"With every choice we make, we create an unintentional regret... Everyone makes these and there is no escape from them."

-UNKNOWN TO US

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The gathering of the boys was much more still than Melissa had anticipated, but that was alright.

The first, a lean, dark-haired boy charged at her, an arm brought back to his chin as if he was trying to get a punch in contact with her jaw.

Annoyed at the lack of pain spread, Melissa just simply side-stepped to the right once he was close enough, causing him to hit the air while running past her into the foam pad on the wall.

"What're you doing Melissa?" Travis yelled, his body constantly pulling at the tape, but to no avail.

She smirked. She hadn't felt this excited in a long time. She turned to the boy, "Is that all you got Finn?" she taunted.

Finn became flustered with anger, the visible sign being that his right eye was twitching as he hastily pushed himself from the old pad back onto his feet.

He turned and tried again, and Melissa did the exact same thing as before, repeating the process for the next two times.

By the time he had reached his fifth time, she noticed a visible sweat bead rolling down from the side of his forehead, therefore becoming clumsy. And that gave her an idea. He ran at her again, but this time she rolled herself around him, and pushed him to the ground. She frowned.

"Awwww... I thought that I'd get more from you guys... Oh well..." she declared confidently. Finn didn't move at all. His collapsed form laid on the ground, his eyes shut and the sweat glistened on his visible skin.

And at this point, five to ten of the other boys had showed up in the gym, for reasons she didn't quite know. She smirked. "Who's next?" she cockily asked. Most of the people, save for Travis, the girl, and Bertrand had begun to charge at her.

A triad of boys decided to all throw a straightforward punch at her, to which she ducked under. And then she kick two boys' legs out from under them, causing them to fall on the ground and let out a sharp yelp.

Another duo decided to punch her from either side, but Melissa grabbed their arms and flung them at each other, causing them to collide into one another with a loud grunt. Keeping her grip on them, she then slowly swung her arms back to her sides outstretched, releasing the boys so they collided into others that were unfortunately in their unbalanced paths. One of them straight up charged at her but she nailed him right in the face. The boy yelped in pain, and grabbed his nose while staggering back, and tried to take a swing at her with his uneven balance. And to that, she swung at him again, this time was a hard right hook to the gut, winding him in the process.

He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. She then turned around just in time to slam the palm of her hand around a fist. She pulled on the recipient's arm in closer, and slammed her forehead into his face.

The boy fell to the ground, his face smeared with scarlet-red blood. Melissa wiped off some of his blood from her forehead.

Melissa then  felt an impact on her back. She grunted as she took a few steps forward to retain her balance. She turned around to just to get punched in the face. She took a few steps back, bringing a hand to her face, then she removed it after a few seconds.

"Would it KILL you guys to aim somewhere else?!" she shouted, "And to spread the pain instead of keeping it to my face!" 

She was met with silence.

"You can't pack a punch like you used to, Bertrand..." she spat, a little blood streak running from the corner of her lip. She smiled, revealing her bloodied teeth.

"I still can't believe that you can talk." he replied, rotating his arm in a circle.

"Yeah..." she stated, "It's all your fault too!" She slammed a fist in his face.

And right after that, Bertrand grabbed her arm and pulled her close, bringing a fist into her gut. She became winded, and spat on the floor, intentionally aiming at his white shoes.

"W-Why you littl-" he began, but he ended up with Melissa grabbing his shoulder and head, and pulling it down while raising her knee to his face.

"Nazyvat' menya ubiytsey... Ya smeyesh'."*

"Well well well..." he stated, "Looks like I struck a nerve."

She felt her face twitch in anger.

"What nerve?" she asked, grinning, "I've severed nerves for emotions for a long time." She shook her hands at her side while bouncing a little bit with excitement.

"That's not possible..." he responded, inching ever so closer, wiping his fist on his shirt. And as Bertrand stepped closer, he cracked his knuckles.

She felt her heart rate rise as he began to pick up the pace, and she readied herself, moving one of her legs back as she brought a fist to her hip.

And she prematurely swung a right hook, much to her own horror and dismay. And apparently to Bertrand's as well.

Her eyes shut tightly as she expected a fist to nail her in the face yet again...

But she heard a groan of pain, and the swishing sound of a liquid. She hesitantly opened her eyes...

And what she had seen had everybody who was still conscious in the room gape at her in silence and awe.

The thing that had bespectacled the several people left conscious in the room, including the one at the center off attention, looked like that it'd come straight from a Disney movie.

It was so mysterious, that it had baffled even Travis, who was said to be an upcoming genius, and possibly many more if they had been there to witness it.

There was, what had seemed to be... A remnant of a huge, clear, liquid-like fist... Or, what was left of it at least.

Melissa brought her hand into her line of sight, the fist reformed and condensed. She hesitantly opened and closed her fist, as if she were testing it. And sure enough, the huge water-like fist had done the exact same motions that she had made, as if it were a large copy of it.

"Chto v mire...**" she muttered, taking a step back in fear.

"How is this possible?" Bertrand agreed, wonder and awe horribly masked by his serious tone.

Travis, on the other hand, didn't say anything, due to his jaw currently dropping.

Melissa turned to Bertrand, who was soaked from head to toe, his platinum-blond hair drenched and dripping with water, which his bangs stuck to the sides of his face.

"Good... At least you look better that way." she remarked, successfully stifling a laugh, but her smirk was visible.

"You think this is funny, don't you?" he angrily inquired. He used a glistening hand to wipe off the excess water off of his face.

"It is," she replied as he wrung out his shirt, "It's very funny indeed... Well, to me at least."

Bertrand became flustered, and balled his fists in anger as he stepped forward.

But Melissa quickly tried to do the same trick again, but she couldn't do it.

"Concentrate..." she muttered. She focused her will so that she could manipulate the remnants that could be traced in the air.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Bertrand's footsteps echoed loudly through the gymnasium floor.

Bertrand chuckled. "You still can't, and won't ever be able to - ARRRGH!!!" Bertrand stopped midway through his sentence as his foot slid over the glossy linoleum flooring and he fell on his stomach, slamming his face into the wall in the process.

Melissa walked over to his unwavering body, and used a shoe to tap his side. His body laid as a limp and unconscious lump of flesh, whose form was unwavering.

"Boy..." she panted, "That felt great..."

She sighed from exhaustion, and walked over to the still taped-up, mouth-gaping, and slightly-wet boy named Travis, and started to peel the packaging tape off with little to no pain resistance

They started to free his arms when the door burst open, revealing a slightly exhausted blond girl, whom of which dragged a clueless brunette boy by the hand, whose cheeks were dusted a slight pink.

Skylar looked at the soaked, unconscious Bertrand on the ground, her jaw dropped at his lumped form.

"What happened here?" she asked, her gaze averting from his slumbering form, to Melissa, and back to the still slightly-taped Travis, in that order.

"Well..." Melissa started, pondering as to which words as to what she would use, "I kinda... Um... How do I put this..." she panted, she was indeed at a loss for words at the moment.

"What? How do you put what?"

"She did something... It was sort of like magic..." Travis quickly commented questionably.

Melissa quickly peeled off the last bit of packaging tape, earning a loud 'Ouch' from Travis, who rubbed his wrists gingerly. She held a hand out to him.

"Why'd you put tape on me again?" he inquired, taking her hand, and pulled himself up.

"I promised her that I'd take care of it. And when I promise... I deliver... I also couldn't let you right at them too..." She kept her gaze focused on her hands as she let her mind wander.

"Hey," Travis started, "I didn't know you were fluent in Russian..."

"Oh that? That was rusty," she immediately replied, "I also speak Finnish to. I was born in Russia, but my mother was Finnish."

"Was?" Skylar questioned. She stared her bright brown orbs into her her sea blue ones. Her eyes were unwavering, but a little bit red and puffy from all the crying that she had done several minutes earlier.

"Also," Melissa began, turning head at her, "I thought I said to st-"

"Did you know that it's glowing?" Skylar interrupted.

"What?" Melissa seemed surprised at her sudden question.

"Your necklace, that is." Skylar gestured her to look down. She gazed down and used a somewhat shaking hand to grasp the strand that held the remaining thing that she had from her family... Her family heirloom... After all, all it ever did was bring her hatred and despair into her life.

She brought it up, and squinted her eyes, due to the sudden light hitting her eyes.

The pendant was glowing vibrantly, but the light was slowly beginning to fade. Once the light had fully faded, she spoke, saying "En koskaan***..."

"English. Please," said a new voice, as the door swung open yet again, much to everybody's surprise, who all jumped in reaction, revealing a dark-haired boy, panting, "Even though I can SLIGHTLY understand you."

Melissa tensed up at the sound of this voice. She slowly turned her head back as far as her tired body would let her. She could see him in his peripherals. But before she could speak, a huge sudden wave of fatigue had washed over her.

She brought a hand and clenched the bright fabric over her heart. She gasped frantically for small wisps of air.

"Hey," Skylar asked, her face that of a concerned frown, "What's wrong?"

"Hey. Don't blackout on me..." said the same newer voice, "You still have a whole lot of explaining to do Lyss..." The voices began to distort, signaling her loss of consciousness.

"Hold on..." Travis said.

"Hang in there..." Oliver stated.

Melissa just felt her eyelids beginning to droop. Her consciousness began to slip away further, and she managed to get across one single thought as her consciousness made feel like that she was falling.

It's just like six years ago...

And then there was black... Nothing but black...

But what had confused the trio of personnel who stood right where they were standing as they viewed as her swaying body began to fall over.

The new boy was the first to react. He swiftly ran over and slid on his knees across the gymnasium floor and caught her from mere moments from her head colliding on the ground.

"What does she mean by 'It's just like six years ago'?" Oliver questioned, scratching his head.

"Come on," said the still unnamed boy, "We have to take her to the Infirmary." 

Skylar nodded her head quickly. "Youand Travis go ahead. Me and Ollie need to talk," she stared at Melissa's slumbering form, "Oh, take care of her, and give her this." She handed the boy a small piece of paper.

Nodding, the boy took the yellow sheet with one hand and motioned at Travis with the other. The two boys wrapped one of Melissa's arms over their shoulders. The duo rose to their feet, and started to walk off towards their destination.

Oliver turned his head to look at Skylar. "Can I go now?" he questioned irritated. 

"Ollie, you idiot," she managed, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, "I f-forgave you back then." She started to turn and run, but her arm was grabbed by Oliver, who pulled her in for an embrace.

Melissa really despised dreams. They held the opportunity to reveal unto her and shove in her face, all of her most hated, darkest, and most downtrodden memories and replay it in an unnatural fashion, increasing the depression and sadness, or raise it to the degree of pure insanity.

She never understood why... Why do these moments play in her head over and over until it becomes ingrained in her memory, when all she wants is for the graphic images to stop. But no...

She turned around slowly, awaiting for which memory would be slammed right into her face.

And sure enough, there was something for her to see.

But, questionably, it wasn't much of a memory, but it was still unusual.

A man stood a bit a ways from her, a lean man, not looking no older than 36 years of age. His eyes were a dull gray, his hair a deep brown.

"It has awakened." his voice was like the light ocean breeze. All of a sudden, she and the unnamed man were on the shoreline of the beach.

"What? Where am I? Who are you?" she frantically asked.

He gave a low bow. "I am Jean Persuary, creator of the Amulets and-"

"My ancestor, yeah I can tell. Go on."

"We are in your ideal 'Dream World', as you would phrase it. It's the one place that you feel free."

"Well that's very ironic."

He frowned. "Well, either way... Like I said, It has awakened."

"Wait... What has awakened?"

"Your Amulet's abilities. I am here in the form of a dream, to tell, and warn, you about it. The fatigue you just felt, is what we call 'Depravation', or the over usage of your Shtinzu."

"Shtinzu? What is that?"

"The energy that flows within our bloodline. It's the energy used when you use your ability. The more you have, the more you use... Use too much... And, well... You felt that much already... Well, let's spit it out and you'll begin to use the atoms and cells in your body. I beseech you to never use all of it."

Melissa was silent for a bit. "Why am I the one in this generation, my-"

"You must listen. There is a secret to this. Only those of close blood with the Heir are worthy to wield the Amulets. And there are Four Rules: One: Always manage your Shtinzu and increase your capacity, Two: NEVER switch your Amulets unless COMPLETELY necessary, Three: Never, I mean NEVER allow somebody outside our family touch or get in close contact with it unless they're your spouse, and Four: Don't try to die, for I'm telling you this now... You can't die without an Heir..."

"What?"

"I made a spell... It basically means that you can't die, not for a bit."

"But I still don't qui-"

"You don't need to understand the last rule's layout at the moment, but you'll know what I mean eventually. Also, a bit of advice..."

"Yeah?"

"Don't give into your anger and Bloodlust so easily... It may just bring about your end one of these days..."

"I don't quite understand that..."

"You don't need to know exactly what I mean at the moment... You already do know..."

The dream began to fade away. She saw Jean starting to be pulled away.

"You're gaining consciousness..." He waved at her.

"But I still have so many questions." she reached a hand out at him.

But the dream world faded away.

Translation Notes:

* Nazyvat' menya ubiytsey... Ya smeyesh' - Translates to "Call me murderer... I dare you" in Russian.

**Chto v mire- Russian for "What in the world"

***En koskaan- Finnish for "Never would I", Melissa is multilingual, as she was born in Russia, Russian is her primary language. When she was 6 she moved to Finland so she learned Finish, and moved to the states a year later. She subconsciously switches between the three languages. She had the most difficulty learning English, and so this led to her much more quiet and soft-spoken attitude when she was younger and her still going shyness...