Stephan Jackson yawned, the sleeves of his Slifer Red jacket tugging against his arm. His jet-black bangs swept easily in the front of his droopy, pale blue eyes, and his tall, lanky frame had trouble slouching over the desk. The test in front of him was mostly filled, and though he didn't feel confident, Stephan refused to look at the condemned judgement again, knowing full well he'd be lucky if he passed.

When the bell rang, he stood, looking around at the students pouring away from the classroom. He took his paper, walked down the arena, and up to Professor Banner, who was already grading the tests as is. He placed the document on top his desk and bowed briefly, before turning his heel.

"Mr. Jackson, please wait."

Stephan turned, confusion filling his features. There was, as usual, no aggression or hostility in the teacher's cat-like face, and that same, relaxing atmosphere was around him. He had his plump brown cat, Pharaoh, lying on his lap, purring at his soft touch (the claws needed to be trimmed), while rubbing his black pants happily. "Is…there something wrong sir?" he asked hesitantly.

Banner, much to his relief, shook his head. "However, you do seem to be having a bit of trouble with determining chemical reactions. Your last quiz is evident enough of this."

That same, funny accent decorated his voice, so much so Stephan had to resist the urge to laugh. But all the same, the boy knew what he was talking about. He scratched the back of his head, and laughed emptily. "Sorry. I know I failed this last test too."

"Even if you fail, you'll still be passing for the semester. Now then." Banner placed the test back on the pile of nervous documents and stood, Pharaoh now leaping desperately into his arms. "Chemical reactions are going to be on the final. If you want, I can personally help you with this."

"N-no, it's fine." Stephan chuckled nervously, hands behind his back. "I mean, I don't want to trouble you. You're a busy man, after all."

And to Stephan's shock, Banner contemplated on the statement. He put one finger on his lips, and that irritating, thoughtful look diffused across his face. "B-but I do think I still need help with that area," he managed to stutter out.

"Alright then. Why don't we arrange a tutor for you?"

"Tutor?"

"Yes. In fact, I believe you'll benefit from this. Unlike me, who is very old, the tutor will be around your age. I am very sure you will feel very relaxed around them. I know! Why don't you come by to the library tomorrow?"

"S-sir, it's fine. Really, you don't need to-"

"Then it is settled!" And with a bow, the professor left him there with that stupid smug on his face. Stephan stared after him, the humiliation already heating up his cheeks.

Stephan sat there, drumming his fingers across the desk, as he watched the clock ticking away the precious seconds wasted here.

Man, why was he even here to begin with? He could easily figure something like chemistry out, and wasn't alchemy just a pseudoscience anyways? The only thing he could possibly ever look forward to in this pit of despair was graduation, and when he finally takes over the old man's fortune and becomes a billionaire.

Which…won't happen until he graduates from this Academy.

Like any other good, stereotypical aristocrat, he hummed impatiently underneath his breath, trying so very hard not to lose whatever nerve he had left. The only reason why he was stuck in the slums to begin with was because there was a mix up in the paperwork. It'll take a month to get that stupid mess sorted out, but until then, he had to suffer for someone else's mistake. All it should've taken was one stupid phone call, and he could go all the way to Obelisk Blue.

This was so unfair.

He put his hand under his chin and dragged his eyes toward the door. Well, whoever this person was, she'd better be hot, so hot he wouldn't even mind associating with her. She'd have to make him look good, and be submissive. He crossed his arms, put his feet on the desk, and shot a haughty smirk at the entrance.

There was a shadow coming from the window. Yeah, the body looked good; big boobs, long hair. Stephan narrowed his eyes, and licked his lips. He set his legs down and feigned that normal, innocent look people usually see him have. Should he take off the jacket? Nah, she'll probably have heard the situation from Banner.

He saw the door open, revealing to him the eye candy he'd been searching for. She had dark, blond hair, and creamy skin, with a tight uniform that emphasized every seductive curve. She had a small, serious smile on her face, and when she walked, she exuded the elegance every housewife should have.

Alexis Rhodes.

She sat down and greeted him in her usual, business like tone. She pulled out her books, and he did the same. She grabbed a pen or two from her bag, and immediately, claimed his attention with her beauty.

Throughout the entire session, Stephan kept watching her, not even bothering to pay a single attention to any of her words. His eyes wandered all over her uniform, and he kept giving her compliments he copied off from that Princeton guy. Just as he expected, she never complained; after all, girls liked getting compliments from guys they admire, so this was natural.

Thirty minutes later, she looked up at him with those big, soulful eyes of hers. "You know, if you don't pay attention, you're gonna get held back."

He chuckled. "Sweetheart, I assure you that's not gonna happen."

"Well, if you don't pass Banner's class you will." She narrowed her eyes and opened up another chemistry textbook, one filled with those scary-looking problems again. "There's no way around it, and it's not like we have this class in summer school."

"Like I said, no worries." Stephan stretched in that lazy way he did. He put his arm around her shoulder and tilted his head toward hers. His lips was only just a few inches from that beautiful neck, and she smelled so sweet. "Back to the chemistry…"

Stephan suddenly found a book to his lips. He blinked, then looked up at her now pretty, annoyed face. "I don't like repeating myself," she said. "If you don't pay attention, you're not going to graduate on time. Please, take that into consideration."

He returned her annoyed glare. "I already told you I'll be fine-"

"No you won't." She propped up her pen and grabbed both cheeks with steered his face toward the pages. "I've already gotten your problem figured out-"

"What the-? Who gives you the right to-?"

"You messed up here."

"What?" Automatically, Stephan looked down, the black ink bleeding through the pages.

That's right, the combustion one. Stephan could never remember the products, and it was those questions that frustrated him the most. It required simple memory, but he had no idea how to derive it. He was about to thrust the book away from him when he followed her pen, and found the answer written next to it.

He squinted his eyes. "W-what-?"

"It's carbon dioxide and water," she replied softly. "See, the charges equal zero now. All you have to do now is rewrite the equation, and you have your answer."

He grunted. "And how the hell do you do that?"

She regarded him calmly, and even smiled at his immature outburst. "You don't treat them as individual elements, but as compounds. Now the only thing you have to balance out is carbon."

Again, he looked down at the page, his eyes scanning the various questions around. Okay, so that part made sense, but what about the rest? All he did during Banner's test was screw around with letters and numbers, and hoped they came out right. He led the pen with his finger to the problem beside it. "What about this one? The one where they come together."

"Synthesis," she gently corrected. "Yeah, that one's simple. All you have to do is bring them together and balance out the charges."

"Charges?"

Instead of the one hour session Banner had planned, both Stephan and Alexis stayed there for four more hours. The questions kept coming into his mind, kept filling his brain with thoughts and answers until finally, something just…clicked. He just understood it now, to the point he was sure he could do stuff like this in his sleep.

He was incredibly tired, and his hand hurt from writing; he wasn't sure he'd ever written that much before. His lips parted slightly, and slowly, he turned to Alexis, trying to see if she was alright.

No, she wasn't exhausted at all; in fact, she was beaming with pride. The long hours did nothing to mar her beauty, nor did they even touch her kindness. She merely placed her hand under her chin and smirked playfully. "See what happens when you pay attention?"

That moment was probably when his obsession began.

Whenever Stephan approached her, she always said that same, wistful greeting. Sometimes, he needed help with homework, while other times, he simply came up to her to talk. They would spend hours on end just conversing with each other, to the point he would sometimes forget to go back to his own dorm.

She wasn't at all what he was used to. She was…normal, in her own, special kind of way. She was tough, but at the same time, Stephan got the impression that she was fragile. She had this blissful aura around her, a certain innocence he couldn't pinpoint, yet she herself wasn't above aligning her mistakes. She was fierce, but she was sympathetic enough to show other students the way around difficult problems. She wasn't submissive, but nor was she haughty, like all the other girls he knew. She knew full well what was going on around her, what kind of reality she was in, and though that was the place she would call home, she still chose not to participate.

She was isolated.

And he was the only one who could see that.

There was always a crowd surrounding her, drawn to her existence like he was. They were made up of all sorts of people, whether it be Obelisk Blue, Raw Yellow, or even Slifer Red. There, he couldn't even tell what social class standing they were in; they all idolized the same woman, so what difference did it make? With that kind of thinking, it was hard to get her alone.

One day, he saw her leaving class early. She'd just turned her test to Professor Banner and was one of the first to leave the room. That Princeton guy was still working, as well as the rest of her fanboys. So Stephan checked his test, turned it in, knowing full well he aced it, then sped off to meet her, ignoring all the curious, jealous glares of his male peers.

Stephan kept up his pace, tracing her shadow, when all of a sudden, he heard shouting.

He rounded the corner, only to find her being forcefully pinned to the wall by some Raw yellow jerk. She was writhing in pain as he leered toward her. She kept trying to shove him away, but all her efforts were in vain, when he started slobbering all over her neck.

Stephan yanked the guy off her. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

The commoner blinked, then slowly, he balled his fists. "This is none of your business!"

Stephan huffed and crossed his arms. He slammed the student to the floor with one foot and gave him a cruel glare. "Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?"

"What-?"

Stephan forced him on the ground again. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

It took the idiot quite some time to recognize him, but when he did, his eyes widened, and immediately, he shrunk away, almost crawling out of sight. Stephan slammed his fist against the concrete wall and sighed, trying to calm down. Slowly, he turned to Alexis and shot her a quirky smile. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," she said softly. "Thank you for saving me."

Automatically, Stephan came to her side. "Who was that jackass anyways?"

She scoffed. "Some guy I rejected. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

"O-oh." Stephan stuffed his hands awkwardly in his pocket as she dusted herself off. She shuddered at the saliva dripping from her neck, and groaned frustratedly. "How's the test by the way? You get all the answers?"

"Yeah," he answered confidently. "He said if I could last a bit longer, I'll be able to move up to Ra Yellow."

"Good for you." Her eyes slid to the clock, much to his disappointment, and she smiled warmly at him. "I've got to get going. I'm suppose to meet someone."

"I-I'll go with you-"

"No, it's fine. You just study up for the next exam. I'll meet you in the library tonight." She grabbed her bag, and left him, waving a swift goodbye before putting her hand down. All the while, Stephan stood there, still not understanding exactly what had just happened. A few seconds ago, she was attacked, but now she's just…better? She isn't even thinking about herself! Is she really that reckless?

Stephan pondered on this question as he made his way back to the Slifer dorms, not even bothering to chide the building on its lackluster appearance.

Ever since that day, Stephan suffered from insomnia and night terrors, from dreams on which he was chained down while Alexis was right next to him. Something horrible would always happen to her, and her screams would reach his ears, pleading for him to come and save her, just as he did before. But no matter how hard Stephan tried, he couldn't move; something was holding him down.

From within those dreams, the shadow would grab a piece of his body, and start tugging it away. Every night, the same pattern would repeat; first was the skin, then the veins, then the muscle, then the bones, then the organs… Skeletal remnants of the creature's past victims would grab whatever was left of him, then chew everything out. He would feel their teeth his insides, scrambling his already mismatched body with pieces that never even belonged to him to begin with. The creature would pour acid all over his wounds, and the heat was so intense there were times the blood outside his body would boil.

Normally, he would wake up after that. Cold sweat would drip all over his body, while he trembled, trying to shake away the nightmare. He would spend one or two hours building up his dueling skills, or even studying, just to take his mind off the dream, then he would go back to sleep. He's even got sleeping pills locked away in his desk, in the event the nightmares became too strong.

He would always remember this one, familiar monster, who was always present within his dreams.

The monster had cool, metallic eyes, eyes that sought pain from others, eyes that saw their master in a very sick light. They were callous to every living being around them, only caring for the hellfire dancing obediently around the darkness of their pupils. When Stephan tried getting a better look, the appellation faded, and he would find himself in that same situation.

Of course, he didn't want to look insane. Even when he entered the Ra yellow dorms, and his grades started improving, and he felt that Alexis started liking him a bit more, he refused to tell anyone. Everything was in his grasp, and he wasn't going to let his own mind steal it all away from him.

However, it changed one afternoon. He was an hour early for the tutoring session, so Stephan decided to walk around a bit. The day was so peaceful, and there weren't any morons around to ruin the moment. He took a deep breath and delved deep into his thoughts. He was even starting to daydream a bit, when all of a sudden, once again, he heard Alexis's soft, fairy-like voice.

A wide smile spread across his face, and immediately, he started off toward her direction.

Then he saw him.

Jaden Yuuki.

Stephan rapidly hid behind the nearby bushes, catching the two in his line of sight. If he remembered correctly, Yuuki was always that stupid, happy, annoying guy, right? There was nothing special about him; brown hair, brown eyes, a total dork when it came to school; he was a freshman, and he didn't have a lot of friends. Still, the guy was legendary, considering he managed to take down Crowler's Ancient Gear Golems, and how he beat the Duel Giant all on his own. No wonder why Alexis was around a guy like him. It looked like she was enjoying herself, even.

But for some reason, Jaden had this irritated frown on his mouth. That lively personality Stephan would usually see in class was completely shattered, and in its stead, this…person was here. There was a melancholic attitude about him this time, and a slow, burning anger that made Stephan cringe, all of which were directed towards Alexis.

Alexis…he'd never seen her like this before. Compared to how she was with everyone else, and with him, of all people, she was just so…so uptight. With Yuuki, her guard was down, and everything about her was revealed, right there in that moment. It frustrated him even more since he couldn't even hear their conversation.

Just then, his eyes and Jaden's met.

The shock stole down his body.

Stephan recognized his eyes. Those very same eyes, that tormented Alexis so miserably in his dreams, that shadow, that looked so familiar. Even now, he couldn't tear himself away from Jaden's eyes, the malice tearing him apart bit by bit, with each bone crunching beneath hid footsteps, the corpses in that decadent graveyard dragging Stephan down into the very depths of the abyss. He could recall every sensation he felt from those nights, every pill he's had to swallow to keep the inevitable away for just a little longer.

Then, Jaden shrugged. He simply turned away, leaned in, and kissed Alexis.

It was that very desperation that led Stephan here, to the ballroom hidden within the abandoned dorms. Though it was ruined, the elegance granted to it from long ago remained intact. The gossamer curtains looked like they'd been cleaned fairly recently, and the brilliant shine from the checkered tiles on the floors gave the impression that there must've been a party somewhere nearby. Unlike Ra or Obelisk, the ballroom here had no windows, and since everything else was so musty looking, the crisp details added to the creepiness of the atmosphere. Spiderwebs decorated almost every corner of the ceiling, and the fine balconies overhead gave him the impression that someone was watching him.

Especially at night.

Warily, he looked up, and tried vainly to bring up his pompous pride once more, only to fail time and time again. He was trembling, though he had nothing to fear, and the scene was in broad daylight; even if Jaden tried something, there was no way Stephan would let that…slacker get to him. Just because something happens in your mind doesn't mean they happen in reality.

So why?

Why did he bring that?

He clenched his fists and tried to calm himself. He could've succeeded too, if not for a loud, "SUP!" surprising him, causing him to jump a few feet in the air. Stephan turned, and saw Jaden standing there, in his normal facade, acting as he would around other classmates. Stephan narrowed his eyes, and turned to the boy. That's right; he was Ra and the flunky was Slifer. There was no way…no way at all…

"So…you need something?" Jaden asked in a friendly manner. His voice bounced off the walls, the sound vibrating through Stephan's ear. "I mean, if you wanna have some fried shrimp-"

"Alexis Rhodes."

He blinked. "Huh?"

Stephan flinched, but still, he refused to recognize his conjectures were wrong. "You're dating Alexis Rhodes, right?"

Jaden stared at him for a few moments, as if trying to process what he was saying. Finally, he disagreed. "No. We're just friends."

"I saw you guys the other day-"

"Yeah. If you want, I can take you to Chazz-"

"You kissed."

Jaden, once again, decided to play dumb. "That's a bit much. You know," he continued, taking a step forward, "if you're that curious, you can always go ask Alexis."

"Just…just shut up…"

Jaden took another step toward him. Stephan looked up, and saw that same, hazy darkness forming in his eyes. "Bro…hey, what's wrong…? Hey! What are you-?!"

"I SAID JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

By the time Stephan came to, the knife somehow disappeared from his hands, and wound up in Jaden's throat.

Thankfully, there was no blood on him, and the prospect made it easy to get into the greenhouse and steal some gloves and tools. When he got back to the ballroom, Jaden's body was still there, the light already faded from his evil eyes. Stephan kept panting, taking out the tools one by one and laying them out in front of him. He put on the gardening gloves, his brain replaying those nightmarish scenes over and over again, trying to delude himself from the raging relief fro that jealousy he felt before. He turned to the body, grabbed the knife, and started taking off the head.

One by one, each part came off. First the arms, then the legs, then the torso. Stephan proceeded to hack them into tinier pieces, taking off fingers, arteries. He kept asking himself what ifs, what ifs, what ifs, and soon, he was indulging in separating the entire body. The stomach, liver, intestines, pancreas, all of which were taken out meticulously. He breathed heavily, reciting those simplistic chemical equations obediently in his head, all the while stuffing the parts somewhere around the abandoned dorms, somewhere where even if someone decided to come in and investigate, there'd be no way they'd find the body.

Stephan looked down at himself, and sighed. "Look at what you did," he said softly. "Lexi isn't gonna be happy if she sees me like this."

All the remorse he initially felt before had now evaporated. He made sure no one was around, before gathering all the tools, and leaving the dorms, the relief coursing through his veins.

The next morning, everyone was wondering where Jaden was. His friends kept saying he never came back to the dorms, nor did they know where he was going, or who he was meeting. There was a lot of talk of search parties being sent out for him, backed by many concerned students and teachers.

But it was so strange; it was like he simply vanished.

Meanwhile Stephan felt well-rested, and was ready to do anything; that Slifer eyesore had disappeared, and the paperwork had finally been sorted out. Tomorrow, he was gonna get to go to Obelisk Blue and be with Alexis Rhodes for the remainder of his high school career. He was gonna get that fortune, and all his troubles will soon be over.

Nothing could make him any happier.

After class, Alexis ran up to him, her bright eyes shining down on Stephan's tainted ones. She clutched her books near her chest, and acted in that cute little way she did whenever she was with Jaden. "Congratulations!" she said softly. "Looks like you'll be moving on!"

"Y-yeah. Thanks to you, anyways."

"Anyways, to celebrate, why don't you come to the gazebos? Tonight at eight."

Again, Stephan was reduced to that stuttering boy, who always gazed at the girl he loved from afar. No, that didn't matter now. He was out of the way, so she was safe; they can live happily ever after now, right? Sill, he had no voice, so he nodded dumbly.

She kissed him on the cheeks before running off.

The gazebo was absolutely stunning, a perfect scene for a knight and his princess.

The lake it resided above was pure white, with hints of dark and light blue coming together to form a neat horizon. Yellow, radiant tulips dotted the soft, flowing grass, and the benevolent winds kept up its rhythmic movements. The silver wind chimes reflected the moon's romantic light, and the candles in the middle of the table were decorated with red roses and amaryllises, making the scene look even more enchanting. There was a wooden, ornate table set up in the middle of the gazebo, with two silver chairs entwining with its structures. Toward his left was a large swing that was big enough to hold two people. Vines swirled along the poles, clinging to its dark elegance in spite of their clumsy naiveté.

Stephan stood there for a little, a slight blush across his cheeks. He was wearing his yellow blazer, along with his faded blue jeans. He slowly took his seat. Though he tried to appear calm and lethargic, his heart was pounding, and his head kept looking for things to say in front of her, predicting whatever the conversation would turn into. Was she here just to congratulate him? Would she talk about Jaden? Was she going to ask him about his whereabouts?

Why was Stephan even here?

He perked up when those familiar footsteps sounded from across the bridge. Alexis stood there, in her normal outfit, carrying two bottled waters and a lighter. The blush already on his face began to deepen. "W-what's all this…?"

She looked up at him curiously. "What? Don't you want to see at least? We can't rely on the moon alone."

"O-oh…" Stephan scratched his head, all the while kicking himself for being so stupid. However, Alexis didn't look like she noticed, so he continued on, as if nothing ever happened. "So…what are you gonna do over the summer?"

She lit the candles in front of them, the warmth landing on his face with perfect accuracy. "I have plans to visit England with my friends."

"I-I hope you…have a good time," he finished lamely.

"Thank you." She settled back in her seat and unscrewed the lid. She wasted no time giving him his bottle as well. There was a tiny black sharpie dot on the lid, and when he looked up, she giggled adorably. "Sorry. I'm a bit of a klutz when it comes to meds."

Stephan blinked. "You need medicine?"

"Y-yeah. I've got a lot of bad allergies this season, so I have to make sure I take them."

Stephan eased, and unscrewed his lid. "I get what you mean. I've got to do the same damn thing."

Alexis chuckled, and took a sip. So did he; she looked so lovely in the low light, but he didn't want to come off as some sort of pervert. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Her melodic voice reached his ears. "Sure."

"If someone you really love was hurt by someone else, what would you do to that person?"

"Need you ask? If someone ever hurt you, I'd pummel them to the ground!"

She raised an eyebrow. "So you love me then?"

That question…really caught him off guard. Stephan felt the heat flush across his cheeks, and slowly, he turned away from her. He gripped his bottle tightly, and looked down at the water's surface. His nerves were getting in the way, and his throat constricted to the point he couldn't say anything, but finally, he managed to nod. "I-I do."

Much to his surprise, she had no reaction. She only regarded him so vey calmly, just as she had the first day they met. Cautiously, he stared at her, at the dazed look in her eyes. What was going on, in that pretty little head of hers right now? Did she even hear what he just said? "So you'd give them hell, if someone hurt me?"

An image of Jaden swept across his mind, and automatically, his protective instincts kicked in. "Of course I would!" He became defensive. "I…I love you Alexis! I won't let anything bad happen to you!"

"I see." With one movement, she stood from her seat and walked toward him, the water bottle still in her hand. She stopped and leaned over, her face a few inches away from his. "You said that, right?" she sang quietly. "You said that if anyone ever hurt me, you'd give them hell?"

"Y-yeah, I would."

"Really?" Slowly, she lifted her water bottle, and gave him a slow, seductive smile. She leaned forward a bit, to the point where her breath trickled down his neck. The tip touched his lips, and before he knew it, the water filled his mouth. The lid disappeared before Stephan could make any sense of what was happening.

She slipped from his grasp and grabbed the lighter from the table. "Then would you mind doing me a favor?" she asked, with that same, cool expression. "Would you give yourself hell?"

Stephan was about to ask why, when all of a sudden, his vision became blurry. He blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of what was going on. His pulse was speeding up, and when he tried to stand, he collapsed onto the ground; his legs refused to move, no matter what he told them. There was a burning, searing pain all over his body. Help. He needed to call for help.

Suddenly, bright lights appeared all around him, along with the smell of burning flesh dancing around his nostrils.

"Botulinum toxin, huh?"

Alexis nodded proudly, as she started counting on her fingers the various heavy metals incorporated into Jackson's body. "I included a bit of hemlock and arsenic, along with my antipsychotics."

"Which, might I add, are not working, it would seem."

She gave Jaden a small, adorable smile, and plopped herself next to him on her bed while he examined the tiny medicine bottle. He was lying down, still trying to recover from the surprise attack, the scars evident on his neck. She turned toward him, before looking back and laughing to herself. "Just admit it; you wanted him gone too, right?"

Jaden flickered his dark eyes toward her, before sighing. "You know, I knew he was unstable. I didn't think he was that serious though. I suppose we can't use him to make another doll now, can we?"

Her smile faded as she stretched her legs, lying right beside him then. "He's ugly," she muttered.

"Well, of course. You just burned him alive."

"You think he's still conscious?"

Jaden shook his head. "I've no idea. It's been three days, hasn't it? His body composition is already starting to break down. You've only got five more days before he dies altogether."

"Well," she buried herself in his now healed neck, curling herself into a tight ball at Jaden's side, "I've still got time." She lifted her head a bit, to the point where she could meet his eyes, and smirked. "What?" he asked.

"It was you, wasn't it? You gave him the nightmares, right?"

Jaden grunted painfully, before managing to lay on his side, one arm on Alexis's waist. "I did. What of it?"

"He had a hard time concentrating because of you; he was always dozing off whenever I started talking. What a rude thing to do!"

"He shouldn't have set his eyes on you then."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Didn't I win that challenge?"

And somewhere, from afar, there was a dying plea for someone, anyone to come and save him. To this day, students still believed it was just some random ghost that suddenly wandered on campus.