In a game of cat and mouse

It is not easy to win

There are plenty of traps

One can easily fall in

If you decide to play anyway

Think out of the box

For the cat who is chasing you

Is actually a fox

With his cunning disguise

You might lower your guard

And if you do

Winning will be impossibly hard

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Jules was mortified when she looked in the mirror the next day. Her neck was littered with dark bruises and she had terrible bags under her eyes. It was as if her emotions had seeped out and decided to make a home on her face. She looked as terrible as she felt.

"Jules, you up yet? We need to leave soon." Abby's voice was followed by a soft knock on the door.

Jules quickly pulled her turtleneck back on before turning the cold metal knob. The door squeaked loudly with its rusty hinges. Abby frowned when she observed her friend's sleepy state.

"Were you not able to take a nap?"

Jules thought napping was pointless. With dinner at 3:00 AM, they got back to their rooms around 4:30 AM. They also had to wake up extra early and get back before their parents woke up so that left them with only two hours for sleep. Though that didn't really matter anyway in the end. The events of last night had kept her wide awake.

Jules pondered if she should share her worries but the sun had just barely risen and her fatigue was begging for her lips to stay sealed. Telling Abby would lead to questions and she didn't quite have the energy to answer them. A nod would suffice for now.

Abby patted her shoulder, "You'll get used to it here eventually. Now let us hurry on and go. Jonathan has the car ready."

Jules nodded her head before grabbing her bag and leaving the room, dragging the red memories with her. Even when she arrived home, got rid of all evidence of her escape, and snuck back into her bed, lucid images would still manage to flash in her thoughts. Red eyes. The dangling feather necklace. The smile that invited her to play his perilous game.

Each flashback was an additional shot of frustration. It was driving her insane. She stomped to the sink and quickly splashed cold water on her face. Her turtle neck moved down slightly, revealing another issue. Jules groaned. She needed to find another way to cover the bluish-yellow skin splattered across her neck.

She did not own any makeup so the only option she had was to borrow her mother's. Jules went downstairs and tiptoed into her mother's room to search through the makeup drawer. There was a random receipt for Sheldon's Special --a store Jules did not recognize. She pushed it aside and was able to quickly recognize the bottle of foundation and concealer since Abby had helped her apply it before.

There was slight rustling on the bed. Jules' held her breath. The last thing she needed right now was for her mom to interrogate her for wearing makeup on a normal school day so she quickly tiptoed back into her room.

Jules remembered Abby had used a sponge to apply the cream but she had forgotten to get one. Toilet paper would have to do.

She looked at the time and panicked. Jules quickly quirted a generous amount from both bottles onto the tissue and dabbed at the bruised skin. Some of the tissue paper began sticking onto her neck. Jules tried to pick them out, using her fingers instead to blend the discolored blotches until it moderately looked like it could pass as her skin tone. It was better than nothing.

She then grabbed her backpack and ran out of the house.

Things were as loud as usual when Jules arrived at her first period class. She had three minutes before class would start and decided to take a nap in that allotted time.

Jules had just barley closed her eyes when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She sighed and slowly picked up her head. In front of her desk stood an asian girl with kind eyes and silky hair that framed her oval-shaped face holding out a cup of coffee towards Jules.

"Um, my name is Connie," the girl whispered "I'm just like you." She moved her hair aside showing Jules the symbol of the letter A on her neck. "I got you some coffee if you want it. The first month at the academy is always the hardest. A sleep schedule becomes nonexistent." The girl laughed nervously, and continued to awkwardly hold out the drink.

Jules looked at the foam cup skeptically.

"Do I know you?" She didn't mean to sound inhospitable, but after the treatment she got from the other Peccators so far, it was only smart to stay cautious.

"Word flies around quickly at the academy. I wanted to befriend you since we are the same. My Dealer is also a level one. I saw how Kylie and her gang treated you, but not every Peccator is like that. We level ones like to stick together. It's the only way we can survive pretentious high level Peccators who take pleasure in other's suffering."

Connie's demeanor seemed genuine, but Jules still kept her guard up as she grabbed the coffee and took a sip. She didn't detect any strange taste.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Connie handed Jules a scrap of paper. "Here is my number if you ever need anything. I'm a new Peccator too so I know how hard it is to adjust. Just know that you are not in this alone. I'll see you later, yeah?"

Jules nodded her head hoping that Connie was someone she could trust. Maybe becoming closer to other Peccators could help her uncover the truths of Dalmellington Academy. There were too many secrets and doing it alone was daunting of a task. Plus, she was running out of time. It was Tuesday which meant that Saturday was only four days away. If she couldn't find a solution by then, she would be forced to choose between sacrificing her life or allowing the others to die. There had to be another option. She would find another option.

But for now, her current task was to stay awake and she was failing terribly as her eyes began to droop and her head managed to find a comfortable spot on the desk's hard wood.

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Jules had fallen asleep in all her morning classes. Although she was more awake after lunch, it wasn't until she encountered Kylie and her group--Jules still did not remember their names-- that all the drowsiness finally diminished and was replaced with anxiety.

They were leaning against the lockers, blocking the hallway, and being rowdy. Jules had never seen them at school before and thought it was too strange of a coincidence to encounter them now.

As if sensing her stare, Kylie looked her way and they made eye contact. Kylie smirked and whispered to her friends. They turned their heads to look Jules up and down before laughing and walking away.

Jules was shocked that they did not approach her. It somehow made her feel even more unsettled. The whole interaction was suspicious.

But if Jules thought her encounter with Kylie's group was strange, it was nothing compared to the shock she felt when Jack asked to be partners for their history project.

"Well? Are we going to be partners or not?" Jack tapped his foot impatiently.

Jules stayed silent, waiting for Jack to laugh in her face and tell her it was a joke.

"You...someone who dislikes me terribly...want to be partners?"

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Don't misread the situation Church girl. I don't have friends. You are unfortunately the only option I have."

Now that Jules' took a closer look, Jack's nose and neck was bruised badly and looked awfully painful. It made his sour face more scary. She felt bad, wondering if he was enduring the pain just to avoid medical bills.

"Alright, let's be partners."

"Great. We'll finish it today after school. Wan't to work at the bleachers? I'm in need of fresh air. I might suffocate if I stay in this toxic school any longer."

"You wan't to finish it all today?" Jules asked exasperated.

"I like to get things over with. It doesn't seem that hard anyway. It won't take us more than two hours. I can drive you home after."

Now that Jules thought about it, getting the project done today wasn't such a bad idea. Then she could focus on her math test that was coming up.

"Okay. We can finish today."

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The sun was warm and the wind was tame. It was a nice day out. Jules had never been to the field before. She liked it a lot.

Jack was spread out comfortably on the bleachers, immersed in his work.

"You seem to like this class a lot," Jules commented.

"I appreciate history." Jack replied without looking away from his notebook. "The past gives quite an accurate glimpse into the future. I find it fascinating."

"How so?" Jules asked curiously.

"For one, treatment between the poor and rich remains the same across centuries--even across continents. Have you noticed how many people have talked about Randall and the mop incident? Zero. And then there's me who has been called countless of bad names by countless of people. Some good looking dude beats me up and because he is more attractive, I am assumed as the one in the wrong. Although I do admit that slapping you was not the right thing to do, killing me wasn't any better on his end. I'm convinced you can get away with murder when you're hot and rich." Jack ranted.

Jules was convinced too at this point. Despite Dixon's outburst of violence, she still heard girls around school praising him.

A question suddenly popped in her head.

"How do you get access to the past?"

Jack gave her a strange look.

"What do you mean?"

Jules tried to think of the best way to ask other than saying, "I have somehow managed to find myself bonded with a red eyed, crow controlling, dealer man and I don't know why." Jack would think her mad and probably go find another project partner. She would have to be vague.

"I have good reason to believe that something of my past is causing my current conundrums."

Jack raised his eyebrows.

"That was dramatically vague and enigmatic. Still not sure what you're asking for but it's not hard to look into the past. The present stems from the past so if you look close enough, you should be able to find what you are looking for. Plus, we have the internet. You could always google it. Everything is documented these days. Even the library has a database filled with antique articles and newspapers."

Jules perked up at the mention of the database. Instead of waiting till Friday for Dr. Johnson to give her answers, she could start finding them now. Waiting meant wasting precious time.

"Thank you Jack. I appreciate your help." She planned to look through the library's database tomorrow during lunch.

Jack scratched his head awkwardly and adverted his eyes. "Hey, I'm not one to pry so I won't ask. But if you need someone to talk to about your conundrums, I would consider lending an ear."

Jules' eyes widened. Then she smiled. Jack seemed to be slowly warming up to her and she wondered why.

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Going to the academy tonight was very different. For one, Abby made Jules cover herself in one of Jonathan's hoodie, emphasizing that Jules could not let other Peccators know she was here today. Jules did not get much of an explanation other than that, but it seemed pretty serious since Abby even asked David--who was easily over six feet tall-- to assist by walking in front of them and be a shield to hide behind as they scurried quickly through the hallways.

Abby sighed in relief when they finally made it to Jules' room.

"What's going on?" Jules' perspiring forehead wrinkled with worry.

"Tonight is a special occasion for the Peccators and I was afraid they would force you to partake in their event."

"Special occasion?"

"It's something meant for new Peccators--" Abby was cut off by the ring of her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket and grumbled in annoyance when she looked at the caller ID.

"Hello?" Abby answered the call with an irritated voice. "He needs me right now? Is it urgent?" Her eye twitched slightly and she clenched her fist. "Fine. I'll head over there right now." She whispered something under her breath after ending the call.

"I'm sorry Jules, I have to go run an errand really quick. Make sure to stay hidden in your room. If you need food or anything, just text David or Jonathan. I'll send you their phone numbers."

Jules' stomach twisted with nerves. She didn't want to be alone.

Abby noticed her friend's pale face.

"I'm sorry Jules, I'll try to come back as soon as possible. Ugh, I swear, every time Dixon isn't here, the student council gets all antsy and throws chores at everyone they can find."

Jules' head shot up. "Dixon isn't here?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "No, he randomly disappears some nights and it freaks all the Dealers out because their sense of security is gone. I personally find these nights inconvenient. Anyways, I gotta go. They'll be angry if I take too long."

Her friend gave her an encouraging smile before shutting the door.

Jules sat on the bed and fidgeted with her hands. She then got up and paced the room. She tried opening a textbook and studying but her thoughts were somewhere else. After trying to preoccupy her mind for an hour, she gave up. She had an urge that she could not push aside.

Ever since Abby said Dixon was gone, she had an idea emerge at the back of her mind. It was a dangerous idea, but as much as she tried to convince herself it wasn't worth it, another part of her knew it was. She needed to do it. This was an opportunity she could not let pass.

The eight floor was vacant tonight. And Jules Moore decided that if the secrets wouldn't reveal themselves to her she would have to go to the source itself. It was just like what Jack said. The past could be found in the present. She just had to take a closer look.

Jules put Jonathan's hoodie back on. She was afraid that if she did not go now, she would back down.

She said a few prayers and gathered up as much courage as she could before opening the door and starting her journey to the eighth floor...to the devil's lair.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello readers!

I know updates have been incredibly slow :( As a college student struggling through organic chemistry, I have been too busy to keep constant updates. My school unfortunately did not have a spring break and a winter storm also hit my area for a week.

Regarding this book overall, I will finish writing it this summer for those who are wondering about its completion. Once again, I'm sorry to make everyone wait :/ I'll try my best to keep writing!

Also, I have noticed my overuse of J names (hehe whoops) and that some have been getting characters confused. Here is a small character list to aid those who are getting names mixed up:

: main girl character

: level one dealer

: Jules' classmate who has history class with her

: Dealer in the student council

: Jules' therapist from Reville Oaks

-Readsleeprepeat88