Dark. Darkness was all I saw. I ran through the darkness, stumbling through the darkness. Then I saw Zack, who was fighting off black flames which acted animalisticly and bit and clawed at him, I tried running to him but something held me in place. Eventually he burned up in the flames and became ash.

  Then I saw Shauna and Alice running from a massive demon with one horn, it was aflamed in purple fire and laughing mischievously. I tried once more to come to the rescue and save them but try as I did, I just couldn't help them. I cried out as he raised a blue greatsword and swiped it through them, they went up in smoke.

  "I am you.. release me child..." He turned towards me then shrunk and morphed. Suddenly he was a young teenager with bronze skin and long black bangs. His one horn was now made out of purple fire and his wings were still there but in the same form as the horn. He looked exactly like me.

   "You thought I was just a nightmare boy?!" He got two inches from my face in less than a nanosecond, making me want to scream and run, but the same force held me in place.

"I am your "Other self" your so called "Evil side of you" You killed Viper, because of me..we could do so much together! Release me child! I woke up to Alice shaking me and in tears. "What?Who?" I bolted upright and ran to my private bathroom to puke in the toilet.

Alice kneeled next to me and rubbed my back. "When I went to knock I could smell smoke and blew the knob of your door and shook you awake, you were on fire or at least half of you and you had a horn and wings! The fire was purple too." I blanched then hurled again.

"Please keep it between us and tell no one... I can explain later." I sat on the edge of the bed and put my face in my hands. "I need a trip to the cafe'. Wanna come with me? I have some information to tell you as well." Her face suddenly lit up, making me flinch a bit.

https://youtu.be/-C_rvt0SwLE

"Oookkkaaaayyy, suddenly she has a mood switch." I thought as I laughed at her sudden joy for a small outing. She blushed a bit.

"Let me go get ready, I have a surprise for you." I smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to get ready as well, I'll run by your room once I'm done." She smiled and skipped away. I shook my head and felt my cheeks heat up, she always had that effect on me.

I got up and took off my current clothes and looked through the numerous of elegant or flashy, and expensive, designer clothes. Nothing casual was in my wardrobe so I put on a blazer over a white T-shirt and put on some black pants that was accompanied by some white Adidas.

After brushing my teeth, putting on colenge, and fixing my hair, I grabbed a hat and pulled it over my face. To be honest, the local press and news in the city was getting to be too much and there wasn't anything I could do but hide my face. The last time I ran into them I was just getting an energy drink at a convenince store and then they pop out of nowhere and started shooting me with questions and shoving cameras and microphones in my face.

  "What's with the hat?" Grace asked as she came up the stairs. "Well I need a disguise from the press and me and Alice are about to discuss somethings at the cafe' in town." Grace laughed a little. "Don't you think you're a little over dressed?" I scowled. "GUARDIAN mentors have premade clothes made for them. I didn't want to wear anything too flashy or fancy so I just picked this." She giggled. "It's ok, it suits you best out of any mentor I've seen." I nodded then came up to Alice's door and knocked. "You can come in! I'm not done just yet." I waved Grace goodbye then slipped in.

   Alice's room was magical almost. High definition screens were on the walls and ceiling, displaying a quite beautiful sunset at the beach then alternating to the orbit of Earth. "Nice room you have here, very peaceful." I said in awe, suddenly jealous of her room. She walked up behind me then covered my eyes.

"Yep, I made a special request and they built it for me. The best part is that I can change the images to anything I want." She walked around in front of me then took her hands of my face. She was in a red, knee high dress and had her make-up done. Her once fluffy red hair was now straighten out and had crimson curls at the bottom of her shoulders. "And Grace said I overdid it." I laughed. "You look fantastic for a day at a simple cafe'." She blushed then hit me on the arm.

"Thank you and you look rather dashing Mr. Wood. You look like you're going to attend a royal meeting." I rolled my eyes. "They didn't put anything in my dresser that was casual." She traced a finger around my lips and smiled.

"It looks good on you though." She teased a kiss then opened the door and beckoned me to come with her. "So torturous." I followed and took her hand as we walked down the stairs. Other students smiled or scoffed at us, I just winked at them and carried on.

As soon as we opened the door, there was a car with a bow ontop of the hood. I sighed and pinched my nose bridge in embarrassment. Alice giggled at me. "Flustered?" I nodded and chuckled. "I'm not used to being spoiled like this."  I remembered having to fend for myself, beating and killing other kids who tried to assassinate me just for an MRE.

"Are you alright?" I smiled blandly and without emotion. "Fine." I opened the passenger door and waved her in. She smiled and sat down in the car. I closed the car door and plucked the bow off, then got in the car. I pushed the ignition button  and drove off, that's when I let myself slip into the other side. I was twelve and protecting my own food from another prisoner since back then we didn't have a proper ration system and I knew this was one of the kids who stocked on food and kept it to themselves then went around to beg and backstab others.

"Please man! I haven't eaten in days!" I slapped him so hard he flew and hit the wall. "You should have asked instead of attempting to steal!" He slumped forward and his breathing came to a stop.

"Jason!" I snapped out of it and looked over at Alice, I gave her a small smile and drove through the  city. "I'm fine." She glared at me. "No you aren't... Anytime you feel overwhelmed or having a flashback, I feel that! Its part of my skill set!" I scowled. "Why do you feel like you have to lie to me?" The car's system flickered. "If you knew, I think you'd see me differently." She put her hand in mine and squeezed it. "Jason, no I wouldn't. I love you." I kissed her forehead  and smirked. "Let's go" I  parked the car and walked around  the car and opened her door.

  "Thank you sir, you're too kind." She kissed my cheek and tossed my hat off. We got cozy in one of the booths next to the windows and ordered blonde coffee. We started off with some small talk and some old memories for awhile then I noticed her getting anxious. "You still bothered about what's happened today?" She nodded and sighed. "I can't wrap my head around it Jason, you muttered and screamed in your sleep and you were demon-like. It scares me because I've only seen one person with that form." My eyebrows knitted together as I stared outside. "Kane's assassin right? Well let me tell you something. The Republic doesn't even understand it but they've been trying to crack the code. The experiment is to bring out one's 'Other side' or to explain, bring out the prisoner's evil side which makes them more powerful but insane and ruthless. They started noticing me then started the experiment and have tried and failed with all except one so far." Alice tried looking in my eyes but I looked at the table, feeling anxious and a little crazy.

"How'd they do it with you?" I locked eyes with her. "Torture, trauma, series of different tests that included surviving the elements and making me kill in gladiator matches. I only started to feel sane and normal again when I started revolting with a group of friends who eventually died for my escape. That's the short version and not the complete story." She grabbed both of my hands and teared up. "I'm so so sorry Jason, I had only known you were on that facility but I never knew what they did to people up there." I kissed her hands and smiled. "Well enough of this, I came up here for a meeting between you and I and a coffee date."

https://youtu.be/1tXOLqnjSg8

She smiled then wiped her eyes and sat up straight. "Let's get on it then." I nodded then spread my hands over the table. "Popular belief amongst the council suggests that our old friend is possessing Fayard and attempting to assassinate Thompson, Me, and this whole place. Thompson will arrange a secret conference meeting shortly in a few days or so but she wants us to be there, says you're her errand girl and that I'm going to need an anchor." Alice leaned back and pondered. "I saw him Alice, your friend is back and in full strength." She drank her coffee silently then finally spoke. "I have a hunch of what their plan is and a possible connection to the tournament that is coming soon but we need to leave now, this is not a discussion for the public areas." She looked at a few people loosely grouped yet placed at certain places of the room.  As we got up a burly man got up and blocked the door. I turned and noticed collars all on the occupants of the cafe'. 

"Code seven dash nine nine... hostage situation." Alice said darkly. That's when she threw the table and sidekicked a goon trying to grab her. I slugged one in the jaw and then blasted another into a window. I looked at Alice who grabbed one of the henchmen by the throat and shocked him. "Nothing ever goes right."