A New Start

The Bud of a Rose

Ash's POV (one week ago)

I am walking in front of the very school that I will be joining a week from today. Searching. Searching for the boy that my father needs me to find, for he is an abomination. He was in our grasp once before but somehow he has escaped the maze. The maze where we keep all the deadliest creatures that have ever walked upon this earth. How? No idea because it has never been done before. Nobody has ever lasted more than a week in the maze let alone five years as this monster has. He has found his way to hide from the things that were supposed to kill him. Then somehow he had become one of them for when he walked right by them they reacted as if he was one of their own. It has never been seen before. Of course we were not worried because this just means another beast for our collection, but then he escaped. My father wants to know how and once that is done then I will kill him myself. The final test before I become one of the team permanently.

Every member of our community that wishes to join the slayers must pass the test. In this test you must kill at least 100 vampires, have the broom of a witch, and the teeth of a ogre before you are able to move onto the final test. The final test varies person to person and this is mine. I have to find this abomination and kill him when he is no longer any use to us. I have tracked his location to this school but I have no idea who he is. The only thing that gives him away is the fact that he has a scar on his upper arm, as if his skin was torn from his bones and when it healed it looked as if it had been put together like a puzzle. Nobody knows how he got this scar, just that he has it and it marks him apart from the rest of us. I have studied the scar for weeks on end, making sure I am able to spot it from a mile away. Not that I believe that the thing that escaped the maze would ever be stupid enough to show his arm, I just have it memorized just in case.

With this knowledge I search the crowd of students from my perch in the tree. I see nothing of interest, that is until my eyes land upon a group of boys moving in odd jerking motions. I instantly look closer trying to see if maybe they have been infected by the zombie virus. Of course that is not the case. Instead I come to see that they are in fact picking on a kid who, despite his position, seems very fit and like he could handle any situation. Why is it that he was taken down so easily? And it doesn't seem like he is putting up much of a fight. I think to myself as I watch this boy. He never once raises his fist to his fellow students but instead he laughs at them as he is getting pummeled to the ground. I find it very odd that he does this, but at the same time very interesting. A typical teenage boy would just lose their nerve and fight back but this one instead just lets them do as they wish. After a while the boys get bored and leave the other on the ground bleeding. Once the attackers are out of sight the boy gets up from his spot on the ground and walks away. My eyes widen in astonishment, it looked as if that beating would keep him there on the ground for hours, but instead he walks away after mere minutes of the assault? Amazing.

After that I couldn't help myself but to watch the boy who I came to find out name was Zack. He was a misunderstood kid who was bullied daily. The teachers do nothing but ignore the acts of violence. The principle seems to encourage it by punishing him instead. I also came to find out that the three boys I saw on the first day I watched Zack payed him daily visits. He had to go to the nurse's office coming up with many different excuses that it was obvious he was lying. The nurse that took care of his injuries obviously cares for the boy but can do nothing without proof, and Zack by saying that these are because he is very clumsy does not help the issue. I watch Zack walk home every day and emerge the same time out of the house every morning like clock work. I once went inside of the house and saw that he lives alone. I could find no pictures of his family nor any evidence of any adult presence. What could a kid his age be doing living alone? And why?

These questions fill my mind night and day. I can never stop thinking of Zack and what he might be doing at that very moment. So when the day came for me to go to the school I was very happy to actually be able to talk to him. I tried to be confident and show carelessness but I was in fact very nervous. I acted as if I was asleep in class, snoring as the teacher talked, when I was actually watching Zack take notes. When I touched his shoulder to ask him for help to my next class, jolts of electricity went through my being. When I saw the kid put gum on his desk I couldn't help but lose my temper. I spent the whole day by Zack's side and I couldn't help but be happy that he was finally able to breath. I felt terrible having to lie about my past and me being bullied, but it was the only way I could think that would have him let me in. I never pitied him, only was amazed by him. His bravery was something truly special. He never took a day off of school no matter what awaited him.

Being with Zack however is impossible. For one thing, I can not have love in my life, I would never forgive myself if Zack was to be hurt. So when my father called me after school was over for my report I couldn't help but feel disappointed. No matter how much I wanted to be normal I am not. Zack has a chance for a better life, a more human life than I could ever hope for. So I left him to walk to his locker by himself, a decision I would come to regret. After I told my father that I had nothing to report and he finished yelling at me I went to find Zack. Only for him to be nowhere in the school. I searched and searched, panic filling my being and when I heard the roar from the forrest I ran as fast as I could to try and save Zack.

Only to see him kill Andrew with my own eyes. I could not believe it. The man that I have fallen in love with just murdered a kid. I hid behind a tree and waited for him to pass before I checked the scene that he left behind. I saw all the blood and gore all over the forest. I also saw Lincoln a bit ways away safe from the blast. I also saw the trigger to the bomb that killed Andrew. I knew that I had to get to the bottom of this, even if I don't like the answer.

Now

"Zack, why was this at the place the bomb went off? This is a trigger and I am pretty sure Andrew would not have detonated it with nobody else but you and Lincoln around." I saw wanting an answer.

I watch as Zack seems at a loss for words and I wait to see what his reasoning might be. He lets out a sigh as he looks at me with tired eyes. With that look he no longer seems like the 17 year old boy that I watched for a week, and spent the day with. Now he looks like a person that has been through hell.

"I saw it fall out of his bag and when I saw what it was I grabbed it. I didn't want to kill him! You have to believe me! I was just so scared, the pain was just so horrible I just wasn't thinking straight and I pressed it. You have to understand, please!" He begs me and I couldn't help but nod.

It makes sense and I did not see anything that told me otherwise but I just have a feeling that this is not the full story, but for now I let it go and I watch as Zack goes to sleep. Once his breath evens out I put a kiss on his forehead. Time to ask my father to do me a favor.