Gloss

"Ethan Miller." Ethan steeled his resolve as he uttered the two words. Misty smiled. "Look! Now everybody's happy! You know who I am, and I know who you are." Ethan stared into her blue eyes. They were a different kind of blue from his own. Her eyes were coloured lighter than his, resembling a frozen corpse standing in a blizzard. They were a sign of her ruthlessness. Snow wasn't kind to anybody.

Snap! The ice beneath his feet melted away as he was set free. Tap...tap...tap. Misty moved closer as she stared at his face. "Hmmmm" She grabbed his cheeks and moved his face around, examining him thoroughly. "Not bad! You look much better than those fools in Class 1."

She let go of him and took a step back. "Let's see..." Misty glanced at him, eyeing every single part of his body, as if he were a strange animal. Ethan's heart thumped silently as he stood still. He had no idea what she was doing. "I still can't see why he liked you."

"What?" "Oh, nothing! I was just talking to myself." She waved her arms dismissively. "So, Ethan. The truth is, I've come here to see you." She gave him another dazzling smile. "Ah...Is that so? Did you need something from me?" Ethan tried to compose himself. He strongly resisted her devilish charms. He would not become her plaything.

Misty didn't stop smiling. "Yes! But first, I need to ask you something. Where were you for the last two hours? I went to Dust House, but you weren't there." She was looking for him? Strange! He hadn't gotten involved with Noah or the five heirs, so he had no idea why she'd be looking for him. Maybe...What if Noah had traced him to the incident at the orientation?

"Um...." No. It probably wasn't like that. His heart hadn't acted up after that day. And anyways, Noah wouldn't tell her about that incident. Then why was Misty after him? "I...I was just doing a mission." Misty raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You were? But weren't all Dust House members summoned today? I saw a bunch of them gathered in front of Dust House."

Ethan rubbed his head apologetically. "Ah...Is that so? I haven't heard about it. I'll have to apologise to the teachers." He spoke nonchalantly. Misty was much more dangerous than any teacher in KGS. "No, you idiot. They weren't summoned by the teachers! They were summoned by Class 7. The rulers of Dust House! Why didn't you go?" She laughed.

Ethan didn't sense any hostility from her voice. The rulers of Dust House? Class 7? Must be Zack and his buddies roleplaying the five families or something. "Ah...Is that so? I'll have to be careful, then."

Misty frowned. She wasn't expecting such an underwhelming response from him. She had half expected him to burst into tears and beg for help. But he just stood there as if nothing would happen to him. That was strange. Did he have a powerful backer somewhere? Probably not. From what she'd heard, Ethan was considered to be trash even among Class 10. If he was going to use somebody's help, he would have used it now.

She smiled wickedly. How funny would it be if Ethan became her servant. How angry would 'that person' be? The very thought of seeing his face contort with rage filled her with joy. "Hey, Ethan! Why don't you join my faction?"

"What?" Misty moved towards Ethan. "Join my faction." Ethan stared bewilderedly at her. Her faction? Was this why she'd come here? To recruit a nameless Class 10 nobody into her faction? Misty sensed his indecision. She moved closer to him, closing the gap even more than it ever had. "If I take you under my wing, you'll become the king of Dust House. You'll be able to decide the fates of everybody who ridiculed you. Imagine...." she extended a finger, sliding it across his cheek.

"Imagine the power. The control. The terror." Misty face was right in front of Ethan's. He could feel her warm breath as her ice blue eyes stared into his own. His heart thumped loudly. She was right. It would be so easy if he joined her. He wouldn't be troubled by Zack and his goons. He could do whatever he wanted.

Even Douglas. Ethan's eyes shone. Even Douglas wouldn't be able to do anything when faced with a Gloss. All of his problems would be sorted with just a flick of his finger. All he had to do was agree. Misty closed in, drawing ever closer to Ethan's face.

She smiled. It was working. She knew it. All boys were the same. All it took was a small push, and they were in her grasp. And once she caught them, she would never let them go. "Ethan...." she whispered.

Snap! "I'm sorry. I won't be able to accept your offer." Misty was shocked. Just a moment ago, Ethan was showing signs of falling for her, yet he suddenly backed away. She frowned. "What do you mean by that? You're going to refuse the kindness of somebody above you?"

Ethan stared at her. Rage ignited inside his heart. Above him? This girl was just about to ruin his life on a whim, and now she was talking about kindness? "I'm sorry. I'm a commoner, and I don't quite understand the ways of young masters. So forgive me if I couldn't recognise your benevolence."

"You...you...who do you think you're talking to? I could ruin your life right now, and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it." Misty couldn't believe that Ethan had called her a 'young master'. How could he be so brazen? "You think what you're facing right now is hell? I can show you real hell. Pain and sadness beyond anything you could imagine. I can make you wish you weren't born." "Then do it." Ethan stared back into her eyes, not backing away from the threat.

"I..." "But remember, if you do anything, be prepared to face the consequences." Misty wanted to laugh. Consequences? "Who do you think you are? You're just a no-name commoner from a trashy city! You couldn't even breathe if I didn't want you to."

"Are you willing to take that risk? To mess with a no-name commoner?" A chill ran down Misty's spine. This idiot was a nobody. He would never be able to reach her. He'd be stuck in the depths of society, never managing to even reach her feet, let alone match her. So why....why was his aura so terrifying.

Ethan continued to speak. "Sure, I probably won't be able to do anything. I might be somebody you could step over without any consequences. But...." Ethan's eyes gleamed "....I might also become your worst nightmare. So tell me. Are you willing to take that risk?" Misty stared back at him, unable to utter a single word.

He turned around as he started walking away. "It was nice meeting you, Ms. Gloss. I hope we can continue to stay friendly. Because if we can't...." he looked behind. "I don't think the Glosses could handle me." Creak! Ethan pushed open the door as he walked out of the main office.

Misty stood in shock, staring at the door Ethan had just walked through. She shivered slightly as she remembered his domineering aura. Could she afford to mess with him. Any other person, and she'd have ruined their lives. But this boy? There was something different about him. He was dangerous. He was like a bomb, just waiting to explode. Just like Noah.

Misty had thought she had seen the scariest creature on the planet when she met Noah. It wasn't his monstrous growth as an awakener that scared her. No, it was his eyes. His two eyes that exuded death. "If you mess with me...." Noah had stared at her like she was an insect, as he uttered these words "....I'll kill you."

Misty had experienced true fear that day. Her mother wasn't scary. Neither was any monster that she'd ever battled. No, that tall, dark haired boy with his dead eyes, staring at her as if she was nothing- that was what she was terrified off.

And today, she'd met another terrifying person. This guy. Ethan Miller. While Noah was someone she feared, Ethan....Ethan was different. He didn't have Noah's ruthless aura, or a rich person's arrogance. No. All Misty could feel from him was a huge sense of conviction. His belief in his ideals, whatever they were, was extremely strong. Enough to make him fear nothing, as he trudged forward.

She stepped outside as she looked around. She could see Ethan walking in the distance with his back turned towards her. "Ethan Miller!" She shouted. He stopped. "Three months. Conquer Dust House in three months. Show me that you have the strength to back your words. Or...." she didn't need to complete the threat.

Ethan stood still for a second, as if he was going to say something. His shoulders relaxed. Tap...tap...tap. He continued walking forward as he headed back towards Dust House. Today, he was destined to lose. Zack and his crew would beat him up, and they'd definitely win. Yet.....Ethan didn't waver. He didn't falter. He continued to walk forward, determined not to stop.

He turned around a corner as he reached Dust House. He could see some faint bloodstains on the floor. Apparently Zack was busy. But he didn't care. Tap...tap...tap. He walked up to a door and stopped. "Huff.....Huff!" Ethan took a deep breath as he prepared himself.

He tensed his body, ready for the ordeal ahead. Creak! The door slowly opened. Zack was crouched in front of boy, grasping one of his fingers as two boys held on to his arms. Crack! "Ahhhh!" "You really are a piece of shit, Zack."

Zack looked up. He could recognise the blue eyed boy in front of him. He smiled. "Ah, Ethan! There you are! I was wondering where you had wandered off to." He wiped his palms. "I was completing a mission. One which gave me 15 points. Quite a nice mission, don't you think?" Zack's smile froze. "So it was you? You were the one who stole the mission?" He laughed. "Yes! This is perfect! This is exactly what I'd hoped for."

He let go of the boy's arms. "Let him go him!" The two boys let go of the boy as he fell to the floor. Zack cracked his knuckles. "Well then, Ethan! Since you've sinned, you shall be punished. And I'll correct that disrespectful attitude of yours while we're at it." He tilted his head. "After all, disrespect isn't something that we tolerate at KGS, is it?" He smiled dangerously.