Annabelle, who was now living with her grandparents, seemed to be enjoying her life once again. There was no way she couldn’t have asked for better replacements. Anna always looked out of her window everyday to gaze at the sky to see if Jack was keeping watch from above, like the angel he had become. She wondered if she would ever see him again, possibly when she got into heaven.

It was a peaceful, dry morning filled with chilled air and loss of green. Anna walked out of her new home and headed off towards her new bus stop. She waved goodbye to her grandparents as they stood by the door, waving to her.

Arriving at her stop just in time, Anna hurried into the bus and sat in the front row. As the bus drove off, she looked out the bus window to stare at the sky like she always did, then sighed and reached into her backpack. She pulled out an old book and began reading. It was a story she enjoyed reading along with Jack when they were kids. Reminiscing about the past was enough to put a smile on her face.

Her eyelids slowly fell, so she leaned back and began to fall asleep for some odd reason. Not even the bus wobbling her around in her seat was enough to keep her awake. With her eyes fully shut, she fell into a mysterious, deep sleep.

With her eyes scrunched and body feeling cold, Anna slowly opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by darkness. Confused and scared, she stood up and looked around to analyze the situation. However, it was too dark to know where she was. She fully stood on her feet and the first thing that came to her mind was to pull her smartphone out.

Anna pressed the flashlight option and shone the light in front of her, erasing some of the darkness. It seemed like she was on a dirt trail. She shone the light from her sides and spotted huge trees, as if she was in a thick forest shrouded in total darkness.

Looking up at the sky, Anna noticed how dark it was as well. Feeling absolutely scared and paranoid of this isolated darkness that engulfed her surroundings, she wanted to scream out of fear, yet she couldn’t.

Why am I on some dirt trail in the middle of a forest at night? Wasn’t I just on the bus?

Out of cautiousness she pinched herself and the pain was too real… something wasn’t right, this was no dream, this was different. She took a sharp breath and gulped, then started walking down the dirt path all alone with the long tube of never-ending darkness that she continued to penetrate.

As she walked along the dark path, with only her phone light guiding her way, Annabelle heard something rustle around in the trees. She quickly gasped.

The rustling came from all over. Anna looked up and spotted the branches moving around too. She panicked and kept walking, as growing fears made her tremble. She couldn’t even hold her phone properly from the amount of shaking she was doing.

Beyond being frightened now, she stopped for a second. The sound of branches breaking nearby echoed. Her breathing got heavy. Anna shone her light everywhere, but there was nothing to discover in the pit of darkness. As she was about to take another step, she heard footsteps behind her.

No wait… it was in front now. She fell into full panic mode. Her eyes widened with fright. Her breathing intensified. She started running due to pure instinct.

Even though she was running at full speed, she could barely see where she was going. It was just too dark. Furthermore, her phone’s flashlight could barely dent the darkness. As she ran, Anna heard something move again from above. She looked up and saw something flying across the trees. She couldn’t take it anymore.

Anna came to a halt, then finally broke down and started crying. However, someone’s loud giggles of wickedness overpowered her cries of fear. The giggling could be heard from every direction.

Anna stopped her senseless crying to catch her breath. Everything was quiet now, but the sound of silence was overbearing. While she caught her breath, she heard the footsteps again. This time they seemed to stop behind her. She slowly turned around and shone the light at whoever, or whatever it was that stood behind her.

She shined the light from the ground, then up and spotted someone’s shoes. A gasp passed through her lips. It looked like the ones Jack liked to wear.

Anna kept raising the light, slowly revealing the person’s clothing and body. At last, the light was at the top, revealing their face, and that person was Jack. Just his face alone was enough to shred away all that fear out of Anna. She shed tears of joy and hugged him.

Though he had no expression on his face, he wrapped his arms around her and held her, with his face being as empty as a tin can.

Anna had a huge smile of security and relief, but the moment she shined her light on his face again… His eyes were hollow. Black liquid poured out of them and splashed all over her face. She went berserk out of such disgust and tried to break free from his grip. But it was of no use, he was holding onto her too tightly.

“Someone… Please help me!” she screamed at the top of her tiny lungs, pushing away from his tight grasp.

Her phone slipped through her grip, then fell and slid across the ground. As her phone’s light stayed in place, someone else stood there. The person walked into the light and Anna saw who it was. Where the light shined upwards like a revealing stage light, they appeared to be wearing a white dress of some sort. Her hair was rather long, so long that it even covered her face. It was a little girl.

She picked up Anna’s phone and slowly walked to her with the light shining on her hair covered face. Anna, who was still struggling, definitely knew whatever the thing was wasn’t Jack. The girl stood in front of Anna, giggled, then caressed her cheek. She ruffled Anna’s hair too and placed her phone back into Anna’s hand very gently.

She grabbed Anna’s hand, making her realize just how cold the girl’s hand was. “Wow! You really are pretty, much more in person. Most definitely!”

Even her voice alone was soothing and gentle, just like her cold, soft hands. She then slowly drove her hand to Anna’s chest.

“Your heart beats with sorrow, loneliness and abandonment, but don’t worry, I won’t hurt you…” she said meaningfully with a gentle yet innocent tone. “I’ve already changed your mind, so there’s no way he’ll ever be yours.”

Hearing her say that last statement triggered Anna, which made her brows raise out of confusion and shake even more, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the terrifying experience. Or perhaps it was from something else.

The girl chuckled and stepped back, then waved happily. “Chow! Until we meet again, Annabelle. Hopefully in person instead of your lucid nightmares!” She laughed, then faded away as black smoke.

Anna noticed the person melting behind her. Their melted flesh turned into black goo and started devouring Annabelle like a giant slime of tar. She screamed and held her hand out, but it was too late. Before she realized it, she was already being consumed by the liquid. She started choking and gasping for air as her eyes turned fuzzy. Eventually, she finally lost consciousness. Everything was dark, quiet and cold.

Afterward, she heard the girl’s gentle, soft voice one last time. The girl sounded as if she was close to Anna’s ear. “We’ll be together someday… Annabelle.”

Anna gasped and opened her eyes. She sat up to try and catch her breath. She looked around and noticed she was in a hospital. Her grandparents woke up and embraced her immediately.

“Thank goodness you’re alright, Anna! You had us worried sick!” her grandfather said.

Anna’s face was blanched white, yet she still seemed lost and confused. “Wh-What happened? Where am I?”

Her grandmother held her hand. “Anna sweetheart, they told us you started screaming in the bus and eventually passed out. But not only that, but you were bleeding from your nose a lot. We thought you had a seizure or a stroke of some sort.”

Anna couldn’t believe what they’d said. That awful dream felt too damn real. She placed her palms over her face and whimpered from such an event, remembering how frightened she was in that dark forest, all alone with no one to aid her.

The doctor walked in and explained to her grandparents that Anna should be fine, but the only odd thing was that her heart rate was off the charts. But for some reason it was all from a regular nose bleed.

Her grandparents didn’t buy it. They crossed their arms and gave the doctor a mean look. The doctor asked them if they wanted Anna to stay a little longer, however, they replied “NO!” as soon as he could finish his sentence.

The doctor chuckled. “Okay okay, I completely understand. How about you guys pick Anna up tomorrow? How about it?”

They still refused. Her grandfather stood up, approached the doctor and said, “I’m not leaving until she’s completely fine.”

Her grandmother chimed in too and said, “Yeah, I’m not buying that whole nosebleed nonsense. It could be something much worse. It’s best we stay by her side to triple check her health instead of you.”

“Yes, we’ll be spending the night here with her if that’s okay with you doc?” her grandfather said.

The doctor chuckled again. He understood their situation. “If anything goes bonkers just ring us and we’ll come storming in to her aid. Does that sound fine to you folks?”

Her grandparents smiled and thanked the doctor. He wished Anna a good night’s sleep and left. Anna told her grandparents she needed to use the restroom, then she got out of the bed and walked into the bathroom without looking at them.

Anna looked at the mirror and stared at herself. Sighing, she gently massaged her cheek where the girl had touched it. She wondered if this was a sign of the devil, or perhaps it was punishment for something? She couldn’t think of anything else.

Anna began crying tears of bitter confusion and walked to the corner of the bathroom. She slowly dropped to the ground and hugged her knees, burying her head in her arms. She wept quietly and wondered if it was all truly just a dream.

***

A slow month passed by, and Jack had finally adjusted to the institution of lost hope and torment, even though he still had hatred for such confinement. He was able to sustain stability to his mental well-being, knowing that he got to relax for an hour a day. Carolyn made sure that he wasn’t doing anything stupid to the other kids in the yard, especially knowing how much of a curious boy he continued to be.

With visits to Dr. Cato once a day to check on his mental health, it was more than enough for Jack to keep his sanity. Dr. Cato wasn’t such a bad guy though, he was quite kind and patient, and Jack thought of him as a friend who you could talk to about everything, but he still felt some sort of fishiness about the doctor. Oh how he wished to stay in the yard longer to bask in his only freedom, but at least he had a new friend now.

He was weird and a little loud, but he was hilarious enough to compensate for his flaws for Jack’s amusement. They talked everyday, and the way he acted and communicated made Jack’s lungs burst with laughter. Jack still hadn’t asked for his name, but in the meantime, he was just glad he was able to finally relax and daydream about being free… if only.

Jack was sitting on his bed talking to himself, wondering why Carolyn cared so much about that little girl. He wasn’t sure if he did the right thing by ignoring those kids for the past few months. However, he couldn’t bear it much longer. Such remorse could lead someone to complete insanity.

“I still couldn’t help but feel disgusted with myself for the past month. Everyday I see those bastards bully that poor girl. It sickens me! But why do I feel so bad for her?”

Jack stared at his hand, opening and closing it repeatedly.

“I guess it can’t be helped, can it? I want to help, but I can’t. It’s even gone as far as affecting my relationship with Carolyn.”

Jack clenched his hand tight out of slight anger.

“I think she wants me to help that girl… but you know what? I think I will!”

As Jack talked to himself, Carolyn listened to what he was saying. She giggled and hugged Jack. “I knew you would help her. It was only a matter of time.”

After letting him go, Jack looked directly into her eyes. “Carolyn, why do you care so much about that little girl anyways?”

She patted his head, gave him a smile, then wished him goodnight. She left Jack hanging all alone with curiosity and closed his door.

What was with the mystery?! ARGH! Did she know her personally? Whatever, I should see how things would go…

Jack lays down and stares at his empty ceiling. “Yeah, we’ll see how everything turns out.”

The following day came by, and Jack got up out of bed and put on his clothes to get ready for the day.

Carolyn walked in and said, “Good morning!”

“Good morning!”

“Are you ready for this fine day, Jack?”

“Of course I am!” Jack exclaimed.

As the day slowly passed by, Jack was still thinking whether he should make any more friends. He already had one friend, but more would be nice. And he finally got his name too, but it was a girly name though… and he was a guy. His name was Candy. He was so weird, but Jack found him funny.

It was finally time to go to the yard. As usual, Carolyn escorted Jack to the entrance. She reminded him not to take too long, so he nodded and walked into the yard. He saw Candy and immediately greeted him.

Candy saw Jack coming and did a hilarious girlish pose with his hand. “Heyy you!”

Jack hadn’t been there for not even two minutes, and already he was laughing. “What’s up? What are the plans for today?”

Candy sat down, crossing his legs all girly-like. “The plans hmm… Well, listen boo boo, Imma do what I usually do, and that’s to be a cute, adorable, white snowball ooo!”

Jack forgot how uncomfortable he got around Candy at times, but he couldn’t help but laugh at the things he said. “Hey Candy, can I ask you a question?”

Candy puckered his lips like a duck. “You can ask me anything honey, and I’ll try my best to answer you the best I can, sweetheart!”

“How’d you end up in that bad school? What’d you do?”

He started laughing hysterically at Jack’s question. “Well… I ended up in that school because… I like to fight a lot! Too much actually, mostly because people question my sexuality. So I teach them a good and beautiful lesson!” He raised his fists. “Even with my sexiness I’m tougher than I look, sugar!”

“Uhh, what’s that mean?”

Candy gasped and covered his mouth. “Oh my, I almost forgot! You’re still young, boo boo! Uh well… it’s complicated to explain. You’re too young to understand anyways. I’ll explain it to you when you get older, okay?”

Jack chuckled as Candy winked at him with those girly eyes of his and to Jack they were girly because he had long eyelashes and natural eyeliner. Even the shape of his body was very feminie from his hips to his legs, the only thing boyish on him were his arms and Adam's apple.

They headed over to the fountain where they usually liked to hangout. It was comfortable and relaxing to hear the water spew out from the top as the birds chirped. It really made a person calm.

As they chatted about random things, they noticed all the kids from Candy’s school started rounding up. It appeared they were going to harass the poor little girl again. Both Candy and Jack tried their best to stay out of it when it happened, but Jack did promise himself that he would help her now.

They both ignored the commotion as they usually would, but the kids kept getting more rowdy. Jack looked over his shoulder and spotted them picking up pebbles and rocks.

What’s going on now?!

Candy and Jack looked away to kill their curiosity, but they found it was so difficult due to hearing her howls of sadness and their maniacal laughter. The feeling of remorse finally started to overpower Jack.

He clenched his fists and squinted his face to resist himself from intervening. Candy noticed his friend’s sudden change and patted his back. He understood Jack’s feelings, unlike some of those damn doctors.

All of a sudden, they both heard the kids screaming and shouting, “Die! Die! Freak”

Candy leaned his head on his hand. “Boy, they sure as hell are ruthless right now.” He sighed deeply, “Poor lil mamma!”

Jack gave him a serious look, then clenched the sides of his pants in frustration. “Hey Candy… What do you think those kids are doing with those pebbles and rocks?”

“Shoot! I hope they aren’t going to throw ‘em at the poor lil girl!”

“I sure hope that isn’t the case either.”

They suddenly heard the little girl let out a bloodcurdling scream. Jack immediately felt his heart sink.

DAMN IT! Jack thought.

Jack couldn’t take it any longer. Hearing her scream like that was the breaking point. Enough was enough.

Jack stood up angrily. “I’m going in, Candy.”

Candy didn’t want to sit around either, he wanted to accompany his friend. Jack smiled and gave him a thumbs up, then they rushed towards the crowd to get a better view of what was happening. It was so crammed and impossible to see, so Jack squeezed his way through the crowd to see what was happening, but he couldn’t. There were just too many fools packed tightly together.

Jack pushed harder to get a better view of the situation. He managed to get close to see what was going on by sticking his head out in between two teenagers. It was what Jack had feared… the kids were throwing pebbles at the girl.

They laughed while they threw the objects stained with their hands of hatred. The little girl had nowhere to run, so she covered her head and cowered in fear to avoid getting struck in the face.

Jack clenched his hands in anger, watching them throw things at her… it was driving him insane. He couldn’t bear it any longer. His mind, his body, something felt wrong… it felt like when he saw his parents being murdered in front of him.

The poor girl started to whimper, but the kids still showed no mercy. They continued throwing pebbles at her with all their strength. The kids eventually ran out of pebbles, but they weren’t done, because they set their eyes on the rocks that they’d prepared.

No… they wouldn’t dare. They’ll kill her!

Jack tried to stop them, but the crowd was just too loud for his voice to be heard. He tried pushing even further, but they were too big for him to squeeze any further. The kids all paused for a moment, staring at the girl with rocks in their hands, ready to be thrown.

“Today’s the day you finally die freak!” shouted one kid.

“Hey! Quit crying you little bitch! Show us your face!” said one girl.

A tall teenager walked to the front of the crowd. “Come on guys! We shouldn’t be doing this… We need to make her burn instead!” He took out a lighter and burned a piece of paper while laughing.

The kids all cheered at the idea, then lifted their fists in the sky. It was no wonder why these people were here in the first place. To Jack, it sounded like they should be in the mental facility instead of him.

One kid threw a rock to begin the stoning and struck the girl’s hand, scuffing it. She reacted and grabbed her hand in pain. Shortly afterward, another kid took the opportunity when her guard was down and threw another one, striking her chest. She gasped horribly and coughed, almost as if her lungs were struck by a bullet. She gazed up while coughing out some blood, then she saw more rocks come towards her.

Am I really witnessing someone getting killed right in front of my eyes again? Why are they doing this to a helpless child?

”Stop!” Jack yelled.

Unfortunately, it was no use, his voice was too drawn out by the crowd’s laughter and chants. Jack started pushing kids out of his way by using every little strength he had. As Jack got closer, a rock struck the girl’s face. She fell badly, then started bleeding from her head. The sight of that, it… it… reminded Jack of his… his…

Jack could hear the girl laugh in his head again. “Let me help you!”

With no hesitation Jack agreed again. A faint black mist formed around him. His mind went blank again, but he lost consciousness. Now he had no idea what was about to happen.

Jack sucked in as much air as his lungs could hold and shouted, “That’s enough!”

A fierce black wind blew out of Jack’s body, knocking every student back. His clothes fluttered and everything became quiet.

Jack regained consciousness again, then blinked a couple of times. He saw everyone trying to help others up, but he couldn’t understand why they were all on the ground. Jack rushed over to the girl, covering her body with his. All the kids were livid now, so they threw rocks again without thinking. Jack got struck a couple of times before the kids noticed he was shielding her. They were confused.

“Why are you helping a freak?” one kid questioned.

“Hey! What’s your deal kid? Didn’t you see what she just did! This is why she’s a demon!”

“Get out of our way. We were just punishing her for her sins!”

Jack looked around at how many kids were involved. He gave them all the look of sheer hatred and disgust. “What am I doing? What am I doing?!” He pointed furiously at the crowd of delinquents. “You sick bastards keep harassing and torturing this poor girl… And for what?!”

The kids all dropped their rocks, but they still didn’t seem convinced.

“You don’t seem to understand… Do you know who that little… thing is? She’s a monster, una bruja!” the kid said, and included something in Spanish.

Jack slightly understood what the kid had said.

“Yeah, not only that, but she’s also a lab rat too!” The kid started laughing along with the other kids in the crowd, which pissed Jack off even more.

Jack ground his teeth and clenched his hands so hard that his nails started digging into his palms. “Shut your mouths! That still doesn’t give you the right to end a person’s life… What?! Don’t tell me the only reason why you say she’s a freak is because she’s a patient from that place?” Jack pointed at the facility while they continued to laugh.

One of the older kids walked up to Jack. “Of course not, but there are rumors of her, horrible ones, ones that you wouldn’t understand kid.”

“Yeah, not only that, but she’s a child of Satan too!” another kid said.

All the kids agreed with everything they said, but Jack still didn’t buy.

What gives them the right to kill someone, especially a little girl?

“We gotta put this creature out of its misery. That’s why… Now move!”

“Yeah! We’re just doing what God and the Bible intended us to do, and that’s what’s best for all of us!”

Jack spotted a rock and picked it up. “If anyone wants to continue throwing rocks, I’ll beat their ass to death with a single rock.”

They all start laughing at his weak threat.

“Oh yeah, what did you do to get in here. Huh, crazy boy, hmm?”

“I bet he’s just some wannabe gangster pussy!”

The older kid finally got up in Jack’s face and pushed him. “What are you gonna do now, kid?”

Jack quietly chuckled, then laughed maniacally, and gave them a look of insanity. “You fools… really think I’m in the same building as you?”

Jack started laughing more. The kids got annoyed by his crazy laughter, so they picked up the rocks they’d dropped.

“I’m from that building.” Jack pointed at the mental facility. “The one full of insane people… You guys really wanna know how I got in there?!”

All the kids started seeing a faint mist emit from out of Jack’s body. Their faces turned white and they immediately dropped the rocks again.

“How did you end up in a place like that?” one of the kids asked.

“Since you guys really wanna know and are that curious… I’ll tell ya!”

The clouds above them started turning gray, as treacherous claps of thunder boomed across the sky.

Jack’s pupils turned pitch black. He had a sinister smile on his face. “I-I-I murdered four people!”

The moment he said that, a huge strike of lightning landed in front of the kids, which dented the ground and made dirt fly everywhere. Such a sudden strike caused them to panic and run away in fear.

Dr. Cato and another man rushed outside and ordered everyone to get back inside, thinking that a huge storm was coming. However, when everyone went inside, everything had quietened down. One kid still stood there and looked at Jack with a frown on his face.

It was the tall kid. His jacket fluttered with the calm, returning wind and he slowly pointed at the little girl. “You’ll regret saving her kid… Trust me, she’s the spawn of Satan. I guess you’re no different than her I suppose.” He walked away and headed back to his school.

Everything was calm again. The clouds moved over to let the sun shine once again. Jack covered his face from the sharp brightness. He dropped the rock in his hand and looked over his shoulder to see the girl staring at him. The moment Jack took one step towards her, she huddled back in the corner, still frightened.

Jack slowly approached her, trying to reach out to her. “Hey… it’s okay, I won’t hurt you. I’m here to help you. Trust me. Hey, why don’t I introduce myself. My name’s Jack.”

The moment Jack said his name, her eyes glistened and she slowly lifted her head up to look at him. As his body bathed in the sunlight, in her vision, Jack looked like a guardian angel coming to her aid.

She sat on her knees and looked into his eyes. “J-Jack…?”

Jack stared back at her and the moment he looked into her eyes, his reaction to them were jaw dropping. Her eyes were so beautiful and yet so empty. They were as blue as the weightless gas oceans of neptune, but with a hint of earth’s blue oceans. Her hair was as black as the night sky and her skin was as pale as snow. The thing that stood out the most was her beauty, even though she was so young. Her beauty even rivaled that of his friend Anna’s.

Just her staring at Jack gave him butterflies in his stomach. How could they do this to such an adorable little girl? Worthless, ungrateful, delinquents!

She started approaching Jack, crawling on all fours. “J-J-Jack!” she said nervously.

Jack couldn’t help but smile. “Yes! That’s my name. What’s yours?”

She clasped her hands together and still seemed nervous, but she shook her head slowly. Jack kneeled. She slowly extended a hand out, reaching for his.

“It’s okay. From now on, I’ll protect you!” The moment Jack said that, he saw her eyes gleam with hope, then they turned misty. The look of relief was evident, almost as if she was waiting for him.

She finally grabbed his hand. Jack ripped off a piece of his shirt and wiped the blood off her face. She held his hand tightly. She was adorable, yet so tiny.

Jack patted her head. “Everything will be okay now.”

Her eyes flooded with tears of joy. She placed her other hand on top of his, then gave him a gentle half smile. “M-My… na-names… Angela.”

Jack smirked and continued patting her. “That’s a beautiful name.” Then he realized how much she was stuttering.

What a poor girl! She probably has an extreme case of social anxiety and is anti-social. To think someone as young like her would be this way.

“So Angela, how old are you?” Jack asked.

She slowly let go of his hands and held up six fingers… Her cuteness was too much to bear. Jack couldn’t take it any longer. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, surprising her with a hug. She didn’t hesitate either, and wrapped her arms around him as well. Jack quickly apologized, but she didn’t mind.

“I’m glad you did, Jack. Thank you for saving me.” She continued squeezing the life out of Jack.

“Hey Angela?”

She looked up and smiled. “Y-Yes?”

“Why don’t I escort you to the nurses office and get you all healed up? What do you say, cutie?”

She softly giggled and hugged him again.

Jack decided to carry her to make sure she was safe. As they were about to leave, Dr. Cato arrived and swung Jack around in joy with Angela in his arms. He gently put Jack down. “I’m sorry, Jack. I got a little carried away.”

There was another guy who was beside him. He was tall and tough looking, but his belly was huge.

Dr. Cato patted Jack’s head. “Jack my boy, you’re a hero! You saved our special Angela from those degenerates. I only saw when you approached and comforted her. My goodness, it was so heartwarming. I knew you were special.”

The other guy came by Jack’s side. “Yes, we heard all the terrible things those little bastards did to poor Angela.”

Dr. Cato elbowed his gut. “Please watch your language.”

“Oh, excuse my rudeness. I’m the guy in charge of that building where those little pests are in. The name’s Mr. Mathew.” He started laughing, which made him sound like a villain. “Or you can just call me Mathew since you’re not part of my school.”

The way Dr. Cato said her name… our special Angela? Wait! Could this be the girl he was telling me about?! Is it really her?

Dr. Cato kept thanking Jack and Mr. Mathew kept doing the same. Angela held onto Jack’s hand, and he could feel her tremble a little. He wondered what was wrong.

They all headed inside together, but Jack stopped, causing Angela to stop. “Hold on! I forgot about Candy!” Jack looked back and saw him waving, so Jack waved back and smiled.

When they continued walking, Jack knew they were on their way to the nursery to take care of Angela. Along the way, she held his hand tight and had a beautiful smile the entire time. They arrived at the nursery to treat her wounds, and she wanted Jack to stay by her side so she wouldn’t feel lonely.

Dr. Cato picked Angela up and placed her on the nursery bed. “I’m so glad she’s safe. Darn those kids, Mathew. I hope you have a plan to punish those little delinquents like you said you would!”

“Don’t worry, Cato. I’ll give them the punishment of a lifetime. Just you see!” They both chuckled and left the room.

Jack walked over to her side and sat next to her. “So Angela, how are you feeling?”

She sat up. “I-I’m okay!”

Poor Angela, she must be used to this pain. She seems too calm and relaxed after being brutalized.

“Angela. Every day from now on, I want you to be by my side. Okay?”

She smiled again and leaned on his arm. Dr. Cato walked back into the nursery and stood in front of them. “So Angela? Are you ready to go back to your room?”

Angela tried to speak up, but couldn’t. Jack looked at her, then glanced up at Dr. Cato. “Maybe she just needs someone to talk to?”

Before Jack was about to suggest another option, Dr. Cato surprisingly said, “Angela, Jack will be by your side from here on out.”

Well, that wasn’t what Jack intended but hey. He guessed that worked too.

Angela, on the other hand, was overfilled with joy and embraced him. Jack couldn’t complain… yet. It felt nice having someone hug him.

As they were about to leave, Angela stopped Dr. Cato. She pulled on his coat and looked up at him. “C-Can he wa-walk with… us?”

Dr. Cato chuckled and patted her head. “Of course, why not.”

She grabbed Jack’s hand and dragged him along with them. They left the nursery and headed to her room. As they walked along those long, loud hallways full of nut jobs, Jack couldn’t help but feel really good about himself. He was really proud that he’d finally had the courage to save her, but more importantly, he thought Carolyn was going to be more than satisfied. He couldn’t wait to tell her.

They finally arrived at her room and Jack looked around in amazement. “Wow, it’s huge… no it’s ginormous!”

Her room was white everywhere and the brightness was enough to blind him ten fold. Jack realized why she had been so antisocial and had social anxiety. Jack knew that if he were locked in a room this big, he too would be socially awkward.

”Would you like to say anything else to Angela before you go,” Dr. Cato asked Jack as he guided him out.

Jack nodded then waved goodbye to her. “See you tomorrow Angela, have a good night!”

“P-Pl-Please, don’t go!” she pleaded while gripping Jack’s arm tighter.

Dr. Cato gently pulled her away. ”It’s okay, Angela, Jack will be by your side again tomorrow.”

She hesitated at first, but finally came to terms with him. She hugged Jack one last time and wished him goodnight. Both Dr. Cato and Jack left her room and closed the door, with Dr. Cato telling her he’d be back to check on her in a few minutes.

Once they were out of her earshot, Dr. Cato sighed. “Sorry you had to see all that Jack, but this is how she’s been treated ever since she’s lived here… Poor girl.”

Jack’s smile faded away. “Is that so? Well, I guess she’s lucky that I stepped up to those jerks and told them off huh?”

Dr. Cato laughed, while escorting Jack back to his room. “Thank you again for everything Jack.”

“I had wanted to help her for the longest time, but I didn’t know when the time was right.”

The doctor smiled and patted Jack’s shoulder, then he left and closed the door.

Jack was so exhausted. Everything that had happened really took a toll on him. However, it appeared he had a new road ahead, one which he knew how tough it would be.

He intended to keep her safe no matter what it took, but there was one thing on his mind. It was when every student was on the ground and more importantly, what that lightning strike was… Jack found that strange.

Carolyn rushed into the room and immediately jumped out and embraced him. She squeezed Jack to death. He tried telling her that he couldn’t breathe, but she was too excited to even hear his gasps for air.

“I’m sorry Jack! It’s just… I saw what you did for that girl and… I’m so proud of you!”

“You-You did? Well… I guess it was nothing.”

Jack had never seen Carolyn this happy before. All the compliments were making him blush. “I figured it was time I finally stood up for the girl, but more importantly, uh… making you feel proud of me?” Jack said very nervously and out of embarrassment. “I have to thank you for giving me the motivation to finally stand up for her.”

Carolyn blushed and covered her mouth. Her eyes became misty, and then she hugged him again. Jack had no idea how cold she felt, and wondered why. He pushed the thought out of his mind, because he could still feel at least a little warmth in their embrace. He was just glad to have someone like Carolyn. Without her, Jack knew he wouldn’t have made it this far. He remembered the promise he’d made for his mother, to always protect girls, and he intended to keep her promise.

Mom… I hope you’re watching me and are proud.

For the past month, Jack had tried his best to look out for Angela, while making sure the horrible kids didn’t hurt her. He was teaching her how to speak thoroughly and helped her with her social anxiety.

But man… she had been so clingy ever since.

Jack wanted his own space sometimes and knew it would be nice, but he didn’t really mind. She did make him happy. It was almost like having a sister.

They were now hanging out in the yard with Candy. He was starting to like Angela too, and often compared her to his little sister back home. He talked about how he used to take care of her and how much he cared for her.

Jack found that Angela was an extremely good artist for a six year old. Jack wished he was as talented as her, because holy cow, he knew she was good. Her level of drawing was already that of a college graduate, realistic levels of good from the shading to her mind blowing detailing.

She was drawing while Candy and Jack were just having a regular discussion.

“Hey Angela. What’s this supposed to be?” Jack pointed at the figure she was drawing.

“Oh… it’s… a hor-horse! Do y-you like… it?!”

Jack rubbed her head gently. “Of course I do. It’s beautiful!”

She smiled and continued to draw. Jack let her be for a moment and approached Candy. “Hey Candy, can I ask you something?”

Candy patted Jack’s head. “Yesss, boo boo! What’s up?!” He leaned close to Jack and placed his hand on his hip with a feminine pose while he continued patting him.

“W-Why are you standing like that?”

“Oh this? Hmph!” He stepped back and snapped his fingers. “I’m just being a bad bitch for all the boys around here! That’s all, boo boo!” He chuckled and posed again.

“Is that so… pretty weird, but okay.” Jack cleared his throat. “Well, I want to ask how long have you been in here?”

“Shit… I think about, let me think, uhhh, about, hmmm, how long, Jesus my goodness, oooo, I think like, oh damn it has been that long? Nine months!”

Jack had a slightly irritated look on his face. He thought he would never shut up. “It took you that long to answer? Man, that was a long build up for nothing.”

Candy started laughing hysterically and patted Jack’s head again. “I’m sorry for the awful build up, boo boo. I just wanted to be dramatic.”

Jack playfully slapped his hand away as he laughed along with him.

With his eyes set on Angela, Candy asked, “Is she okay?”

Jack sighed and explained how she’d been so clingy for the entire month, not to mention how much she liked his attention, however, she was doing much better.

Candy smiled. “How long are you intending to protect her, Jack?”

Jack dragged his palm over his face feeling frustrated. “As long as I’m stuck in this hell, I’ll watch over her.”

Candy did the splits and started making cheers, motivating Jack’s spirit with some corny chants and really bizarre girly poses. Jack laughed at his performance, but Candy got offended and did a handstand, then flipped Jack off.

He landed back on his feet and sat next to Jack. “You’re a good boy, aren’t cha, boo boo? I never pictured you as a tough guy to be honest.”

“Perhaps, but it may not look like it… But I did kill those three guys who murdered my parents.” Jack shifted his gaze at the children playing in front of them. “Hopefully I don’t become what I detest…”

Candy and Jack stayed quiet for a moment until he looked at Jack and placed an arm on his shoulder. “What would that be?”

Jack took a deep breath. “A criminal.”

Candy patted his back. “Well boo, I’m pretty sure that’ll never happen. You killed those men in sheer rage to avenge your parents, I mean look!” He pointed at Angela. “She’s grateful as hell! You saved her. A criminal would never think about someone else besides themselves.”

“Thank you,” Jack said. “That’s a kind thing to say.”

Jack was really glad to have a good friend like him. He hoped Candy was right though. He still wanted to be a detective, and he just prayed that he wouldn’t end up as the very thing he hated the most, which was a low life criminal scum.

Both boys panned their attention back to Angela, watching her draw the horse thing. She completed her drawing and showed it to them. They both looked at it with surprised faces. Her drawing showed two people riding a horse in a beautiful flower field. One person looked like Jack.

Jack’s guess was that the other person was Angela. He looked closer, peering at the artwork, and thought that it was her. It was like an older version of herself.

The doctor and Mr. Mathew arrived at the yard. “Times up. Please go back to your buildings,” Mr. Mathew announced.

Candy said goodbye to both Jack and Angela. He tried to hug Angela, but she was still extremely shy and hid behind Jack. Candy chuckled and waved goodbye instead, then went his way as Jack and Angela started heading their way.

Angela held Jack’s hand as they walked towards the door, however, Dr. Cato stopped them. ”I’m sorry Jack, but I’ll be taking Angela back to her room alone this time.”

“Why? Why can’t Jack help this time?” Angela said, refusing him with a shake of her head.

“Unfortunately, Jack can’t come with us this time because it’s time for Angela’s therapy.”

Therapy? Jacked wondered. What type of therapy did she have to go through? Perhaps it was trauma? She did lose her parents in a car accident...

Angela was still hesitant, but she gave in, then she hugged Jack one last time. “I can’t wait for tomorrow,” she whispered with that adorable face of hers.

”Please behave and be a good girl, Angela.” Jack gave her a pat on the head and poked her nose. She expressed the cutest smile he’d seen yet. Her cuteness alone was enough for him to turn bright red.

Angela walked over to Dr. Cato’s side and grabbed his hand. “Thank you again Jack, I mean it.” They both turned around and started walking away, with Angela looking over her shoulder before leaving to take one last look at Jack.

He noticed and waved. She tried replying back to his farewell, but Dr. Cato picked up their pace and closed the door behind them. They were gone which left Jack alone. He took notice of that quick hurdle of theirs, but now he was beginning to wonder why they were in a sudden hurry to her therapy he had no clue about.

Carolyn showed up a few minutes later. “So Jack, how’s your day going?”

”It’s good as usual. Nothing too different,” Jack said, then smiled.

She chuckled. “Are you hungry, Jack?”

“I’m more tired than hungry. To be honest, I’d rather go to sleep instead.”

She nodded, then escorted him back to his room. Along the way, Jack decided to grab a little snack from the vending machine. “Would you like something, Carolyn?”

“I’m not hungry. It’s best for you to eat instead, Jack.”

As Jack bought his snack, while inserting a cold coin of silver into the machine of diabetic cancer, his peace of grabbing a sugary snack was interrupted by someone giggling close by.

He looked to his right and left, but there was nothing. There was giggling again behind him, so he looked over his shoulder. Still, there was no one.

For Jack, it was getting a little creepy. He was so distracted by what was happening that he didn’t notice his snack fall and made a loud thump on the metal. It spooked him, which made him jump for a second.

Jack looked back at the machine and sighed. He got his snack and quickly got back to Carolyn, but the moment he stood in front of her view, she stood behind the window with the sunset at her back. She looked angry for some reason.

“Are you okay?” Jack asked cautiously.

She didn’t say a single word. She just stood there, basking in her own silence. Jack tried to approach her, but she quickly put her hand out.

“Stop!” she shouted in a fierce tone.

What the hell is going on now?

“You should walk in front of me. Now.”

Jack obliged to her scary demand and took the lead.

They arrived in Jack’s room and Carolyn stopped at the door. “Go back inside. Now!” she spat in a nasty tone.

The look on her face screamed disappointment and anger. She appeared to be in pain and rage, but Jack didn’t know why. She apologized for her rudeness, then shut the door.

Maybe something came up, or perhaps she needed to use the restroom? Jack wondered.

But from the way her face looked, he couldn’t get that image out of his head. She looked so terrifying. But she also appeared so hurt. He thought that maybe he could ask her tomorrow and see if she’d answer his question, or maybe later when she decided to come back. Jack just didn’t know.