I held my gun in my hand. It was awkward. I never held a gun before that day, so I wasn't use to it. It was heavier than I expected, cold, and the handle was sort of rough. Niall told me he would teach me how to use whenever he had free time. I just smiled and nodded, though I didn't want to learn how to use a weapon. I was very reluctant. I didn't want to hurt anyone, or any creature, though the monsters in this world were terrifying. They could tear me to shreds in minutes without something to protect me.
I loosely held the gun in my hand as we walked back to the school grounds. I was constantly adjusting my new uniform and scratching my skin. I wasn't use to the fabric of it yet, so it bothered my skin.
"You look good," Niall said to quail the awkwardness. The group conversed with each other while I was left, lagging behind everyone in my silence.
"Thanks," I quietly muttered, I attempted to sound pleasant but it didn't come off like it.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I guess," I lied, "No, actually. This is all so weird,"
"You get used to it. I promise," he let me off with a smile and a wink.

Suddenly, the group stopped, like they did with the mutts, and fell silent. We all listened in closely, holding our weapons, ready to fire. This time I was ready to fight too, even though I didn't necessarily want to. I wanted to show that I could be part of the group.
The subtle crunching of leaves could be heard from the distance, until it became louder and heavier. Then, a harsh, deep chuckled echoed from behind the wall of trees. When I first saw him, I didn't know what to make of him. Like everything here, he was impossible. His hair was jet black, falling over his vibrant, ruby colored eyes. His skinned was pale, it looked cold and dead. At first, I thought he was a vampire, I mean it made sense here. But, as he continued forward, two massive, black, silky wings appeared behind him. It was absolutely breath taking. Out of all the strange things I've encountered in this world, this man was the most amazing. I thought he was an angel. So, I smiled in my amazement, but no one else shared my joy.
I peered around at my friends to see that they were ready for attack, just like they did with the mutts.

The man approached us very slowly, his wings sitting still, but shining in the sun. He wore the school uniform; the black suit, but he had a pin clipped to the collar of his jacket. He stood too far away for me to see it.
As he made his way towards us, I noticed that his crimson stare was directed at me, and no one else.

"Hello," he said with a devilish smile. His voice was rough, but alluring and sensual. I found myself quaking with a sort of possessive fear, but I liked it. "It seems I haven't met your new member," he said, directing to me.
I noticed the man was walking towards me, Niall did too. Niall quickly stood in front of me, shielding me from the man's hypnotizing gaze.
"Get out of here, Michael," Niall bellowed sternly. Michael, the man was the Student Body President that Niall told me about.
"Mr. Horan, I just want to meet him. There's no need to be so rash," Michael chuckled harshly, "he's needs to be initiated,"
"Don't you dare!" Niall growled threateningly. He extended his gun to Michael, who only smiled, and turned his head.
"You people are always so hostile. I don't even have a weapon you want to shoot me?" I looked around to see that everyone had their weapons pointed at the president, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
"You're the President," I announced, peeking my head up from behind Niall.
"And you're Mr. Styles, correct?" Michael asked, ignoring the threat of the group.
"Yes, do you need me for something?" I asked, also ignoring the group.
"No, not at the moment. I just wanted to welcome you to the Academy," he smiled at me charmingly. I softly nudged Niall aside and extended my hand to greet Michael. Then I felt a sharp pain slide its way into my abdomen. It was unimaginable. I had never felt that kind of pain before.
I coughed, trying to regain a stable breathing pattern. All of the air seemed to exit my lungs. I though Michael had punched me, but just when I looked down at my bleeding stomach, I watched his extract an illuminating blue blade from my body. He stabbed me! I meant to yell at him and curse at him, but I ended up falling over into a pile of brown leaves.
"Harry!" the group yelled in unison.
"Welcome, Mr. Styles," I heard Michael somberly whisper to me before he was deafened by gunfire.
The day went black all of a sudden and the pain in my stomach went away. I thought I had died there, as I felt blood gush and pour out of my body. I lay in a pool of my own blood as the group fought Michael Crowley, the student body president; the man who stabbed me the first time we met.

Some hours later, I woke up in the nurse's office, only there was no nurse. To my right was Ayame. She was sitting in a chair, waiting for me to wake up. When I suddenly burst from my bed, gasping for air, she became startled and jumped. Before I talked to her, I checked my stomach. There was no mark, no hole, and no blood. But he stabbed me I thought to myself. It couldn't have been a dream because my bloody uniform sat next to my bed. I was in boxers and nothing else. When Ayame noticed, she turned away.



"Ayame..." I quietly called her, trying not to scare her. She nodded, acknowledging me, "What happened to me?"
"Erm..." she began in a small, mousey voice, "Michael stabbed you..." she tried to speak in as few words as possible.
"I should be dead, shouldn't I?" I asked her. The blow I took should've killed me in minutes, yet I was in the nurse's office, completely healed.
"No," she murmured.
"Why?" I asked raising my voice slightly. The increased volume made her wince. She probably thought I was angry.
"No one dies here, Harry. I'm sorry," she uselessly apologized. She had nothing to be sorry for.
"Don't be sorry, Ayame, I raised my voice. I'm sorry," I tried to mend whatever I broke.
"Mmph," she let out. I didn't know what that meant, but I guess I took it as her acknowledging my apology and accepting it. I quickly accepted the fact that I wouldn't die in this world and moved on. If getting stabbed through the stomach doesn't scream "immortality" then I'm not sure what does. The fact that Louis was alive after his tremendous fall proved something.
"Ayame...why don't you talk to me?" I asked her. It had just been a question on my mind for a while. I felt bad for asking so bluntly since she made such an effort just to answer my previous questions.
"Oh, erm, I'm sorry," she said. It wasn't an answer.
We sat together in silence for a minute before she simply got up and left.
"Wait!" I called to her, but she kept walking, opened the door, and never looked back.
Niall soon entered, smiling cheerfully.
"Hey there, mate!" he called, running over, and hugging me kindly, "How are you feeling?"
"Perfectly fine," I answered, feeling my stomach. I was still amazed I was alive.

Days went on as normal as possible. I attended classes with Niall. I'm pretty sure they weren't my actual classes, but no one ever stopped me. Niall took me to classroom 1D (A/N: I'm so clever), where I sat at the far end of the room, by the window. Niall instructed me not to take the class seriously or I could get obliterated. So, I spent most of my time in there starring out the window, doodling in the text books that were handed to me, or chatting with Niall. We never got in trouble, though Niall frequently bellowed out laughter, loud enough to drown out the teacher's voice. No one seemed to notice us. The normal students didn't talk to me, in return I didn't talk to them. Niall was my only friend in the class and I was okay with that.
One day I noticed that in the corner furthest from me, there was always an empty desk. At first I thought it was just there in case a new student walked in, but I noticed how the teacher called attendance.
"Higanashi, isn't here once again," the teacher muttered under his breath, "Horan," Niall raised his hand high.
I was a little upset at the fact that I could've just attended class and I would've learned my name, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I tapped Niall on the shoulder, since he sat in front of me.
"Is Ayame in this class?" I whispered to him. I wasn't sure if Higanashi was a common Japanese surname.
"Yeah, but she always skips. I don't know where she goes," he replied.
I became interested. I wanted to know more about Ayame and I felt like I wouldn't get many chances to talk to her. So, that day, I excused myself from class. I lied and said I had to use the bathroom, but I'm pretty sure I could've walked out of class and no one would've noticed.
I was about to walk out of the corridor, when I felt sick and nauseous. My stomach began to turn and my head was spinning. The flood began to tilt, causing me to lose my footing. I rest my body against a few lockers until the sick feeling passed. That's when I noticed a small blonde haired boy was staring up at me. His face was expressionless and cold. His eyes were an icy, frosted blue color that caused my entire being to shiver.
"What are you doing out of class, Mr. Styles?" he asked in a monotone, robotic voice. He reminded me of that child from the Omen.
"I'm just using the bathroom," I replied. I couldn't let him see that I frightened. How could a kid scare me so bad without doing anything?
The boy starred into my eyes for a moment, not saying a word, and then carried on. Even his movements seemed cold. The way he walked gave off a "programed" tone, like he had an inner voice timing his steps. Out of all the NPC's I saw at the school, that boy was the most robotic. I found out later on that he was the other Crowley. His name was Gabriel, Michael's younger brother.

I found a way out of the school. Neither Gabriel nor Michael found me after that one encounter. I had a feeling that I knew where Ayame would be. I remembered Zayn saying something about finding Ayame in the woods. I got a funny feeling that she would be there. I just had to remember where the special place was.
I ducked under the broken fence and walked through the shaded forest. It appeared docile. I didn't hear or spot a mutt, even if I did, I had my gun hidden in my jacket pocket. I was still a lousy shot, but I figured if I shot enough, I'd hit something. If my guess was correct, Ayame would be in the woods, hear me cry for help, and come save me. If all else failed, I wouldn't die, I'd just wake up somewhere. If it wasn't obvious, I didn't have a plan. I ran on instinct.
I fought through the wild plants and tall trees. I slapped away different bugs and other buzzing things in the air. The forest was rather scary to go through alone. Even though the sun was out, shining brightly in the calm, painted sky, the trees blocked out a lot its light. Only small beams of sunlight made its way through. It was mostly shaded or incredibly dark. Just to be alone in a dark, unfamiliar place was a scary feeling.
Things finally became familiar. It just sort of clicked in my head that I was close to the spot. I remembered Zayn pointing at a spot in the woods and Ayame smiling kindly. I swung my head around, looking for a place that seemed special.
A large, perfect circle, beam of light shot down from the sky and onto a large boulder. It was a small, personal clearing where I found Ayame lying down, sleeping. At least, she appeared to be sleeping. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful manner, her breathing was soft and slow, and she looked peaceful. I almost felt bad for finding her. This may have been the only time where she could be alone with her thoughts, uninterrupted by all of our screaming and yelling.
Ayame was a quiet girl. She seemed like she wanted to run away from everyone as soon as she was in a room with people. I could understand why she would constantly skip class to come here. Her own clearing where she could be alone.
The feeling of guilt swept over me, so I turned around to begin my journey back to the school. Hopefully, the Crowleys would find me sneaking back. But, as I turned my heels, I heard a small mousey voice, quietly call me.
"Harry," she silently said. I looked back to see Ayame sitting up on her rock, clinching onto her red tie, with her normal scared expression.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I was just leaving," I quickly apologized.
"You...don't have to," she practically whispered. Her voice was so quiet, a weak breeze could tune her out. We just looked at each other for a second before she darted her eyes to the ground. She quickly glanced back and forth before murmuring, "Unless you want to leave,"
"Do you want me to stay?" I asked. She clinched her tie tighter, averting her eyes again. I could see the fear in her eyes. It seemed like she was fighting with herself to let me stay.
"Yes," she finally whispered. She then moved over a bit to let me sit next to her. I took the invitation. We were both quiet for most of time. I could only hear her let out strange squeaks, as if she about to say something but stopped herself.
"Ayame," I said. She let out a squeal, like I scared her, she even jumped, and “you don't like people, do you?"
"Oh!" she exclaimed, even when she tried to shout, it came out as a whisper, "people...don't like me," she said sadly.
"That's not true. The group likes you, I know they do," I tried to explain, "Zayn's really nice to you. He's not nice because he doesn't like you. I'm pretty sure he'd act the total opposite,"
"That's...not it. You wouldn't understand..." she spoke even quieter. If she dropped her voice any more, I wouldn't be able to make out what she was saying.
"Explain it to me then and please, speak up," I softly chuckled. I gave her a moment to muster up the right words to say. She took a deep breath before telling me her story.
"My parents fought a lot, mostly about me. My dad was a doctor and my mom was a lawyer, my older brothers were going over to prestigious schools to get their master degrees. I was an average student. In high school, I only received C's and B's. They were enough for my parents, so they'd argue back and forth about who messed up in raising me. I'd try my hardest and stay up all night studying for tests. I didn't have friends, because I was strange and quiet. No one wanted to talk to because I always had my face in a textbook. I completely shut out people because they'd distract me from my studies. All week, in and out of school, I'd study for my texts and exams. Every week, I'd only receive a C or B minus. My parents became angrier at each other with every passing week,
No matter how hard I tried, no one was ever happy with me. My parents never smiled at me. Whenever they were in a room with each other, they'd begin yelling and screaming at one another. Even if they weren't fighting, they'd be too busy to give me any attention, if it wasn't a scolding or punishment. I felt like every problem was my fault, because I wasn't smart enough to go off to a good University, like my brothers did. I'd be stuck living an average life, while disappointing my parents with whatever I did. So, I left one day. I left a note, apologizing for all of the trouble I had ever caused, all the money they spent on sending me to school, and raising me. I told them that I loved them, even though they obviously hated me. So, one night, I climbed out of my bedroom window, hoping to climb down. We owned a big mansion. I knew it was big, but I thought I'd be able to climb down. I was so stupid, I couldn't even sneak out properly. I ended up losing my footing and tumbling down the roof. I hit the pavement pretty hard, but not hard enough to kill me right away. I laid in a pool of my own blood for what felt like hours. My parents realized I was gone. Instead of looking for me, or worrying about me, they began fighting about why I ran away. They blamed each other, bickering back and forth, while I slowly died.
A neighbor called an ambulance. It wasn't until they heard the sirens that my parents figured out what had happened. Before I finally died, I watched my mother cry and my dad just turn around to go back into the house. I died alone, cold, as snow fell in the front lawn," Ayame's story broke my heart into dust.

I understood why she was so quiet and didn't talk to people. If you don't let people in, then they can't hurt you. If people don't let you in, then you can't disappoint them, like she thought she did with her parents. After she finally spoke up and told me her story, she kept quiet, and didn't talk.
I hesitated at first, but finally I wrapped my arms around her, and pulled her in close. I thought they she would run away, like a scared rabbit, but she fell into my chest and quietly cried. I pretended not to notice. Her tears fell down her face like bullets, coating my jacket in a small salty puddle. She hicked and squeaked a few times, once again, I ignored it. I ran my hand down her long, raven colored hair to comfort her.
"Then you woke up in the Guild," I said for her, "the darkest, most terrifying place imaginable...then, you had to live in the forest outside of the school, with all of these beasts? You never deserved any of that, Ayame. You're such a wonderful person. You don't speak much, but you don't need to. Your kindness and strength shines through," she went quiet.
"Do you really think that?" she whispered, her face was still burried in my chest. I pulled her face up and held it in my hands. Her snow colored cheeks were chained with tears and all of her sadness. She tried to wipe her eyes, but more fell.
"I've only you known you for a little while, but in that small amount of time, I've seen a beautiful, charming, smart, and strong young girl. You deserve the world, or at least a friend. I'd be more than happy to be it," I smiled at her kindly. Her tears eventually stopped as my words sunk in. Then she smiled, almost as bright as Niall when he found something funny.
Ayame smiled bright like the sun, wrapped her arms around me tightly. She squeezed my body as hard as her small arms would allow. "Thank you," she whispered happily.