I clenched my teeth as the bandages tightened around my chest.

It hurt. Absolutely. Painful.

"Stop flinching child. It's nothing but a scratch."

Tis' but a scratch? But then why did they say I would be marked.

"Blinky." I looked over to the four-armed troll as he was about to leave me after training. Vendel already stole AAARRRGGHH away to help him with something that had to deal with a gnome infestation with how he believes that just his look will scare them all. For a teddy bear of a character, he is rather scary when he wants to be.

I've been training with them for multiple weeks at this point. Almost a full month. High School was starting soon and I had to explain to him that early hours will no longer be good for me due to that.

But I knew that they understood that I was hiding something from them. Things about my- father- that I wasn't telling them. It was holding them back from telling me much more than they already did. So I decided, no more secrets. No more hiding. No more. I have to be honest. These men, these trolls, are risking their lives training me and even being apart of the process.

I have to stop hiding what happened.

"Child, I told you to stop." I felt the bandages tighten even more and I gasped for air.

I started to have tears well behind my eyes.

"You know I keep hiding things about my past. I know that you and Vendel have been wondering about how I know so much about a kind that I haven't completely been against yet." I looked him deep in two of his multiple eyes. "And I wanted to tell you the truth,"

I screamed at the top of my lungs as it felt like they were being crushed together. "Stop it! Please!" The man in a white jacket just continued.

"This is for the best. Learn your place."

I have never been afraid of doctors due to my mother being such a dedicated one but after this, I couldn't stand the color white. Just the thought of it made me want to cry and vomit.

My room used to be this bright white, and instantly when I got home I wouldn't dare walk in there until it was repainted.

Strickler is the one that did it without a single question because he knew.

He fucking knew.

"I had ties to the Janus Order when I was first starting out but I was naive then." I leaned myself against the entryway of his personal library. "I was young. Quite young in fact. Compare me to a troll that has not yet lived fifty years. Only a small about of time compared to that of Vendel or even you." I looked away from him and walked over to the main table within the literature scattered room.

"I won't go back there. You can't make me!"

"Atlas, I am your father and you will do as I say."

"You're not my real father!" This rewarded me with a hard smack across my face. My cheek pulsing with pain as tears welled up behind my eyes. I wish mom was here. She would have thrown him out like nothing if she saw or knew about any of this.

But then he spoke. "I'm all that you have." Such a manipulative little fuck of a man.

And I believed him.

"Let me try to explain what I did." I looked over to him and placed my hands on a counter so I could force my weight against it. "What do you do with fancy weapons that decide to break? Weapons that you spent multiple hours bonding with and learning from? Weapons that have more than just one purpose for you? What do you do when there are cracks, malfunctions? You don't just toss it away like it was nothing. You take it apart. Dissect it. Mend it. You fix. It. As a wielder, you make a connection with your weapon. No amount of endless feeling hours or unlimited armories can take that precious thing away from you."

I stopped and hesitated to speak.

"I was a weapon, Blinky." I looked over to him and saw this pained look in his eyes. "The Janus Order was my welder." I heard my voice crack as I spoke.

"And I-" I pushed myself so that I was forced to look at him completely. "I broke."

I couldn't look him in the eyes so I screwed my own shut and then reopened them when I made myself face the floor.

"Master Atlas." I still couldn't face him.

Then I was forced to get a face full of stone. I opened my eyes as two of his arms wrapped around me. "I'm rather sorry for you, Master Atlas. No child deserves that."

This might not be human contact. It's not soft warm flesh, but it's caring all the same. It just felt so loving and warm and made me realize that I only had a few people willing to give these moments to me.

It made the dam truly break.

I hugged him back openly as I felt the tears gush down my cheeks. I could tell Blinky never had to deal with moments like this, but he took it on with open arms. He somehow knew the severity of my past even though he never seemed to understand the human culture from what I understood, but I can say the same about my self with trollish ways too.

But the feeling of just pure care from someone that knows both sides of me feels amazing. Even if he barely knows me for me. It'll take time.

For me especially.

That was a little while ago now. When I woke up, it was the last day of me staying up late easily.

Oh yes, high school. The building of severe anxiety, angst, and academic plus peer pressure alike. The hell of any normal teen.

Even worse of hell for a kid that is used to staying up til dawn fighting monsters.

I decided to stay in my bed for a little longer as I felt for once I deserved to lay there for a little longer. There was no punishment for it. Once it gets closer to noon, yeah, but I doubt we're anywhere near that. Even Blinky said I should take the night off due to how I have 'major academic missions to accomplish' ahead of me. So no consequences.

A little bit more laziness won't harm me.

I sighed contently as I placed my hand against me as the other became a pillow for behind my head. I turned my head so I could watch the sun's rays stream through the window. Everything is so peaceful. So quiet. Rather unknown to my past few years of life. Everything seemed to want to take over my life within the time span of thirteen to now. With the Order, the divorce, the divergence I took away from the Order, and now the move, I realized that a lot has been added to my life. Especially one that I used to know.

It was easy straight after the divorce. I was allowed to not be the same. Mom thought I was deeply hurt about losing the only father figure I had. The school expected me to act out. Hell, I was seeing a therapist.

But none of them understood why. Why I was truly broken. They all went with the obvious answer and never looked too deep into the situation. Makes you wonder as a child.

Was it all real? Or was it all within my head? Was I wrong? Did I take their actions the wrong way? Did they mean to hurt me? Or was it their way of strengthening me?

But none of that matters anymore. I'm no longer the child I was.

*vrm vrm*

I pushed my self up instantly and grabbed my phone off my desk. I looked at the text and noticed it was from Toby.

Hey dude, fair warning that the school year starts off with this stupid assembly.

Real stupid.

We should meet up tmrrw the front gates of the school around 7

I have a quick dentist appt 1st thing the morn or I would just meet you your house.

I chuckled at how quick he sent them. I sent him a quick 'good with me' and sent it back on the desk.

Tomorrow is going to be amusing.

The next morning wasn't quite what I was expecting. I got up bright and early which my body neglected to, and got dressed. I did my normal routine besides the whole morning jog thing. I didn't want to smell like a dying PE teen on the first day. I packed my bag with gym clothes, just in case due to PE being my fifth hour, and packed it with everything else I thought I would need. I slipped the amulet into my pocket, ate breakfast, and was out the door. Mom was reading in the living room since she got ready early due to her wanting to be of help possibly for my first day, so I didn't bother locking the door. I went straight to the garage and got my bike. Using my athletic phone strap so I could listen to music on the way. Everything was going as it was expected to.

I never expected to get lost.

I rode down a couple of streets, thinking I was right and got utterly confused after a few minutes. I checked the time to see that I had thirty minutes to be at the school when Tobes wanted me there. But I had no idea how long it would take me from where I was.

So, I sucked up my pride and called Claire.

I was anxious to hear her voice on the other line, but it all washed away when she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Claire?"

"Atlas! What's up?"

"Oh well." I rubbed my hand on the back of my neck as I stopped at the corner of the street and leaned against my handlebars as my feet touched the ground. "I was biking my way to school and, I kinda got lost. Would you mind helping me out?"

I heard her giggle over the line. "Sure thing. What's the street name?"

From there Claire was my helping guide toward the school. I gave her the whole 'I can't thank you enough' gist and she just told me that I didn't have to and that it was her pleasure. Then we both hung up as I approached the school. I pulled up to the stairs and noticed there were bike rakes inside the entryway. I walked up the steps with my bike and it wasn't till I was at the top that I saw Tobes.

"Hey man! You're a little late. What took you so long?" I looked at my watch as I hooked up my bike to the rack.

A solid 7:08. Not that bad, but enough to get worried about someone new to the area.

"Sorry man, I got lost. I got help though." I grabbed out my schedule from my front jeans pocket and looked at the locker number.

First things first, find the prisoner's storage space.

I started walking and Toby matched my pace beside me. "Oh cool! From who?"

"Claire."

I couldn't tell Toby stopped till after I went to look over at him and noticed he wasn't there. I looked behind me to watch Toby shake his head and run right up to me. "You mean." He spoke in a soft whisper before he stopped. "You've met the most popular girl of our grade and you didn't tell me?!" He whispered yelled as he smacked my arm with the back of his hand. "Do you know what this means?!"

"No idea. But you can explain to me your perspective."

"Dude! You have the number of Claire Nuñez."

"So?" I turned the corner of the open hallway, realizing that the numbers were starting to get closer to my own.

"Guys would die for that."

I looked at him with eyes a little wide. "Oh." Normal teenage boy problems kinda scare me, actually, if that's what they would die over. All you have to do is be normal. Treat the lady with respect. It's not rocket science.

I found my locker number and tried putting my combination in once. It didn't work the first time but by the second time, it did. I looked over my schedule and realized I had English first thing so I grabbed a plain notebook with a red folder in it while I already had a pencil and a pen in my jean pocket.

The essentials are all I need.

Hopefully.

"Alright, so from what I remember, we don't have the same first, third, or sixth hour, but the rest we do. But at least we have the same history class. Can't let you suffer through the strict wrath of Strickler by yourself."

Don't remind me.

"It's going to be awkward, you know. My ex-stepfather being my teacher." I closed my locker as he decided to lead me to the gym.

"Yeah, but I got your back, Jimbo."

To be honest, it was great to have a little normalcy again.

Tobes was right. This is absolutely terrible.

The school's coach was front and center of the gym as he announced about the school year. I was droning in and out of his speech due to the sheer lack of entertainment coming from him. He only seemed energized when the sports stuff was apart of his greetings.

If this is who I have as a PE teacher, then someone should start saving for my funeral.

The problem was, is that I felt so many eyes on me. I didn't bother looking behind me or around for that matter but I knew people were staring. It might have been of my outfit choice. A tall kid dark-haired kid with nearly black skinny jeans with a bright blue flannel and a black v-neck underneath did not seem normal around here. Most people wore pastels or preppy looking outfits.

It might have been what people might infer from me. With my leg brought up to meet my elbow and my natural resting bitch face when I'm bored does not deem for a good first greeting or showing of myself.

It also might have been that I was new. Toby did say that most people were used to seeing the same faces constantly. It must have been that for the majority.

After we left the gym and I was going around trying to find my first hour, I still felt the eyes.

They felt like they were burning into my skin. Mainly my back. Once I found Miss. Janeth's Advanced English, I was so irritated from the eyes that I found a seat in the back by the window. That way no one could stare at me without me noticing.

I never really wanted to take advanced English 10, but my mom insisted on it.

"Get yourself out of the box."

"Try something new."

"You love to write anyway, make it something you can take advantage of."

"He taught you so much about literature and history, might as well use it to your advantage."

I smiled at myself as other kids started piling in. Mom was right. I might as well.

My attention was taken off of my thoughts as a familiar shade of purple came into the class. She held her books against her chest as she walked in. She noticed me about instantly and smiled my way. I smiled back as she ended up walking closer.

"Is this seat taken, lost boy?" I chuckled at her poke about earlier.

"Only if you want it to be, Wendy." She giggled at my return.

Hey, no one can say that I'm dumb or uncultured. I might have barely had a normal transition from child to teen, but I know my shit.

"But how are you, Claire?" She shrugged as she set her stuff on the desk before taking the seat. "I'm actually a little excited for this year." I gave her a questioning look that she just giggled at. "Miss. Janeth is the theater director as well as the Algebra Two and Advance English teacher. It was rumored that we're doing Romeo And Juliet and I finally convince my parents to let me audition."

Shakespeare, huh? I guess she's one for classic literature. Was not expecting that.

But this girl seemed to always surprise me so far anyway.

"Shakespeare? Really? I'm surprised. Most high schools go for something that is more modern and not as long." She seemed to pipe up as I spoke.

"Well yeah. Most schools go for something like-"

"The Crucible? Radium Girls? Midsummer Night's Dream?"

She smiled. "You really know your plays." I shrugged. "My stepfather was a huge nerd for all forms of literature and history. He always said that one lead to the other as the other was an opening door to understanding the latter."

"So you wouldn't mind auditioning?" She gave me this side glance while the last bell wrong for the hour.

"Wouldn't mind at all."

The day went on without a hitch after that.

That was until the fifth hour came along.

I stood across from my stepfather's classroom anxiously. My chest felt like it was being crushed between two of those two-ton cinderblocks. With every slow breath I took, it felt like the two got closer. Pushing my chest in and causing my heart to thump in my ears. I felt a hand on my shoulder that I could just feel that it was trying to be comforting.

"Come on man, you got this. He can do anything to you on school property anyway. And if he tried to be biased against you, I can be your personal evidence that he has something against you." The feeling in my chest lightened up as I gave him a weak smile.

I'm happy I told him a little bit of what happened.

I never told him everything. I wouldn't even know how. The first thing I would have to state would have to be 'HEY! My stepfather was a mentally abusive fucker that let his 'friends' abuse the fuck out of me! Isn't he a great teacher in our class though? Really knows how to hide it.'

"Thanks, Tobes. Let's get this over with."

I walked in first and noticed he wasn't in the class yet. I sighed, letting all of my anxiety flow out of me as I chose a simple window seat. Not too far from the front, not too far from the back, and just enough distance between me and him that if need be, I can book it.

Toby took the seat next to me without question as more people came in. Some faces I noticed from my past hours. Some I didn't even recognize at all. That was until I saw Mary come in, eyes glued to her phone as she took a front seat while she was talking behind her. "Come one, Claire! I have to show you this photo he sent me!" That was when Claire made another entrance to one of my hours.

Huh, hour number three with Claire now. She was in PE with Tobes and me earlier.

But did she really have to put into the one class that is already nerve-wracking for me as it is?

She noticed me before she sat down and gave me a wave with a smile before taking her seat next to her friend. Not even giving me a second to relay the greeting back.

It felt a millisecond afterward the last bell wrong and Strickler decided to waltz in.

"Good evening, children. I am Walter Strickler but you may call me Mr. Strickler." He turned to the class after placing a folder he was caring on the desk. "Today, I will be jumping into the thrill of things due to how I personally believe a syllabus is pointless if it's just the same requirements for the same teachers you see all day."

He began to scan the class. "Some of you I recognize and some I don't so sorry if I know your name or I may not. But I will be getting right into the basics of Greek and Roman Mythology today. Then, after just a little introducing of things, we can get to know each other a little better." His eyes landed on me and we locked eyes.

"Say, Mr. Lake. Do you know anything about the topic at hand?" I felt eyes immediately point toward me.

Already ready to antagonize, I see. Trying to get people to understand we have a past. Make me a 'teacher's pet'. I'll play your game.

"Not much, but I found it fascinating growing up." I'm not lying at least.

"Would you mind telling the class one of your favorite myths then?" I hesitated for a moment. Thinking rather quickly about which I would choose that didn't make me seem stupid or a brute.

"Personally, I have always enjoyed the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus was the son of Apollo and a talented musician due to such lineage." I looked him dead in the eyes as I spoke. "Many loved his music but his one muse was that of Eurydice, his future wife, but on the day they married she was bitten by a snake and passed away." I looked over the class, seeing some shocked faces, some that were just completely out of it, and a few that hung to my every word.

"The lost of his love was so impacting that all his did for days on end was play songs of mourning on his lyre. To the point that even the Gods and Goddess felt his pain and felt sorrow for his loss. So Hermes was sent to tell young Orpheus that there was a chance that he could bring his love back if he went down into the Underworld and spoke to Hades."

I slouched back into my seat, feeling that I have basically won against my ex-stepfather but I kept telling the tale.

"Once he was there, he played a song for Hades and his wife Persephone, and even though Hades gets a bad wrap, he gave Orpheus the chance to bring Eurydice back to life. Yet there was a catch. He was to lead Eurydice back to the land of the living, but he couldn't look back. If he did, she would be brought back to the Underworld where she would spend the rest of her eternity."

I looked around the class once more. Stealing a glance at coco eyes which caused me to smiled before I kept going.

"He took the chance. He leads his love while listening closely to her footsteps. Believing as long as her footsteps echoed, she was there."

I looked back toward Strickler was a small cocky smile.

"But as they got closer to the exit, out of nowhere, there was silence." I paused for a moment for dramatic effect. "He thought that Hades had fooled him, so he looked behind him only to see that Eurydice was right there all along and before he knew it she was gone. He was forced to leave the Underworld and it didn't matter how much he tried he could never go back. Since even if protected by the Gods, a man cannot enter the land of Hades twice while alive."

Just like you and me, Strickler. If you come onto my land once again, causing harm to humans ever again, you won't survive.

You can look for your measly piles of rock. Thinking that you'll have the last laugh.

But you need me, Walter.

I felt the smile deepen as he turned away and started his introductory lecture.

You just don't even know it yet.