[Heather's P.O.V]

I know that face.

I know it.

During the final exam, when Night Fury's mask fell apart, I saw a glimpse of his face. Just a glimpse. But it was enough. I'm pretty sure it matches the picture I saw in Astrid's wallet.

Last year, when we just finished a hell of a workout, I decided to pay Astrid a visit. I entered her room without knocking because we pretty much don't care anymore. Astrid was busy taking a shower so I roamed around her room for a while.

Our rooms were pretty much the same. They said it resembles a normal hotel suite but it didn't look like that at all...more like a V.I.P room in an Italian palace. The bed was king-sized with pure white, Egyptian cotton sheets. It had his own desk, a thirty-six-inch TV with video and DVD, a sprawling leather sofa, and, on the other side of the room, was a private gym with proper equipment and weights. And the bathroom! As well as the power shower, there was a bath big enough for three people, and a Jacuzzi. Everything is under a set of comfortable and smooth marble tiles.

Astrid's things were scattered across her bed, which looked like a tornado slept in it. Calling Astrid untidy is an understatement. I myself is a bit messy but this just too much.

I decided to volunteer as Astrid's maid only for that time. I started arranging her bed, and fixing her stuff. As I was doing cleaning lady stuff, I accidentally knocked Astrid's wallet off the bed. I bent down to pick it up when I saw a picture peaking out of it.

A part of me was like, 'Don't touch it. It's her privacy and I need to respect that'.

But curiosity was like, 'nahhh'.

I picked up the wallet then took out the picture. And I didn't regret it. Well, maybe a little guilt panged in my chest but I was too focused on the picture.

It was a picture of Astrid and some other guy in, where I guess where she went to school at. They looked younger, probably around 17-years old. Astrid still had a braid on, and had a less fierce look. The blush on her cheeks and the shy smile she had on really toned down her fierceness. The other guy, on the other hand, was gorgeous. He had bright green eyes that I could stare at for hours, messy auburn hair with two cute braids just below his ear. He had a fairly wide frame and he stood at about 6'3. He wore a white Gucci sweater that showed his wide frame, a pair of denim jeans, and black high-cut Converse. He had a crooked smile on that, to be honest, kinda looked hot.

He was, in a few words, a complete snack.

And judging from how they're positioned, they're probably a couple or best friends. It wasn't my right to ask her, nor is it my right to peak at a person's privacy. But I was doing it anyways.

I flipped the photograph, and behind it, is a handwritten message to Astrid.

What's up, Mi'lady. It's the last day of school and I guess I just want to say, thank you for being my best friend! I know we'll see each other in the summer so I'll try not to be dramatic. I have something to tell you, and don't worry, it's not the twins trying to prank you. See you in the summer!

Signed,

H.H.H, Hayden Harrison Haddock

My brain seemed to imprint the name and his face onto itself because during the final exam, when I saw that glimpse of his face, I immediately recognized him.

Hayden Harrison Haddock is Night Fury. Someone who is close to Astrid. But she doesn't seem to know that. The question is why?

And of I could remember vaguely, she's been looking for her missing best friend but she didn't give me a name. Could her missing best friend be right in front of her the whole time? I needed answers. And I knew just where to get them.

Okay, what?

One minute ago, I was scouring the entire Drakos building looking for Night Fury, or should I say, Hayden Haddock. The next, I finally found him, but he's half naked and maskless. Oh, and he nearly kicked my face.

"DeRanged?" He asked me.

"Y- Yes, sir." I stuttered, still startled from the sudden kick.

He lowered his foot, a mask of confusion on his face. "What are you doing here, DeRanged? You need to wake up early tomorrow."

But before I could reply, Night Fury, or... Hayden suddenly paled, color draining from his face. Horror plastered on his face, as if he just saw a ghost.

He probably realized he doesn't have a mask.

Then a second passed, Night Fury/Hayden was back to his stoic expression. He must've calmed himself down.

While all of this is going on, I was a bit distracted.

He probably doesn't notice yet but his top is exposed for me to see. And I have to say, I have never seen a body like his before.

He had a series of tattoos decorating his chiseled body. A large one took over his entire back like a venom symbiote. He had a few over his chest and shoulder but I wasn't focused on that. He must've been blessed by the gods because he possessed a body even greater than Thor himself. He had a lean and wide frame, muscles that felt like that has been molded by the gods. Each time he moved, they flexed beautifully. If he rolls his shoulders or cracks his neck, I'm going to faint.

His abdomen was sculpted with a defined six-pack, and his veins popped out of his forearms like a map. Sweat gleamed on his chest like a well polished pot.

I quickly removed all dirty thoughts in my head. Bad Heather. But I couldn't resist. A little secret I had was that I'm bisexual, but that does not stop me from nearly drooling at the beautiful sight of his body.

He had rather long hair, a couple of then falling over his eyes. Beads of sweat trickled down from his hair and onto his chest. I followed it traveling down to his scars on his chest and onto his abs. I finally blinked, snapping out of my fantasy.

"R- Right away, sir." I quickly recovered but I'm probably as red as a tomato right now. "But I was actually going to ask you a question."

He raised a brow. This is it. Time to uncover some mysteries.

"Uhh, sir. Are you Hayden Haddock?"

[Night Fury P.O.V]

I tapped my finger restlessly on my desk. A stoic expression masked my worry and anxiety. I don't know what to do. This girl, my student, just ran up to me and asked me if I was Hayden Haddock. How the fuck did she know that? I needed answers.

So what do I do? I grabbed her hand and dragged her to my room, that's what I did!

Now that I think about it, I probably made a terrible decision. I just dragged a girl to my room forcefully. And, on top of all that, I'm half-naked. This is just great. This looks so wrong in so many levels but as of right now, I don't care. I need to know how this girl could know me.

"Uhm, sir? Are you alright?" Heather suddenly asked me.

My eyes darted towards her. What should I say? No? Yes? Maybe? Ugh, this is going to be a rough day.

"Drop the 'sir'. Considering you already know who I am, just call me by name." I reply coldly.

Standing up all of a sudden, she announced rather loud, "So you are Hayden Haddock!"

I gave her a deadpanned look. When she realized what she's done, she blushed and sat back down.

"Sorry, it's just that you didn't answer my question awhile back." She said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

I then smacked my hands together, causing her to wince. "Okay, let's start with the beginning. Since we both have questions, I'll flip this coin." I took out a quarter out of my pocket. Why I have that with me is beyond me. "If it lands on tails, then I get to ask. If it's heads, you ask. Got it?"

She nods in agreement. I nodded back and flipped the coin. It spun in the air for a while then once it fell back, I caught it and smacked it on the back of my hand. I removed my hand, revealing it to be tails.

"Alright, first of all, how do you know there is a person named Hayden Haddock?" I asked, almost hastily.

"I found a photo from Astrid's that had you and Astrid. There was a small message behind it and it said that it was from Hayden Harry Haddock the Third." She replied calmly.

The photo. I remember. I had that photo taken on the last day of school. It's also the day I went missing. I left a message on it because I planned to confess to her on that day. But I guess life had other plans. I was kidnapped from my house that day and I was dragged to the base of the Outcasts. During that time, my mind had wandered to the disappointment that would've flashed in Astrid's face when I didn't show up. It was one of my regrets...

I then flipped the coin again, caught it, and... it's heads.

"My turn, why wear a mask?" She asked.

I smirked. I can answer her questions without actually revealing the truth. "Keeps my face hidden. I don't want people knowing my face. It could be bad for Drakos and for me." I say, the chair creaking as I leaned back onto it.

Her gaze hardened for a second, squinting her eyes at me. I was worried she's going to see past my lie. Well technically, it wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the entire truth. I ignored her suspicious stare and flipped the coin again. Heads.

"Alright, does anybody know me or have seen my face?" I ask. I already know she saw my face during the final exam. It's pretty obvious. But who else saw? If Astrid did, I'm fucked.

"Nope. Just me. I'm pretty sure about it." She replied with a shrug

I let out a sigh if relief. At least I only have to worry about one person. I flip the coin again. Tails.

"Why are you hiding from Astrid?"

I froze. Shit. Should I tell her? No? Yes? Argh! I thought about it for as second. If I do tell her, she would force me to talk to her because the DeRanged siblings are really like that. If I don't, she'll just ask another question until it'll force me to reveal the truth. My eyes flickered at her, before replying, "I'm trying to protect her. It's better if she doesn't know who I am."

"Why?"

"Only one question. If you want to ask again, flip for it."

She snatched the coin from my hand then flipped it. I prayed to the gods to grant me luck.

Tails. Damn it.

"So again, why?" She asked again, a more forceful tone in her voice.

"I saw a lot of things in this hellish world. I don't want her to see me like this."

"So, you're doing this for yourself?"

"Flip for it."

She flips it. It lands on tails. Fucking luck.

"No, I'm doing this for her." I reply sternly. She's really getting on my nerves now.

"You're not. You're afraid of what she's going to think of you."

"The coin."

"Fuck the coin!" She shouts, slamming the coin at the desk.

Anger began boiling up inside me. Who does she think she is? I gripped the armrest of the chair I'm sitting on, my knuckles turning white from clenching too hard. I leaned towards the raven-haired girl.

"Why do you care? Stay the fuck out of my life!" I snapped, through gritted teeth.

"Astrid's my best friend and she's working her ass off to find you!" She yells, standing up completely. "I could see her face falls whenever someone mentions the very thought of you. Don't you even realize that it's hurting her? She is doing this all for you!"

I stood up as well, my height greatly overpowering her as I looked down at her. "Then maybe she should quit looking for me!"

"Why are you so hard-headed?! She's your best friend and she just wants to know he's alive and well! Is that too hard to ask?"

That's it. I slam my fist against the steel walls, making a huge dent on it. The loud hollow sound caused Heather to wince and fall silent. My breath came out as ragged, anger sizzling underneath my eyes.

"Hayden Haddock is dead! Get that in your head! The day I killed 362 people with my bare hands! The day they fucking cut my leg and tortured me! The day I was disowned and thrown away from my own house is the day Hayden Haddock died! So tell Hofferson to stop looking for him! Because if she doesn't stop, I'll do it myself!"

I didn't wait for her to come up with a retort. I grab her hand, and drag her towards the door. I gripped the doorknob, nearly cracking the steel knob, and yanked the door open. I harshly shoved her out the room, causing her to grimace in pain. But I was too angry too care.

"Get out. If you even think to tell anyone, I'll make sure you get kicked out of Drakos. Am I clear?" I seethed out.

I didn't give her time to answer. I slammed the door close on her face, sending a message to her to leave. I took a deep breath as I slowly walked towards my chair. I crashed down onto my chair, and that's when I broke down.

The tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down my face. I feel the muscles of my chin tremble like a small child. There is static in my head once more, the side effect of this constant fear, constant pain, I live with.

With a shaky breath, I muttered, "Astrid, I'm so sorry."

[Astrid's P.O.V]

"Alright, can you stand?" I asked Artemis as I helped her up.

"Kinda. Thanks for the help." She said with a smile. She was the girl I rescued back then and fortunately, she only suffered a few injuries. Well, she is one of the top agents in our batch.

I reciprocated it, "No problem. Our graduation is in a few hours. And I'm surprised to see that most of our injuries are healed up after three days."

"I know right. That old hag must be some kind of witch." Shawn quipped, when all of a sudden, a wooden staff suddenly smacked him on the head.

"Ow, what the-"

Another smack. Gothi retracted her staff and shook her head at Shawn. She then hobbled away, leaving Shawn gobsmacked.

"Who does that old hag think she is?" Shawn grumbled, rubbing the part of his head where Gothi smacked her stick with. That old woman has my respect for putting Shawn in his place.

"She's tha' head doctor and can kick yer ass with a stick." A voice butted in.

Gobber suddenly appeared behind him, to which Shawn's reaction is a girl-like shriek. Whoa, Shawn. Didn't know you had it in you to reach a high-pitch.

"Shat yer mouth, will ye?" Gobber said, rubbing his ear. "I heard cocks shriek better than ye."

"Gobber, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, ahm' here to deliver yer uniforms." He replied, giving me a full grin.

We looked at each other in confusion. "What uniforms?" Artemis questioned.

"What? Ye think yer goin' to go in yer graduation in those muck?" He replied, rolling his eyes. "Here are ye uniforms."

As he said it, a guy in a plaid black suit came in the infirmary with a large wooden box. He wheeled the box in, using a hand cart. Dropping it right in the middle, he nodded at Gobber then left without a word.

Strange guy. Gobber then staggered to his feet, swaying a little due to his prosthetic leg. Using his prosthetic crowbar, he propped open the box and threw the cover away like a sheet of paper.

Gothi is going to kill him.

"Aye, get yer uniforms. I ain't yer mama."

I have to say, we looked fucking awesome. We all dressed into our uniforms, together with our respective weapons by our side. I had Stormfly, already fixed by Gobber. I never imagined that he owned a real ancient forge in his room.

Our uniform consisted of a dark blue coat over a white button-down shirt, black slacks that reached up to our ankles, and black high-cut boots. We had a dark hip-length cloak with the symbol of Drakos on it, and a heavy gold chain around our waist that wrapped around up to our knee. And to top it all of, we had to wear a pure black leather cap, where our state of rank is supposed to be attached to.

I looked at my fellow graduates. They all looked so happy. Even Shawn is crying tears of joy.

This is it. Once we graduate, I'm finally a part of Drakos. Then I can continue my original mission. To find Hayden Haddock. I pray that he's just as hopeful as I am. I can't wait to see him again...

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A.N. Fun fact, the one who wrote Heather's perspective was my best friend. I needed a girl's perspective so I got her to write it. I think she went overboard?