Emica Kana is 18 years old. She has always loved writing stories., They were her escape from reality. She always wished that a man would come and save her like they always do in the stories.
Well, she got her wish.
Emica entered a small writing school that was near a river. Her friend had joined her. But, the teacher had an odd vibe around him. Emica became a little scared of him. She especially became scared when the teacher started to pay more attention to her. One day, when she runs from him, she falls into a world of adventure, risk, and abnormalities. 
But, her teacher is what scares her more than this new world. What secrets and schemes did he use to get her here?

Middle schoolers are hopeless when it comes to life's problems. One day, James finds himself logging onto a virtual game to escape the feelings of guilt for his school crush, and with that comes getting stuck in a world of fantasy.

His parents calmly sat down in their chairs and let Kyle continue. Kyle opened his book and placed it on the table for them to see. Noah and I both took a peek, unable to read the writing, but could tell it was a calendar with notes on it. 
Kyle started to flip the pages. "For the month of June, Dave and I want to visit these two colleges which will still be in session and their baseball team might even still be playing in the College World Series. That would be best case scenario. If not, we'll still be able to do tryouts with their teams." He flipped the page again. "July will be about the camps. We'll go to the same two as we always do, but I'm adding the Texas one. Dave doesn't want to."

All eyes went to Dave. He swallowed what was in his mouth before speaking up. "What? I already said I don't see the need to go."

"He rather go to this camp instead." Kyle pointed at his planner. It must have had all the information written down, because his parents were studying it closely. "Slightly cheaper which can balance out my more expensive camp. Then in August, we'll meet up for another college visit which is also an ID camp for notable prospects. Mid-August is the high school camp so we'll come back for that. The last couple of weeks will be spent here preparing for senior year."

Mr. and Mrs. Atkins didn't say anything right away. They looked over the planner, flipping back and forth between the pages. 
Mrs. Atkins was the first to sigh. "You wrote out a budget, and I'm happy about that, but you can obviously tell that you and Dave are going over your given amount for the summer. Even if we add extra for your college visits...this is a bit too much."

"I've thought about that." Kyle glanced at me and Noah. "Noah isn't going to be allowed on the travel team. So that should save a little more money."

"So you're dipping into my summer money?" Noah asked, bewildered. 
"Technically it's not yours. It's Mom's and Dad's." Kyle shot back. He beamed at his parents. "So what do you think?"

"I think it would be perfect if you sacrifice this Texas camp." Mr. Atkins tapped the book. "That's what making you go over the budget we had set. Do you really need this particular camp? You and Dave liked the other one last year."

"I need something different, Dad!" Kyle said, exasperated. 
He sounded desperate. I cleared my throat. "I don't really need summer camp money, do I?"

"You don't want to go to any baseball camps with Noah?" Mrs. Atkins asked. 
I glanced at Noah. "I...I actually don't want to leave. Or go anywhere too far."

Noah sighed. "I guess we'll stay home for the summer, Mom. Jake probably isn't ready for any sleepaway camp. But! We're definitely going to do the high school camp! Coach will definitely get mad at us if we don't go."

Kyle was excited. "See?! Consent! They can share a part of their budget money."

"I don't know." Mrs. Atkins hesitated. "Noah and Jake can't just stay home all summer."

"Why not?" Kyle asked. "Zeke will be here. He doesn't have to report to college until early September. He's practically a live-in babysitter. Which will allow you two to come to these colleges with us." 
"I don't mind." Zeke surprised the room by speaking up. He looked at me and Noah. "Stanford is having a summer camp for high schoolers if you guys want to do that. It's the last week of July."

"During my birthday..?" Noah didn't look excited about baseball for once. 
"What else would you do for your birthday?" Dave asked. "Your only friend right now is Jake."

"I have other friends." He pouted. He looked at me. "Do you want to go?"

"Will you be there?" I asked. 
Noah sighed. "Of course we'll go together!" He looked back at Zeke. "What kind of camp is this? Are we going to stay at the dorms in school? Will you be going too?"

"Yes, you'll have to stay in dorms, but I can tell Coach Leroy that you two need to be in the same room." Zeke gave a small smile. "I'll actually be one of the counselors. Some of the local guys on the team help the coaches run it. Counts as community service."

"How much is this going to cost?" Kyle asked. "Will I still be able to do my trips?"

Zeke lost his smile. "I can talk to Coach Leroy. Maybe get it discounted. Maybe free. Not sure yet."

"Can you call him today?"

"On a Sunday?" Zeke frowned. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow."

Kyle was about to object, but Mr. Atkins cut him off. "Okay then. So most of your summer is planned out. We can start booking the flights and paying for the other camps besides the Texas one." Kyle opened his mouth. "We're not saying no. Let Zeke speak to his new coach tomorrow."

Mrs. Atkins looked at me and Noah again. "Are you two sure you don't want to do anything else? There might be some local camps we can do."

Noah glanced at me before replying. "I think the Stanford camp is good enough for us for now. Maybe next year, we'll do more."

"You can't just laze around all summer." Mr. Atkins frowned. 
"We won't! We'll play baseball with Zeke. Go to The Cages. Maybe get some of the guys from the team to play too. We can do beach days! We can..." He trailed off, unable to name another summer activity. 
"Maybe we should sign you two up for some summer classes?" Mrs. Atkins suggested. 
"Nooo." Noah wailed. The twins started to laugh. "That's not fair. Dave and Kyle get to travel all over the country all summer while you want us to do extra schooling? The injustice!"

"It's just an idea." Mrs. Atkins laughed. "So far all you two have is a summer camp at the end of July and then your high school camp right before school starts. Your whole first month is empty. Either find something to do or I'll find something for you."

Noah pouted. 
I was fine with it though. I never liked breaks from school to begin with. Spring break was the first time I had any fun. Before....

I looked at Mrs. Atkins. "I don't mind taking a summer class."

The boys stopped their jeering and laughing. Mrs. Atkins was surprised, but still smiled. "Oh? Do you have anything in mind?"

I shrugged. "I'm good with whatever."

"Don't pick math!" The twins said simultaneously. 
Mrs. Atkins was thrown off by their yelling. "Why can't he take a math?"

"Because..." Kyle frowned. 
"He'll get too far ahead!" Dave exclaimed. "We won't be in the same class next year, and instead he'll have to try some college math at the local community college. It would really mess up everything."

"Yea...mess up their cheating..." Noah said under his breath. 
I held back a smile as I watched the twins try to convince Mrs. Atkins that no matter what, I shouldn't get too far ahead in math. Mr. Atkins got up and returned his chair to his spot while Zeke stood up from the table, done with brunch. 


Jake has it rough: a missing dad, an abusive mother and a hidden talent for baseball which sends his mother off the deep end. Sent to live with a foster family, his love for baseball is revived, and with their help, will Jake start to shine like the future superstar he is?
Venmo: @alwaysbroke (my profile pic is a baseball field). 

Please read on Webnovel!

Thanks for letting me turn your review into my new summary, Tashady!

**Names, faces, and places aren’t real. A work of fiction. Nonetheless, it is my work of fiction so please don’t post it without permission. *I have used school names that do exist though, but I would like everyone to know that I have no affiliation with them. Nor do my views reflect their views. 

**Also, I bought the royalty-free license for my cover. Which means I can use it without having to pay royalties. If you have any questions, comment on my latest chapter or reach me on discord.

The commotion of the new semester turned into a ruckus after a few days, which had then turned into chaos in the span of the first month. That is to say, nothing had changed at all during this entire month. Being in charge of first graders on her third year as a teacher proved to be a challenge for Hee Yeon Kim, but for reasons she could only describe as &quot;complicated,&quot; she had been forced into this difficult task. To say that her experience was lacking was a gross understatement, and it was near impossible for her to manage the ruckus that the first graders were creating. As such, it became somewhat of a routine for the teachers of adjacent classrooms to intervene and suppress(?)* the children of Class 1-3. Perhaps it was thanks to that, or perhaps the children had simply grown accustomed to school after a month, but they had reached the point where they would calm down just enough for class to start. Hee Yeon had to settle for that. Nonetheless, as soon as breaktime started, the children would resume their chaotic commotion, filling the halls with their voices as Hee Yeon sat next to the window, her head in her hands in an attempt to withstand it all.

'If only they had gym class all morning long…'

But if that were the case, then she would have to be on guard, looking out for potential injuries, which would then cause even more of a psychological strain on her. In her current state of mind, however, she wished for nothing more than to escape from all the noise. When she looked up towards the classroom again, she realized that she had to say something.
&quot;Jihoon, you can't stand on the desk. You'll get hurt!&quot; She warned in her strictest tone. &quot;Heejin, don't get so close to the window! Get down from there! There, in the back! Stop running! What if you fall over?!&quot;
Even in the midst of all the chaos, she couldn't help but notice one of her students sitting quietly, in the middle of the row next to the windows. He had become the talk of the school due to his good looks, and he was the one exception in this classroom of constant cacophony. The boy was always reading. He mainly read textbooks, but sometimes would bring in children's tales from somewhere and read those. During class he would always look at her with bright eyes, listening so intently to what she said that she felt almost awkward under the pressure, but it was thanks to him that she felt proud and satisfied to be a teacher. After all, there wasn't a teacher alive who disliked diligent students.

The boy paid no mind to his teacher's rather open observation of him and just kept on reading. He was quite happy with his current lifestyle. The classes taught him new things every day, satisfying his intellectual curiosity, and every day, the knowledge he gained from his textbooks surprised him. Reading and reaching an understanding of the material in the textbooks, regardless of the curriculum, filled the boy with an almost euphoric kind of joy. This was especially true for afterschool math class, which made him feel jittery. He derived an immense sort of satisfaction with every problem he solved correctly, and as his knowledge increased, he almost felt as if he could organize his thoughts concerning his confusing circumstances.

Just as the boy was about to immerse himself in the joy of studying, someone tapped his shoulders. When he turned around, he saw that it was Jihoon. Though only a month had passed since the start of the new semester, Jihoon already stood out from the rest of the class. To put it nicely, he was a very lively child, but in reality, he was closer to a menace. He could not bring himself to sit quietly during lessons, sprinting out of the classroom to go to the restroom (and if the teacher chased after him, he would always run away with a huge smile on his face, as if he was enjoying a game of tag), and during break time, he would jump from desk to desk, like an action maniac who delighted in the thrill and excitement of dangerous activities. He was also very creative, always coming up with new ways to make the girl who sat next to him cry. All this caused the other kids to practically line up to join Jihoon in his &quot;games,&quot; and he had become infamous within the parents' SNS chatrooms. However, being the only son of a prominent family, no one could really touch him, only increasing the frustration of the victims'(?) parents and homeroom teacher.
This same Jihoon had just approached the boy, apparently nominating(?) him as the next victim, but the boy simply looked at him wide-eyed as if he didn't know what was happening. Jihoon had his back to the group of students who followed him and looked down at him. &quot;They say you look like a plaster cast,&quot; he declared arrogantly. What did that even mean? &quot;My mom saw my sister's drawing and she said it looked like you. That's what a plaster cast is. You're plaster.&quot;

The boy went blank at Jihoon's words, confused at the utter lack of context.

Jihoon was actually referring to a bit of a hot topic among parents for a brief period of time. During the entrance ceremony, the parents had discussed the boy's outstanding looks, and someone had mentioned that he looked &quot;statuesque.&quot; Following this comment, the parents of a student preparing for art school had brought up &quot;Julian,&quot; one of the plaster cast busts used as a drawing model. Of course, parents quickly fell into a typical SNS conversation, adding that their own children were just as pretty, or whose children had better looks, but it appeared that their talks of plaster casts had reached Jihoon's ears. However, being completely unaware of this whole situation, the boy sat there dumbfounded.

&quot;He's plaster face now.&quot; Said Jihoon again, almost triumphantly. At these short, nonsensical words, the students began to clap and laugh uncontrollably. Perhaps the boy's blank expression and reaction had somehow struck them as funny. Following this relatively small incident, the boy had gained the nickname &quot;plaster face,&quot; and when Myeong-su, who was in the classroom next door, found out about this, it became his nickname at the institute as well. When the teacher heard of this, she thought it was rather cute, but she was also concerned that the boy's feelings were hurt by the nickname. It wasn't uncommon for children to feel upset at nicknames they did not like and lose their spirits.

However, the boy paid no mind to it, partly because he wasn't sure whether &quot;plaster face&quot; had enough of a negative connotation to feel upset over it, and partly because he thought it was better than what they had called him back at the peasant town. They had taken to calling him &quot;scrofa**&quot; due to the fact that he scavenged in the forest all day, or just &quot;boar.&quot; Rather than being compared to a pig, covered in mud and oinking all around the place, he preferred being compared to plaster.

****

With the approach of summer, the weather had reached the point where the impatient few had already begun to wear short sleeves outside. Volunteer workers still visited the institute every so often, now that the tough weeds sprouting through the lawn of the yard had grown enough to injure to the children. Though they were promptly eradicated by the volunteers, the teachers still had to warn the children to not go into the grass.

&quot;We'll be off!&quot;

The elementary schoolers shouted out as they got off the institute's van, cheerfully waving to the teacher sitting in the driver's seat. Among the children walking to the gates of the elementary school were the two first graders, Myeong-su and the boy, one third grader, one fifth grader, and two sixth graders. The sixth graders were very composed within and without the boundaries of the institute, and the third and fifth graders followed their every step. True to his status as a carefree, energetic first grader, however, Myeong-su ran into the school grounds, dragging the boy by the hand. The older children did nothing to stop them. Rather, they looked wholly uninterested, their steps seemingly much heavier than those of other students. But Myeong-su was too excited to pay attention to such things, and he just kept on running with the boy, who ran along like a leashed puppy. Though it looked like the boy was forcing himself to go along with Myeong-su, he was actually having just as much fun. He had recently discovered the existence of the school library and was ecstatic at the thought of feasting upon the mighty(?) collections of books within. The fact that all the children from the institute took the van to get to school meant that the boy always arrived before his classmates. Once in the classroom, he left his bag at his seat and headed straight to the library.

&quot;You're first again.&quot; The librarian had just started to open the library, and the boy greeted her, a gleeful smile on his face. &quot;You can go right ahead.&quot;

Having been granted permission, the boy bowed once again to the librarian, who was making her way towards her desk, and ran into the library. The musty scent of the books that had collected overnight filled his nose, and it almost felt sweet to him. He chose three books to read for that day, all relatively thin. His knowledge and comprehension were still not advanced enough for him tackle thicker books, causing him to always reach for the thinner books, meant for the younger students, without caring for their content. Such books mainly came out in series, so he had made it a habit to just go through the books series by series. Though the boy might have been unaware, children's books were not necessarily limited to just biographies and fairy tales, but also included illustrated classical literature and economics, which were enough to satisfy the boy's thirst for knowledge. Thanks to this, he had been able to catch up on his past seven years of no education and quickly learned about the systems of this world, as well as the social environment he was in.

He was also able to fully concentrate on books because they provided an escape from all the sadness and despair that came from being thrown into a completely new society and lifestyle. Or rather, he had no choice but to fully concentrate on books. His memories of the past still haunted him, no matter how much time passed.

****

Once the teachers' morning meeting ended, Hee Yeon went back into her classroom. Her students, who once seemed like water in hot oil, now felt like powder filling up a lidless blender. Though she had no way of knowing when the blender would turn on and scatter the powder everywhere, things were under control as long as she kept a watchful eye on the switch.
Because classes had not started yet, the switch seemed to be half pressed already, though the students attempted, if only a little, to quiet down when the teacher had walked in. Only Jihoon, apparently still in hot oil rather than the blender, spoke loudly to his friend, while the rest of the students remained in their seats and murmured to each other. The children had no way of knowing that their collective murmurs let to a very loud ruckus. Only one student, called 'plaster face' by the other kids even though he looked more like a 'Julian,' paid no mind to the noise and silently read his book. After almost a full semester of knowing him, Hee Yeon thought that he was possibly in the school's top ranks when it came to concentration and attitude towards learning, and though he hadn't stood out that much at the beginning of the semester, he had started to show great improvement in writing composition and math. When the teacher in charge of the afterschool classes spoke to her about the boy, complimenting him greatly in his skills, Hee Yeon's expectations of him had grown even more. Looking at him now, reading his book, it was hard to imagine that he was from an institute.

Just then, the bell rang out, signaling the start of classes.
&quot;Well then!&quot; Announced Hee Yeon. &quot;We'll begin class. Do you know what's for first period?&quot;
&quot;Family learning!&quot;

Hee Yeon smiled despite herself. The students seemed like small birds all singing together. Then she met eyes with 'Julian.' Though she was unsure when it had started, she definitely felt that family learning classes drained her the most, especially when looking at those eyes, filled with such sorrow. The teacher of three years couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt whenever she met those eyes, and she didn't even know why.

&lt;The New Semester (1)&gt; End

*(?) – this is often used when the word used before it conveys the connotation the author wants, but is not fully accurate. For example, teachers likely helped calm the kids down and maybe reprimand them, but they didn't actually physically suppress the students.
**scrofa – from Latin &quot;scrofa,&quot; it literally means &quot;sow.&quot; Typically used to refer to female pigs used for breeding.

A boy who was living an ordinary life in another world suddenly came to the present world.

Social systems, way of life and morals... They have all changed.

How will the boy try to survive?

What kind of life will the boy live?

After a wonderful summer vacation, it was finally time to go to college for the first time. I had spent the whole entire summer packing, and deciding what things should stay behind as well as the things I should give away.


It was depressing to say goodbye to Matthew. We had all said goodbye to him as a group, but we couldn't have a farewell party because he had his grad party the night before with his family.


Instead, we had a group get together at a restaurant to say goodbye to him. Well, we all had burgers and milkshakes.


The saddest person other than me was surprisingly James. It seemed that in a way the two had become closer over the last couple months.


Matthew left that night.


His phone still worked, and he texted me from time to time over that summer vacation, but the texts became less and less frequent.


It seemed that he had settled into England pretty well, and he was loving the Oxford campus a lot. He had met new people, and had also started attending business meetings with his father.


He seemed to be happy.


Meanwhile, I was enjoying my summer by going to the beach and hanging out with friends as well with family. I was enjoying every last minute of it. It was quite a relaxing summer, perfect for before the first year of college.


However, then I found myself ready to go to UCLA.


My bags were packed, and in the car. My family was gathered, and a few of my friends. And... James was there too, speaking with some of my relatives.


I gave a hug to each person there, and then got into my car to drive off. James also decided to leave the same time that I did. And so, we began our drives to college.


Many hours and cups of coffee later, I found myself on the UCLA campus. It was gorgeous, and I was so happy to find myself finally there.


"Hello, UCLA," I murmured under my breath. "My name's Miyah, and I'm so ready for this year."


But... I missed James. I missed Matthew. I already missed my family...


It was going to be a long year...


I bit my bottom lip.


It was too late now to turn back.


I parked my car in front of the administration building, and then entered the edifice. The lady at the front desk was kind enough to give me my schedule and help point out where the dorms were.


Then, I went to go find my dorm. When I got there, there was a girl there on one of the beds already. Her hair was red, and she had it up in a ponytail. Her eyes were brown, but a beautiful shade of the color. She glanced over at me, and then got up. "Ah! You must be one of my roommates!"


I nodded.


She stuck her hand out. "Hey, I'm Kyan Knights. Strange name, I know. Whatever. What's your name?"


I blinked once. It almost seemed as if she had chugged down an ounce of sugar and then five cups of coffee. "Nice to meet you," I said as I reached out my hand for a handshake. "The name's Miyah. Miyah Hatfield."


"It's a pleasure," she responded.


We let go of each others hands, and spent the time getting to know each other better.


We both liked the color blue, specifically turquoise. We both came from smaller towns in California, and had managed to get into our dream school.


"Oh. Also, I'm part of the softball team," she added.


"That's awesome!" I said.


Suddenly, the door was swung open, and two other girls entered. They froze when they saw us, but then smiled. "We're the other two roommates."


The one to the left was blonde, tall, and had curly hair. Naturally, her eyes were blue. In a way, they reminded me of James's eyes, since they were nearly the same shade of blue. Yet... James's was a bit warmer than her eyes were.


The one to the right had black hair that went down to her waist and bangs. She was much shorter than the girl to the left.


The girl to the right introduced herself first. "Hello. I'm Kloe Trujillo."


"I'm Ellenor Greenaway," the blonde one to the left said soon after.


After that, we all got to know each other better.


My first class was exciting, and I had it with Ellenor. I was very excited, and quite content that I was able to have my first class with someone that I knew. However, when we went to class, she immediately began to socialize, and I was left on my own.


She ditched me.


I let out a sigh, and set my gaze on a random seat. There was already someone sitting next to it. I neared the seat, and asked, "Can I sit here?"


The guy nodded.


"Thank you," I said as I sat down. After a pause, I decided that it would be best for me to introduce myself. "I'm Miyah."


"I'm Miles."


"Nice to meet you."


"Likewise."


The class was about creative writing. It was an elective course, but I had wanted to take one class that I would enjoy before taking more classes that would be more career related.


And it seemed as if the class was quite enjoyable. The first day we were allowed to write whatever came to our minds, and then we were dismissed. After getting the syllabus, of course.


Miles was an interesting guy. It seemed like he was going to major in computer sciences, but he also enjoyed writing, and thus decided to join the class.


He lived in LA, so he commuted from nearby, although I wasn't too sure what 'nearby' meant.


Once class ended, I had another class to attend, and I had this class with Kloe. She, unlike Ellenor, stayed by my side the whole entire class period. I got to know her a lot better, and decided I liked her.


I was not to keen about Ellenor, but I would tolerate her.


My first day at UCLA was great. And I was happy.

"We probably looked like a couple crazy in love. But, of course we would. We had concocted our pretend relationship perfectly, keeping the mask on until we could turn and hiss at each other in private once again. In an ironic way, the guy I hated the most was also the only person who knew the real me."




Miyah knew James since they were young. Yet, Miyah can't stand the guy...

One day, as James gets surrounded by friends and girls that are interested in him, he suddenly announces that he and Miyah are dating. 

Miyah decides to play along. However, she's always had feelings for her old best friend from elementary, whom she sees once again. 


James has always liked Miyah. For some reason, she's always hated him. James decides to show Miyah that he's different than what she thinks and so he forces her to pretend to date him and to finally see him for the person he is.

Yi Long was surprised but is also glad.

Every day, he practiced his cultivation, but the energy in this realm is too scattered, as such, he is having more problem than normal, even he, the genius that traversed the universe can't do much about it.

Yi Long has been born again, he was also named Yi Long this time, his mother and father are named Yi Mu and Zhang Jia

In both of Yi Mu and Zhang Jia's eyes, he, Yi Long is a very good kid.

Everyday practicing a little to achieve something from it, even if it's a little achievement, it's good.

16 Years had passed rather quickly and he finally became a silver realm cultivator, just after the Bronze rank. he's now on his last year as a middle schooler, he studied everything diligently, he didn't know anything in this world after all.

After studying for a lot, he learned that his father begged for his enrollment to this school, giving Yi Long the scholarship, after he scored full marks on the scholarship examinations.

The state of Yi Long's family is bad especially if you can compare it to others, It's people who worked their asses off just to feed their family for another day. Although Yi Long likes the normal life, at the very least, he`d want to help out his family. He yearns for a normal life, Although this life is far from normal, It's still good.

Yi Long sighed then said: "Did God hear my wishes? for a normal life? that's why he got me here?" 

He smiled as he sighs himself while walking to his school, with his tattered school uniform that was repaired countless times. a pair of shoe that has lots of holes on its sole, but was fixed by some patches. His bag was made out of mixed plastics.

Yi Long didn't mind at all if ever, he wanted to help his new family to get a good life. they didn't abort Yi Long even if they couldn't eat properly. with just this Yi Long is very thankful, and now, what's more, they are his family, A loving family at that.

After walking out of the slums, Yi Long immediately walks to the direction of his school. Although his clothes and items looked really bad, but, who would hate such a handsome kid, with devilishly good looking appearance, just his face and body can be compared to any other models out there, as such, every time he walks, a lot of attention was always given to him.

Some young ladies are actually waiting for him inside the coffee shops, just glancing at him makes their whole day complete.

Yi Long can sense their glances, but did not pay much attention as there were no malicious intents with them. as such, he just casually smiles to them once in a while.

After walking for 45 minutes, Yi Long finally arrives at the school gate, there is still 30 minutes left before classes starts, so he just spends the rest of his time in a library as he casually browses through his notes and borrowed some books from the library.

A classmate suddenly entered the room, It was Su Mei, she was always the top-ranked in the class, Well, that is before Yi Long became her classmate, she became second. She wanted to crash his #1 rank but failed 10 times already! so she just accepted the facts.

Su Mei can't even get angry with Yi Long, Even after Yi Long stole her limelight. as such, she just sighed, he's poor but good at studying. he earned a 100% scholarship after taking the university examination. at least Yi Long can help his family when he's older.

Su Mei handed a book to Yi Long then said: "You can continue copying my book again, you haven't finished it yesterday right?" Su Mei smiled then left and sat on her own chair to study before returning to their original room.

Yi Long looked at Su Mei then said: "Thanks!, I`ll return it immediately after I'm done."

Su Mei replied: "No need to rush" she smiled then looked at her notes to review, the final exams are today, after that, the summer break! The long-awaited summer break, so she wanted to refresh the knowledge she knows immediately to prepare herself for the exams.

After the time is up, both of them returns to their classroom.

The class had started and immediately, the tests were handed to them one after the other. then a ruckus was heard. It was their classmate! the #1 ranked! in tardiness Xue Fengxi, he's never early, nor in time, just always late for the class.

Lu Piao smiled at the teacher then said: "Miss Yun! Sorry that I`m always late!" Then he directly went to his chair.

The Teacher Yun Bing Bing had already been used to it and ignored Xue Fengxi, although she's already 24, she already has the temper to tolerate this kind of behavior, then she sighed: "Just sit down, finish the exams, and go home."

"Yes!" Xue Fengxi smiled as he sat down the chair,

Teacher Yun noticing his actions just sighed then continued handing over the Exam papers.

____________________________________

After finishing the exams, Yi Long immediately handed his papers and prepared to go out. then his teacher called him.

Yun Bing Bing: "Yi Long, I wish that you can still continue studying after this, It's such a waste of talent if you stop and didn't attend high school, you should finish all the way and graduate as a university student, do it one step at a time."

Yi Long always knew that his teacher was a kind one, so this is what his disciples felt when he showed them kindness. he nods his head and replies: "I will keep your teaching in my heart ma'am." 

Yi Long bowed and immediately gone out of the classroom.

Yu Bing Bing sighed then shook her head, she just wishes that that's the case. based on statistics 99.99% of the graduating middle schoolers, immediately goes to work in many part-time jobs due to financial instability.

_______________________________

As soon as Yi Long left the school premises, he immediately made his way towards the busiest streets of their place.

Yi Long has withdrawn a sticky paper note out from his plastic bag, he wore both of his hat and face mask on to cover his face, this is his first time doing this.

He heaved a sigh as he readied himself, he started writing some words on the sticky notes as he infused it with a tiny bit of his spiritual energy in it, one by one after finishing, he started sticking them to a cardboard he prepared earlier and lets it leaned it on a light post beside the busy road.

There was a word at the top of his cardboard saying "Talismans and charms."

The people noticing this started to looks at him with disdain. this kind of scam in broad daylight? what happened to this world? but some good-willed people started looking at him with pity.

Yi Long sighed. although it's easy to recover spiritual energy, it's still used spiritual energy and it takes time to do so.

While in a daze, Someone woke Yi Long's daze, It was an old man that was looking at him in sympathy, the old man then said: "I like the calligraphy that you`ve written, can I buy one just for display?" the old man smiled at him after saying those words.

Yi Long scanned his whole body then blinked once before saying: "Old man, It's 10,000 RMB for one, would you really just display it?"

The old man was stunned! although he genuinely liked the calligraphy, so he`ll recopy it and have it together with the original on his collection, but 10k RMB just for giving sympathy is a little overboard, but he sighed, looking at Yi Long from head to toe, this kid is definitely in need. so he's preparing to hand the money, but then a sudden voice was heard from behind him.

"Grandfather! giving money to strangers again! That's a very bad habit you have! Let's just go home, that's 10,000 RMB! even if we have a lot of money, we can't give it away just like that!" it was a beautiful lady at the age of 15, she's shouting inside the car, only her face can be seen.

The old man sighed then said: "Okay, Xiao Qing, but this is the last one I promise." hearing the old man, The girl pouted and sat at the car silently without saying anything anymore.

The Old man handed the 10,000 RMB and immediately spoke to Yi Long: "Young Man, this is your money, which one of these words do you think is suitable for me?" The old man smiled as he looked at Yi Long.

Yi Long was touched, this old man is willing to offend his granddaughter just so he can help a random stranger like him. such a good man, but money is money, so he could only give him the best.

Yi long then pointed at the one in the upper right corner of his cardboard then said: "Take this old man, you`ll need it."

The old man nodded as he laughs heartily, then took it, but after taking it, he heard Yi Long talk again.

Yi Long then spoke after the old man took it: "Old man, that Talisman, put it behind your neck. It`ll remove the pain from your spine and the back of your brain after 15 minutes, well, you got some pain in your knees and hips, but its only minor, so I judged that the ones in your spine and brain is more important to solve now" After saying it, Yi long prepared to pack everything and immediately leaving the old man, he's so proud now that he genuinely earned 10,000 RMB in a day's work! What a lucky day!

Still, he looked at the stunned old man as he returned and handed something else: "Old man, this is a lung cleansing charm, just place it under your clothes where your lungs are, well, do it alternately, I only have a single charm, every twelve hours, just do it, the pollution in this place is too bad for your health."

After saying those words, he immediately dashes off.

The Old man hearing what Yi Long said was stunned!, he couldn't react until after a few more seconds, but when he came to, he found that Yi Long is nowhere to be seen. Still, he shook his head and spoke: "These kids are growing trickier and trickier, they even studied the most natural pain of what old men feel, even the pollution was researched properly."

He chuckles as he looks at the talisman and charm with satisfaction.

His granddaughter spoke: "Grandpa! I told you he's a fake! after selling you the pieces of stuff, he immediately ran away! And speaking to random things like that is a pain!"

The old man sighed then entered the car, he spoke: "Granddaughter, he knows I have a lot of pain in my body, shouldn't we find him?"

The granddaughter replied: " Grandpa! which grandpa doesn't have sores in the body! maybe he just made a lucky guess!"

After thinking for a while the grandpa nodded, and smiled at his cute grand daughter. Still, for an old grand father like him, any miracle is acceptable, hence, he placed the talisman behind his neck.

The granddaughter saw his actions but she only sighed, she knew her grand father has a growing brain tumor, and his spinal cords are giving up already. Every doctor they knew said that it is a hopeless case, even if they paid them millions of dollars, the Old man is just too old, he won't be able to survive after the surgery!

The Great Sovereign from another world is transported to EARTH!

Our Mc, Yi Long 48 years old, yearned for a normal life, but faith didn't allow him to.

since young, he was extremely talented, beating everyone, and all the powers within his realm, becoming the Supreme Guardian at the age of 35!

After 13 years of ruling, he wants to give up this title, and choose his 10 disciples as the next guardian of the realm.

The Heavenly Sovereign guardian of the Nine Heavens, and thousands realm, Finally decided to enter his eternal rest.

But fate didn't allow him the rest he wanted.

Instead, he was transported to a Planet with scattered heavenly energy and a world where Mortals rule over everything. 

His rebirth was into a womb of a woman. The family was poor, and so, he decided! to live his life, but not like the other one he had!

He couldn't cultivate fast. so he did everything step by step.

Watch Yi Long as he continues his strive for a "NORMAL LIFE?"

But there is actually something that will transpire, the evolution of the World called Earth is about to erupt, bringing the planet's counter at full blast!

Chapter one: A Day At The Lake



I woke to the rumbling purr of Ares. He curled his paws under his body as he laid on my chest. I struggled to open my eyes to see my adorable kitty. His gray and brown fur lined with black stripes was so soft to the touch. He was my familiar. An animal who is deeply connected to a witch and assists them in magical affairs. He can't talk, but we can understand one another in different ways. 

It was summer break, one year into collage, and school was already harder than I thought. Not English. I was already finished with those classes. I was planning on taking some creative writing classes in the coming year for fun, but math had me stumped. I was at the lowest level and trying to get a science degree. A witch with a science degree. Wouldn't that be great. After that, I would go on to a university to try for a master's degree in zoology. If I could make it that long.

I had turned nineteen a few weeks ago. I didn't feel my age. Half of the time I felt like a child.

It was Tuesday, and Elizabeth and I had a whole day of hanging out planned. I needed a day out. I usually spend most of my time inside. Witches need to spend a lot of time outside to gather magical energy from the elements. Liz and I are not always great at being witches though. Since we both live in the crappy part of the city, there isn't much nature. Lucky for us there is a small man-made lake within walking distance. It's where the "rich houses" started, so it was usually lush with trees. The water, however, was infested with bacteria from birds and peoples moldy bread.

Liz and I were pretty much introverts. Her more so than me. She spent most of her time reading and I spent mine writing. We made a great team. She studied books on witchcraft passed down by other witches, while I practice the art of creating new spells. I am pretty good at it. I am what was known as a manipulator. A witch who naturally moves and changes energy... aka spells. Liz was an empath. She could tell what others are feeling and thinking. She also could feel and see the flow of magic. Kind of jealous of that. 

After I dressed in boot cut jeans and a light blue tank top, I peeked into my sister's room. Serena was playing on her tablet, listening to boy band music. Fitting, considering her walls were covered in posters of male pop sensations. 

"Serena. Want to come with me and Liz to the lake today?" I asked her.

"Not today. I'm going over to Bridgette's later. Her mom is picking me up." She never stopped looking at her tablet. 

Serena and I had gotten closer since I started college. Most of my friends and I started to drift apart already, and we were constantly arguing with mom. We both felt pretty lonely and decided we should be friends instead of sibling rivals.

"Ok, I'm heading out then. See ya!" I texted Liz that I was on my way.

Mom was still laying on the couch. She didn't have her own room. We were living in a two bedroom apartment and, though we fought almost daily, mom always tried to put us first. I am sure she also did not want to deal with my sister and I fighting over space in one room. 

My mom was a plump woman. Her health issues didn't allow her to do too much for too long. It was hard to try and lose weight. Even so, everyone in our family has natural curves. We all have "bubble butts" as my mom would say, and boobs to match. Even when my mom was skinny, she looked like an hourglass. 

"Morning honey." Mom paused her show.

"Good morning. I'm heading over to Liz's." I grabbed my backpack.

"Have fun." She said, "I'm leaving for work soon, so I'll be back around 9:30 tonight. I love you!"

"Love you too, mom." With that, I scurried out the door and wound my way through the gray apartment buildings with dirty concrete stairs and newly painted black doors. Luckily we were in the same complex, so I didn't have to go far. 

As I made my way through the apartment's playground, I saw Liz heading down from her apartment on the second floor. Good, I hated stairs. I was happy to be on a ground floor.

Liz pinned back the front of her dark brown hair so it wouldn't get in her face. She was in her usual black tank and jeans too long for either of us. 

"Sam!" She yelled, as she ran up to me. She widened her eyes, showed all of her teeth and pulled her head back to make a triple chin look. I screamed and hid behind the nearest tree. I laughed as she jumped out from around the tree trunk. She pretended to hump my leg and pushed her off as I shuttered. That's my bestie. Always trying to make me as uncomfortable as possible.

"Liz!" I licked my hand and wiped it on her face. 

She screamed "Eeewww!"

We walked to the dollar store a few blocks away and bought snacks and drinks. The summer heat was already beating down on me. I couldn't stand being too hot. As much as I loved the swimming, walking barefoot and wearing tank tops that comes with summer, I absolutely loved the winter time. Winter brought snow. The snow holds intense magic within it, and here in northern Nevada, we usually got lots of it come winter time. 

We made our way to the lake. In the middle of the shallow brown water sat two large fountains spewing out in every direction. It made it sound peaceful, despite the chatter of people walking the trail or the buzz of cars passing by. 

Liz and I had two favorite spots. The first was the dock. We found the entrance ramp that was lined in tall bushes and grasses and raced to the T shaped, white dock bouncing on the water. It was lined with railing and secured from floating away by large poles. 

We sat at the end eating our snacks. I pulled out a coke from my Frozen themed backpack, and Liz grabbed a Pepsi from her mini black back pack. Yes, I was obsessed with Disney. I told you I always felt more like a child.

"Pepsi is my soda husband." Liz said.

"What?" I gasped. "No way, we have to share. You can share coke with me."

"Nah, you can keep coke, I'll take Dr. Pepper." She winked.

"Deal. It's a shame, we'll have to find new husbands when were done with these." The coke burned my throat as I slurped it down.

"It's ok. I've got back ups at home." We both laughed.

"Do you think we sound crazy?" I asked.

"Sam... We're secret witches, staring at a man-made lake, while talking about soda husbands... we are crazy 'tupid head." 

I loved our weird talks. Half of the time we made no sense or were completely inappropriate. It was nice to have friends as weird and random as I was. Even my high school friends were super odd. Not everyone can handle all my crazy. 

Sharon was like an older sister. We were sister witches bound by magic. We had many fights in the past, but could never stand to stay apart for too long. It's not easy to be the only practicing witch around. I know she likes to be seen as tough, and she is, but I knew Liz didn't like to always feel alone. Her family were all bible thumpers and we didn't live in a great place for making friends – human or other. Most people our age around here were into drugs, wanabe gangs, or already on their second kid.

We moved to our second favorite spot a bit further down the lake. It was a small circle surrounded by trees and large rocks. It had some small broken statues and an unused water fountain just on the other side. This was our place of worship. There wasn't many choices in the city to hold sacred rituals in the arms of nature, so we made do with what we had. I'm sure most people were too high or stuck on their cell phones to notice us chanting, lighting candles and wearing strange clothes. Or they thought we were on crack. This was Reno after all.

We had a spot to represent each element in our circle of trees. Facing north sat a curved tree that laid out like a bench that we used for resting on while dangling our legs. This represented Earth. To the west was the lake and a stump in the shape of a kings chair facing it. This represented Water. To the south was a concrete bench we used to hold our candles and incense during ritual holidays. This was for Fire. The last side to the east held a broken statue more than 5 feet tall. This represented Air.

I said, "I stopped talking with that guy."

"Aww, that sucks. You'll find somebody eventually. I'm older than you and still haven't been on a date either."

I had been spending my days talking with a boy in Australia for quite some time. We video chatted almost daily. I loved listening to him talk. Who doesn't adore an Australian accent? He was smart and loved animals, almost as much as I did. We ended it though since we both knew it was unrealistic to ever meet in person. We were just too far away. 

I asked, "want to see something cool? I've been working on a protection spell." 

"Yuss!" Liz leaned forward to watch. 

I drew the Algiz rune on my hand with a sharpie I pulled from my bag. I held my palm forward, closed my eyes and chanted under my breath "Praesidium. Praesidium. Praesidium."

I opened my eyes and Canada geese began to gather from all directions. None got too close, but they formed a circle around us. Liz pulled out her book of shadows and flipped through her notes. 

"Geese are  a symbol of protection. Nice! That can come in handy around this place." Liz threw some cracked corn towards the geese for a snack.

After chatting about our worries and complaining about our moms, it was time to head over to the local crystal shop. Every Tuesday a few witches gather to give free energy healings. That is where we gathered notes on practicing our craft. A healing was nice, especially after practicing spells. It really starts to drain you after a while.

Samantha Stone is a young witch. At 19 years old she begins her journey of magical knowledge, relationships, self discovery, and adventure. She volunteers at the local zoo and hopes to use her magical skills to help animals one day. Sam's new craft opens her eyes to a world of creatures and demons that she must face along with the obstacles of everyday life. 

Love unfolds, tragedy ensues, and demons arise in this dramatic LGBT fantasy series.

Some chapters may include mild mature content.

(Emily's POV) 
It was August and me and Norsha was doing some summer training outside,I was switching on and off between forms to see how many it takes for me to get tired.Norsha is making ice cycles as spears and throwing it at manikins aiming it at there heart and head. Talan and Cliff are watching us and writing on clip boards how we do. 
    Oh shoot! First let me introduce myself,so I'm Emily,Emily Longwood and I am a form mage and being 14 I have 5 souls under my belt.But the weird thing about my power is the souls come out as them self's other form mages have there souls body's but I have my souls spirits and body.Anyways I have a demon,Dragon,God,Fairy and Angel soul and my power level is an A+. Next to me is Norsha she's an A+ ice mage and let me tell you she's strong. We used to have a fire mage named Zach but h-he left,Talan which is my brother kicked him out. Cliff who is my dad told me my mother passed when I was young he said Norsha is a child they took in that was on the streets.But anyways we keep training until I feel a message come to my head,it was from Gila who is my dragon souls name. She told me that the dragons are proposing a big battle to all royals. I walk to Talan and Cliff and I say, "Father,Brother the dragons proposed a battle against all royals,it's a 2 on 2 match where the last race standing is the king,the dragons say there tired of all this fighting.They want to revolve it once and for all"I see Talan and Cliff look at each other and Talan says, "Tell them we have to discuss this with the council."I nod and I message them and the dragons agree and tell me to spread the word.I agree and I look at Norsha before I transform into my Crystal dragon form and tilt my head towards Norsha telling her to hop on.She nods and follows my orders and with that I message Talan that we're going to the village of mages to spread the word,dragons orders. Talan nods and with that I fly up with Norsha on my back and I start
flying to the village. 
    Once we're there Norsha gets off me and says, "What do we have to do again" I say, "We have to tell the village the dragons proposal." Norsha says, "Ok but where will we get everyone's attention" I think while I look around seeing the town square so I grab Norshas arm and I drag her to the town square.  
        As soon as we get there she takes her arm off saying, "How are we gonna spread the word here" I smirk saying, "Just watch and learn" she stands there as I go to the big plate form.I scream, "HEY EVERYONE!!" I see people slowly gather as I continue to say, "I got a proposal from the Dragons" I see kids looking,Adults,people coming out there stores so I continue saying, "The dragons are proposing a Battle of the Royals,Where every Royal selects 10 teams of 2 named in Alphabetical order. These teams will go up against the other royals selections and the winner becomes king" I look at now a huge crowd talking a murmuring until I hear a guy yell, "Why they want this now!" People agree saying 'yeah'  or ' why didn't they' and a huge buzz goes around.I get irritated so I yell, "SHUT UP" Everyone shuts up and turns towards me and I say, "So the reason they decided to do it this year is because there done with the fightings of the angels and Dragons,Fairies and demons,Mages and Forms.There done with all that" another random person yells, "Why they let us in we're losers against the other royals were at the bottom." I immediately say, "Because the dragons think you guys deserve a fighting chance against the other royals,that you guys deserve a say." 
                                     •••
Yeah everyone agreed but a random person who was in the back with a crimson red hood and black hair says, "Oh, we're gonna get a say alright" the person take off there hood as the person hears Emily say, "Boot camp starts in 2 weeks so prepare your self because there's gonna be 12 boot camps 1,600 members each,10 teams,20 spots,only the best of the best can be chosen to fight hard and fight good because Dragon soldiers are coming here to choose who gets to fight in the Battle of the royals so good luck mages." the person in the crimson hoodie smirks as she hears more of Emily's words say, "The boot camps will be organized by zodiacs so by birthday each of you will go,oh and trails will start after all the camps are built.In the camp you will have 2 years to protect whatever you need to get in" the crimson hoodie girl smiles seeing a boy with a dark blue hoodie show up saying, "Ready for camp Ali" she smirks and holds up a fist bump saying, "Oh I've been born ready Zachary" the 2 fist bump before putting on there hoods and walking away from the crowd,training for camp.

'Boss, Are you kidding? Just make him vegetarian? It's worsen than dying.' Assistant Lee suk mumbled.

Lee suk arrange things according to his boss order. He feel bad for Robin but it was also his fault. Robin shouldn't have flirt with young miss. 

----

"Soojin, Do you remember Robin? The boy who proposed you on the valentine?" Mia exclaim horribly.

"Um.....what about him?" Soojin said without looking. Soojin was busy these days. She had been working on assignments for the first semester. 

"I heard that he got attacked by some goons and he became vegetarian." Mia sounds horrible. 

"Vegetarian?!?!What does it mean? " Soojin tide her head up. 

"Vegetarian means he can't have pleasure anymore..... I mean s*x for his whole life....."
Mia horribly explain. 

"oh" Soojin didn't think about it. Robin and this incident had nothing to do with her so, she didn't care about it. 

It might be her wishful thinking..... 

Days went like usual.....Her life was peaceful and perfect. She keep focusing on her graduation and improving her writing. At first she started to write on social networking sites. 

Soojin used to write short stories, articles and facts. Then she started to write long love stories, Horror stories and mysterious stories. But that writing wasn't useful for her. She wasn't able to make money for her expenses. Soojin need to depend on her family for living expenses. 

Even though soojin didn't get any money from writing... she still write on social media.

It was the middle of her first summer vacation.... Soojin gradually thought about starting a new novel..... It was a romantic and mysterious novel. 

She started to write in the middle of first summer vacation. She keep working on the novel whenever she got time and ideas. After many months of focus and hardwork she finished her first novel in December.

Soojin titled it as 'My love who hates me ' Soojin post some of part on social blogs and some of the part sent to some publications house. She just wanted to give her full energy on her dreams. 

Soojin got good reviews from social blogs. People were asking her more. They were appreciating her work...but she didn't get any messages from production house. 

Soojin was getting anxious and impatient. For some moment she feel like giving up and thought of returning Korea and do as her family said. 'Marriage or successor of yong cooperation'

Marriage-She was sure that she didn't want to do and handling yong cooperation wasn't her cup of tea. 

Now all she can do was sit and wait.It was already been 11 days since she sent e-mail to production house. There wasn't any news.
  

Soojin was sad and depressed. She felt exhausted but she keep hoping for the call.

When she loved him eternally, He never cared about her and her loved. And now when she forgot about him and all his memories, He wanted her back!
- - -
- - - 
- - -
- - -

"I wish I could go back to the old times so I could cherish you" Kim had Jin said and a drop of tears fall in her hand. "But it's OK. Now I promised you that I will love you forever and always take care of you"

I get home and see my mom making her awesome beef stew. After she goes to bed I'll have to snag some for Zayne.
Her and I talk about her packing my lunches for school, I tell her I just don't want to stand in line for food when I could get her better food for free quicker. A little flattery never hurts.
"Ariel?" I hear the door open and my dad's voice boom through the house, "Everyone? I'm home!"
Arriana jumps out of her room and tackles him in a hug, her red hair a streak as she runs past the kitchen.
He catches her, the same he did when he would return from a trip when she was six. They've always been super close, she's always been his princess. He kisses her head and asks her about school.
I wait until they've calmed down to follow mom out of the kitchen. He sees me and smiles, the longer the trips the more he misses us.
"How you doing champ? Your mom said you've been doing really good on your school work and have actually been getting out of the house. It's good to know you're back to your old self."
"Thanks dad, it's been good, but we definitely missed you. Careful Arriana, now that he's home you have to share that cobbler!" I call down the hall with a laugh.
"Never!" she hollers back.
The three of us laugh as my dad pulls me into a hug, "I really did miss you kiddo. Go do your homework, we can all talk and catch up at dinner."
I nod and walk off, looking back to see him pull my mom into a kiss. I've never doubted how much they love each other, I want what they have. Maybe now I can have it.
I start my homework when my phone starts vibrating, Zayne is calling.
I put in my earbuds and hit the answer call button, "Hey, how are you feeling?"
He sounds exhausted, "I'm ok, my mom is really worried. I heard her talking to my dad about what happened, she sounded like she was crying. I am so tired I don't know if I have the energy to comfort her. I mostly wanted to call and apologize about today, you shouldn't have had to see that."
"Zayne don't start, I would have been there no matter what. I wanted to be there for you, what they did was shit and you shouldn't go through that alone. If I let you go through that alone what am I?"
"Eye candy," I hear the smile in his voice and stop writing to laugh.
"Have you eaten?" He hesitates, "Zayne?"
"Yeah I ate. My mom made me a frozen pizza and got me settled before she left to get groceries. I ate a few slices before taking a nap. How was the rest of your day?"
"Long, I was really worried about you," I check the light under my door to make sure no one is out there listening to me, "You can't do that to yourself Zayne. Babe you have to eat, I'm serious."
"I know, and I will. I'll try to be better, I promise."
I hear big footsteps come down the hall, "I have to go. I'll text you soon, please eat some more. I'll be sure to come over tonight. Bye."
I hang up as my door opens and my dad steps in.
"How's it going champ? Need any help?" He hangs in my doorway, still in his suit.
"Just Physics, I finished everything else in my study hall period. You ok dad? You seem off today," I put down my pencil and take out my earbud.
"It was just a long trip, I haven't been gone that long in years. It's hard to always be away from you kids and your mom. It's nice to finally see you all and I want to take it all in before I have to leave again. Dinner is almost ready, why don't you finish up and come out to the living room? You and I could watch some TV and chat for a bit."
I nod, nervous about what to talk about. There's so much I'm hiding, I don't know what to tell him. I take my time doing my work while I try to figure out what to do with my dad.
I check my phone and see a text from Zayne, it's a picture of him lounging in his pjs on his bed with a big slice of pizza in his mouth. He's wearing a purple shirt with the Disney logo and grey sweatpants, they look too big on him. None of his clothes fit him right, and part of me wonders if it's to hide the weight loss.
I send him a text.
Tomorrow will be better. Finish eating and rest, I'll see you tonight.
I put up my phone and finish my assignment. Walking into the living room I hear my dad yelling at the TV and the football he's watching. I used to love watching football, but this past summer I've kind of gotten bored with it, every game is pretty much the same.
He calls me over to watch him, because I missed having him home I humor him. I listen to him yell at the players and ref even though they can't hear him. I start dozing off on the couch next to my dad. He shakes me lightly to tell me dinner is ready, prompting to get up and go sit at the counter with my family.
We have a table, we never use it. For some reason we all silently agree to use the counter. I get comfortable on my stool while watching my mom poor out the stew into bowls for everyone, pouring hers last.
I sit and make half-hearted conversation while listening to Arriana gush about the school year so far. My dad listens intently as she goes on about her classes and the boys she likes, I try to be interested but I'm tired and worried about Zayne.
I eat and excuse myself, causing my parents to exchange a worried look when I tell them I want to go to bed.
"Do you want some more food before you go to bed? Maybe take some cobbler with you? It's strawberry, you and your sister's favorite."
I give her a side hug before heading for the bedroom, "Maybe later mom, I'll probably get up and get some in the middle of the night. I'm sorry, I just feel really tired," I look at my dad who watches me with concern, "It's really good to have you home dad. Maybe this weekend we can go out to lunch."
He nods as I walk out and fall on my bed. I text Arriana and quickly fall asleep.
Put some stew and cobbler in Tupperware for me? If you could wake me when mom and dad are asleep so I could go see Zayne I'd appreciate it. Love you guys
I fall asleep faster than I ever imagined possible. I still have on my jeans and socks but I don't really care, especially if I'm going out tonight. I think I hear my phone buzz a couple times but I ignore it and embrace the pull of exhaustion.
Waking up close to five hours later, I jump up. I don't know what time it is, I don't know if anyone is still awake. I grab my phone and see the time, it's after ten o'clock and I have five texts from Arriana and four from Zayne.
Is everything ok? You hung up really fast.
Josh? Are you ok?
Did I do something wrong? Please answer me
Arriana told me you're napping before coming over, let me know when you wake up. I miss you.
I read through all of Arriana's texts, all of them are her telling me that there's food for Zayne, that he called her because he was worried, and that mom and dad are in bed. Those are from an hour ago and I can hear my dad snoring.
I hear my door creek open as Arriana peaks her head in. I start to slip on my shoes as she gives me the food and I thank her for calming Zayne down. She also hands me one of her special yogurt and strawberry filled chocolate bars to give to Zayne.
Before climbing out my window I give her a tight hug and gather the food in my backpack. I slide outside and run for my bike, texting Zayne I'm on my way.
Peddling fast and hard down the road I feel my phone go off in my pocket, I pull it out and see Zayne's caller ID.
"Hey, sorry I hung up so fast earlier, my dad came home and wanted to talk," I start panting when I stop at a crosswalk.
"How long until you get here?" His voice sounds low and desperate.
"Ten minutes if I book it. Are you ok?"
He doesn't say anything for a couple minutes, "Yeah, I just miss you right now."
"Alright, I'll be there soon, Arriana and I have some stuff for you so hopefully it'll help."
"Ok, see you soon. Bye."
"Bye," He hangs up the call and I start peddling again. I make it there in a little over eleven minutes and start stomping up the stairs.
His mom greets me at the door and tells me Zayne has been in his room all day.
"Today was really rough on him, I so badly wanted to do something I just didn't know what I could do that would actually help," I put my head down, ashamed I didn't do more.
"Josh, honey, none of this is your fault. There's only so much you can do to help and you did so much. You were there when he needed someone, you called me to get him out of that bad situation. It would have been much worse had you done nothing. He's just struggling right now, aside from asking for some food, he's been avoiding me and everything else all day. Except you, so why don't you get in there?"
I nod and put my hand comfortingly on her shoulder before I head for his room. Opening the door I see him facing the wall in his bed.
"Zayne? Babe, what's going on?"
He rolls over and I see just how bad he's doing. His eyes are red and puffy and he's shaking. I dart over and sit next to him.
"My dad is thinking about sending me to a camp."
"What?" I don't fully understand what he's talking about, if it's what I think it is I might just punch a wall.
"When my mom was gone I went in their room to find batteries for my TV remote. My dad keeps them in his desk so I opened his drawer and found a brochure for a conversion camp. I've heard the horrible things these camps do to people like us. Josh I'm scared," he starts crying again.
I pull him close and kiss the top of his head, "No one is going to take you away, you won't get sent there. I won't let it happen."
He sits and cries in my lap. I try to comfort him but I don't really know how, I didn't even know there were camps anywhere near here, I didn't even know they were still legal.
I sit with him until he calms down, not long after he falls asleep in my lap. I don't want to let him go, instead I just wrap my arm around him and cradle his head.
Conversion camps were some of the things I came across during my research after that party freshman year. Stories of survivors haunted me with thoughts of electroshock therapy, verbal abuse, the use of drugs, and more. The thought of Zayne, or anyone else, in a place like that makes me sick.
Taking my time, I carefully turn him and lower him onto his pillow. I pull his blankets up to his chin and slowly back up to sit in his desk chair. I sit there for over an hour before his mom comes to check on us.
"Josh, is everything ok? How long has he been asleep?" She comes over and kneels next to him, brushing a few strands of his pink hair out of his face.
"I have no idea, it feels like forever. He's just in such a bad place right now, I feel like I just need to stay right here to be here for him as much as I can."
"What happened?"
I don't know if I should tell her Zayne's fear, if she doesn't already know then I don't think Zayne will get sent away. His father wouldn't be able to do that without telling her first, and if I tell his mom how will he react?
"He's just... Getting worn down by it all. It's all this negativity and pressure pushing on him."
I watch her as she watches him. I wonder if my mom ever did something like that to me or Arriana.
"I should get home," I pull out the food I brought, "These are for him, the chocolate is special from my sister. Make sure he gets it?"
She nods as I dart out the door and leave their apartment. I can't help but cry, I cry the whole way home, all the way until I fall asleep.
I can't lose him. I can't.

In a town that doesn't accept you, do you hide? Or do you fight for yourself and those you love? Can Josh accept himself and save those he cares for?

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