See no evil, hear no evil

In her white short-sleeved shirt, Darcey basked in the dawn of the morning glow.

Imagine Dragons' "Enemy" from Arcane beat through her earphones, isolating her from everything else. Her curled grey hair fluttered with every head motion. Her bright blue eyes intently focused on the panels beaming through her phone.

She scrolled and scrolled, letting time roll by.

Then Darcey paused, and instinctively looking up. The door pushed wide open, and Devin stood in the hallway, his smile ever so gentle. He looked paler than usual, Darcey mused.

She looked into his hidden eyes and wondered, 'Why do you have to take it all in?'

A sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes and waited.

A few moments later, she felt his hand on her shoulder. She stood up and held it, feeling the warmth and reassurance in his touch, before Devin led her out of the room and down the hallway…

"What are you doing for us!? What are you doing for our kids!?"

"What are you doing for us!? You don't cook anymore, and look at this fucking mess!" Stepping through the kitchen, Devin cringed at the thick smell of stale beer and unwashed dishes. His palm itched as he found the greasy butcher knife on the counter. He gave the two behind the counter a single glance.

His mother, Diane, with her long black unkempt hair, trained her blue eyes on Cole, screaming at him.

Cole threw a beer bottle across the wall in rage, letting it shatter all over the kitchen floor. Pale, with his grey hair and goatee a mess, he went at it with his wife. Dirty dishes piled high in the sink beside them, for all to see.

Thud. Devin closed the door behind him. He let go of Darcey, prompting her to open her eyes. Imagine Dragons' "Believer" played through her earphones as the sun's warmth brought an orange glow to the world before them, waking up the denizens of South Town. Darcey took a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm wash over her as she stepped into the sunlight…

As they walked to the bus stop, Darcey chatted about all the goings-on at Silverwood Primary.

"So Shauna has a crush on Tashreeq and she actually confessed to him."

"Wow," Devin responded, listening as Darcey continued.

After some time passed, she went silent.

"Something on your mind?" Devin asked.

Darcey sighed, her face softened when she turned to him. "Devin, what's wrong with Mom and Dad?"

'Shit!' Devin cursed, suddenly feeling backed into a corner. He'd like nothing more than to be honest with her but, Darcey deserves better than all that chaos.

"Mom and dad are just, very busy." He lied through his teeth.

"They're always busy." Darcey's pleading blue eyes pained him. "Ever since moving here, I've seen them less and less…"

"I just, miss them I guess." She sighed.

"They miss you too Darce, they tell me everyday how much they love you."

"Those are just words." Darcey shrugged her shoulders. Then, she smiled brightly, while hugging Devin's arm.

"At least I have you, the best bro in the world." Devin embraced her, his hand trembling slightly as he patted her back.

Silverwood High, on the track field. Sitting against the white wall, Devin flipped through the drawings on his exam pad before landing on a blank page. He wrote the number two, as he went through everything that happened.

'I died twice if I'm counting the first time, and when I realized I was repeating the last events. Comparing the two, it seems that these jumps back in time happen after Darcey dies.' Devin paused, his eyes glistening as he sat silently for a moment. He shook his head clear and continued.

'This is my third life now, and compared to the last two, I have more time for some reason. Anyway, my best bet to ending this is saving Darcey,' Devin thought, then wondered how he could save her. Recalling her last moments, he realized that there was nothing natural about her death. It was as if a parasite had taken over her body and sucked her life dry.

Immediately, Devin wrote down medicine as a possible solution. He leaned back against the white wall, the hard surface grounding him as he pondered his next steps. Before he could continue, two shadows loomed over him.

"Hey Levi, look at this retard!"

"Huh—" Before Devin could blink, a boot slammed across his face!

He knocked against the wall, spitting blood across its white surface. His jaw throbbed with pain, and his mouth was hot with the iron taste of blood. Devin reeled on the ground, looking up at his assailant in a daze.

Bale snickered with Levi before turning back to him.

"You sleeping on the floor now, broke boy?" Bale then picked him up by his collar and slammed him against the wall.

'Urgh.' Devin silently took the pain before a right hook thudded against his temple. Dizzy, Devin's head swayed.

"Look at this bitch!" Bale chastised, before slamming his left fist across Devin's face. He then grabbed him by the chin and forced Devin to look up at him. Look up at his greatness, look up at his might, his ego and malice gleaming from his reddish-brown eyes.

"I am Bale de Franco!"

"Urgh." He struck at Devin's gut, forcing a grunt out of him.

"You're nothing to me!"

Over and over again, Bale reigned his fists upon Devin. They made contact with his body and face, as he silently took it all in. His shirt was now a torn mess, revealing the bruises underneath. His left eye was black and blue, with his cheek cut and blood running down his face.

Through this awful beating, something dawned on Devin. On the second life, he didn't just jump backward, but forward in time as well. The first time it happened, Devin waved Darcey off to school when he jumped to the track field, where he would have been hours later. Then when talking to Emily, the same happened, ending up in his room. This meant that—

"Urgh!" Bale drove his foot through Devin's nether regions, disrupting his train of thought and dropping him to his knees.

"Urgh…" Devin groaned, paralyzed with pain.

"Now you're squealing." Bale grinned before turning to Levi. "Hold him down." He instructed. Levi did as told and forced Devin's face to the ground.

"Hey broke boy, what's your favourite arm?" Bale asked the now defenceless Devin.

Levi looked up in shock, "Yo boss?"

"Shut up." Bale shut him down and turned to Devin. "This is between me and brokie over here, and you know what? I'm gonna be nice with you." He chuckled. "I'll just take your left one." His demented grin on display, he grabbed Devin's arm and raised his foot to stomp his elbow—

"Stop it!"

End of Chapter 5