[Sub mission available, Host.]

'Hit me,' Lucas thought, playing with his pencil. He was still in his last class beside Charlie. He had figured out why Charlie was a rival - because he was unpopular. Perhaps the most unpopular kid at this school. He didn't know why, it wasn't like Charlie was ugly, or he was a huge nerd. He didn't really know why he was a target exactly, but he was intent on figuring that out one way or another.

[Sub misson: Walk Charlie to his locker.]

Lucas frowned. Really? That was it? That was all he had to do for 100 points? He agreed almost instantly, 'You got it, Sai.'

When Class ended, Lucas waited a minute longer for Charlie to collect his stuff before walking with him towards the door. Charlie smiled down to himself, but didn't openly object as Lucas walked by his side into the hallway.

Okay, perhaps this was a little harder than he thought it would be. Almost everyone was staring, and not in a good way. It was like they couldn't comprehend that Charlie was standing next to Lucas, talking to him. That he was letting him talk to him with a smile on his face. It was like they were anticipating the moment Lucas would push him against a locker, or tell him to fuck off. It truly seemed everyone hated Charlie, for a reason that seemed so blatantly obvious, but Lucas just couldn't figure it out.

Lucas pretended to ignore them as Charlie stopped at his locker. It was the end of the day now, and Charlie started to pack his bookbag. Lucas casually leaned against the locker, painfully enduring the judgemental stares almost everyone was sending him. They shared the same question that ran through his mind, what the hell is he doing? Lucas didn't know why he had talked to Charlie, why he continued to act so friendly towards him even when he knew it wouldn't help improve his reputation in the slightest. What did they want to hear that wouldn't effect his reputation? He had to lie, Lucas didn't think they would believe he actually wanted to be friends with Charlie. He wanted to be friends with him? Why?

[Sub mission complete. You have gained 100 points. Host now has a total of 200 points.]

Right. It was for the points, the sub missions. The more he hung out around Charlie, his rival, the more sub missions would appear and the more points he would be able to collect. Lucas sighed before turning to focus his attention on Charlie, but then instantly noticed the action figure sitting in his locker, between a few books. His eyes lit up like a child's would on Christmas, "Is that what I think it is?"

Charlie glanced at Lucas, returning his wide eyed stare and excited smile, "You watch Time Of Death?"

Of course he did. Back when Ethan was Ethan, he watched each and every episode the second it was released. Time Of Death was about a detective who could tell the exact moment someone would die, he would know each and every detail... but not about himself. The first episode premiered when he was a child, and the detective became his hero, in a way. He would rewatch episodes when he couldn't anticipate the wait for the new one to come out, he owned every piece of merchandise he could about the show. The show was what inspired him to major in film in the first place, he hoped to create something as great as Time Of Death. He must of missed so many episodes after his... accident and resurrection. Such a pain.

But the action figure in Charlie's locker was one of the kind, one of the original action figure released in the early days of the show. Why the hell did he keep this in his locker? It was worth a fortune, it was like gold in some people's hands. Lucas couldn't help but reach out. He wanted to touch it, just a little.

"M-May I?" Lucas stammered, unaware of the wide eyes that watched him intently. Charlie giggled, before reaching for the figure and placing it in Lucas's shaking hands. Lucas admired each and every detail, it was an exact replica of the original detective from season one.

"You like it that much?" Charlie questioned, biting back a smile.

Lucas jumped at the question, his cheeks flaring red. Shit. He let his real self slip through, no one was supposed to see that. Lucas awkwardly smiled and went to give the figure back, even though he really didn't want to,

"Heh, sorry. I guess I'm a little bit of a fan."

"You can have it... if you want."

Lucas eyes flashed with boyish excitement again, "Really?! You mean it?!"

Charlie's heart skipped a beat, he didn't know Lucas's smile could be anymore enticing. They shared an interest. Lucas seemed about as passionate about it as Charlie was. It was evident by the pure joy in his features. Charlie would give him his whole collection if he could see this side of Lucas more often, he liked this side of Lucas. Maybe a little too much. Charlie smiled warmly, "Of course."

Lucas returned an even brighter smile that made Charlie weak in the knees. Lucas instantly cleared his throat, trying to regain control of his excitement. It still shined in his eyes as he spoke though, with a more neutral expression,

"Thank you, really. I will treasure it with all my heart~" He teased. He tried to make it sound like a joke, but it wasn't. He really would treasure it. He would probably buy a glass box and so no-one else could touch it, it was precious. He would put in on display in his room and pray to it every night. Okay, that last part was a little excessive, but everything else he would most certainly do. He also had to remind himself to catch up on all the new episodes. God, he really was still a nerd at heart, wasn't he? Maybe that was why he wanted to be friends with Charlie. Maybe Ethan would of became friends with someone like him in his previous life. Someone like him... it would be nice to be friends with someone like Charlie. Someone he could talk to and not feel as if he were being judged. He could be himself.

"You know, if you want..." Charlie starts, gaining Lucas's attention once more. Charlie's cheeks flush and he looks away, scratching the back of his neck, "I-I mean... only if you want, you could maybe... uh..."

Lucas tilts his head curiously, and Charlie continues to squirm under his gaze. The words were on the edge of his tongue, why couldn't he just say it?! Just invite him over, Charlie. Was it really that hard? It would only take a second, and he didn't even have to look at him while asking him! Because, friends invited each other over, right? And Charlie wanted Lucas to know he thought of him as a friend, he wanted to see his excitement at his Time Of Death merchandise collection, to talk about everything and anything else they might of shared in common. He wanted to know more about Lucas. He wanted to know everything about him.

"What the hell is going on here?" A voice hisses from behind. Lucas freezes, his shoudlers tense. Charlie internally sighs as an angry Ben steps between the pair. Ben's eyes wander from the toy in Lucas's hand and Charlie uncomfortable manner. Ben directs his glare towards Lucas, who tries and avoid his gaze as much as possible.

"Is he bothering you, Charlie?" He asks, keeping his eyes locked on Lucas.

"W-What?! No, he's not! We were just talking. He said he liked Time Of Death too... so I-"

"Of course he does," Ben growls.

He finally speaks to Lucas, not Charlie, as if finally noting his presence was worth mentioning. His voice is nothing like it was when he was talking to Charlie, it was laced with hatred and rage, "Stay the fuck away from my brother, got it? I don't know what the hell you're after, but come near him again or even talk to him, and I'll make your life here a living hell."

Rival. He was a rival, alright. Lucas couldn't seem to move a muscle as Ben stared him directly in the face, towering over him by more than a few intimidating inches. He didn't know what emotion was flowing through him at that moment. Confusion? Fear? Both? He was at a loss for words, his threat didn't seem like he was asking, more like ordering him.

"Got it?" Ben repeated, his fists clenching even harder at his side at the lack of an answer.

"B-Ben!" Charlie spoke, rushing to Lucas's side. Charlie seemed panicked as he tried to reason with his brother. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Ben was very slow to trust people, unlike Charlie. He was also very protective of Charlie, his little brother. Charlie was just too painfully naive. Ben was the only one who knew how to keep the bastards who wanted to hurt him away. If that made him out to be the bad guy, so be it.

"H-He's my friend!" Charlie ushered, tears stinging eyes.

"No, he's not." Ben stated harshly before grabbing hold of Charlie's arm and pulling him away from a frozen Lucas. Lucas blinked as he watched Charlie being forcibly dragged down the hallway. Charlie was fighting against his iron grip, desperately looking back at Lucas with tears streaming down his cheeks. But Lucas didn't do anything.

His lips pursed together into a harsh line as he looked down at the figure in his hands. He brushed the plastic mold with gentle fingers. Right, he's not his friend. Ben was right. It was stupid to believe they could even become friends in the first place. Maybe as Ethan... but not as Lucas. Ethan would of ran after Charlie, Ethan would of fought against Ben for his friend. But Lucas didn't. It wasn't meant to be. He was a rival. Not a friend, a rival. He couldn't think of him as anything more than that, he didn't want to think of him as anything more than that.

Lucas took a few careful steps towards Charlie's open locker and placed the figure back in it's rightful home, before shutting the door and turning on his heel to go to his home. To Lucas's home.

-

'Can I have a look at the shop, Sai?' Lucas asked, staring up into the dark space from the comfort of his bed.

It was a little past nine now. Lucas had gone home from school, acted like Lucas around his family while eating dinner, and answered any questions they had. It was mainly his mother asking him questions about his first day. He had told her it was boring, in order to avoid any more questions he really didn't have the energy to answer. Pretending to be someone else was so mentally draining. His sister, Molly, thankfully went on and on about her day, leaving Lucas to eat his dinner in peace and go up to his room early.

He watched all the episodes of Time Of Death he had missed, up until it started getting pretty dark outside. He had forgotten how much he had missed the show.

Suddenly a blue screen popped up in his vision, almost like a shop window. His number of points was in the top right corner of the screen, which was 200 at the moment. Organized by number of points were a list of items.

[Here is a list of all shop items and prices:

100 points
- Seduction Pill
- Lie Pill
- Skill Pill
500 points
- Past Pill
- Future Pill
1,000 points
- System Eye
10,000 points
- Soul Transfer
- System Body

You may access the shop window at any time by saying: Open Shop.]

Lucas really didn't understand any of these words. He raised a finger to touch and screen, and was surprised when it didn't phase through. His finger hovered over the Past Pill, before clicking on it. Another small screen appeared beside the larger one, providing details about the pill.

The Past Pill was exactly as it sounded, it took you to a specific moment in the past. Your body appeared invisible to others, but you could see and wander around the memory. It lasted 10 minutes. The same was with the Future Pill. The future took you to any moment before graduation. What you would see was not definite though, as this was only one possible future of the many choices Lucas might make. The pill also lasted 10 minutes before he was transported back to the present time.

He dismissed the screens and clicked on the System Eye. His eyebrow rose in intrigue. The System Eye was almost like a sort of... pet? It was a floating, glowing white ball that only the Host could see. The System Eye could look ahead and scout certain areas before he entered them, warning him of anyone who was inside. It could listen in on conversations within a 10 meter distance from the Host, and broadcast it straight to the Host's ears. It was a spying device, to best describe it. Lucas made a mental note that he might purchase this later on.

He clicked on the last two, Soul Transfer and System Body.

A Soul Transfer allowed a Host to swap souls with another being in his world, basically a body swap. It lasted an hour, and was only able to be used once before having to purchase it again. The only catch was that the Soul Transfer only worked with people he's came into contact with, physically touched and interacted with. So he couldn't exactly swap souls with someone he's never met, it had to be someone he personally knew.

The last one was System Body. It gave the Sai a physical body, a human body. With a body, Sai could mimic humans emotions and have his own personality. He could be molded into anyone the Host desired, or had a use for. Lucas frowned, before asking,

'Would you like a body, Sai?'

[Sai is happy to assist Host by any means.]

'That's great and all... but I'm asking what you want.'

[Sai is not a 'you.' Sai does not 'want.' Sai was created and specifically designed by the system for his Host.]

Lucas sighs. Was he really just a robot? Did he truly not feel a thing? Lucas dismisses the shop window and turns on his side, forcing his eyes shut. Lucas didn't know how long he would be in the system, how long each world would be. He didn't know if it would be years, or centuries he would spend in the system. If he did manage to survive that long to see the next world, and the world after that, he feared he would start to go insane. It would he nice to confide in someone. For someone to know exactly what he was going through and for them to give him some kind of comfort, to let him know he wasn't alone. But one of the rules was that he couldn't tell a single soul he was in the system, or it would all end, just like that.

But he would worry about that later, he had to focus on surviving his first world. Tommorow, he would continue with his strategy. He would avoid Charlie and Ben, to avoid angering Ben anymore. He didn't want to create any unnecessary obstacles by disobeying Ben and befriending his brother. He also wanted to avoid being straight out murdered by the man; he sure looked capable of it. If looks could kill, Lucas would be long dead by now. Lucas imagined Ben standing over his dead body and continuing to stab him over and over again. Lucas shuddered, shaking away the image.

Just go to school tommorow, become the friendly and charming Lucas, repeat. Everything would be fine... right?

-

The second day in the system. In his life as Lucas Cooperman. He made sure to wear something relatively flattering, from what he had learned to be trending in the fashion world. He wore an oversized baby blue sweatshirt and some black jeans that he had cut up to look ripped at the knees. He didn't know why exactly ripped jeans were such a huge thing. All he could think about was how his legs would be cold; but he decided not to question it. He spent the majority of his morning looking up skincare routines, and hairstyles that would flatter his face shape. He didn't remember the last time he put so much effort into his appearance. He was used to people not looking at him, so he didn't even bother, but now everything was riding on everyone looking at him, and what they thought of him.

He stopped to look in the bathroom mirror. His hair was so fluffy... it was the best word to describe it. It always looked as if he had just rolled out of bed, and everytime he tried to fix it, some pieces just refused to stay down. He brushed his fringe out of his eyes, pouting. He definitely had to get it cut, by a professional, not by his mother. He had the same hairstyle since as far back as Lucas' memories would allow.

He heaved a sigh and headed out of his room, his bookbag thrown lazily over his shoulder He skipped down the stairs, surprised to see his father at the table. He was sipping black coffee, chatting with someone on the phone. Lucas smiled his way as a way to say good morning, and was pleased at the nod his father sent him.

After breakfast his mother dropped him off at school, wishing him good luck. Lucas plastered a smile on his face before exiting the car and walking towards the school entrance. Eyes followed him as he went. And he couldn't help but feel like they were talking about him, whispering... and not in a good way. No, they were. He knew that judgmental look all too well; his smile disappeared slowly and than entirely. It followed him as he entered the school, and walked down the hallway. A path forged around him as his footsteps echoed the disturbingly quiet hallway. Only faint whispers could be heard over Lucas' pounding heart and racing thoughts. He fought the urge to run and hide, kept his eyes on the dull menoloem floor as he took step after step. His feet felt like metal weights, as he dragged them along. He managed to get to his locker and open it, hiding as much as he could in the cover his locker door provided.

Why are they looking at me like that? This wasn't how today was supposed to go. What had he done wrong?

"Luke," Lucas jumped at the voice before turning to see Miles standing next to him. Miles sent him his usual charming smile, but it didn't ease Lucas' nerves in the slightest, "We need to talk."