Chapter 1: I have a rabbit in my head.

 Private University François Dupont, Psychology course.

The amphitheater was packed. Usually at this hour, the room never reached half its strength. But today it's different.

Today is Mr. Maxwell's last day of classes.

''I'm really delighted that this room is so full today. To be honest, I wish it had been like this since the beginning of my career. ''

This little joke made the majority of students in the room laugh.

"The class is now over, I would have liked to talk a little more, but the time is no longer ours. However, something bothers me...''

Why do I feel like I'm at a masked ball?

These were the professor's last words. I'm not going to lie, I didn't understand the meaning of his words. Mr. Maxwell always been a difficult teacher for me to pin down. It was better that way, the less I knew about others, the more impossible it was for me to create bonds with them.

9:23 p.m., Kimber home.

Sitting in the chair of my study desk, I was thinking about Mr. Maxwell's last words, when suddenly, a sly voice called out to me.

''You seem very calm this evening, what's the matter? ''

This voice was coming from my head and it was unconsciously materializing into an entity that only I could see. It has the shape of an animal, a very large rabbit measuring around 1m7O.

''What a stupid question, you're me, you already know what I want. '' I replied without showing him any interest.

He showed a smile that the only word I could use to describe was demonic.

''It's not wrong...'' he said, laughing.

As for me, I simply looked away. I continued my thoughts as if nothing had happened, but his presence irritated me.

''If you have nothing to tell me, can you leave me alone? ''

"Okay, but I would like to ask you something. ''

'' What ? ''

''I can see very well that you are intrigued by your teacher's last words. ''

He was right.

''Referring to his last words, was he happy to have given this last lesson in this room? ''

I remained calm for a moment. The image of Mr. Maxwell's last look as he left the amphitheater came to mind.

''I don't know, or at least I can't say for sure, but before leaving the amphitheater, I had the impression that he was sad. ''

Of course he was sad, but how did these emotions relate to his sentence?

''If you want to know, that last look was actually your teacher's real face during the entire session. ''

"What do you mean by that? '' I asked out of curiosity.

''You said it yourself, your teacher didn't seem to be happy at the end of his lesson. However, throughout the session, he displayed the look of a man happy to have accomplished his duty. This image was the mask your teacher wore. ''

''...''

"Mr. Maxwell surely wanted to spend his last day of work with the students who were really interested in his class. But instead it was invaded by a battalion of students all there for personal interests. You also noticed it throughout the course, right? ''

Yes, the room was packed, however, most of these students present were strangers to me. Especially since the course itself did not seem to interest them, some students were not

present only for photos, surely to brag about having attended Mr. Maxwell's last class on the networks.

It must be said that Mr. Maxwell is a passionate man who has contributed a lot to the field of psychology through his research and experiences. He was therefore known to the general public and the last day of his teaching career was something of an event.

''You yourself noticed it since you were present, everyone was acting for their own interest. It was just a play where everyone wanted to be the protagonist. Their true intentions, which were nothing other than showing off, were masked by this semblance of nostalgia which suggested that they were sad at the departure of your teacher. That's why he felt like he was at a masked ball. ''

I finally had the answer to the question that was torturing my mind and now I was a little disappointed.

Just to show off, they ruined the end of Mr. Maxwell's career and I'm sure they completely missed it. It's true that from an outside perspective we could consider that this ending was not bad, but for me, the emotions of the person concerned mattered much more than the rest.

"But why does this bother you so much? This is how the world has been since the dawn of time, everyone wears a mask, it's even the norm. ''

'' Really ? And the sincerity in all this? ''

I don't know what was funny about my question, but he started laughing. Was he kidding me?

''Why are you laughing? '' I asked a little angrily.

"Sincerity only has meaning in the mouth of the person who believes it and to believe it, you would have to be an idiot. The naivety to give birth and give meaning to words such as sincerity, justice, love, friendship and so on. Only simple-minded people have faith in these words which ultimately mean nothing. ''

''... ''

"Friendship? Do you know that the friend is the one who has the most chance of bringing you down? You are best placed to know. What about love? How many humans suffer today because of this useless feeling? Justice? It exists, but it is steeped in corruption and serves the rich; having a long arm can allow you to resolve certain problems with the snap of a finger. Justice done for a section of people is no longer justice. Let's be realistic, believing in these words in this world is digging your own grave. ''

''You're probably right...'' I replied, clenching my fists.

Painful memories that I had hidden deep inside me resurfaced.

"This world is rotten, if you are suffering today, if Mr. Maxwell did not have the end of his career that he wanted, it is because of others. In your case, you broke the ties that bound you to others by plunging yourself into solitude, but if you think about it, this situation is not so bad. You no longer need to pretend to please others, you no longer have to answer to anyone. Solitude gave you a kind of stability, at this point, opening yourself up to the world would be a very big mistake. ''

He then came closer to me while displaying his evil smile.

At that moment, I felt chained by his words. I had no will of my own, or at least that will was also mine.

"So from now on, I would like you to stay as you are. Be alone, solitude is the best defense against this world full of selfish people. Don't trust anyone but me. ''

"Why should I trust only you? ''

''Because I am you... You will never betray yourself. ''

He whispered these words in my ear then disappeared.

It was now 1:10 in the morning. Because of our discussion, I didn't see the time passing. I decided to go to bed.

The next morning, without knowing why, I had a very bad headache. I looked in the mirror and I looked scary. It looked like a zombie straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Fatigue was also felt on my face, I had very little sleep yesterday and that didn't help at all.

7:25 a.m.

I took the road to go to the university. As usual, I always walked alone, no... Not really. There was always the rabbit in my head by my side.

This morning, he had become taller than yesterday, he was around 1m80. At first he wasn't that big, he was the size of a 30cm stuffed toy.

Over the years he evolved and eventually became taller than me. I feel like he's feeding off my depression. I know it, I also know that nothing is wrong with me, it's not normal that I can see a rabbit still talking to it, but I'm afraid to act.

I thought I was losing my mind, but thanks to him I no longer feel as alone as before. I've known him since my first year of high school, probably going back to this incident that changed my life forever.

Lost in my thoughts, I moved forward unconsciously without worrying about those around me. I couldn't even tell what color the sky was, my hair covering half of my face made me look mysterious and uncomfortable. The heat seemed to escape more and more from my body, life was bland.

However, this situation did not bother me or make me sad, living like this was my choice, I accepted it and I continued to move forward again and again. My gaze devoid of emotion, I only looked at the ground... No, I was now looking at the clouds. I didn't understand how, but I found myself on the ground, lying on the ground.

I remember experiencing a shock that suddenly threw me off balance. I heard moaning next to me. I looked to my left and saw a young girl sitting on the ground writhing in pain.

She stood out for her beauty, a beauty that is not found on every street corner. She seemed to shine under the reflection of the sun and her golden-yellow hair gave me the impression of being in front of a divinity. It reminded me of an old story that I loved when I was a child. The heroine looked almost exactly like her and she was nicknamed the Princess of Light.

The beauty of this girl who came out of nowhere did not leave me indifferent. Not to the extent that I would feel physically attracted to her, but to the extent that I felt like I had seen her somewhere before but I didn't know where.

When she saw me staring, she immediately panicked.

'' Sorry. '' She said very quickly.

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. She was tense, something seemed to be bothering her and it wasn't because of me. I breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up without saying a single word. I didn't want to start a discussion with her and I didn't see any point in it, hence my attitude.

Normally, I should have reassured her, told her that it was nothing like that. Still glad I remember the protocols, but hey whatever. The main thing is that I am fine and that this incident will have no repercussions on my future.

I decided to continue on my way as if nothing had happened. It was the best solution.

While I thought all of these were behind me, three other people ran at full speed towards me. They were boys, handsome ones at that, did they come from a modeling agency? I don't know, but their appearance gave me that impression.

''Hey Carole, we finally found you! '' Said the first boy.

He had red hair and a slim figure, a rare species. Maybe this guy would really be a model.

"You can't run away now. Come on, go ahead, tell us who do you choose among the three of us? ''

Added the second boy.

Same with the first one, this one was also handsome and his black hair gave him a mysterious look.

I had people in front of me from a higher dimension. The good news was that he wasn't interested in me but rather in the girl who had bumped into me barely a minute ago.

They also called her Carole. From what I see, she was wearing the same uniform as the students at the university I studied at. The other three boys too. If I'm not mistaken, and if I don't say anything stupid, this girl would therefore be Carole Miller the most popular girl on the faq.

And I who thought that this incident would have no repercussions on my future, I was really naive. To put it simply and without exaggeration, I had just bumped into a celebrity.

''I...I'm moved by all the effort you're making to get me to go out with one of you. But... I already have a boyfriend, I have to refuse. ''

She said, bowing.

She then stood up, showing a beautiful smile, but this smile hid a lie. A smile can fool anyone, especially if it comes from a beautiful person, this was the case for the three boys.

'' What !? ''

These young men shouted, their eyes full of astonishment.

However, I was able to read through that smile with my eyes. I was surely part of the elite...

"Your words are like a dagger that pierces my heart, I suffer my lady. '' Said the third boy.

He was the most dazzling of the three and his long blond hair slicked back gave him a noble appearance.

''Can we at least know who is the one of your heart? ''

She remained calm. With her head lowered, she seemed to be considering her answer. Oddly, she started to walk towards me. I found this strange. Even more so when she grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and looked shy.

"He's my boyfriend…" She said, grabbing my arm.

'' What ?! ''

The three boys shouted.

'' Eh ?... '' I said in turn with astonishment.

I was just as surprised by the turn of events.

Even stranger thing, I felt my heart vibrate when she touched me. What was this feeling? The rabbit in my head suddenly appeared to me, as if feeling in danger.

"This revelation is like alcohol poured on the wounds of my heart. I'm dead. '' The third boy said again.

"So it's your choice? Well, if you like it, it doesn't matter. '' Said the first boy.

''I'm going to inform everyone... Damn, I'm mad! '' Said the second boy.

''No don't do that! ''

shouted Carole, but it was already too late, the information was already circulating on the university's social network.

Our university had within it a social network created by the students themselves. On this platform, information circulated concerning the next events which will be organized by the school but not only that.

Rumors were also part of the news feed of this social network and information like "Carole is dating the zombie. ", yes the zombie, that's the nickname they gave me because of my dejected and nonchalant air, in short... This information was eligible for the publication criteria and frankly, it will not go unnoticed.

"Good bye Carole, we will always love you"

Said the three boys, leaving as they came.

"Oh no…" She said with dilated pupils.

For my part, I didn't let anything show, I knew the situation was critical, but hey, I was used to it. The problem was that this unexpected event risked ruining the tranquility that I had built for myself.

I wasted a lot of time here. I decided to continue on my way. I would find a way out even if I had to flee again.

I was about to leave when she called out to me in a loud, high-pitched voice.

''Wait! ''

I turned around without saying anything.

"Are you leaving like that? Are you aware of the situation we are in? ''

''Yes, I know about it, but what do you want me to do? Especially since you could have avoided this if you had said no to all three of them. ''

She remained calm then mumbled words almost inaudibly.

"I had my reasons…"

I looked at her without saying anything, her head was down and she felt guilty.

I let out a sigh. I didn't particularly want to help her, especially since she could have avoided this situation from the start.

However, I had also been drawn into this story. I had to try to limit the damage, even if it forced me to use this lie.

''You know, there is still a solution. ''

'' Which ? ''

she asked immediately, raising her head.

"Most couples form and break up in just 3 days. If you want, during this time, I will pretend to go out with you and we will break up later by making up some lame excuse. We won't need to always be together or do couple things, we'll just have to pretend and break up afterwards. Does that suit you? ''

This idea came to me on a whim. However, it was enough to make her beam, it was disturbing to see her like this.

''Hey, Hey, Hey, what are you doing?! ''

Asked the rabbit in my head, he was very angry.

"But you're intelligent, I accept your idea! For three days, I will be your girlfriend. ''

She said, holding out her hand to me.

'' All right. '' I replied, shaking his hand.

Like the first time, I still felt my heart vibrate when we touched. As for the rabbit in my head, he didn't seem to like the idea.

End of chapter