Ivan woke up suddenly, his skin glistening with sweat in the silvery moonlight. He gasped for breath, making up for what he had just lost. His hands met bedsheets as he threw them off and ran to the bathroom, making it just in time before he threw up. His hands grasped the edges of the bowl in a white knuckle grip, until one tentatively touched his neck. The nightmare had felt so real, hanging above the gym floor by a rope that bit into his skin and cut off all air. He flailed and pulled, unable to be free, and getting closer to death. He remembered a dull throb in his ankle as well as his face.

Matthews story has impacted him hard, it seemed, and that nightmare was more than he was able to handle. When he was finished, he rinsed out his mouth and flushed. He dearly hoped that he hadn't woken anyone, and groaned when he saw that it was only eleven. How did he manage to have that dream in only an hours worth of sleep? "Vanya? Are you alright?" Ivan looked up at Katyusha, simultaneously getting hit with another wave of nausea and bolting back into the bathroom. "Oh dear, here I'll hold your hair. You went to bed so suddenly we were wondering if you came down with something. Guess you are." Ivan shook his head, breathing heavily. "Nightmare-Couldn't breathe-Made me sick." Katyusha nodded, and when Ivan was done for the second time, he resorted to staying seated rather than getting up. "Better now...?" He gave a weak smile. "I hope so. Can I tell you something, sister?" "Anything, Ivan." "I... I am... I like boys? Like most boys like girls... I don't know why, but I met a boy today and I got all warm inside when he would smile. I'm sorry..." He choked up, refusing to look her in the eye, and curling in on himself. Views on homosexuality where they came from weren't the best. They were getting better, but whereas the U.S. was close to legal marriage between same-sex couples, Russia still had a ban. "Oh, Vanya, I already knew. As soon as you mastered tying a tie by yourself and started making excuses for staring at the hockey teams' butts, I knew. I would wait to tell Grandfather however. And you better be planning on bringing this boy over. We'll make a big dinner and if he spends the night, a big breakfast too." He started laughing when she mentioned how she knew, and was suddenly in her arms, his nausea was gone now and he was sleepy. Probably why he had chosen to come out of the closet just after puking because of a nightmare. "I'm gonna try and sleep now. Depending on how I feel tomorrow I may stay home..." She gave him another squeeze and helped him to his feet. She didn't leave him until he was tucked back into bed and opened the window so he could have some fresh air. His next dream surprised him. Matthew was there, beckoning him into the gym. Of course he followed, he couldn't say no. The boy smiled at him, pulling him further into the gym, and despite the changing atmosphere, he found himself smiling too. The room was bigger than it should've been, and distorted. And hanging from the railing of the upper level bleachers, were two nooses. "Go with me. We'll do it together! Then we can be friends forever." Ivan glanced nervously from his friend to the ropes. "Will it hurt?" "A little, but not for long. I'll be right there with you." The blond reached up and put his hands on Ivan's neck gently, "Don't think just do. Don't you trust me, Ivan?" "I-" Matthew was pulling him again. "Let's get to it! The cleaning crew will be here soon and we don't want them interfering now do we?" They were on the upper level in a flash, and Matthew was already sitting on the edge of the railing, his noose hanging loosely from his pale neck. Ivan followed suit, nervous as all hell, and ready to back out. He settled on the railing, chewing on his lower lip anxiously, and looking over to Matthew, who had grasped his hand. "Trust me." Matthew shoved him hard, and he yelped, reaching for whatever he could grab. He felt nothing. He woke to the sound of his own neck snapping. OoooooO Getting up was hard for him when his alarm went off. The second nightmare had shaken him up, making him fearful of sleep, and causing him to not be able to do so. He got up nonetheless, and dressed casually in a sweatshirt and baggy jeans. Katyusha was making breakfast, classic eggs and bacon, and gasped when she saw him. "You look like you haven't slept a wink, Ivan!" He laughed weakly, sitting at the table and accepting a mug of coffee. "Nightmares. I have my online classes this morning so I'll take a nap in the library or something. Mr. Kirkland won't like it but Bonnefoy keeps him in line." "Alright... Why not just stay home for the morning? You can access your classes from home, yes?" Ivan shook his head. "There's a new student remember? The boy's name is Matthew Williams and we have all our classes together. I told him I'd be his guide for his first day." She seemed to freeze, as if thinking about something, "What's wrong?" "Oh, nothing. The name sounds familiar, that's all. Well, in that case, eat up. And drink that coffee, don't want you dozing off behind the wheel." "Yes ma'am. I'm thinking tomorrow for Matvey's welcome dinner. Would that work?" She hummed, checking some cabinets and nodding. "We will have some borscht and piroshki?" "Perfect! Alright, I'll tell him today and that'll be tomorrow and I'll bring him home as well. I think you'll like him." "I know I will!" Ivan grinned, excited to see his friend. He reached for the plate handed to him, as they both ate their breakfasts. Natalia had left earlier with some friends, leaving the two to eat without her. It was a rare occurrence, as family was important to all of them, but it did happen. After all, Ivan was most likely going to have Matthew over.

"So, Katya, what's the news on the bust yesterday?" Ivan had heard of some locker searches that resulted in the discovery of some interesting items.

"Some strange coins in three lockers. All next to each other, and haven't been used by students because of the school haunting. Or alleged haunting. Maple leaves on one side, nooses on the other. Disturbing little things, they are." Ivan froze, the coins in his pocket seemed burn his skin through the fabric. Did Matthew put them in there? Or were they there before hand? He said he had found them after the attack, so why weren't they at his old school? Did… Did Matthew lie to him?

It was possible, but for some reason, Ivan didn't think that was it. There had to be something more to the story, something more to Matthew. He just didn't know what it was.

Breakfast went by and soon, Ivan was on his way to school. On his way to his friend. Traffic was no big deal, and he was only stopped by one light. The parking lot however, was a zoo. He found a spot though, and hurried to the Library for his online classes. Upon looking at his seat, he found Matthew sitting in the spot next to his, tapping away at the keyboard of one of the school computers. It was adorable, the way his glasses would slip and his tongue would begin to poke through his lips…

"Good Morning, Matvey!" He grinned, and sat down beside the smiling blond. His unease from the earlier conversation with his sister melted away at the smile.

"Good Morning, Ivan! I was a bit worried you weren't coming… So we just stay here for the first three periods, and then we go to band, and then we substitute gym for hockey?"

"Correct. It counts as our physical education credit. Comes in handy, my freshman year sucked."

"Same. At my old school we had to take two credits worth, an all of our cores. It was irritating. So, how was your night? Sleep well?" Ivan hesitated, not sure how to respond. He didn't think it would be a good thing to tell the boy about his dream. Matthew seemed to sense something was wrong and his eyes narrowed, "What happened last night. Tell me."

"Nightmare. It isn't important."

"Yes, it is. Especially if it made you hesitate to talk about it. I'm not going to judge you. I'm never going to judge you. Trust me." The words gave him a flashback, and his hands came up to cradle his neck. He swallowed thickly, and shook his head.

"In a bit. Just not now." Matthew nodded, and quickly changed the subject.

"So… Do you want to hang out in the gym after school? It'll be nice and I asked for the janitor to leave some windows open for air." Ivan nodded, calmer than he had been.

"Sounds good. We'll head there after hockey, and I could take you home tonight? Oh! Tomorrow is the dinner for you! Katyusha and me are going to make a big dinner and it'll be great." Matthew lit up again, igniting butterflies in Ivan's stomach.

"That'd be fantastic! I've… Never been invited to something like that before… It means so much to me that you would this for me."

"Well of course! If you wanted, you could even stay the night? My grandfather won't min, and my sisters couldn't care less about it. Then you could have a big breakfast too!" The boy practically beamed, and even hugged Ivan.

"I would love to! Oh my goodness I have to get ready and everything! I've never been to a sleepover before, what should I bring?"

"Pajamas, pillow, a blanket or two, and anything else you want to bring. I have blankets and pillows if you are unable to bring your own, and I've got tons of movies to choose from." The Russian could hardly believe that Matthew had never been to a sleepover, he'd thought that all children went to at least one.

"Okay! I'll pack as soon as I get home! Now, what class are you studying online?" Ivan chuckled at the boy's excitement, vowing to make this the best sleepover that Matthew would ever have.

"I am studying advanced psychology. Something I want to do when I'm older. What are you studying?"

"History vs. Hollywood. I took it at my last school, and it is very cool. You watch a movie of a specific event in history, and then an actual documentary. After some comparisons, you write an essay and send it to your professor. Only, at my old school, it was written and the class wasn't online. It was more of a hands-off on the teachers part."

"Sounds interesting. I may have to look into it next year. So," Ivan said while booting up his laptop and signing in, "How was your night?"

"The usual. I tend to have nightmares of the attack, but only one a night. The other dream had you in it strangely enough… I was lying on the floor after cutting myself down, and you kneeled next to me and picked me up. You carried me somewhere, I don't remember where, and I was able to rest and get better. It was like when my brother found me and took me home. Only it was you instead of him. Weird." Ivan remained silent for a moment, unable to identify the feeling he had in his stomach.

"Well, at least you had some pleasant dreams."

"Yeah, that night… It took a while to be okay again. Just, if I have a nightmare at your house, wake me up okay? I can't do it on my own." The Russian gave a small nod, leaving Matthew to do his work while he did his own. There were still ten weeks in the marking period, and Ivan was almost finished with his class. He often did his work at home in order to cheat the system and finish early. If he did that, he could have tons of free time.

Nothing better than that, huh?

The bell rang, and the two simply switched classes and continued working in silence. When their online classes were done, Ivan guided the way to the band room.

"So, what do you play?" Matthew asked, tugging on the Russian's sleeve eagerly.

"I play the piano currently. I'm performing a solo in the concert later this week. What about you?"

"I play the trumpet, and sometimes the French horn. I'll be playing trumpet until after the concert. I have a solo too. I'm pretty nervous about it."

"Ah, don't be. I'm sure you'll do wonderfully." They entered the hallway, hearing the noise of warm-ups and mindless chatting. After a quick introduction to their director and the band members, Matthew took his seat after direction from Ivan on where his chair would be. After making sure his friend was situated, he sat behind his piano, and they went through their music. Turns out, Ivan and Matthew's solos, were in the same song, and ended up as a short duet.

Ivan hit all of his notes at the new tempo that was chosen, and was glad his solo was over by the time Matthews started, because it was so beautiful that he froze in his seat. His eyes locked on the blond who moved with every dynamic change, whose eyes reflected the emotions portrayed in the music. Ivan didn't so much as feel his fingers when he came in, his part melding with Matthew's so perfectly that the other band members were too distracted to enter on time, and the two came to a close, not ready for the applause that waited for them. He shared a glance with the flustered Canadian, laughing at how red the boy's face was. The other trumpet players were patting him on the back and Ivan could see other players moving to talk to him as well. Matthew was going to be popular in this class.

"It's no big deal, really guys, I just practice a bunch." Ivan could hear the happiness in the boy's voice, and laughed at his own praise.

Soon, the room calmed down and they went through the rest of their music.

OoooooO

Lunch was after band, and Matthew chose to get a small plate of fries, while Ivan got the hot lunch and a few cookies for them to share.

"Oh, thanks. I didn't get you anything though.."

"Don't worry about it! It's your first day, and I'm your guide. Making it a good day is my job." Ivan smiled, eating some of his lunch and making sure Matthew was eating his. The Russian noticed that he didn't eat much, only a few bites, and urged him to finish.

"I'm just not that hungry today. I don't know what's going on."

"You may want to eat a bit more for hockey. It'll wear you out. Coach is tough when we start out. He'll push us hard due to our level. I didn't play last year due to injury, so I'm behind in his eyes.

"Injury?"

"I was jumped by some kids from the rivalry team. Broke my collarbone. It's healed now though, so I'm looking forward to a successful season." Matthew cringed.

"Seems we've both had painful experiences." There was something bitter about his voice, and it surprised Ivan. Granted he'd only known this boy for a day tops, but he didn't think it suited him.

"Im sorry."

"Hey, no, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so mean about it. It's over and done with. I can't help that it happened and I can't change it." Ivan rested a hand on Matthews shoulder.

"Don't be sorry. You almost died, Matthew. I didn't. I didn't get close." He leaned in closer to speak at his ear, "I had a dream regarding the attack. That's why I was upset earlier. I dream of things I hear about, and due to my slight insomnia, they turn into nightmares." When he moved away, the boy was a bit red in the face, and smiling a bit.

OooooO

After lunch, they found themselves in the locker room, looking for their assigned lockers for the season, and practicing their combinations.

Matthew was excited to get on the ice, it'd been a long time since he had played hockey. He loved the sport, loved it to death, but that same death was what kept him from playing in the first place. This whole technology thing was new to him, as were many of the classes and systems of movement. Even the bells were different!

He hadn't paid much attention to the development of the school in the twenty years he'd been sulking in the gym. Until Ivan that is. The young ghost had spotted him searching for his keys that night, and decided to help him. Leaving the coins wasn't too hard to do without being spotted, and it made him feel a sense of pride for helping the Russian.

While changing, Matthew mulled over the idea of telling Ivan. That he was dead, anyway. Would they still be friends? This was the first friend he had had since... Well since ever. And a sleepover? It was almost too much for him to handle.

He lifted his shirt over his head, slipping on the other shirt, padding, and jersey.

"So Matvey," He looked up, right into Ivan's bare chest. His face and ears burned, and he stuttered out a reply.

"Y-yes, Ivan?"

"How is it that you got to be so good at your instrument? I've been thinking about it, and we should do a duet to Solo and Ensemble festival." Matthew tore his eyes from Ivan's extremely ripped and attractive torso, and nodded quickly.

"That would be fun. What should we play?"

"We'll figure it out." Matthew beamed, still slightly distracted by Ivan's chest, but otherwise able to maintain some focus. Why were all the living boys the cute ones? It was ironic that he'd only develop a legitimate crush after he could no longer be with someone.

As if on cue, his sudden sadness infected the air, and before Matthew could stop it it reached Ivan. He could see the Russian tense, and he tried to reign in his feelings before the poor guy got too freaked out.

He didn't always mean to let it out, it just happened somehow. He wasn't the average school haunt, he didn't throw things or turn off the power. He simply lived in the gym, falling asleep to the sight of the railing he'd been strung from the night he died.

Oh, that night. That night he'd been invited to spend time with some local boys. One of which he had taken a liking to. They had all sworn to keep each others homosexuality a secret, telling no one, and Matthew had been so happy to be accepted.

The gym was dark when he walked in, the floorboards creaking under his feet (they weren't going to be replaced for another ten years) and wondering where his friends were. Maybe they'd gotten caught and chased off? Thunder rumbled outside, and his white dress shirt was damp from the sudden downpour that occurred when he was making his way in the building.

"Hey, Matt! Over here!" He turned at the sound of his name, smiling slightly and stepping under the bleachers to join the other boys.

"I almost thought you guys weren't here. Crazy weather outside." He gestured to the windows just as a flash blinded him momentarily.

"Yeah, the janitor came through so we had to hide. Anyway, we need to talk about something a bit... Important regarding our group." Matthew remembered thinking they'd been found out, thinking they were going to be broken up.

It turned out to be much, much worse.

"You see, Matthew," Said Caleb, the ring leader of them all, "If we're gonna be honest here, we've been observing you. Making sure you're the real deal."

"Why? You don't believe me?"

"No, no, we believe you. Which is why we had you come tonight. Hit him." Matthew turned to look behind him, yelling obscenities as they wooden bat connected with the side of his head. His head swam as he tried to escape, unable to keep his balance and resorting to crawling across the floor.

"Aw, Matt, leaving so soon? We haven't even gotten started!" Matthew realized this was bad, this was really, really bad. What were they going to do to him?

He was yanked back by his collar, an odd noise leaving his throat as the fabric compressed it momentarily. One of the boys pinned him down, holding him there. All of his strength had left him, preventing him from throwing the boy off of him and making a run for it.

"You see, Matt. There something we'd like to confess," Lips were at his ear, and he squirmed in discomfort, "We aren't gay like you. In fact, we have a little bit of a problem with people like you."

This was really fucking bad. His heart pounded in his ears as his vision cleared, only to be blurred again as a fist connected with his face, knocking off his glasses and making his nose bleed furiously. He longed for his brother, his strong brother who could easily beat the hell out of these kids and help Matthew. But his brother was at home, sleeping like he should have been, following his parents rules and probably dreaming of his girlfriend.

His breath was cut off by hands at his throat, more blows hitting him at all areas of his body.

"S-stop! S-stop! Please!" Their laughter sent chills down his spine, and he felt tears in his eyes.

"Nah, we're far from done. Benny, you brought the rope right?" Matthew watched him nod with a twisted smile on his face, and realized the terrible truth.

At that moment, he knew he was going to die.

He didn't know why or how it came to him, but he knew that very soon he wasn't going to be alive anymore.

The realization sent adrenalin flowing through his veins, and he kicked Caleb off of him. The boy flew backwards as Matthew scrambled to his feet and took off, throwing open the door to the gym and sprinting outside. Rain stung his face and thunder rumbled over the yelling of his pursuers, and he ran as fast as he could to get the the road. Once he got to the road he'd been okay, he'd be safe and on his way home.

He didn't make it however. The rock that tripped him twisted his foot at an awkward angle and injured his ankle, slowing his stride and sending shockwaves of pain up his leg.

Benny hit him from behind, knocking him to the ground and punching him in the stomach. His head smacked into the pavement painfully, right on his temple.

What happened then was even worse. All five boys surrounded him, one holding down his arms, and another sitting between his legs.

"You want it in the ass, Matt?" He shook his head furiously, struggling to get free and failing.

"N-no! Let m-me g-go!"

"Can't do that, man. You've made your life choice. It's up to us to stop you from pulling someone down with you. It's disgusting."

"I didn't do anything wrong! I can change! I can change! Please let me go!"

"Nah, what would the point of coming out here be if we didn't finish the job?"

"Stop, please this isn't what any of you want to do." Matthew tried to reason with him, with all of them, but nothing was working.

They all had a turn using him, his whimpers and cries falling on deaf ears as he was violated over and over again. Once they were all finished, they resumed his beating, Matthew feeling his ribs snapping.

Matthew cried out, screaming for help, screaming for someone to help him. Why wouldn't anyone help him?!

More hits later, his perception of time was blending together, and they were back in the gym. The dazed Canadian glanced at the boy he'd been invited by, seeing the wide and shocked eyes. He hadn't known this was going to happen. But he wasn't helping either.

"You made a mistake, Mattie Matt." He whimpered, tears spilling over as he screamed one last time, hoping to God that someone would hear and help him.

"Alfred! Alfred help me! Please! Someone help me!" His voice gave out, and he sobbed silently as he was thrown down onto the upper level bleachers, and a rope was put around his neck. He fought at the feeling, kicking and clawing in his last effort of survival. Another hit stopped him, and the rope tightened. His voice cut off as an odd squeak when he was hit again, something in his chest making a sickening snap.

It was most likely one of his ribs, having been weakened by the earlier beating.

He was hoisted up, feeling the cold metal rail under his back.

"Goodbye little Matthew. Maybe you can get it in the ass while spending time in the afterlife!"

"W-well, you were right guys. I managed to pull f-five assholes w-with me. I'll save you a s-seat."

"Little shit!" He then knew what was happening. Marker was used on his chest, and he was thrown over. His stomach dropped at the feeling of falling, and when he caught in the rope, he couldn't breathe. Panic overtook him and he struggled to get down, his feet not touching anything.

Seconds felt like hours as he began to lose mobility, his limbs heavy and uncoordinated. The last thing he remembered was a slight jerk in the rope, and his body slamming into the wooden gymnasium floor.

He woke up a little while later, his body sore and broken from the rough treatment. He groaned, shifting ever so slightly and wincing. This felt worse than when he had first gone to hockey conditioning.

He flipped onto his back, his chest heaving in pain. He felt around for his glasses, turning his head to look for them. They were a few feet away, broken as expected, morning light glinting off the cracked lenses. It was pretty, how the wood looked at this angle. It wasn't very good for sleeping on though.

Matthew worked to sit up, swallowing thickly and regretting it. His throat burned something fierce, moving his neck sent pain down his spine, and his ankle was definitely screwed up. Another set of groans and obscenities later, he was sitting up and staring at the windows through his blurry vision. His head pounded horribly, giving him the assumption of a concussion, and he used his feet to coax his glasses towards him.

He whined at the sight of himself in the shiny floorboards, knowing even in the blurry image that it was bad. Oh well, glasses and then home.

Once he had them he pondered why he was alive. How he'd survived and why they'd let him. They'd hit him, degraded him, and tried to kill him. Why did they stop?

He heard something behind him that sounded like an item had been dropped and located a shoe. Interesting. It kinda looks like mine. He followed it upward, his heart stopping when he saw what was hanging above it.

It was him. His body suspended in the air by a single frayed rope that looked seconds from coming apart. Matthew began to hyperventilate, was he even breathing? If he was dead then- no. No he wasn't dead that wasn't possible he was sitting right here in the morning sunlight he couldn't be dead! Despair ripped through him, his panicked whimpers echoing off the walls in a rising volume.

He was only fifteen he couldn't just die! Matthew struggled to stand, too numb to feel his aching body, and limped over to his body. The word 'faggot' was written across his chest in black marker, dried blood caking his face and hair. He looked a mess. He could tell by the weird angle of his nose that it was broken, and a deep gash cut across his temple. His neck, oh God his neck, was starting to be ripped open by the weight of his body. The rope had cut into it over the night, and now he was about an hour away from decapitation.

He wanted to puke, he wanted to run, he wanted Alfred. Wait... Alfred was on gym duty this morning. Matthew couldn't let him see this, he couldn't let his brother see the body of his twin like this. No.

Despite his fear and anguish, his brother came first. According to the small clock on the wall, it was seven. Meaning Alfred would be here in less than five minutes.

Matthew left the gym, waiting by the door that led into the hallway and watched for his brother. He'd try and scare him into staying away, eh? Soon he could hear the off-key whistling that meant his brother was near.

The energetic blond sped into the hallway, not hearing Matthews screams to stop, and walked right into the gym.

"Mattie? You here? I know that you hang out here at night with your friends and such but you need to learn to come home and-" The Canadian didn't have to hear the dropping of textbooks to know it was too late. "Mattie no!"

"Alfred..." He croaked pitifully. He longed to hold his brother, make him feel better, but he couldn't. The American was crumpled on the floor, sobbing as he tried to dial 9-1-1, and holding onto Matthews fallen shoe.

"You have to help him, oh god, my brother! They, they killed him! They killed my brother!" Matthew sat next to his brother, tears forming in his eyes. It took another minute before Alfred could sputter out their location, and the blond ran up to the upper level, clawing at the rope until it came free and he was able to lower Matthew gently. He then hopped the railing and pulled his brother into his arms. Matthews heart ached at the sight, his brother rocking his body back and forth whilst sobbing uncontrollably.

"Alfred, it's okay, I'm okay." His hand connected with Alfred's shoulder on the last try, and the American didn't seem to feel it.

Sirens were heard in the distance, and Matthew could feel himself losing it. They were gonna take his body away! "No... No they can't... I can't be dead I'm right here!"

That was when the boy knew he could project his emotions, because his brother froze, a single thing passing his lips.

"Mattie... Mattie!"

"Alfred? Alfred can you hear me?" It was no use however, the American began screaming his name and rocking him faster. Matthews world began to swirl into darkness, a single voice heard in the inky black. Matvey. Matvey?

"Matvey?" He opened his eyes to look at the Russian, instantly knowing something was wrong. The look the boy gave him was full of fright and confusion. Oh shit-

"Ivan it's okay, I'm okay."

"W-was that real..? Matvey what was that?" Matthew took a step back, unable to determine if it were out of concern or panic. He took a different approach.

"Ivan... What are you talking about..? More importantly, why are you yelling at me?" The look in Ivan's eyes changed, and the Canadian resumed his original position.

"The... The... Nevermind." Matthew felt horrible at the sight of Ivan's face. He was absolutely dejected, "I feel like I've been losing my mind. Nightmares, weird feelings in the hallways, those coins... Even my sleep pattern is falling apart. It's funny, the only good part of this year was meet meeting you."

"Remember to meet me in the gym. Call out when you get there, I might not see you enter." He then left the confused Russian standing by himself in the locker room.

The cool air of the gym calmed his nerves despite what had happened here. He longed for his brother more than he had after his death. It wasn't often that he visited his brother's apartment, even twenty years hadn't healed the usually cheery blond. Although it was a little much to expect that Alfred would be better, he honestly thought he would've moved on by now. It was painful to walk into the small home and see his brother staring at a picture of him, or holding a stuffed Polar Bear that he'd owned as a child (and had affectionately named Kumajirou).

He had often debated nabbing the bear for a night, just for something to cuddle with while he slept on the hard bleachers after dark. They didn't bother him, his body wasn't very sensitive to physical touch, but it didn't help the loneliness that overtook him at random. Speaking of which, Matthew needed to get a hold of his emotions before he caused Ivan more problems.

The Canadian settled on the floor, laying back and taking deep breaths. How had so much changed in the past day and a half? He once again reflected on the past, remembering how he followed his body all the way to the morgue for the sole purpose of knowing what they had done.

In the end, he had a broken nose, six broken ribs, a severe concussion, internal bleeding, and a fractured ankle. One of the guys had apparently been carrying some sort of disease too that linked him to the crime as well as it was found in Matthews blood. The one responsively for his autopsy and said that he would've died within a half and hour with the injuries. He wouldn't even have made it home. It didn't take long for them to find the guys, who quickly confessed and seemed proud at the fact that they'd murdered an innocent classmate. Was it so wrong to be gay? Was it? Was that why he hadn't crossed over yet?

He wanted to cross over, he really did. He hated being left behind like this. The only good part was his new friend, and that wasn't enough to keep him here. He jumped as the gym doors slammed open, because as far as he knew, there were no fifth hour classes here.

"Matvey, come out." He cringed, making himself invisible and slinking behind the door. It was too soon. Leave it to Ivan to chase him down. "Matvey! Come out!"

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" He called, stepping out from his hiding spot.

"I told the coach you needed some space and he told me to accompany you. He expects you tomorrow however."

"You can go back. I... Need to be alone."

"No." Matthew looked up.

"No? What do you mean 'no'?"

"No as in I'm not leaving and you are not going to be alone. Whatever that was, you know what happened. I'd rather you tell me now than later, Matthew." He began to panic.

"Ivan I don't know what you saw, but I didn't see anything."

"You're lying. I know you are. Stop lying." Matthew looked away, an exasperated sigh leaving him. How in the hell was he gonna do this? He felt angry, cheated by everything that had led up go his moment.

"I... I'm..."

"It's okay, Matvey." His angry found its outlet.

"I'm dead okay?! I'm dead!"

OooooO

Ooh look a cliff hanger! I'm an asshole!

Is this developing okay?

I feel bad after writing that death scene but trust me it's important to the ending! The event took place in October 1995, hence the twenty years of gym babysitting.

Alfred will be introduced in the next few chapters, although writing him in this context will be difficult so bear with me!

Until next time my lovelies,

MapleSunflower