I don't think there needs to be a warning for this chapter. There isn't a lot of bullying in this chapter.

Chapter 2: Promise

Darkness. It was dark, it was cold. He couldn't move. He couldn't see anything. Which way was up? Which way was down? An endless void. Someone was frantically calling for him. Who? A voice - a girl's voice. Sadness and desperation were in every word.

Mono... Wake up... Don't die... The Signal Tower... I'm waiting... Come pick me up... Mono... Help...

Waking up, Mono sighed as he sat up. Dazedly, the boy looked at his window. It was still dark outside. What time was it? Definitely not eight in the morning. Maybe earlier? Tired, the boy rubbed his temple. Two weeks... it had only been two weeks and yet, it felt much longer. In just two weeks, why now had his dream changed? Before, it was just that fuzzy image of that child with no words heard. Now, he couldn't see anything but he could hear a girl's voice.

Gritting his teeth, Mono exhaled in frustration. Her words were slipping away. Even the sound of the girl's voice was slipping from him and just thinking about it was making his head hurt. These dreams were trying to tell him something but what?! He wanted to remember, but the dreams weren't making any sense! It was all jumbled around, like having different puzzle pieces that didn't connect.

Groaning, the boy fell back into bed. Unable to go back to sleep but feeling tired, Mono decided to not focus on his dreams right now. They were overbearing. So, he decided to think about something else. Two weeks. So much had changed in two weeks. The orphans were getting adopted really fast, especially the girls. The boys mostly occupied the Orphanage now.

It must be nice... getting adopted by kind adults who would raise and love you as their own... he thought enviously.

When would his parents come and take him home? The Director told him that they would return one day. When? When would that day come? Impatience wasn't anything new to orphans and Mono definitely wasn't a stranger to it. It was strange though. Normally, Mono was able to tolerate things. Why, suddenly, did he feel restless and irritated? Always waiting and waiting... waiting. He should be doing something - searching. But where? When?

Mono felt overwhelmed. There were too many things to think about. The child in his dreams, the voice which most likely belonged to the child, his parents, the bullying, orphans being adopted, him waiting, and him needing to do something.

Clink!

Hearing the sound, Mono sat back up to look around his room. That was odd. Where had that sound come from? Must be my imagination...

Sighing, the boy got out of bed. Despite that the bell hadn't rung, he still changed into his uniform. Eventually, it would become eight in the morning. Right now, he just wanted some fresh air. His window was locked from the outside, so he couldn't open it even if he wanted to. Opening the door, the six-year-old left his room. Further away from the basement and into the main hall, Mono was about to open the doors of the front entrance when something caught his attention. Boxes. Was a new orphan arriving soon?

Deciding to go against what he initially wanted, the boy was about to go back into his room until...

"Oof!" he bumped into someone, falling onto the floor. It was still too early, so he quietly apologized, "Sorry."

Looking up, Mono could see a man, but it wasn't the Director. He was an elderly adult, wearing a sandy vest over a white shirt with blank pants and shoes. He was also wearing a black coat, which was odd since it was summertime. His gray hair was disheveled, framing his long, somber-looking face. What stood out to Mono were the man's eyes. They looked to be made out of glass. Looking at the adult, the child frowned. This person wasn't from the Pale City…

The man was looking at the boy curiously until he finally spoke in a grave, quiet tone, "...You must be young Mono."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know for I am the Hypnotist, an observer of people's fates," the Hypnotist introduced. Looking at the boy, he frowned, "And I can see, young Mono, that your fate shall be an interesting one. The question is if you will succeed in achieving happiness or not. Hmm, I wonder if the other one is experiencing what you are feeling?"

"The other one? Do you mean the child in my dreams?" Mono became zealous. "Do you know her?"

"Hmm..."

"Please, I have to know!" the boy begged, becoming desperate.

"Even if I know, there's no way I would be able to tell, young Mono." The Hypnotist looked at the child sympathetically.

Becoming distraught, the boy looked down at the floor. "Why?"

"Until that fateful encounter comes, nothing can change before that. Moira won't allow it," the man muttered. "I know you are confused, young Mono, but eventually... everything will make sense. I ask that you patiently wait and enjoy what you have now."

"But there's nothing here that I enjoy."

"Well, I think that will soon change." The Hypnotist walked past the boy to place his hand on the door handle. "We shall meet again, one day."

With that final remark, the man opened the door and left the Orphanage, leaving the child confused with his strange encounter. He wasn't sure how long he sat on the floor, but eventually, someone else was looking at him. Lifting his head up, Mono could see that it was the Director. He looked puzzled to see him this early in the morning. Wordlessly, he gestured for Mono to follow.

Getting up, Mono walked up the stairs. Instead of taking a left to go to the classroom, he was turning right to a series of hallways. There were so many rooms - most likely where the other children slept. It suddenly occurred to Mono that the Director had given him the whole basement for a room. How come? Why was he alone in the basement while the other children slept together on the second floor? He wasn't ungrateful - far from it. However, had he been given a room on the second floor, he could have made friends more easily.

Seeing that the Director had stopped, Mono also stopped. In front of the man was a door with a plaque that said 'Office'. Opening the door, the man gestured for the boy to entered. To Mono's confusion, upon entering the room, the Director's office looked... fancy. There was a wooden desk to the side. The windows had elegant curtains that draped over it. The floor had expensive-looking rugs and there was even a sofa with a glass table. What stood out was a box with a glass screen - a TV. But that wasn't it. This room, compared to the entire Orphanage, looked out of place.

A cough caught his attention as the boy directed his sight onto the man who was offering him warm milk. Accepting it with a faint smile, Mono replied, "Thank you."

"Tell me, my boy, what are you doing so early in the morning? There's still ten minutes before eight o'clock!" the man asked as he sat down on the sofa.

"Can't sleep." Taking a seat on the floor, Mono frowned as he looked at the cup. "Director, when will my parents come and pick me up?"

"... Is there a reason why you want your parents to come, Mono?"

Yes, there was a reason. Ever since that incident two weeks ago, Mono had been constantly bullied by Quint and his friends. They kept trying to find new ways or games to have fun with him. The adults had done nothing despite witnessing the scenes and other children who weren't involved acted as bystanders. He wanted to leave. If he could reunite with his parents, perhaps he could go search for that girl. Besides, there was nothing here at the Orphanage that brought happy memories. Despite what the Hypnotist had told him, the boy was skeptical. Getting in touch with his parents was his chance!

"Do practice a little more patience, Mono. I'm sure your parents shall arrive one day."

Again with the patience. The boy was starting to become more irritated. He was being told to wait again. Calm down, Mono. They're right. Becoming impatient will only make it seem like the time is longer.

Sighing, the boy mumbled, "Okay..." Taking the last sip from his cup, the child remarked, "the Hypnotist was weird."

"Oh, you met with him?"

Mono nodded, "Do you know him?"

The Director laughed, "Well, I wanted to get my fortune told, but... ah, what he said didn't really make me happy so I sent him out." Looking at the clock, the long hand was almost pointing at twelve. "It's almost eight o' clock. You better get your books, Mono."

Getting off from the sofa, the Director opened the door to allow the child to leave. Thanking the man for the drink, Mono headed out of the room.

~oOo~

In class, Mono was trying to concentrate on his lessons as he was writing down notes, both so he could learn and to distract himself from the whispering. Ever since all the girls were adopted, the class had been reduced to nearly half its usual size - down to about twenty children. The room was less loud and the whispering could be heard from the back. Despite that he should be paying attention to the words the teacher was writing on the board, his mind was wishing for the bell to ring to signal lunch. He wanted to leave the classroom as soon as possible - to avoid Quint and his friends.

So much for practicing patience, he chided himself.

Hearing the bell, Mono quickly gathered his belongings and rushed out of the door. Retreating to the safety of his room, the boy waited for a few minutes before quickly leaving to do his chores as fast as possible. Once chores were done, Mono went to the library on the second floor, next to the classroom. Finding a box that was hidden by a stack of books to hide in, the boy let out slow breaths.

He shouldn't find me here...

Wrapping his arms around his knees, the boy slumped against the cardboard structure, becoming tired. Ever since his first bullying incident, Mono had been trying to avoid Quint and his friends, but that was hard to do when he would often see the group of teenagers on a daily basis, excluding the weekends. His room wasn't safe. Despite that there was a rule to not enter a person's room at night unless given permission, that didn't stop Quint from sometimes intruding during free time. Often, Mono would enter his room to find his belongings littered across the floor. He had tried telling the Director without specifying who the perpetrator was, but the man claimed there was nothing he could do about it if he didn't know who was responsible. So, Mono had to find someplace else for safety.

The library was the only option he had. It was inconvenient with it being right next to the classroom, but the large room offered more options to hide. Plus, before he was bullied, the boy would often visit the library to look at the picture books despite that he couldn't understand the words and letters. Mono sighed sadly. A few months ago, he used to visit this room for fun. Now, it had become a refuge for him to hide in. He no longer could enjoy his free time without the bullies looking for him.

I don't understand, Mono frowned. How am I different so that I became a target? Everyone else is different, being from different areas of the world... so why am I singled out?

It wasn't that he wanted someone else to get bullied. Mono didn't want that. But he wished he knew why. Why him? How was he different? Why did it feel like everyone hated him? Well, maybe not the Director. He was nice to him.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard as the child snapped out of his thoughts. Alerted, he stayed as quiet as possible, keeping his breathing calm and steady.

"I swear, I saw him come in here!"

A voice that Mono recognized. It was one of Quint's friends. To his dismay, the library doors closed. They'd blocked off the only exit.

"Come out, little weakling! I know you're in here!" Quint's obnoxious voice ordered. "Surely you don't want to spend your free time cooped up in the library! That's so boring! You'll have more fun playing with us!"

No, I won't! Go away!

"Or could it be that you're trying to play with us, friendless Mono? A game of hide and seek?" Quint questioned. "Are we the seekers and you're the hider?"

The teenager's questions were met with silence. Regardless, they decided to play the game, determined to find their little prey. Mono stayed still in his hiding spot. He could move, but that would risk getting caught by one of Quint's friends. Besides, the box was hidden by the books. It should be a safe spot, right?

The five teenagers were scouring the room, knocking down books and checking all the drawers. Time felt like it was slowing down. Whenever Mono was hiding, it felt like everything lasted way longer than it should. There were moments when he could hear footsteps getting closer to his spot. Luckily, it seemed that no one had found the box. The six-year-old was tired. He would like to sleep and dream more, but how could he? What if they found him while he was sleeping? While he had confidence that he wouldn't be found, one mustn't underestimate the opponent. The library clock chimed, signalling that an hour had passed and eventually, Mono heard their frustrated voices.

"Damn! Where is that brat hiding?"

"Maybe he was never here."

Sighing, Quint grumbled, "Let's go then. No need to waste our free time finding the weakling."

Hearing footsteps get fainter as they moved further away, Mono could hear the doors opening before closing. However, this time, the boy stayed put where he was. Unlike last time in the cafeteria, he wasn't going to blindly run off just because he thought they were gone. For all he knew, they could be waiting for him at the entrance. So he waited. He waited for another two hours. Quint and his friends couldn't have waited that long just to bully him, right? It had been quiet. Perhaps they really had left two hours ago.

Daring to take a peek, Mono surveyed the area. No one. Just him. Letting out a quiet sigh a relief, the boy crawled out of the box.

Today is safe…

He gasped when that familiar hand touched his shoulder.

"Caught you! Did you think you'd outwitted me, hm?" Quint questioned. "Wasting three hours of my free time, might I add."

"You wouldn't be wasting them if you left me alone..." Mono mumbled.

"You see, I would, but today, I can't. My friends saw you in the Director's office in the morning." Mono turned to meet the teen's suspicious glare. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing!"

Dragged to a corner, the boy watched warily as the teen pulled a vial out of his pocket. There was liquid inside. "Do you know what this is?"

"No," Mono whispered, shaking his head.

"You know the saying, snitches get stitches. If I hear one word that you told the Director, well... this will be going down your throat," Quint threatened dangerously, shaking the vial in front of the child's dark eyes. "It would make the game much easier if there is no voice to yell or scream. But that would be too boring. So don't force my hand. Okay, lonely Mono?"

"Okay..." the boy turned his gaze downward.

"Good." Quint smirked, finally releasing him. "Congrats on winning hide and seek. Always alone. Even if you had friends, I bet they wouldn't want to search for you!"

Left all alone in the library, Mono just stood in his spot, his body trembling. "N-Not true... that's not t-true..."

If he had friends, they would look for him, right? Defeated, Mono exited the library. Luckily, he wasn't jumped by any of Quint's friends. A safe day, but it felt more like a defeat. Descending down the stairs, instead of returning to his room, the boy left through the front entrance. He'd wanted some fresh air earlier, so he would get it. However, the front of the Orphanage was facing the Pale City. The back had the forest. Walking to the side of the building, the boy wanted to see nature, not the gloomy towers. Immediately, Mono was greeted by a pleasant breeze, warmth, and... light?

Confused, the boy looked up to have his eyes stunned by the magnificent view in front of him. A very warm, setting sun. Beautiful colors that clashed against the bleakness of the city. The sky was blushing a rosy red, to soft pink, to a tender orange. Sitting low in the sky was the sun, slowly getting ready to sink to the ground.

Reaching out, Mono could feel the golden sunbeams dancing around his fingertips. A smile slowly crept on his face. It was warm. Holding his hand out like this... it almost felt as though the sun was reaching out for him - encouraging him. It was as if the sun was trying to tell him: don't give up! A very sweet feeling started to overwhelm Mono. This tenderness, this warmth... somehow, it almost felt like someone once held his hand with that feeling. It was strange. He would have remembered something like that happening but he didn't. It didn't matter. The boy wasn't going to complain.

Alas, nothing lasted forever. Eventually, dusk rolled in as the elusive sun completely melted into the horizon. Retracting his hand, the child continued to gaze as stars slowly made their appearance, twinkling against the purple sky. That view of the sun was such a rare occurrence - almost as though it was cheering for him. It was surprising the other orphans didn't rush outside to drink in the stunning view. Only Mono got to see it. He felt lucky. This would probably be the last time he would ever see such a scene in a long time, so he would treasure this moment.

Thank you for cheering me up, Mono said. Thank you for shining so radiantly.

He had to return indoors or else he could get locked out. At a certain time, about eight o' clock, the Director would lock the front entrance. While Mono had never been locked out before, he didn't want today to be his first time. Pushing open the door, the boy went inside.

~oOo~

After dinner, Mono headed downstairs to the basement. Entering his room, the boy sighed in relief after seeing that nothing had been trashed. Changing into his night clothes, Mono climbed into his bed. Words from the Hypnotist flashed in his mind: I ask that you patiently wait and enjoy what you have now.

The image of the sun easily came into mind. The light, the warmth... maybe the Hypnotist and the Director were right. If he practiced patience, there might be some good things no matter how small they were. With the memory of the view still fresh in his mind, the boy slowly closed his eyes.

The blurry image of the girl - Mono was now sure it was a girl - appeared again. The familiar scene continued to replay itself. However, there was something different. Before the locking of their pinky fingers, Mono could hear his own voice. He sounded slightly older, about ten. This had to be more than just a dream despite it not making sense, right?

"Then let's make a promise. We'll stay as friends and always be together. Even if we do separate, we'll find each other!"

That was it! That was the promise made, wasn't it? A promise he made to the girl, right? The girl spoke. Mono was a little disappointed when he couldn't hear her voice again. However, she seemed to be inquiring, unsure of herself as one word left her mouth. The boy could only guess what she had said.

"Promise?"

"Promise!" he had assured.

If only Mono knew her name. But this was something! He felt elated. The dream ended too quickly as he woke up. He'd learned more from this dream despite it being the same one. He felt like he was getting somewhere. He only need a name. A name, a name, just a name!

"What is your name?" he muttered to himself.

The question had him frowning. He felt like he once asked that question a long time ago. After a few minutes, Mono shook his head. From that promise made, it seemed he and the girl were friends. A faint smile returned on his face. Friends. The boy hoped he could make a lot of friends and he hoped he could find this mysterious girl one day.

I promise, he told himself.

Falling back into bed, the boy tiredly closed his eyes, desiring more happy dreams.