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Chapter 1 {?Are You There} Part one: From Zero

I thought I was alone in this world... as time went on, I felt lonelier. That is why I blamed the world for making me like this... but nothing has changed. I was about to become more closed to myself, and the moment I was about to give up on everything, I met you like fate, are you here?

My name is Mike Lawrence, I live in "Banim" city which my story started in. Ten years ago, when I was in elementary school, I always had this kind of problem called bullying, an experience that most of us might had, and it might be inevitable. I still remember those events as if they were yesterday.

Lunchtime, I grabbed my sandwich and sat in the school garden to eat quietly. I loved this tree-filled garden, I always sat there painting alone. These trees made me feel safe when I looked at them, and after a few minutes some of my colleagues who hated me for no reason came, they were five boys and the looked of hatred was on their faces, I was always wondering what I did to make them hate me like this?

And without any warning, they grabbed my sandwich to knock it to the ground and trampled on it, I tried to stop them and fight with them, but it didn't went well, they all started beating me so badly that I fell on the ground. 'Please stop beating me, I can't take it anymore!' was the sentence I always echoed in despair hoping for some compassion, and  'We'll make you run to your mother crying, loser" they shouted.'

On that day, a new student I had never seen before appeared, he had a brown hair, thin face and his nose was pointy. The signs of panic was showing on his face 'Stop now or I will tell the teacher about you' he screamed, they looked at him with the features of the irony rising in their faces 'Shut up, or what is happening to him will happen to you' they said. I thought that he would turn his back on me and go away, but I was surprised that he came towards me and rushed to reach me with his little hands to help me getting up. And soon, he started looking at the boys in a sharp way to fight with them and beat them all until they fled.

All my fears faded when he turned to me smiling and  'Are you ok' he said, and then I realized that someone was standing by my side and supporting me, and at that moment, I felt safe. He is Allen Wilson, my first real friend, we went to run and play among the trees. I remember Ellen's face holding my sketch book to check out my drawings one by one and the look of stun on his face, he looked at me smiling to mess with my hair and 'You are great' Allen said. This was the first time that one of my colleagues had liked my drawings, and it was the first time for someone to ask me to play with him. It is one of the most beautiful moments I have ever had in my elementary school.

Since then, my life has changed a lot, you can predict what happened next, we have become best friends, we did everything together and we never left each other side. So, our colleagues started making silly jokes because of our strong relationship, that why I thought we'd stay together forever... but three years passed away, and in the last year of middle school, something happened that I didn't know how to tell Allen about.

When I found about this, I went to school while I am running so fast, the run almost cut my breath, I started looking fast for Allen at the whole school. The students was making fun of my running, but I didn't care, because since Allen came into my life, I started seeing things differently, and that's why I was scared, it might seem nothing to others, but for me it was the end of it all. And well, I was right, and you will know why.

Allen kept watching me while I am running around, but he could not catch me because of my panic and after I calmed down, I started looking around and I noticed him looking at me quietly. He was waiting and 'What happened?' Allen said, I was hesitated, I did not know how to tell him. He looked at me with his eyes filled with curiosity "Don't you trust me?" he said. Before the words come out of my mouth to kill his curiosity, the features of his face changed like he was knowing that what I am about to say will not be easy.