My school notebook was, once again, filled with useless crap. But it really didn't matter. I did well in school, and taking notes really didn't make my grades better. In fact, it didn't really matter that I even got good grades. It wasn't likely that I would go to college. The money would be hard to come by, nobody else in my family had ever had any education past the age of eighteen. Not that I knew of, anyway. Grandpa had wandered into a town called Kardia with no memories of his past, and he was only about sixteen years old at the time.

The fact that Grandpa was living on his own and making a steady income at sixteen was weird to think about. Weirder still, he married Grandma when they were seventeen, and Mom was born when they were eighteen. Then, two generations later, I was living with my parents and going to school at sixteen. Times sure had changed.

And marriage at seventeen…that was a scary thought. I was getting close to seventeen, and I hadn't even thought about marriage. And I was still a virgin, which was embarrassing. I glanced over at Sebastian, furrowing my brow in anger. He wasn't a virgin, and he wasn't afraid to let anyone know. Vulgar bastard…he took Amy before I could even get a chance. It didn't matter, though. She was my girlfriend now, and it wouldn't be long.

But then, I thought of that girl who was staying with us, Ria, and I felt a strange sense of guilt. That just made me angry and frustrated; why in the hell would I be feeling guilty? I barely knew the girl, and she hated my guts, understandably. It was ridiculous that I would even be thinking-

"Gunie," Anette said, more sternly than she usually sounded. I looked up from my notebook, and I clenched my fists as I realized that the whole class was staring at me.

"What?" I asked through my teeth, looking back down at my desk. I mentally slapped myself as I realized that I had responded to my embarrassing nickname.

"Did you hear the question?" she asked.

"No," I replied, trying to relax. "I didn't."

"We're reviewing what we learned last class," Anette said. "About Norad as the birthplace of man." I sighed.

"The Book of Races," I muttered. I looked up. "It describes the creation not only of mankind, but also of the elves, dwarves, monsters, et cetera, which also led to hybrid groups such as Earthmates, Univir, and an ancient, lost race that is now referred to as 'vampires,' though this term is not acceptable anymore. The information that has been disclosed to the population of Norad Kingdom is the basis of the religion practiced by most of the people living within Norad. There is an emphasis not only on a main deity, but also spirits and the Earth itself. The contents of the book, published for the masses, have most likely been altered, according to most historians. The original text is in the possession of King Gilbert II, in a heavily guarded vault. The vault itself hasn't been opened for centuries, so even the king himself is unsure of the exact material." I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose. "Some people believe, though, that the book holds the secrets to the creation of a superhuman, and therefore, a superhuman race. The government probably is afraid of an enemy nation, the Sechs Empire, for example, getting a hold of those instructions." I paused. "It's interesting to think about, though…humans essentially becoming gods. Especially since the book describes a god that seems to be a tyrannical, self-absorbed, slightly sadistic being."

"That's blasphemy!" Isidore cried.

"I'm telling Mom!" Ella chimed in.

"That's enough," Anette said. "Thank you, Gunie. Now everyone, please open your books to…"

I decided to go back into my own thoughts. I was proud of my ability to bullshit basically anything from information I had stored in my mind ahead of time. I started to attempt drawing something, but something hit me in the head right as I decided what I wanted to draw. It was a balled up piece of paper, which was now on the floor. I clenched my fists, knowing right away that Sebastian was the culprit. Luckily, Anette must have seen him throw it, so I didn't have to deal with him myself. Besides, if I told him off or threatened him in the middle of class, I would look like the bad guy. Not that I wasn't already.

"Sebastian," Anette said, with a thoroughly irritated look on her face. "Would you like to pick that up?" Sebastian muttered something, but he got up from his chair and walked over to my desk. He bent over and picked up the paper, and walked back over to his desk.

Before long, it was time for lunch, and Anette let us go outside. I sat down in my usual spot and waited for Amy. I looked in my paper lunch bag, and sighed with relief as I realized that Mom had made my lunch that day. If Grandma had made it, it would probably have contained leftover turnip-based food. And I was in no mood to be nauseated. Besides, I was hungry for once.

Amy sat down next to me, and smiled at me.

"You majorly pissed off Sebastian today," she said.

"I piss him off with my presence," I replied, unwrapping the sandwich Mom had packed me.

"That's true," she said. "But I mean, with your answer to the question Anette asked you. He hates that you're smarter than he is, and that you don't even have to try."

"He is a dumbass," I said. I started eating, but I quickly noticed that Amy was just sitting there. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm on a diet," she replied. "I can only eat one meal a day now, and it has to be mostly celery."

"That's no good," I said. "Celery uses up more calories to chew and digest than you get from it."

"So?" she asked.

"So it's basically negative calories," I explained. "And if you're not eating anything else, you could make yourself sick."

"But don't you want me to lose weight?" she asked.

"You can lose weight if you want," I replied. "But if you feel like you have to, do so in a way that doesn't kill you."

"You're one to talk," she said. "This is the first time in ages that I've seen you eat anything." I didn't respond, because I knew she was right. I was done growing, and at five feet eight inches tall, I was average in terms of height for guys my age. But at one hundred and forty pounds, I was pushing the underweight category, and the last thing I wanted to be was scrawny, and for multiple reasons.

It wasn't really my fault, though. I had to take medicine for the Sadness, which stopped me from lashing out as frequently as I used to, but it also took my appetite away. Of course, Lara didn't like that at all, so she constantly had to adjust doses and sometimes even the ingredients to the medicine. There were always side effects, though.

"Hey you," I heard an all-too-familiar voice growl.

"What do you want, Sebastian?" I asked, not looking up. I was scared shitless, and if he saw my face at that exact moment, he'd really go to town with beating me up.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he demanded. For whatever reason, I listened to him, and looked up at him. Upon seeing the look in his eyes, the look of sadism that I knew too well, I started to break out into a cold sweat. He started to laugh.

"What?" I asked.

"You look terrified," he said.

"I'm not terrified," I replied. But even an idiot like Sebastian knew what a lie that was.

Suddenly, he grabbed the front of my shirt, and slammed me against the outer stone wall of the church.

"You think you're pretty freakin' smart," he scoffed.

"Smarter than you," I spat. With his free hand, he raised his fist and punched me on the side of the face, managing to cover my left cheek and eye, as well as my mouth. My glasses slipped off, and fell to the ground, breaking in half once they hit it. I tasted blood, and that made me mad as hell. I went to return the favor, but I was interrupted.

"Stop it!" Helena cried from the doorway. She came running up to us. "Stop it, both of you!"

"Get lost, Helena!" Sebastian shouted. Then, I saw a blurry image of Anette come running up next to her, and later, Hugh, Helena's boyfriend. He must have sensed that she was in some sort of trouble. At that moment, Sebastian shoved me back against the wall, but at least I was free.

"Look what you did to him!" Helena hissed. I heard her pick up my glasses from the ground, and sigh. I saw her take a roll of bandages out of the messenger bag over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Fixing your glasses," she replied, ripping off a piece of the bandage. "Gunie, I know Sebastian is usually the aggressor, but you can't fight back. You're not as strong as he is, and if you keep trying to fight back, you're going to get really badly hurt." She paused, and handed my glasses back to me. "There. These should hold out for awhile, but make sure to see my grandmother to get them fixed. You might also want to head over there to get some ice for your face." I put my glasses back on, looked up at Helena, but then looked away in embarrassment, only to make eye contact with Amy, who looked at me, seemingly disgusted.

"I'll head over there right now," I muttered. "Tell Anette for me."

Before Helena could respond, I started to walk away toward the Business District, which led to the South District. I wondered if I should have thanked her, but it was too late. Besides, I was a little angry with her for pitying me in front of Sebastian.

As I made my way into the South District, I stopped and reached into my pocket, feeling around for my pocket knife. I figured it would be stupid to take it out, though, because anyone could come by at any minute and see me cutting, and then, I'd be screwed.

For that moment, it was probably best to leave my arm alone.

Was anyone shocked to see this updated? I sure was. XD

So, this chapter was fairly uneventful, but I really liked writing Gunie's answer to Anette's creation question. It almost sounded like an answer I would give in a history or religion class.

We'll get to see Arianna more in later chapters. :)