It's been another fateful Christmas for Danielle, yet Jin's week-long presence by her side, and the fact that they've grown even closer over these few days, is her happiest time. Her lips arbitrarily stretch into a smile as she sits cuddled up with him on the couch on the first day of the new year, glad her parents didn't take them with them on a family trip.
He stares at the TV, sort of laughing at a comedy about Santa Claus, while she doesn't take her eyes off the profile of his face.
Jin finally turns his attention to her, surprised that she is not watching a movie, but looking at him.
— What's up?
— Nothing, I'm just glad you're with me.
The boy smiles, then glances at his watch.
— It's already fifteen hours since it's 2012. Soon it will be your fifteenth birthday. What would you like to get as a gift?
— You. — His eyes look surprised, so the girl adds hastily. — All of you.
The sixteen-year-old blinks his eyelids, still not understanding her.
— But you have already conquered me. I am entrapped.
— Surrounded? — repeats the fourteen-year-old in an amused voice.
— You control me at every turn, child. I'm curious who reports to you about my life at Horace Mann. Do you have a friend there?
Danielle discreetly looks at the apparition, who is sitting on the table in front of them, resting her chin on her hand.
— Kiss him — she turns to the 14-year-old, to which she taps her finger on her forehead.
— Are you giving me the idea that I'm stupid? — Jin crinkles his eyebrows, at which she hastily waves her hands.
— It wasn't to you.
— Then to whom?
— I like to knock myself on the forehead sometimes, letting myself know that I am not fully normal.
— Well... you're not.
The phantom looks amused by their exchange of words.
— Are you serious? Just like that you announce to me that I have something wrong with my head?
— After all, you stated it yourself. I'm just confirming the facts. — The boy shrugs his shoulders.
The 14-year-old gets on his lap and pretends to want to strangle him. He grabs her by the shoulders and throws her down on the pillows, not letting her move. She looks at him with wide-open eyes as he leans over her, and with his smile suggests to her that he is planning something towards her.
— I thoroughly enjoy looking at you guys. I love entertaining people. — The phantom once again expresses her opinion.
— What do you want to do? — Danielle speaks up.
— Strangle you ... with your mouth — he answers her, then leans in even further and presses his lips to hers. Danielle gets the impression that she is drifting away. It seems to her that she is flying away to heaven, that she is in a fanciful dream.
Being at his side is a fairy tale for her. She still can't believe that all this is really happening. How did he manage to win her heart? Within six months he has deluded her to the point that she can't see the world outside of him.
Now she can't imagine life without him.
*
On this day, Solar's presence seems extremely tiresome to him. It is enough that he barely crosses the threshold of the school, and she appears by his side like a ghost. Smiling broadly from ear to ear, she looks at him with happy eyes.
Now that Jin knows that Danielle is crazy about him to death, he doesn't need Solar. Nevertheless, for the moment he can't spurn her because he realizes that she will become a scapegoat again, and people won't let her live, mocking her at every turn. Moreover, she has a contract with Joseph, she can't break her word to her friend.
He has to endure a little more, pretending to care in front of her.
— How was your Christmas? — He asks the girls, going to his room. She accompanies him, still looking happy.
— The same as usual, which is why I'm glad this period is over, and I'm at Horace Mann again.
He looks at her out of the corner of his eye as they climb the stairs to the floor.
— Did you get many presents? — He asks her questions with indifference in his voice, but she doesn't sense it, fascinated by his presence.
— I gave them all to the children at the orphanage.
The 16-year-old stops mid-step and looks at her with wide-open eyes. He looks surprised.
She's a good girl, but he didn't think to this extent.
— It's wonderful.
She blushes, pulling her short hair behind her ear.
— I like to make people happy, to watch the smile on their faces. It's an incredible sight.
Jin is getting silly. He's taking advantage of a good girl, messing with her head, with no sincere intentions towards her.
She is innocent, she should not suffer because of him.
— This is a good quality. Excellent — he answers her, thinking about how cruel he is. He is in no way a match for such a kind, helpful girl.
What does she see in him that she is so fascinated by him? His heart is covered with ice, and only a person like him can break through it — someone like Danielle.
— Should we have dinner together? — Solar looks delighted by this proposal. She hastily nods her head. — Wait for me for a while. I'll drink some water because I'm terribly thirsty, and we'll go to the cafeteria.
— I've heard that consuming lots of water does wonders with the human body.
The 16-year-old smiles slightly.
— I would say more that I am addicted to this water....
Solar puts her hands to her cheeks, then takes a deep breath.
She makes no secret of the fact that she couldn't wait for the holiday season to pass and return to Horace Mann. Once it would have been unthinkable, but now she has the desire to be here every day, and it's because of Jin.
His presence fills her with joy.
*
Jin puts the spoon in his mouth then shakes his head, watching his friends who are sitting at a table not far from him, choking with laughter. On this day, Joseph is in an excellent mood, making the company laugh to tears.
At first Solar thinks it's because of her that they are having a laugh and thus trying to discourage Jin from seeing her, but when he surreptitiously glances at his former friend, he notices that he looks somehow different. His eyes highlighted with black crayon look wild and even more dangerous.
— What's going on with Joseph? — she asks in a whisper, hoping that Jin knows the answer to this question. The boy, however, shrugs his shoulders. — Where is Halsey? Has she not arrived at school yet?
— Fame goes to his head. He wants to become school president at all costs. — Jin snorts under his breath, thinking that Joseph is modeling too much on Lana.
Solar's eyes widen with fear when she spots Queen Horace Mann behind the boy's back. The blonde overlaps him from behind and places her hands on his shoulders. Her long turquoise nails immediately catch the girl's eye.
— Get lost, mushroom — she turns in a haughty tone to Solar.
— Don't even think about moving from this chair. You stay with me — Jin speaks, looking intensely at the 17-year-old.
Solar uncertainly glances at Lana and swallows her saliva harder. Her face is so cold and diabolical that chills run through her body.
— Excuse me, but I will go back to my room now. — She hurriedly gets up from the table and walks toward the cafeteria exit, at which Jin rolls her eyes. Her place is taken by the eighteen-year-old, resting her chin on her hand.
— Did you miss me for too long? Have you missed you? — He gets sick every time he looks at her face. He hates this girl with all his heart.
— You lose points with me, beautiful. Just look at Joseph. He is cheerful and carefree, making people around him laugh. Every day, they adore him more and more.
— Have you drugged him again? I've gotten to know Scott well, and he rather doesn't like to make a jester of himself.
— Right away, a clown.... — Lana rolls her eyes. — I simply help the boy achieve what I have achieved. You don't want to, so he will take my place. He takes a good example from me.
— The difference is that you don't have to drug yourself to make a clown of yourself.
The blonde bursts out laughing, loving it when Jin cuts her off.
— Still, you are my favorite, though, young one. I love your temperament.
His face is disgusted as she sends him a kiss.
— You've made him addicted to this pork, so do something to make him give it up.
— I addicted him, he addicted you.
Jin crinkles his eyebrows, not understanding what the girl means.
— What are you talking about?
— Joseph revealed to me that you've been drinking a lot of water lately. It's kind of ... tastier, isn't it, beautiful?
These two sentences make me feel a strange hot feeling in my stomach.
— What have you done to me?
The blonde shrugs his shoulders, looking at him with amusement in his eyes.
— It's not me. It's your buddy.
— Are you amused by this! — he shouts in a whisper, sending her a murderous look. — Where did you get this pig? How do you bring it to Horace Mann?
— Ah, Jinnie. — The girl tries to touch his face, but the 16-year-old moves away hastily, feeling revulsion towards her. — At this age, you can become addicted so quickly. How irritable and nervous will you be when you stop getting this magic powder, and your water will be ordinary again?
Smiling mockingly, she gets up from the table, but he doesn't let her go. He springs from his chair and grabs her hand, having the urge to kill her in front of all those gathered.
Silence falls on the cafeteria, everyone looks at them with curiosity in their eyes.
— You will see for yourself, creature — he answers her.
He shifts his gaze to Joseph, who is undoubtedly high. He would love to knock him down now, but prefers to do it while he is in his right mind.
It's time to talk some sense into him.