Ghost of Magic: Thank you for reviewing! :) And yes, Chazz is meant to be a bit more aggressive in this version while brainwashed by Light... ;)

Kias: Thank you for reviewing, glad you liked it! :) I'd rather say this is sort of a shock for Serena rather than actual fear… You do have a point there lmao. However, let's wait for Sartorius to officially appear first, and then see what happens next… ;)

This chapter is loosely inspired by 'Camaraderie Contest' and 'Homecoming Duel'.

I only own my OC's!

"Kids, where are you?!" A female voice shouted. "We're here, Aunt Maria/Mrs. Accardi!" The girl and the boy shouted. "I told you to call me Maria." The woman said disapprovingly. "Sorry, Mrs. A… Maria." The boy corrected himself.

"That's better, alright. Now, are you two hungry?" She questioned. "You're even asking?" The girl asked in disbelief, making the woman laugh. "Just you or both?" "Same goes for me." The boy added quietly. "No need to be so shy. You're my niece's friend from class after all." The woman pointed out cheerfully.

"What do you want me to cook?" She then asked. "Could you cook something Italian, please?" The girl pleaded. "I'd love to, but we have to see whether that's fine with your friend. Have you ever tried anything of Italian cuisine?" The question was directed at the boy.

It was quiet for a few moments. "No. Mum and Dad cook, but they're rarely home." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "What do they usually prepare?" The woman asked curiously. "Fried shrimp, tempura, onigiri and sushi." The boy replied. "So that means only Japanese cuisine…" The woman concluded, muttering to herself.

"Well, how would you feel about trying something new?" She then suggested. "Sure." The boy responded after a few moments. "Trust me, a good choice. Aunt Maria's cooking is as good as your mother's." The girl whispered. "Whatever it is, just let it be for eating because I'm starving." He whispered back, earning a laugh from her.

"Kids, come to the kitchen!" The woman called. "Do you know anything about Italy or our food in general?" She then asked. "Mum and Dad mentioned Italy a few times, so did Serena…" The boy trailed off uncertainly. "I think it's a country in… Europe?" He then guessed. "It is." The woman confirmed.

"Serena, what do you suggest for cooking?" She then asked. "A difficult question, Aunt Maria…" The girl sighed. "Why?" The boy voiced his confusion. "Everything she cooks is good, that's why." She let out a laugh. "Plus, there are a lot of Italian dishes in general." The woman added.

"Risottos, pastas, pizzas, lasagnas…" The girl started counting. "Just pick a random thing. I think your friend is confused enough as it is." The woman pointed out in amusement. "No, I just never heard of those things!" The boy defended himself in panic. "Relax, I'm just joking around." She told him reassuringly. "Carbonara." The girl finally said. "A good choice." The woman praised.

I threw the book away with a growl. It landed on the ground, right next to my bed. "Still nothing?" Ben guessed from his sitting position next to me. "Nothing. That's the last book about hypnosis." I sighed. "There's nothing here either." He pointed at a book in his hands.

He then closed it with a frown. "Those are all of the books about it from the library." "Not much of them, really." I pointed out in annoyance, motioning to only three of them in the room. "This is a school for dueling, not psychology, cugina." My cousin reminded. "Fair enough." I agreed reluctantly, seeing his point.

It's been some time since Aunt Maria called Ben and me. She hadn't called since the day she hung up. Ben guessed she was most probably busy, with that 'Industrial Illusions scandal' still being a hit topic. Maybe that was the case… But I couldn't help feeling as if she wanted to avoid talking to me.

In the meantime, Ben and I tried to find out more about trances in general. However, we were failing miserably.

"So that means finding out more about your trance goes through the window." Ben groaned while putting it on the ground. "It appears so." I frowned. "You said the voice was male?" He repeated what I had told him. I nodded. "But you can't remember who exactly it is?" I nodded yet again. "Goes through the window." I pointed out the obvious with an eye-roll.

However, Ben remained quiet. His eyes were closed and his arms were folded. It looked like as if he was deep in thoughts… "What's the deal?" I asked him a bit perplexed. "Don't you think," He started, opening his green eyes to look directly at me. "That it's a bit weird?"

By now, his words made sense to me. What was supposed to be weird here, I had no idea.

"A bit of elaboration, prego?" I looked at him expectantly. "Think about it." He let his arms fall to each side of the bed respectively. There was this serious look on his face… "You heard that voice while searching for Jaden. And then you just happened to find Sartorius' tarot card and some hair strands…" He finished sarcastically.

By now, I was utterly confused. Why was he bringing Sartorius into this whole thing?! The problem with his mysterious appearances and disappearances were something completely else!

"What are you trying to say?" I demanded with a frown. "Did it cross your mind that… Maybe he was the one behind it?" Ben asked slowly. "Behind what, Benjamin?" I asked, hoping he wasn't implying what I thought he was. "Maybe he was the one who tried to put you into trance?" He elaborated.

That was it. At that moment, I felt only anger. The thing was, I had no idea who exactly I was angry with. On one side, I was still a bit mad at Sartorius. His disappearance was worrying… But then he just showed up on this island out of the blue. That meant he could have called or said something about being fine! Even though I did want to find him and Sarina, that small part of me was still upset…

On the other hand, I was mad at Ben for even thinking about Sartorius being behind this. While he and Sarina were acting weird the last time I heard from them… That still didn't prove anything! I've known them long enough to know he'd never try to hurt me! I thought Ben knew him better than that…

I let out a cry of pain while looking at my bleeding knee. "Serena, what happened?" I looked up to see Sartorius running over to where I was. "I hurt my knee…" My five-year-old self cried; my face full of tears just as he kneeled to look at it. "How?" He then looked up at me with a frown. "I wanted to jump off the swing, but fell off it…" I tried to brush off my tears.

"I told you that was dangerous for kids your age." He gave me a look of disapproval. "I know, but I wanted to try it, other kids did so…" I replied. The look on the man's face softened. "Stay here. I'll be back in a minute." With that, he ran into the house.

He came back with something in his hands. "Sarina is better at this, but since she's not here…" He started applying something to the bleeding knee. I flinched in pain once I felt my knee stinging. "I can't apply this if you keep flinching." The man told me sternly.

"Sorry." I looked down in embarrassment. That was when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I know it stings, but please, do try not to move." I looked up to see him giving me a soft look. "Fine." I nodded. He started applying the thing to my knee once again. It stung, but I did my best not to move.

The wound stopped bleeding after a few minutes. No sooner that, I had a plaster on my left knee. "That should do it." The man sighed in relief. "It still stings a bit." I frowned while touching the plaster.

"Don't touch it. It should stop stinging soon." I then looked up. "Thank you!" I cried, jumping up to hug the man. A few moments later, I was hugged as well.

"How dare you?" I asked in a quiet, yet threatening tone. "What…" "He was cut off. "Where the hell did you get that crazy idea from?!" I glared, feeling even more anger as his insane idea sunk in. "I know you don't like how that sounds, but think about it!" Ben retorted with his hands lifted in the air. "Think about what? How you're accusing Sartorius out of all people of doing something he'd never do?" I growled.

"Serena… You found his tarot card in the forest after hearing that voice, and you hadn't seen him for at least a year! Those things lying in the forest, the voice, and his sudden appearance can't be a coincidence!" Ben argued. "Nice to see how much faith you have in people…" I trailed off sarcastically.

By now, I was even angrier. I refused to believe in Ben's crazy idea.

"Serena, I know you're close to both him and Sarina… But those things look way too much coincidental!" "Sartorius can see the future, not hypnotize people." I countered with a smug smile. I couldn't help feeling victorious since I found a flaw in his insane theory. "Seeing the future is not exactly a common thing either." My cousin pointed out. "Which means?" I glared. "Maybe he can hypnotize people too, but he never told us!"

"Benjamin, do you hear yourself?! You sound like an insane man!" I retorted incredulously. "I know it sounds insane, but…" "Take it back." I growled, cutting him off in process. "What?" "Take that crazy idea back. Sartorius would never try to hurt anyone." I elaborated with my eyes narrowed. "Fine, fine, it wasn't him." He rolled his eyes with a sigh.

That was when his eyes widened. "If we don't hurry up, we'll be late for class!" He reminded, pointing at my alarm clock. "Wonderful." I commented sarcastically, but stood up nonetheless. After taking my herbarium and putting on my red boots, I followed Ben outside the room.


Once the class finished, Ben and I walked out of the classroom. "That went rather quickly this time." I pointed out, my arms holding the herbarium tightly against my chest. "Of course, since you weren't paying attention." He rolled his eyes.

After a few moments, he frowned. "Can I see your bracelet?" He suddenly asked me. "What?" I looked at him perplexed. "The bracelet on your wrist. Can I look at it better?" He explained. "Uh… Sure." I nodded. After taking the glove off my left hand, I grabbed the bracelet. I took it off and gave it to my cousin.

I had no idea why he suddenly wanted to see it… But if it helped, then I was all up for it!

My eyebrows furrowed as my cousin took the bracelet with only his thumb and index finger. He lifted it up, while looking at the object from all sides. Finally, his green eyes landed on the charm in the center. "A rather good design for a simple bracelet…" He trailed off, sounding impressed.

Ben then looked up at me. "You said it was a gift for your birthday?" He repeated. "It appears so." I nodded. "And the person who gave you had the same one?" Another nod came from me. "Those bracelets used to be a limited edition only about 10 years ago in Domino City. They also used to be sold in pairs." I then added. "As in, two of them?" He raised an eyebrow. I nodded yet again.

"How do you know that?" He asked. "A girl from West Duel Academy told me those things. She tried to get same one, but failed." I briefly explained. "I see…" My cousin trailed off. "If this thing is really ten years old, then it's in a really good shape." He noted. I couldn't help agreeing. The bracelet still looked as if it was new!

My eyes looked away from it, landing on Ben instead. "Why are you asking anyway?" I questioned. "I… I think I'd already seen an identical bracelet before, that's why." He finally said. "It's possible people are still wearing this." I shrugged my shoulders. "No, Serena. I'd seen it here, on this island." He looked at me seriously.

My eyes widened in surprise. Was he… Was he serious?! I kept staring at him, only to receive a nod. "I'm not joking."

"Where did you see it?!" I asked, still a bit surprised. "Dorothy was looking after it a year ago in her shop. She claimed someone had dropped it inside, so she was waiting for its owner to show up." Ben explained. "Did he?" "He did, but I don't know who it was." He frowned.

"Don't you realize what this means?" He then looked at me, giving me back the bracelet. I put it back on my wrist, and then put my glove on. "What?" "You lived in Domino City ten years ago, right?" "Yup, even though I barely remember it." I nodded. "Those bracelets are from that place too, and since Domino City is in the same country as Duel Academy…" Ben suddenly started pacing back and forth.

That was when a look of realization appeared on his face. "Aha!" He breathed, hitting his fist against his left hand. "That's it! Why didn't we think of this sooner?!" He face palmed. "Care to explain it?" I asked a bit annoyed. "Cuzo," He turned around to look at me. "Doesn't this make everything clear?"

Once he saw I was still quiet, he sighed. "The boy who gave you that thing referred to himself as the future King of Games. You lived in Domino City back then. Since Duel Academy is the only one in Japan… That means the boy could be on this island for all we know!" A smile appeared on his face.

By now I was staring at him wide-eyed. That thought didn't occur to me at all… Yet… It seemed to be slightly possible…

"But that bracelet could belong to anyone." I then pointed out with a frown. "It could also belong to your former neighbor." Ben argued. "Besides, if you were same age, and he loved dueling so much, then he would most likely be here out of all places!" "You do realize we're basically guessing? This isn't precise at all." I pointed out.

"Better that than to sit around with nothing to lead you." He countered. "A good point…" I had to agree. "So, if we go with the logic of that boy being here…" "He's technically not a boy anymore." Ben reminded. "Guy, excuse me… Then how can we know who it is?" "We can always ask Dorothy who took that bracelet." He suggested. I simply nodded. That sounded like a good idea…

However, before anyone of us could say anything else, shouting could be heard.

"JADEN'S ONLY GOT ONE BEST FRIEND, AND THAT'S ME! AND I DON'T NEED A RIDICULOUS JACKET TO PROVE IT!" That sounded like Syrus. "DON'T GO DISSING MY JACKET! YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS CUZ WE'RE A TWO-MAN ARMY!" Hassleberry was the one shouting this time.

Ben and I looked at each other. "What the hell is this all about?!" I exclaimed incredulously. "Well…" Ben rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Syrus and Hassleberry both consider Jaden their best friend, so now they're arguing over who exactly it is out of two of them." He explained with a laugh. "Mamma mia…" I shook my head in disbelief.

Even though I did my best to respect people's feelings now in general, I found this situation to be quite stupid. If they wanted to hang around Jaden so badly, then there was no point in fighting! They were acting as if they were in kindergarten…

"YOU'RE JUST A THIRD WHEEL!" "THEN I'LL ROLL RIGHT OVER YOU!" Shouting brought me back to reality.

Suddenly, growling and kicking could be heard. WAIT… Did they REALLY start kicking each other?!

"BEN, HELP!" I could hear Bastion shouting. "COMING, BASTION!" Ben shouted back and started racing downstairs. I did the same, wanting to see the fight with my own eyes. As much as fighting was bad, I had to admit it was a bit amusing… They were fighting over… A guy!

By the time we ran downstairs, there was quite a sight. Syrus and Hassleberry were either hitting, pushing, kicking, pulling each other's hair (Syrus' case), or scratching each other (again, Syrus). Bastion was apparently trying to stop them before Hassleberry pushed him away. By now, he was staring at the fighting duo in disbelief.

"Alright you two, that's enough!" Ben shouted and tried to split them apart calmly… Only to be pushed away violently. He let out a loud yelp just as Bastion and I caught him, preventing him from falling. "Incredible…" Bastion face palmed. "Any idea how to stop them?" My cousin asked him just as we helped Ben stand straight. "If you're asking about a calm way, then no. They pushed both of us away."

"Hassleberry sure is strong…" My cousin trailed off. "Any ideas, Serena?" He then asked me. "I do have one…" I folded my arms. "But it's not exactly a calm one. You just can't do that with those two idiots." I frowned. "Just stop them before they really hurt each other!" Bastion urged. "Fine, but you asked for it." I grabbed my herbarium.

I marched right towards where those two were fighting. "ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" I roared. However, seeing they were practically ignoring me, I decided to go for the last option. They were basically doomed by now…

Lifting up my herbarium, I smacked it against Hassleberry's head. It echoed pretty loudly, I had to note. The moment I did that, the taller guy stopped hitting Syrus. "OW!" He shouted in pain and grabbed his head with hands. "SERVES YOU RIGHT!" The short guy declared, continuing with scratching the guy. However, that soon stopped because I smacked his head with my herbarium as well. "OW!" He shouted too, holding his head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" They then roared at me together angrily. Good to see they were in agreement at least about this… Just like the time I accidentally walked in on them. "Next time don't fight like kindergarteners." I smiled smugly at them.

That was when Ben and Bastion walked up to us. "Calm down. We told her to stop you." The former stated. "Yes. This whole thing is getting ridiculous." The latter agreed with his arms folded. "Did you really have to hit us with that thing?!" Hassleberry glared at me. "Did you two have to start kicking the heck out of each other?" I retorted with hands on my hips. He frowned but stayed silent. A small smirk appeared on my face.

However, it quickly disappeared once I saw in what state both of them were. They had some cuts all over their bodies, and some of them were pretty nasty… If they didn't get them treated, they could get infected or worse!

"Come on, you two," I started, making all four of them look at me in surprise. "Let's get those wounds treated." "Mrs. Fontaine is not at the infirmary right now. She won't be until tomorrow." Ben told me. "We do have first aid kit at our dormitory if I remember correctly…" I looked at him. My eyes then landed on those two.

"Wait, you know how to apply it?" Bastion asked in slight surprise. I simply nodded. "Then let's get you two there." He pushed those two towards the exit of the hall.

I started walking after them with Ben next to me. "Since when do you know how to use first aid?!" He looked at me wide-eyed. "I've known that since my twelfth year." I explained, placing the herbarium under my left arm.

"Who taught you that?" He questioned, apparently still surprised. "Sarina and Sartorius." I responded with a small smile. However, I was met with a look of confusion on his face. I let out a sigh. "When I was younger, I used to get in a lot of nasty situations. Since they were the ones to treat my wounds, they figured I might as well learn it myself." I explained with a shrug.

"Oh." He said simply. We walked out of the building without another word.


Once we were in the renovated part of the Slifer Red dorm, I quickly raced to the dining room. Thankfully, I found a first aid kit lying under one table. I then raced back to where the others were.

Alexis joined Bastion, Ben, Syrus and Hassleberry inside. Once I entered the room, I put the kit on the table. "Can we help?" Bastion asked. I nodded while taking some plasters and a soap out of the kit. "You can put plasters on less serious wounds, and on those I clean." I suggested. Ben, Bastion and Alexis looked at each other, and then nodded to me.

At one moment, Hassleberry turned his back. My eyes widened in surprise. Jaden's face was at the back of his jacket… Now I knew what Syrus was referring to back there. I couldn't help finding it quite ridiculous and a bit creepy. To which lengths were those two going to go during this whole fight over their 'best friend'. How stupid…

That was when I remembered why I was here. I had to clean their wounds! After shaking my head to get rid of the stupid jacket image out of my head, I let out a deep breath.

I then took washcloth out of the kit. Seeing I had what I needed, I walked to the bathroom to wash my hands first. I then drenched the washcloth and put a bit of soap on it. Once I was done with it, I walked back to the main room.

Ben, Alexis and Bastion were already putting plasters on the guys' less serious wounds. Seeing Hassleberry was closer, I walked over to him. "Do you mind?" I asked. He shook his head with a frown. I nodded before starting to clean area around his wound on left arm. I then did the same to the one on his other arm.

Damn, he and Syrus really beat the hell out of each other… They were serious about fighting over being Jaden's best friend! While the idea of fighting over being friends with someone was ridiculous to me, I had to admit them wanting to kill each other because of that was a bit frightening. If I didn't break them apart, those wounds could have been even worse… Okay, I doubted they would actually kill each other, but they could still do some serious damage!

Seeing there were no more serious wounds, I looked up to meet the guy's dark eyes. "Wait for me to clean Syrus' wounds, and then I'll put some ointment on yours." I told him. "Thanks, soldier." He responded with a nod. I simply nodded back before walking over to the first aid kit. I took another washcloth and more soap, getting ready to drench the former in the bathroom.

Once I did so, I walked over to Syrus. Right now, Ben and Alexis were with him, still putting some plasters on cuts. They moved away so I could sit and treat his wounds. I immediately started cleaning the one near his left cheek, and on his neck. "Ow!" He winced in pain. "Don't move." I frowned at him, still cleaning the kneck wound. "Cut me some slack, I'm the victim here!" "Then next time don't go into a fight." I pointed out a bit annoyed.

"Yeah, he's a victim, alright. A victim of poor combat training!" Hassleberry shouted, making us look at him. "Scratching and hair pulling are illegal maneuvers! That's why I deserve to be Jaden's best friend!" He glared.

I let out another sigh. Honestly, I didn't think anyone gave a damn about what was legal and illegal in fighting with someone… Their goal was to just beat them to the ground, end justified the means! Yup, Machiavelli definitely influenced a bit my way of thinking…

"This war is still on!" Syrus declared, clenching his fists and trying to stand up… Only for me to pull him down by his right arm. "How about you wait for me to finish treating your wounds before you start kicking the hell out of each other?!" I demanded angrily and continued cleaning Syrus' wound. "She's right, guys. Just be quiet for five minutes, please?" Ben pleaded. Both of the guys huffed and looked away from each other. However, they didn't say anything. Thankfully…

They were seriously starting to get on my nerves by now. Was one guy really worth all this stupid fighting?!

Once I finished with cleaning Syrus' wounds, I walked over to the first aid kit. I took an ointment out of it, and soon started applying it to Hassleberry's wounds, and then Syrus'. After five minutes, I put plasters on each of the wounds.

"Thanks." The two of them told me in unison before glaring at each other. "Now we can continue this properly and without cheating!" Hassleberry growled. "Cheating?! Not everyone is as big and strong as you!" Syrus shouted back.

I let out a groan and let my back hit a nearby sofa. I put a hand on my forehead. Here we go again…

"Why can't all three of you be friends?" Bastion asked a reasonablequestion. "I'M NOT SHARING MY RANK!" Syrus and Hassleberry shouted as a response. "Dio…" Ben trailed off in disbelief. Bastion and Alexis didn't seem to be happy about this either.

"I know just how you feel, boys, and I'm here to help!" A familiar voice made all of us look up. Atticus was lying on an upper, wooden, and narrower part of the room. "Atticus?" His sister questioned in surprise just as he landed in front of us.

I couldn't help frowning. How he wasn't afraid of heights, I still had no idea…

"When did you…" "I've been sleeping up there all day, sis!" Atticus cut Alexis off. "I also couldn't help but notice this power struggle…" He mused with a hand on his chin. "That's why I decided to drop in, to keep the band together! I mean, you can't let your fans down!" He smiled while motioning with his hands in a theatrical way.

That was one of things I noticed about him. He just loved being dramatic, or acting as if he were in a theatre… Completely opposite to Alexis, from what I've seen so far.

Right after he had said that, a cat landed next to him. My eyebrows furrowed in surprise. I could have sworn I've seen a cat a few times around the dorm, but this was the first time I saw it this near… I kneeled down to look at the animal better.

It was a brown, chubby cat with brown stripes over its body and brown tail. Right now, it was waving with its tail. A small smile appeared on my face. I loved animals, and cats were obviously a part of that bunch…

Suddenly, the cat started walking to me. My eyes widened in surprise once it suddenly jumped into my arms. It let out a 'meow' but kept waving with its tail. I stood up slowly with the cat still in my arms.

I didn't know why it jumped into my arms like that. I could only guess. Maybe it could sense I was fond of animals? Or I was just a random nearby person?

I started stroking the cat. It wasn't exactly light for carrying, but its fur was so soft… The cat started purring in my arms, making a bigger smile appear on my face. It was so casual with me carrying it, considering it jumped into my arms itself… The cat was definitely likable with its attitude.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something?" Bastion's voice brought me back to reality. I looked away from the cat, and at the bunch. "Everything's a music reference with him, remember?" Alexis reminded. "How could we forget?" Ben let out a chuckle.

"You both want to be front men, but the problem is you're singing backup, like her!" Atticus suddenly pointed at his sister. "She dreams of stardom, but takes a backseat to her big bro!" At those words, Alexis let out a groan in annoyance.

Suddenly, she turned around to look at me. "Do you mind?" She asked, motioning to the cat in my arms with her head. "Uh… Sure?" I guessed, giving her the cat. "Thank you." She responded before walking up to Atticus.

Just when she was right in front of him, she suddenly grabbed the cat's tail and pulled it. The cat obviously didn't like that, since it let out a loud 'meow' of pain and scratched Atticus' face. The guy yelped in pain and quickly touched the part where he was scratched. "My face! My perfect face!" I could hear him saying in disbelief.

"It won't be so perfect anymore if you continue doing this!" Alexis threatened while still holding the cat. I couldn't help frowning.

Her being annoyed by her older brother was something that could be understandable... But why did she have to torture the poor cat to get back at him?! Cats definitely didn't like people pulling them by their tails!

"Watch that temper, Lex!" Syrus warned. I raised an eyebrow at him. Look who was talking… "Violence isn't the answer!" Hassleberry added. That was rich, coming from both of them!

"Oh, and since when do you two think you're capable of teaching me a 'moral' lesson?" She turned around to glare at both of them while putting down the cat. "How about you solve this stupid thing like men you're supposed to be instead of fighting like kindergarteners? Less wound treating for me, at least." I suggested with a frown while grabbing one Duel Disk.

I threw it to Syrus who caught it, while Alexis did the same to Hassleberry. "She's right. If you really want to settle this issue, then just shut up and duel! I'm sick of listening to you!" She declared. Ben and Bastion were staring at us while Syrus and Hassleberry looked at each other.

"They're right. Suit up, soldier and prepare for an assault!" Hassleberry told him determinedly. "You're on, Sarge! I'll take your tough talk and wrap it up in a box before mailing it right back to you!" Syrus retorted. Ben let out a groan and face palmed, while Bastion was still staring at two of them. "At least my analogies make sense…" Atticus let out a laugh with hands still over his face.

I shook my head in disbelief and walked up to where the cat was. I kneeled down and began stroking the animal. I still didn't forget it had its tail pulled a few minutes ago…

That was when both Syrus and Hassleberry ran out, leaving the rest of us in the room. The cat jumped into my arms yet again, making me laugh. "It seems Pharaoh has taken quite a liking to you." Ben pointed out with a small smile, just as he and Bastion walked up to me. "Its name is Pharaoh?" I asked in surprise while standing up and stroking the cat. My cousin nodded.

"Whose cat is he?" I wondered. Ben and Bastion looked at each other before looking at me. "He used to belong to Professor Banner." The latter finally said. "Banner?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I definitely hadn't heard that name here… "He used to be the head of Slifer Red dorm last year." Ben explained. "Used to be?" "He's dead." The British guy replied bluntly.

By now, I was gaping at both of them. 'He's dead'? Did I hear that correctly?! What was his cat doing here then?!

I opened my mouth to ask something out of those questions… Only to be cut off. "As much as I'd like to explain everything, that's a story for another time." Ben waved with his hand in a dismissive manner. "Our first year sure was eventful…" Bastion let out a sigh. "You can say that again." My cousin agreed.

I was staring at two guys. Apart from those Shadow guys, what exactly all happened last year?

"Alexis." A voice made all of us turn around. Chazz was standing at the entrance, his back against the wall and arms folded. "Yes?" The mentioned girl frowned. "Crowler and Bonaparte requested to see you right away." He replied nonchalantly. "Why?" She questioned. "They didn't say anything else." He looked away with a huff.

The girl let out a sigh. "Fine." She walked out of the room.

"I wonder what this is all about." Ben mused while looking at Bastion and me. "Me too." The British guy agreed. I shrugged my shoulders, not really caring about the Chancellor and the French man. Everything they were worried about these days was either about publicity, or tearing down dorms… So why bother? They had their problems, I had mine!

Chazz then walked out as well, with Atticus right behind him. I sat on a sofa while petting the cat… I couldn't remember its name. "Ben, please remind me what the cat's name is?" I looked at my cousin. "Pharaoh." He repeated. I simply nodded and continued petting the cat… Pharaoh. He started purring and waving with his tail. I smiled at the cat's actions.

"In case you guys are interested, those two are dueling right now!" Atticus suddenly shouted to us. Ben's and Bastion's eyes widened at hearing those words. "It hasn't even been five minutes…" The former pointed out in disbelief. "Yet they're at it again!" The latter exclaimed. Both of them ran out.

I rolled my eyes and continued stroking the cat's fur. Whatever their result was, I only hoped they would stop with stupid arguing…

"Pharaoh, you're my new favorite person here… Along with Ben, of course." I told the cat with a small smile. Pharaoh let out another 'meow' and continued purring.


Once I finally let go of the cat, I walked outside of the room. Ben, Atticus and Bastion were outside, watching Syrus and Hassleberry duel. I had no idea what the result was, but it looked like both of them were doing their best to win.

Suddenly, Alexis ran up to them. "This is bad…" She kept muttering with a frown. "What is it, Lex?" Ben gave her a perplexed look. "Crowler and Bonaparte want to tear down this dorm," She started, only to be cut off.

"WE'RE DOOMED!" Syrus shouted in panic. "Syrus, take a deep breath." Bastion advised, except that it didn't help. The short guy was looking at them in panic. "Crowler and Bonaparte?" Ben guessed. She nodded. "They've just told me I'm going to have to duel someone tomorrow. If I lose, they'll tear this place down."

All of them gave her worried looks. "So that means our dorm's fate pretty much rests on your shoulders?" My cousin presumed. "Yes." Alexis nodded with a sigh. "But I won't lose." She then said firmly, straightening up.

A frown appeared on my face before I walked to my room. I hoped she would win for their sake at least. Again, I didn't give a damn about this dorm being demolished… They'd just put us into a better one.

Once I was inside the room, I washed my hands. I then threw myself at bed and opened my herbarium. Looking through it, I noticed I still had a lot of blank pages… I didn't even get a chance to search this island properly for more plants.

Seeing I finally had some free time, I decided to explore the forest more tomorrow, early in the morning. Now I would go to the card shop, to see whether that Dorothy woman remembered who had lost that bracelet earlier. Even though that wasn't precise information, Ben was right. It was better to even count on something to help you, than sit around and do nothing.


Entering the card shop, I looked around. Some students were inside, around the cart filled with sandwiches. Some of them were looking at newest cards. I was trying to see where that woman was… And I found her.

She was standing next to a counter, talking to a female shop worker. Once the young lady walked away, I cleared my throat. "Excuse me?" I spoke up politely. The woman quickly turned around to look at me. "Ah, hello, dear! Your name is… Serena, if I remember correctly?" She smiled.

"How do you know my name?" I asked in confusion. I never mentioned it to the woman after all… "Your friend Jaden told me about you." She explained. "He… He did?" I blinked in surprise, completely ignoring the 'friend' part. I found it impolite to correct her about him not being my friend, while we were in the middle of the conversation.

At the same time, the mention of the guy made me remember how different everything was without him around… I hoped he would come back soon, because I really got used to him wanting to talk to me, and…. Wait, wait! Again, it sounded like I actually missed him, which wasn't the case! It was just… Different without him around. Si, that was it.

Dorothy nodded with the smile still on her face. "Said how you were a nice girl, and how you managed to draw Golden Eggwich." The woman then leaned a bit closer. "Also, don't worry about what happened with his blazer. Your secret's safe with me." She whispered before chuckling.

I could feel my face turning a bit red as I remembered the event from that day. Thankfully I didn't dare to step into their room again after what had happened… Why risk walking in on them?!

"Oh… Alright." I quickly said before straightening up. "Anyway… I was wondering if you could tell me something." I then said, trying to sound polite. "Go ahead, dear." Dorothy smiled.

After taking off the glove, I lifted up my left arm so she could see the bracelet on my wrist. "Does this look familiar to you?" I asked. A frown appeared on the woman's face, her eyebrows furrowing. "I think it does." She said simply. "Ben told me how someone had dropped it earlier, and that you were waiting for that person to come here." I told her.

"Yes, I remember now…" She trailed off while bringing glasses closer to her eyes so she could see the bracelet better. "It looks identical to the one I found last year." She stated after observing it. "Do you maybe remember who its owner was?" I asked hopefully.

Dorothy looked away with a frown on her face. It was quiet for a few moments, as if she was thinking about something… "No, I don't." She finally replied. I let out a sigh and started putting the glove back on. "Why are you asking, dear?" "Oh… Sorry, but the matter is personal." I quickly responded. "I understand." The woman smiled. "Thank you anyway." I smiled politely. "Anything for a friend of Jaden's." She grinned.

I still decided not to correct her about him not being my friend. It was rude after all, since she was older than me, and she ran this shop… I could only correct her mentally.


"Where have you been?" Ben asked me once I was in front of the Slifer Red dorm. "I went to ask Dorothy about that bracelet." I explained while straightening my left glove. "What did she say?" He wondered, now walking up to me.

I let out a sigh. "She said how she remembered seeing the identical one. However, she couldn't remember who its owner was." I explained with my arms folded. "That's strange…" Ben frowned. "What is strange?" I looked at him perplexed.

"Dorothy may not be the youngest, but she's not the type of a person to quickly forget her customer's names or looks." He stated. "So you think she lied?" I looked at my cousin in disbelief. He immediately shook his head. "She's not a person who would lie either." He added.

He was quiet for a moment. "I'm just trying to figure out what the deal is. The whole thing sounds fishy…" "Maybe she just forgot it because of so many customers." I suggested. "No, she wouldn't forget their names." He replied. "Then I really don't know…" I groaned.

"We'll deal with that later. At least we know you asked her. Right now, I've got to see where Alexis is." Ben told me. "Fine. See you." I waved. He went inside.

Letting out a sigh, I looked at the thing on my wrist. I trusted Ben's words; he knew people here after all… But the thing with Dorothy was really weird. Ben claimed she wouldn't forget customer's names, but he also said she wouldn't lie… Something had to be the case out of those two. The whole thing was weird already!


The next morning, I returned from the forest at 10 AM. I spent there at least three hours, just looking at and collecting interesting flowers. The island had a lot of them. The thing was you had to know where to look for them. They could grow either on trees, on the ground, or even be hidden somewhere!

Luckily, I managed to find some nice plants. Right now, I had one white and one purple Azalea, a red Camelia, a blue Hydrangea, and a red lotus flower. Getting the lotus was the hardest, but I was successful in picking it up. Nearly cost me falling in water of a pond in the forest… But it was worth it. In fact, the lotus was the most beautiful one out of all flowers I found. It was quite rare to see a red one…

By the time I was in front of the dorm, I couldn't see anyone. My guess was they were dealing with the 'dorm' crisis right now. Shrugging my shoulders, I walked to my room. Once I was inside, I quickly took off my boots and jumped on the bed.

Opening the herbarium, I grabbed the plants and started putting them one on each page…


By the time I finished looking through my herbarium, I could hear cheering outside. I closed the herbarium and opened the door curiously. I didn't come out though. Instead, I was peeking through the they were cheering because the dorm wouldn't get demolished, but I still wanted to see it for myself. And, there was quite a sight.

Ben, Syrus, Bastion, Hassleberry, Alexis and Jaden were walking towards the dorm with smiles on their faces. My eyes widened in surprise. When did he come back?!

"THREE CHEERS FOR JADEN!" Syrus suddenly shouted. "THAT'S RIGHT! SARGE SAVED OUR DORMITORY FROM DEMOLITION!" Hassleberry shouted as well. "HIP HIP HOORAY!" The five of them cheered, making Jaden laugh. "HIP HIP HOORAY!" This time, they were right in front of the dorm. I could see all of them properly. "HIP HIP HOORAY!" They finished cheering.

"What's all this shouting about?!" Chazz walked out of his room angrily. I looked at him in a bit of amusement. Literally everything annoyed the jerk here… "Sorry, Chazz. We didn't mean to disturb you." Ben apologized sheepishly. "Well just stop!" He retorted.

Suddenly, Jaden ran up to him. "Chazz, am I glad to see you again!" He started hugging the guy happily. "Hey, hey, hey!" The black-haired guy pushed the guy away from the hug. "Don't touch me, if you know what's good for you." He threatened. Jaden looked at him perplexed. However, Chazz ignored it, slamming the door behind him.

"What's his problem?" The brown-haired guy then asked his friends. "We wish we knew." Bastion sighed. "He's been like this for a while now." Alexis frowned. "Oh." Jaden said simply. "Puberty?" Syrus guessed. I covered my mouth not to burst in laughter.

Puberty? Really? Would puberty really make you say ridiculous things such as 'I've seen the Light'? Because he's said that at least ten thousand times by now….

"Whatever it is, he'll hopefully come round soon." Ben pointed out. "Soldier's right. Now let's go celebrate!" Hassleberry declared. All of them started walking upstairs. I had quietly closed the door right before they walked past my room.

After a few minutes, I walked out of the room. It looked like they were inside the renovated part of the dorm… I looked away from that door, my eyes landing on the sky instead. It was a warm day, even though it was nearly the end of November…

Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder. My eyes widened as I quickly turned my head to see who it was. To my relief, it was only Jaden. However, I still couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed. Not even an hour passed since I saw him again, and he was already back to suddenly appearing and scaring me…

"It's just me." He smiled. "Yet you're already back to scaring me out of my wits." I pointed out with a frown. "Sorry about that, I forgot." He laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

It was quiet for a few moments. "Shouldn't you be with the others? They're happy to see you again?" I spoke up in confusion, looking up. "I am, I just wanted to thank you." The guy smiled. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Thank me? What for?" I questioned while folding my arms.

"If you hadn't been in the forest today, I wouldn't be here right now." He explained. "Wait, what?" I was staring at him. "Ever since I've come back to the island, it's been a real trouble finding my way back to the Academy. Since you were in the forest today, I saw you, and followed you back to the dorm. I arrived at the Academy just in time for the duel."

"Oh, I see." I replied while looking away, not knowing what else to say. "So, thanks." I looked at him at those words, his chocolate brown eyes meeting my light blue ones. "No… It… It… It wasn't a big deal, really…" I stuttered, feeling a bit nervous for some reason. None of us said a word after that. Instead, we were just looking at each other in silence. No matter how nice it was, I couldn't help feeling awkward. I wanted to look away, yet at the same time I was against that… It was so confusing!

"Look," I started without thinking. Jaden gave me a curious look. "I'm just glad that…"

"JAY!" Syrus' voice suddenly shouted from the room, cutting me off in process. "Coming, Sy!" Jaden shouted to him cheerfully. "I'd better go, they're waiting." He then told me. "Sure, go ahead!" I exclaimed impulsively.

The guy nodded at my words with a smile. "Thanks again." After saying that, he was on his way back to the room. I stood there for a moment, thinking about whether to do it or not…

"Jaden!" I finally called, just as he was about to open the door. He looked up at me curiously. "It's… It's good to see you again here." I finally said, trying not to smile to no avail. The result was a small smile on my face. "It's nice to see you again too." He grinned at me before waving. With those words, he walked inside, closing the door.

I stood there for a few moments, wondering why exactly I had just said those words. My goal was not to get close to people, yet I've just told the guy how it was good to see him again… That was completely counterproductive! Why did I have to be so damn impulsive at that moment?!

At the same time, no matter how much I wanted to deny it… A part of me was happy to see Jaden again. That was most probably why I said those words in the first place… I couldn't deny it. Having him around again made me a bit happier… Even if it was counterproductive! I just had to keep quiet about it, and not show it again…

Swearing I wouldn't say a word of this to Ben, I quickly ran inside to see whether there was a plant I had forgot in my herbarium. Thankfully, I had a whole free day right now, so I could do whatever I pleased.

Well, finally done with this chapter!

Dio-God;

I hope you liked it and until next time!