wasn’t for your meddling, we might be able to trace the others,” a man’s voice receded. They turned their attention to the source of the voice, but no one was there.

“He doesn’t look human to me, neither a vampire nor a werewolf,”

Kate shuddered as the presence of the man appeared out of nowhere. Laswell was not surprised by his uncouth appearance. He was wearing a mask and a complete tuxedo outfit.

“And there he goes again.” She spun and shot a question, “What’s with the attire?”

“I’m just attending a party when suddenly I was disturbed by this ambiance,” he explained.

“Wow, popping out of nowhere as if the man cares about this town. Why do you care, Gilt?” Kate began to check Van’s pulse and immediately carried his head on her lap.

“Well, I am. This is my birthplace after all. So, why didn’t you call me for help?” the man, Gilt, asked.

“Hello, you are the one who always left without leaving any kind of note for me to track you,” Kate said, her frustration rising again.

“Oh, I’m so sorry ‘bout that, but look, I’m here, hooray. So, what’s the deal with this guy?” Gilt pulled out his mask, unraveling his long, gritty hair. He brushed off his hair from covering his haunting dark eyes, and under the light of the moon, his nose highlighted, and his chiseled chin.

Kate took a deep breath as she averted her gaze away from the dazzling gaze of the man.

“I saw him hopping from roof to roof. Maybe he’s supernatural or somehow connected to the mysterious incidents,” Laswell explained.

“And you think that he’s a vampire?” Gilt asked.

“Well, he has a pale face that looks like yours,” Laswell replied. Gilt looked at him with a poker face intended to hide his annoyance.

“Imagine that the scariest monster that you could ever think of pops out of nowhere and tries to suck out your soul. Do you think you wouldn’t go screaming like a little girl if you were in his place?” Kate made a ruffling noise, cleaning herself as if there was a speck of dust on her clothes.

“Point taken,” Gilt concurred.

“But to be sure, I want you to sniff him, Gilt,” Kate ordered. Gilt stared at her again.

“Come on, no pun intended.”

Gilt sighed, “I already sniffed him, and he’s not human either. His blood is different from any other humans. That I can confirm he’s supernatural.”

“What do you mean?” Laswell asked. For a moment, Gilt stared at him, his eyes fixated as if he were staring into his soul.

He sighed, concluding, “I may be wrong, he’s like other human beings. Normal. I don’t know anything about magic, you guys tell me, and you’re the magic experts here.”

“Well, we’re not gifted with high intellect, so you’ll have to forgive us,” Laswell said.

“Am I allowed to feed on him? Gilt asked. “I’m kinda famished.”

“No killing and no sucking of blood. We’ll take him safely to his home, he’s not a threat.”

“Not yet,” Gilt added.

“Not yet and never will be, but we didn’t want blood on our hands, we weren’t killers,” Kate said. “Besides, I was going to put a spell so that he wouldn’t remember this night.”

“I am,” Gilt raised his right hand.

“I swear if you lay a finger on him. I will break every bone in your body,” Kate warned, with pressure in her voice.

“Oohhh, scary,” Gilt said.

“Since there’s no kicking ass today, I’m going to bail. Smell ya later,” Laswell bid farewell as he tarnished a card and vanished into thin air.

Gilt looked at her, brushing his chin. “There’s something changed about you.”

“Like what?”

“You’re glowing.”

“Glowing? No. Glowing is for a pregnant woman.”

“For real?”

“For real. Look, I don’t know what kind of crap you’re thinking about. But I don’t care, I haven’t changed,” Kate explained, but Gilt could see the deniable side when he looked at Van.

“Did you sleep with him?” Gilt asked with a smile on his face.

“No! I didn’t.”

“You didn’t? Alright fine, but the way you looked at him, I’m sure there is something about it. Has the great Kate Faye Anderson been softened by some human being?”

She grimaced. Gilt stood back, knowing this. “Hey, I’m just kidding.”

“Divisible Parisilto.”

Casting the spell, Gilt’s presence vanished, nothing, gone in a cloud of thin smoke.

Kate carried Van back to his room, using her spell Graviga to levitate him. When she carried Van back to his room, Timothy burst inside.

“Oh god,” Timothy muttered. “I’m so sorry if I interrupted something between the two of you.”

“Slowja firesente.”

Timothy’s movement stopped. Kate looked into his eyes, then whispered. After that, Timothy began to walk outside of Van’s room and back to his bed.

Under the light of the moon, Van slept in the comfort of the passing breeze.

***

Van woke up with a headache, killing him as he walked dopey down the stairs, and to the kitchen. He took a glass of water. Rubbing his eyes while walking, he tripped over, but Timothy held his arm and guided Van to sit down.

“You look like crap,” Timothy commented.

“Thank you, I already looked in the mirror this morning,” Van replied as he went to the kitchen sink, turned on the water faucet, and washed his face.

“Are you taking meth? I’m gonna kick your ass if you ever do that.” Timothy asked as he minced the fried meat through grinding with his teeth.

“Uh, ew, no. I wouldn’t do that kind of thing.” Van denied.

“Have you ever considered joining any kind of sport? If you want, I can pull you into the basketball team.” Timothy said.

“Nah, we both know that I’m not a team player.” Van shook his head.

“Right, I nearly forgot how you got into a fight because of you being an asshat.”

“Oh, shut up.”