Stars

    Snow covers the ground, far as anyone knows. A lifeless Hero can barely be seen under the immense snowfall that covers the lands.

    Slowly he rises from the snowy death and back onto his feet. Brushing off the snow from his clothes, he noticed that the school was empty on the inside. He slept through an entire day, and night just to arrive back where it all started.

    Hero moves closer to the front doors of the school. He tugs on it, and it opens. The pressure difference between the inside and out was enough to slam the door after just barely squeezing into Mythose. Standing in the middle of the hall waiting for him was Jack.

    “You have no shame, don’t you?” Jack asked while his arms are crossed.

    “If I didn’t have shame, Id be with you.” Hero says while trying to walk past him.

    Hero keeps walking off into the distance away from Jack, but the hallway returns into a loop back in front of Jack. When he gets face to face with him, he stops and looks into his eyes.

    “You are the one keeping me here aren’t you?”

    “No… I just wanted to make something special for us…”

    “I doubt that.”

    “I tried. I really did. I cant help you wont accept it…”

    Jack gets closer and holds Hero’s cheek. “I’m sorry, I truly am.” He said while moving his other hand to the back of his skull. Hero face slowly turns stale and falls into Jacks arms. He drags him back to the dorms and puts him inside his room. Jack tucks him into bed, then starts messing with the switches in the back of Hero’s skull.

    Once he was done setting him up, Jack walks over to the closet and starts cleaning up and preparing the room. He goes over and picks up all the clothes, sweep, clean the bath, and dust the room. When he was done, he left the room and locked the door. He slowly makes it over to his room with Jade and Vance waiting there at the table.

    “Whats going to change this time?” Vance asks

    “Lets just trust the process okay.” Jack responds.

    “So nothing is going to.” Jade pipes in.

    Vance gets up and storms out and into Hero’s room “Wait,” Jack screams. He grabs Hero, picking him up from his bed, then punches him. “You are going to do what we want you to do.” He does it again until Hero wakes up and comes eye to eye with Vance.

    “Dude, not cool man. This is why I don’t trust you.” Jade yells.

    “This mission is going nowhere and I cant stand to watch these two dimwits do it anymore,” Vance yells back.

    “You are just making our jobs harder,” Jade sternly says.

    Vance pushes Hero back into his bed and gets off of him. He walks right up into Jade’s face and says, “I’m off the job. I’m taking my leave.”

    “This was your last job Vance. All you had to do was your part, you didn’t have to mess it up like the last few,” Jade came back with.

    Unknown to them, Jack was by Hero’s bedside and was checking up on him. “Babe? I’m sorry for what happened.” Jade and Vance stop arguing and letting it play out as Jack was playing his part. Jade grabs Vance and pulls him into his room to start editing Hero’s memory. The old crow already sitting by the computer scrolling and trying to delete the opening encounter .

    “Vance, you are going to have to record a new opening of getting beaten up,” she cries as she cuts out the part of him beating up Hero.

    “I’m out. I’m done with this project.”

    “Your not out until I let you. Now get dressed and Jack will be waiting outside”

    “Ugh.” Vance stomps his feet and walks off.

    Jade gets closer and reviews what she is doing to Hero’s memories on another terminal. He watches as Hero gets his memories of being in the snow be swapped with soft romantic moments between Jack and him. Moments that would fool anyone to fall in love with one another. Dole arguments turns into lively moments of love. Sweet dreams turns into a foggy reality. Truth turning into lie.

    He exits the room, closing the door and walks outside to meet up with Vance. They look at each other and stare into each other’s eyes. “I quit and I still have to do this kind of stuff?” Vance dragged his feet. Jade shook his head and said “There is no quitting this, you are apart of the mission until it is over. Don’t forget who is in charge of this mission now.” Both of them are getting ready to start the recording process.

    “Pickle winkle, cheese time bagel,” they both said in harmony.

    Vance pushes Jade into the snow, and said “Do you take me for granted? Why is this is the way you treat me?” He stands tall and looks down at Jade with a face of hatred.

    “Jack, its not personal”

    “Please, I tried and I tried, but…”

    Jade turns his head, just before Vance comes down with the swinging kick to his head.

    As quickly as it happened, Jade lays there; motionless laying in the snow. Vance goes over to Jade and starts pounding down on him, then slowly drag him towards going back inside.

    The old crow stood at the doorway standing over Vance with a disappointed look on her face.

    “Bring him to Jack’s room. We are done for today, and you will be reprimanded,” She said as she went back inside while Vance struggles to drag Jade up the steps. He opens the door and uses Jade’s body as a door stop while he tubes themselves into the school.

    While dragging him to Jack’s room. He catches a glimpse of Jack and Hero on the bed kissing each other in Hero’s room. He slowly closes the door to give them privacy and throws Jade into Jack’s room.

    Vance pulls Jade onto the bed and grabs a towel, wets it and puts it onto Jade’s head. After a couple of seconds, Jade springs upwards.

    “Trickle winkle, cream, death bagel,” They both said in harmony.

    The Crow quietly entered the room.

    “Exiting simulation in five minutes.” The voice over the intercom spoke. A clock begins to be projected onto the ceiling of the room.

    They gathered in a circle around the rug in the middle of the room, leaving room for one more person. Jack comes in and fills the empty spot in the middle of the room and sits down. Once he sat down, room around them begins to fade slowly into a white void. Once the room and everyone faded away, the only thing left was the projection on the ceiling. Counting down from

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