Chapter 4: The First Encounter

The wind tussled at the teen's hair, as he sighed. He was in a thick coat of a crimson red substance. He felt tired, his muscles aching.

"Why did this have to happen" he whispered sadly and stared deeply into the depths of the floor. He shuffled, squirmed, and withered in agony.

From within the last 24 hours, strange things have been happening. The soulless gazes from everyone gave him the suspensions of foul play with his already broken social life. Objects have been following him, most of them on tables and have fallen onto the floor, shattering. Lastly, and most ironically, was the fact that he felt the touch, the touch of a hand that grasped his shoulders, but when he turned, he was met with nothing but a breeze.

His brother finally admitted to him about his sexuality, which to him in general is a shock.

The soft breeze now became more gradual in strength. The clouds slowly paring together. Was it almost night time already, was it the fact that he was slowly loosing his mind. The throb returned into his head, the resentful glared of his peers intensified.

"What do you want" Charlie spat, his sorrows being slowly released with every outburst, every muscle twitch. He was going to break down.

"You", Charlie looked up to see no one there, everyone staring at look of confusion and sheer panic. "Class... it's fine" a teacher responded, trying to resolve the conflict.

"Charlie... why" he responded to the teen, who now had a large gash mark on his hand where the man had grabbed him. Black liquid oozed from within the deep incision.

"Sir... it wasn't me!". The class started at Charlie with a look of disbelief, the jock in the back of the class giving off a more menacing smirk.

"It was him sir! He stabbed himself in the hand." The teacher stared at Charlie; who ahead of time turned and gave the jock a look of disbelief. "You lie!" He yelled the teacher being taken aback.

"Charlie. Calm down" the teacher laid a hand on the teens shoulder, whom in response slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me! It was the man who touched me that caused this" he snarled anger washing over him like waves.

"There was no man here".

"Yes there was, he was there I swear."

"Charlie, are you off your medication again". The class snickered as the teacher turned to face them. "One word out of you all and I will expel your a*s out of here". This teacher, named Gabriel, had always been the rebellious teacher, cursing to the class despite the rules, he was a man of his word.

The class had fallen into a state of fear, deep down everyone in the class had something that education was trying to offer. If it resolved around family, money, the probabilities are endless of what it could be. The thought that so many people in pain left the class in a now unresolved stasis of silence. All because of the accident.

It happened last night, around midnight. But the NetherStar Incorporation, the key to a new age had exploded. Flames surrounded the building as the fire stations far and wide had fallen into the tragedy of the occurrence.

The fires continued to spread, the thick vegetation becoming nothing but ash and residue of what used to be a beautiful forest by the building.

No bodies were found when the investigators walked into the devastating catastrophe. No luck or survivors.

The backlash of the accident spread like wildfire, swiping at any chance they can get for their revenge. It was heart clenching.

Charlie's father was in that building, along with his older brother.

Charlie's father was not a good man, but he didn't deserve the punishment of death.

His brother never deserved to be in such pain, the peaceful and wonderful man that Charlie had gotten to know was, reduced to nothing.

The teen had managed to find the tears he had so long buried away as he cried, his sobs echoing in the classroom as he sniffled trying to gain some composure.

He couldn't.

The jocks, the fear of the unknown, the man, the bruises, its to much . He screamed in agony and anger, his face red and eyes swollen. He was stiff with pain and anger, his heart banging into the ribcage that surrounded his broken heart.

He felt destroyed, his brother the only living thing that can keep him sane. His brother was the only tie to a good life.

And he was gone as well.

The teacher hushed the class and rubbed the crying teen's back, almost like a dad would to his offspring.

Alex sniffled and stared at the floor, unable to fully comprehend the serious matter that is at hand.

Why were things moving around him so?
If this is relating to him, why can't anybody else see them?

So many answered questions swam in his head as he grabbed at his hair, trying his ever so hardest to keep the mumbling to himself.

"Calm down alex, calm down" the teacher responded, his voice gruff and familiar to something. It had a menacing tone to it,deeper, more frightening.

"Its so nice to see you again."

The student jumped at what the teacher said to him, an laughing echoing somewhere in the classroom. The students remained still, almost as if they were time locked. No time moving for them, almost as if they were dolls and nobody wanted to move them around.

"What do you want?" He child said In mixed anger, and sorrow. Confusion and fear can bring out anybody's animalistic instincts.

"I'm nobody to you. Now before I can get to you... there is something in the way" he huffed annoyed as the child stood there in complete and total fear.

"What are you talking about" the child asked after an undisturbed and mismatched silence.

"I don't know kid, but when I get you, finally being able to grasp onto your skin. You will not have to suffer the same fate as your brother. Death and despair, darkness and sin, any of the normal human emotion."

"What are you saying? Normal human emotions? Your human, what are you saying."

"Oh kiddo I am nothing BUT human. I am something far, far more withdrawn from this planets society."

Alex shook his head as he looked around the teacher back at his seat, his face showing no remorse from him. It was as if it was a dream.

A dream that he was somewhat glad to wake up from.