Chapter 2

Everything was hazy and blurry. Paul felt all his senses had shut down, and he wasn't regaining them any minute. He felt numb and cold. He couldn't move a single muscle, more or less open fully his eyes.

With the little vision he got, all he could distinguish was a blinding light over him.

And whispers, he heard them. Horrible voices.

A lot of people were surrounding his lying body. Five, six, seven, he couldn't count exactly how many they were.

All of their faces were darkened by the bright light behind their heads. He couldn't see their faces. All he identified were only surgical masks.

It somehow terrified him, but only just a little. A slight tingle ran across his spine.

'What are they talking about? Are they talking about me?' He thought.

"Why am I assigned to this kid? Subject7 is the most dangerous of the seven! He could kill us in an instant!"

"Seriously!? Have you ever been assigned to Subject6? The previous batch that took charge of her all hanged themselves inside her chamber! That sight still haunts me every night."

"No! Subject1 is the most terrifying! When we opened the chamber of that boy the other day, he was left alone and the scientists that worked on him disappeared without any trace. They were never found up to this day! They say he's capable of either reducing you to nothing, sending you back into time or into the future or transporting you to the Abyss. Nobody knows!"

"You're scared of disappearing? Subject4 is capable of burning anyone in indistinguishable fire! That girl manifests the eternal flames of the Abyss. The Inferno!"

"Burning huh? How do you feel about being frozen solid alive in indestructible ice?"

"Shut up! All seven of them are dangerous! Not a single one of them is less favorable than the other! All of them are capable of killing you in a single second. They're far more dangerous than any devils we've encountered. What did you expect of cursed half-bloods of the most powerful devil emperor?"

"You're right. When will Jhon ever stop with all these experiments? How many people will have to die for him so he would realize that these kids are useless to us! Why can't he be satisfied that we already won the war? We don't need these kids."

"We should just kill these cursed half-bloods while they're still young."

"And when will all of you realize that sharing your touching experience with the cursed half-bloods will get us nowhere? Now hand me that scalpel and syringe so we'll have something to report today at least."

"I'd rather die by the hands of these monsters than face Jhon's wrath. He can do things far worse than what these children can do."

Paul had no idea what they were talking about.

Kids, monsters, seven, devils, subjects, curses, experiments, grandad and deaths.

All thoughts he swallowed forcibly only produced a throbbing headache.

He closed back his eyes. He didn't care whatever they were talking about earlier. He slowly and willingly lose hold of his consciousness.

He allowed only a single thought to remain in his mind – after all of this today, he'll get to see mother and she would read to him his favorite book.

...

One by one, Paul slowly opened his eyes. He was sleeping on something soft and comfortable. A blanket was over him. He almost believed that he was back at his foster home.

He sat himself up. He was sleeping on the couch.

"Where the heck am I?" He groaned and felt his head. His head was pulsating. "What happened?"

He looked around and tried to make out where he was despite with his aching head.

The walls of the room were green, low ceiling with a huge red fan attached in the center. A few meters in front of him was a glass table set with two wooden chairs. Just a few centimeters in front of the table was a flat screen TV, a local news report was on the channel. Beside the TV was a shelf perfectly lined with books and magazines. It was a small room yet it held that 'home' atmosphere just perfectly.

Even more perfectly than the room where he once slept and lived his years of existence. Unlike his room back in the foster care, this one didn't feel empty and lonely. He had never been here before but a wave of nostalgia had hit him hard for no logical reason.

Fresh suburban air breezed through the room, lifting up the pink checkered curtains revealing walls of tall establishments outside. Basing from the temperature, he guessed that it was some time mid-morning, maybe around ten AM.

He tried remembering what had happened before he blacked out, but he couldn't. He only remembered how he left Veilstone City Orphanage and had arrived at Hearthome City.

"Oh, yeah, I remember. I left foster home during its 15th anniversary yesterday."

He removed the blanket over him and winced when his bare feet made contact with the cold tiles of the floor. It was then he found out that he had no clothes on other than his white boxers.

"A very weird incident occurred here last night in 6th street Hearthome City." The reporter on the news said. "Three bodies were found dead in an alley. It looked like they were poisoned or something, autopsy will be done in a few hours from now. Investigations are currently on going."

There was something about the news that glued in his attention. Images he couldn't make out suddenly flashed through his head, he felt his head grew heavier as he groaned. The world around him spun like crazy. He blindly looked for the remote and turned it off.

"So you're awake already." He heard a voice coming from behind him. "How was your rest?"

Paul took his hand off his head and turned around.

He saw a girl with light blue hair about the same age as his. She was wearing a white tank top with short blue shorts. She had that welcoming expression and warm smile that left a tingling sensation in Paul's guts.

She was holding a metal tray. She walked past him and placed the object on the table in front.

"How are you feeling?" The bluenette asked softly.

"Of course! Your eye is far more beautiful and precious than any gems I've seen. And do you know what makes it prettier than any gems? It's because it's alive. And no one can steal it away from you, it's yours alone. They can only gaze at it in jealousy."

The bluenette cleared her throat awkwardly, knocking Paul out from his stupor. "Uh, is there something on my face?"She consciously asked.

"Oh, uh, no, sorry." Paul replied, rapidly shaking his head. He mentally slapped himself for staring weirdly at the girl in front of him. "A bit dizzy, but I'm fine." He monotonously replied.

Her ocean blue locks and her kind and gentle blue eyes. The bluenette reminded him so much of that woman he kept on seeing in his dreams that he couldn't help but wonder if they were somehow related.

But he immediately dismissed the idea and thought that the headache was just messing with his mind.

"Well, uh, it's good to know that you're fine already, uh, Paul." She let out a soft chuckle.

"Wait a second! How did you know my name?" He asked. "And where the hell are my clothes?!" He followed.

"They were dirty so I washed them for you." She replied, still keeping up her smile at him.

"You just casually undressed me woman?!" He appalled, his innate anti-social response kicked in. "Have you got no sense of decency?!" Paul stood up, revealing to her that he was just wearing his boxers.

She squeaked and covered her eyes in embarrassment. "What? No! Kenny removed your clothes, not me!" She backed away and slipped. Her bottom made a thud against the floor. Still covering her eyes, she retorted. "And I have a name, excuse you!"

"Oh geez does it look like I know your name, Einstein?" He rolled his eyes. "And seriously? You let me sleep in your room, half-naked, and now you're this embarrassed seeing me in boxers?" He shook his head dejectedly.

"Because I'm a girl okay!" She stood up and clipped her hip. "Is that hard to understand?"

They were standing face to face and so close that their bodies almost touched with each other. In a snap of a moment, Dawn realized how little they both were wearing. Dawn quickly turned around in embarrassment.

Too bad it took her minutes before she realized that her face must have been blinking multiple shades of red since minutes ago.

"Thank you.." She heard Paul mutter words of gratitude. "Really.."

While Paul has cooled down, he finally said his gratitude before he was able to say anything else unnecessary. He hoped that she was able to apprehend that he's not the verbally expressive type of person.

She breathed in deeply and smiled. She faced him back again with a renewed smile on her face. "My name is Dawn! Dawn Berl-"

Her smile slowly died when she realized that she was talking to no one in particular. He was no longer in front of her as he was in the far corner of her room looking for something.

"Where the heck did you put my clothes?" He asked without looking back at her as he went through her shelves.

Dawn dropped her shoulders. "This guy can't be serious."

She heaved a sigh and went to him.

"I'm sure this is the one you're looking for." She reached out her palm, handing to him a picture of a woman in mid-20 with short velvet hair and lavender eyes.

"It's how I knew your name." She said.

He took the object and began to stare at it quietly. The picture slowly pulled his sadness out from his eyes.

"Sister Cheryl.." He muttered to himself.

...

Paul heard someone knocking on the door of his room. He found it unusual because aside from the fact that someone would rarely look for him in the orphanage, it was in the middle of the night – exactly a minute past midnight.

"It's me, Sister Cheryl. You didn't show up this morning, it was the orphanage's 5th anniversary." The voice whispered. "Will you let me inside? I got a surprise for you."

Knowing it was Sister Cheryl he quickly jumped off of bed and turned the knob of the door.

"Happy Seventh Birthday Paul!" She whispered, holding two pieces of chocolate honeycomb cupcakes, his favorite dessert. "I reserved this from the party this morning just for you."

Paul's velvet eyes widened in overflowing happiness that he immediately hugged her. He was so overjoyed that he hugged her so tight that she could hardly breathe.

She hugged him just as tight.

"How will I be able to get inside if you'll never let me go?" She chuckled.

"No." Paul scolded. "Just a few more minutes."

She smiled as she felt her shirt slowly get soaked with warm tears from him. "Your hug is my favorite out of all the children in here. It's just so full of warmth and emotions."

"I'm not crying okay!" He argued. "Just so you know.."

She laughed quietly. "Of course you're not." She loosened her hug. "You're a grown up now."

"Oh I forgot. I've got a special present for you. Now remember, whatever happened in the past or whatever may happen in the future, I want your wish for this birthday to stay the same."

"Am I still allowed to wish for happiness this year?"

"Of course! It's always okay to wish for happiness."

"No matter how sad I'll get?"

"Yes."

"No matter how many times I make people sad?"

"Yes."

Paul dug his face deeper into her skirt.

"B-but, I-I'm a-a m-mons-monster!" Paul tightened his hug. "Mons-monsters do-don't become ha-happy."

"How many times have I told you? How could an obedient and good child like you be a monster?" She replied. Cheryl knelt down and leaned in closer for his sake. "Here hold this." She handed him the cupcake and took something out from her side pocket.

"Is this my mother?" Paul asked. Despite the darkness of the room, she could still see the tears that made his lavender eyes glimmer in faint light.

"Yes. This is my gift for you." She smiled. "You really looked like her. She's so pretty and beautiful. No monster could ever have such a beautiful mother."

Paul stared at the picture in amazement.

"You know Paul, mothers are very selfless beings. They care nothing but happiness for their children, even if it costs their own life. The way you're suffering right now, I could just imagine how much your mother would be suffering as well."

Cheryl hugged him again and whispered. "That's why I want you to continue on wishing for happiness. I may not be your real mother but your happiness is what I've always wished for. I want you to be happy. Even if it means reserving you your favorite dessert away from several children and waking you up in the middle of the night to wish you a happy birthday."

"Happy Birthday Paul! Please continue on wishing for happiness, for me and for you mother."

She didn't expect that she would cry. She promised that she would never cry in front of him, but she failed to foresee about her emotions getting the better of her.

"For my birthday this year, I still wish for happiness." He cracked a bittersweet smile across his tear-stained face and hugged her tight again.

"Let's wish for it together."

...

"Paul..?" Dawn asked worriedly when she noticed that he had been staring blankly at the picture for a couple of minutes already. "Are you okay?"

"Can I stay here for a while?" He asked silently, hoping his voice wouldn't crack.

"Sure, take your time." She replied. "Is there anyth-" She cut herself off when he just walked past her.

He slowly dragged himself back and lied down on the sofa. He curled up and covered himself with the blanket.

"No, you don't need to do anything for me."

Without Cheryl and left with only the picture of his mother, he still bitterly wished for happiness on his seventeenth birthday today.

Happy Birthday Paul! Please continue on wishing for happiness, for me and for you mother.

He did promise her after all.

Chapter 2 End: A Birthday Wish