The orange light of the setting sun illuminated the living room. David sat on a plaid couch and watched a cartoon featuring amphibious karate teens. The boy's eyes were drawn to the front door as it swung open to reveal a woman in business attire.

"Mom!" David shouted gleefully.

The boy leapt from the couch and into his mother's arms. The two embraced for several long moments. David's Mother chuckled slightly and gently patted her son on his dark haired head. David gave her a sheepish look with his two dark eyes, as if he expected something.

"What?" David's Mother asked.

David's small face scrunched up slightly as if embarrassed. He let out a small sigh and gripped the dark fabric of her skirt.

"...Can we order Pizza?" David whispered meekly.

"Oh, no I don't think so." His mother replied flatly.

Disappointment showed itself in a most crestfallen expression on David's face. His mother gently embraced him and tried her best to assure him she was only joking.

"I was teasing! It's pizza night!" David's Mother insisted.

After a few tears are dried with a gentle hand David calmed down. The two of them turned to greet the third member of the family. The dark haired man grunted when his son tackles his legs. David's father gave his wife a gentle kiss, and rubbed his son's head affectionately.

"I heard it's pizza night, are we having anchovies?" David's father jokes.

"No way!" David replied with a disgusted expression

This got a laugh from both parents. David's mother gently separated from her husband and pulled out her cell phone to order some pizza for the family. David led his father to the couch and insisted on explaining each of his favorite karate fighting heroes to his father.

"So is the blue one Dan... Danielgo?" His father asked.

"No! You're just pretending to not know, aren't you?" David accused.

"I'm not!" David's father insisted.

David's father teased and joked with David, but he did pay attention to the cartoon his son invested so much time into watching. David's mother joined them on the couch for some quality time, and the three of them waited about twenty minutes.

Ding dong!

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Pizza's here!" David shouted excitedly.

David's father got up and answered the door. The scent of hot pizza caused David's mouth to water, and he practically flew off the couch. His father turned around and the atmosphere changed in an instant.

"Fucking brat." David's father spat.

David's eyes widened as his father's fleshless skull spoke to him. There was just the two of them in the darkened house, and the smell of booze flooded David's nostrils. Everything felt wrong, and so familiar. The man in the doorway took a step forward and fell to the ground in a heap of bones and rotting flesh.

~

Sunlight stings David's eyes as he blinks away the fog of sleep. His muscles all ache and he feels like he's been sleeping for a week. The visions of his father's corpse haunt his mind as he tries to focus on the stability of the waking world.

"Fucking dreams..."

David slips out of bed with a sour look on his face. The sound of people talking can be faintly heard, and David glances out the window of the infirmary to see students running away from Professor Frost's magic blizzard. This brings a smile back to his face.

~

Jamie follows both Scy and Michael into the botany classroom with a bored look on his face. This class always feels like a waiting game, and Professor Arborl moves slower than the seasons. Thankfully Jamie has entertainment in the form of friends.

"Do you think we'll learn anything today?" Scy asks quietly.

The other two smile a little as they take their seats, and Jamie shakes his head. Michael glances up at the board, and writes down the information before he forgets. Jamie watches this as a slight smirk plays upon his lips.

"Shall I give the resident nerd a little scare?"

Magic power flows out of Jamie's fingers into the form of an orb of light. He hides it beneath his desk, and waits until both his arms are fully skeletal. Mischief is in Jamie's eyes as he sneaks up behind a preoccupied Michael. Scy squints at Jamie with an exasperated expression, but doesn't interrupt the pranking process.

Jamie's skeletal hands rest upon Michael's shoulders in a limp fashion which gives Michael a fright. The distracted boy is suddenly shrieking as he jumps out of his chair. The redness in Michael's face is matched by an irritated glare which lands on Jamie's amused face.

"Son of a bitch..." Michael mumbles.

"What was that, scaredy cat?" Jamie taunts.

Scy's face is also a little red as he stifles a laugh. The boy swipes at the both of them as if telling them to sit back down, yet it's obvious he found Michael's reaction funny. Michael glares at Jamie whilst sitting back in his seat. Jamie returns to his seat satisfied.

The students attention finally turns to their professor as Professor Arborl's oaken hands rest upon the surface of his lectern.

"Today... We..." Professor Arborl starts.

Michael's expression deadpans at the speed of Professor Arborl's speech, and Jamie smirks. Observing the brown haired boy has become a habit for Jamie, yet he hasn't realizes how often he watches Michael's expressions and actions.

"Will be... Learning..." Professor Arborl continues.

Scy sighs under his breath and turns to nudge Jamie. The two of them look at each other, and Scy squints skeptically. Jamie isn't sure why he's giving him that look.

"Are you... staring at Michael..?" Scy asks quietly.

Jamie frowns at the question before reflecting on what he was just doing, and he nods.

"How... To grow..." Professor Arborl keeps going.

"Do you think he's cute or something?" Scy jokes quietly.

There's a moment where Jamie scoffs and is about to refute Scy, but then he thinks better of it. Several silent moments pass before Scy's expression changes to one of shock and discomfort. A slight smile plays upon Jamie's lips.

"Maybe I do." Jamie replies vaguely.