1 A Creepy Old Book

"Alright, everyone, the exam results will be out by the end of the week," Mr. Raymond, the bald-headed biology teacher, announced before exiting the classroom.

The classroom was on the second floor of the school building, and Max was seated very close to the window, receiving the freshest air as his body practically needed it right now.

He was still recovering from the injuries he had sustained from yesterday's fight with an older student. His face was covered in bruises, and his entire body still suffered from the torment.

However, the fact that Max's parents were planning to send him off to a military college worried him the most. This military school trains students on how to use their Abilities to the fullest. But the problem was that Max wasn't an ability user, so he worried that the stronger students might start picking on him again.

Immediately after Mr. Raymond left the class, a group of boys rushed inside. The other students cleared the way in fear and mumbled as the boys walked towards the window where Max was seated.

Max didn't bother turning around, as he already knew who the boys were and why they had come to him.

"Hey, boy! I told you it wasn't over yet, didn't I?" One of the boys in a red t-shirt voiced out with a threatening tone. The other three boys stood behind him, acting like bodyguards.

Soon, Max's gaze turned to the boy in the red t-shirt, and of course, it was the older student he had fought with yesterday. The boy's face was also covered with bruises due to their previous encounter.

Max's friend happened to be the one who gave the older student those bruises. Yesterday, Max's friend stood up for him. However, today, Max has to face the trouble all by himself.

Max grinned at the boy and responded, "Do your worst, Jacob!" He declared with so much confidence in his tone.

His fellow classmates all exclaimed in great fear. They all know that Max is a D-user, possessing no ability himself, and yet he's challenging an ability user, especially Jacob of all people?!"

Jacob twisted his tongue in his mouth, clearly amazed by Max's confidence despite the fact that there was no one to save him this time around.

Before Jacob could say or do anything, the weak Max threw the first punch. He didn't want the fight to end without him hitting Jacob, so he decided to strike first in other to set record.

Smart move I must say. But what happened next was quite messy.

Max's punch landed directly on Jacob's upper lip and he bled immediately. Max then tried to escape from Jacob, swiftly jumping off his seat, but one of the boys stopped him from leaving by grabbing his black hoodie.

Max tried to free himself and struggled, but just then Jacob tackled him to the ground and unleashed a series of punches on his cute little face.

For a brief moment, Max felt like he was going to lose consciousness, but then he mustered enough strength to push Jacob off. At that very moment, Max landed his second attack on the side of Jacob's face, adding to the bruises.

Fueled by uncontrollable fury, Jacob decided to use his special ability against Max. He stepped back, gathered enough momentum, and then swiftly released it in Max's direction.

Instantly, as if struck by a moving car, Max was catapulted off the ground and collided with the whiteboard a short distance away.

He let out a scream at the top of his voice, silently yearning for help and wishing for the fight to come to an end. He acted as if he had broken a rib upon crashing into the whiteboard.

"What's wrong with you, dude? You could've killed him!" The boy who was holding Max from escaping shouted at Jacob for losing control.

Jacob was exhausted due to the amount of momentum he had just used on Max. He probably exerted more force than he had planned to.

Fortunately for Max, Mr. Raymond wasn't far away and rushed into the classroom shortly after. Ivy was the girl who had gone to inform Mr. Raymond about the fight in time.

"HEY! HEY!!" The teacher shouted at Jacob and his friends. They quickly exited the classroom through the other door.

Upon realizing that the boys were gone, Max's screaming and groaning abruptly stopped. He had been feigning most of it to make Jacob believe he was seriously hurt. Fortunately, his stunt succeeded before Mr. Raymond arrived.

"Look at you, Max. Come on, let's take you to the school nurse," Mr. Raymond offered, supporting Max with a hand to help him stand on his feet.

Max's eyes were swollen, and he could barely stand on his own. But all he could think about was the match he had just lost.

'Match 203, lost' He whispered to himself with a grin that betrayed his true feelings.

"Can someone lend a hand, please? Take him to the school nurse. I need to be somewhere else," the teacher explained to the classmates.

But they all stood back, maintaining their distance from Max. You couldn't blame them; anyone seen around Max ended up facing the same fate as him. When the teacher thought no one was going to step forward, a voice pierced the silence.

"I WILL TAKE HIM!"

Everyone abruptly directed their gaze towards the figure that volunteered to help Max. Behold, it was Ivy, the same girl who had gone to inform Mr. Raymond about the ongoing fight.

Max was also surprised that Ivy, of all people, was the one offering to help him.

Ivy was the epitome of popularity in the school, always surrounded by her friends. Her parents were stinking rich, and she was also a D-user like Max. But despite both being D-users, Ivy enjoyed the support and protection of her wealthy parents, rendering her untouchable wherever she went.

"She's beautiful and wears the most breathtaking smile on her face. Her steps are like musical beats, creating a rhythmic melody with the sounds she makes as she walks. Her navy blue hair flows around her like a shimmering waterfall.

This isn't my secret to tell, but the truth is Max has always had a crush on 'Ivy Greyson' since eighth grade. Back then, she was the new girl in school, and every boy flocked around her. So, Max kept his distance till this day.

She walked up to Mr. Raymond and supported Max on his behalf. She placed Max's right arm around her shoulders, and together, they made their way out of the classroom.

Max was nervous around Ivy, so he bowed down his face as they walked in silence. Soon, Ivy broke the silence with a question she had been wanting to ask Max.

"You've visited the school nurse three times this week. Tell me, is getting beaten up fun for you?" she asked.

Max stopped walking and looked Ivy in the eyes. "I don't let bullies go unpunished."

"But you're a D user. How are you supposed to prevail over an ability user? The other day, you fought with a highly-ranked ability user, and you almost died." Concern for Max's safety stained her expression.

"Thank you for your help, but I think I'll manage getting home on my own," Max said and limped off slowly.

"Home? Aren't you supposed to see the nurse?" she questioned, but didn't receive a response. "See you tomorrow! Stay safe and out of trouble, okay?!" She shouted as Max disappeared from sight.

****

Returning home early from school with swollen eyes, Max's vision began to blur, and soon he lost his way.

Upon not recognizing the route he was taking, he stopped walking and scanned his surroundings, but everything remained hazy.

'Stupid Jacob!' he muttered to himself.

"Where am I going? I'm supposed to be at the city bar across town by now, or did I take the wrong route? Yeah, I think I definitely did," he mumbled to himself in frustration.

Just as he considered turning back to the school grounds, he heard the sound of an object falling behind him. Instinctively, Max turned around to see what had dropped to the ground.

To his surprise, it was a creepy old book. He couldn't make out the book properly, but the little he saw was enough to convince him that the book was strange.

Max looked around but didn't see anyone else, or rather his blurred vision made him nearsighted.

However, he strained his eyes to read the words on the cover of the book, and he discovered that the words were even creepier. Slowly, Max read the writing as best as he could, despite his blurred vision.

"Thousand Pages Of Death?" he uttered.

Immediately after Max said those words, a dark figure emerged from the unknown and stood in front of him.

Max couldn't see the face of the figure, and before he could say anything, he passed out unconscious.

****

Hours passed, and Max finally regained consciousness. He realized that he was lying in his living room, with his head resting on his mother's lap.

"How did I get here?" he asked himself, trying to recall what had happened.