A/N:

Outrageously long time since my last update, I know, but I've encountered several different hindrances during the week. I just haven't had any inspiration as of late and writing something has been hard. Things might get trickier from now on due to personal issues so my updates might not come as frequent as past. Thus I apologize in advance.

Anyways, this story is soon coming to conclusion. As I've perhaps mentioned earlier in past chapters, I've already planned a sequel to Techmaturgical Precision, which I hope I'm going to be able to write. School is getting more and more of my time, as well as personal matters, but I'll try to continuously post chapters. The story I have scheduled after this (I have a couple of stories planned for my own "storyline" of Valoran, which I hope some of you've noticed) will be about a certain Ionian fox... c;

CHAPTER 4:2

She was breathing heavily and exhaustion was starting to tug on her muscles, but she refused to slow down. She pushed herself even harder forward, even though she felt like her legs were going numb.

"Caitlyn, Caitlyn, we're coming out to find you!"

Their screams and footsteps were coming down the hallway. She turned left around a corner and kept going as fast as her young strides could take her.

"I see her!"

Caitlyn dared to glance backwards and immediately regretted her decision. They were gaining on her, and that quickly. She darted to the left again but suddenly found herself trapped. It was a dead end.

No... Caitlyn tried to find somewhere to hide and her panicking eyes caught onto a medium-sized, black trashcan. Without hesitating, she dove into the garbage and tried to stay as still as she could. Her breathing silenced and so did her heart. Everything mattered right now.

Please, don't let them find me, she prayed fervently and grasped her slashed hands together. Blood was leaking out of a wound on her forehead and trailed down her left eyebrow, irritating her sight slightly, but she ignored it. It was vital to not make a single move.

"I swear I saw her turn this way!"

"Same. I saw her as well."

"But where is she?"

"Caitlyn, where are you?"

Her bottom lip quivered in fear as she heard them approach her. Their steps counted up to a number of five; two more people than the last time. They were boys and girls slightly older than her. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen.

Caitlyn closed her eyes and tried to ponder away. Don't bother, Cait, you remember what your father told you. Always stay strong and never give up. Then they'll have their satisfaction of both the hunt and the reward. Never cry. Never show your fear. That's when they win.

"Where did she go? Damn!"

"Maybe you saw wrong..."

"Impossible, Joy, I saw her as well."

"But where did she go?"

She heard them getting impatient. Her own hopes were starting to grow.

"Come, let's go. It's soon time for class."

"Yeah."

"She was boring anyways."

Caitlyn heard their steps fade away and exhaled in relief. I got away, she thought with a smug smile. Finally, they lost. I knew it would happen some day. Thanks, pa.

Her happiness was quickly quenched and replaced by pure fear as someone suddenly grabbed onto her collar and lifted her up. Caitlyn stared right into the eyes of one of her pursuers, a boy twice her size.

"Guys," he said with a malignant smile, "I found her."

She screamed in anger and tried to get away from him, but he ignored her feeble attempts. The boy's grip around her shirt tightened and she was half dragged, half thrown out of the trashcan. She managed to land on her feet but someone kicked her legs from behind and she fell towards the ground.

"There she is, our little playtoy."

"Hi, Cait, how's it been in that very... captivating box?"

They laughed. She felt blood in her mouth and swallowed it. Stay calm.

"Hey, cat got your tongue?"

Someone heavy stepped onto her back and forced the breath out of her lungs. Caitlyn gasped for air and dark dots filled her vision as she tried to crawl away.

"What did you say? You want more?"

She tried to roll around and aim a kick at him, but someone anticipated her sluggish move and dug a heel into her leg. Caitlyn grimaced in pain and breathlessly tried to scream for any help. No sound came out.

"Yes she does, Jim, just look at her," someone sneered. "Pathetic."

The weight on her back pushed with even more power and Caitlyn felt like her bones broke. Her vision blackened by the edges and she was sure that she was going to die.

Stop it, she begged voicelessly. Please, stop. You win. Please, no more.

"Jim, that's enough, can't you see that she's passing out?"

Thank you.

He immediately rose from her back. "Oh, damn, I wasn't aware... Is she still awake?"

Caitlyn kept her eyes shut and tried to act like she thought someone would when sleeping. She had never passed out in her whole life nor seen anyone unconscious, so she knew nothing and kept her breathing calm, even though she wanted to gulp in all the air she could. But all of a sudden, someone kicked her in the ribs.

"Argh!" she yelped and curled into a ball. The left side of her torso ached in almost unbearable pain and she dug her nails into her palm to not scream. "Get away from me," she whispered breathlessly.

A boy who wasn't Jim pointed at her. "Well, now she is."

"What shall we do with her?" asked a blonde, pretty girl. Caitlyn didn't recognize her. "Lesson starts soon."

She looked coyly at Jim and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Ashley, we'll be back in time." He turned towards Caitlyn and a blood-curling grin crept up his features. "Today, she's going into the Darkness."

Caitlyn went cold. "No," she said in an instant. They all looked at her in surprise and she continued. "I'm not going there. No way." Not again.

"Well," said Jim and shrugged. "Actually you are. Derby, get her going."

The large and bulky one – same boy who had hauled her out of the trashcan – crouched down next to her. "No problem." His breath hit her face with a foul stench and Caitlyn grimaced. "To the Darkness above or the real Darkness?"

She shivered involuntarily as he ended the sentence and to her misfortune, Jim noticed it. He pointed down towards the hall and contently said: "Since we're on the right floor, I suppose she's going into the real Darkness. We've had a hell of a run for her. She deserves it."

"Yeah."

"Duh!"

"But isn't the lesson starting soon?"

Jim rolled with his eyes and turned towards the blonde girl with a frown. Caitlyn wasn't able to see anything more; Derby pulled her to her feet and forced her to where Jim had pointed, his one brute hand gripping around her neck and the other around her wrists. She struggled and writhed to get away but he was completely adamant in his cruel hold of her.

Before she knew it, Caitlyn was brusquely shoved into a dark space, cramped with old, dusty papers and broken machines. Her shoulder and cheek caught onto the edge of a wooden shelf and she stumbled into the dense blackness head first. She landed on her knees and hands with a grunt of pain.

"How long will it take before you give up, Caitlyn? You don't have to do this, you know."

Caitlyn scoffed. "So you think I'm just going to watch you pick on them? Just because they're a bit 'different'?" she replied venomously and shakily rose to feet. She turned to the door where Derby stood and straightened her dirty shirt. Her whole body ached. "You are cowards and you know it."

"They're the children of something wrong," he angrily said. "They don't deserve to live while so many died in their stead."

"Rubbish." Caitlyn knew she wouldn't be able to convince him and sighed. "But I guess you're too stupid to realize that."

"You know neither of us have anything against you," he said while gritting his teeth in irritation. "But those bastards–"

"Those 'bastards' are the reason this school still exists," she interrupted calmly. "They were the ones who roused the alarm."

He shook his head. "They were surely doing it for attention. I bet they even started the fire in the first place only to have something to prove their worth with."

"There is nothing wrong with people," she answered glared at him. "It doesn't matter that they are Noxians. I'll proudly suffer every minute of school here if it only means that you stay away from them. They don't need to experience any more hatred."

Derby stiffened but didn't reply. Instead he flung the door closed and darkness enveloped her in an instant. All of her courage was blown into smithereens and she resignedly sank down onto the floor while trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

The room... its walls... it's all coming closer and closer. She closed her eyes as hard as she could and hugged herself tightly. Keep it together, Caitlyn. You're alone here. There's nothing lurking in the dark but your own foolish imagination.

Time passed without her notice but she was too anxious to care. It felt like the shadows were observing her from every corner of the room and trying to grasp at her with their claws. All of a sudden, she heard something shuffle in the dark and stiffened. Caitlyn looked about but caught nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hello?" she whispered with a trembling voice. "Anyone there?"

No reply.

Of course, she thought and exhaled in relief. Ghost don't exist. They never have and never will. You're alone here, Cait; locked in and hurt, but alone. Ghost don't exist.

She heard something again, this time a bit louder and closer to her. It sounded like someone was crying.

"Is there anybody here except me?"

Caitlyn was slowly panicking and she didn't know what to do to calm down. She had never liked tiny spaces, especially not when they were dark and unfamiliar. She had actually been put in this room quite many times already and knew somewhat of its contents; finished paperwork, old printers and other outdated things, but not exactly how spacious it was. It could reach to the other end of the school perhaps or be even smaller than she thought it was, and it terrified her. Her thoughts were racing in tempo with her heart and she was starting to feel dizzy. It's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing–

She heard a voice.

"I'll... get... you..."

"Who's there!" she screamed and jumped to her feet. She glared into the dark and tried to distinguish anything moving. "I heard you even the first time, now show yourself!"

Caitlyn couldn't see much in the almost complete darkness and slowly took a couple of steps backwards until her back hit the wall. A pale light shone through the small space between the door and the floor and she focused her gaze into the dark again. Her heartbeats were almost drowning out the sound of her own thoughts.

I can't see anyone, she realized and clenched her fists in frustration. Nobody's here except me.

She waited another couple of tense seconds without knowing what to do when she heard someone tampering with the handle and the lock. Caitlyn recognized the janitor's grave voice muttering about something random and as he opened the door, purifying light illuminated her prison and burnt away her fears. His head peaked inside and their eyes met. He couldn't hide his surprise.

"Caitlyn..." The janitor instantly slid sideways as she sprung out of the dusty room. "Puh, you scared me! Have you been here all along? What's happened to you? You're all... dirty and... is that blood on your face?"

Caitlyn exhaled and shook her head at the old man. "I'm fine, nothing to worry about, sir," she replied and coughed. He stared at her in disbelief but she shrugged it off. "I was just playing hide and seek with a couple of friends. Seems like I forgot the time since it was so exciting and fun."

"School ended an hour ago," he dryly answered and frowned. "I've seen you awfully a lot like this lately – bloody beaten and thrown into locked rooms – so could you please tell me what is going on?"

She smiled. "Nothing, just a fun game, sir. I assure you I'm completely alright."

"Is it the new kids?"

"Definitely not."

He seemed to have something else to say but she cut him off before he could start. Caitlyn was tired and still shaken by the hoarse voice in the utility room and wanted to go home as soon as she could. Frankly, she was a lot more ruffled up than she wanted to admit even to herself and felt embarrassed with her poor attempts of resistance.

"Could you keep this a secret between the two of us?" she wondered with the sweetest voice she could muster. "I don't want my friends to know."

He huffed. "I guess you're talking about your parents and teachers, right?"

Caitlyn nodded eagerly. "Yes, please," she pleaded.

The janitor contemplated her issue for a couple of moments before answering. He sighed heavily.

"Sure," he replied, "but try to remove this habit of yours, young lady. It's dangerous to be here after school has ended."

Caitlyn frowned. "What do you mean?" He averted his gaze and she started to feel uneasy. "Sir, how did you even find me?" she inquired carefully. "There was no reason for you to come down here and open that room. It contained no things for cleaning."

The janitor sluggishly moved away from her and a shiver ran down her spine. He put down his heavy key-chain in his big front pocket and started to pick up some trash on the floor, thereafter heading towards the closest trashcan. Caitlyn hurried after him and spun him around, anxiety already tearing at her mind.

"Mr. Janitor," – she didn't know his name – "are you alright?"

He stiffened beneath her palm and she saw that his eyes shone black before turning to their usual color: a damp gray hue. It all happened in the flash of a second before it disappeared and Caitlyn almost doubted what she had seen. But only almost.

"Caitlyn...?" he said slowly and blinked. His bushy eyebrows furrowed together and he started scolding her. "What are you doing here? School ended ages ago! Damn, you scared me! Don't you ever sneak up on me like that again!"

Caitlyn went cold. "Wh-what are you talking about?" she stammered. "You... you don't remember?"

"What are you talking about?" He frowned. "And here I thought you were a responsible young lady. Huh, scaring old people like me is very mature of you. How amusing."

She was shooed away by him and quickly headed towards the school's entrance. As she exited the large building, dark clouds above her head were starting to rumble in disharmony and rain poured down over Piltover. Caitlyn was already soaked just a couple of steps outside and, realizing that she would get nowhere in the current weather, turned back towards the safety of the school – only to see the old janitor jumping off the building from the roof.

Caitlyn woke up with a scream.

Fuck.

She sat straight up in her bed and her throat was burning of pain. The sheets were drenched in perspiration and Caitlyn realized that she was clenching her sniper rifle – favorite rifle – as if her life depended on it. Her knuckles were white in the light of the moon and she guessed that her face was equally pale, if not even whiter; she hadn't had a nightmare in more than a decade.

More accurately mentioned, she thought bitterly, I haven't experienced that nightmare in an awful long time. Because for me, it's always the same dreadful dream that reappears. Caitlyn gathered her hair into a ponytail and sighed. His death... The poor janitor's death is a case unsolved even today. Documents and media told of it as a suicide – he had recently lost all of his money to a gambling company in Bilgewater and his two only children in a tragic accident – but I never believed it. I still remember the darkness in his eyes.

She shuddered. It was like the darkness in the closet. It had the same feeling – same touch – like the voice in the closet. I... I remember everything in close detail. Everything from the sound his skull made as it crushed against the ground and as hisnose and pointy chin simultaneously broke into hundreds of cracks, to the way his neck and shoulders were thrown into a disarray of blood mixed with bits and pieces of bones. I remember his ribs pointing out of his chest – as his sternum had collided with the stone first – and the impossible angle of his arms and legs. I remember the dark, all too dark blood escapingfrom all of his horrible wounds and gashes.

Caitlyn rose up and out of the bed and found a large, comfortable and old t-shirt on the floor. She scooped it up in a swift movement and quickly pulled it over her head and body. The apartment was silent.

Ugh... I really need something warm to drink, she thought and headed towards the kitchen to heat up some water for tea. Her rifle was put on the counter and she filled the kettle with cold water then activated the device. It gave out a small noise and after a couple of seconds, it sounded again. Caitlyn poured up a large cup, put in a small teabag into it and forced the hot beverage down her soar throat without waiting for it to cool. The kettle was highly advanced and knew exactly when the water temperature was adequate, but she still grimaced as the rose-colored liquid hit her tongue. She quickly drank it all up and sloppily washed the cup and put it back into a cupboard.

The room...

A shiver trailed down her spine and Caitlyn suddenly felt observed. She whipped around and grabbed her weapon in a split second and aimed into the dark. Her rather small but urban apartment consisted of a kitchen directly connected to the living room – her study – and the hallway. She remembered having closed her bedroom door behind her and that the toilet also had been closed as she went towards the kitchen, and knew that she would've heard anyone trying to open those doors. They had been intentionally made creaking whenever they opened more than four inches. She had designed it herself and was part of her home security system; which consisted of nothing more than clever tricks and her own ability to see and remember. Caitlyn didn't trust in techmaturgical objects due to their lack of sustainability since they were extremely vulnerable to outer intrusion. She had never been surprised in her home – even though Vi had made a couple of ineffective attempts – and liked it to stay that way.

Her eyes could in a moment analyze every corner of her familiar environment and relaxed after another survey. She was alone.

"Seems like a simple dream can push me past my usual sense of reality," she muttered, her tone thick with irony. Caitlyn sighed. "Now I'm even talking to myself."

She decided to make a quick trip to the bathroom before getting back to sleep. Her nerves were still tense after the vivid nightmare and even more now after the most recent event, but she tried to stay as calm as she could, even while she navigated in complete darkness.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Caitlyn turned on the light, reclined her rifle towards the bathtub and quickly performed the necessities. She finished and walked to the sink to wash her hands and decided to dabble her face slightly to take the edge off of the dream. She couldn't explain it but she was slowly starting to feel cold. She even contemplated about taking a late night shower or even fill up the tub and relax to some quiet music in the background, but decided to return back to her bed.

As she blindly reached for a towel directly next to her sink, her fingers caught onto something sharp.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed and, in surprise, stumbled backwards. Caitlyn couldn't see clearly due to the water in her eyes but saw the silhouette of a tall person – most likely a man – in front of her. Her heart froze as she took another step backwards.

"Get away from me!" she screamed and was suddenly caught between two decisions. Either make a run to her desk and grab the first weapon she could or to throw herself at her sniper rifle. The first choice was the most safe one, mostly because she had time to figure out how, why and when the stranger had entered her apartment. Maybe she could get him to his senses. The second option was the riskier one since he would have a chance at hitting her, but it was what appealed to her the more. Because even if she would manage to get to her weaponry without problems, he would have her rifle and they would be in a deadlock. And she had no intentions of dying already.

Caitlyn felt that her hand was pulsating in pain and through her blurry sight, she noticed that a gigantic gash was tracing across her palm and blood was dripping onto the white tiled floor. She realized that the man was armed with an extremely sharp knife and fear was starting to cloud her mind; she could barely move her fingers.

"Who are you?" she screamed in fury. Caitlyn didn't want to raise her arm to wipe the water away from her eyes; she didn't want to lose him out of her sight. She barely blinked. "How did you get here? What do you want from me?"

The stranger made a soft noise, almost like a chuckle, and took a step closer to her. He was holding up something in his right hand, something that had unmistakable similarities to a dagger. Caitlyn decided to sprint to her study, but unfortunately fell on the threshold and landed face forward. She panicked and wiped away the water from her face with her healthy hand and turned to the stranger to at least stare her murderer boldly in the eyes – only, he was no longer there.

"Blasphemy," she whispered. He's gone.

Caitlyn hurried to standing and entered the well-lit bathroom. He had nowhere to hide but she couldn't find him anywhere. She remembered that her right hand had been hurt but as she stretched out her fingers, the wound had vanished. The blood as well, even from the floor. Everything, every little bit of evidence was gone. As if it had never been there in the first place at all. Caitlyn was not only confused but terrified – had the stranger been imaginary? Or was there something else to this mystery, something she could not comprehend just yet?

Who was he?