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The count to my last breath continued in my mind as water filled my estuary.

My eyes opened wide, fore the need to see my last setting overtook my better judgment.

It wasn’t that I was having second thoughts.

No.

There was no chance for that.

My ankles were strapped to an eighty pound weight, my wrists tied behind my back.

Regret wasn’t an option.

Not now. Not ever.

Since the beginning, it was always my destiny to say goodbye.

In fact, I believe I was living longer than I was meant to.

They say that if a person escapes death more than once, it’ll catch up to them harder than ever before.

Burning.

My eyes felt like they were burning.

The salted water pained them as I stared straight ahead, examining the black sea. I held back a haunted chuckle at the thought of the lifeless scene.

Even now, I was alone.

No sight of any being around. Only algae covered rocks.

I closed my eyes cursing my ability to last long without air.

Opening them again, I looked up.

A light shun, stinging my eyes more than Adam’s ale.

Damned soul; I shall guide you to your freedom.

Relieving.

If I had to explain how it feels to die,

I would say it feels relieving.

“You must be the new girl. What’s your name?” I heard a voice call out to me, startling me at first.

I clinched my pencil, summoning the courage to answer. This was my chance to start over, to actually make friends, to not be so alone.

“A-Alesana Joo-Kriose, but y-you can c-call me Ales.” I stuttered, smiling awkwardly at the petite short haired dirty blonde.

“Hi, Ales. I’m Cain. Cain Keyra Skye. But my real name is - well, just call me Keyra for now.” She turned for a second, her hair flying perfectly over to her right side with the gust of wind that escaped the open window, and motioned for two taller red heads to our table. “This is Collin and this is Abel. Even though it's hard to tell how, Abel's my older brother and Collin is, for some reason or another, my boyfriend.

I laughed as Collin pouted, furrowing his thick black ‘brows in humorous anger. Abel caught my attention seconds later, his hand a top of mine, a mesmerizing smile plastered on his flawless face. “Nice to meet you, Ales Real name's Lee Jinki, call me whichever you prefer.”

My cheeks ran hot at the low tone he called my name and comfortable remark, replaying over and over in my head like a broken track. The thought not even crossing my mind that Cain hadn’t even introduced me just yet till I felt Collin’s cold blue eyes practically burning a hole in the back of Jinki's head.

‘He could have just have really good hearing.’ I thought to myself.

"Name's Collin Skye, but my real name is Jonghyun but I prefer you call me Jay and only that. I don't see the point in my English given name, nor my hometown name. I go by my own rules, and I have a nack for making people follow them. Got that?"

I choked a bit, fear flushing all rushing blood out of my face at the end of his rhetorical question. Not only were his looks intimadating, but his attitude was cold as ice. There's no way I can get close to him, ever.

"Don't mind him Ales, he's like that with everyone." Keyra said.

"Even you?" I dared ask.

"Well, no. I always get my way." She winked.

"Can I ask why you both have Skye as a last name when you're not related but you and your brother don't?"

"It's complicated on the Jjongie part but, my brother and I were raised seperately. Actually, at first I thought Jjongie was my brother, even though back then I was a Kim" she paused to pull out a file from her bag and began to slash it gently across the tip of her fingernails, "up until I was 6, I had no idea Jinx even existed. He knew though, and so he hunted me down. It was a shocker, to say the least and nothing was ever the same after that. I can tell you one thing for sure though, I can understand why we were seperated."

I had no idea what Keyra meant, but I just nodded in agreement. By the look in her eye after the end of her explaination, I really didn't want to ask just what she meant by it, honestly.

Turning my head towards the breeze that's caught my attentions with an aroma so stiffling, it penetrated every part of my body, sending a tremble down my spine.

"His real name is Jun Myeon. People around him call him Suho or Xavier. A class student, way out of your league, kid."

I stared at Keyra, my eyes double their size at the shock of the bluntness she just laid on me. Although true, it wasn't what I was expecting and the harsh tone in her voice reminded me of someone I knew before coming her: I just couldn't put my finger on who.

Past her, I could feel two pairs of eyes with an aura I didn't understand.

Possessive? Angry? Jealous?

I simply shook my head and refocused my attention on a lost cause. "Jun Myeon" I whispered under my breath. "Even his name suits him."

"Are you gonna eat that?" Ales asked her mother from across the table, staring longingly at her untouched french fries.

"No?" The older woman replied, her wrinkled skin compressing farther at the breach of her two thin eyebrows. “You want it?" She asked.

"Yes, please." The girl replied, somewhat shy and ashamed. After all, she’d just scarfed down an entire burger and her own share of fries. But she couldn’t suppress the feeling in her stomach, it was begging - pleading so desperately to be filled to the brim. And she needed more time, more food to put inside till her mother left to go to her aunt’s for the night and she could run for it; reach the bathroom and fall hard - let go of all those demons she just unleashed inside.

The woman sighed as she watched her daughter practically inhale a handful of the too salted side and got up, searching for her keys so she could just leave. Because she was aware, fully aware of what would happen the second she was out that door and she had no interest of sticking around to hear the messy aftermath.

"I’m leaving now." She said as she opened the door, smiling at the young girl, grim. “Take care."

Ales watched anxiously as Ms. Kirose started the car and pulled out the drive way before she closed the door, locking it all the way and the sprint started. Slamming the door behind her, she hurriedly found something to pull her head back but failed.

"This isn't the time. I have no time. Dammit. Please. Just let me find something." Not even 10 seconds passed before she gave up. The voice in her mind, haunting.

fatass, purge already. you're disgusting, just give up and let it go

So the girl listened, with tears in her eyes from the brief encounter between her and her mirror, she yanked at her own curls and pulled them back with her left hand, her right preoccupied cuffing around as her middle finger s around her lips, reaching inside looking for the right position atop what she called her "happy trigger"

Minutes passed, water splashed and tears ran. Screams were let out and gurgled sounds were echoed in her ears like a rumbling of thunder in the sky.

She curled up in a ball, her fingers dripping with acidic come up and saliva, and she buried her face in her knees. Make up running down her face.

"Help. Someone, anyone- please help."

pathetic. you don't deserve help.

"You're right. You're always right."

"Ales, wake up." Jinki whispered. "Schools out."

I heard the final bell ring and jumped out of my seat, scratching my knee against my desk. "I'm sorry! I can't believe I was out the entire class."

"I'm not surprised, he has that effect on people." Keyra shouted from right outside the classroom door.

"What do you mea-" My heart began racing as he passed by, glancing at me for a short second as he passed Keyra and Jonghyun.

"Xav- Ow!" Keyra shot a death glare at her partner before rolling her eyes at my direction. "Nevermind, kid. Let's go, yeah?"

"Go where?" I asked, confused.

"To your welcoming party." Jinki answered.

"What?"

"A summoning, for new students. To celebrate your acceptance." Jonghyun stated.

"But why?" I wasn't technically accepted, I was enrolled against my will.

"Because you're one of us now." Jonghyun answered again, this time his cold tone gone. He sounded almost ecstatic and it pierced a fear in me I never felt before. As I grabbed my bag, I wasn't sure who said it or where it even came from, but a dark aura surrounded the room and a chill ran up my spine with the words "one of the fallen" whispered in the air.

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A/N: Basically, this was a prologue. A simple introduction into how the story will sound like and be over. How it'll bounce back a bit between Ales' past and present. Her struggles, her dreams, they're all based on real occurances. I know this is a sensitive story, but I'm passionate about it because I know it first hand. These are my thoughts, played out in an alternate universe. So if you want to stick around with it, then I welcome you.