He wasn't alone.

And he knew that, despite the fact that he was surrounded by nothing but darkness.

An empty room.

And he didn't quite know why it was a room.

It just was.

Beyond question. The sun rose in the morning, and Frank stood in a darkened room.

His suspicions were confirmed as he found himself coming to remember that he had legs, and feet too, and then began to walk forward, reaching his hand out to touch a surface that felt a lot like a wall.

He followed the room around the room, keeping his hand upon it, and was certain he'd gone around the entire perimeter, having turned four times already, unless the room he was in somehow defied the laws of their dimension, and somehow, he didn't doubt that it was capable of such a feat.

In that moment, Frank didn't doubt anything.

Besides himself.

He had this crushing weight upon his shoulders: physically now, and he was wondering just when the moment would come when his arms dropped off altogether. Perhaps he was better expecting it, but there was quite honestly no good way around it.

There was no way around the inevitable, of course, and somehow, his self destruction had seemed to have secured itself rather firmly in that position.

It was however then as he continued to drag his fingers across the wall, that he felt upon a rather different surface: upon a gap in the wall, so to speak, or perhaps something entirely different all together.

That something entirely different found itself aflame: illuminating the whole room with a burning bright golden light, that was somehow inherently unwelcoming in nature, and had Frank stepping as far away as possible within seconds.

Of course, until, he found himself frozen, his legs perhaps bolted to the floor, and his entire body suddenly unnaturally rigid, and locked into place, even his eyes forced to gaze upon the fire and the now burning white hot light of the flames. The flames growing rapidly in size, spanning across the walls and emerging into the room, closer to him, perhaps ready to engulf him, but what could Frank do?

Because in that moment, Frank didn't care for his own safety anymore, only for the mystery of the fire: started without a match, started without intention, but a fire that destroyed all around nonetheless, and even with twice the force of a normal fire.

And as the fire approached him, getting close enough in order for him feel the heat upon his skin, he found himself certain and perhaps even complacent in the fate that brought his inevitable demise, and his legs still bolted to the floor, and his figure burning up but still frozen all over.

It was only as the fire was at his fingertips that he could really look at it, really finding himself forced to focus in upon the flames, and the odd way they seemed to crackle and sparkle, flickering unnatural colours for very brief amounts of time in certain places, and he did in fact, find himself so overtaken by the flames that he only realised they were upon him until he felt them around him: his body on fire, and his eyes closing automatically: pain a white hot sensation flooding him and numbing the rest of the world with eyes screwed shut tight, until, suddenly, it all stopped.

And for a good thirty seconds, Frank was certain that that was it. That it was dead. And that this was him experiencing death, until finally he found the strength to open his eyes, and he found himself lost in a bright light, and many faces around him: a blue ceiling, walls but completely unlike the ones of the room, and no fire, no fire at all.

The world came into focus very suddenly: the faces above him transforming into ones he vaguely recognised - fellow students, and the world around him making itself known as a corridor he walked down everyday.

"Are you okay?" A guy asked: Frank didn't quite know his name, but Frank hadn't even known he was alive a good six seconds ago, so he didn't find himself all that concerned with it.

Frank couldn't quite respond, his eyes only widening as he blinked rapidly.

"Frank?" Another voice called out, this one far more familiar. And then he felt his eyes closing: his lids heavy, the world black again, and then suddenly, "what happened?" And open again. People parting, and the most familiar face of them all, complete with unmissable pink hair.

"He fainted. Just like, fucking collapsed." Another voice offered, blurring out around him as he struggled to focus upon Gerard rushing through the crowd, rushing to his side, and then his hand on his forehead: burning up, and suddenly colder again, and suddenly he could open his eyes.

"Fuck," Gerard commented, brushing Frank's hair away from his face. "Frank? Can you hear me?"

Frank forced himself to focus upon Gerard, to make sense of his words, to make sense of the world, and to push out some form of response. He only managed to nod, gasping for breath and leaning into Gerard's touch against his face.

"Should someone get the nurse?" Another voice from the crowd called.

Frank firmly shook his head no, grabbing onto Gerard's arm and forcing himself to sit up, leaning onto Gerard heavily with his every movement. "N-no.. I'm o-okay..." Truth be told, his head was spinning and it took everything in him not to collapse again.

"Dude, you-"

"If he says he's okay, then he's okay." Gerard snapped, glaring back at the crowd, "also can you like, fuck off?" He continued, before pulling Frank in closer to him, whispering, "okay, so did you have another dream?"

"Not one with Lindsey." Frank forced the words out, grasping determinedly onto Gerard's side. "One with fire, and I couldn't move and I really thought I died, and-"

"It's okay." Gerard assured him, pressing a hand against his back, "come on, lean on me, try and get up. I'll take you back to your room if you want."

"No," Frank insisted, "take me to yours."

-

"That isn't some fucking normal shit." Mikey's tone was stern, and there was indeed also very little way around the rather blatant and exceedingly obvious fact that Mikey Way just did in fact know exactly what he was talking about.

"Yeah, I just-" Gerard let out a sigh, brushing his hair back and out of his face as he leaned awkwardly against the wall, glancing back and froth between Frank, sat on the sofa just a few metres away from them, and Mikey's rather cold expression, and all in one hell of an excess of panic.

"Yeah, you just." Mikey rolled his eyes, glancing past Gerard in order to really take in Frank's appearance, and well, he hadn't exactly improved all that much in the seven minutes it had taken Gerard to get him back to his room. "This isn't fucking normal, Gerard, and you know that, but you're so fucking tied up in the idea of him that you can't bare to imagine him hurt. And you can't bare to imagine that you're wrong, which you are."

"Mikey, I just- it happened before, and he was fine, so I'm just saying we don't need to freak him the fuck out and make a big deal out of nothing-" Gerard had somewhat of a point; it wasn't a particularly strong point, but a point nonetheless, but no matter how valid his point may have been, it did absolutely nothing to alter Mikey's stubborn approach towards the situation, and in earnest, nothing would.

"You're going to make a big deal out of nothing by ignoring it." Mikey told it him straight, barging past his brother and making his way over to Frank, determined to try and sort this shit out, no matter how much he found himself with an odd innate kind of dislike towards Frank, because Mikey reckoned that he was indeed a decent person.

Gerard let out a sigh, groaning as he followed his brother over to the sofa, sitting down beside Frank and watching as Mikey pulled his gaze over him. "What are you doing?"

"What the fuck do you think I'm doing, Gerard?" Mikey let out a sigh, shaking his head, "so he just like... Frank..." He turned away from his brother, remembering that Frank also possessed the ability to speak, "what happened? What's the last thing you can remember?"

"I just... it's all a bit fuzzy... I was going to class and then I can't remember and then I had this fucked up dream thing where I was in a room and it was dark, and then this fire like burned me to death... like I actually thought I was dead, but then I opened my eyes, and... I just... I'm in the corridor and everyone's standing over me and the world just doesn't make any sense at all."

Mikey turned back to Gerard, glaring down at him, "does that sound fucking normal to you?"

Gerard rolled his eyes, "he fainted and had a dream. Mikey are you telling me that you've never dreamed or fainted in your life?"

Mikey shrugged his brother off, deciding that it was infinitely easier to attempt to converse with Frank, "so, did that feel normal?"

Frank also shrugged, "don't know what normal feels like. I'm all new to this magic shit, I don't know what's supposed to happen and what isn't."

"So you say." Mikey rolled his eyes, standing back a little, "no one fucking kills four people the first time they open a spellbook."

"Well I'm fucking sorry for your motherfucking loss because I did, and do you think I'm fucking happy about it?" Frank suddenly lost all chill that he may have possessed at one point in his life, "Do you think I'm fucking celebrating the fact that my girlfriend's dead? Do you think I'm fucking over the moon with the fact that it's my fault? Do you seriously fucking think that?"

"Yeah." Mikey narrowed his eyes, "and I think you need to stop saying the word fuck, you sound like an eight year who heard it for the rest time and thinks they're edgy."

It was then that Frank was absolutely certain of the fact that he hated Mikey.

Maybe it was the burning kind of headache sensation talking, but he didn't care at all.

"Mikey, please." Gerard let out a sigh, pulling Frank into his side in a somewhat protective gesture. "Just leave him alone, he's a bit fucked up, he's upset, he's hurt, and I thought this was you trying to help."

"I can't help if he keeps lying to me!" Mikey exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I'm not lying to you." Frank insisted, his hands beginning to shake a little.

"Well, it's like you saying that the sun is fucking green and then insisting that you're not lying to me. You having no knowledge of your powers and then pulling that shit... not physically possible." And Mikey was right. And Mikey fucking knew he was right.

"Ray believes me." Frank spoke up, meeting Mikey's gaze with sincerity, "and Ray knows things."

"Ray doesn't know everything and if you have the power to kill four people then I'm pretty sure you have the power to change his perception of you: make him think what you want him to think-"

"I didn't fucking mean to kill anyone!" It was at that point that Frank began to break down into tears, curling into Gerard's side.

Gerard glared up at his brother: a 'look what you've done' kind of look that was inherently bitter and in no way pleasant.

It was as Mikey looked down at Frank's sobbing frame and let his words ring out through his mind that sense was made from madness and he began to piece together some form of explanation. He paused for a moment, before glancing back at Gerard and Frank. "So, you didn't mean to kill them or even start the fire-"

"It was all a fucking horrible accident, I swear to God, I swear on fucking everything." Frank choked out, pulling his face away from Gerard to meet Mikey's gaze once again.

"So what if..." Mikey paused, sitting down on the sofa and glancing more at Gerard as he spoke, "what if... you... this is a big if, but..." He paused again, biting his lip, before turning back to Frank and asking him a question, "how many things, throughout the entirety of your life have happened that are just 'really weird, fucked up accidents'? Or things you couldn't and perhaps still can't explain? Or things you really had to try to rationalise? Just odd things, if you know what I mean?"

"Doesn't everybody have those?" Frank asked, a look of confusion upon his face, "I don't quite get what you mean."

"No but something too unnatural to be natural, or something happening too many times." Mikey paused, glancing again at Gerard, "do you know what I'm getting at here, Gee?"

Gerard nodded, biting his lip and glancing back at Frank, "I guess it's possible. I really would ask Lindsey, though-"

"Oh for fuck's sake, you know I don't like Lindsey." Mikey rolled his eyes a little.

"Yeah," Gerard nodded, pulling out his cellphone, "you seem to have this unexplainable dislike for everyone smarter than you. You'd put it down to coincidence, I'd put it down to arrogance. Also Lindsey's hot as fuck and you're just jealous you didn't get to date her."

"She's a bitch, why would I want to date her?" Mikey exclaimed, shaking his head, "I don't even like girls anyway."

"Whatever," Gerard rolled his eyes and sent off a text in Lindsey's direction.

It was then that Frank announced a rather pleasant, "I think I'm going to be sick."

And Mikey just about quit life itself right there as he stumbled over the arm of the sofa and practically threw a bucket in his direction. "Oh my god." He grumbled as Frank leaned over and retched into the conveniently placed bucket.

"Fuck..." Gerard let out a sigh, putting his phone down on the table and reaching over to pull Frank's hair away from his face, "Mikey get him some water and some paper towels or something, for the love of god, please."

Mikey made no visible response before making his way over to the sink and pouring Frank some water.

Frank sat up again, leaning into Gerard and groaning, "fuck, I just... you know, I really do feel like I'm dying." He added as Mikey returned, wiping his mouth with a paper towel and downing the entire glass of water within seconds.

"And that's so fucking normal, isn't it?" Mikey snapped, his words directed mainly at Gerard. "Did witch bitch reply yet?"

"No." Gerard shook his head, "Lindsey did not reply."

"So," Mikey let out a sigh, glancing between Gerard and Frank, "I think something's seriously fucking wrong with Frank. And I think maybe it's supernatural, somehow. And I'm also a strong eighty five percent sure that he's been using magic before in his life but just hasn't quite realised it yet."

"So what do you suggest we do, seeing as you fucking know everything?" Gerard asked, rubbing his hand against Frank's back.

"Ask Ray." Mikey shrugged, rolling his eyes a little. "Ray knows more than I do."

"And yet you don't hate Ray." Gerard added, his eyebrows raised a little.

"Maybe that's because I don't hate people because they're cleverer than me. I just hate them because they're horrible people." Mikey offered, grabbing his jacket, "I'm gonna go tell the school that Ray's uncle just died and that he needs the day off classes. Be back soon."

Gerard looked at Frank in disbelief as Mikey closed the door behind him. "Okay, first of all, I'm sorry that you have to put up with Mikey being such an ass, and second of all, I'm sorry that you're feeling so bad. Not a good day for you, is it?"

"Believe it or not, I don't really have an abundance of good days." Frank admitted, pulling his knees up to his chest and letting out a sigh. "I think maybe something is wrong with me though."

"And that's not just because Mikey practically bullied you into thinking so?" Gerard asked, meeting Frank's gaze with sincerity.

Frank nodded. "I really don't think this is normal." He let out a sigh, leaning more into Gerard's side. "I'm sorry for you know ruining your day for you, like I'm sure you had better things to do than worry about me."

"God, don't say that!" Gerard exclaimed, shaking his head in firm disbelief. "I care about you Frank, don't you get that?" He let out a sigh, pulling the younger boy into his side, "and Mikey isn't always this much of an ass, I promise you. I think maybe he just didn't get laid recently or something, I don't know."

Frank laughed at that, pulling his hair back and away from his face. "Are you sure?" He continued, narrowing his eyes a little.

"Yeah." Gerard nodded, a smile upon his face, "don't take it personally, don't fucking take anything I say personally. Neither of us are really the best with, well, expressing our feelings in the most appropriate ways, and okay that sounds kind of bad the way I phrased it but I think it serves to prove my point."

"So, you think I might actually die or something or what with what's going on?" Frank asked, perhaps all too nonchalantly: the sincerity of the situation not quite having set in yet.

"No." Gerard insisted. "Mikey's clever. He can fix it. And I promise you that. He's an ass, but he's clever. Cleverer than me, and well I have read quite a few books in my life. And then, of course, Ray must have read the entire fucking library."

Frank smiled a little, "or just everyone's mind." He suggested, and really, it wasn't even far off the truth.

"And I'm not sure which scares me more."

-

hey pals !!!! h ope you l i k e d this chapter &&&&&& if u did then comment &&& vote pls bye lov u