LOST AND LONELY

Jason's heart hammered against his ribs. Clio. Here, in front of his house, after everything that had just happened. The coincidence was almost unbearable. Could this be connected?

"Clio," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Clio looked startled, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion. "Should there be a reason? I should be asking you too." She trailed off, unable to articulate her reasons for being there.

The events of the past few hours were still swirling in her mind, leaving her feeling disoriented and vulnerable.

Dreck, ever observant, stepped forward out of the car"What's going on, Jason? Who is she?"

"I... I don't know," Jason stammered, his mind racing. "We met earlier today." He quickly recounted their encounter.

Clio, sensing the tension, looked from Jason to his Dreck, then back to the house. "I... I should go," she whispered, turning to leave.

"Wait," Jason said, his voice firm. "It's not safe for you to be out alone, especially after what happened." He glanced at Dreck, who seemed to understand the unspoken plea in his brother's eyes.

"Actually," Clio said, stopping and turning back, "I live just a few blocks from here. On Elm Street."

Jason and Dreck exchanged a surprised look. This was more than just a coincidence.

"You live on Elm Street?" Jason repeated, trying to keep his voice calm. "I... I didn't know."

"It's a small world," Clio said, a hint of a nervous smile playing on her lips. "Besides we just packed in today. I came out to take a walk ."

"A small world indeed, this is my family house," Jason said pointing at the building in front of him "There was an emergency, that's why I had to come home" He added

"Ohhh..that's nice. I'll get going " She said and turned to leave immediately

"Clio!" Jason called and she paused

"Can you remember what the guy you met at the park looked like?"

"Uhmmm.." She began, recalling her earlier encounter. "He looked a bit sketchy, but I didn't think much of it. He had a mark on his ear, like an...."

"This is exactly the same description given by Jane," He thought, gesturing for her to pause

"Thanks" He mumbled with a bow

She stared at him strangely and walked away

"I don't know, but I feel like she acts strangely," Dreck said as they walked back to the car

"I feel too, she looks like she has a kind of trouble " Jason added before they finally drove off

"Something feels off about her—maybe it's related to her past," Dreck said, his eyes narrowed in thought.

Jason gripped the steering wheel tightly, tension radiating from him. "Her past? Do such things even exist?" A strange laugh escaped him, masking his unease.

"Yeah, they do," Dreck replied, his tone more serious.

Jason shrugged, the humor fading as he considered Dreck's words.

★★JAGONS APARTMENT★★

Clio finally returned home, stepping into the sitting room. Logan, her mother's former colleague, barely looked up from his phone.

"When did you leave?" he asked, his focus still on the screen.

"A few minutes ago," Clio replied, her voice low.

"Be careful. It's late, and being out at this hour isn't wise," Logan cautioned, finally meeting her gaze.

"Thanks, Logan," she said with a polite smile before heading to her room.

"Such a pitiful girl," he mumbled under his breath as she walked away.

Inside her room, Clio collapsed onto her bed, exhaustion washing over her. Staring at the ceiling, her mind replayed the events of the day until sleep finally claimed her.

Suddenly, she was jolted awake, trembling and drenched in sweat. "Huh… I, no…" she muttered, thrashing about as a dark voice echoed in her mind. "I hate you, especially your mother. What's the best way to send you both away from this earth?"

"No!" she screamed, bolting upright. Anxiety coursed through her, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks. "Am I ever going to get used to this dark world?" The thought of Jason's kindness flickered in her mind. "Could there really be good people in this world?"

###

**Next Day**

Clio awoke the next morning, the weight of the previous night behind her. She dressed quickly, then made her way to the kitchen where her mom was preparing breakfast.

"Mom!" she called, hugging her from behind.

"Clio, how are you?" her mother asked, turning with a warm smile.

"I'm good!" Clio beamed, feeling a momentary sense of normalcy.

"Let's eat! You need your energy for school," Mrs. Jenkins said, leading her to the dining table.

Clio smiled as she dug into her food. "What about Logan? Isn't he going to work?"

"He'll be here soon," Mrs. Jenkins replied.

"What about you?" Clio inquired.

"I'm off duty today," her mom said with a cheerful nod. Moments later, Logan emerged from his room.

"Logan, good morning!" Clio greeted, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Morning, Clio! Finished already? Let's get going!" he replied with a smile. He approached Mrs. Jenkins.

"Aren't you having breakfast?" she asked.

"I don't eat breakfast," Logan said, chuckling lightly.

Mrs. Jenkins shrugged with a smile. Clio, feeling impatience creeping in, said, "If this continues, I'm going to be late." She quickly left the table, exiting the house.

"Take care!" Mrs. Jenkins called after them as Logan followed her out.

Inside the car, Clio settled into her seat, and Logan started the engine.

"Belgium High School, right?" he asked, glancing over at her.

"Yeah," she replied quietly as the car pulled away.

Minutes later, the silence in the car felt heavy. Clio suddenly broke it with a startling question: "Do you love my mom?"

Logan slammed the brakes, causing both their heads to jerk forward. "What prompted that question?" he asked, surprise etched on his face.

"I hope it's just a thought. All males are evil," she mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"I understand what you're dealing with regarding your dad—"

"You have no right to bring him up!" Clio screamed, her frustration boiling over. She pounded on the dashboard, her chest heaving with anger. "Drop me off!" she shouted one last time, but Logan kept driving.

"Clio…" he began, but she cut him off, pulling a lighter from her bag.

"Drop me off or I'll set this car on fire!" she yelled, brandishing the lighter.

"Alright, alright!" Logan replied, finally hitting the brakes. Clio stormed out of the car, leaving him confused as he watched her walk towards the school.

Just as she began to lose herself in thought, a car pulled up beside her. "Hi, Clio!" a voice called out.

She turned to see Jason, irritation flashing across her face. "I know I owe you for saving me, but could you stop pestering me?"

"Did she just call me a pest?" Jason turned to Dreck, bewildered.

"I think we both heard her right. I say we leave," Dreck said, ready to drive away.

"We can't! I'm just trying to help her…" Jason replied, exasperated.

"Why does it seem like you're trying to get close to her?" Dreck probed, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not! I just feel responsible. Don't take my actions the wrong way,. Drive off already." Jason insisted, but Dreck simply nodded, knowing there was more to this story than met the eye.

As Clio walked away, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that their paths were intertwined in ways she didn't yet understand.

★★BELGIUM HIGH SCHOOL ★★

**Inside the classroom

Jason and Dreck were seated together at the back of the classroom. They had been chatting about their family stuffs, sharing ideas on how to catch up with the culprit. After a while, the bell rang, signaling the start of class. They returned to their separate seats, the seriousness of their conversation lingering in the air.

As they settled down, Mr. Thompson, their science teacher, entered the room, a stack of papers in hand. The class quieted instantly, the chatter fading into an expectant silence.

"Good morning, everyone!" Mr. Thompson's voice boomed. "Today, we'll be diving into the complexities of chemical compounds.I hope you've all done your reading."

Jason took a deep breath, trying to shake off the stress of the previous night. His thoughts kept drifting back to the events surrounding Jane and Clio's involvement. He hoped for some distraction, some normalcy amid the chaos.

Dreck, seated a few rows ahead, caught Jason's eye and raised an eyebrow. Jason shrugged, attempting to convey that everything was okay. But in truth, he felt a nervous energy bubbling beneath the surface.

As Mr. Thompson began detailing about the chemical compounds, Jason struggled to focus. His mind spiraled with thoughts of the mysterious man at the park and the impending danger to those he cared about. What if the attacker came for Clio or Jane again? He felt a rush of protectiveness.

Suddenly, the classroom door swung open, interrupting their lesson. Clio entered, her cheeks flushed but her expression determined. She scanned the room and spotted Jason,anger and disappointment suddenly flashing on her face

"I never knew he was gonna turn out to be my classmate and on my seat..." Clio thought staring daggers at Jason,who slowly turned his face

"Ah, Clio! Good of you to join us," Mr. Thompson announced, noting her late arrival, while she bowed and walked to her seat.

As the lesson resumed, Jason couldn't help but admire Clio's resilience. She had faced some darkness, yet here she was, embracing the normalcy of school life.

Midway through the lecture, Clio turned around and whispered to Jason, "You should better find a seat after today's lecture,I don't seat with pests."

"You keep calling me a pest,is that how you see me as?" he replied, keeping his voice low.

"What else? You all are the same,you all are just like him" Clio said , sounding angry, her brow furrowed.

Jason started at her in shock,trying to figure out what she meant. "What are you trying to say?"

"Why should I explain to you?" She asked and Jason remained silent but finally spoke up after few minutes

"Because I want to know you,I want to be friends with you"

"Friends?? Even my own father couldn't act like a friend" She smiled,with a scoff afterwards

"What did you say?" Jason asked because he didn't hear what she said. It was more like a whisper.

"Why am I supposed to tell you?" She asked them continued listening to the lecture,this only left Jason more confused

★★★JENKINS APARTMENT ★★★

The camera reveals a young girl in her teens seated on a sofa inside the sitting room, while Jenkins was just stepping out of his room towards the same direction.

Jenkins walked towards another sofa and sat down,before turning to the girl. "What did I say your name is?" He asked

"Amelia" She replied with a smile

"Who are your parents?" He asked, revealing a wicked smile

"Parents? I'm an orphan" She replied, "And I have no siblings"

"Remember the promise you made when I saved you,you said you were gonna do anything I asked you to do,so,should we begin with a simple task?" He asked with a smirk

"Anything at all,at least I was saved by you. I'm willing to do anything you ask me to do" Amelia replied and he stared at her strangely

"Are you willing to help me kill??" He suddenly asked and her jaw dropped leaving his question unanswered

"Seems like that was a very difficult one. Get ready, tomorrow you'll be in Belgium High School,that's where your mission will begin" He explained and walked away immediately leaving the girl astonished.