Glimpse

We didn't talk after that exchange. Biology finished, and P.E. passed by in a flash. I was about to head home when Jeremy came out of nowhere and put his arm around my shoulder, with Allen following behind him.

"Dang bro, already rizzing up the peak gyatt? How'd you do it?" Jeremy asked, a silly smile painted on his face.

"I have no idea what that sentence even means." I replied, sending a blank stare.

"I'll translate." Allen caught up, rolling his eyes. "He was asking how you managed to talk to Edythe Cullen"

Oh. Can't he just speak normal English?

Anyway, that is a great point. From what I've heard, Edythe isn't one to talk with anyone else outside of her family. Having her talk to me for quite some time must've been a strange sight.

For them, at least.

"It's nothing special. It was just formality." I removed Jeremy's arm around my shoulder. "I'm her seatmate, it's basic etiquette to at least know each other's name."

"Just that? Fumbled so hard bruh." Jeremy sighed, continuing with his confusing choice of words.

"By the way, Jeremy and I were just about to head over for some coffee. You want to come?" Allen asked, ignoring Jeremy's reaction.

"Oh, where?" I raised an eyebrow.

"A new cafe just opened recently. Just down the road a few minutes' walk in." Jeremy answered this time,

"Sure. I'm down." I accepted the offer without any further question.

After-class hang out with male friends. Sounds like a good time, doesn't it? These two are the only close friends I have so far, and I can't say I don't appreciate them inviting me to hang out with them too. I've met many other students, but Allen and Jeremy are the only one that sort of sticked with me after initial impressions.

Also, I like coffee. I don't mind having a cup or two before heading back to my apartment. It might not be raining, but it's still relatively cold. My hoodie is keeping me warm, but a cup of hot steaming coffee would be perfect.

"Aren't you inviting anyone else?" I asked, putting my hands on my hoodie's pocket.

From what I've seen, Jeremy seems to be someone popular. He would talk with at least 20 people every time we eat in the cafeteria. And from the looks of it, everyone seems to have a good impression of him.

"Nah, just us three. Others weren't free or interested." He replied, putting his hands behind his head as we walk out the gates.

"Well, we do have 2 essays due tomorrow." Allen kindly reminded from the side.

"They should copy me. Do it tomorrow morning instead."

"This is why you're close to failing the subject."

"Not failed though."

"Not yet anyway."

I chuckled at their casual banter. Walking a few steps behind the two, it's quite clear that they're close. Their friendship is solid, and it's easy to tell that they're best friends. It was nice to see, I admit. 

Is this what I've been missing?

I shook the irrelevant thoughts out of my head. Just in time, Jeremy turned to me and spoke.

"Really though, I'm impressed Edythe didn't just glare and ignored you."

"It was strange, truly. I don't think I've seen her talk to anyone else for that long." Allen supplied on the side, putting a hand on his chin.

"What can I say, my charms are just impeccable." I flicked my hair, striking a pose.

"You should get new glasses." Jeremy followed, and we all laughed together.

After about 10 minutes of walking and making fun of each other, we've reached the cafe. It was just off the road, and from the glass ceiling-to-floor windows, there doesn't seem to be anyone else inside yet.

The three of us went in and found ourselves a seat on a table near the door. After placing our orders, we just sat there, enjoying the mood.

The interior of the establishment is warm. The decorations aren't over the top like most cafes would do. There are a few framed quotes placed here and there on the wall, but nothing else other than that. Coupled with the lingering smell of coffee beans in the air, the cafe felt warm and cozy.

While waiting for our coffees to arrive, we naturally started talking about mundane topics. I started with the weather, then to schoolwork, before eventually circling back to Edythe Cullen.

"Really though, I wonder what has gotten into her today. She usually doesn't even speak." Allen leaned back on his chair, staring up the ceiling.

"You sure it's all just formalities? Allen said it felt a bit longer than that." Jeremy wiggled his eyebrows, and I held the urge to sigh.

Just as I thought, interacting with Edythe Cullen is a mistake. She's popular, and everything she does will be noticed by everyone else. We had one conversation and it's already a topic of gossip.

She is beautiful, there's no denying that. Consequently, she has lots of admirers, vocal and not. I don't particularly mind being a center of attention, but in this case, I'll be the target of jealousy and infamy.

"It's just small talk. Nothing strange about it." I rested my chin on my hand.

"Yup. Definitely just talking about seat arrangements." Jeremy smirked.

"I told you before Chris, Edythe isn't known for being social. Or even talking to anyone else, really. The fact that you managed to have a conversation with her is already being talked about behind your back." Allen met my gaze.

"Ah, there's goes my peace and solitude." I hunched on my chair.

That's just annoying. I won't really care if it's a one-time thing, but from the looks of it, that's definitely not happening. Edythe is investigating me, and she's going for a direct approach. It's fair to assume that she's going to be initiating more conversations in the future.

There's no way I'm beating the allegations this way.

For a second, I considered walking up to her and revealing everything. But that's just stupid. There must be other way to take care of this.

My cappuccino arrived, and I threw the thoughts into the back of my mind for now.

-

The moonlight shone through the tinted windows of the old church. Through the circular window, a circle was illuminated by the bright moonlight. With the tinted glass, the circle was a mix of a myriad of colors, painting the scene a sense of ethereality.

In the middle of the circle stood a kid, barely 12, breathing heavily. Throughout the illuminated circle, bodies upon bodies lay unmoving. Blood stains existed everywhere; on the floor, on the wooden benches, on the wall, on the cross, and on the pale skin of the little boy.

On his hand rests a bloodied wooden stake. Blood dripped down from its sharp end, forming a miniature pool of blood on the church's smooth, marble floor. Looking closely, holes roughly the size of the wooden stake existed on the chest of each and every body on the ground.

He stood there, bathed by the moonlight. He wore only rags, with his bare feet gradually being covered in crimson blood. The kid shivered, unknown if it's from the cold or something else entirely.

Standing just outside the circle, with their faces obscured by the veil of the night, multiple robed figures stood in silence. From the shadows, their blazing eyes stared at the figure of the little boy in the center of the circle. The kid, feeling the stares, grew restless. His hand holding the stake began to quiver.

The individuals moved aside, and from their midst appeared an old man with a kind face. He wore a pastor's robe, and a silver cross necklace dangled on his neck. His eyes slitted, smiling kindly as if at least 20 corpses laid on the ground before him.

He approached the child, his steps echoing in the massive church. He walked through the number of bodies that littered the floor. His shoes left a bloody footprint on the marble floor. The hem of his white robe dragged through the bloodied ground, staining the fabric in a striking red. This, however, did not faze the old man.

The kid looked up and faced the pastor, eyes blank and face frozen in a numb expression. His eyes reflected the face of the elder, as if the eye of a lifeless doll. The old man smiled, creases forming on his cheeks.

"I didn't make a mistake choosing you." The pastor spoke, his voice reverberating within the church.

"You're a natural predator. It's like a second nature to you." He continued, a crazed glint appearing in his eyes.

"You're a treasure. A treasure!" He practically yelled.

"You make me so proud!" The pastor broke into a loud, giddy laugh.

After a minute, the pastor suddenly quieted down. Then, he knelt down and faced the kid on eye-level. He held the kid's face with both of his hands in a gentle caress, like a grandfather to his grandchild.

"From now on, you will be called..."

The kid blinked.

"Gabriel."

BANG!

The thunder blared, rousing me from my sleep.

I sat up with a start. I started breathing heavily, my body covered in cold sweat. My heart felt like it was about to escape my chest. My entire being seemed to be submerged in cold, freezing water.

What was that?

I tried to calm my racing heart. Well, I tried. It was hard. The soles of my feet seemed to vividly remember the sensation of the blood pooling at my feet. The cold hands of the pastor, and the deep, crazed eye of that elder... I quickly shook my head.

Raindrops constantly attacked the window, with the occasional lightning illuminating my dark room. Seems like a storm spawned when I was asleep. Lightning would flash every now and then, and the shadow of the trees would cover my windows. 

I calmed down my rapid breathing and heaved a sigh. 

My right hand twitched. The sensation of the stake in my hand felt too realistic. It was a memory I don't want to come back to. It was all in the past. This is a new life. 

The pastor isn't here. He doesn't know where I am. I'm free now. It's just a dream.

It was just a dream.

I'm not Gabriel. 

My name is Chris Miller. It's not Gabriel, it's Chris.

I'm... not Gabriel. I'm Chris.

I'm Chris.

I'm Chris...

I felt for my glasses on the bedside dresser, using it to glance at the clock on the wall. It was half-past-two in the morning. I tried to go back to sleep, but my eyes just wouldn't close for more than 5 seconds.

Well, that's awful.

Sighing, I stood up and went to take a cold shower.

If I'm not sleeping anyway, I might as well prepare for class instead.

I just want to forget about that dream.

-

I might've only gotten 3 hours of sleep, but I've been used to much worse sleeping schedule before, so it barely did anything. I listened to classes as usual, taking down notes when I feel like it. And just like that, the first half of the day passed like a blur.

I'm now having lunch in the cafeteria, sitting together with Allen and Jeremy. From behind their shoulders, I glanced at the table where the Cullens and the Hales sat. The familiar smell is still there, and I can see Edythe sitting there in silence, seemingly in deep thought.

That looks worrying. I certainly hope she won't barrage me with questions again later.

Please don't feed the gossips anymore with your actions.

Since this morning, I've been called "lucky bastard" behind my back 7 times. Perks of having enhanced senses: you know who's talking behind your back.

While dreading the upcoming Biology class where Edythe could potentially cause my social isolation by interacting with me, I took a bite of my burger.

"Oh yeah, I heard something from dad last night." Jeremy began, munching on his bagel.

"Ooh, gossip." Allen straightened up, putting his palms together in front of his chin.

"Hoho~" I raised my eyebrows in curiosity, imitating Allen's posture.

What? I need to fit in.

"You know Chief Swan? That chill policeman?" Jeremy followed.

"Oh, I know him. What's up?" Allen replied.

I have no idea who that person is, but I kept my ears open nonetheless. Gathering information is never a bad thing.

"Apparently, his son is transferring here too. He's the same age as us, so there's a good chance he'll be a classmate." Jeremy finished.

A transfer student, huh? That's interesting, but nothing really that significant. While I'll appreciate having a fellow transferee, it shouldn't really affect me that much. I already have Edythe to worry about.

"When?" I asked, swallowing my food. As disinterested as I was, it's better to act slightly interested for the sake of conversation.

"Next week, I think." Jeremy answered. "You guys might be good friends. Fellow transferees and all."

"Hmm." I hummed. "We'll see."