It was a strange day, stranger than any normal day. The eyes of the teenage mass of students weren't paying her any mind, and the hallways didn't seem frozen in shock.

She carried on to her locker, her feet moving slowly, her laces tied tight so no more trickery ensued. Her eyes roamed, looking for something, someone, a specific one.

His face crossed her eyes and she stopped. Crystal blue eyes, pale tattooed skin dressed neatly, formally, deadly. Her eyes wandered, running up his stature, his make, wondering how God built this masterpiece and cursed it with a scarlet M.

Murderer. Was it him? Was the blood on his hands that of Owen Klum? Were the droplets of red on his sharp cheeks Owen? Were those allegations all true? Was her heart blinding her sight from the truth that the general population knew? What could she do? What will he do?

Flashes of her nightmare blinded her—hellish screams wreaked her, his black eyes searched her; his tattooed hands stained her. She was struggling, the air couldn't get in, his hands tightened, her eyes rolled back, his laughter scared her soul... and her body fell to the cool forest floors waiting to wrap her in warmth, in familiarity, in limbo.

~ ~ ~

Arlo was jittery, like she drank ten espresso shots and ate a bucket of candy. Her eyes were playing games with her, her mind was slowly fleeing away from her grasp and she couldn't catch it fast enough to regain at least a lick of sense from this maddening world she had been thrusted into.

Cillian hadn't come to school, he was absent thus far as second period came to an end. Why couldn't she stop seeing those eyes, why couldn't his image disappear from her sight when he wasn't really there to help the illusion?

She needed help, she needed to black out from alcohol consumption or anything—anything that will make her forget the secrets his life hid away.

Her skin shivered when a hand brushed her shoulder, her eyes snapped to her right to see the culprit. "What?" she whispered, trying to hold back her hysteria.

"Dude, where's your friend?" a hand combed back through thick brown curls as green eyes looked at her at a loss, his freckled cheeks pink and his face a confusion—mimicking hers. Her body stilled and her eyes went dim. What did he mean, what friend? Who could he be thinking of? She panicked and he saw her taking too long to answer so he glimpsed towards the teacher who didn't notice them and back to her. "Taro, where is she? I didn't see her in first period."

Her heart slowed and sank at the same moment to the bottom of her being. Was this a coincidence? Both Taro and Cillian missing on the same day after meeting a day ago through her.

The boy, Jackson, touched her shoulder again and she shook her head. "Yeah, umm. I think she was feeling sick so that might be why."

He nodded. "Well, I hope she feels better. I didn't get a text back from her earlier though."

She gulped, Taro not replying back? Taro lived for texting and she always replied back right away, unless she was working or sleeping... this was beginning to become overwhelming. Arlo shrugged. "Maybe she's still asleep." she lied again. She couldn't help it. Nothing but lies came from her lips, she couldn't understand why she would, she herself didn't know if Taro was sick or not, but the lies flowed like a river from her lips. She bit them and turned back in her seat.

The clocked ticked to the beat of her heart and her lungs strangled and her cheeks were pinking and her eyes were wild and her body didn't feel like she owned it anymore. She wanted to peel back her skin and dive her hands into her chest to stop her heart from exploding. Her throat wheezed, her chest constricted, her mouth gasped like a fish drying up. Her hands slammed on the desk alerting all who surrounded her and without warning she lost all sense of consciousness.

The cool tile welcomed her with open arms and the legs of each student extended as they all stood and the teacher paled, and the girls screamed and the boys panicked and Jackson lunged forward. The classroom was a zoo with wild reactions and uncontrollable emotional outburst. She wasn't breathing, her pulse was running away slowly each second.

The teacher pushed a child out with a message to the guards and her face twisted as she dropped to her knees to aid the fading teen.

The clock ticked... and the bell rang, but no one left.

~ ~ ~

The hush, hush, hushing of voices around her didn't stir her, but the object on her face did. She reached for it but a hand stopped her and her eyes lifted inch by inch. Foggy sight blinded the figure besides her until a voice spoke. "Don't, it's oxygen honey." no wonder it smelt so clean. She tried to swallow but her throat refused the order and her chest tightened as she coughed. Her blurry eyes fell to the cup of clear liquid and her hand weakly pointed. Her mother got the message and brought it to her, she pushed the mask down and put a hand behind her head to help her up. Arlo felt the cold liquid run down her throat as her dry tongue rejoiced and her throat finally allowed her to swallow. She closed her mouth and the mask was back on, supplying her with clean air. She sighed and her head throbbed.

"Mom?" the groggy question, it hurt to speak, but curiosity was weighing heavy on her mind.

"You had a silent panic attack then you passed out, they couldn't keep you at school so they brought you here in an ambulance and called me. You were unconscious for four hours." the lawyers' voice broke as she held back tears. "You had me so worried, baby."

"Sorry."

She chuckled. "Oh sweetheart, it's okay. I was just scared. Daddy will be here soon to take you home, okay." she nodded in understanding and made herself comfortable in the bed.

~ ~ ~

Her dad was driving her home, her mom went back to court and the day seemed to be all a blur, so she closed her eyes.