JACK'S POV

I look around me. I'm in a wide open field. I'm surrounded by white mist.

"Jackson." Says a disembodied voice. I turn around to see them, but there's no one there. The voice had been brittle and rough, making me wonder what was wrong.

"I've been trying to talk to you." Says the voice. It's deep and clearly female.

"That wasn't Melody you had seen at cave." She says, and I remember the woman with too much skin moving back in the cave. "That is the unholy, the fallen, immoral. Fear her."

I consider this. The immoral. The unholy. The fallen.

"Daniel is trying to protect you. He failed yesterday, and that's why he disappeared. He's being punished."

"Punished?"

"Yes. Punished. He is your guardian angel, obviously. Has he told you?"

"Wait, he's an angel?"

"Yes. He died when he was four. He was abused and then murdered by his dad. He still believes that he's alive, and that he's a normal kid, but only you can see him. That's because he's your guardian angel, spirit, or ghost. However you view it."

I try to take it all in. Daniel was dead. He wasn't a normal kid, I had known that much, but it was still a lot to process. My only friend besides my cousin is a ghost...

Suddenly, the woman appeared. She was wearing a thin and ripped dress. She had puffy hair and blew with the wind. Besides that, she didn't seem to have any clothes on.

She appears next to me, a blur of quick movement as she moved forward a thousand miles an our. She grabs my by the short collar, which I'm used to, and bites me in the shoulder, hitting a bruise and causing me to yell out in pain.

I watch in horror as her teeth sink slowly and deeply into my skin and flesh, the pain moving around my body. My arm gets wet with blood, and I squeeze it, causing almost unbearable pain.

I crumble to the floor, clutching my arm, which is almost all covered in blood. Everything goes completely dark.

*****

I wake up several hours later, free falling.

The wind whistles in my ears, and I panic. I kick my legs, but then remember that does nothing. I know deep down that something will help me. I have confidence.

As I see the ground, I start to get afraid again. I try to calm my breathing.

My heart beats fast, and I lose all confidence. I am about two hundred feet from hitting the ground.

The moment I'm about to hit the ground, time freezes. Everything stops, and I realize it's probably in my dream world.

A screen pops up in front of me. It seems to be playing me live story.

I see myself as a baby in the orphanage, wrapped in a woman's arms. I see dad signing adoption papers, while my papa poked his arm. I see myself at about age one, being held and read to by papa.

I see myself at age two, playing with toy cars while nibbling on toast. I see myself at age two and a half, singing the abc's to my fathers in a happy voice, clapping after. I see myself at three, going to my first day of preschool, and being kicked and bullied for the first time for having two male parents. And then at three and a half, coming home in tears after being laughed at for art I was so proud of. I see myself at four, opening presents underneath the Christmas tree. I see myself at five, getting the top in my class in a math test, and then laughed at for being a nerd. I see myself around six or seven, being put into a concussion by Melody, one of my first bullies, but also my second friend. I see myself at eight, watching anime and smiling. I see myself at nine, running into my parent's room with fuzzy socks and singing loudly, announcing that it was my birthday. I see myself at age ten, cutting for the first time tears streaming down my face. I see myself at eleven, attempting suicide for the first time. I see myself at twelve on my first day of Jr. High, being shoved into a locker for being small. I see myself, the landmarks of my life, and the highlights, and the saddest parts. I realize that I'm way too warm hearted. I realize that I was once the happiest kid ever.

The screen disappears, and I hit the ground with full force.

I wake up hours later, realizing I should be dead. At least in my dream, I should be dead.

I try to sit up, and instant pain shoots through my body. I lay back down, hoping the pain goes away. It doesn't.

I notice that the woman is there. The one from the field. "Hello, Jackson."

"I go by Jack..."

"And I call you Jackson."

"Fine. Whatever. What do you want?"

"I want to take care of you." She says, thirsty, like I'm more food than human.

"Uhh... that's not creepy...."

She slaps my head, hitting a bruise. I wince.

"I'll let you get back to your world, now. But on your dreams, you're mine." She says, and everything around me goes black.

I wake up in a cold sweat. I look around me, and see my room. Melody is sitting next to me, gently stroking my palm to comfort me.

"You had bad dreams..." she says. "You looked... almost worried in your dream, and at one point you looked like you were in pain. And by the way, I have something to tell you, and it's important.."

"What is it?"

"So... my mom is pregnant, and my parents want us to come to camp with them..."

"You're going to leave...?"

"Yeah." She starts to tear up. "I don't want to leave you."

"You can... I'll visit you... and... see you..."

"I want to see you all the time, though..."

"You can move in with us. Screw that guy that you live with. He can be alone. Um.. Casket, right?"

"Coffin."

"I'm calling him Casket."

"Okay."

"I'll ask my parents if you can live with us."

"But I don't want to drag you guys down..."

"Mel, I'm considering suicide and you're the only one that's keeping me going. I'm not letting you slip away from me."

"You're.. that serious about it?" Tears start to drip down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry!"

"I am sorry I shouldn't have said anything."

"If you would rather die than spend the rest of your life with me, then that just shows how awful I really am. I'm sorry for everything... I should probably get out of your life... you would probably prefer that..."

Tears start to blur my vision, as I watch her get up and start to walk away. I cling to her leg lightly. "Please don't go... please don't leave me alone again. I don't want to be alone. Not again..."

She looks at me like I just told her to eat a giant smelly boot. "I'll just hurt you. That's all I've ever done." She says before closing the door behind her.

I fall against the side of the bed, choking on my own tears. She didn't care about me, did she? She left me in my time in need, which wasn't a sign on love. She probably hated me for being a clingy brat. I don't blame her.

I grab my knife, and make a deep cut on the top of my arm. It was almost so deep that it got to the bone. I try not to cry out in pain, but I do anyways. I don't want to cut. I want her.

I toss the knife aside, and it skids across the floor.

But I can't have her, I think, breaking down.

I've been strong for too long. I've faked a smile, I've pretended it was all okay... but inside I am breaking. I am slowly withering away. I could give my school satisfaction by killing myself right now. I can end my misery. I can disappear... but that doesn't sound so appealing. I only want her. That's all I want. But she hates me. I was rejected when she walked out that door. I hate being rejected.

I want her. I need her. I need her reassurance and love. But she doesn't love me. I don't blame her.

It's social suicide to be friends with me. Let alone love me.

I sigh, and grab my phone.

I text her: are you okay?

It says it's read, but I get no reply.

I hang my head, and try to call her. It goes straight to voice mail, and I know just what to say.

MELODY'S POV

I send his call straight to voice mail. I'm going to give him space so that I can't hurt him.

"Hi. It's Jack. Call me back when you get the chance to. I'm sorry for... being a jerk. Goodbye."

I notice that his voice sounds like he's been crying, kind of choked. He probably cut at least once. It's my fault.

I walk inside, and ignore Coffin. I run to my room, tears streaming down my cheeks.

I close the door behind me, and grab the knife from the closet. I make cuts all up my shoulder, knowing I hurt Jack. I walk over the the camera footage of what he was doing at the moment.

He's on his bed, curled up and cuddling a pillow. For the first time, I see him without his jacket willingly. His jacket thrown into the floor, and he's wearing a t-shirt with "My Chemical Romance" on it, from what I can see. I zoom in on his arms, and see how scared it is. Each centimeter, there's another deep cut, which over lap a lot of scars. It's the same on each side, which pains me. I can tell he's been doing it for years.

I put him in these tears. It's my fault! I shouldn't have left him...

I decide to answer his text.

me: No. You're not either.

Him: you can see him through the cameras...

Me: yeah.

Him: :(

me: Sorry...

Him: no.

me: ?

Him: why are you always so sorry if you did nothing wrong?

Me: Idk I always upset you

Him: I wish you could see yourself through my eyes...

me: heh same here.

Him: I'm lonely. 😭😭

me:😫😫 sorry...

Me: I shouldn't have left you...

me: you'd be better off without me.

It says that my messages were read, but he doesn't reply. I watch him throw his phone to the side, and press his face in his hands. I turn on the speakers so that I'd hear what he said. He whispers, "She doesn't get it..."

I wonder what he meant. He curls up more, so I can no longer see most of him. He cries quietly, and I wonder where I went wrong.

I turn around to cut  again, but realize Coffin sitting on the bed. He laughs.

"You're friends with... him?" He chuckles. "Don't get into something like him."

"Why not?"

"It's social suicide for you and me. I liked it more when you hurt him." He says, and it triggers me a lot. I first met Jack when I bullied him. He was around six, and I put him into three cuncussions, one he barely survived, once I put him in a bad ceasure. once I broke his left arm because I slammed it on the floor and twisted it with my foot after pushing him down in the middle of the road... I was the first bully that made him feel worthless. The others just hurt him and teased him. I actually told him awful things about himself. He used to be a happy kid, back then...

"I could never hurt him."

"You just did, when you left. I could see the hurt in his eyes through the camera. He is quite the crybaby. he's too weak to fight back to you, or anyone else. Don't become friends with him..."

"WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS FOR YEARS!"

"Did you see his arms? He's emo of the century. He could've easily killed himself while he had the chance. I wish he had..."

I punch him in the gut, but he deflects it, and grabs my arm, twisting it to the left. Enough to hurt it, but not break it.