Prologue: Act I

I rubbed my eyes with a yawn and blinked the sleep away, awakened by a voice on the speakers. I hummed as I looked out the window at the unfamiliar place. It was a calm dusk, the light from the airport building and the LEDs illuminating the road becoming more and more eye-catching against the dark background. The sky dimmed further, the bright and beautiful orange slowly disappearing into the horizon. People were bustling through the airport, appearing like ants from where I was.

The glass made itself visible under the fog of my breath and the awe-striking view was obscured. “Wilkommen in Deutschland. Welcome to Germany.” The speaker began to remind us to double-check our belongings and get ready to make our descent from the plane. “(Are you awake yet? Get your bags, we still have to catch a taxi and find the address!)”

“(Yeah, yeah. I’m awake.)” I yawned again as I replied to my nagging tita— aunt, for those who don’t understand— and got up, my head already beginning to ache from the jet lag. I groaned and unzipped my backpack, checking that everything was there before slinging it over my shoulder. She gestured to me in a hurry and I followed.

As soon as we got off the plane, goosebumps formed on my skin as it was pricked by the cold air surrounding me. Maybe I should’ve waited till it was no longer winter to move here… But then again, what the hell am I supposed to do? We claimed the rest of our baggage and waited for a taxi. My aunt gave them the address sent to us, the driver luckily familiar with it, and we began our travel through the night.

“Behave yourself this time, will you? If you were forcibly transferred one more damn time, I swear! Your mother would climb out of her grave to slap you.” She suddenly scolded me (again) and I uttered a quick apology, though I didn’t really care enough to mean it. “Sorry… I’ll do my best?” She spoke curses under her breath, clearly irritated by my nonchalant attitude.

‘Revanche.’ French for revenge. I’ve been told my name suits me. I’ve always been a… bit of a hothead. Heh.

—x—

A pair of sixth graders start whispering amongst each other as they see someone pass by. “Diba siya yung sinabi mo nasuspend last week? Ano ba ginawa niya?” (Isn’t she the one you said got suspended last week? What did she even do?)

The boy nodded his head. “Ou, gagi. Ang dami niya daw ninakaw e, kahit si Mark nabiktima niya. Nakakapagtaka nga ba’t di pa siya pinalipat ng seksyon o, mas mabuti pa, ibang school.” (Yeah, dumbass. They say she stole so many things, hell, even Mark fell victim to her. Really makes you wonder how she hasn’t been transferred to another section or, better yet, a different school.)

Another kid butts into their conversation from behind. “Yung narinig ko… May ninakaw din siya galing kay Revanche, e.” (From what I heard… She even stole something from Revanche.)

“Weh?! Ang tapang niya naman…! Pero, ano kinuha niya?” (Huh?! She’s so brave…! But, what did she take?)

The girl in question suddenly screams when she opens her locker to find some dog shit in it.

The trio stared at her in shock and awe. “…Pambura,” (…An eraser,) The third kid answered.

A good distance away, the culprit of this prank taken way too far sits on top of a closed toilet. He hears her scream echo through the hall and laughs quietly to himself as he holds up his favorite eraser in the shape of a small cookie. She was very unfortunate to choose him to steal from, and more so that Revanche just happened to step in dog shit on the way to school this morning. “Kehehe.”

—x—

“Huy! Ba’t ka nagabsent kahapon? Dami mo kaya namiss!” (Hey! Why were you absent yesterday? You missed so much!)

“Ha? Wala lang, late na ako nagising e. Bakit? Nagquiz ba?” (Huh? Nothing, I just woke up late. Why? Was there a quiz?)

“Hindi, pero ang lala talaga ng ginawa ni Revanche ngayon! Namula si Cruz sa galit kaya.” (No, but what Revanche did was really severe this time! Cruz went red from anger, you know.)

She recounted how she stepped into school to find teachers stomping around in a frenzy and students laughing and gossiping all over.

“(And then, I looked at what they were all waffling about and— Guess what? There were posters all over the place, all of them containing collages of some of worst of the shit Cruz has been doing. Peeking into the girl’s bathroom, throwing his ‘pet’ spider at people for fun, fighting off campus, the whole lot of it. Worse, turns out someone even leaked screenshots of a bunch of embarrassing posts he made!)”

“(Huh?! Then, did Revanche go and fight the culprit behind it or something? He’s friends with that asshole, isn’t he? He’s pulled so many crazy stunts since he transferred here in seventh grade, I wouldn’t be surprised if we found the culprit taped to the ceiling.)”

“(Well, that’s the craziest part! When Cruz got to the classroom, Revanche handed him this box that was very badly wrapped in heart patterned gift wrap. Then when Cruz opened it— My god. You really should’ve been there for it. It was unbelievable—)”

“(Can you get to the point?? Was it the culprit’s severed hand or what?)”

“(What the hell are you talking about?? Just be patient, I’m getting there! When he opened it, inside was Cruz’s missing pet spider, completely wrapped in tape like a mummy. Turns out Revanche was only ever friends with him to fuck him over after Cruz called him a weirdo loner a few months ago. Go figure.)”

Before her friend could even react, they heard a loud commotion outside. Upon investigating, Revanche was getting cornered by Cruz’s group.

“Tarantado kayo, ah.”

—x—

Hello. Revanche here. So, I broke Cruz’s nose. On accident.

Not my fault I just happened to be stretching my leg before they could beat me up and there just happened to be a bucket placed by my foot that just so happened to get the tiiiiiiniest nudge from my foot.

The fact Cruz caught said bucket with his face is entirely his fault. Plus, who puts a bucket in the middle of the hallway? I mean, it was in front of the janitor’s closet, granted, but is any of that my doing?!

Anyway, Tita Meghan chewed my ear off. Honestly, if she wasn’t a lawyer, I’d probably consider moving out of the house to go live my lifelong dream in an SM parking lot. With her amazing lawyerly skills, she somehow managed to gaslight the teachers to not expel my innocent self for all the shit I allegedly pulled. It’s in moments like these that almost make me want to say I love you and actually behave for once.

But, uh, thing is… Even with her sensational, spectacular, phenomenal lawyerness, she only just barely managed to keep me from getting expelled. Instead, they’re just doing the second forced transfer of my life.

Now here I am, exiting the cab. Standing tall before me was an old house. Rough flakes of old paint fell from the rusty gate. The grass was way overgrown, and so were the vines that climbed the walls and fences, moss between each crack and indentation in the bricks. A rat just ran by me. Wow, how fancy! We even have Ratatouille here as our own personal chef.

“How wonderful! Truly a blessing that your ol’ aunt Tina had a friend here who could lend us an old house they had. It’s beautiful!”

Holy shit. Wow. I love this house already. Yay. Great. Yipee.

Since it was hard to find an opening in a nearby Philippine school that would accept someone of my stupendous reputation and clean school record in the middle of the school year, they decided to take advantage of the sudden offer of a school from abroad to exchange students.

“(Aunt Meghan? Do you think we could find a fortune teller around here?)” She turned to me, confused. “(Why? You usually make fun of them.)” I looked at her with deep concern.

“(Auntie… I think I have a third eye.)”
“(Excuse me?)”
“(You see a beautiful house, and… I think I’m starting to see the ghosts of the people who were killed here. I think we’d be safer in a damn public bathroom.)”

I got hit upside the head.

“(You little…! I know it’s a bit of a fixer-upper, but just be grateful we found somewhere to sleep!)”

“(Seriously! This entire place is an accident waiting to happen. If someone were to try to drill a hole in the wall, the house would spin with the drill.)” I sneezed from the dust and shook my head.

The following morning, we commuted to the school. It was a large institution, the chatter of the students making the atmosphere lively. We asked the security guard for the location of the principal’s office. Several painful staircases later, we entered a room, the now-closed door blocking the noise from outside.

“...May I help you?” A man with glasses and a hairline to remind me to take care of my hair looked up at my aunt and me and adjusted his glasses, visibly confused. “Good morning sir, I assume you’ve already gotten a call from Mountain Ridge?”

“Ah!” He smiled, straightening his posture. “You must be Miss… Meghan, yes? You can call me principal Edward.” My aunt smiled. “Yes sir, and oh, this is Revanche.” He hummed and then looked at me, then did a double-take. I stifled a laugh.

I was wearing a studded leather jacket over a sweater. Rings and bracelets adorned my fingers and wrists and several piercings decorated my ears, some of them linked with a small chain. My hair was gelled, spiking and covering my left eye. I nodded at him. “Nice to meet you, sir.” He gulped and nodded. “...H-How nice…”

A professional-looking woman entered the room. “Herr, das-” She saw me and jolted backwards. “..Hi?” I said. Maybe a ghost from that old house came and followed me. Or maybe I went too far when I decided to come in my best clothes as aunt Meghan said… Hah!

“Ah, Miss Lia, this is Revanche. The, um… one of the transfer students from Mountain Ridge. Miss Lia gulped. “Oh, I… I see.” She pursed her lips and looked at me. “Philippines, right? Can you speak German?” I blinked and then cleared my throat. “Sie sind in Deutschland gelandet. Bitte überprüfen Sie Ihre Sachen, bevor Sie das Flugzeug verlassen.” (You have landed in Germany. Please check your belongings before getting off the plane.)

Everyone went silent for a moment. Principal Edward and Miss Lia exchanged glances as the former let out an awkward laugh and cleared his throat. My aunt beamed, smiling. “He spent a lot of time studying the language before we got here!”

It’s a miracle I wasn’t kicked out then and there, really.

I got an earful from my aunt when she found out where I got my quote-on-quote, ‘amazing and fluent German.’ Even I can’t tell you the exact translation of what I said, but it was probably something about planes. I woke up early to go to school a couple of days later since we had to fix some documents and open a bank account for my student visa. No uniform was needed, thankfully, so I just wore my usual style. I most truly hope Miss Lia won’t have nightmares.

That’s sarcasm. It was pretty damn funny.

I entered the classroom according to my schedule and settled into an empty seat at the back. Classes haven’t started yet, but most students were already here chatting. I looked around, still not used to the sight. I was born and raised in the Philippines, so seeing so many different hairs and eye colors made me feel like I was in a cartoon. I noticed two people around my age with their hair dyed unnatural colors. They were a few seats ahead of me and spoke in fluent English, and it seemed to be about the transfer student sitting at the back of the room. Oh, how I wonder who that is.

One was a short boy with curly black hair, the ends colored a bright violet. He was in a white jacket, many colorful brooches attached to it. He was talkative and seemed playful. His friend answered his pestering with an annoyed tone.

I couldn’t see the boy’s friend properly, as their back was turned to me. They were in an oversized blue sweater with a wide collar. Their snow-white hair reached below their ears, turning black at the roots. The one with purple hair glanced at me then said something to his friend, and they both looked at me. The one with white hair had a pretty face with blue, no.. green? His eyes were somewhere between blue and green, which was quite a pleasant surprise. Didn’t think white boys came in those. Go figure.

They looked away after a bit. It’s there that I stop my train of thought in the realization that the three of us just had the most awkward eye contact I’ve experienced since I got here, very well beating the Principal’s office.

Before I could even think to say anything to them, however, the bell blared in the halls, ushering students into their rooms. A teacher walked in and greeted us all good morning. “As you may have heard, we have a new student today. Revanche, please introduce yourself.”

Sheesh, you already said my name. What’s the point of an introduction when you’ve already spoiled it? “Revanche Villaroman, I’m 16.”

“Do you have anything else to say to your new classmates?” He noticed my raised eyebrow and added, “It’s so they can get to know you better.”

I blinked. “No, not really. Can I sit down now?”

Several weeks later, I found myself going to detention. Gotta make those good first impressions, huh? I followed the instructions and searched all over the school. Up, right, left, up, down, right, spin 3 times, stop and think about my reason for being, I felt like an 8-year-old trying to activate a probably fake easter egg in some video game based on a sketchy claim from an anonymous user.

Soon, Miss Lia came stomping in my direction. “Oh, Miss Lia! Do you know where the” She grabbed my arm and dragged me with her. “You’re supposed to be in detention, where exactly have you been?”

“Well, you see, where I’ve been is a tricky question since I don’t know either. This school is a damn labyrinth.” I got hit upside the head again. I bet 50 bucks and my fat ass that my head will be off in several months.

The door opened and I was most unceremoniously shoved in. Looks like Miss Lia is less of a scaredy-cat than I first thought. I looked behind me as she stormed off while muttering something about waste and time before I closed the door and looked around.

The classroom was almost empty, with less than a handful of students including myself. A teacher sat at the desk near the board, headphones on with music so loud I could hear it from here. He didn’t seem to give a single damn shit, and I respect that. He glanced at me before turning back to the screen of his laptop. “Sit wherever you like, just don’t bother me.” Sheesh! Get this man a coffee this instant.

I looked around again, paying more attention this time. There was a kid at the back with her legs propped up onto the desk using her phone. Another kid a few seats away was very obviously vandalizing the desk.

Farthest from them, near the front were two people I recognized; The boy with curly black and purple hair and the boy with mid-length white hair. The usually louder of the two was fast asleep, his head leaning against the wall and his mouth wide open as he snored. The white-haired boy sat quietly, scrolling on his phone. He looked up at me then away. I sat beside him.

“And here I thought you were all quiet and well behaved! Fancy meeting you here.” I laughed, but stopped when he glared at me. “Fuck do you want?” Damn, what did I do?

“Nothing, I’m just bored.” He rolled his eyes. “Well, go look for someone else to bother. I’m sure someone like you might know someone else here in detention.” I took a deep breath and blinked. “You do realize that regardless of my status, I’m quite literally in a new school in a foreign country, and wouldn’t really know anyone yet, right?” He looked up from his phone for a moment, visibly processing it.

He sighed as he realized I had a point (duh!) and put his phone down. He looked out the window, his head propped up on one arm, appearing bored and disinterested. “Fine. I was running low on battery anyway.”

I grinned at the pleasant surprise. “Really? Great, because I have several questions.” He groaned. “So, what’s your name? Why’re you of all people in detention?” He looked up, as though surprised I asked that. “..Nikolas Altschuller. Friends call me Kotsu. Your name’s Revanche, right?” I nodded.

He gestured to the kid sleeping beside him. “Mike and I were late and got caught climbing through the gym window. Shortie got fucking stuck.” I huffed out a laugh.

We heard a yawn and looked at the person in question. “Not my fault you didn’t wanna help me out!”

“Why the fuck did you try to climb down headfirst then, idiot?! And there is no way in fucking hell that I’m pulling your lizard feet out of a tiny-ass fucking window!”

“You could’ve at least tried, you dick! You just had to pull my ankle and I’d be free! FREE!”
“Ugh! I wouldn’t put my hands anywhere near your ankles or those filthy grippers if you offered to pay me a million bucks! Hell, you could go fuck off and fall down a ditch too for all I care, you Jurassic Park reject. You would’ve made feet fetish jokes to annoy me afterwards, anyway.”

“Yeah. That’s true. You know me so well, I’m flattered!” Mike got punched in the arm. He’s very cheerful for someone who just got a verbal beating.

“So, why did you go to detention?” Kotsu asked, pushing Mike off him.
“I overheard some dickheads talking shit about me so I stuffed a raccoon in their bag.”

“I knew it! It'd be some kind of insane prank or stunt of some sort! Kotsu~!” I watched in confusion as Kotsu groaned and pulled out a My Chemical Romance wallet and took 10 euros from it, handing it to Mike with visible irritation.

Soon after, the bell rang, and the teacher spoke up. “Alright, you can go now.” I stood up and nodded at the two beside me. “I’ll see you both on Monday, hopefully not in detention.” I laughed and walked away, flipping my hand backwards to wave goodbye while I pushed the door open.

It’s been a couple of months since then, and Kotsu and I have gotten surprisingly close.

At first, he still didn’t fully trust me, even after warming up to me after our first meeting… So I proposed a prank competition. He rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Really? Something that childish?” I shrugged and looked out the window.

“Thought you might see some fun in pissing on those guys who keep making fun of you and trying to harass you after school.” He looked at me, shocked, before quickly getting defensive. Seems he didn't want anyone to know.

“What? Stalking now, Revanche? Fucking hilarious, you’ve sent me rolling with that.” He said sarcastically, and I shook my head. “One of those guys, Dominik, bothered me too, so I thought I’d get back on him and started following him to make up a plan. Then I saw him and his pals cornering you and Mike.” I looked away, huffing at the memory.

Good thing Mike managed to create a distraction so they could climb up the fence and book it. Had he not done that… God knows what Tita Meghan would be lawyering me out of this time.

Kotsu sighed and looked away, almost embarrassed. “Ah, shit..” I shook my head. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you’re worried about. Now,” I smirked, extending my hand out. “Whoever pisses them off the most is owed lunch by the loser. Do we have a deal?” Kotsu sighed, but he seemed a lot less tense after I said I won't tell a soul. “This feels like signing a contract with the devil… But fine.” He shook his head, smirked and took my hand, a glint of competitiveness in his eyes. “Let’s fuck shit up.”

The weeks that would follow ended up being the most fun I’ve had in my entire life thus far.

I went to my next class on Monday with the jar of dyed rat glue ready in my pocket. I planned it all thoroughly, so hope it’ll be enough to impress him. I hummed in curiosity as I walked in on the unusually loud chatter and chaos in the classroom, the only class I have with Dominik. I pushed through the amused and confused crowd to find that Dominik’s chair had been covered head to toe in Christmas gift wrap. A cute bow topped it. I pushed my laughter down and watched as the man of the hour walked in and yelled in absolute anguish.

“Oh, God damn it! Of course, they got this class too! Who is it?! Why’re you doing this to me, and in NOVEMBER?!” He pulled at his hair and groaned. “And what do the cards fucking mean?!” A couple of his friends walked up and asked him about the cards, and I decided to tune in and eavesdrop.

Looking over their shoulders, I saw Dominik with two cute Christmas cards in his hands. It seems that whoever did this didn’t just do it once; they did it for his past classes, too. They seem to be timing the wrapping just before he comes to his classes as well because otherwise, someone else would’ve unwrapped the seat before Dominik could get there. I grinned, looking out the window to meet the eyes and mischievous grin of a certain white-haired emo kid. He nodded, as though saying ‘your turn’ and walked off.

On the first card Dominik received simply read “Good morning.” The second card read “Be grateful you didn’t get coal, you rotten little shit.” I watched as he angrily tore the gift wrap off his desk and chair, finding a note on his desk. It read:

That one genuinely took me by surprise, especially since I knew it was the only message not directed at Dominik. He must’ve noticed, then. I chuckled to myself. Smart boy. Great taste in music, too. I smiled to myself. I'll have to step up my game.

The next day, a class outside my schedule watched as Dominik sat in his seat, causing the hidden string to be pulled, and a pinata hidden on top of the projector fell right on Dominik’s head, earning a loud yelp in pain from the pebbles I had left inside it. The pinata broke, leaving behind confetti and an angry cat toy holding a card of my own making.

“I know what I need to sweep him off his feet, he knows the work will damn near kill me.” Kotsu looked out the window with pink cheeks and met my eyes. I simply stuck my tongue out at him playfully as I left. Dominik cursed when he realized his seat had been painted over with rat glue dyed the same color as the wood, making it harder for him to get up.

He’s even more interesting than I had ever imagined, I can’t help but put extra effort into my work, knowing he’ll watch and judge for himself. Two weeks went by in which Kotsu and I took turns, pranking Dominik. Friday afternoon, I met up with Kotsu and Mike after classes ended.

“Did you hear about everything that happened to that dickhead? It was crazy.” I started, and Kotsu got the memo, pausing from drinking his black coffee. He really likes that stuff, huh? “Yeah, this was the best week of my life.” He chuckled, then noticed an unusual silence beside him. “Mike?” Mike stopped walking and looked down with a sigh. “Alright, you two. Don’t freak out, but I have to confess something.”

He looked up at us and gestured for us to lean closer so he could whisper it out. “It was me!”

We both stared in shock for a moment, looking at each other. “No way!” “Really?!” Mike opened his mouth to say something and we dropped our act.

Kotsu spoke up again and cut him off. “Just kidding, that was so fake. You’re getting worse at these jokes. Sorry, I don’t know what else to tell you.” Mike puffed his cheeks out. “Come on, you didn’t even believe it for a moment??” Kotsu sighed and we stopped walking again, looking at him. “How could we when we already know?”

“Huh? Really?! Who is it?” He caught up to us excitedly. I looked away, deciding against telling him for now. “Sorry, can’t.” Kotsu shook his head. “What was your favorite, though?” Mike hummed, thinking. “Hard to say, especially since doing so might make you think I’m picking favorites between you two.” Kotsu and I looked at each other in genuine shock then back at him. “Hay, shet. Paano na toh..” I muttered, pursing my lips awkwardly.

He snickered and brought a finger to his lips. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. If you had a bet, which I’m guessing is why you’re asking me this, then I’ll have to say this; All of them were fucking fantastic, honestly can’t figure out how you both did all that!” He looked away thoughtfully with a giggle, walking ahead of us. “What criteria should I go by? Let’s say.. Showmanship and technical difficulty.”

“Both of you had high technical difficulty, but in different styles; Revanche used timing and materials that are honestly probably illegal. Kotsu used long pranks that would extend throughout the school day and speed.” He smiled. “In showmanship though..” I shook my head and stopped him. “It’s fine, I know the answer,” I smirked at Kotsu before walking away. “I’ll come to pick you up at noon, Santa.”

Now back to my present; Again, been a couple of months, and we’ve only grown closer. I looked around and smiled when I saw Kotsu sitting on the park bench a few meters away. I walked over and waved, he nodded and thanked me as I handed him some ice cream.

“Is Mike not coming?” I asked, looking around. He shook his head. “He got called for a project, so he’ll be running a bit late.”

I nodded, humming. “Man. And the ice cream truck is leaving soon…” I remembered a question I’d had for a while. “Say, before we met, he was your only friend, right? Why’s that?”

Kotsu looked at me and stammered at the question. “Oh, uh.. I…” he let out a long sigh.

“I’m.. not the best with people. Too much talking can kind of exhaust me, and I get quiet around strangers. Been like that since I was a kid.” He paused and licked his ice cream. “..You know how there’s three of us? Me and my siblings? It’s.. We were originally 4.” My eyes widened and watched as he bit his lip hesitantly.

“When uh, when I was 6 years old… My older brother and I were left home alone one night because our dad was out of the country, and mom got called back to office because of an emergency. But then, we heard the door open. We went to the staircase thinking it was mom, but… Instead, there were these weird guys in hoods.” He nervously ate his ice cream to calm down. He didn’t let it show on his face, but I could tell the memory affected him deeply.

“They took him. They took my brother.” He said quietly, as though if he were to speak any louder, he may shatter. He then looked up at me. “They took Nathaniel.” He bit his lip and looked away again. “...That’s why I have such shitty insomnia. It’s uh, hard to accept, even now… They haven’t found him.”

“…I’m sorry.”
“No, no. It’s alright, Van. I’ve been meaning to tell you about this for a while now, anyway.”

He paused. “That, as well as some temporary mutism I had back then put me into therapy. Hell, I still go. And well, rumors about it all spread, and all my old friends turned on me and left ages ago. My therapist noticed this and coincidentally, her nephew happened to be coming back home from the US.” He smiled. “That’s how I met Mike. I know she secretly told him about everything I went through, so he’s always just… known what to do. He can be such an ass sometimes, but to be honest, I don’t know where I’d be without him, you know?”

“I’ve been contemplating telling you this, but… To be honest, despite only knowing you for a few months, somehow, I feel like I’ve known you all my life.” He smiled at me. “I hated you at first because I thought you were just another one of the scummy, annoying little shits at this school, but… Turns out you’re probably one of the nicest annoying little shits I’ve ever met.”

I huffed out a laugh. “Wow. Thanks, dick.” He laughed and ate his ice cream.

“But really, Revanche. I, um… Sorry. About how I used to talk to you back then… Turns out, you’re not such a bad guy after all.”

I looked down, thinking about confessing something myself, but decided against it.

“…You’re the most interesting person I’ve ever met, Nikolas Altschuller.” He looked at me in confusion, but I just stared at the pond in front of us and ate my ice cream in silence.

“Hey!!” We looked to our right and smiled as we saw Mike run over to us.

“Isn't your birthday on the 22nd, though? Why’re you asking for us on the 23rd?” I asked, confused. Mike only grinned as Kotsu explained.

“This bastard surprisingly has a fuck ton of friends, and I don’t really like big crowds nor strangers in general, so we usually just hang out the day after. We’re including you now, though, since I actually regretfully like your company and shit. And everyone else at school thinks you’re a dick, so there’s that too.”

I thought back to the time Kotsu looked like he was gonna die when a stranger shared a table with us at Wendy’s and smiled to myself. “Oh, right.” He glared at me with pink cheeks, as though already knowing what I’m grinning about. “Don’t say a fucking word!” I laughed, which only made him pout and click his tongue. Mike looked at us, confused.

Mike huffed, shaking his head at us and muttering something under his breath. “Whatever! Where do ya guys wanna go, though?”

Kotsu shrugged. “Well, we can just get a meal and watch a movie.”

Had he not replied so fast, I would’ve called out what Mike was muttering, but oh well. If Kotsu didn’t hear it, then fine.

Mike pouted, blowing a raspberry. “But we can do that anytime!”
“Let’s go eat and vandalize Dominik’s parents’ car.”
“Revanche, I do not feel like getting arrested on my birthday!”

“...”
“Kotsu, don’t say it.”
“....”
“Don’t! No! Bad!”
“My Chem—”
“Kotsu, sometimes we have to let the dead go, okay?!”
Kotsu let out a small sob, grit his teeth and held a fist to his chest. He turned away from us, and Mike and I shared a glance of pity, shaking our heads.

Mike and I discussed where to go, every single one of my ideas immediately got refuted. We'll only go to jail if we get caught! I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Kotsu was crouched, his back towards us. “..Kotsu?”

He turned around with a wide grin, and I gasped as my vision was obscured by a large ball of snow landed on my face. Is this my karma for that bucket thing with Cruz…? I wipe it off, the cackling of the culprit loud in my ears.

Mike snorted and started laughing too, watching as I struggled to get the snow off my face. “Hey, here's an idea,” Kotsu clapped his hands, getting the snow off them with satisfaction. He put his hands in his pockets and continued.

“How about for Mike’s birthday we all just eat somewhere then play in the snow? We still haven’t had a chance to go play like we promised Revanche.” Mike grinned, nodding.

“Definitely better than just movies or a criminal record! What do you think, Rev—” A snowball hit his face and I chuckled as I threw a larger one at Kotsu.

We ended up pelting each other with snowballs for an hour before finally going home.

A couple of days later, Mike’s house had 3 snowmen wearing party hats in front of it.

Unfortunately, Mike couldn’t come tonight since he’s busy visiting his grandparents in an unexpected emergency. Food poisoning or something, I think. Yikes…

That left only Kotsu and me to plan our next schemes. We decided to meet at an old abandoned building, to celebrate that time the three of us hid there to hide from Dominik and his gang before we could get in a huge fistfight.

I was running a few minutes late, but not my fault it was so hard to navigate the area! This time isn’t actually about my definitely-not-lacking sense of direction, but because of the crowd several blocks away, as well as the fact I had to escape detention for a minor offense I didn’t even commit.

Looking around, looks like the crowd was gathered because someone started a small fire in an apartment complex nearby. Seems like they’re still searching for the culprit. Hope they find them soon, shit.

I checked my phone so I could call him and apologize for being late, but there was absolutely no signal... Might’ve been because of the fire.

I looked back at the building as I approached it, checking to see if I could see him through the windows. I smiled, warming up in the cold night when I saw him on the second floor, back pressed against the cloudy glass.

I quickly went cold again as I heard a gunshot in the distance.

A ringing noise sounded in my ears and my vision momentarily blurred at the surreal sight of the window Kotsu was leaning on shattering. Blood was everywhere as his body fell from the second floor and onto the cold pavement. I can barely feel my hands as my phone falls to the ground.

I began to breathe heavily and my legs moved on their own, shaking at first before beginning to sprint. “KOTSU!” I yelled, running towards him.

He turned his head, blood spilling from his chest and through his pale lips to look at me. My legs were trembling too hard to stay standing, so I knelt beside him, disregarding the danger of the shattered glass like broken stars around us. He was paler than ever. I shakily looked down at his chest. More and more blood was spilling out of it, and more from his mouth, too. A silent prayer was all that was heard, as I grit my teeth and tried to come up with something to do.

“F-fuck… Fuck! What do I.. Hold on, man I’ll…!” I put my trembling hands on his chest in hopes of stopping the bleeding, but it was no use.

“Run. Don’t let them know you were h-here.” He said through teary eyes, smiling at me even as he struggled to breathe. How can you smile at a time like this, when you can disappear any second, like a dandelion in the breeze? You fucking asshole…

I stayed by him in silence, so many thoughts running through my head, yet none leaving my lips. A teardrop landed onto his arm, dripping down and turning red with the blood.

“…I’ll come back for you, I promise. I…I won’t let them get away with this.” He continued to smile and shook his head, laughing.

“You just love stirring shit up, huh? You’re so fucking stubborn, you dick.” I gulped and sniffed, slowly standing up,

“I-I’ll be quick, alright? Just— please... Don’t go.” I mumbled.

He nodded at me and whispered back, and I turned around and ran.

I stumbled, the tears making it harder and harder to see. I searched for help. Someone, anyone’s fine. I don’t care if it’s my aunt, an officer, Miss Lia, hell, I’ll fucking take Dominik! Shit!

I finally stopped and panted as I found a small group of people near a small store. They gasped and stepped away from me, and it’s here I notice the blood on my hands and knees.

“Ist das nicht dieser Punk aus der Innenstadt?”
“Blut? Was ist..”

"BITTE!" (PLEASE!) I cried, doing my best to wrack my brain for whatever German words I could remember. “M-my friend..! Pistole! Absterben! Der beistand..?!” They looked at each other in confusion, and perhaps distrust. Curse these foul rumors!

Regardless, they seemed to agree to follow me, even with whatever skeptics they had. It began to rain.

By the time we arrived, only the shattered glass could be found, and I fell to my knees once more. The group following me whispered to each other before leaving me to my thoughts. My heart was in the state of the glass before me as I watched the last few drops of blood wash away in the rain.

“I told you not to go,” I whispered, to now no one. Three unspoken words, forever unheard.

What meaning does this all have, now?

…It’s so cold.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the same group of people had returned, and a few officers dragged me to the police station to find and contact my guardian.

“God, you’re such a headache! Scaring the masses, now, huh?!” My aunt yelled as she dragged me back home. I could barely lift my feet from the weight in my chest. “What a waste of time, everyone thought it was something serious!”

She unlocked the door and walked past me to put down her bag. “Go shower, you smell like shit. I’ll heat dinner up.”

I didn’t bother to come back down; I don’t think I want to do anything anymore. I looked at my hands. They felt so numb yet somehow, I could still feel the ghost of blood on them.

What even is it that I feel, anymore? Am I sad? Am I angry? Hah, maybe my aunt had some sense in her when she called me a headache. It’s strange; Despite how much I want to cry for hours, despite how much I want to hurt the culprit of all this, I can’t even find the strength to make a fist anymore.

Funny, isn’t it? How I can’t do anything, how I don’t know anything, how I’m told to just shut up and behave while they investigate. The very thing that fuels me into doing what I do... My own prison. The authorities said they’ll investigate, but would they really spend time searching for something nobody saw? Including me, a pathetic nobody punk? Especially with that fire..

Mike’s sudden emergency… That apartment fire… Was it really all a coincidence that I was alone? If I hadn’t escaped detention… What would’ve happened?

It seems I saw something I was never meant to see.

And unknown to me, I would hear that from someone’s mouth, not even a month later.

I shook the thoughts out of my head and got up, forcing myself out of the house with every remaining will left in me. I barely even realized how many hours had passed. I didn’t get a wink of sleep.

Everything felt so complete yet so wrong, like an artificial product amongst reality. Too good to be true, a most obvious white lie. Am I still asleep or something? “Hey, Revanche! Why weren’t you there last night, it even rained, you dick!”

I hear a familiar voice and meet unharmed teal eyes. What happened to him calling me Van? In his hand was a warm cup of coffee, steam showing in the cold air.

There was an awful lot of creamer.

I smiled. “Sorry, I got caught up in detention. I managed to escape, but then my aunt caught me and dragged me home.” He and Mike laughed. “Idiot. Just stop getting caught!” Mike teased, and I stuck my tongue out at them both.

Yet, no amount of acting can cover up this horrible sense of dread. ‘Don’t let them know you were here.’ I understand, now. Partners in crime truly do what they can to get each other out of shit situations all the way till the very end, huh?

How romantic of you… I won’t forget you; I promise.

About a week passes. ‘Kotsu’ didn’t touch his guitar. He keeps putting a lot of creamer in his coffee, and he doesn’t remember some things. Not even that conversation we had at the park.

Sometimes, I could feel him staring at me, but it didn’t feel right. Maybe I’m overthinking, maybe I ate something weird that night, but this heavy feeling that’s been haunting me won’t leave no matter how much I try to shake it. I don’t think anyone can fool me out of this sense of dread, nor this strange pain in my chest that makes it hard to breathe.

Yet I don’t want to despair. I won’t give in. Even when everything around me feels like it’s crumbled down, like a part of me has been violently ripped out of me without a word, I’ll keep fighting these fucking bastards.

Maybe then, I can face Kotsu again without this guilt.

Kotsu called Mike and me to hang out at the usual place, a quiet street the three of us will sometimes hang out in. We had to change places since the old abandoned one got boarded up. Not like I’d want to go back there, anyway.

By the time I arrived, he was already leaning on the wall waving at me. I smiled and waved back, double-checking that my phone was in my pocket, quick dial ready. “Hey. Where’s Mike?”

He hummed, looking down and fiddling with his nails. “Oh, him? He won’t be coming.”

My blood ran cold, and I furrowed my brows. “…And why’s that?”

“I told him not to, that’s all.” He looked back up at me, leaning his head on the wall behind him with a smile. Something about it sent a chill down my spine.

I put my hand in my pocket where my phone was, shifting my weight in an attempt to make it look more natural. “Is there anything you want to talk to me about, then, Kotsu?” He shook his head, still smiling.

“Not at all, in fact, Revanche…” He walked up to me. I instinctively backed away until I felt my back hit the wall behind me. He put his arm up on the wall beside me, cornering me.

“For the past week, you’ve seemed to have something on your mind. Something you want to say to me. What is it?”

“…You cut your hair a little.” He laughed, and for a moment, it almost felt like the real Kotsu. I froze.

“Is that really it?”

“...And are you really Kotsu?” His smile twitched at my question. I laughed it off, trying to abolish the sudden tension in the air that made my skin crawl. “I mean, I saw some weird shit the other day. You were… Lying in glass and your own blood.”

“You saw that?” He gave me a strange expression, completely blank yet something about the look in his eyes nearly made me jump right out of my skin. I pushed him off me and ran as fast as I could as I pulled my phone out.

I didn’t bother trying to fight back, as much as I wanted to beat the shit out of this guy. The moment he turns out to be armed I’d just be completely and totally fucked, anyway. Cracked screen to my ear, I continued to run with the adrenaline coursing through me. I was practically begging for it to stop ringing and for someone to answer finally answer me. “Shit, shit, shit!! Come on..!”

“Hallo, Polizei. Was ist de-” I turned my head and saw a large van speeding towards me on the empty road.

My eyes squeezed shut in pain, my phone falling from my hand once more as I’m hit by the car.

Moments felt like hours. It hurt all over. I weakly open my eyes again to see the driver rushing out of his car over to me. I reached my hand out and tried to speak through the pain.

Yet, it was all too easy to tell they had no intention of helping me; Not with the sack they’ve tied around my head, that’s for sure. Numb from the pain, I can just barely feel them carrying me into the back of the van.

After a short while, I hear the door slide open and then close again. I felt a weight in the spot right beside me, as though someone’s sat down.

A familiar voice belonging to a boy with teal eyes makes everything clear. “My sincerest apologies, my Lord, that we have to escort you in such a crude way. But no matter— we’ll get you fixed right up!”

When I woke up, I found myself in a cold, unfamiliar room, with rotten flooring and walls and gothic furnishing.