He came to with a gasp and into a room filled with stunned silence. The dichotomy of it was so abrupt that Tomas didn't know if he was alive or dead, where was up and down. All he knew was fear, the sick taste in his mouth and his lungs screaming for air. The silence was broken as suddenly as it appeared and Tomas had a fleeting thought that maybe it was just him going deaf for a second, because when it ended there was a rush of voices all around him, the beating of his own heart echoing inside his skull as if he'd just ran a marathon and over all of that the soothing voice of Marcus Keane, muttering his name over and over.

Tomas blinked, his sight clearing of the blurriness of tears and he saw Marcus's face mere inches from his own, blue eyes filled with worry staring right into his.

'Tomas, you back with me?' Marcus said and Tomas wanted to say yes, but he felt a brush of fingers on the back of his neck and in that moment all he could think of was the dark tendril circling his neck, the ash soaring towards his mouth. Tomas yelped and pulled back so violently he sent his chair crashing to the floor. He stumbled and if not for Marcus's quick reflexes he would've followed it to the ground. But strong arms grabbed the front of his shirt and wrapped around his waist, hoisting him to a standing position.

The classroom fell dead silent and Tomas caught sight of one of the students, a girl that used to smile at him sometimes. Right now her eyes were wide with stunned fear. Tomas turned his head a bit, hiding his face in Marcus's chest, but he still saw the looks on the other students' faces. They were curious, scared and some even pitying. Tomas couldn't handle it. He swallowed down the nausea and with trembling arms pushed away from Marcus, feeling a painful pang at having to let go of his only comfort, but he needed to leave. The atmosphere in the classroom was choking him almost as much as the ash did.

"Lo siento," Tomas croaked out through dry lips and without sparing a look at anyone, he rushed out of the room, half stumbling, half running into the hall. He could hear Marcus call out his name, but he didn't stop, couldn't. Everything hit him at once... the images he witnessed in the dream, the fact he had a fit in the middle of his favorite class. All the looks filled with pity and fear, so similar to the look on his mother face just before she sent him away as a child. Then there was Marcus, who he flinched away from like a fearful child and Tomas was sure this would be the last straw and the man would just wash his hands off of him.

Choking back tears of pain and despair, Tomas found himself in the boys' bathroom. He didn't even know how he got there, but the moment his knees hit the floor in one of the stalls he let all the sickness of the last moments go.


It was so subtle Marcus barely noticed the change. One moment he was reading from the book, giving the class a dictate, the next he heard a pencil drop from someone's hand and roll across the floor. He wouldn't have even paused if not for the surprised gasp behind his back. Marcus turned and he saw Mary McNeal staring towards another desk, eyes wide and one hand covering her mouth. Marcus frowned and followed her gaze, then stopped his dictating of Latin in lieu of uttering a proper British curse. Several other heads popped up from the papers, curious. But Marcus wasn't paying them anymore attention.

His eyes were on Tomas, who was sitting rigidly in his chair. His chest was heaving as if his body had trouble figuring out how to breathe properly. The fingers holding the pencil just a moment ago were lax and slightly trembling. What was worst however was the white film covering his pupils. Marcus put the book away and was by Tomas's side in three quick steps, leaning over and watching those eyes. It was almost hypnotizing, how the white fog seemed to move almost in waves, but never lifting. Not even when Marcus laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. He felt a shiver run over Tomas's body, so hard the chair almost shook with him, but there was no other reaction.

Marcus called his name several times and as a minute passed, he became aware of movement around him. Some of the kids left their seats to get a better look, some scuttled back, as far away from Tomas as possible. He even saw a girl crossing herself and mutter a prayer and Marcus was hard tempted to do the same but knew it would only make the situation worse. He moved his hand up to Tomas's neck, feeling the rapid but strong pulse under his fingers and he forced himself to pull away and try and calm the class down before someone went rushing for help. Tomas didn't need any more spectators than he already had.

"Should we call the school nurse, sir?" Mary peeped up, looking worried.

Marcus shook his head.

"No. It's okay, he should be fine in a moment."

Marcus noted a familiar click somewhere from behind and whirled around, eyes hard with fury when he saw Andrew hastily putting away his cell phone. Marcus didn't say a word, he just reached out with his hand. The look on his face had to be dangerous, because Andrew took an instinctive step back.

"So help me, Andrew..." Marcus growled and in the next moment he had the cell phone in his pocket. He gave a sweeping look at the rest of the class, glad to see no one else was stupid enough to try and record Tomas in this state.

"Get back to your seats, now!" he ordered and the kids did just that, looking sheepish and intimidated. Marcus couldn't care less. He focused his attention back to Tomas, who was still sitting motionless, his face paler than before. There was a sheen of cold sweat on his face and Marcus put his hand back on the tense shoulder.

"Tomas? Come back," he said softly. Another minute passed and Marcus was on the verge of asking one of the kids to run for the nurse, because this fit was definitely longer than the first one he witnessed. But just as quickly as it came, the white fog cleared from Tomas eyes and the boy gasped for breath.

"Tomas?"

The look in his eyes was filled with such horror and confusion that Marcus's heart almost broke in half. The brown of Tomas's irises was barely visible as his pupils were blown wide, but Marcus was relieved to see them slowly adjust to the lighting and return to normal size.

"Are you back with me?" Marcus asked but there was still no answer. He automatically moved his hand from Tomas's shoulder to cup his face, in the process brushing against the skin on his neck. It was as if someone sent an electric current through his fingers. Tomas jerked back knocking down his chair, fear clearly palpable in his whole body. Marcus barely had a chance to catch him as Tomas wavered dangerously. He pulled the boy close grabbing at his shirt and even through the material he could feel the wild beating of the heart, could hear the rasped breath. Tomas was panicking and Marcus wasn't even surprised when he suddenly bolted and ran out of the room. He was almost out of the door himself when he remembered that there was a class full of kids he was responsible for.

"Okay, Andrew, you're in charge. I'll be back in a moment and I better find you all sitting in your seats and reading quietly, or you can say goodbye to your phone. Am I clear?"

Andrew, who could be labeled as the class leader slash bully was rather attached to his phone, so he quickly nodded.

"Good. I'd rather not explain to the principal how your phone ended in the toilet," Marcus added for good measure, thinking he still had to remember to wipe the photos he took of Tomas before giving back the phone. Thinking of Tomas, Marcus left the class behind and rushed down the hall. He didn't catch sight of Tomas but based on the sickly look on the kid's face he thought the bathroom was a safe bet. He wasn't mistaken, as the sound of coughing and retching welcomed him as soon as he opened the door. Grimacing, Marcus stood in the stall door, waiting until Tomas finished.

"Tomas?" he spoke when Tomas sagged back, leaning against the wall, spent. His eyes were closed and he looked more miserable than a college student after a party binge.

Marcus went over to the sink, grabbed several paper towels and soaked them in cold water then he returned to Tomas and squatted down to his level.

"Here," he nudged the towels into Tomas's hand and was relieved when the boy opened his eyes and didn't flinch away.

Tomas looked at the towels with confusion until Marcus pushed them into his hand and pointed towards his face. Tomas finally understood and ran the towels over his face, pausing when the cold material touched his face. When he was done, he threw them to the toilet and let out a sigh. His eyes seemed a bit clearer at least. Marcus put his hand on Tomas's bent knee.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a fool," Tomas spoke, his voice still a bit shaky. Marcus squeezed the knee in silent support.

"Is this the first time it happened in class?"

"N-no, but... no one noticed before. This..." Tomas shook his head, his breath hitching and Marcus could see he was working himself up again.

"Hey, none of that. Slow deep breaths. Come on, in and out."

Marcus took several deep breaths and let them slowly out, encouraging Tomas to do the same, while trying to stop the grimace on his face. Deep breaths in the boys' bathroom really weren't such a good idea. Tomas had to reach the same conclusion as after the third breath he scrunched up his face and gave a miserable chuckle.

"I'm sorry," he started apologizing once again and Marcus wanted to shake him and tell him to stop. Instead he just shook his head and reached out, ruffling the kid's hair.

"None of that," he repeated, his hand sliding down to Tomas's' face. His skin was clammy and cold and Marcus knew sitting on the bathroom floor wasn't going to help. "Can you get up?"

Tomas gave a small nod and with Marcus's help stood on shaky feet. For a moment he looked like he would be sick again and Marcus just stood there supporting his weight and giving him time. He didn't like how shaky the boy was, he didn't remember such a reaction the last time.

"Is it always like this?" Marcus asked as he led Tomas to the sink and let him clean up properly. Tomas gave a hesitant shake of head.

"This was... the worst so far," he muttered and his hand reached up to the back of his neck, as if feeling for something.

Marcus bit his lip. He had too many questions to ask, but frankly Tomas looked like he needed to lie down as soon as possible and Marcus still needed to finish his class. A quick look at the watch told him there were still twenty minutes till the bell. With a sigh, he ran a hand over his face then came to a decision.

"Okay, let's go."

"No, I... I can't go back to class," Tomas protested and Marcus quickly shook his head to stop him from panicking again.

"Not the class. You're going to see the nurse."

Tomas blanched.

"I don't want to."

"That wasn't a request, Tomas. You look ready to collapse. I want someone to check you out before I take you home."

Tomas blinked, obviously having a hard time following.

"I'm fine," he protested and Marcus couldn't stop the chuckle.

"Sure you are. And I'm St. Peter on the horse. Come on... you let her check you out while I make sure the others haven't staged a coup and demolished my classroom. Then I'll take you home and we will talk. Okay?"

Tomas gave a hesitant nod and didn't protest when Marcus put a supporting arm around his shoulders, heading out into the hall and down to the nurse's office. However, once they could see the door to the office, Tomas balked.

"I don't want Olivia to know..."

Marcus frowned.

"The nurse will call her if you say what happened. Please... I don't want her to worry." Tomas looked once again ready to bolt so Marcus thought discretion was the wisest thing. Once they were back at the house and Tomas calmed down he could talk some sense into him or call Olivia herself.

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. Come on. Quicker you get there, quicker it's over."

When they reached the office, Marcus told the nurse that Tomas wasn't feeling well and had been sick. He asked her to keep an eye on him until the period ended and he would drive Tomas home.

Tomas threw Marcus a grateful glance, before the nurse hustled him towards the chair and started asking questions, arms crossed and a stern look on her face when Tomas seemed to hesitate with his answers. Marcus hid a smirk, the nurse reminding him too much of the nuns at the boys' home, equally strict and immune to bullshit. He gave Tomas a small wave and a grin behind the nurse's back and beat a hasty retreat.


The school nurse whose name was Rachel was in her mid forties and a mother of two grown up boys. Tomas knew that, because he already met her a few times before and she never forgot to mention her sons. Mostly it was when Tomas tried to lie to her about how he really felt. Her sons must've taught her well, because the woman had great instincts. Tomas was worried that she would somehow figure out what happened this time too, but luck seemed to be on his side at least.

"Were you sick last night too? You look as if you hadn't slept a wink," she tutted as she pushed a thermometer into his ear and Tomas had to fight his urge to pull away when he felt her hands on his throat. The memory of the tendrils wrapping around him was just too strong.

"Tomas? An answer would be nice," she reminded him sternly, though she looked satisfied at the reading from the thermometer.

"Sorry," Tomas muttered. "Yeah, I... I was sick last night, couldn't sleep," he said and didn't even have to lie. In truth, he hadn't slept for almost two days and his stomach felt like on water for quite some time. He only wished it was all caused by a simple stomach bug, instead of his mind going crazy.

"Why on earth didn't you stay at home? Don't tell me your sister sent you to school like this."

Tomas blushed a bit.

"I didn't tell her. We had some tests today; I thought I could get through."

Rachel rolled her eyes and handed him a cup of water.

"How did that work out for you?"

Tomas nodded his thanks for the water and sighed. Truth be told his day would have gone way better if he didn't set foot in school. He could still see the look on his fellow students faces and wasn't sure how he will be able to return come Monday. Maybe the earth would open and swallow him whole by then... or someone will realize he was going mad and lock him up in a mental hospital. Tomas truly wasn't sure which option would he prefer more.

"You boys are too stubborn for your own good," Rachel sighed and pointed towards the cot in the corner of the room.

"Go lie down until your teacher comes to collect you."

"I'd rather stay sitting if that's no trouble," Tomas said softly. His body was screaming for a soft bed but Tomas knew the moment he got comfortable his mind would catch up with his body and he would succumb to sleep. He wasn't sure what would happen then, if nightmares would plague him or not, but he wasn't about to risk it here, at the school nurse's office. There was still the distant feel of threat lurking just around the corner, especially since Marcus left. No, if Tomas let his guard down in the next few hours, it would be in the safety only Marcus could offer.

"Are you still feeling peaky?" Rachel asked with a frown and Tomas shrugged, taking a sip of water, happy the trembling of his hand wasn't too visible anymore.

"Just don't want to lie down."

"Okay, suit yourself. If you feel like puking, please do let me know beforehand."

Tomas grimaced at the thought, hoping he wouldn't have to.

"I'll just write a note for your sister. And I better get a call from her by Monday, is that understood?"

Now Tomas didn't even try to suppress the moan. Great. He would have to tell Olivia now. If not the whole truth at least some of it, or he would never hear the end of it from both women come Monday. He could see Rachel grinning as she sit behind her desk, but he didn't really have the energy to glare at her. She was just doing her job after all and it wasn't like Olivia wouldn't figure out something was wrong the second she laid her eyes on him.

With a sigh, Tomas slumped down in the chair a bit, his eyes locked on the half full cup of water in his hand. The surface of the water rippled a bit as Tomas felt a shiver run through his body. Something bad was near and he felt as if the sickness of the dream was getting closer. Tomas looked up, eyes wide and looked towards the door. There was a small window on it but he wasn't in clear sight of it. Still he caught sight of something dark passing by, walking down the hall. Tomas's hand instinctively reached up towards the back of his head. He could feel it, the light push as if something was trying to get in... a whisper of air behind his left ear. It was gone as quickly as it came, but it left Tomas shaking, breaking out in cold sweat. Tomas's hand holding the cup clenched in reaction. The water spilled out of the cup, down onto his pant leg and the sudden wetness brought Tomas back to reality. He cursed and put the cup away.

He was still dabbing at his leg with some paper towels trying to get it dry when the bell rung. Tomas looked up, expecting to see Marcus in the door, then calling himself a fool. He would be lucky if Marcus even appeared. He could have just as well changed his mind and just called Olivia to come pick him up. Who would even want to bother with a freak like Tomas?

As the minutes went by and there was no sight of Marcus, Tomas's doubts started to grew stronger and the nausea was back full force. Tomas fidgeted on the chair and Rachel looked up at him from the paperwork.

"You look a bit green around the gills. Feeling sick?"

Tomas gave a slight shake of head then stood up.

"I forgot to pack my stuff and I left my bag in the class. I need to go back and-"

"And nothing. Sit your ass back in that chair, Tomas. I'm not letting you leave without an adult supervision. It's your choice - your teacher or I'm calling your sister right now."

Tomas grudgingly sat back in the chair. He had a feeling Rachel would call Olivia no matter what, though the joke was on her. If his memory served right, Olivia was in her afternoon classes. She would have her phone turned to silent, especially as she was supposed to have a few tests of her own.

"See, there was no rush. He's already here," Rachel said a minute later as the door opened and Marcus walked in. Tomas was surprised when Marcus put Tomas's own backpack into his lap.

"I just threw everything from the desk into your pack. I hope you aren't too OCD about that."

"No... thanks," Tomas uttered, feeling instantly a bit better. He couldn't understand why... what made Marcus so special, but it was like the moment he appeared there was some kind of a shield in the room. It was as if a vice had loosened around Tomas's chest and he managed to give a small smile in return.

Marcus looked like he wanted to reach out and pat Tomas on the shoulder, but he obviously remembered Tomas's earlier reaction, so instead he turned towards the nurse, missing the look of regret on Tomas's face.

"Is he good to go?" Marcus asked and Rachel gave Tomas a once over look, seemingly thinking through her response.

"As long as you make sure his sister get's my note, sure. Looks like he caught the stomach bug which is going around." The nurse handed Marcus a closed envelope, then turned to Tomas who was already trying to make his way towards the door.

"Drink plenty of fluids, stick to plain food and for heaven's sake, get some sleep. If you don't feel better by Monday, your sister better take you to a doctor. Understood?"

"Yes, madam," Tomas dutifully nodded. "Thank you. Can we go now?" he turned towards Marcus, hoping they could be already gone. The nurse glared at him, but then gave him a dismissing wave.

"Get lost, both of you."

Marcus didn't protest, he just nodded his thanks and followed Tomas out the door. Once in the hall they exchanged an amused look at the shared relief of escaping her clutches so easily.

The hallway wasn't empty, there were other students lounging around, picking up their things or milling in small groups, chatting about weekend plans, about a movie they'll watch or a party they'll attend. Tomas heard all that and felt a pang of regret knowing he would never fit in like that. The others had friends and parties to attend to... Tomas was heading home with his teacher for private tutoring in a dead language and the funny thing was that was the highlight of his whole week.

Not to mention he just managed to make a fool of himself in front of the whole class. He knew that come Monday most of the school would know what happened and point at him behind his back, talking about the freak totally losing it. The fact he was accompanied by Marcus like a child who needed a guardian wasn't going to help his reputation either, but Tomas felt too lousy to ask Marcus for some space or pretend that he wasn't walking so close to be within reach in case Tomas stumbled.

Tomas thought he could breathe easier once they stepped out of the school and in a way, it was true. Open spaces were always easier to handle than closed rooms... the look at the vast sky above helped to put things into perspective. Yet today Tomas still felt like he was walking the plank and it was making him paranoid. He could feel the hair at the back of his neck stand at attention and it was eerily similar to the feeling of the tendril... Tomas swallowed and unconsciously moved a bit closer to Marcus, seeking protection.

"You okay?" Marcus asked and put a hand on Tomas arm, gently steering him towards his parked car.

Tomas licked at his dry lips and wanted to nod, but couldn't. His eyes were pulled towards a black limousine parked at the other end of the parking lot. The car itself was impressive, but that wasn't what drew Tomas attention. No, it was the sickly yellow mist that was surrounding it.

Tomas was so focused on the car he wasn't paying attention and stumbled over his own feet. Marcus grabbed his arm to stop him from falling for the umpteenth time that day, but Tomas couldn't feel embarrassment. He just felt thankful because the touch helped to ground him and when he looked back up, the black limousine was just another normal car.

"Come on," Marcus nudged him, the concern palpable on his face, radiating from his skin and Tomas wanted to tell him not to worry, that he was fine, but he never was a good liar.

When Tomas finally settled into the passenger seat, he thought the nightmare was over, that he could relax and rest. He leaned his head back in the seat and as Marcus started the car and slowly drove out of the parking lot, Tomas chanced a look back at the school entrance.

Time seemed to come to a halt. In slow motion, Tomas saw the principal stepping out of the front door and holding it open for a woman in her forties. She looked distinguished, rich. She also had a dark cloudy shadow perched at her shoulder and a wispy yellow tendril wrapped around her neck and ear. Tomas blinked, feeling the urge to stop the car and get out, to warn the woman from the thing that was attached to her. But that urge vanished as quickly as it came. Because walking right behind the woman, Tomas spotted the black attire of a priest and the white collar. Well, it should have been white, but for Tomas it was pulsating blood red. The man wasn't just clothed in black attire... he was emanating pure darkness. For a moment that was all Tomas could see... it was like a magnet, pulling his mind inside the hell. The scratching at the back of his skull intensified and he could almost make out the whispers of dozen voices... all the dark shadows trying to force their humans to do things they really shouldn't.

Tomas was gnashing his teeth, one hand flying to his head in an attempt to regain some control, to stop the voices and the ensuing pain they brought. He could hear Marcus's voice from afar and it helped... Tomas blinked and the darkness relented, its pull weakened. Tomas took a deep breath then almost forget to let it out. He finally saw the face of the man walking out of his school. It was no one else than father Simon.