The forest was quiet and charming, beautiful but ominous. A wonderland of peace and comfort.

Made by her

For her

The broken angel

~

"Hurry up would you!? I don't got all day!" Alexander's mother shouted outside by her car, later turning her snarl to an innocent smile as a few neighbors passed by, the neighbors glared at her before carrying on their way, ignoring the scoff from the mother. Alexander rushed to get the rest of his things, once he got them he stuffed them in his bag as quickly but carefully as he could before rushing out the house. He stood by the front door in slight surprise as his mother drove out the driveway, gave him a mocking smile before driving off at a high speed. "She did it two minutes earlier..not surprised, why do I even bother taking the offer." Alexander sighed before turning around and locking the door before putting his backpack on as he began walking to the nearest bus stop. He placed his ear bud in his ear as he walked, smiling and waving at neighbors nearby. Unlike what they did when his mother greeted them, they greeted the boy with smiles and shouts of good morning, even going as to asking how the previous school day and night had went. Of course Alexander had responded to them. "Schools all good, yesterday evening was fine!" Alexander said, but he knew all of that was a lie, well the evening part was. His mother kept him past the time he usually goes to sleep, ordering him to find outfits for her to wear on her date on Saturday, almost any good outfit Alexander made, his mother would reject it and shout at her son for his bad taste, even placing a few cruel insults here and there.

Alexander sighed as he sat at the bus stop, looking at his watch that had belonged to his grandmother. It was almost time for the early bus to arrive, giving the boy enough time to relax under the bus stop. Sitting back, he looked around him. The area his neighborhood was filled with trees almost at every house. In front of his house had a few trees and a mass of bush.

~

"Z!!" Alexander let out an 'oof' as a little girl had ran up to him and hugged him. The girl was a lighter complexion to the older student, her hair braided, the braid falling over her shoulder. "Hey Stacy." Alexander said before he and the girl walked over to a bench where the rest of their friends were. There were about seven boys and five girls. "Hey, end up catching the bus again?" One of the girls asked, causing the others to turn their attention to Alexander. "Yup, she faked giving me a drop, was expecting it though..didn't think she'd do it two minutes earlier though."

"Sometimes I really don't understand your mother though? Like does she have a loose screw in that head of hers?" The shortest girl said. Her name was Angie, a girl with a dark complexion and bright brown eyes, hair black hair was put in locks, sure she was the shortest of the older kids but she was pretty feisty. "Maybe we can pull her apart and try and fix her!" Another girl cheered with a grin as she raised her hand. Rosie, a girl with a complexion just like Angie and hazel eyes as her brunette hair was up in a bun. "Ayo? I'm not liking the atmosphere we created in the studio right now." Daniel said as he began scooting away from Rosie, getting closer to his girlfriend Jazz. Daniel was originally a girl but had changed to be a boy in terms of pronouns and how he dressed, he was slightly nervous about telling the group but felt glad he did as they respected him for his decisions. "I mean..I'm kinda onboard of Rosie's plan. Let's jump her!" A girl taller than Angie but shorter than the rest of girls, her name was Violet. "How bout we don't. Only a few more days and I can get some relaxation by my dad and his side of the family." Alexander said as he sat down next to Violet, letting Stacy sit on his lap.

"Fine."

~

Alexander found himself looking outside his classroom window. His home class was upstairs close to the front gate of the school. "Out!" Rosie shouted before throwing down her cards, revealing a blue +2. "Dang it! I want a rematch!" One of the boys, Jamal shouted before picking up the cards on the table and then everyone's cards in their hands. "Alexander past yo cards please?" Jamal asked, snapping the boy out of his daze before handing him his cards. " Who won?" Alexander asked. "I did!...You okay though? You've been daydreaming whole time." Rosie stated, earning a nod from the boy in question. "Yea, just .. had a kinda real dream last night."

"Thinking about someone?~" Robert asked with a smirk.

"No!"

"Come on, who's the lucky guy?!"

"How's that project coming along though? You guys get any further progress?" Nate, one of the boys asked as he looked at Violet, Angie, Alexander and Rosie. "I had gotten a bit further into it. Although not as much as I wanted when I got home. What about you guys?" Alexander said, relieved of the rescue. Alexander, as he doesn't really seem or act like it, prefers boys over girls, also would rather look like a girl as well. His father accepted his changes and his father's side of the family does as well. However, his mother is a different story, which is why any clothing they buy when he's with them remains with them as to not make his mother go more berserk than she already does.

"Rosie and I are still doing the art for it, Angie's still doing her part too so I decided to put extra work for me and let her deal with one part." Violet said. "And when everything's done I'll post it and credit you guys in my video!" Daniel said with a grin. "Thanks Danny."

~

"Okay class. glad you all had a good lunch, now let's get on with today's class." Alexander who at this time was sitting at his seat near one of the class windows, he eyed his friends Violet and Daniel, the two looking back at him and grinning as they got back to focusing on the lesson. Alexander rest his head on his hand that was on the window sill as he continued to write. This was the evening classes, a few more classes and he can go home. He looked from his book to the teacher who was speaking and writing on the board. He later looked outside the window, looking at a the ground below his class, spotting two students under a tree, later looking in the tree to see a white bird in a nest. 

'Aren't you a beautiful avian.' He thought as he stared at the bird. 'It must be so fun.. having the ability to fly wherever you want, not a care in the world, no parent to hurt you.' Alexander smiled at the bird as he found himself suddenly drifting off.

Jolting awake, he found himself in his class, no one was around. He looked outside, the street lights were on. "This has to be a dream, No way I would be left here like this!" It was night time. The school was closed, Alexander grabbed his things and went for the class door, opening the door, he looked down the corridor. "The school is so... unsettling at night." Alexander said as he hugged his backpack to his chest as he walked down the corridor, looking around. 

"Hey."

Swiftly turning around to the new voice, Alexander panicked as he saw no one. 

'Don't call out. That's how you get yourself killed in these situations Z.'

He then flinched at the sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor. 

'Okay..I need to hide!' Alexander thought as he took off his shoes and began to run down the corridor. 'If i take my shoes off, they wont pick up any sound from me running!... Hopefully.' Alexander thought as he gunned it down the corridor.

~

"I wanna stop at the supermarket for a snack though. Anybody coming with me?" Violet said as she looked back at her friends. It was the end of the school day, so they all gathered at the front gate as other kids were walking out the school, going to random vendors that park near the school to sell snacks and drinks. "Tired of Vendor snacks?" Alexander asked his best friend earning an eye roll as a response. "I gotta catch the bus with you today anyways. Dad working late today and you know my mother. Could might as well go in with you and get a snack too." Alexander said as he began walking with Violet, Kate who was another friend of hers from this morning, Angie, Jamal, three others boys, Chris, Tylar and Robert while the other friends of the group stayed back as they all waved them goodbye.

On the group's way to the supermarket, Alexander squinted in front of him as he saw something walked out from the bush nearby. "Kitty!!" Angie cheered before the cat jumped from her squeal and glared at the group, however it calmed down as it stared at Alexander. Alexander crouched down to the cat holding out his hand as he smiled. "I feel like I've met you before." The boy said as he looked at the grey cat. The grey cat walked up to him, sitting next to him as they looked at each other. "Come on Z, my stomach is craving Doritos!" Violet said as she started running up ahead, the rest of the group following. Alexander laughed before patting the cat's head, later catching up to his friends. However, he looked back as he saw the cat running behind him. "Damn that cat's fast if it can keep up with us!" Violet said as she attempted to catch her breath, that's when she noticed the ring with a black gem on the cat's tail. "Hey that's pretty." Violet said before walking over to the cat, reaching her hand out to the cat's tail as she went to take the ring into her hands, however she retracted her hand as the cat scratched her. "Z! Your cat scratched me!" Violet shouted, fake crying. "It's not my cat! And besides, should've left the ring alone. No one told you try and take it." Alexander said as he looked down at the cat that stared up at him.

The group finally got to the large supermarket. "I'll meet you all inside. I need to use the bathroom." Robert said as he walked into the bathroom close to the entrance of the store. Alexander looked down at the cat that stared inside the store as someone came out with a cart of groceries. "You can't go in...so..bye?" Alexander said before walking into the store, looking back in relief as the cat was walking away. He soon found his friends at the snack isle, Violet was deciding on either chips or biscuits. They spent so long in that isle that Robert came in and walked up to them. "Ya'll in here so long, no wonder that cat fell asleep outside." Alexander turned his head to Robert in shock. "It's still out there?" He asked his friend. "Yup. It probably waiting on you. You sure that isn't your cat?"

"I can't have pets; she wouldn't allow them. Which is why when my dad got me that puppy I had to leave her with him." Alexander said. Violet decided to buy both a bag of chips and biscuits, after being threatened to hurry up by Angie. The group walked out the store and sure enough the cat was still there, it quickly got up as they approached it, looking up at Alexander who crouched down and went into his bag from the store, opening a small bag of cat food. He poured out a bit of the pebbles for the cat to munch on. "Go on." Alexander said to the cat as it stared at him, he then stared at the cat as it looked at the pebbles  before opening its mouth as something fell out. A ring just like the one on its tail except it was a pearl in replace of a gemstone. Alexander looked at the cat as it moved the ring towards him using its nose. Alexander smiled at the cat before picking the ring up. "Ew..it probably has its saliva on it." Chris said as Alexander smiled at the ring. "It just needs to wash off." With that, Alexander walked into the bathroom to wash the ring.

Once he washed it he looked at it, taking note of the hint of blue within it. He rubbed his thumb over the pearl, smiling at it. "It really is beautiful.. but.. at this point is that cat even a stray? it seems very tamed." Alexander said to himself, the more he looked at the ring, the more he can remember the dream from class.

~

'Please tell me they're gone.' Alexander thought as he hid underneath a teacher's desk in a classroom. The footsteps got closer til they stopped. Alexander covered his mouth with his hand as to silence his breathing as the door slammed open.  

'Don't move a muscle, not even to look. Just listen for their footsteps Z.'

The person walked around the class for a few minutes, they then lingered at the teacher's desk, staring at the items on it before walking out the class. Alexander waited a few minutes before he moved from under the table. Looking at the window, he was relieved when he spotted his friends outside the school. He began waving his hands around, going to open the window he realized it was sealed shut.  He sighed as he pressed his head on the window, later looking down as he felt something touch his leg. His eyes widened as he noticed a snake curling around his ankle before it turned into a chain. "What the-" Alexander wasn't given any time to react as he was suddenly yanked by the chain, falling onto his back, he began screaming as the chain pulled him out of the class and into the corridor.

"Alexander!" The boy jolted awake, he looked around noticing some of his classmates laughing. Looking forward he sighed in annoyance as he noticed his teacher was looking at him with a smirk. The teacher then leaned over abit. "Did you not get enough sleep girly? Wonder if your mother knows that you're sleep deprived and can't do your classes." The teacher whispered before walking back to the board.

~

'My dreams have been weird since last week. Maybe I should lay off the horror movies.'

He then looked up at the mirror and stood there in silence. He stared into his eyes, one was the same bright brown colour but the other..was a crimson red. "Am I seeing things or is it just the mirror." Alexander whispered to himself before he quietly gasped at how cold the bathroom had gotten as he felt something press onto him from behind, causing him to be pushed closer to the mirror slightly. He looked down at himself as he began feeling something wrapping around his body, chains. He couldn't see them but he felt them along with a pair of hands that rubbed his arms. He then looked back in the mirror, he saw the chains, slithering around his body like snakes as they kept him in place. But what scared him the most was the person behind him. Their dark hands rubbed his arms, later holding his shoulder giving them a slight squeeze. Alexander couldn't see their face as a half white half black hood matching their trench coat with red trims covered their face, the only thing visible under the dark hood was the red glowing eyes that stared right at Alexander's fear filled face through the mirror.

"Alexander you done yet?" Violet's voice from outside snapped the boy out of his trance. He looked around the bathroom, the hooded person wasn't there and the chains around him were gone. "Z!"

"Coming!" Alexander shouted before washing off the ring again, realizing he had dropped it. Alexander, Tylar and Violet were the only ones left in the group as they walked to another bus stop to catch a bus home. Alexander looked behind him. The cat still followed him. It soon left when he caught a bus. As Tylar and Violet talked behind Alexander who sat in front of them, the curly ginger caught himself playing with the ring he had placed on his finger.

'I might have to hide this when I get home. No doubt she might tell me to throw it away or keep it for herself.'

~

"Evening."

"Evening who?" Alexander groaned in his head before repeating himself. "...Evening mom."

"Hmph. I need your help finding a nice pair of shoes and some jewelry for my date tomorrow." Alexander's mother said as she typed away on her phone, her unpacked bags all around her as she waited for her son to take them inside for her. "Okay." Alexander said as he placed his backpack on his back properly before taking his mother's bags into her room before sorting the things out. He didn't get enough time to take a shower or even eat as his mother had gotten up and immediately made him search for shoes and jewelry for her date. "Ugh, I'm so tired of wearing those around him. Your fashion styles are so bad! Bring your box of stuff so I can see what I want." Alexander's mouth twitched as he obeyed his mother. Once he handed the box to his mother, the woman snatched it out of his hands and opened it with a grin, but scrunched up her face in disgust as she saw a particular item. "Didn't I tell you throw this stupid watch away?" Alexander's mother said as she picked up the watch that belonged to her son's father's grandmother. "Yes but I wanted to keep it since it was a gift from- "

"I look like I care? If I tell you do something, Do it! I could care less about that old witch!" Alexander's mother shouted before throwing the watch in the garbage nearby, though she looked back at it in thought. "Now that I'm looking at it now..it's quite pretty." Alexander blinked as his eyes began burning him. He knew what was going to happen after that statement. "You know what? I'm glad you didn't throw it away. I'll be taking it. Thank you so much for the presents sweetie. Here, take back those. You can do whatever stupid project it is you and your little goblins you call friends are doing." Alexander held the box of jewelry as his mother threw it at his face, hitting his nose harshly. Once Alexander made it out of her room, he looked to the front door as he saw someone walk in. "Oh hey. Where's your mother?" The man asked as he smiled at the boy as he walked up to him. Alexander distanced himself from him before pointing to his mother's room. "Thanks. How was school? Had fun?"

"You should know..you're my teacher so you should know how it went." Alexander said before going into his room, he stopped as the man grabbed his wrist tightly. "Don't start acting up now. I could tell your mother a little lie and that'll be enough to make your night a hell, or even tell her you fell  asleep in my class. You know that right? Freak?" Alexander glared at the man before looking down as he let him go, sending him a quick smirk before walking to his mother's room. The teen closed his door and locked it with his key. Once it was locked he slowly walked over to his bed and sat on it, looking at his sketchpad, turning to the page with the wisp like creature as he began colouring the background of it with grey, black and white. His fingers trembling as they tried to guide the colour pencils as best as they could on the page, Alexander's head began to throb with pain as he held back his tears, biting his lip as he kept the scream he wanted to let out in his throat as he continued to draw. He looked at the page, there were a few tear drops slightly visible but Alexander paid no attention to them as he weakly smiled at the picture. The face of the wisp stared at him with an unreadable look in its eyes as the background was black with grey chains behind it and white sharp toothy grins were visible. Alexander blinked away the few tears before placing his sketchpad next to him as he held it to himself, picture facing away from him as he closed his eyes, quietly sobbing himself to sleep. As his sobs died out, the room was quiet. The only noise was the voices of his mother and her boyfriend in the other room doing whatever they may have been doing. Alexander's light snoring was quiet enough that you would think he was dead, but he didn't think he was, he knew he was just asleep.... As he stared at the boy's calm and tear streamed face from the page of the sketchpad.