Pov, William.
"Mr. William, time to wake up. The lights are back on!"
Once again, his annoying voice interrupts my dream.
And why does my stomach feel so heavy?
And there he is, sitting on top of me. What's with this guy?
"Get off!" I yell, pushing him hard enough to knock him down and onto his butt.
"Don't come into my room again without my permission!" I say, annoyed, as I get out of bed and start my morning routine, ignoring the guy on the floor as he continues to stare at me, stroking his waist with a frown.
You deserve it.
...
I put on my watch, grab my bag, put on my shoes, and head out the door.
I'm running late for work because I haven't gotten enough sleep, and I'm thinking about last night's events that my brain still refuses to process, giving me a double headache.
I almost left, forgetting that I'm living with that strange creature sitting on the opposite couch, staring at me silently.
I sigh deeply and roll my eyes wearily.
I know what you're thinking.
He gives me a big smile and runs toward the door. I grab his hoodie and bring him back, making him stand in front of me.
I address him in a firm tone, tapping my forefinger on his forehead. "You stay here and don't touch anything until I get back, okay?"
He stares at me with a frown and an innocent look, as if he's begging me to change my mind, but he's not going to do it.
No way.
I don't give him a chance to change my mind. I just slam the door in his face and leave.
...
Pov, Evander.
I'm staring at the door, waiting for him to come back. Maybe he'll change his mind and take me to that place called school.
But he never did.
I didn't come to this world to have a picnic, Mr. William!
I've got to stick with you like your shadow.
I know it's not ideal for you, but I have to do it.
I turn the doorknob slowly, then peek outside, hoping he won't catch me. I smile and run outside to look for him before I lose him.
I found him!
I smile faintly and follow him, hiding behind every wall and building so he won't notice me.
I follow him until I'm standing in front of a huge building, staring at it with an open mouth.
A lot of people come and go through that big gate, and they're both men and women wearing uniforms that look pretty much the same.
So this is the school.
But where did William go?
I lost him when he disappeared into the crowd.
I'll look for him.
I squeeze through the crowd, pass the gate, and hit my head on something hard. Thick rectangular objects fall on my feet.
Ouch!
I rubb my forehead, and a soft voice caught my attention. "Are you in pain? I'm sorry."
I blink a few times as I stare at her, and she starts picking up her stuffs from the floor.
She's so pretty.
"It's okay." She just smiles lightly and leaves.
"Wait a minute!" I grab her arm and she looks at me like she's confused.
I rub the back of my head, then ask her. "Do you know where I can find Mr. William?"
"You mean William Martinez? The math teacher, right?"
I smile and nod. "Yeah."
"Let's go, I'm late for class with him!"
She says and goes away, so I follow her, keeping up with her fast pace. But she stops abruptly, and I bump into her from behind.
She turns to me, eyebrows furrowed . "Why don't you wear your school uniform?"
I stare at her face, looking for a logical answer. "I don't have one."
She purses her lips, looking at every detail about me. I'm nervous because of her suspicious gaze, and finally she speaks in a low voice. "Then I'll show you secret ways to avoid meeting with the principal."
She smiles at me, and I run after her, even though I didn't understand a word she said.
We stop near a wooden door, and I smile when I hear William's voice inside.
Surprise!
She comes into the hall and I stay standing, staring at the door. I swallow hard, and just as I'm about to go in, I hear some loud laughter.
It doesn't sound like the kind of laughter that's innocent and heartfelt.
I can't help but wonder, so I start looking for where the sound is coming from. It's getting louder as I get closer to the end of the hallway.
And there I am, standing in front of a door, turning the knob, opening it.
When I open the door, I see three boys staring at me, surprised that I came in so suddenly.
I look down at the boy in the corner, shivering.
I make a face at his pitiful appearance, his clothes all dirty and his hair wet.
He's clearly being bullied.
I go up to him, and he flinches and covers his face with his arms.
He's clearly scared of me.
"What's up, cutie?"
I close my eyes and slowly reopen them... I'm pretty annoyed by the behavior of these clowns.
I turn toward them, silently distributing my gaze between the faces of the two of them, their playful features giving me an idea of who they are.
One of them comes up to me and leans his arm on my shoulder, being a little taller than me.
His other hand moves to my chin, using just his index finger in a kinda provocative way.
"What's with that look? You want to play the hero here, or what?"
I just keep quiet, staring out of the corner of my eye at the sly smile on his lips, and then he whispers in my ear, "I don't recommend it."
I swallow as I see him moving away from me, and he stands behind me and grabs both my wrists tightly to put them behind my back.
And then his friend approachs me and shoves his hands into my pants pockets. "Let's see what you've got."
Bullies and thieves.
"You won't find anything, you idiots."
I say, teasing them with a grin, and the shortest one stops searching my pockets, staring at me with a shocked face.
His features turn sharp, and he adds, wrapping his fingers around my lower jaw and squeezing it tightly. "You're so interesting; I like it."
We're exchanging glances until I notice something shiny around the pinky of his right hand.
"The ring!"
I widen my eyes as I stare at the fiery-colored ring. I found it.
"What?" The young man raises his eyebrows and stares at the object that makes me lose control of myself when I see it.
"Give it to me." I say in a sharp tone to the one who is taking two steps back from me, a look of panic on his face.
He runs outside, and I rush to break free from his friend's grasp. I run to catch up with him.
I grab him by the back of his shirt collar, knock him to the ground, and climb on top of him.
...
Pov, William.
What's that fight about?
The sound of screaming in the hallway makes me stop my lesson and raise my eyebrows as my students exchange surprised glances in silence.
I go out to check what's going on and see this kid lying on his back, getting beat up.
Oh, wait a minute.
I look closer and see him. It's that creepy goblin!
My eyes widen in shock and my legs freeze as I watch the blue-eyed boy grab the boy's neck with one hand, almost digging his fingernails into his skin.
And with the other hand, he's trying to grab a ring?
"Evander, what are you doing? Stop it!" I yell out and sneak up behind him, grabbing his hood and forcing him to back off the boy.
He's really strong!
"Get out of here!" I yell at the boy, trying to freeze the goblin as I grab him by the arms from behind, trying to calm him down as best I can.
He won't submit, though, and just keeps repeating the word...Ring.
I make him turn toward me, and I put my hands on his face, getting really close until our foreheads are touching so he can't see anyone else.
I close my eyes, trying to calm him down, and at the same time, I'm afraid that I'll end up like that boy.
Thankfully, it didn't happen.
His features relax and he stares at me with an expressionless face.
Is he smiling at me?
His smile grows wider, and he says with a childlike, innocent look, as if he's not the same monster who almost killed a high school student earlier.
"Hello, Mr. William!"
I'm terrified.
...