There's a boy.
His name is Valen Rayia. He is in the 10th grade at Winter High School.
He is 15 years old, although his birthday isn't for another few months.
I hate him.
I mean, who wouldn't? He's a horrible person after all.
He deserves absolutely nothing. A scum down to his very core.
I would feel disgusted to even be around him.
I feel bad for anyone who ever has to associate with that freak.
He causes nothing but problems for everyone.
He should just die.
******
[---]: "Valen! What did you get on question 6?"
Valen suddenly came back to reality from his daydreaming and looked up. His teacher—Mr. Brown—stood in front of a chalkboard waiting for him to answer. Moments of silence passed before Valen finally responded.
[Valen]: "Uh…I'm.. not sure."
Mr. Brown then let out a sigh as the students around Valen began whispering and giggling.
[Mr. Brown]: "You should start paying more attention. Maybe then your grades would improve, Mr. Rayia."
Valen looked down at his desk, getting more and more embarrassed as the students continued to giggle.
Valen was an average-looking boy. He had long, black, messy hair with the front of it running over his face a little. The back and sides of his hair, however, ran all the way down to his shoulders. He had small irises, and his race was white. He wasn't very talkative, and his social anxiety made it even harder for him to speak. To every one of his classmates, he was the quiet kid who always kept to himself.
After a long, excruciatingly boring class, the bell finally rang. Everyone began to pack up their stuff and leave the classroom.
As Valen was packing up his belongings, Mr. Brown slammed the palm of his hand on the boy's desk. Slightly nudging up his square glasses, he cleared his throat.
[Mr. Brown]: "When are you going to finally realize how important your grades are? Currently, they've just been continuously dropping and dropping.
A moment of silence passed as he stared intently at Valen, who was sweating profusely, not knowing what to say.
[Mr. Brown]: "You know—you didn't use to be like this. Your grades were at the top of the class, and you were exceeding all of my expectations. But now, it just seems like you aren't even trying. Is there something going on that I need to know?"
Valen, who was sweating profusely at this point, struggled to say anything as an expression of fear dug into his face.
[Valen]: "Nothing, it's nothing…"
He had finally managed to get something out, though his voice sounded feeble. Getting up and slipping his book bag over his shoulders, he looked away from Mr. Brown.
[Valen]: "Thank you for showing concern, but I promise–everything's okay."
As Valen left the classroom, Mr. Brown stared at him with a look of both worry and agitation.
Valen choked on his spit as he walked down the hallways.
His eyes darted everywhere frantically as he began to hyperventilate.
Biting his lips, he felt as if everyone was staring at him, judging him to his very bones. No matter where he looked, he felt the stabbing sensation of everyone's eyes looking him up and down.
After what felt like eternity, Valen finally entered his next class, where all of the students in it collectively stared at him.
He plopped down at his seat, all the way in the bottom left of the classroom against the wall. Valen always chose seats like this because the windows on the walls gave him a nice view of everything outside—and he wouldn't have to worry about anyone staring at him behind his back.
Two girls began to whisper, taking a glance at Valen.
[Girl 1]: "What? He's been in our class all of this time?" the girl whispered to her friend.
[Girl 2]: "Yeah, how have you not noticed!? He always sits back there by himself, never talking to anyone."
[Girl 1]: "Well, it's not like he's very memorable. He looks quite bland too…"
The girls had begun to giggle among themselves.
[Girl 2]: "Speaking of him, there's been a rumor going around. Valen—I think that's his name. Someone told me that back in elementary, nobody wanted to talk to him because he was a we-iirr-doo!"
The other girl's eyes lit up, her curiosity reaching its peak.
[Girl 1]: "Whaaat?! Well, what did he do? What made people say that? C'mon, tell me!"
[Girl 2]: "Yeah, well, apparently he was totally obsessed with killing! He would constantly talk about murders and would always be seen killing bugs… Once, a student even caught him with a dead bunny! What a freak, right?"
The girl listening jaw dropped, her eyes bulging.
[Girl 1]: "Whaaat? You can't be serious… what kind of weirdo would like that stuff…?"
[Girl 2]: "I mean, don't you think people like that should just die? I mean, it would be saving the world a lot of trouble. What if he actually goes around and starts killing one day? Aaahhh, I feel all shaken now after learning that…"
Even more people around the classroom begin to whisper.
[---]: "What a freak."
[---]: "No wonder nobody talks to him."
[Valen]: "Just shut up... All of you..." He whispered under his breath, shaking a little. Nobody paid any attention to his torment, though.
[---]: "If I were him, I would've ended it all!"
[---]: "I mean… if he were too, who would care?"
[---]: "I'm surprised you didn't ask for a class change. I mean—you are stuck in a class with him." A boy asked a girl who was reading a book.
The girl's eyes continued to stay glued to the book. She sat at the very front of the classroom.
Her hair was long, reaching down to her chest, and very curly. The roots were black, while the rest of her hair was a warm brown. She had rich brown skin, and her long lashes blinked gently as she kept reading.
[---]: "Who cares? It was back then," the girl finally replied, turning a page in her book.
Students around looked at her with a loss for words. Before anyone could reply, the teacher finally came into the classroom as the bell rang and began class.
That was Hiera. She wasn't very talkative, though it was known that she was the smartest among her peers and always scored the highest in class. Most of the time, you would just see her reading a book. Valen would stare at her often as class went on. So much so that he would even zone out a few times, just thinking about her. She was beautiful.
Valen, realizing that he was zoning out again while staring at Hiera, quickly shook his head from side to side and looked at the board.
'Aaaahhh, it's not like I could ever have a chance with her…' Valen thought to himself. 'Especially after everything that's happened.'
After a few moments of idly staring at the board, he slumped his body down on the desk and closed his eyes.
'I just want to go home.'
Class finally ended—and as usual, everyone began to pack up. Valen could overhear kids talking about what they were going to do after school and on the weekend.
'I wish I had friends—that way I could hang out with someone outside of school for once.'
Valen thought to himself, sighing as he reached for his bookbag.
'Never mind that, how could someone like me ever wish to have friends?'
[---]: "Hey… Valen."
Valen paused as he heard this familiar voice. He slowly raised his head, and the smell of roses and petals graced his nostrils.
[---]: "Look, I know we haven't um… talked in a while ever since what happened before, but I was wondering if you'd like to walk home with me after school today—you do walk home, right? I usually see you walking. Sorry, this probably seems so sudden. I was just wondering though, haha…"
Valen's eyes popped open at the sight of her.
It's Hiera!
Badump. Badump. Badump.
Valen felt his chest beating the hardest it ever had. He couldn't believe it. Hiera was in front of him, and she was talking to him!
'This is the first time in a while someone has willingly talked to me…' Valen thought to himself as he felt a huge lump forming in his throat.
[Hiera]: "Ummm… Did you hear me? Hello? Valen?"
Valen suddenly stood up, all of the sweat on him appearing almost instantly.
[Valen]: "O-Oh! Uh! Yes! I wouldlovetodothat! Definitely!"
Hiera stared at Valen for a moment, looking a bit perplexed before forming a soft smile.
[Hiera]: "It's a deal then! Meet me outside of school, okay? Near the front. I'll be waiting for you."
Hiera, crossing her arms behind her back, skipped out of the classroom while still holding the same soft smile.
'What?'
'Whaaat?'
'WHAAAATT!?!'
******
It was the end of the school day. Valen's heart was still beating rapidly.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
'I'm so nervous… I'm so nervous!!' He thought to himself, clenching his fists as he bit his bottom lip.
As he opened the front doors of the school, the bright rays of the sun shone on his face. As he frantically looked around, searching for Hiera.
Though after a few moments, he realized that she was nowhere to be found. The cool breeze blew as Valen stared up into the sky.
'I wonder… Was she telling the truth? Or did she lie?'
Valen suddenly started to realize. What if she was just poking fun at him–and didn't mean everything she said? What a cruel joke, if that were true. Valen looked down at the ground, pouting his lips.
'I should've expected this. After all, I did—'
[---]: "Hey, wait up!"
Valen looked up almost immediately and turned around to see Hiera panting at the front doors.
[Hiera]: "Sorry, Valen, I got caught up in something! I had to finish up an assignment in my class. Aaahhh, I'm soooso glad I made it in time!"
Hiera raised her right arm, waving frantically as her mouth formed a big grin.
[Hiera]: "Hi there!!!"
Valen's heart immediately began racing again.
It's Hiera!
Noticing Valen's nervousness, she giggled a bit and brushed past Valen, their hands slightly touching.
[Hiera]: "It's okay, I know we haven't talked in a long time… So this is all probably overwhelming for you."
She kept walking until she was a few steps in front of Valen. A few moments later, she turned around, still smiling.
[Hiera]: "So, you're still up to walking back home, right? Just making sure—hehehehe…"
Valen immediately nodded rapidly, very visibly blushing. He didn't even notice, though, as he was too distracted by how cute Hiera looked when she smiled. No, just when she did anything. Everything was so cute about her.
Seeing Valen's immediate agreement, she let out a soft sigh of relief.
Her smile grew.
******
It had been about ten minutes now. They were on their way home, walking on a sidewalk. There were cars everywhere: the smell of oil and sounds of engines and people chatting made it feel very lively in the town.
[Hiera]: "So, uh—Valen. What do you think of me?"
Looking over at Hiera, Valen could see the visible nervousness in her. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He just stared with his eyes widened, then he immediately looked back forward, realizing that he was zoning out once again.
[Valen]: "I, uh, I think you're really cool…"
A moment of silence was instilled.
Valen, noticing this, started to get even more nervous.
'Oh shoot, did I say something wrong? No, of course I did. I'm the freak at that school, after all. What I did, too… she probably feels disgusted knowing that I actually like her.'
Slowly looking over to the right, Valen anticipated the horrible look that she was going to have.
Though, to his surprise, Hiera had the biggest grin on her face as she softly blushed. Her teeth were showing, which Valen had never noticed, but her teeth were really pretty—wait, would that be weird to say? He wasn't sure.
More importantly,
Hiera's smiling!
'Because of me!!!'
[Hiera]: "I'm really happy you feel that way, Valen… Honestly, I wasn't sure how you'd think of me. Especially after how long it's been since we've talked and…" Her voice began to get quieter, as if she was contemplating whether she should say something.
Valen, noticing this awkward silence, began to speak.
[Valen]: "No–nononono! I would never dislike you! I mean, how could I? You're amazing! If anything, I should be the worried one! I'm the weirdo everyone talks about after all…"
Hiera's face immediately went sad, and she stopped walking.
[Valen]: "Oh–Uh, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry!"
Valen, staring at Hiera's face, which shifted in almost an instant, gulped slowly as they both stared at each other for what felt like eternity.
[Hiera]: "Valen, I don't like the way you speak about yourself. You shouldn't let people say things like that about you. You don't deserve it. I mean, you've changed, haven't you? That's enough. It's been so long since then."
They continued to stare at each other for a few more moments.
[Hiera]: "Huh—wait, are you okay?"
He didn't notice.
Hiera rushed right over to Valen, carefully grabbing his chin and wiping his eye with her other hand.
Valen was unconsciously crying, for the first time in months. This was the first time he'd been able to cry. When she had touched Valen's face, tears began to stream down even more rapidly as his face scrunched up.
" — "
Hiera's voice became inaudible. He couldn't hear anything but his crying.
'What a loser.' He thought.
'Now she's really going to think badly of me.'
A soft, pleasant feeling wrapped around Valen's body. Opening his teary eyes, he could see that Hiera was hugging him. It felt nice. Really, really nice. This was the first time that he had ever had a hug from someone other than his mother.
[Hiera]: "Let's go somewhere more private, okay?"
Grabbing his hand, Hiera began walking with Valen. He didn't know where they were going, but he felt like it was okay as long as he got to stay with Hiera. Her hand felt soft. It was an amazing feeling, a feeling like none other.
For the first time in a while, Valen felt happy.
******
Hiera and Valen had finally settled down somewhere, and upon looking around, he noticed that they were in a park. There seemed to be no one around, just the two of them.
Wait, it's just the two of them!?!
Valen could feel his cheeks start to heat up, and he covered his mouth with his right hand.
[Hiera]: "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
He looked over to his left to see Hiera sitting right beside Valen. They were both sitting at the end of a tunnel slide, both of their hands still interlocked.
[Valen]: "Y-Yeah! Um! I'm okay!"
Remembering what happened earlier, Valen's embarrassment quickly shifted into a look of regret.
[Valen]: "I'm… I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to cry like that in front of you, it just came out of nowhere…"
Hiera's face immediately went into a soft smile again, and she rubbed her thumb on the back of his hand. Looking down at their hands, she began to speak.
[Hiera]: "No, it's okay—really. I didn't mind it at all. You just needed to get a good cry out."
Looking back up, her soft smile grew wider. "So, are you okay now? Do you need to talk about your feelings? I'm here for you."
Valen, looking star-struck, didn't know how to reply. Cocking his head back to the right, he began to tear up again.
[Valen]: "This isn't right. I really don't deserve this. After everything…"
[Hiera]: "What are you talking about? You deserve this immensely, Valen—you're a great person. Really. Why do you think I started speaking to you again? I can tell you've changed. Just because of the things in the past doesn't mean you deserve to suffer alone for the rest of your life. People can change, and you're a golden example of that!"
The corners of Valen's mouth slowly twitched up, forming an awkwardly looking smile. Hiera, seeing this, smiled.
[Hiera]: "Friends stick together, right?"
Friends?
Valen's eyes lit up.
With his other hand, he began to wipe away his tears and looked back at Hiera, with a big smile on his face.
[Valen]: "Yeah, they do."
******
After a bit, Valen and Hiera begin walking their way home again. The previously bright-blue sky was now a cool shade of orange.
[Hiera]: "Oh wow, I hadn't noticed! Seems like we lost track of time, huh…?"
Hiera giggled a bit, her long lashes fluttering gently.
[Hiera]: "Gosh, I hope my parents aren't too mad at me…"
Valen smiled to himself, thinking about how his mom would react when she found out that he was hanging around a girl all day---who happened to be Hiera. Looking over at Valen, she noticed his faint smile, which made her grin a bit.
Both of them finally arrived at Valen's house, where Hiera took a moment to look it over.
[Hiera]: "Woooaaahhh, so this is your house?!? It looks nice! Aaaaah, okay, I need to get home now. I don't wanna worry my parents too much—hehehe…"
Both of them let go of their interlocked hands, and they waved goodbye to each other.
'I really, really can't wait to tell mom about today!' Valen thought to himself as he excitedly ran towards the door.
Slowly opening the door, Valen greeted his mother.
[Valen]: "Mom, I'm—"
His smile had immediately disappeared, and an immense feeling of despair washed over him.
His mother was lying on the ground, blood spilling out of her body. The house was dimly lit, to the point where he couldn't see anything above her chest. That being said, she seemed to have lots of deep wounds all over her body. Her arms, stomach, and chest were a gruesome sight.
Valen felt like he could throw up.
As he looked around the rest of the entrance, he could see that everything was trashed and thrown around. There were claw marks on the walls and floors, too.
What happened?
What the hell would have possibly happened?
Why did it have to happen?
Morning time had come.
Valen's mother lay idly in a hospital bed, looking rather peaceful. There, beside the bed, Valen sat in a chair, scrutinizing her.
[Valen]: "Mom…"
The sun shone brightly throughout the 4-paneled window behind Valen as the sound of birds chirping filled the room's quietness. The television was on, broadcasting the daily morning news.
After a bit, a doctor entered the room and greeted Valen. They told him that the good news is that the surgery was a success, and his mother was alive. The bad news, however, she was now in a coma for an indefinite amount of time. She seemed to have a disturbing amount of head trauma from whatever attacked her.
Valen, distraught at the news of this, could do nothing but put his head down.
'What do I do now?'
Immediately after, the door to the room came bursting open, and an elderly lady stood there.
[---]: "Valen!!! Are you okay? What the hell happened? I came here as soon as I heard what happened!"
It was Valen's grandmother. Though at first he didn't recognize her—he had not seen her in a while.
Her hair was a nice shade of grey, and she had very minimal wrinkles. At a glance, you wouldn't even be able to tell that she was 60 years old. She was wearing a yellow sundress with a small zip-up jacket. Her oval-shaped glasses tilted down as she panted.
The doctor greeted the elderly lady.
[Doctor]: "Oh, Veria, is it?"
Though she ignored them completely and ran straight to Valen, wrapping him in a tight hug.
[Veria]: "Valen… I… I'm so glad you're okay! Is my daughter okay, too? Please tell me so…"
The doctor nodded with a slight smile. Valen's grandmother's eyes lit up at the news of this. Then, clearing her throat, she gazed down at Valen.
[Veria]: "So, Valen, it seems that you're going to be living with me for now, until your mother wakes up. Don't worry, you'll still be going to the same school. Well, unless you're still living with me by the end of the school year, in that case, you'll be going to a new district."
Valen wanted to object, to say that he wanted to switch schools right away. But remembering Hiera and how happy he was yesterday, a knot formed in his throat, and nothing came out of his mouth. He simply nodded.
******
A few weeks had passed, and Valen had to go back to school now.
Valen and his grandmother had arrived at the front of the school, and the sound of students chattering increased the anxiety that he felt brewing inside of him.
[Veria]: "Have a nice day at school, hunny!"
He waved bye to her as he got out of the passenger seat and closed the door.
'I really didn't want to come back here.'
As he walked to the front doors of the school, the kids around stared at him.
Though this was different from what Valen was used to. Instead of looks of disgust or repulsion, they were all concerned and sympathetic. A little shaken by this, Valen looked down as he continued to the front doors.
'If I don't look at anybody, then I can't know if they're staring at me.'
He finally made it to the entrance of the school. Upon entering the front doors, all the kids inside the building stared at him too, with the same looks as the people outside were giving.
Valen, getting confused now, took glances at people as he kept walking.
Bump!
Valen had accidentally bumped into someone because he wasn't paying attention. Quickly looking over to the person, sweat appeared almost immediately again, and he began apologizing. Though the person just put their hand on his shoulder, which made Valen stop, and he looked up.
It was Cavan, his middle-school bully. Valen couldn't help but feel a wave of resentment wash over him at the sight of Cavan. A tall, blonde-haired, tan guy. His physique was pretty well built, since he played sports and went to the gym. His hairstyle had been the same since elementary school. Short, spiky hair. His eyes were sharp, staring down at Valen with a blank look.
'What does he want with me?'
[Cavan]: "Hey, dude, I heard what happened with your mom."
Huh?
Valen was shocked. How did Cavan know about it? Wait, is that why everyone looked at him like that? Who told them that?
Unable to speak, Valen only stood there with his eyes bulging and his mouth hanging slightly open.
Rubbing Valen's shoulder with his right hand, Cavan started to speak again.
[Cavan]: "So, did you finally do it?"
Cavan's face, which before had a look of dismal, had suddenly shifted into a wretched face.
[Valen]: "W..What are you talking about?"
Valen, distraught at what he had just heard, stared at Cavan with a look of despair.
[Cavan]: "I mean, it's obvious, isn't it?" Cavan's grin grew wider. "You tried to kill your mother."
Valen was starting to get agitated at this point.
[Valen]: "Why—why would you say something like that? How insensitive can you be? I told you, I've told you multiple times, I don't even like that stuff anymore. It was just some stupid childhood fantasy."
[Cavan]: "How could I know that's true? How could anyone? You could be lying for all we know."
Before Valen could reply, a guy came up behind Cavan and grabbed his arm.
[---]: "Come on, that's enough. You're going too far this time," the boy said.
"Shut the hell up, William! I'll do whatever I want! I know it's true, that freak can't hide it from me!" Cavan yelled, revealing his sharp teeth as spit flew into the air.
William.
Navy blue hair, pale white skin. His eyes were very unique compared to most of the students here. You could never tell what he was thinking because his eyes were always so dull. Right now, though, it was clear that he was starting to get slightly agitated.
Valen had never really had any interactions with him, though he would always see him lingering around Cavan. Every time Cavan would pick on Valen, William would just shake his head in disappointment. Valen didn't really know how he felt about him. Though right now, that was the least of his concerns.
The bystanders around were all looking at them at this point, and everyone had shocked faces and expressions of concern.
Cavan, realizing this, looked back at Valen and got slightly startled.
[Cavan]: "Woah, now that's a face I haven't seen in a long time."
Valen had an indescribable face of anguish and sorrow as he began to step forward to Cavan. His thoughts were all over the place. From the look of his crazed eyes, you could tell that something was wrong with him. Gritting his teeth, he kept walking.
[Cavan]: "You wanna go!? Fine! I don't mind putting freaks like you down at all!"
Cavan pried his arm out of William's hand and started to walk towards Valen, when someone suddenly stood between the two of them.
Cavan scoffed, looking at the uninvited guest.
[Cavan]: "Out of all people—you?"
Valen's eyes softened when he realized who it was.
It's Hiera!
Without saying a word, she firmly grabbed Valen's hand and began walking away from the scene. Looking back, she gave Cavan a death stare.
[Cavan]: "Well, isn't that nice? The childhood friends are back together!" He then pressed the palms of both of his hands on his cheeks and made a kissing face. "Awwwwhh, how cute!"
Hiera ignored Cavan's comments, though, and kept walking while looking forward. Cavan kept on with his crazed rambling.
[Cavan]: "You know, this is the last thing I expected to see!! Especially after what happened in elementary! What was it? Oh right, he—"
The doors behind Valen and Hiera shut fiercely as they kept walking through the halls.
[Hiera]: "I'm so—so sorry about what just happened, Valen… I knew Cavan was an asshole but I didn't think he could go that far. Don't worry, he's the only one who believes a lie as stupid as that. I promise."
Valen, still processing everything, remained silent. Hiera frowned, but then a lightbulb appeared in her mind.
[Hiera]: "How about this, let's go ahead and walk to our first period! We can hang out there until the bell rings. We still have about 20 minutes until class starts!"
With an awkward smile, he nodded immediately, and they began on their way to class.
'When I'm with Hiera, everything hurts less.'
'She's the only good thing in my life,'
'What would I do without her?'
******
After a long day, the school day finally came to an end. Valen walked out the front doors of the school to be immediately greeted by Hiera.
[Hiera]: "So, shall we get to walking?"
Valen paused. That's right, he can't do the afternoon walks with her anymore. He lives farther away now, since he's with his grandmother for the time being.
[Hiera]: "Huh—you're a car rider now?"
Hiera, squatting down, suddenly grabbed her hair from both sides, seemingly frustrated.
[Hiera]: "Urrrgghh, that seriously sucks!"
She stayed like that for a few moments before getting back up quickly.
[Hiera]: "Ahhh, it's okay. We can still hang out after school! We would just need to ask our parents."
Turning around, she began to walk off. Tilting her head to the side and looking back, she waved goodbye.
[Hiera]: "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"
Valen could do nothing but stare in despair as she walked off.
[Veria]: "How was school today, graaaanndddsooonnn!!!"
Valen's grandmother yelled in happiness and excitement as he opened the door to the passenger seat. Valen, though, just got in the car and let out a sigh. Her face had quickly faded into a somber expression.
[Viera]: "Mmm… Would it make you feel better if we were to get something from your favorite place? What was it? Space John Eats?"
Arriving at Space John Eats, they went inside the building and waited in line to order. As Valen looked around, he realized that someone was staring at him.
A girl with short, pink hair. She looked at him with animosity. Both of her friends around her were looking at him with dirty looks as well. It took him a few moments, but his gaze snapped open when he realized who it was.
Before he could do anything, though, she quickly began to get up, and the two girls followed. They left the building without saying a word to him.
[Viera]: "What was that about?" Valen's grandmother asked while poking on his shoulder.
[Valen]: "It's nobody, just someone from my school."
Valen's grandmother gave a questioning look at first, but then turned around, realizing it was their turn to order.
The car ride home was silent.
Valen wasn't nearly as talkative as he usually was. His grandmother was very aware of this, but she also knew that he wasn't the type to talk about his feelings. So she decided not to try to pry into his feelings. She mostly assumed, anyway, that it had to do with what happened to his mom.
When they arrived home, Valen went straight to his room and collapsed onto the bed. He wrapped his fingers around his throat, squeezing tightly, trying to choke himself.
[Valen]: "Kha—Agc, ha... Ha..."
He couldn't help but laugh a little as he stared at the ceiling.
[Valen]: "I... I hate myself..."
The tears wouldn't stop. They streamed down his face, and no matter how hard he pressed, the pain inside refused to fade. His thoughts spun out of control.
Just die already.
Tears slid from his eyes as his grip tightened, his fingers trembling. The world around him faded away, replaced by the ringing in his ears.
[Valen]: "Die..."
That was it.
He released his throat, his arms dropping limply to his sides as he broke into a fit of coughing, struggling to catch his breath.
[Valen]: "I'll—I'll kill myself."
******
The midnight sky pierced into the ground as the grass swayed diligently. At a bridge, Valen stood, leaning on the handrails.
'After tonight, everything will finally end.'
Valen stared at the way the light glossened on the sea, which was painted a nice dark blue from the sky.
He began to get up onto the rails.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
Even though he had his mind set on this, he still had feelings of doubt. His heart thumped hardly as he gulped. The breeze felt nice on his face as sweat dripped down.
[---]: {" What a freak. "}
Valen scoffed.
[---]: {" No wonder nobody talks to him. "}
[---]: {" If I were him, I would've ended it all! "}
[---]: {" I mean… if he were too, who would care? "}
Unconsciously, Valen was biting his lip. Even as blood started to spurt out, he didn't notice, because it was the last thing he was worried about.
[---]: {" You tried to kill your mother. "}
Everyone's voices began repeating in his mind simultaneously.
He's certain, now. He doesn't belong here.
Nobody seemed to think so, anyway.
Valen's body began to lean forward. Closing his eyes, he braced for the impact of the water.
Taking a deep breath, he let out the loudest scream imaginable.
Birds flocked out of the trees, startled by Valen's roar.
Pant, Pant,Pant,
What a fool.
[Valen]: "Hah, haah, haaah…"
He wheezed, choking on his spit as he lay splayed out on the ground.
[Valen]: "Even after all of that… I still couldn't do it…"
The feelings in him were unbearable. He had to do something. Getting up sluggishly, he stared at the metal handrails. Then—
THUD!
The pain in his forehead felt agonizing. Despite that, he kept going at it. Bashing his head on the metal handrails, blood started to drip on the ground. His head was throbbing violently. Even though he had inflicted all of this damage on himself, he still felt no better inside.
Crunch,
Valen's eyes lit up. Quickly turning around, he saw a shadowy figure standing in the woods to the left of the bridge.
[---]: "Valen…?"
His heart dropped once he realized who it was.
It's Hiera.
Valen said not a single word, and only stared at her with a look of anguish in his eyes. The blood spurting from his forehead, which also dripped down his face, brought about a very disturbing scene.
Hiera, with a look of worry on her face, slowly walked towards him. Kneeling, she gave him a big hug.
[Hiera]: "You've been through so much, haven't you, Valen?"
One of her hands shifted up, caressing his upper back.
[Hiera]: "Even though it feels like nobody does, I want you to know that I care about you—a lot. So much. It pains me greatly to see you like this."
The tears wouldn't come out.
Unlike last time, they just wouldn't come out.
[Hiera]: "I won't get angry at you for lying to me. In fact, I've been keeping a few secrets myself as well."
Pulling her head away from his shoulder, she looked him in the eyes.
The look in her eyes was unfamiliar to Valen. It was eerily empty. Like she was devoid of life.
[Hiera]: "I want to take over the world."
A disturbing feeling welled up in Valen as he heard this. A feeling like none other, like he should be running away. Smiling softly, she continued to speak.
[Hiera]: "I want to enslave humanity and make them all grovel beneath me. Though I can't do it without your help."
For some reason, everything had gotten so quiet. Even the crickets who were chirping had suddenly gone quiet. It was like in the presence of Hiera, nothing wanted to make a noise.
[Hiera]: "Humanity has treated you so terribly, and I recognize that. That's why I want you to help me. You understand how corrupt and unwell this species as a whole is. By enslaving them, we can fix everything."
Valen stared at her with a crazed look on his face, unable to say anything.
[Hiera]: "Oh—I guess you're wondering how I ever plan to do something like that."
Hiera let go of Valen and started to raise her baggy white shirt. Revealing her entire torso, there was a huge slit that went from in the middle of her bra down to her belly button. Inside the slit there was a black substance. It seemed to be alive, wriggling around unnaturally.
[Hiera]: "I am a demon. Specifically, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. There have been quite a few lower-level demons roaming around Earth for a few months now, though most people haven't noticed yet. What attacked your mom back at your house was most likely a demon as well."
Suddenly, Valen remembered all of the claw marks on the walls and floors of his house.
[Hiera]: "If I give you my blood, you can turn into a demon too. I'm sure of it. I only want to make your life better. After all, I like you. I really like you."
Her smile grew sinister.
[Hiera]: "So, will you join me?"
Heh-eh-heh. Hah-ah-aha-ah. Ha-ahah-ahah ahah-ahah!
The laughing wouldn't stop.
After all of this, the gut-wrenching realization had come.
The girl whom he thought he was finally starting to make amends with wasn't even the real her.
That was the only thing left he was clinging to.
Valen Rayia
Reaching his hand towards Hiera,
He offered everything of himself to her.
I hate you.
.