What do you do when everything you thought you knew turns out to be a lie?

It's 2021 and the utopian city, No. 1, has a prisoner on the loose.

Ashton Taylor was what people called a Super Elite – instead of excelling in only one category (athletics or intelligence), she excelled in both. Thanks to this, she, her twin brother, Aaron, and their mother have been able to live in luxury since Ashton was merely two years old. However, when one of the first typhoons attacked No. 1, she met a boy known only as Shere. Despite knowing that he was a fugitive running from the law, she treated his wounds and gave him a place to sleep that night. The next morning, the boy was gone without a trace. Because she harbored a fugitive without informing the Ministry of Peace, Ashton was stripped of her title and forced to move to Lost Town, one of the lowest levels in No. 1.

Five years later, Ashton is sixteen and working at her job when she notices something strange. One of her coworkers dies suddenly, going from a young woman to an old lady in a matter of seconds. But that's not the end of the bizarreness. Only minutes after her death, an infectious, parasitic insect flies out of her neck. After notifying the authorities, they forcefully take her to the Correctional Facility – a place where only the worst criminals go – on murder charges. But Shere suddenly appears and saves her, taking her back to his "house" in West District, a rundown city just outside of No. 1. Unsure of what's going on, but determined to figure it out, she starts unraveling the truth behind No. 1. And Shere's haunting past. The two are connected, but how? And does Ashton really want to know or is it better to live in ignorant bliss? One thing's for sure: Things aren't what they seem…

Shattered Mirror

Escaped Prisoner; Drowned Kitten

The darkness enclosed him and his followers, probably blinding them, but his eyes were wide, taking in the dark turns and murky water. This was his area of expertise. The darkness, he was familiar with. The smell of rotting flesh and sewage, he was used to. The idiot creatures following him had no idea was it was like to survive under these circumstances. He might actually have a chance.

Of course, even if they couldn't see, they were still shooting their guns.

One bullet managed to hit, going through the meaty part of his upper arm and into the concrete wall behind him. He gritted his teeth, trying to keep the burning pain bottled inside of him. The longer he stayed hidden, the better, which meant there was no time for noise.

The cascade of bullets seemed to pause, only to start up the sound of watery footsteps.

They were actually entering the sewer.

The little tiger smiled wryly. Damn persistent bastards.

He stood up straight, getting off of the comfort of the cold, concrete wall, and bolted deeper into the tunnel. The sewage was soaking his already tattered and ripped clothes and his dark hair was starting to stick to his face. His legs were going numb, probably from running so much within the last two hours, and his heart was pounding in his head. Of course, none of that matched the burning pain in his arm. The stick liquid oozing down was starting to drip past his fingers and in the water. Maybe they would think he bled to death if he let it drip long enough. Then again, maybe he would bleed to death. Anything was possible at this point.

Another barrage of bullets ricocheted off the walls, creating small sparks and giving the larger creatures little light.

So they were smarter than he thought.

Give up. A sick voice said in the back of his mind. You're going to die either way. There's no hope. No one's coming to save you. No one even cares that you're alive.

His legs suddenly gave out on him and he collapsed into the water, tired and in pain.

See? You're tired. Just close your eyes and sleep. Death isn't awful for those who know when to give up.

It sounded pretty good to him. After all, even if he did survive, he'd seen the extent of humanity's so called kindness. The "utopian city" was a bunch of bullshit and the people in it were no better. Death would've been a blessing compared to the living hell he was in. But, stubborn as he seemed to be, his body wouldn't take defeat. Shakily, he stood up, taking in another stale breath. Funny. His mind and body weren't on the same page. His mind told him to give up, but his body refused. What a pain.

The footsteps drew closer and he continued his running, taking a sharp turn down a narrow passage. As he took shallow breaths, he breathed in something he didn't expect.

Fresh air.

Well, not entirely fresh. It was mixed with the nauseating smell of blood and a hint of rain, but it was still there. The surface was near. He saw a faint beam of light and high-tailed it. He had known that the turn back there would take him to Golden Chrome – the richest part of No. 1 – but at that moment, he didn't care. His arm was still bleeding and he was starting to feel dizzy. He needed to stop the blood before he went into shock.

The light was fully visible now and he emerged on the surface, rain washing his mud-cake face and stiff muscles. Everything was quiet, except for a soft clicking sound…

It seemed like an ordinary day. I was eleven and my world revolved around school, books, and homework.

Things in No. 1 were a little more exciting than usual, simply because a typhoon warning was active until tomorrow. People were outside, rustling to cover up pools, plug up drains, and secure anything that wasn't waterproof into something that was. Just goes to show you how often it rained in No. 1.

The grey sky was a nice change to the always bright blue and the dark clouds looked like something painted in pictures. I looked out the door to my room, which so happened to be nothing but glass as was the wall surrounding it. The trees swayed violently and their leaves went flying into the sky, dotting it like the clouds. The wind was blowing so hard, I was surprised that the trees even stayed planted into the ground.

Of course, no matter how much the wind licked at my windowed walls, I knew it was no match for the bulletproof glass, so I was itching to open the window. I needed chaos in this organized room. Because of the environment control setting on my wall, the humidity and temperature never changed. Which was good for Aaron, who hated anything cold and wet, but for me, it was annoyingly suffocating at the moment. I placed my hand on the knob and chewed on my lip. A few minutes wouldn't hurt, would it?

"Honey, are you near the window?" My mom's soft voice came over the intercom.

Dang. Only a little more. With a sigh, I stepped away and walked to the right side of my door. There, on the wall, was a small touch screen. It was a handy little device if you thought about it. It had everything from the foreign body detection system to the environmental control that I despised sometimes.

I lifted my wrist to the screen and let it scan the small, black dot in the center of my white bracelet. After it dinged signifying it recognized me, I pressed the tiny red button on the upper right-hand corner and my mom's face appeared.

She smiled at me shyly, acting as if we were strangers or something, "Don't open it. I don't want you to catch a cold."

"I won't." I said, trying to keep the defiant tone out of my voice.

She pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear and I heard the faint sound of the TV in the background. She turned around for a second to see what was going on before she turned back to me, "Apparently, the lowlands in the West Block are under water. How terrible." Her voice didn't even sound remotely troubled.

The map of No. 1 flashed in my mind. No. 1 was divided into East, West, South, and North Blocks. Most of the West and South Blocks were farmlands and pastures. They provided only sixty percent of the livestock and produce that No. 1 had. We mainly traded with No. 2 and No. 3, our sister cities. The East Block was nothing, but mountains and forests that were protected by the Central Control Committee, better known as the Triple C. That area was mostly off limits; you couldn't enter without permission from the Committee Head himself.

In the center of the city, a good bit was covered by an enormous woodland park. There were several different types of insects and animals that lived there that might let you meet then and it was a nice place to experience each season. Of course, the City Hall that towered over it kind of took away from its beauty, but whatever. It was a dome shaped building with five floors below ground and ten above. It was pretty tall for a place like No. 1 that didn't really have any skyscrapers. Some people call it Moon Drop because of its round, white exterior, and, on days like this when the wind was as strong is it was, you could often hear it "cry", or simple hear the metal scraping against each other. For reasons that I'll never understand, people thought it was a beautiful sound. To me, it sounded depressing and painful.

The city hospital and public affairs office were lined up around it, connected by passages that looked like glass tubes. The surrounding areas were full of more trees and forests. However, the animals and plants were controlled twenty-four seven by the Triple C. They knew everything from where and when a flower blooms to where an animal lives. With the typhoon today, I was kind of interested in how they were going to help the animals and plants survive.

"Ashton." Mom said, pulling me from the map in my head.

"Hm?" I said, looking at her.

"Dinner will be ready soon, so hurry and finish any homework you haven't done." She cut the connection.

Before I walked back to my window, I turned off everything except the call settings. I at least wanted to know if my mother was calling to yell at me.

When that was finished, I stepped to the chaos outside and slid open the doors, letting the wind carry away the piles of paper on my desk. My concrete balcony was drenched a dark grey and our pool was filled up to the brim with water. I think it was the only one in the whole neighborhood that wasn't covered with some kind of tarp. Some leaves had landed in it and I had the strange urge to jump into it.

Let's see. I was on the second floor and the pool was at least eight foot deep directly below me. Considering the wind and my weight, I'd probably land in the nine foot part and with my swimming ability I think I would be okay. But would I be able to scale the trellis in time for dinner?

I decided to find out.

Using my arms, I hoisted myself up on to the rounded railing, desperately balancing on the wet surface. Standing up straight, I waited for the strongest gust of wind before I dived head first off the balcony.

The water hit me at a breathtakingly cold temperature. My black tank-top and red boxers weren't much cover in this weather, but the adrenaline pumping through me was worth it. The tips of my fingers and toes were freezing and I was desperate for air. Quickly, I swam to the top, sucking in rainy air.

Refreshing.

A minute passed before I went numb and was able to float on my back without freezing. The rain beat down on my exposed skin and massaged them. Minutes ticked by and I started messing with the leaves floating in the pool, seeing if they would float up if I dragged them down, making them fly in the wind, simple and childish things that no one would approve of a Super Elite doing if they saw.

After a few minutes, I decided it was time to get out. My mom would no doubt look for me if I didn't answer her call then get irritated if she saw me in the rain, let alone the pool.

The air was colder than the water, which was a tad surprising considering the density of the water and the usual temperature, and the trellis was slippery. If it wasn't for the red roses, I probably wouldn't have been able to make it up. I reached the balcony just in time for the buzzard to go off again and I quickly opened up the chat.

"You were on the balcony, weren't you?" She guessed before she even saw my soaked hair.

I smiled sheepishly and stepped in her view, "Maybe."

She laughed and shook her head, "Close that window before I call Aaron home to take care of it for me." Once again, she cut the connection.

I shuddered at the thought of my twin coming in my room to 'take care of it' for her.

Aaron and I were complete opposites despite our looks. Dark, black hair, pale complexion, icy blue eyes, that we had in common, but interests and things we liked were completely different. He enjoyed dry heat. I personally thought that if it was going to be hot, it should be humid. He hated the rain, I loved it. He was majoring in Medical Science and Skills and I was majoring in Chemistry and Psychology. He knew what he wanted to do in life and I was just winging it.

I still didn't understand how we were twins.

A short, cynical laugh was heard from behind me and I instantly whirled around.

My eyes widened.

A boy no taller than me was standing at my door, drenched from head to toe. His dark hair was dripping down his cheeks and covering a good bit of his face. His clothes were worn and torn – if you could even call them clothes – and the arms and legs that were protruding from them were thin and pale. But my eyes were focused on the upper part of his arm that was dripping crimson red.

Blood.

My lamp crashed to the floor and suddenly, cold, slender fingers were stretched around my neck. I felt the thick liquid from his hand trailing down my neck as he shoved me against the door, "Don't move." He hissed lowly, revealing calm, silver blue eyes.

He was strong for his size. I expected some weakling that I could easily take care of, but I was wrong. This boy was stronger than me.

His fingers dug into my neck and his eyes seemed to be calculating something. I watched as he stared into mine, unblinking.

His eyes were odd. Pretty, but odd. The silver outlining color stumped me and the blue was almost white it was so light. They were also calm. There wasn't a trace of fear or intent to kill in them, just calm and unwavering. His pale face was sunken in a little and he looked like he could use some kind of meat put on him. Once again, my eyes landed on the still-bleeding wound. How could he be so focused with a wound like that? Why wasn't he crying out in pain? There wasn't even a trace of pain on his face.

This boy was strong in more than one sense of the word.

"I'll treat that for you." I said, bringing my hand to his wrist, "I think I can do it."

He inhaled sharply, thinking my offer through, and his glared tightened. I saw my reflection in his eyes and saw that my own face didn't have any fear on it either. Interesting.

The boy loosened his grip around my throat.

"Ashton?" My mom's voice resonated around the silent room.

The boy's grip returned to my throat.

I nodded at him before I flashed my white bracelet across the screen, "Yeah mom?"

"What are you doing honey? Dinner's ready and waiting."

I took a deep breath. Lying to her was easy enough, I just didn't quite understand why I was doing it. "Sorry mom, I'm naked. I was trying to change when you called me."

"Oh." She laughed, "Sorry honey. I forgot you were shy. Just come on out when you're ready."

"Actually," I said quickly so she wouldn't hang up, "I'm doing a report right now. I'll eat dinner when I'm done."

The boy's eyes widened slightly.

"Wow. You've just transferred to the Special Course and they're already making you work so hard? Okay dear. Just don't overdo it."

"I won't." I said, ending the call.

The boy completely let go of my neck and I felt the ground under my feet.

I turned back on the environmental setting and let it do it's thing, but left off the foreign body detector. If I had turned it on, the annoying alarm would've most likely set off and I would be stuck explaining to mom why there was a soaking wet, injured boy in my room. The stupid thing didn't go off for Golden Chrome residence like my neighbor Dakota, but I doubted this intruder lived anywhere near here, let alone in the richest part of No. 1.

I closed the door and warm air instantly filled the room. I walked past the stairs on the left side of my door and opened up my closet door. The boy watched me with a guarded stance, as if he expected me to turn on him at any moment, but at the same time, it looked like he wasn't that far away from collapsing on the floor.

"Come over here." I said, waving him over.

Cautiously, he stepped in to the closet and sat down.

The sleeve of his shirt was ripped where something had entered, so I tore it completely off. A small hole went through his arm. It was swollen around the edges and smelled awful – I had never smelled burning flesh before that day.

His stance seemed to relax a little as I sprayed disinfectant on it to clean it off. He just continued to stare at me with calculating eyes without saying a word.

"This is a gunshot wound, isn't it?" I asked, breaking the silence. I had never seen something like it before. In fact, I thought that only the hunting team was allowed to handle guns, so I was a little interested in the reason this small boy was harboring a shot from one.

"Yeah." He said, meeting my eyes, "She said you were in the Special Course?"

I nodded as I started searching for some gauze, "I started a month ago, why?"

"You don't look any older than me." He noted, "You must have a high IQ." His voice had a hint of teasing in it.

I narrowed my eyes at him and slapped the gauze on, "Are you making fun of me?"

He cringed, "Surely not." He muttered sarcastically. "So what's your major?"

"Chemistry and Psychology." I said, going through the first aid kid. Maybe something I read in a science class would help me with this, but Psychology was useless at this point. I really wasn't qualified to do this, but still, he needed to be treated, where else could I go?

I grabbed a needle and took it out of it's sterile case.

"What the hell are you going to do with that?" He asked, pulling his arm out of hand and backing away a little.

"It's a local anesthetic." I said. He could handle a gunshot wound, but he was afraid of a little needle?

"Numb me up and then what?" He demanded, gulping quietly.

"Stitches." I blinked and tried to hold in a chuckle. This boy was a funny one.

"Stitches? You have experience with that?" He asked in disbelief.

"Of course not." I said, "I'm mainly majoring Psychology, remember? But my brother's majoring in the medical field and I've read a few of his books so I have a basic understand of the muscles and blood vessels."

"Basic understanding, huh?" He muttered, placing his arm back in my hand.

I studied his arm. Would it hurt if I simply shot him in the muscle or was it better to aim for a blood vessel? I chose the safe route and stuck his muscle, "It should go numb fairly quickly."

He studied me for a minute, "You're weird, you know that?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because you haven't asked my name yet."

I shrugged, going back to the first aid kit, "You haven't asked my name yet either, so it's okay."

"Ashton, isn't it? Like that ancient actor?" He asked, still watching me without blinking.

I threaded the needle and nodded, "My mom says that her great grandmother wanted to name a girl that and she thought it was pretty for a girl. What about you?"

"Shere." He said.

This time, I looked at him, "Tiger?"

"So you know ancient Indian languages as well? Impressive." He said with the same teasing tone as before.

I rolled my eyes, "You don't look like a tiger." I said, ignoring him, "More like a kitten."

I heard him snicker and then suddenly, it turned into muffled chuckles, "You think I'm a kitten?"

"What's so funny?" I demanded, "It's not my fault you're so small."

He quieted, but the smirk stayed in place, "You couldn't be farther from the truth."

I rolled my eyes. He was definitely a guy.

Steadily, I started threading the needle through Shere's skin. I needed to do this accurately. Mistakes were unacceptable.

When I finished, I wrapped it securely in gauze and smiled, "Perfect. I must have some talented fingers."

"It's not just your fingers, you're bright too. You're only eleven, right? You must be a Super Elite to be entering such a pristine school at this age."

I nodded as a confirmation, "I'm good with sports along with my ability to memorize things after only reading it once."

"No kidding, eh?" He went quiet again, thinking.

"So how did you get shot anyway?" I asked, trying to distract him from his thoughts. I didn't know why it bothered me, but it did. It was as if he was questioning my motives or something. "I thought only the Hunting Club was allowed to have guns."

"They're pretty much the same." He said, smiling grimly as his eyes looked like they were spacing in and out, "Only they hunt humans."

I blinked, confused, "What do you mean?" Why would there be such a thing in No. 1? It wasn't possible, was it? No. 1's crime rate had always been nearly zero, so there wasn't a need to carry firearms of any sorts. Even the ban on hunting was only lifted twice a year and even that was controlled. The Triple C picked out who got what type of gun, where they went, which animals they were allowed to kill, and how many a day they could kill. And besides, this wasn't a fox or deer in front of me, this was a human being. And not just a human being, this was a boy no older than me.

"Among humans, there are those who are hunted and those who do the hunting. At least here in No. 1 that is."

I bit my lip to keep from asking any other questions and stood up to place the first aid kit back in it's place among the shelves.

Shere walked to my window and peered past the see-through, white curtains.

"You should stay here until the storm's over." I said, stepping out of the closet, "I might have one of my brother's shirts in my dresser somewhere."

I pressed the 'on' button on my hot chocolate machine on my desk before I rummaged through my dresser. Sure enough, I found a black sweater and tossed it up to him, "Here. You can put that on."

I grabbed the mugs of hot chocolate and walked up the stairs to the top part of my bedroom where my actual bed was. Unlike most second floors, there was railing outlining the edge to where I could see my working space just fine.

Just then, Shere made some noise and I looked over just in time to see burn marks on his back as he pulled down the shirt.

He turned to me, "What?"

I cleared my throat and shrugged, handing him the mug.

His smile was small, but it was still a smile. And it was the first time I saw emotion in his eyes. "It's good." He said.

I smiled as he started drinking it, holding it with both hands.

"Hey, are you always like this?" He asked suddenly.

I cocked my head to the side, "Like what?"

"Are you always this defenseless around strangers? Or are all Super Elites this clueless?" His tone turned harsh, "You can live without fear or uneasiness."

My jaw locked and I narrowed my eyes at him, "You know, I'm not dumb enough to not know that someone crawling up through a second floor window isn't a law-abiding citizen. I know what it's like to be scared. You could've killed me easily earlier."

"Then why?" He demanded, still cold.

That was a good question. And I didn't know if I could answer it. Why did I let some random stranger into my room, treat his wound, and then give him something to drink? I'm not a particularly cold-hearted person, but I'm not a saint either. This wasn't out of character, but it also wasn't in my character. If the authorities found out, I could be in dire trouble – there was no doubt about that – but I strangely didn't care. Maybe I'm not as smart as people seem to think…

I met Shere's cold glare and he smirked as if he knew what I was thinking. He shot me another cold glare.

"It's because you surprised me." I said absently, looking to the side, "You're extremely small for a boy and you looked like you were on the verge of collapsing, but you still had a determined look in your eyes. I thought that I was going to be able to take you easily, but your strength surprised me. Not only that, but you were wounded and you showed no signs of any pain, just calculations. And…"

And your eyes are strangely gorgeous and you might just be the strongest person I have ever met. Both physically and mentally.

"And?" He pressed.

"I… I don't know." I admitted. Even if his eyes were amazing and even if he was strong, that didn't mean I had to save him. There was no logical explanation for what I did. I just did it.

His eyes widened and his mouth opened a little. He obviously wasn't expecting my answer. "Thank you." He said softly, smiling again.

I smiled a little. That was the first time he had thanked me since he barged in.

I sat my cup of cocoa on the end table by my bed, "I'll be back in a minute."

He nodded, taking another drink of hot chocolate.

I walked down the steps and slid open my door only to see Aaron and mom sitting at the dining table.

"'Bout time sis." Aaron said.

I sighed dramatically, "Sorry. That report is really getting to me."

Mom blinked, surprised. It was rare that something gave me trouble, "Do you want your brother to help you?"

I shook my head, "No. I have to do it by myself if I want to do as well in the Special Course as I was doing in the Elite classes."

Mom nodded, but Aaron raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

I ignored him and got some steak and vegetables, "I'm going to eat in my room."

Mom nodded absently.

Just then, all three of our white bracelets started beeping simultaneously.

I heaved a sigh and sat the plate down, clicking the black dot facing me. A projection about the side of a notebook laptop screen popped out with a picture of Shere and the characters VC818956231 scribbled under it. It was a complete description of him down to the scars on his back I had saw earlier.

My eyes widened. He was an escapee from the Correctional Facility, which was known for its deadliest criminals.

"He's so young." Mom said, "I wonder what he did."

That was a good question. What could that small boy on my bed have done to earn such a serious punishment?

VC was short for Violent Chip. Very few people in the Correctional Facility had one in them. Basically, it was a small chip that was implanted into a criminal to track his or her location, physical condition, and emotional state.

My mind started processing questions. If he had a VC in him, then they should be able to track him without notifying the public. Yet they notified everyone and even put a curfew for the citizens, so maybe they couldn't track him for some reason. Could that gunshot wound have been self-inflicted to get the chip out of his body? I mentally shook my head. Even though I was inexperienced with that sort of thing, it was obvious that shot had come from a distance. If he had tried to dig out the chip, the wound would've been way worse.

"Something wrong, Ashton?" Mom asked.

I smiled and shook my head. "No, I just can't seem to think of a reason a small-looking boy like that would be categorized as a VC."

Mom smiled, "If you don't have an answer, it'll irritate you, won't it?"

I nodded.

She laughed, "Don't worry dear. Once you finish your report, maybe we'll talk about it."

"Okay. Thanks Mom."

Once the door was slid close, I noticed the lights were off.

"Don't turn on the lights." Shere's voice resonated around me.

I shrugged and walked up the steps, still in thought. "VC818956231. It was on the news. You're quite famous, aren't you? I even know that you're actually a year older than me." And yes, that was the most surprising of it all. How could he be older than me? Logic obviously wasn't on my side today.

I saw his face turn into a glare. Even in the dark, I knew his body had gone tense and he was ready to attack me if I showed any signs of turning him in or hurting him, "The real thing is a lot better, isn't it?" He said darkly.

I ignored it though and handed him the plate of food, "Eat up. I brought you some steak and vegetables. You need strength anyway."

He sat back on the bed, completely lost now, "Is that okay?"

I shrugged, "Of course it is. I told my family I was busy with a report so I was going to eat in my room."

He smiled and chuckled, taking the trey from me, "Smells great."

I sat next to him on my bed and let him eat for a few minutes before I asked another question, "Are you going to be able to escape?"

"Of course." He said, looking up at me.

"But what about the VC?"

"It's still inside me."

I almost rolled my eyes, "If it's still inside you, then how are you going to escape? Can't they track you?"

"Don't worry about it. That toy of a chip stopped working a long time ago."

I blinked, "Toy?"

He nodded, "In fact, this entire city is like one huge toy." He said coldly, "Do you know how it was made?"

I nodded, "It was made after the Ultimate Treaty. The wars before the treaty had destroyed most of the land, making it uninhabitable for humans and animals alike, so the remaining three areas were created into peaceful cities. No. 1 was the first to make it's city one of the more profitable, that's where it got its name 'No. 1'. The others are known as No. 2 and No. 3."

He chuckled, but didn't say anything.

I raised an eyebrow, "Why were you arrested? Only serious criminals get a VC implanted in them, so why do you have it?" I paused, "They said that you escaped from the Correctional Facility, is that even possible?"

"Of course it is. I'm here with you right now, aren't I?" I rolled my eyes, "But I didn't commit any crime per-say. I hadn't even lived in this city until a few months ago."

"Then how did you get here?"

"I was brought in." He stated simply, his tone ending the flow of questions flooding my mind. "It's probably better if you stopped questioning me."

"Why?"

He sighed and rolled over on his side, stretching out on my bed, "Can you forget something once you've heard it? Can you pretend like no one told you? You may be smart, but that's a trait only adults have."

Ah, so he was protecting me by not telling me. And it made since. In its own way. Except I wanted to know. For some reason, I needed to know that this boring, lifeless city wasn't as perfect as everyone thought it was.

I sighed and laid back, legs dangling off the edge of the bed. My mind wasn't making sense anymore.

"You don't get it, do you?" He questioned, sitting up to look at me.

I looked up at him and shook my head, "I mean, I understand why you won't tell me, but I still want to know."

He rolled his eyes, "You're in serious trouble right now. Maybe instead of worrying about answers and a complete stranger, you should worry about yourself."

I sat up, "What do you mean?"

"You're in a heap of danger right now. Sheltering a VC without notifying the Safety Bureau and even now, talking calmly with a potential murderer, aren't you even a little bit worried that they'll make you regret it? Or that I'll make you regret it?"

Again with this 'I'm the bad guy' act, "Sure that's a problem, but I highly doubt someone like you is a murderer."

It was his turn to be confused, "What do you mean?"

"I specialize in the human mind. I know the signs of a potential threat and right now, you warning me that you could hurt me, is a sign that you're trying to make yourself seem like an awful person to protect the innocence that you think I have."

He started laughing again, shaking his head, "I'm glad the window I climbed in belonged to a weirdo like you."

I smiled and playfully rolled my eyes, "Hush. You're the one with an ancient name."

He snickered, "And don't worry. I won't say anything about that."

I cocked my head to the side, "About what?"

"Your diving adventures."

My eyes widened and my cheeks heated up, "How did you…?"

"Imagine it! I was crawling out of a tunnel when I suddenly heard a strange clicking sound. The sound was near so I followed it and made it just in time to see you jump in to the pool."

"Wait a minute-"

"Then, without a care in the world, you started playing in it. Never mind the fact that it was storming outside, you continued splashing around, experimenting with the leaves and playing with the wind."

My face was probably beet red. I knew I shouldn't have done that.

Quickly, I leaped off the bed and side kicked Shere. He was faster, however. With surprising speed, he grabbed my foot, yanked me back on the bed, and pinned me to it. He was holding both my wrists with one hand and his legs squeezed on my waist, straddling me. With his free hand, he picked up the fork, twirled it in his fingers, and lightly drew it across my neck.

"If this was a knife," He whispered in my ear, "You'd be dead in seconds flat."

It was the first time someone had actually beaten me at my own game. I was pressed so hard to my bed that I couldn't move, let alone resist. My legs were starting to go numb and the muscles in my neck twitched uncomfortable.

Wow.

"That was pretty cool." I said, smiling up at the lock of his dark hair that was covering my face, "Do they train you in the Facility or something? There's no way this technique is something you just know."

He sat up and looked at me, once again surprised. Then, his body hunched over and he shook with laughter, "Honestly. I should probably be more worried about you than the guys following me."

As he bent over, the shirt he was wearing lifted up a little, revealing hot skin. I trailed my hands up his shirt and felt his back. Burning hot.

"This is bad. You have a fever. I'll go get some antibiotics." I said.

He rolled over and pulled me with him, wrapping his arms around my waist and keeping me close to him, "It's okay. I just want to sleep."

"But," I mumbled in his chest, "If you sleep with a fever, you'll just get weaker."

"You're pretty warm yourself." He said sleepily, "So humans are warm when they're alive, huh?" He pulled me closer and tightened his grip a little, smiling.

I smiled in response and rested my head on his chest. It was hot and sweaty and I was surprised the environmental setting didn't do something about it.

After some time, I had fallen asleep as well, cuddling up to his feverish body.

And when I woke up, Shere was gone. He had taken the mug of hot chocolate and my brother's shirt with him, but other than that, it was like he wasn't here at all.

To save from arguements, I'll tell you right now. This is technically based off of an anime, but because of the many things that I've changed in the story line (like the fact that the original story was BoyxBoy and this story is clearly not) it's not a fan fiction, but at the beginning, it is a little similiar (maybe a lot hahaha ^.^' ) so I decided to give credit without getting yelled at. So yeahh. If you're okay with guy on guy and wanna know what the anime is called, just PM me(: