Pov, William.
I'm watching him closely and see him take a little box out of his jacket pocket and hand it to the girl.
It looks like a jewelry box to me.
Nothing too interesting so far.
But then I'm like, "Wait, what's Evander doing here?"
I get it.
He was trying to catch up with that girl.
What is he doing?
I see him approaching them, shoving his hands into his pants pockets and giving them a smile that's clearly meant to be provocative.
Is he looking for trouble?
I'm still frozen where I am, watching what's going on. I'm sure the kid can't believe it after what he did to Evander last night, and now he's reappearing right in front of him.
"How'd that happen?" he asks, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"What? Did you think you'd gotten rid of me?"
I raise my eyebrows as I watch the blue-eyed boy snatch the box out of the girl's hand and toss it away.
I swallow as the boy's shocked expression changes to a frown.
He suddenly grabs Evander's neck and squeezes it tight, saying, "How dare you do this? Haven't you had enough? Or do you want me to wipe the floor with you?"
I'm not sure if I should step in.
I don't see the fear on Evander's face.
Is he smiling?
My body shakes as the goblin kicks the kid in the stomach, sending him flying backwards and slamming his back into the stadium fence behind him.
The girl bends down to check on him, and then she shouts. "What did you do? You're out of your mind! What do you want from him? Leave him alone or I'll report you to the principal!"
That's it. I have to step in before he gets into more trouble.
"Evander! Come here!" I call out to him in a stern tone, but he doesn't even pay attention to me.
Is he ignoring me?
I stop in my tracks when the blue-eyed boy bends down and stares at him, then grabs him by the collar of his shirt.
He's making room for the girl to leave. The principal is her only solution.
"I can kill you with just one look, Atlas, so don't think that last night you beat me. I just didn't want to take away your prestige in front of your friends."
The goblin's words make me nervous.
"How do you know my name?"
I keep my eyes on Atlas, watching his strange expression as he slowly tilts his head, like the goblin is trying to make eye contact or hypnotize him. It looks like Atlas has totally given in to him.
But then, the boy suddenly falls unconscious.
What the heck is going on here?
I take a few steps back. I'm more afraid of that creature than ever before, especially after what I just saw.
I can almost feel my heart about to break free from my rib cage as I watch the goblin penetrate the boy's body, and it looks like Atlas's body is becoming one with two souls.
...
Pov, Atlas.
I've got a splitting headache. My eyes feel so heavy I can hardly open them.
But it feels like the ground is swaying under me.
Could this be the start of vertigo?
Where am I?
I'm staring at the blue sky, and then I lift my torso and I'm shocked. I'm staring at the horizon with wide eyes, and then I realize that I'm on a small boat in the middle of the ocean.
Am I dreaming?
I can feel the blood in my veins turning to ice as I glance out of the corner of my eye at the guy sitting on the boat in front of me.
He looks both scary and strange. He's wearing a charcoal-colored cloak that covers most of his body and a hat that hides half of his face, so I can't make out his features.
I say, "Who are you?"
I swallow hard and crawl back, but he doesn't react.
After a moment of silence, he says, and my mind stops working. I don't understand what he's talking about.
"You're on a stolen boat, Atlas."
"What does it matter to me if the boat gets stolen?" I say.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, you petty thief." He stares blankly at me from under his round hat.
I keep looking at him silently. What is he saying?
"I didn't steal any boat."
I try to stop my hands from shaking, and I turn my head all around, and then he startles me when he suddenly says. "I'm living in your mind now. You can't get rid of me."
I look at the strange creature, not sure if I'm awake or dreaming.
But what's happening to me right now is eerily similar to reality, and that's what's going to drive me crazy.
I can see his lips curving upward.
He's smiling.
Then, in a few seconds, the sky above us darkens, and the waves start to rise and crash against the boat, shaking it and my heart with panic.
I grab the edge of the boat with both hands and close my eyes tightly, wishing I could wake up from this nightmare, but it is no use.The waves keep coming, and I scream in panic as the water slaps my face. "Please stop this! Get out of my head! Leave me alone!"
I keep begging him, and a tear falls from my eye. Then I see a body floating in the water near me.
Then the guy with the hat says, "It's the body of the fisherman's daughter. You stole his boat, which was his only source of income. He was collecting money so he could treat his little girl, and now she's dead because of you."
"That's not true!" I yell, and the boat shakes so hard that I lose my balance. I fall in the water. I try to grab the edge of the boat, but he gets close to me and puts his hands on mine. I shake my head, scared. "Please, I don't want to die!"
His deep voice resonates in my ears. "You never really think about what might happen because of your actions. Do you have any idea how many people you've hurt? And are you sure you didn't steal anything?"
I'm wide-eyed as I hear the last part. It's like I'm going back in time, thinking of everything I took without caring, everyone I hurt without thinking.
I have to go back to the beginning. I close my eyes and reply in a low voice, my voice shaking. I can't hold back the tears.
"I'm sorry. I admit I made a lot of mistakes. I'll return everything I stole."
This is the last thing I say, and then I can see nothing but darkness.
...
"Atlas! You're finally up!"
A woman's voice reaches my ears, and I blink a few times as the cloud of sleep that had been covering the girl's face disappears.
Where have I been?
And where am I now?
Those thoughts race through my mind as I gasp and lift the upper half of my body, staring at every corner with a terrified face.
"It's all good. You're at the school clinic. Everything's fine."
I look up and see her smiling at me, and I lower my gaze to her warm hand as she holds mine.
I furrow my eyebrows and raise my hand in front of my face, and then I realize that the strange ring I couldn't get off had simply disappeared.
...