“I wish I could stay more but” after finishing his meal, Higen stood up “I have another class in the other building, you will be okay right Ozwald?” I nodded slowly “Yeah I think I have classes with Niko so it should be fine” “I´ll keep an eye on him big guy don’t worry,” he said joyfully, Higen looked relived as he exited the cafeteria, “so Niko do you think I´m” I felt something wet hitting the back of my head I froze in place as to not worry Niko “am… is everything alright Ozwald?” I felt the same thing hitting me again “Ye…yeah… Niko I´m going to the bathroom I´ll see you at class” he looked worried at me as I moved to the bathroom, I heard him gasp, I was unable to hide that someone had thrown their lunch at me I just ran to the nearest bathroom I could find.

“no, no, no, no, not again, not again”  I was lucky to find one empty stall, I slammed the door closed and remembered the last time something like this happened, a group of people was picking on me for not being able to work in the furnace they threw me to the ground and throw their food, punches, and kicks, I was so terrified and hurt, but then Malika came and punched through the bullies she was so upset, the day she was going to punch Higen did not compare to her anger on that day, she got suspended almost kicked out of school and the once loved by everyone Malika was feared by all and it was because of me.

I passed my hand through my now dirty hair and took my shirt off to clean it, I didn’t realize when the bathroom emptied nor that I was crying, “I don’t want the same thing to happen to Higen…” I sniffed and opened the faucet to clean the shirt and my hair, “he is so excited about the human world I don’t want people to hate him for protecting me” “But… we have powers now, right me?” I gazed into the mirror, my reflection was still imitating me, but his mouth moved by itself, “we could fix this in one word, wouldn’t you agree me?”

“Why would I want to do that I…” I didn’t understand how this was happening, my reflection never talked to me, I checked my phone thinking it was a titan like what happened with Higen, but the app didn’t open, “see? We are friends me, as to why…” I didn’t realize when the staff came out of my chest without the need for blood “How did you, I… why?” my reflection smiled “Well me, if you don’t then what are you going to do? Tell Higen about it so he ends up like Malika? Or involve Niko, sure it would be a short-lived friendship” “Stop it… I don’t want to hear it” I turned from my reflection I didn’t want to ruin his trip, nor did I want to involve Niko, but my reflection was relentless “It was just one push… you told yourself, they just don’t understand…you thought, I´ve done nothing wrong why do I have to suffer? … you cry, but what happened in the end?” I held the sink to not fall the staff was still on my hands “… what should I say… me?”

“Ozwald, are you in there?” I heard Niko knocking on the door, “Carter is such an idiot, are you okay?” my reflection smiled “Yeah I’m okay Niko… can you tell me what this Carter looks like?” I let my reflection talk, his eyes became darker and cracked as they disappeared inside of the mirror, Niko described the culprit to me, apparently, he was part of the football team the one that Higen wanted to join, “Hide” I whispered the staff shrank to a cellphone charm size and I exited the bathroom “let’s go to class shall we Niko?” he looked concerned “did you paint your nails?” “Don’t worry about it, let’s go.”

The rest of the day was uneventful, I almost couldn’t wait for the fair to star Higen, Niko and I were looking at the displays and taking flayers for all the possible clubs and teams, “Join the baseball team!” “If you like acting the drama club is for you!” “Take a chance roll the dice the D&D club is waiting!” chanting could be heard from all sides, “this is such a lively event don’t you think Ozwald” “Yeah it is, oh look guys aren’t those the boots for swimming and band?” I asked, I needed to keep them busy as I searched for Carter.

“But didn’t you say I was not a swimming lad, and I should go to football?” “yeah but why not see you might like it more” Higen was confused but he went alongside Niko “Don’t worry guys I´ll go see the arts and crafts boot” I walked scanning the area for Carter, I hid in the bushes near the football boot, until I saw him, taller than me, with the jersey of the team, short burnet hair joking around with other people, shoving another student off his way while his friend cheer “show time” the staff returned to its size and I pointed it at him “Hurt!” I said in a somber tone as he fell to the ground grasping his chest.

“Hey Niko, do you think Ozwald is acting weird?” I asked him as we were near each other seeing the flayers of our respective clubs, he looked nervous and cleared his throat “Well… but promise you won’t freak out” I nodded “Carter a player on the football team threw food at him, he always does things like that but I wasn’t expecting him to do something like that on the first day” I was shocked why didn’t Oswald told me? I had a bad feeling about this, and then we heard the screams coming from the football boot I knew something was very wrong.

“Couch! Couch! Carter, something is happening to him!” I ran to the boot as fast as I could, Carter was foaming from his mouth and clasping his chest “Carter, Carter talk to me son!” the couch was trying to get information from him, I looked around until the reflection of the sun on the golden disk of the staff pointed me towards Ozwald, he lowered the staff and began to run toward the school to escape, I give pursuit to him “Ozwald stop!” I called him as we ran, I didn’t know he was this fast.

I sprinted harder and tackled him to the ground “Flo… muhrfff!!!” he tried to cast but I covered his mouth and forced him to enter the broom closet, I turned the light on with the chain and looked at him “Now talk” I asked as calmly as I could he looked to one side to avoid the question “listen, Niko told me what Carter did, why didn’t you just told me? I would have helped you” he grunted “…what if I don’t want to be helped?” he said very angrily “I don’t need the tall and brave knight charming to save me, it’s not going to be like last time, I refuse, to let it be like last time, I will not ruin this trip for you!!!” he lifted his head and look straight into my eyes, they were full of tears he has been swallowing all of this emotions all day, Ozwald fell to his knees as he was crying his heart out, “I don’t want people to hate you, I don’t know what I would do if you hate me, I didn’t mean to hurt Carter too much but I couldn’t stop, I… I just did what my reflection told me, I´m sorry… so sorry please don’t hate me.”

He buried his face into his knees, as he realized what he had done, he always seems sure of himself, I didn’t know how he felt about school or what happened in the past, I have been thinking only about myself and what I wanted, I placed my hand gently on his head “I would never hate you Ozwald” he lifted his head to look at me, his eyes were all big and red form the tears, I clean them away, “listen, there is nothing you can do to ruin anything, and even if you do, I’m sure we can fix it, Carter was a dumbass but you shouldn’t misuse the divine words, just like I shouldn’t beat him to a bloody pulp or send a formal duel request” I helped him to stand up and I let him pick up the staff.

“Now,” I said and held his hand “we start training tomorrow” he looked confused and afraid, “what training? For what?” he asked “You should learn to use the staff as a weapon, and if you don’t want the big and brave knight to protect you, you should do it yourself” I smiled at him, he started to laugh, he was back to the normal Ozwald “I guess you are right, let’s go look for Niko he will have questions… by the way Higen, are you joining the football team?” he asked concerned “yeah, if I can’t beat Carter to a bloody pulp in the hallway I can tackle him in the field, and you?” he fiddled with the staff for a moment looking shy, “…well running and track trains in the same field as the football team and I was quite quick on my feet” I was excited that he was willing to give it a try, “then let’s go to enroll”