The day started like any other, long before dawn. My alarm pulled me from my slumber and reminded me of the run ahead of me. With silence and darkness reigning in the house, I crept out and began my route. The cool spring air filled my lungs and gently kissed my face as I trotted through the neighborhood. The runner's high hit just after the seventh kilometer, and my mind began to wander.

  I thought back to Natsu and Nina, their discovery of the consequences of their abilities, and what it could mean for metas in general. I remembered how poorly I had been prepared during the sports competition and the havoc it reeked on my friends and everyone around me. Damien's words echoed in my head: creeping danger, grander ambitions, things even I don't know. Yui and her unknown ability came to the forefront of my mind.

  There's still so much I don't know. I feel like I'm just a hamster running in its wheel for someone's entertainment. I have to protect them; if they're in danger, I have to save them.

  The sun began to shine over the horizon, and I turned back towards home. I passed by the shrine that I had once turned around at, the day Chika discovered I had an ability. My head was instantly filled with thoughts of her — her hair that could shine like gold, her eyes like jade sprinkled with water, her fair skin seemingly free of any blemishes, her mature demeanor, her childish smile.

  No matter the cost, I will protect that smile... I will protect her.

  The house was slowly coming to life when I returned. While I usually preferred cold showers, I wanted to feel the warmth cover me. Through the steam that filled the bathroom, I stared into the mirror. My hair had not been cut since I had come back, and it was getting long enough to have to either style or put away. There was a small scar on my neck where Damien had held my blade to my throat, but it was better than the one that previously marked my face.

  Once dressed, I grabbed my bag with my costume and returned to the kitchen. My cup of black coffee tasted as wonderful as ever, and I enjoyed the fleeting moments of peace. With my morning rituals complete, I set out to meet up with everyone.

  "Good morning, Kazu," Chika yawned.

  "Good morning," I smiled.

  Even clearly just waking up, she seemed to glow as she rubbed her eyes. We carried similar bags holding our costumes for the cafe. With everything as hectic as it was, I never got a chance to see what her costume was. My imagination went wild thinking of what horrors she could bring to life just to get a laugh.

  As we walked, the neighborhood slowly showed signs of life. Other kids ran from their houses bound for different schools. Cats climbed across the walls finding the perfect spot for their early morning sunbathing and naps. The occasional housewife swept the front porch or struck a conversation with her neighbor. Birds filled the air with their songs. All of it was wasted on my childhood friend who was so tired that she constantly bumped into me along the way.

  At a certain intersection, construction crews were passing their shifts to the daytime workers. The street work was somewhat invasive, sewage line maintenance by the look and smell of it. Even that stench barely got a rise out of Chika — she pushed her nose into my back and pushed me to walk faster. Nearby, a store owner was already on the phone with his delivery truck drivers expressing his frustrations.

  For a Tuesday, it sure is lively.

  The scene outside of the school was breathtaking. Even though the day had not yet begun, tents and stands were popping up along the main walkway. Countless conversations filled the air as the students continued to build their displays and shops. A symphony of smells began to fill our noses as the various stands began their preparation. We made our way to the classroom and beheld our own preparations.

  The first things that caught my attention when we entered were the setup and decorations — specifically the lack thereof. My stomach churned as Denki and Kaori entered to behold the same sight. I glanced over to the board to see Sato Yuuske's and Shoko's names on the board for early setup. They were cousins that had volunteered to come in an hour early to get the set up started, but something must have happened because neither of them was present.

  With only the four of us present and no other real option, I froze time and got to work putting up the decorations myself. The black-out curtains were first followed by the various lamps and stands to set up the eerie lighting that we had wanted. Next came the different tables and patchwork tablecloths: they contributed more to the old and occult environment. After the tables were set up, candles for lighting were meticulously placed at each one to seem random.

  Cobwebs, faux spiders, creepy items, and tokens of the occult sprang up slowly as I spent about three hours making it look like what we had wanted. The Cafe from Hell finally came together as I placed the last candle by the entrance where the haunted host would greet our guests. I sat back against a wall and released my hold on the flow of time.

  "You're a real life saver, you know that?" Kaori nudged my shoulder and thanked me.

  "I don't know how or if we would have gotten it done before opening without you, buddy," Denki joined.

  "You really are something else," Chika half muttered in wonder.

  The easy part was done. The hard part was still ahead — making the cafe work and placing high in the rankings for the school. Kaori took Chika away to the girls' locker room to change, and Denki and I were left to quickly do the same in our own locker room. We grabbed our bags and set off down the corridor and the stairs. Outside the locker room, another thing caught my attention.

  Hushed but forceful voices radiated from behind the closed door. In an instant, Denki's hand was on the handle turning it. When it came to things like this, his ears became like radars, picking up disturbances from much further away. His face was serious and angry: the voices sounded like they belonged to people that prey on those weaker than them. As he burst into the room, our suspicions were confirmed.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Two second year students were in the middle of shoving a first year from Class C into one of the lockers. He had been stripped down to his underwear, and his bag had been emptied out. One of the two saw us walk in and alerted the other, but it was too late for both of them. Before the words had left his mouth, Denki's flying knee was caving in the side of his face.

  Seconds after we entered the room, one of the two bullies was firmly planted in the wall. The other was just as unlucky. As Denki recoiled off the wall following his flying knee, he launched back to him and landed an uppercut directly in the gut of the second year. The force was enough to rattle the lockers behind him and make him half over unconscious in a single blow. All in all, less than a minute had passed since we walked into the locker room.

  Something different happened this time than had happened when Denki previously dealt with bullies. Before, he had beaten them down, and sent them away. This time, he stood over the second unconscious one, his hands trembling. His eyes were filled with a bloodlust. He balled his fist and raised it to the sky, and I knew I had to stop him. As he reached the extent of his reach upwards, my hand caught his wrist and our eyes locked.

  "That's enough, buddy," I almost whispered. "I don't think these two will be hurting anyone else for a while."

  He was silent as he stared into my eyes. His eyes twitched once before the bloodlust vanished, and my best friend stood in front of me again. He dropped his hand and gave me a thankful grin. Together, we helped the Class C student out of the locker. Once he had redressed himself and found all of his belongings, he thanked us and left. We carried the two second years to the nurse's office and left before anyone could ask us questions.

  "I-I don't know what happened," Denki began as we were getting changed. "When I saw the two of them bullying that kid, it just all went red."

  "I know, buddy," I placed my hand on his shoulder. "You're a good guy, and you can't just sit idly while people are preyed upon. We just might have to tone it down a bit, you know? Not everyone is like that Geo, or the other metas."

  "You're definitely right there," he laughed. "Let's hurry up; I'm sure the girls are waiting on us by now."

  We emerged from the locker room as monsters from two different genres of horror. Denki sported old samurai armor complete with a broken weapon, holes, and missing pieces all brought together with his Oni mask. I, on the other hand, wore what could only be described as early Count Dracula: my hair was put away into a dark wig, my already pale skin would be made ivory white, my outfit itself was oddly reminiscent of what Number 9 had worn in the hospital, and it was all completed with the silly fangs that I would be forced to wear.

  When we reentered the classroom, it was teeming with life. Other students had arrived in the time between me handling the classroom and Denki handling the bullies. Groups were rotating to the locker rooms to get changed while others began working in the kitchen getting everything ready for what we hoped would be a busy day. Through it all, I saw Kaori who had become the mummified remains of Queen Cleopatra — full body wrappings, faux gold adornments, even a scepter to boot. It was tasteful and seemed to be very individualized for her.

  When I saw Chika, however, everything seemed to stop. Her hair was put away into a wig like mine, but it looked perfectly natural. Her face needed no makeup, yet even with it, nothing was buried. Her skin looked like a cloud floating in the summer sky. Her dress was breathtaking, the complexity of the design, the simplicity of the color, the majesty of it all. The dim lighting only added to the allure of what my eyes beheld. My heart pounded in my chest the longer I stared at her perfection. I would have given anything in that moment to be Frankenstein — to call her my bride.

  Something must have clued her in because she suddenly looked straight at me. Being who she was, her pure and mature demeanor became that of a mischievous child when she saw my face. I'm sure that I was wearing all of my emotions for her to see because she got as close to me as she could with that smile of hers and looked up into my eyes.

  "What's wrong, Kazu?" she slyly asked. "Something got you flustered? Hot under the collar? Captivated by your childhood friend?"

  I won't let her win; two can play the teasing game.

  "My dear," I struggled to keep a calm voice. "I was merely wondering," I wrapped my arm around her back and lifted her chin. "Who would a maiden like you wear such a dress for?"

  Our eyes locked, and the reality of what I had said and done came crashing into my mind. I couldn't back down, though. I wouldn't let her win. Her face went from the shade of snow to the color of a rose. Her lips quivered as her eyes closed slowly. I was utterly paralyzed.

  "Okay, okay, that's enough, you two," Kaori came to our rescue.

  In an instant, we were separated. Neither of us looked at the other. My face felt like it was on fire, and I felt my hands trembling. Without a word, Chika stood up and hurried away. After a minute or so of trying to collect myself, I did the same and took my place at the host table ready to greet our guests. After a short while of final preparations, we opened our doors and were instantly flooded with patrons.

  From opening to closing, there was hardly a break in the flow of people. All throughout the day, I found myself staring at Chika, still captivated by her beauty. She moved to and fro throughout the classroom waiting on tables with a smile. The entire day, however, she maybe looked at me one other time. When it was finally over, we closed the classroom door and let out a collective sigh of relief. As we cleaned up the room and prepared it for the next day, laughter and congratulations filled the room.

  Finally, I was able to get to Chika who had almost been ignoring me since the morning. We agreed to walk home together, and I waited for her at the shoe storage at the front of the school. She made her appearance, and we set off. We walked in near silence, save two-liner conversations about how the day went or what tomorrow held.

  We reached the construction spot from earlier to see that it was progressing well. The side that had previously been closed was opened back up, and the smell was still rather present. The same shop owner was on the phone again with seemingly a different delivery company; he still seemed upset, though.

  Out of the blue, my head started to hurt. Presumably it was because I had used my ability for so long earlier in the day. I staggered for just a second, but Chika kept walking, staring at the ground. The next moments went by at a painfully slow rate.

  She stepped into the road. The truck that the shop owner was waiting on barreled through the protective barriers. The driver was too focused on the construction to see her. There wasn't enough time for him to stop. My ability wouldn't activate, and my mouth wouldn't speak. All I could do was stare in horror. The truck collided with my childhood friend and threw her several meters down the road before coming to a screeching halt.

  I ran to her as fast as I could move: my power still would not activate. She was still. There was blood coming from her mouth and nose. I should never have picked her up, but I did. She looked at me and smiled before the light in her eyes vanished. Still my ability refused to activate. I held her close and trembled.

  "Come on," I begged. "You aren't supposed to die. I'm supposed to save you. I'm supposed to protect you. Why couldn't I protect you?"

  Tears fell from my face and landed on hers. Anger swelled inside of me. Desperation filled my heart. My body trembled as I held hers.

  Jump back. Come on, you did it for a fucking water slide; do it now! Don't tell me it was all for nothing! I can't lose someone I love again...COME ON! JUMP BACK!

  My alarm pulled me from my nightmare and reminded me of what was ahead of me. I sat up and stared at my hands, free of Chika's blood. I had done it; I had jumped back to save someone else.