Part One:Nico
Nico hates,happy poeple.The first period had gone by without incident but now in math, I get stuck next to the happiest, most annoying boy in existence.Before I had left for school I had promised Bianca, my older sister that I would try and make friends.There was no way I would be friends with the freckled, blonde blue-eyed boy next to me.Yet, hereallywanted tobe friends with me as the teacher begangoing through the class rules.
"I'm WilliamSolace but my friends call me Will."hesays and I nod my head and answer coldly.
"Oh, they do."Will grins back at me not at all fazed look,I already want to punch him.
"Yah they do.So who are you?" he asks and I don't answer him praying that he'll stop trying.he doesn't which as you would imaginereally gets on my nerves.
"You don't have to tell me, I can tell you're one of those shy people.Or maybe you just don't like people and that's fine too.I didn'tlike people very much either but then I made some friends and everything got better.You should really try and smile too, smilingalways helps."I couldn'thelp but snicker, smiling helps too?Who was this guy?
"Wow.You are really something."I said with a flat tone and Will seemed to actuallytake the hint.
"Was that sarcasm?" he sounds wounded as if I had hurt him deeply.I blink a bit surprised at his slightly harsh tone.
"Um-yah it was.Glad you caught on."I stumbled over the words not used to peopleconfronting me over my tone or attitude.Will then grins atme and Iresist the urge to cover my eyes and say some snappy comment.
"Well, whetheryou like it or not.I'm going to be your friend." he declares and I raise an eyebrowat him.
"Whatmakes you think I don't have friends?"I asked thinking about the other Sins.Were they my friends, well actually.Now that I think about it they thought themselves as my friendsbut I didn't consider them my friends.
"Well, youhave no idea how to respond to kindness.Instead, of showing kindness back you shut down and go stone cold."I snickered and turnedaway from his smilingface.
"What are you a doctor of some kind?Just leave me alone and we won't have a problem." Willthrows his finger in theair as if he just made a great discovery.Ugh, was there really no way to shake this guy?
"Ha!See there it was just now.You, mister, arein desperateneed of a friend."Just then Mrs.Lock realizedwe weren'tpaying attention to stupid rules and she snapped.
"Mr.Di Angelo pleaserefrain from speakinguntil after I go over the rules."I gapped at her and then felt my blood boil.
I wasn't even the one talking I wanted to argue but I knew it wouldn'thelp.While everyone elsegot away with talking, of course, poor Nico was called out for it.I sulked in my chair shooting death glares towards the blonde beside me.Will took no notice and instead kept talking not even caring that I didn't even make an effort to shake my head.
"Di Angelo?Does that stand for something?It sounds really cool.Do you like sports because I hate sports?My favorite color is gold what's yours I'm guessing it's black though.Do you hate it when people think your emo just because you like black?I hate it when people assume I can't be sad and that my life's perfect just because I like to see the bright side of things.You know?"I did know but I wasn't going to tell him that.
As he the more he talked the more I hated him, the more I wanted to be him.I wished with every fiber of my being that I could be him talking and smiling at someone he barely knew.That I could even smile at someone without them thinking it was fake or forced.I also wished I could look like that.That perfect tan and curly blonde hair even those stupid freckles all over his face made my stomach church with jealousy.I was pale, with dark hair that never did what I wanted it to.I don't know what made me do it but after some time of just tuning him out I tuned him back in and heard this.He obviously didn't think I was listening anymore and wasn't listening which I wasn't until that very moment.
"...ever since Connor and I broke up everyone has been dealing with me delicately.As if I'm a fragile little flower that will crumble if you get too rough.Even though he and I didn't break up on bad terms and actually heand I are still friends."I didn't mean to interrupt him but it just slipped off my lips.
"Wait?Was your boyfriend Connor Stoll?"Will grinned and nodded his head.
"Yep!I take it you know him."My head was swimming.
Travis was one of us Sins his younger brother Connor had gotten lucky and wasn't one of us.I then remembered seeing Will around sometimes but then he had been so, well different.He hadn't looked like this and even then I hated him.I stared at him for a moment and made the connection to that Will and this new Will.The smile was the same and the freckles too, the only real difference was that he had grown about four inches taller and was a lot less scrawny.Will seemed to suddenly recognize me as well.
"Nico!I knew I knew you from somewhere!Oh, my gods, you look so different.Last time I saw you-you were about this tall and surely not as-um-ah." he seemed to stumble over his words and he blushed and looked away.
"Ah, dark and mysterious." he finished and I raised an eyebrow.
"And you Solace are still just as annoying and insufferable." he beamed at me his blue eyes sparkling.Wait, do eyes sparkle?If they can his would have most definitely been sparkling.
"I'm glad nothing has changed between us too." he leers and I roll my eyes and smirk slightly.
"What Solace, did you want our relationship to change?"I ask and watch as he diverts his eyes away from me blushing a deeper shade of red.
"Um-ah-no,"he answers and now, I'm just confused.Never in my entire life have I ever made someone blush.Did Will have a-a crush on me?I almost laughed out loud at the thought of that and then placed my hand on Will's shoulder.
"I'm glad that nothing has changed."A sudden image flashed before my eyes and my mouth went slack with shock and so did Will's as his eyes lost their sparkle.
My heart was pounding but I found myself unable to pull my hand away from Will's shoulder.His blue eyes looked up at me and he grinned and this time I was terrified.Will is my Hunter, and I knew he knew now.Instead of pulling my hand away though, or doing anything it would have made sense he grabbed my arm and then took my hand in his own.
"Hello envy," he said and his voice was enough to make me shudder.
Part Two:Will
The momentmy mind made the connection I was at a lost for words.It wasNico!I had seen him hanging around Traviswhile I had been dating Connor and jeez, had he changed.I rememberedhim as the emo kid who didn't like to talk to people.The dark and mysterious guy sitting beside me couldn'tbe the same one.He was so-well attractive now no not just attractive he was hot.I couldn'tbelieve my eyes, howcould I not have seen this before.
"Nico!I knew I knew you from somewhere!Oh, my gods, you look so diffrent.Last time I saw you-you were about this tall and surely not as-um-ah."I stumbled across my words my brain running a whole diffrent sentence through my head.Nico!Jeez, godstake me now since when did you get so hot?You're killing me over here!
Of course, I couldn't say that, it would be creepy.And I'm surelynot the Sin lust and I defiantly am not a smooth talker.So I instead went with the lamest coverup I could think of.
"Ah, dark and mysterious."Nico cocked an eyebrow at me and I almost lost my cool as he said.
"And you Solace are still just as annoying and insufferable."I couldn't help it, Igrinned back at him.His answer gave me all the proof I neededthat this was the one and only Nico Di Angelo.
"I'm glad nothing has changed between us too,"I say trying to attempt at being more like Nico.
Maybe that would get him to warm up to me more?Everyone likes it when they can find something of themselves in someone else...Oh man, therewas the whole physiologicalthings again.I really need to stop visiting my mom's workplace who is a counselor at Goode, I was going to go there before me and my friends decided to come here.We liked to stick together since we were all in the same boat.
"What Solace, did you want our relationship to change?"Nico asked me and Ifelt my cheeks heat up and I thought holy sunshinehe's on to me.Then I looked away knowing perfectly well that if he wasn'talready on to me then he would be now.
"Um-ah-no," Ianswer stupidlymentally facepalming myself.I watch as Nico's dark eyes flicker telling me that he's thinking about something.I watchas the corner of his lips twitch up into the smallest of smiles.
"I'm glad that nothing has changed,"he says and places a hand on my shoulder.
At first, I'm just very aware of his hand on me then, something else happens.Nico's eyes go wide and fear floods into them and as I wonder in confusion suddenly a hot boiling hatred floods through me.I almostgasp as it floods my whole body and then I look over at Nico.No.Way.Nico he couldn't...Then suddenly it all made sense, his hatred towards me, towards everyone.Nico is envy.The very Sin I'm meant to destroy, thisdark and mysteriousboy next to me is my target.I glance around the room and as his influence courses through my veins, all I want to do is slap some of my classmate's stupid smiles off theirfaces.
The feeling running through me is diffrent than anything I've ever felt before.I've never hated myself or anyone, I've always been happy.I've always found a way to like most people and to love myself.This hatred coursing through me was so new,so unfamiliar that there was an addicting effect about it.I took Nico's arm who was paralyzed with fear and then pulled it off my shoulder.Not really knowing what I was doing I placed his pale cold hand in my own.
"Hello envy."I didn't mean for it to come off sounding so creepy.At that very moment, the bell rang and Nico jumped out of his seat and bolted out the door earning a yelp of surprise from some redhead he shoved out of his way.
I blinked and then grabbing my things bolted after him.He was weaving in and out of the students running as if I were going to kill him, whichI can't blame him.I could still see him though due to his dark clothes starkly recognizable against everyone else's whites and reds.without his touch I was once back to my usual happy self I could feel the hatred deep down inside me now the faintest residue.Shoving my way past people who're glares and yelps I ignored I caught up to Nico who glanced behind saw me and tried to make a mad dash for it.
It was too late though I grabbed his arm twisted it behind him and dragged him into the nearest boys bathroom.He struggled against me as I pressed him against the wall and I had no intention of letting him go.Eventully he stopped struggling and hung his head.I could feel his influence coursing through my veins again.
"Alright, you caught me.Just get it over with." he spat, I found myself smiling at him which much have really freaked him out.
"I'm not going to kill you," I said and watched as his dark eyes went from fearful to curious to confused.
"What?" he asked and I nodded my head.Then closing my eyes I reached deep inside myself and found my power.
Coaxing it like I would a cat I slowly manifested a silvery, sword in my hands and it hummed against me wanting to be used and pierce flesh.I heard Nico cry out in pain suddenly and I jumped back letting go of him.Where my Pura Blade had touched him there was now a stark red mark on his left arm.His dark eyes looked at the door then back at me and my weapon.Je hung his head in defeat again.
"What do you want."he said his tone sounding the most helpless I had ever heard it.
Slowly I placed my Pura Blade on the ground and then kicked it aside where it hit the wall three feet away from me with a clank.It was now or never.
"We can help each other.You don't want to die and I don't want to kill you.So let's make a deal.Help me break the curse."I said and Nico's eyes went wide this time not because of fear but shock.
"Curse?What curse would a Hunter have that he needs his own Sins help with." I shake my head shocked that he had no idea.
"You guys think that we are the lucky ones, don't you?Well, we are just as cursed as you are.You know what happens when a Hunter finds their Sin but doesn't kill them?"I ask him and Nico shakes his head not saying anything taking in everything I'm saying.Testing it for lies or deception.
"They spend the rest of their lives in misery.They will never be able to be happy, life will become pointless.We were born simply for the fact to kill you.I don't want to hurt anyone, especially you.So let's make a deal, help me break the curse.And if you break the curse, you don't have to be a Sin anymore.No will be born like you or me, they won't have to suffer."I can see that Nico is thinking long and hard about this.He bites his lip and then shakes my outstretched hand.
"Deal.Though, how exactly do we break this curse?" he asks and I smirk at him.
"Oh, I forget to mention that in order to break the curse you're going to have to spend a ton of time with me,"I say and watch as the slightest smile plays across Nico's lips.
"You know, maybe being stabbed with that Pura Blade doesn't sound so bad anymore."I laugh at that and then pull my power back in which causes the Pura Blade to disappear with a popping sound.
"Alright, let's get to know each other better until the next period because um-yah we're ten minutes late."Nico grinned at that a real bright smile and oh did it look good on him.
"Good thing too, I hate P.E."I grinned back at him and knew right then that this was going to be the start of something great.