The next few days past like the wind until only a week was left for the homecoming dance. Which meant that students who still didn't have a date, were getting restless.

Anther woke up from his sleep due to the continues beeping of the alarm on his phone. Dismissing the noise, he slouched into the bathroom grumbling about Monday mornings. After walking out a few minutes later, he slipped on a navy blue hoodie and a denim and combed his hair before ruffling it up a bit and walking out.

He quickly exited the house before his mom could notice he skipped her healthy breakfast consisting of rabbit food. Crossing  the street to the other side to avoid the five foot long puddle from last night's rain, Anther stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets.

The wind was stronger today, and most of the roads were deserted due to the fallen trees that blocked them. So as Anther walked along the pavement, he fixed his attention on the woods to his right. Gulping, he whispered "Are you there?" Not actually expecting an answer.

Not that it came.

But he anyway continued to stare as he walked. The darkened leaves on the tall trees rustled before falling to ground behind the fence.

Letting out a puff of breathe as he was about to turn to cross the road, Anther stopped in his tracks as he saw it. Gazing down with softened eyes, he stared in pity at the creature. A rabbit. It looked like it was once quite beautiful. It's fur a stricking chocolate brown and it's eyes brown with golden flecks.

But now, the once beautiful fur was stained red with blood and it's brown eyes were filled with terror as it's chest heaved unevenly with ragged breaths.

Anther even considered smashing it's head with a stone to stop it's suffering, but before he could put his plan into action, a paper thin black spike pierced it's way into the rabbit's abdomen and sucked its last breath away.

Anther hurriedly stepped back as blood and guts pooled out around the rabbit. His breath heaved as the the tip of the slender object peered from the opposite side it had struck, and before Anther could even flinch, the rabbit was yanked fiercely into the woods. Pulled into the unreal darkness that was within, towards the unknown. Shutting his gaping mouth shut, Anther took off at a run.

☠︎︎ ☠︎︎ ☠︎︎

"So..." drawled out Alexa as she nudged Cathy for at least the tenth time. Almost making the brown eyed girl fall of her stool this time.

Cathy groaned and slammed down the wires she was trying to connect. "Are you even planning on passing this test?" She asked shooting Alexa a look.

They were supposed to go into the woods to defeat a demon tonight and if all went according to plan they would finally be able to defeat Malthus. Cathy exhaled as she ready had a lot on her mind. She didn't need Alexa's lectures as well.

"Nope," replied black haired athlete calmly. "Why should I when you're there to do it for me. Anyways as I was saying, has Anther even asked you yet? Cause brp qI know you like him so stop pretending."

Alexa snapped her fingers in front of Cathy's face to get her attention. "Guys are useless. You heard me? They first play with you and then laugh in your face once you've fallen head over heels for them." She said. "So if you don't want to spend a week sulking and crying in your room, my advise is to chop your feelings in the roots before they spread...I told this to Kylie as well, and as you can see, she clearly didn't listen. And now I'm just waiting for her to come crying to when Kyle dumps her." Alexa muttered as she fiddled with her nails.

"First of all," Cathy said as she connected the two wires and moved on to the batteries. "I don't like Anther." She lied. "Second, I don't think he's that type of guy. Third, I doubt Kylie will come crying to you cause the way she talks about Kyle shows how much she loves him which means he must be a nice guy."

"Exactly," said Alexa snapping her fingers once more. "She's love sick, and you will be too if you don't stop glancing at Anther every time his head is turned the other way."

Cathy let out of a small yelp as her batteries burst, causing a cloud of smoke fog her face. "Look what you made me do." She said through coughs as her throat started itching.

Alexa's eyebrows raised up before she spoke. "Me? You were the-"

"Move aside kids!" Screamed Ms. Fowl, their science teacher as she hurriedly made her way to their table on the last row. "Move!" She ordered once more at Alexa and Cathy once she reached them.

The two girls glanced at each other before stepping aside while the teacher tried to clear up their burnt mess.

"I didn't do anything!" Alexa hissed to Cathy so only the two of them would hear. "I was just talking."

"Exactly," said Cathy giving a fake honeyed smile.

"And you didn't let me finish it..."

"Why don't we just forget about Anther for a minute and you can tell me why you don't like Ryan." Said Cathy whirling the conversation around.

"Why do we-"

"Why don't you like Ryan?" Repeated Cathy more clearly as she crossed her arms.

"Becau-because- why do you want to know?" Burst out Alexa earning a few raised eyebrows from the students surrounding them.

"Do we have a problem here?" Asked Ms. Fowl craning her neck up. "Cause while I'm sorting out your mess of poisonous chemicals, you two seem to be having a lovely chit chat." She slipped off her rubber gloves and checked her watch before walking upto them. "And since y'all failed to do your assignment, you two get what you deserve, a fail."

Cathy groaned out loud while Alexa grabbed her bag and began walking out of class when the end of school bell rang.

"Wait for me!" Yelled Cathy grabbing her books and stuffing it in her bag before darting out of the class and pushing past students that ran out of the rooms surrounding her.

"Oh come on." Cathy cursed as she passed by a familiar set of lockers, Stopping in her tracks as checking her watch, Cathy huffed before walking upto her blue locker. "I thought I locked it." She muttered shutting her locker door and securing it by turning the dial.

She turned around and felt a crunch of paper underneath her foot. Raising her leg, she stared at the paper. A photo of Anther jumping up with a basketball, poised to shoot. Cathy bent down to pick the picture up before it was snatched away.

"Nice picture." Said an all too familiar deep voice.

Shit!

"I didn't know you had the hots for me." Said Anther playfully. He smiled at Cathy and winked when she turned to face him.

And damn if that gesture wasn't heart stopping.

"For the hundreth time Anther, I don't like you" said Cathy as she leaned her head against the locker as she rolled her eyes.

"So you find me unattractive?" Anther asked as he copied her stance.

"Well it's not that you're not hot," Cathy drawled. "I like you, but you know...not in that way."

Liar.

Anther glanced down at the photo in his hand. "Then why do you have a photo of me?" He asked looking up at her. "And why did you want to meet me?"

"Well first of all, can't I meet a friend? And secondly, I didn't say I wanted to meet you."

"Alexa said that you wanted to talk to me."

Cathy eyed the picture in Anther's hand before mentally thinking of ways to torture Alexa before killing her.

I'll first chop off her toes and then pluck her finger nails off and then-

"Cat?" Anther waved his hand in front of her face.

Cathy exhaled as she stood straight up. "I didn't tell Alexa that I wanted to meet you and that picture isn't mine." She said.

"Oh..."

Cathy smiled as she stepped to the side. "So, are you coming?" She said as she walked backwards before turning in front when she almost knocked a teacher.

* * *

A/N

So I know this chapter didn't have much but I just wanted y'all to get to know the characters a bit better. And it's been almost a month since all of them met so it was kinda fun writing Cathy not being as nervous as she was when she first met them.

Anyways feel free to leave feedback and tysm for reading upto here.

Fun fact for today : The 1st draft didn't have a Malthus, instead the villain was actually Slenderman. But there were so many parts I added to make it scarier so I just decided to make my own demon without ruining the tale of Slenderman.