Jayden’s father visited once in a while, so it was just him and his mom, his absence was another reason for Jayden being this wild and mean.
Jayden spent most of that day withdrawn, letting Monty do the talking. Monty went on about his latest video game conquest, describing his strategies and scores with enthusiasm. Jayden barely responded, his mind lost in the fog of yesterday’s events. But when Monty suddenly perked up with an idea, Jayden snapped back to the present.
“Hey! Let’s have a game night!” Monty suggested, grinning. It wasn’t the best timing, considering everything that had happened, but Jayden agreed. Anything to escape his own mind for a while.
That night, they played game after game, the flashing lights and noise helping to drown out Jayden’s dark thoughts. After a while, though, exhaustion took over. His head ached from lack of sleep, and he leaned back, ready to call it 

That day marked a turning point for Jayden. He had apologized to Benjamin, a gesture that melted the icy tension between them, even if only slightly. This wasn’t the first time they’d clashed, but deep down, Jayden knew things couldn’t keep spiraling the way they had. Time wasn’t waiting, and neither was the weight of his conscience.
For Jayden, change wasn’t an option; it was a necessity. He had grown into someone more compassionate, someone who tried to look out for others instead of shutting himself off from the world. Yet, this transformation came at a cost—an unshakable conviction that he was cursed. Jayden carried the guilt of having killed an innocent student, a young life snuffed out for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That guilt consumed him. No amount of kindness could rewrite the past, but redemption, however hard it seemed, became his only foc

Jayden stormed straight home, his mind swirling in chaos. As soon as he reached his bathroom, he gripped the sink and stared into the mirror, breathing heavily, his whole body thrumming with a strange, uncontrollable energy. His skin felt hot, as though something was burning from the inside out, and his jaw ached as he clenched it, struggling to contain the rage boiling within him. A low, guttural sound escaped his throat—a sound more animal than human.
He blinked, his gaze snapping back to the mirror, and saw his eyes glowing an unnatural, bright green. As he watched, horrified, his hands curled into fists so tight he could feel his nails digging into his palms. A sharp pain followed by a warm wetness told him they had broken the skin, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go. His bones were popping, cracking beneath his skin, and he felt himself on the edge of something terrible. A small voice whispered to him: *If you hadn’t left that party, this could’ve been Benjamin’s last night.*
Finally, he forced himself to relax his fists, and as he opened his hands, he saw dark, fresh blood oozing from deep cuts on his palms. His fingernails had grown, sharpened like claws without him even realizing it, and they’d left raw, bleeding marks across his skin. He staggered back, looking down at his hands, trembling.
“What...what is happening to me?” he whispered, and was startled to hear his own voice twisted, layered with another—a deep, monstrous tone that seemed to echo from the depths of his throat. It was as if something else was speaking through him.
Realization washed over him in a cold wave: whatever had happened last night with Felix was more than just a nightmare. He’d changed—transformed into something terrifying. And he knew now that if he’d killed someone once, he could do it again. The thought of it, the dark power lurking inside him, made him feel sick.
“What am I going to do?” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. His thoughts jumped to his mother, her safety. He couldn’t stay here, not with her in the same house. What if he lost control again?
Without a second thought, he turned and climbed out of his bedroom window, slipping into the night, away from the one person he wanted to protect the most. He sprinted up into the hills, not stopping, not even daring to look back. He ran until the town was far behind him, until he was surrounded by nothing but trees and shadows, his footsteps echoing in the stillness of the forest.
Eventually, he came across a small opening in the ground, a hidden entrance leading to an underground cave. Desperate and exhausted, he crawled inside, crouching in the darkness. The cave was cold and damp, but it was isolated, far from everyone he cared about. He sat there, waiting out the night, praying that the sunrise would bring him clarity, or some sign that this nightmare would end.
When morning finally came, he felt drained but a bit calmer. Making his way back home, he slipped quietly into the house, hoping his mother hadn’t noticed his absence. But as he entered, he found her sitting on the living room sofa, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She was waiting for him, her expression a strange mix of concern and worry.
“Mom, I...” he started, trying to find words for everything he was feeling. But she held up her hand, stopping him before he could say another word.
“I know what you did…” His mother’s voice was calm, almost gentle, yet it cut through him like a knife.
Jayden froze. “You...you do?” How could she possibly know? The incident with Felix was a dark secret only his group knew. He started to panic, wondering if Benjamin had somehow explained that incident to her just so he can be punished.
“Yes,” she continued, her voice softening. “And I’m not mad at you.”
His jaw dropped. “What?” He was stunned, unable to process what he was hearing.
She nodded. “Benjamin was scaring a poor girl and making fun of someone’s death. He deserved it!” She placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “But, honey…” Her voice softened even more as she brushed her fingers across his face. “We can’t go around strangling people. Promise me you won’t do that again.” There was no anger, only concern and a quiet warning in her tone.
Jayden’s heart twisted. His mom was his rock, the only person he’d never lied to. He wanted so badly to tell her everything—to admit that Felix’s death was haunting him and that he felt like something dark was taking over. But the fear of losing her, of her seeing him as a monster, stopped him cold. He swallowed the confession, his voice barely a whisper as he managed, “I love you.”
Her face softened even more, and she pulled him into a warm hug. “I love you too, honey. So much.”
But the warmth didn’t chase away the shadows. Felix’s death had changed Jayden, leaving him with a sense of dread that wouldn’t leave. At school, he kept his head low, shoulders hunched as he tried to disappear into the crowd.
“Hey!” a loud voice snapped him from his thoughts. Monty clapped him on the back, the casual slap breaking Jayden’s trance as he sat alone in the canteen. “What’s up, buddy?” Monty’s grin was wide, though his eyes held a hint of sympathy. He leaned in, lowering his voice. “Don’t worry—I’m not hanging with them anymore. Making fun of Felix’s death isn’t my style.”
Monty had always been different from the others even though he was part of his bully group first, he kept them at bay. His friendship felt like a lifeline, one of the few connections Jayden had left. Since his dad had left town for work, it had just been him and his mom. In his dad’s absence, Jayden had felt an emptiness, a restlessness that sometimes drove him to reckless decisions.
As he sat there, watching Monty joke about their classes and mock the cafeteria food, Jayden felt a flicker of relief, a chuckle escaped his lips.

Jayden’s father visited once in a while, so it was just him and his mom, his absence was another reason for Jayden being this wild and mean.
Jayden spent most of that day withdrawn, letting Monty do the talking. Monty went on about his latest video game conquest, describing his strategies and scores with enthusiasm. Jayden barely responded, his mind lost in the fog of yesterday’s events. But when Monty suddenly perked up with an idea, Jayden snapped back to the present.
“Hey! Let’s have a game night!” Monty suggested, grinning. It wasn’t the best timing, considering everything that had happened, but Jayden agreed. Anything to escape his own mind for a while.
That night, they played game after game, the flashing lights and noise helping to drown out Jayden’s dark thoughts. After a while, though, exhaustion took over. His head ached from lack of sleep, and he leaned back, ready to call it a night.
“What if we got...you know, a little something extra?” Monty hinted, glancing at Jayden wit

6. Left Alone