A darkened sky loomed over the city, where a youth clad in the standard Friertart Elementary School uniform, with a heavy school bag on his back, walked down the near-empty area of Friertart Square, the main "hub" as some would say of Friertart City. The usually lively Square now empty with an ominous silence consuming it, his breath leaving a trail of fog due to the cold. The youth sighed another trail of mist as he continued on his way home, it was a usual occurrence for Friertart City, in fact, the whole world! He sensed it, another one. another Spirit was being dealt with by the specialists. The Friertart Spirit Removal Squad. It was the 7th time this week and it was only Wednesday. After spending a while walking around, mindlessly making his way home, he paid far more attention to the battle ensuing. For while he couldn't see it, he could sense it. By the 50th minute, he felt the spirit's power weaken and fade slightly. He knew that they captured it, and he knew what would happen to it. Shaking his head, the youth returned his attention to his surroundings and once again began his trek home.

Nearing an apartment complex with several tall apartment buildings, the youth walked before one numbered with a 5. His home... which was more akin to a prison, the cold concrete walls towered him, reaching high into the sky. All he could do was stare at it whilst thinking. It was shocking how several hundred people lived in there, he himself found his place quite small for just he, a child, while he knew that even entire families lived in similar-sized quarters to him.

He then felt it. That stare again... Quickly turning his body around he saw her again. A young girl clad in a white dress with a frilly veil covering her face, but that didn't mean he didn't know who it was.

"Why... Why do you keep following me! Just talk to me... stop doing this Maiden. Stop pretending I don't notice every time you show yourself. Just talk to me... I don't want to be alone anymore..."

He saw her veil lower as he presumed she lowered her head before turning around. He knew she heard him. The youth knew why she was doing that, but it hurt. It hurt to be alone all by himself. Turning around, he entered his prison, the door closing behind him, showing an empty street.

Waking up in a desolate room, void of much. Only a battered wooden desk to the left with a schoolbag resting on top of it, by a small window which let rays of sunlight, beam into his room, the opposing corner to the desk lay what was supposed to be a kitchen, however, void of much except for a dishwasher with a single set of utensils, bowl and plate. In the centre of the room, a bed with a thin sheet and roughly stuffed pillow which, a youth with murky purple-eyes had awoken. Picking himself up off of his bed, he let out a few more sighs which let a trail of fog escape. His black hair entered his vision as his small feet touched the cold surface of the hard floor, yet despite the low temperature of his poorly insulated room, the youth showed no reaction. Raising onto his tip-toes he stretched his body out.

"Strange." He muttered. "She's been showing up every day this week when before she rarely showed up at all. The spirits are getting far more active too, I'm afraid as to what this means. What exactly is going on?" He thought whilst staring at a rectangular prism-shaped object on his desk.

Opening his pillow-case, the youth withdrew his school clothes and laid them out on his bed before neatly folding his blanket and pillow-case. Glancing out of the small window, he approximated that it was around 7:50 am, or at least he presumed it to be as such since his internal clock had gotten accustomed to awakening around that time. Quickly changing his clothes to his school uniform, a standard one at Frietart Primary School, a bleak, grey sweater and pants, he felt his stomach rumble.

"I'll make it in time for breakfast." He thought to himself. Grabbing his schoolbag and grabbing a rectangular prism-shaped object, he carefully attached it to his belt before lifting his sweater over it, the obvious lump disappearing. Then the youth quietly left his one-room apartment and stood in a long hallway of many similar rooms. Gently closing the door labelled 536, he went to the elevator near his room and started his descent.

Walking through the crowded streets of the main city of Friertart, the youth noted the higher amount of people wearing thicker clothes, or at the very least a jacket. His apartment building was nearby his school, only needing a 30-minute walk to arrive through Friertart Square. He wondered why so many people even enjoyed spending their time in the square. He could swear that he once saw a couple there on his walk to school and them still being there on his walk back, the mere thought of being somewhere for hours on end eluded the youth.

Friertart Square was one of the main attractions of the city, filled with shops upon shops and surprisingly, at the centre, the Friertart Main Police Station. There were 5 stations across Friertart, the North, South, East, West and Central or otherwise known as Main Police stations. The Main Police Station towered over the rest of the buildings, a giant electronic billboard on it. Currently, the morning weather report was wrapping up and many within Friertart Square watched in evident tension whilst others had a look of satisfaction creeping onto their faces. The youth himself slowed his walking just to stare at the electronic billboard. He knew what everyone awaited and he found himself curious for the "Happenings" or at least would've been if not for the fact that he knew what had happened.

*Ding Ding Dong Ding*

"Greetings citizens of Friertart!" A booming voice echoed throughout Friertart Square as the electronic billboard now changed to a well-dressed man in a dark room, one which most citizens of Friertart were well accustomed to. "As you all are aware, last night we had a pesky spirit dare attempt to attack our glorious city! This is the seventh attack this week, clearly, the traitors among us are starting to grow weary of our prowess and are trying to reveal themselves from the shadows! Unfortunately for them, our HUMAN tenacity is far too great for those mongrels to hurt us! Aren't I correct!"

The youth, Nathan, slowly nodded his head as he gazed around, the rest of the spectators doing it too, however, with far more vigour and resolve behind each head bob. Returning his gaze back onto the screen, he stopped his nodding.

"Why are they all so interested in it? I guess with the ramp-up in attacks, it's only natural that they are like this. The people wish to feel a sense of comfort seeing victory. But... Why though are they saying that? I thought they knew the truth behind them."

"Here we have it, the vile Spirit hiding within our midst!" The voice said, the camera changing to focus upon a teenage girl, battered, bruised and bleeding in some areas, who was screaming; as for what was being yelled, whether pleas for help, a truce of sorts, surrender, or cries of pain, they didn't know for sure. But there was one thing the youth knew, she was not going to make it after this broadcast. "This detestable scum has hidden itself as a young 17-year-old girl, we shall deal with their kind accordingly. So know no fear brave citizens! Friertart shall never falter and any Spirits hidden among us shall be sniffed out and removed." The voice finished a cold annunciation of the final word. With that, the broadcast ended as the youth hurriedly made his way to his school, letting out a gasp of cold air after entering the warm building.

After signing in at the entrance, he made his way to the cafeteria. Taking his tray, he filled a plastic cup with water before taking a carton of milk and placing both on his tray. Almost immediately after, a plate of food was placed on his tray. Looking up he saw a black-haired teen wearing a dark blue shirt with a white apron over it and a hair net. It was Keith, hand extended with a fork and butter knife wrapped with tissue on it. "Hey Nate, how's it going?" He chuckled. "You were almost late this time again. Something wrong?" Taking the utensils from Keith's hand, Nathan shook his head. "No, nothings wrong Keith. Same as usual, just slept in a tad today."

"Alright then, remember I'm always here for ya if you need something," Keith responded gently.

"Thanks, Keith," Nathan replied before walking away to the table furthest away in the cafeteria. He always preferred to be alone. In between eating his food and quenching his thirst with his drinks, he occasionally watched Keith handing plates of food to the other children who came early to eat their breakfast, making some of the children laugh and give off a happy sensation. He liked Keith, he really cared...

Thud. A plate was placed in front of him as a fair-skinned kid sat down. "Hey, how are you, Nate? You keep sitting here alone, are you alright?" The kid asked concerned. Glancing up, Nathan recognised the kid as Keith's younger brother. Looking him dead in the eyes, Nathan replied, "I'm fine."

"Well, if you're fine why do you keep sitting by yourself? Join us." Keith's younger brother stood up, motioning his arm towards another table full of kids. "No thank you, I just want to be alone." Nathan politely declined.

"Oh..." Keith's younger brother responded, despondent for a few seconds. "Okay then, see ya, Nate." He picked up his food before walking to the table he had motioned for Nathan to join earlier.

Silently chuckling to himself, he smirked as he went to take another bite of the cafeteria lasagna. "I swear, I've told Keith it's Nathan like 10 times now! Maybe I should just be Nate?" Feeling something off, he swallowed the lasagna in his mouth with some of his water before looking around. "It couldn't be. It can't affect children, so... Why didn't I feel it earlier? Did someone just enter?"

As all the children left the cafeteria to head to their first class, Nathan deliberately stayed behind picking at his empty plate. Upon noticing this, Keith gently bit his lower lip before scooping up another plate of lasagna before heading to him placing it in front of him before sitting down beside him. "Hey, Nate. If you were still hungry, you could've told me." He sighed. "Eat up, don't worry about being late, I'll talk to Mrs Patterson." He waved. Patting Nathan's shoulders for a few moments, he stood back up before feeling a small hand on top of his. Turning to see Nathan he saw his head looking down on his plate.

"Keith," Nathan spoke an air of severity in his voice, "Please, get out of here with Maxwell. Call the Friertart Removal Spirit Squad."

Awkwardly chuckling Nate's words he felt a grave amount of pity and pain in his heart. He spoke cheerfully, "Nate, you're alright, right? It's safe here, you don't have to worry about your past, live in the now."

"Keith." Nathan blurted raising his head to face him. "I don't want to see you or Maxwell hurt."

Keith wordlessly tried to take a step back before his leg hit against the table's attached seat. "Y-You're... Nate, snap out of it." He shouted, snapping his fingers in front of him. However, a sound he was not expecting to be heard rang out.

A/N. Sheesh, I suck at summaries. My kryptonite, the bane of my mere feeble existence.