All Which Remains

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Arron

"Arron," a voice says, "Arron". I feel a slight shake of my shoulder. I slowly open my eyes to peer at the person who's shaking me. "Ugh," I say, my eyes are blurry with sleep.

"Who...?" I wipe my eyes.

"Oh, come on," the person says, rolling his eyes. "I'm your best friend, stupid."

Oh, I think.

"Yeah, I know. I was just messing with you."

Lies a voice hisses in my head as a large burst of pain smacks the back of my eyes.

He hits me on the arm and tells me to get up. I sit up at my desk and look around. I'm in the middle of the row, by the window. Our classroom is beautiful. The sun's shining. Everything seems almost too perfect.

"Get up, " the person says, "We don't have all day."

"Fine," I replied, rolling my eyes at him.

I stand up and he leads me out of the classroom. As we're walking down the hall, I realize that I don't even know this guy's name, but I can't ask his name without breaking my cover. I stare at his back and then look down at myself. He is quite taller and larger than me. I'm tiny compared to him. Is everyone at this school like this? If they are, I'm going to stand out. A lot.

The person brings me to the cafeteria and tells me to sit down at a table while he goes to get us lunch. Like it's a normal day. Probably because it is– for him. I look around the cafeteria and choose an empty spot in the back. Hopefully, He'll see me.

I sit down and wait. The hustle and bustle of the room makes my head hurt. People are constantly going back and forth between tables, carrying plates filled to the brim with food. After a few minutes, I start to freak out. What if He can't find me? What if I get lost among the crowd? I clench my hands together as anxiety creeps up behind me. Grabbing a hold of my heart like a vice.

He didn't find me. I stand up and wander around. I'm quickly surrounded by people. They don't notice or seem to care. So, I sneak around everyone like some sort of secret cafeteria ninja.

Once I practically explored almost every inch of the cafeteria, I finally find Him. He's sitting with a group of people, chatting and laughing. I walk up to Him and ask him where he's been. 00

"I'm sitting where we always sit," he says, without a glance in my direction.

"But you told me to sit down," I said, wringing my hands. I felt like I'd messed up. "Yeah," He says, annoyance creeping into his voice, "where we always sit."

I start to sweat, and I begin to come up with a cover story as to why I hadn't sitten with them.

"You're right. Sorry, I just forgot for a second. It's been a hard day, y'know?" I say, rambling.

"Idiot," He says, flicking me on the forehead. "You can't just sit with anyone. Not with how you look."

"Oh," I say, "Yeah..." What? What does that mean?

"Sit down," He says.

He moves aside, and I sit down beside him. I'm still sore over him talking about how I look. Is it because I'm scrawny? That's not something that I can control. Unless I just don't eat enough, but that's nothing to make fun of other people over.

I look up and stare at the three other boys that are sitting at the table with us. One of them isn't talking at all, he just listens. His breathing is soft, and his hair is white and fluffy. His eyes are hidden behind his hair. He's looking directly at me. Like I'm some sort of stranger to him, but He had said that I sit here with these people every day. I'm confused, maybe he's new to the group? The guy with white hair blows the hair out of his face. His eyes are milky white and dark. I don't see any light in his eyes.

As they start to finish up their lunch, the guy with the white hair beckons me with one finger. We both stand up and he guides me over to where the bathrooms are.

"Who are you?" His voice is low but soft.

"What do you mean?" I say, trying to play innocent, but I know that there's no point in lying, he already knows.

He leans in and grabs my arm. "You know what I mean. Who are you and what have you done with Arron?"

I flinch. That name sounds familiar.

"Why do you care so much?" I ask him, feeling annoyed that he's in my personal space.

He waves the question off and says, "My name is Ramelan, and I'm going to keep an eye on you, you.... fake." He lets go of my arm and walks back to our table.

I shiver. I don't feel like going back to sit with them at that table after what just happened. I lean against the outside of the bathroom. I hope that no one will see me. Why is everything going wrong today? I look at my hands, and they are engulfed by black gloves. Why am I wearing these? No one else is. Aesthetic, maybe? It doesn't matter, nothing does. I put my face in my hands. I don't know where I am. I'm surrounded by unfamiliar faces. I have nowhere to go. I'm stuck here.