Chapter 38

Leo was curled up in a ball in the dark. There was no one around, and there was no sound except the thoughts in his head. "So warm." Leo was away from the stress. Leo was away from the pain. He didn't have to answer to anyone; he didn't have responsibilities. Finally, he could just sleep.

When Leo wasn't sleeping, he was watching the only other thing in the empty room: a giant screen. Occasionally, people he knew would appear, but Leo would just ignore them. He was too tired and too comfortable to move. The screen moved on its own; it was almost like a movie, but it also felt real at the same time. The movie brought Leo to a weird, creepy man who barked orders at him, and he just obeyed.

How had he gotten here? He couldn't remember, but one day, Leo's screen showed someone he recognized. "Rebecca?" She was a girl in his class. She had her red hair tied up in a ponytail most days, and she wore her glasses. She was very shy and often kept to herself. Not many people noticed her, but Leo sat behind her every day at school. He knew exactly who she was. The first time she came on the screen, he sat up straight, and his heart started beating.

"Why are you here in this warehouse?" He thought to himself. "You don't belong here." Leo was reminded of his own guilt, why he was here... He shook his head to forget and then refocused on her.

Weeks passed by, and he watched diligently for when she appeared. He waited. The scary man commanded a special order this time to Leo's screen: "Follow her and make sure she is safe." A guardian. A knight. This was Leo's calling. Truly, that's who he was, who he must have been. It only made sense. She was the only person he cared to see in this movie. He must have been her protector all along.

He saw her from afar, even when she didn't see him. He saw her cry when she was alone. He saw her talk to someone who wasn’t there anymore, someone she missed. Someone who died.

"It's pretty tough out here, Dad... I'm not good at making friends... I can't even talk to my friends from elementary school. I don't think they even remember me." She laid her head on her knees. "Things will change soon, hopefully."

Leo stood up and wanted to shout to her, to let her know that he saw her, that he knew who she was, but what was the point? She wouldn’t hear him. But he would stay by her no matter what.

"Everyone find him!" The scary man changed Leo's orders again. He clenched his fist. "No! Take me back!" The scene changed. The movie kept going, and he couldn't stop it. Suddenly, he was in the street, being shocked, and the screen went black.

Some time passed, and Leo was starting to forget her face. He desperately held on to her image, but the screen wasn’t showing her anymore. His mind was growing foggy, and things went back to how they were. His memory started to fade.

Leo opened his eyes... His eyes? Leo looked down, and he was in a shadow figure. There was a kid speaking to him. Leo couldn’t speak; he could barely understand, but he was starting to get control again.

Most of his days were spent hanging around, playing video games like he used to. He remembered his old life. He even remembered his wish. Something he regretted. A wish to disappear. His life wasn't very hard, but it didn’t mean it was easy. A mom who barely noticed him. A father who was away from home for months at a time. Leo spent his time avoiding people because he didn’t understand them. He didn’t know why they were mean, or if they were pretending. It was hard to connect with people.

Then, a red-haired girl came by. Something sparked within him. He only remembered one thing. She could make the shadowmen more powerful; he remembered that she was important. She made him feel things he couldn’t explain.

Then an explosion rang out. Leo’s body and consciousness were warped through space and time. He was back in his room. He remembered the red-haired girl perfectly. "Rebecca!" He remembered he was her knight. He remembered that he needed to protect her.

He immediately got up and looked for Steven's house.

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Leo stood up again, with a new fire burning from within. That’s right, he was her knight. He could save her. He started running, getting closer and closer. Steven was taking all of her attention away. Only he could do this. It was something only he could do. Something that would shock her so much that she would be forcefully brought back to reality—something so pure she couldn’t ignore it. He dodged a growing flower. Steven shouted at him, "Now, Leo! Whatever you are going to do, do it now!" Finally, he was close enough to her to touch her.

"I love you!" He embraced her and led her into a dip, then kissed her passionately.