TW/CW: The following chapter contains Implications of emotional abuse. Reader′s discretion is advised - BW

  “Higen listens, you let me take on the fight, and let's be honest I was not as useful as Carter or Donna in the fighting department, Let's take it one step at a time, and we do our best to keep them out of danger when is needed and… well” he looked at me concerned and saddened like if he knew what I wanted to say “you will not lose control again, and if you do” he give me a kiss on my lips, I could feel my arms tight around his torso as he took my breath away when he pulled away leaving me dizzy “I′ll do that and bring you back Ozwald” “you… you are unnaturally good at that are you sure you haven’t kissed anyone else besides me before?” he looked dearly at me “Just you and I intend to keep it that way” I grabbed his hands and pulled again into a kiss he wasn’t expecting I made a move when I pulled away he blinked several times, his face all red and flustered “and if you think you are a monster I′ll do that to help you, come on we have to get going, the day has already started”

  I yawned as Ozwald and I went our separate ways after literature, he is right, o know he is, and yet, the thought of letting the others fight with us is something I cant shake off my head, I walked to the art classroom, where the teacher had already prepared our stations for today's project, art is one of the classes I didn’t expect to enjoy since I'm not really good at this kind of things but Ozwald helped me with basic drawings, before I could only make stick figures with name arrows pointing to each one to difference them but Ozwald taught me the basics it's been going better since then when the rest of the class arrived the teacher started to give us instructions on today's assignment, “good afternoon class, now I know everyone is just wishing the next hour pass so you can go to your clubs and sports activities, but, I have prepared the best past time for that, today I want you to draw in your papers a subject close to home, your family”

  Some students nodded and some others were just looking at their phones using the canvases to not being caught by our teacher, “Now use the full hour to get as many family members as you can or want, and yes your pets do count as your family” my classmates started to work moving their pencils to start working some ask if it was okay to use references from their phones to wich out teacher said it was okay but he would keep a close eye on the ones that have their phones out, I picked my pencil and started to work, it′s an easy thing I drew myself but spent a long while on the face at home im not allowed to paint I re-draw the smile it didn’t felt right I give myself a neutral expression instead and did my father, hair shorter than mine, bigger build, he didn’t cure his scars form battel with divine words, one of his eyes was covered by a black eye patch from one of his last encounters “you two are matching Mr. Banna”

  The teacher said from behind me I put my pencil down “How is your eye, Mr. Banna?” I forced my usual smile in front of him. “Is healing fine, Sir. I can see better, but I was told that I still need the eye patch,” he twisted his mouth into a concerned expression. “Higen, listen, can we talk when the class is over?” I was confused. Did I do something wrong? I just nodded and continued the assignment I drew my mother… her expression of vainness face partially covered by a flamboyant fan her hair neatly pinned up in her usual way, I wondered what is she doing, her threat to me during the selection had not left my head, what is she going to do when I inevitable go back to our state, would she have a new script I have to oblige too? Before I noticed the bell rang and everyone rushed to go out, and in a moment, I was left alone with the art teacher, Mr. Cortez.

  “…” There was an awkward silence. He was just looking at me as if waiting for something. “Mr. Cortez… is this because I drew something inappropriate? I'm really sorry if I did.” I apologized, not really understanding if I had done something bad. “No, no, of course not, Mr. Banna… I wanted to ask if everything is okay?” I blinked. I didn’t know what to answer. Is everything okay? Has anything been okay? No… I can't do that burdening someone with my problems I smiled in the kindest way I could and laughed a little “But of course,e everything is okay Mr. Cortez, why would anything be wrong, I live with my best friend and go to this amazing school, I have so many new frie…” he made the same concerned expression “you don’t have to lie son, I know something is and has been bothering you, is everything okay at home? You know in new Zeeland” how can he know, no he can't know I started to breathe hard to steady myself “of course it is Sir. What gives you that idea?” he sighed and picked my canvas to show it to me.

  “you see Higen people tell a lot of things when they draw, is an unconsius thing, for example, you drew yourself with no hands, your mother is way separated from you and your father, and he is towering over you like a looming presence Higen… what im saying is” he placed his hand on my shoulder to reassure me “is okey to shear the load with others, listen maybe this was the wrong assignment why don’t you take this picture with you and see if you can make something else you can show it to my next class and if im wrong I am deeply sorry for assuming something that is not happening, is just I hate seeing one of my students saddened by things if anything maybe talk to your boyfriend Ozwald about your worries relationships are emnt to give stranght and hope for each other, you can go now Higen” I nodded, picked my things and packed my drawing and left for the football practice, maybe he is right, I can always count on Ozwald, sometimes I wish for a normal life, what would that look like?

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  “Higen, what happened? I heard you were late to the practice today” Ozwald asked me when we were done, he looked for me in the locker rooms Carter had gone ahead to give us some privacy “Well my art teacher wanted to talk to me about… today′s assignment” “oh” he sighed in relive “sorry when you didn’t show up I thought something was wrong with your eye or something” he rested on a locker relived it was “just a talk” I bit my lip looking for the right words to ask him about what Mr. Cortez told me “… Ozwald I” “I know, I know I was being worried for noting” he laughed “let me guess, Mr. Cortez price you for your perfect work? Just like you, perfect Kinight, perfect student, perfect person” he hugged me, Perfect… “oh, Higen darling what is this?” I remember a day five years ago when I was younger, one of my teachers handed my grades to my mother. “My grades, mother… is there something wrong?” She looked baffled by my question, and she turned the page to me.

  “Something wrong? Care to explain why you didn’t score perfectly on this test?” I swallowed “Mother is… I should” she shushed me “Is? I? I'm sorry was this what your father and I thought you? To stutter instead of owning up? What kind of knight are you?” she threw the piece of paper at me I scanned through it ninety-five, why, how I′m sure I did enough to pass with one hundred “I′m sorry… it won't happen again, mother I swear” she closed her fan and slam it against the table, my body shook “I don’t care about your so call word, show another flaw, another crack and I will not stand for this, what are you Higen?” I looked down, and I could only utter the one word I knew she wanted to hear, “Perfect… I′m perfect” She nodded and left the room “Son… come here” I reacted only when I noticed my grandfather was hugging me “It was five points, I don’t understand how could I…I” he nodded “I happened to overheard your mother bribing that rat of a teacher with gold to boost your grade, I also happen to overheard he delivery lowering your grade for said brive, I took care of him… however, I'm here to proposes something… Do you want an out? Of this fate chosen for you?”

  “Higen? Hey, are you okay?” I forced a smile again. “Yeah, totally like you said, I′m perfect.” I felt something rolling down the side of my face. When did I start to cry? “I… Ozwald I… I” he was surprised, so was I; I just ran away. Ozwald called for me, but I didn't want to face him. I just wanted to close my eyes and ran, ran away from everything and everyone. “Yo Bann… hey wait!” Carter was going to greet me as he usually does but when I didn’t stop he had to jump out of the way I saw in the middle of the field as a Titan labyrinth formed before my eyes, I just wanted to be alone, far away from everyone, I jumped in with no hesitation if anything I do my work and stop disgracing myself.

  “What the hell just happened, pipsqueak?” Carter asked me when I ran out of the locker room, and I shook my head, “I don’t know, I… I just I think I… I hurt him somehow, let's go! We have to-” Our phones rang at the same time. “TITAN DETECTED” No… no, no, no, not now, we have to look for him. I have to apologize if I don’t he could, I would “Ozie?” I keep mothering under my breath, “We have to find him, if we don’t, I… I…” “Ozwald!” Niko Slapped me on my cheek I turned at him he wasn’t upset he looked concerned at me and used his phone to show me why he did that, my eyes started to darken and my hair grew slightly, I took a deep breath to prevent Allure form taking over “Ozie, according to the app Hig is already inside the labyrinth so we have somewhere to go” I look again, my face was normal, I nodded and summoned the staff “okay let's rescue Banna!” Carter started to run to the field. “We are right behind you, Ozie, let's find out what happened with him together,” Niko said to make me feel better as we all entered the labyrinth.

  The labyrinth looked like a rainy and misty forest. “Okay, everyone, barriers up, gear out!” I ordered them, Niko had an orange flower on his chest, Donna had several vines with five lilies of the valley on herself, and Carter was upset about the red rose on his chest “Hey how come everyone got cool flowers and I get this lame rose!?!” that lifted everyone′s mood “give me a sec, I′ll have the location of Higen in a moment” Niko closed his eyes and concentrated when he opened them again they had a pail cyan hue the mirror was floating in front of him, his reflection rippled for the movement of the water a wave of the same cyan hue spread through the forest “I got it! He is at the center of the labyrinth but he is not fighting I sense the titan and a strong unknown presence, that way!” he pointed and a cyan thread made of water formed to guide us we all ran to the location, Otis has to be behind this, he did something to my Higen, I won't forgive him.

  At the center of the barrier, Higen was lying on the ground. He seemed to be peacefully sleeping. “Higen! Wake up!” I called him but he didn’t move I came closer “Hey I'm sorry I don’t know what I said that upset you but… come on wake up!...” as I was getting closer I fell to the ground “Hig…en…? Why is that sticking out of your chest?” a silver arrow was lounged into his chest, I heard some whooshing sounds coming my way but I couldn’t move I was frozen in place “no time to be frozen look he is still breathing!” Donna grabbed me and put me in a safe spot a woman in tattered clothing, her alabaster color hair neatly tied behind her head came out from the mist “Oh, just like The Nobody said, lucky us, the Elisyan sorcerer has come to the hunt” “the other presence is her, everyone be careful” the woman came closer “you brought more pray? We are not interested, you three cubs can play with it” she snapped with her fingers and several logs line forming a serpent form parts of the forest as the woman prepared an arrow.