•Blaine•

I woke up every night at three a.m.

This was not by choice it just happened like clock work- like some cursed, mind screwing clock work.

One second I'd be asleep, the next- my eyes would bolt open and a weird sense of unease would envelop my body. After that I'd restlessly toss and turn until I saw cracks of sunlight creep through my window.

At that point I'd be frustrated and wide awake so I'd just get up.

This had been going on for about two weeks and I was starting to think something was wrong with me. I'd never had sleep problems before. My mom didn't either to my knowledge. So now I was just internally speculating and occasionally googling it- which resulted in me diagnosing myself with every condition and disease listed.

The speculation was almost worse though.

When I was younger, a friend once told me that waking up suddenly in the middle of the night was an indication that someone was watching you. Apparently it was your body's way of responding to potential danger.

Yea...I've cursed that bastard out in my head pretty much every night.

Thank you Tim from third grade.

The extra time wasn't all bad though. I'd been going on lots of morning runs. I knew the cardio was good for my overall health and since we did so much weight lift training in football, I was able to even out my workout regimen.

Although I didn't know if it mattered considering my lack of sleep. As soon as I got to school my energy dropped completely and the exhaustion hit me like a freight train. I was out of it, and barely even registered people talking to me.

What sucked was that I actually needed to be somewhat alert in my classes. I needed to keep my grades up for college and potential football scholarships. I didn't find school to be challenging. It wasn't hard for me to get good grades, but if I wasn't awake to do the bare minimum that might be a problem.

I needed to get it together. Somehow I needed to figure this issue out and start paying attentio-

"Yo Blaine!"

I was suddenly nudged hard by someone's elbow. The whole upper half of my body jolted forward as my mind abruptly came out of its bubble and into the real world- that being the school cafeteria of Freemount High.

I saw my best friend Philip waving a hand in front of my face- or I assumed it was him. My vision blurred for a moment showing me the outline of his fiery red hair. When he finally came into focus his pale blue eyes were contracted in concern.

"Dude, we've been trying to get your attention. That's the third time you've zoned out this lunch period."

"Not to mention the dozens of times he fell asleep in first, second, and third period," my other best friend Max commented helpfully. His chestnut eyes teasing.

I just shrugged and rubbed my eyes blearily, resisting the urge to sink back into my mind. Max elbowed me once more, causing me to jolt back to the conversation.

"So you're still waking up every night huh?" Philip grabbed a potato chip from the table we were at, and popped it into his mouth before looking to me.

"No." I stared at him blankly, "This is me on a full night's rest."

Philip paused mid chip bite before quirking a ginger brow, "Damn you really do need a nap."

"Go easy on him," Max quipped, taking his attention off the peanut butter and jelly tower he was building, "It's been what? Two weeks now of this weird no sleep thing."

As much as I appreciated Max's point, part of me knew I was kinda being a dick.

"No, I'm sorry," I sighed running a hand through my blonde hair. Its usual messy, but tame quality felt infinitely more messy. "I've been in a bad mood, but you guys shouldn't have to put up with it."

"How many hours have you been getting?" Philip asked.

I took a moment to think. If I didn't have football or homework then I could go to bed at a decent hour, but the unfortunate fact was: I did have all those things to account for. Usually by the time I got home, ate, showered, did work, and studied it was almost midnight.

"About three hours a night give or take."

Max's dark eyes went wide, "For the past two weeks!"

"Yep."

"Bro how are you still here?"

Philip grimaced, "I'm sure that's helpful."

"I'm sure that's helpful," Max mimicked.

Philip glared at him to which Max just ignored in response.

"No seriously though," Max continued, "That's like forty something hours of sleep in the past fourteen days."

I grimaced almost subconsciously. Hearing it that way made it seem about a million times worse.

"That does suck," Philip concurred.

Max snorted, "Who's helpful now?"

"Shut up."

I was getting a headache from thinking about how bad my current state of sleep was. Or I was getting one because of the actual issue of not getting enough sleep. Maybe it was a combination of both.

"What's up boys!"

I turned my head to see Natalie and Hazel approaching our table with a handful of their cheer team trailing behind. Natalie was the captain, and Hazel being her best friend was her unofficial right hand. The two girls had been childhood friends of mine, along with Philip and Max. We all grew up in the same area, went to the same school, and our parents knew each other- naturally we stayed friends.

We all threw our hellos and heys to the two as they reached us.

"How are you feeling Blaine?" Hazel asked plopping down between Max and I with a lunch tray in hand. Her hazel eyes shot to me as she pinned back her short brown hair. She was about to eat her chili fries which required zero obstacles, including her shoulder length locks.

"I'm fine just tired," I answered.

"It hasn't got any better?" Hazel frowned grabbing a potato chip from Philip's pile after successfully dodging his attempt to block her hand.

"No such luck."

"I'm sorry your nights have been rough Blaine," Natalie sympathized from behind me, she then leaned down by my ear and whispered, "Let me know if you need company."

I fought the instinct to move away from her. I gave a noncommittal nod, but no verbal response. I made the fatal mistake of going out with Natalie a few months ago. She'd always been pretty flirtatious and lately more forward about her attraction. I'd given in after avoiding it for the past year.

Which was just as much my fault as it was her's but hey- I was only human.

Even though I'd made it pretty clear I wasn't looking for anything and that I thought getting involved would be bad for our friendship- the girl seemed to have other plans. Or she just chose not to hear me.

"What's wrong Blaine?" One of the other cheer girls asked, breaking away from the small huddle that had formed next to our table.

Natalie lightly placed her hand on my shoulder, choosing to answer for me.

"He's just been having trouble sleeping."

"Oh no," another girl chimed in, "That must make football hard, especially with the big game coming up." Two more girls turned to our table eyeing me with concern.

Natalie nodded, flipping her long strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder, "Yea it's been tough."

I wouldn't usually let Natalie be my voice, but I found I didn't have the energy to oppose. I also didn't really want to entertain the cheer squad right now and the conversation seemed to be drawing their attention.

"Maybe try taking Melatonin!" Another girl suggested. The rest of the group seemed to follow their friends and turned to crowd around our table.

"Or maybe some sort of herbal teal?"

"My mom drinks this tea every night to help her sleep, it's all natural stuff."

"Are you having trouble falling asleep or randomly waking up or both?"

"Maybe you need to get a massage or something to help you relax."

Pretty soon I was being overwhelmed with suggestions and advice from the cheer team. I knew it was borderline insanity for me not to enjoy this, but all the noise was making my head pound.

I was just too tired to socialize like I normally would. I started drowning them out, instead looking ahead to where Philip was attempting to steal Hazel's fries and failing. Hazel did however grab another chip. She flashed him a triumphant grin while Philip just pouted.

When I looked at Max he was grinning, holding his phone's camera up and facing my direction. He took a picture of the cheer team surrounding me, the distinct sound of the electronic shutter reaching my ears.

I gave him a glare and tried to bat the phone away, but Max moved it out of my reach- unfortunately my reflexes were slow right now.

"Maybe try inhaling through your left nostril!" Another suggested.

"Girl what?"

"I heard it works."

I abruptly stood up, feeling the need to get some space.

"Thanks for all the advice," I said, doing my best to sound grateful to the cheer squad before me, "I'll look into it but I'm just going to take a walk, fresh air will be good for me."

I received skeptical glances at my abruptness, but once I shot the group a small smile everyone seemed to relax. I heard Max's camera shutter again and resisted the urge to send him another pointed glare.

I began to walk away from the group- only relaxing once I heard Natalie begin to redirect her team's attention to their competition coming up.

"Hey Blaine!"

I turned back at the sound of Hazel's voice and looked to her expectantly.

She pulled out a sealed glass bottle from her tote bag and tossed it to me. I caught the beverage, pleased to see it was a frappuccino.

"Can't help with the sleep thing, but staying awake for school is a coffee solution."

I smiled shooting her a grateful look, "Thanks Haze."

"Don't mention it," Hazel then turned back just in time to slap Phil's hand away from her fries.

"Dude!" Max laughed, "You're like 0 for 10!"

"It's harder than it looks!" Philip insisted.

Feeling slightly more amused and ready to down this bottle of coffee, I whirled around on my heel and headed toward the cafeteria exit. I only took a few steps before people were calling me.

"Hey Captain!"

"What up Blaine!"

I nodded at the football team's table as I passed them. The reminder of the big game and my role as their quarterback rested heavily on my shoulders.

I really needed to get it together.

As I exited into the hallway I opened the bottle of coffee and took a large swig, praying that it gave me energy for the rest of the day.

•••

The coffee wore off eventually and from then on I'd been working to embrace the tiredness.

The method I was trying, in order to attempt getting a full night's rest, was to push my body to the brink of utter collapse. I tried not to think about how stupid it sounded. Part of me knew I was operating under severe mental exhaustion when Max suggested this and it actually made sense in my head.

I stayed long after football practice. I did various sets of push ups, sit ups, burpees, and planks- along with running three miles. I could feel myself hitting a wall, but I didn't care. Just the idea of sleeping through the night was enough to push me harder.

Once the sun was almost completely below the horizon, I locked the stadium entrance and headed to the locker room. I quickly showered then pulled on a plain white t-shirt and joggers. I used a small towel to dry off my blonde hair, the damp strands falling over my forehead as I gave my head a shake. I then slung my bag over my shoulder and exited the locker room- flicking off the light switch on my way out.

The school was completely empty and the sun had fully set. No natural light was available to peek through the windows causing shadows to creep in the corridors at every interval.

The engulfing silence was difficult to ignore too. It was so quiet it was almost felt wrong to make a sound.

The only sound came from my footsteps. The soft pitter patter bounced off the walls. I listened intently for each step, almost as if to ensure my feet were the only ones present.

"Blaine?"

I tensed, my head swiveling to the right.

I blinked searching for whoever had called my name, but found no one in the adjacent hallway. All I found were thick shadows covering the corridor and vague outlines of doors and lockers.

I watched for a few moments. My eyes trailed to each door to see if someone was lurking in the cover of the darkness.

When I didn't see anything, I shook my head before dismissing the whole thing. I was starting to hear things, which just told me I needed more sleep than I'd originally thought.

I continued through the hall and headed for the exit. As I pushed past the school doors, cool air washed over me. The night felt even darker than inside the building. I took a breath and continued on.

"Blaine."

The soft voice taunted again, sounding almost ghostly.

My eyes widened as the hair on the back of my neck stood up and chills erupted on my skin. I intended to ignore the sensation- when all of sudden the sleepiness evaporated...and I was struck with alarm and recognition.

It was the same.

That feeling I got after I woke up at three in the morning was tumbling through me.

The feeling that someone was watching.

My stomach did a somersault as my pulse skyrocketed. It was so tangible now, not attacking me after fits of sleep but when I was fully conscious.

"Blaine."

I whirled around to look behind me, only to find nothing once more. What was going on?

I stepped back and continued to scan the lot, albeit it was difficult to really examine the area. The only light came from the tall street lamps that were spread across the parking lot. They created pockets of light, drowning most of the area in shadows.

Then I heard another set of footsteps.

Click, click, click

I scanned the area left and right, my breathing becoming unsteady. Everywhere I looked revealed black concrete and nothing else, but the tight feeling in my chest didn't leave or fade.

My eyes landed on my truck a few feet away. I needed to leave no-

Just as the thought entered my brain, something slammed into my side with such force that my body fell to the ground from the impact.

I let out a grunt as I hit the hard concrete with a thud, my mind struggling to catch up with my body.

I was now on the floor, my bag was flung across the lot and there was a dull ache in my head. What just happened?

I felt hands dig into my shoulder and realized I was being attacked by a person. Someone was attacking me.

Damn it! Fight!

Before I could make a move to break free, I was flipped onto my back roughly, my head hitting the ground. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the dull ache in my head grow. Gaging from their strength I was dealing with a grown man, probably some sort of beast in human form.

I felt panic rise. I was in no condition to protect myself! The mental and physical state of my body was worse than it probably ever had been.

I forced my eyes open, focusing to see the brute attacking me and found...

A girl.

Not a super built wall of a woman either, but a rather petite girl. Her dark hair fell just below her shoulders, covering her face slightly but still revealing smooth olive skin. She was actually quite tiny and...attractive.

I felt confusion flood me. She had the strength of a mammoth and I didn't understand how.

When I looked into her almond shaped eyes though, all train of thought stopped. She had piercing amber eyes that were blaring through me with lethal force. She was scowling, but her face was also hard and unfeeling.

"Who the hell are you?" I breathed.

Her eyes narrowed and a coldness settled in her orbs. I suddenly noticed the red dagger she had lifted up in her right hand. I also realized she had me pinned down. Her weight was on my chest. She had one knee pinning my right arm and her other foot was pinning my left one. I couldn't move an inch.

"Don't struggle," she ordered lowly, "I can make this quick."

Terror and panic began to rip through my body. The girl pulled her hand back, preparing to land the strike. Despite her warning- I struggled to break free, but it was as if she'd placed restraints all over my body. I was completely powerless.

I saw the swoop of her dagger come down toward my chest and shut my eyes- waiting for the blow to hit.

But then her weight was gone and I heard her grunt.

The sound of her hitting the floor next to me caused my eyes to shoot open. I looked to the side to see another figure tackling the girl to the ground.

They rolled as they struggled, it was hard to make out the other figure but they were clearly much larger than the girl.

As the newcomer managed to land on top of her, I got a glimpse of their face. It was a boy. Clearly well built and seemed to harbor more strength. He had brown hair swept on top of his head and striking round blue eyes. His jaw was sharply outlined, and I could see him grit his teeth as he attempted to pin the girl down.

The task proved hard. The girl was faster. She managed to land a sharp kick to his gut from beneath him, sending the guy off of her and to the side.

The girl then opened her hand. Red, crystal shard like objects rushed together out of thin air and solidified into the dagger she had earlier.

I blinked hard.

What was that?

The girl gripped her red crystal dagger and swiftly brought her arm across her body to stab the guy. But he rolled away before she could land the blow. Instead her dagger stabbed into the ground, emitting a dull cling.

My brain felt like it was having an aneurysm as I tried to keep up with what was happening. I rolled onto my side, my body feeling sore and worn. Who were these people?

For the first time I wondered if this was actually happening or if I was in some strange hallucination due to my lack of sleep. Maybe I was now hearing and seeing things.

My head began to pound as I tried to sit up.

"Ugh," I groaned. That pain felt real.

At the sound of movement I lifted my head to watch the two strangers. They had both gotten to their feet, eyeing one another and panting. The girl still had her dagger tightly gripped in her right hand.

Now that they were standing- and I was gaining focus- I could see them more clearly.

They both looked about my age and wore dark clothes. I found myself wondering where they'd come from. Why attack a random high school student? What were they a part of?

My eyes wandered to the girl's dagger.

And what were they capable of?

The two began to circle one another. Both seemed to be anticipating the other's next move, their bodies tense with energy. The girl's displeased expression morphed into a scowl as if the image of the guy was increasingly making her mad.

"Always have to get in my way, don't you?" She all but sneered.

The boy shrugged sending her a knowing grin, "I guess I just can't refrain from trying to capture your attention."

"Charming," she stated flatly, "But my attention isn't something you should want."

"Oh I beg to differ."

"You would," the girl mocked, "It is your immense stupidity I find most intriguing about you."

"Such flattery," the boy smirked, "Careful sweetness, I might get the wrong idea."

"Well allow me to make things crystal clear darling."

My eyes flickered between the two. What the heck was going on?

My attention fell on the girl as she made a delicate motion with her hand.

My eyes widened as more red crystals appeared, swarming around the girl's dagger until a longer blade formed. The red glass-like shards materialized quickly and I could see a second, slightly smaller blade taking shape in her left hand.

The guy quickly followed suit. He clenched his fist and the sound of more shards echoed around the lot. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was when sapphire crystals appeared from thin air- rushing to solidify together. A single, large blue blade had formed in the guy's hand.

I was pretty sure I was hallucinating at this point, even though the danger felt very real.

The boy shifted the large blue blade in his grip almost casually. He kept his eyes on the girl who swung her red dual blades as if to invite an attack.

The shift in tone was evident as the girl's amber eyes glared up at the tall boy. The sharp playfulness evaporated like smoke and was replaced by an intense focus. She lifted her blades in front of her and the guy mirrored her movement. Now they were both armed and ready to engage in another, more lethal, round of combat.

Somewhere in the back of my mind it registered that I was severely deprived of sleep, and that I'd just pushed my body to the point of complete depletion. Considering all that, I really hoped that this was just sleep deprivation psychosis.

Because if it wasn't...the only other option was that I'd gone completely insane.

•••

And we're off!

Thank you so much for checking out my story. This particular work is very important to me and I'm excited to release it all on this platform. Updates will be published every Tuesday :)

I also want to thank the readers that were following the original version of this book- I've placed a few little Easter eggs for your amusement. Thank you for your support. It truly pushed me to finish this story and I hope you enjoy following its journey. Until next Tuesday...

As ever, Berly