Chapter 2- Alessa Nicholson

"Is there anybody who doesn't love summer? Sleep all you want, do all you want…"

"…Douche all you want, you mean." Genesis interrupted Jansens' blabber.

Genreve got used to it; the two always disturbing his line of thoughts. He just imagined that his brain is a room for the three of them: that is, a room with no walls, no privacy of thoughts, definitely like pooping in the middle of a busy road.

Genreve is the only one responsible for keeping himself sane. The good guy and the bad guy in his head is really driving him crazy, that is, if he isn't one. One time he googled his condition the closest he ever comes to is Dissociative Identity Disorder. He learned that it is a condition by which a person acquires multiple personalities.But unlike it, the three personalities making him is aware and is in constant communication with each other. It is a secret he only owns.

The vibration in his pocket snatched him away from his musing.

He leaned on his side while he took out his not-so-fancy mobile, and slid through the screen as he scribbled his intricate pattern password.

One message received, it's from his Mom:

Son, when are you going for vacation?

"Soon Mom, I'll be home for Christmas." He texted with glaring eyes and a mischievous grin he knew her mom is smiling on the other side.

"What? It's already your summer vacation, we received an email that you were under the guidance counsellor's probation? What happened? You always get yourself into trouble…Hayden is waiting for you."

"Alright mom, I promise I'll be there tomorrow. I miss you." Genreve never wanted to talk about the issues in his life, not to his mom, nor anybody else except the two which he is unfortunately stuck with. He always keep his communication with others short so messaging provides him that.

"Oh! hang on! Do you remember Alessa?... Alessa Nicholson?! Genreve felt awkward thinking of his mom excitedly blushing like a sixteen years old upon hearing the news of Alessa's arrival in town.

 "Yeah Mom, of course." He ended the conversation abruptly but his thoughts were on Alessa, his heart is pounding like a heavy wrecking ball towards his ribcage, to and fro.

Of course how can he forget gorgeous Alessa, Pastor Charlie Nicholson's only daughter. His parents always pair him to her when they were twelve years old which resulted to them being almost inseparable. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen her for seven years since his father became an Evangelist in Asia. A warm familiar smile appeared on his face, he has someone to look forward to when he reach home.

----------------------

The spectral orange hue over the sky tells him that it's already late in the afternoon. He admired the environment, far from the traffic noise of the city and the various kind of pollution that goes with it. The meagre random sounds made by the people in the place made an impression on him, Yeah, I'm in Littletown alright. He thought with a sign of satisfaction written all over his face.

His spine crackled as he bent his back in an arc extending his arms in a stretch as he did so. "Man, the bus was a bad idea." he muttered.

"It's always you who comes up with bad ideas." Jansen scorned.

"Now, who's talking?" Genreve replied, he remembered it was always Jansen who always gets him beat up by gangster wannabe's, and won't take responsibility by taking over the body filled with the bruises and injuries acquired by his delinquency. And Genesis is smart enough to mind his own business.

He clutched one of the straps of his knapsack that was hanging over his left shoulder. He decided to walk, it'll probably take him an ample amount of time to reach home but it will be worthwhile, he thought.

He passed by a nostalgic place, the one place he and Alessa always go to. Simon's Park. There is a lake near the center of the park as large as a two full basketball court at the center of which has an arced bridge. Genreve went over the bridge to the other side of the park, in the center there is a brazen statue of a seven boys holding on a cupsized boat, the brazen sculpture emphasized the other boy who was swimming toward's with another boy secured between his arms and his torso. Everybody knew the story, who doesn't? When he was still in elementary, everyone was required to tell the story. It is about Simon Stanford, a nine years old boy who swam back and forth to save them all. Tragically, the boy himself drowned in exhaustion. And was regarded a hero of Littletown.

Genreve admired the figure or more so, the person depicted by the figure.  Simon and Genreve has one thing in common; the bully inside of them. It is what keeps him believing that one day he will be able to put Jansen on a leash.

He walked passed through towards the swing where he and Alessa used to talk to a lot. He closed his eyes and saw two twelve years old kids on their Sunday church attire sitting on each swing eye to eye they were both smiling as they talk. he remembered Alessa.

"What are you going to be when you grow up?" Alessa asked

"I am not sure…I…I…"with a baffled appearance in his face, he continued "…Dad wants me to become like your father."

"But do you like that?"

"…I think it's ok?"

"You should do what you want." Alessa replied

"How about you? What do you want to become?" He asked.

"I wish we can always be like this forever." Alessa answered as if it was the only thing she had been thinking of. Genreve blushed at Alessa and sheepishly smiled.

"So promise me Genreve, we will always find each other when we grow up." Her eyes were glaring. Genreve froze in place his eyes fixed on the girls lips, he wanted to kiss her, and he wanted to cuddle her.

He managed to get nearer to Alessa, seeing him, Alessa closed her eyes. But it took forever for the touch of his lips to her, it didn't happen. She opened her eyes and saw Genreve's little finger, and looked into his eyes.

Conscious about her gaze, he mumbled "I… swear."

Alessa took his little finger with her little finger and laughed out loud.

Genreve realizing what occurred laughed with her both of them placing each hand over their stomach while the other they absent mindedly held together. They indulge in that blissful moment not only that moment but a lot more.

He cherished those childhood memories, if I were not such an idiot I would have been the first one to kiss her… pinky swear! He laughed outrageously in his mind but only a smirk managed to form in his lips.

"Hey happy face what are you smiling about?" A strange voice broke his reminiscence.

He lifted his eyes and he saw six men about his age. The one who spoke looks familiar to him, he studied him closely and realized.

"Hey! Clark how have you been?"

"How have you been my ass Jansen, You're the reason I have this scar in my cheek!"

Yeah that has Jansen written all over it, He thought.

He was not surprised to hear his second name, If its Jansen, it only meant one thing—Jansen equals trouble.

"Jansen,  just run will you?" Genreve rung in his mind.

"No can do Commander, no can do." Jansen replied as he took over Genreve's body.

"Still have the grudge? It was your fault dimwit! I told you never to touch me, want to get even?" Jansen secured his knapsack, pointed two fingers to Clark's gang and signaled to come closer as he did a fighting stance and displayed a wild grin on his lips.

Clark moved forward and another guy a foot taller than him went to his side while the others deride him. Both of them moved towards him the taller guy to grab him and Clark to punch him straight to the face. He reflexively eluded both the attack with a back step and place his hands on the tall guy's nape using his raging momentum, he maneuvered him to Clark which banged his nose to his shoulder,  there was a sudden gush of blood in Clark's nares.

"Bleeding already? Uh-oh, more getting-even to come… I especially like that" Jansen teased.

Clark was suddenly moving unsteadily, his vision begins to darken but before he lost consciousness he signaled the other guys to have a go on Jansen.

Discerning his disadvantage Jansen moved backward and did not notice the tall guy behind him. The guy instantly held both of his arms locking on his bent elbows. In a fast movement Jansen squatted and suddenly jumped banging his head to his chin the guy suddenly released him as he felt the excruciating pain on his jaw.

Jansen can hear a sharp ringing in his ears, his head also feels the dull ache as a result of banging it to the man's chin but that is the least of all his worries, his vision started to blur he felt the grass on the his hands and both his legs parallel to the ground. As he raised his head he saw a knuckle directly in front of him with no time to dodge, his head swung an angle as it made contact with the bridge of his nose. The other boys started to gang up on him while he was caught between passing out and staying awake. He felt a thud on his back and then his face gradually increasing as each of them rained their furious kick on his body. He saw one of them clasping in his pocket and he saw it glimmer in his eyes a pocket knife!

The man holding the knife walked closer towards him, his feet seem to  move in slow  motion, the dew in the grass jive with that flow of time, and it appears as if each stride the guy make he can feel and hear through the vibration radiating to his body from the ground. If this is death, its sure is slow, He thought, he released his last evil grin to receive the death sentence but before that happened all the guys who ganged up on him panicked and begin to run away from him as he noticed law enforcers running right after them.

He was relieved but his vision is blurring as if he was looking through a crystallized glass. A silhouette of a girl blanketed his view.

"Alessa…"