Chapter 14

  Jo loved to think about his childhood when he was having a hard time. Those were the best years of his life. He always felt really close to his twin sister Blair. He felt connected to his true self when they were together. They were complementary. No activities really interested him, except when Blair was involved. They would spend the day playing and the night chatting. Their parents would bring them to the amusement park almost every day. Jo and Blair would jump all the time there. Maybe because they were taller and stronger than the average kid, they had so much energy to spend. Their parents were confused at first as to why they were more vivacious than other kids their age. Which is why they brought the twins to see a doctor.

  “Hello big guy ! I’m dr. Ruine. What’s your name ?”

  “My name is Jo.”

  “And how old are you ?”

  “I’m four years old.”

  “Okay. Don’t move, I’m going to check out your breathing and heartbeat.”

  The doctor examined the boy.

  “What’s on your hand ?” Asked the doctor.

  “It’s my birthmark.”

  “Wow. It’s quite unique.”

  “Yeah. My sister has the same one on her hand. When we put our hands together, it makes a symbol.”

  “I see. Everything seems to be fine. Let’s check your height and weight now.”

  Jo got up and stood beside the wall.

  “Okay… You’re quite tall for your age.”

  The doctor led Jo towards the scale.

  “Good. Do you feel tired ? Do you feel like your head is spinning ?”

  Jo shook his head. The doctor looked at Arman.

  “I don’t see any problem. He is a bit taller and larger than average, but I’m not concerned. He is healthy.”

  “Thank you doctor.”

  “You can tell your wife and daughter to come in.” The doctor looked back at Jo. “Alright big boy ! You’re all good. See you next time.”

  “Goodbye.” said Jo.

  Elementary school was interesting. Jo and Blair could speak all night about what they thought was weird about their classmates and teachers. How stupid they thought their teacher was to believe they could separate them. How dumb some kids were for blocking the access to the toilets. How idiotic they were for throwing paper on the ceiling. How simple-minded they were to fight for stupid reasons like who's the strongest. How empty-headed they were to bully other kids. And how slow they were to believe that Jo and Blair cared about their opinions.

  But as close as they were in elementary school, things took a different turn in middle school. Even though they were in the same class, the teachers wouldn’t allow him to be seated next to Blair. Jo decided to have a talk with the director about this situation. The secretary informed the director, who let him come in.

  “Hello, you can sit here,” said the director.

  “Hello. I would like you to talk to the teachers about letting me sit near my sister.”

  “What did they say when you asked them ?”

  “They said that they couldn’t do me a favor, because after that, they would have to do it to everyone.”

  “That seems fair to me.”

  “But it’s not. She is my twin, we’re always together.”

  “I understand that you might feel lost here. But you won’t be able to stay together forever.”

  “But we want to be seated next to each other.”

  “I get it, trust me I do, but there’s nothing I can do. I won’t undermine the teacher’s authority for you. Is that all ?”

  “But… That’s unfair.”

  “Well life is unfair. If you have nothing else to say, you can leave.”

  Jo left, bitter. He thought at first that the distance wouldn’t impact their relationship. And yet he was wrong. It lasted only 2 hours for them to forget the other. During the break Jo stayed seated in his chair, looking at the window. Blair didn’t come to talk to him. Some classmates did come to chat with him. But he wasn’t really interested. This lack of care deeply hurt his classmates, and they left promising to get back at him. Once the twins came back home, it was as if nothing had happened. They were back to their usual self. They talked about their day and how annoying their classmates were. But Jo could sense himself gradually losing interest in his sister. The more time they spent away from each other, the less they cared. Some boys started to pick on him. And Jo would retaliate. It didn’t really bother him to be bullied, he simply couldn’t come up with a reason to not beat them up. The first fight was against the classmates who promised to get back at him. They came to see him at his table.

  “Hey Jo! Get up ! We need to talk.”

  Jo didn’t budge.

  “Hey are you listening to me ?! Just move !” said one of the classmates.

  “Yeah ! Are you dumb or something ? He said we wanted to talk to you!” affirmed another one, throwing a punch at Jo’s shoulder.

  “Fine.” mumbled Jo. “I’ll follow you.”

  The two boys shoved Jo against the corner of a corridor.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are ?” screamed one of the bullies.

  “You think you can ignore us like that ? You think you’re better than us ?!” Yelled the other.

  “Huh ? Why aren’t you saying anything ? Answer us !” said the boy while pushing Jo.

  The two bullies were hurting him, Jo took it as permission to fight back.

  “So you wanna battle against me ? You think you can fight me ?!” shouted one of the bullies, unimpressed by Jo’s stature.

  “Come on Timmy. That’s enough.” said the other bully, trying to pull his classmate back.

  “Shut up ! You wanna fight, huh ?! Come on, let's fight !” screamed Timmy.

  Timmy threw a punch at Jo’s face. But Jo was faster than him, he crouched, spun and hit Timmy’s legs with his tail. He then jumped on Timmy and threw multiple punches at his face. The bully was too weak compared to Jo and couldn’t retaliate. The fight was completely one-sided. The other bully ran towards a teacher, screaming for help. Many adults had to intervene and hold back Jo. His parents were called, and he had to go back home.

  “Why did you do that ?” asked his mother.

  “They started it.”

  “What do you mean they started it ? Did you see his face ? You could’ve killed him !”

  “He is the one who hit me first.”

  “Is that a reason to destroy his face ?!”

  The father intervened.

  “Calm down Kylee. Those kids attacked him first, and he simply had to defend himself.”

  “So what ? You’re defending him right now ?!”

  “What would you have him do ? Should he have let those kids beat him up ?”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “Then what are you saying ?”

  “Hu… I don’t… Fine ! Do whatever you want.”

  Arman looked at Jo.

  “It’s okay son. I’m gonna call your director and sort this out. Now go to your room.”

  Jo nodded and left. Later Blair entered his bedroom, and they talked, as if nothing special had happened that day. And like his father promised, Jo was able to go back to school the next day with a simple warning. The bullies apologized to him, and that was the end of it. Until another kid decided to pick on Jo.

  After too many fights he got called at the director’s office. His parents were also waiting for him there. The atmosphere was tense. Arman and Kylee refused to look at their son.

  “Jo. Here you are. Sit down please.” said the director with a calm and cold voice.

  Jo knew that something was wrong. The room stayed silent for a few seconds.

  “Do you know why I called you here today Jo ?” Asked the director.

  “Is it because I fought with Timmy and his older brother again ?”

  “Indeed. You had around fifteen fights for the past month. Do you realize how bad this is ?”

  “Not really, no.”

  “Oh my gosh !” Whispered Kylee.

  “Can you even hear yourself right now ?” expressed Arman while slapping the head of his son.

  “No violence here please. Sir calm down.” said the director. “Jo, I’ve already talked to Timmy and Gyl, and they told me that you were the one who provoked them. Now I’ve also talked to the monitors and teachers, so I know the truth. I know that they pick on you, and I understand that you were trying to defend yourself. But don’t you think you’re overreacting ?”

  “No. You should tell them to leave me alone.” answered the boy.

  “I know, and that’s why I expelled them. They won’t come to bother you anymore. Now what I’m asking you is to tone down your response to this bullying. Kids will try to fight you, but the next time it happens, I would very much like if you could simply ask a teacher or a monitor for help. Do you think you can do that ?”

  “Honestly, no. I don’t really understand why I shouldn’t fight back.”

  “That’s what I thought. I called your parents here so that they can take you home. As of right now, you’re suspended. For a month. We will see if that’s enough time for you to understand my point of view.”

  “Thank you ma'am, and I’m so sorry for his behavior.” said Kylee.

  “Come on Jo, we’re going home.” stated Arman.

  The entire ride home was silent. For a month he stayed at home doing chores. His father would make him write every night: “I am a kind and respectful person, I shall not use violence because violence is not the answer.”

  He came back to school, and got into another fight soon enough. The month he spent at home was of no use as he felt absolutely no regret. And Timmy’s friends who were mad at him for getting Timmy expelled could see that. During break time, dozens of Jo’s classmates decided they were done with him. They took him aside and thought they would give him the beating of his life. One teacher saw what was happening and called the other teachers and monitors to handle the situation. When they all arrived, the fight was over. Most of the kids saw their faces getting smashed against the walls, the grounds of the windows. Some of them had broken arms, legs, and ribs. Jo was the only one left unharmed. The kids were all taken to the hospitals. Jo received a simple warning, the angry parents asked for him to be expelled. The director told them that it wasn’t possible since Jo wasn’t the one who started the fight. The warning he got was of no use though. Jo kept fighting and fighting, every day until the director couldn’t protect him anymore. His parents found him another middle school to go to. They were feeling conflicted and didn’t know how to deal with this situation. They decided it was time to consult a therapist.

  “Hello Ms and Mr ?”

  “My name is Kylee and here is my husband, Arman.”

  “Well nice to meet you. And your name is Jo. Is that correct ?”

  “Yes.” answerer Kylee enthusiastically.

  “Okay, you can sit down wherever you want.”

  Arman and Kylee both sat down on the couch while Jo sat on the ground.

  “Are you sure you’re okay here ?” Inquired Arman.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” replied Jo.

  “Good. From what I heard, your son here is having trouble at school ?”

  “Yes, he is being bullied, and he is always fighting with the other kids.” responded Kylee.

  “How violent ? The fights ?”

  “The kids always end up with broken bones, black eyes, one of them is almost blind I think.”

  “What about Jo ?”

  “Nothing, he always ends up unharmed.”

  “Okay. Any legal problems ?”

  “Some parents tried to press charges, but the policemen told them that since Jo acted in self-defense, they were most likely to lose. But they are trying to get us to pay for the hospital bills. We’re not really worried, our lawyers told us we won’t have to pay for anything.”

  “This whole situation seems quite nerve-wracking. How can you explain your son’s behavior ?”

  “He is simply trying to defend himself. He doesn’t know or understand what he is doing to those boys. I don’t think he can control his strength.”

  “And you sir. You’ve been quiet this entire time. Anything you want to add ?”

  “I think he is a teenager who is growing faster than the other kids. With all the hormones and I mean look at him. He doesn’t look like a twelve year old.”

  “You believe it’s because he is different that he is acting this way ?”

  “Isn’t it obvious ?” replied Arman. “This kid is out of control, and don’t get me wrong, it’s not his fault. Those kids should’ve left him alone. But I’m… I mean, we’re lost right now. We’re changing schools, but I don’t know what else to do.”

  “I completely understand. I’m gonna ask you to leave Jo with me for about thirty minutes, we will talk a bit. After that I will call you in and we will talk about the next sessions. Is that okay with you ?”

  Both parents agreed and left the room.

  “Now that there are only the two of us, you can speak more freely.”

  “Their presence wasn’t bothering me though.” retorted the kid.

  “Do you want me to call them back ?”

  Jo shrugged his shoulders.

  “Okay… I asked them to leave because I thought it would give us more space to speak our mind without being interrupted.”

  Jo wasn’t paying attention to what the therapist was saying and focused on the birds flying outside.

  “So Jo ? Are you listening ?”

  Jo looked back at them.

  “Can you tell me why you are being violent towards your classmates ?”

  “They attacked me first. Since they thought it was okay to hurt me, I thought it was okay to hurt them.”

  “Why didn’t you ask an adult to help you, instead of handling them yourself ?”

  “Because it would be useless.”

  “What do you mean ?”

  “No matter how many times the teachers, directors and their own parents told them to leave me alone, they wouldn’t do it.”

  “Did you feel betrayed and abandoned by those adults ?”

  “No, I don’t really care about them.”

  “So, what’s driving you to that violence ? Why fight to the point of breaking bones ?”

  “To teach them a lesson. The more they try to fight me, the more they will get broken.”

  “Do you want to hurt them ?”

  “I don’t actively want to hurt them. In fact, I’m not even mad at them.”

  “You’re not mad ? Why ?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t care about them. They hurt me, I hurt them, that’s all.”

  “And that doesn’t bother you ?”

  “No, why would it bother me ? I’m not the one who ends up at the hospital.”

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  The therapist looked stunned at Jo. They were caught off guard by his nonchalance.

  “Do you feel like changing school could help your mind be more at ease ?”

  “My mind is at ease. But I do believe that changing schools will reduce the number of fights.”

  “I see. Okay. Your father told us earlier that he believes you being different is the problem. Do you agree with that ?”

  “No because, I don’t believe there’s a problem at all.”

  “You don’t believe that fighting almost every day with your classmates is a problem ?”

  “No. At this point, if they fight me, it’s because they want to get hurt. It’s not a real problem. Or at least, it doesn’t concern me.”

  “So, if in your new school, the kids try to bully you, what will you do ?”

  “Depends.”

  “Of what ?”

  “Well, I don’t talk to my classmates, so they can insult me all they want. I don't mind, I won’t answer.”

  “You don’t mind getting insulted ?”

  “No.”

  “But what if they insult your mother, your father, or your sister ?”

  “I don’t know. I think I would probably beat them up.”

  The therapist looked at their watch. It was time to call the parents back in.

  “Okay, so I’m gonna talk to your parents. And, we’re gonna continue this conversation another time, okay ?”

  “Sure.”

  The therapist opened the door and asked the parents to enter.

  “I’m not going to lie. I believe there is a much deeper problem here. Your son seems to lack remorse and empathy, it doesn’t seem to me like he even cares about himself. This could explain his behavior so…”

  “So what, our son is a psychopath ?” interrupted Kylee. “You diagnosed him like that in thirty minutes ?”

  “No, absolutely not. But I believe he should be closely monitored. This tendency to rely on violence will not disappear any time soon.”

  “What should we do ?” Asked Arman.

  “For now, we’re gonna do therapy sessions.”

  “For how long ?” Inquired the father.

  “As long as it takes I’m afraid.”

  The room went silent again.

  “That would be seventy dons.”

  The therapist’s suspicions were right. At his other school the fights happened again. The boys there were taunting him at first, which did not bother him. But soon people began to physically assault him, and Jo couldn’t let that happen.

  Highschool wasn’t any better. He was known as a beast who would fight anyone for no reason. So people would come and tease him to see his reaction. And he would always give them what they wanted. Except that one time when he took it too far and almost killed someone. Jo had no particular reason to inflict that much damage to the other person. He simply did. The police had to intervene because no one around would. They immediately arrested him. A week later he was judged. Jo pleaded guilty. He wasn’t keen on denying what had happened. He knew what he did and felt no remorse. When the judge saw his antecedent, they decided to send him to a prison where it wasn’t even possible to interact with the other prisoners. No one would pick on Jo. He had access to a library and daily lessons, mostly about how to respect people and society. Everything was made for the purpose of rehabilitation into society. He never really cared about the lessons, but he was always calmed and disciplined, which was working in his favor for his release. He did three months in prison, or at least was supposed to, because as soon as he got out he went right back in. His mother was waiting at the entrance. A prison guard was closing the door behind her. Jo saw her.

  “Give me your hands, I’m gonna remove those shackles.” ordered the prison guard that was accompanying him. “Those are your personal effects. Go get changed in that room.” continued the guard while pointing at a door.

  Jo followed the instructions. Once he was changed, he went back to the prison guard.

  “Sign this paper down here, and you’re good.”

  Once it was done Jo approached his mother. He didn’t see the prison guard who was at the door earlier moving closer to him.

  “You’re finally getting out, huh ?! You bad egg!” shouted the prison guard before violently pushing Jo on the ground.

  “Are you insane ?” screamed Kylee.

  “What ? I’m just teaching him a lesson. People like don’t belong outside.”

  Jo took that as permission to fight back. He used his tail to jump on the guard. Upon witnessing the altercation, all the guards present successfully stopped him. But that meant Jo had to spend another six months in prison. Of course the guard who assaulted him first was suspended. Which felt like a small victory for the teenager.

  At his second release, it was his father who was waiting for him. This time there was no quarrel. Arman grabbed his son’s arm.

  “How are you doing ?” he asked.

  “Good.” answered Jo.

  “Did you learn anything ?”

  “Yup.”

  “What is it ?”

  “Restraint.”

  “That’s good.”

  They both went home. Jo was able to go back to highschool a week after his release. The students were avoiding him at first and the teachers always kept a close eye on him. He didn’t mind though. He thought it was better than being taunted. This peace didn’t last long. His math teacher was known for bullying troubled kids. No actions were ever taken against them, mostly because the kids were causing problems anyway. And this teacher decided to set his sight on Jo. The students were being very loud. No one was listening to the teacher.

  “Everyone, quiet please. I’m sure none of you want additional homework.” calmly claimed the teacher.

  “Is it because you don’t like the noise that your wife is so quiet ?!” screamed a student.

  The whole class started laughing.

  “Keep going, and you’re gonna end up like Jo over there.” retorted the teacher.

  “What’s that supposed to mean ?” screamed the student.

  “Yeah, that's not fair !” shouted another one.

  “You can’t say stuff like that!” shouted one more student.

  And in no time the entire class started shouting at their teacher.

  “Calm down now! You all seem quite keen on protecting this criminal over there.” the teacher turned to Jo. “Why aren’t you saying anything ? They’re all jumping to rescue you even though you don’t deserve it. Why aren’t you defending yourself ?”

  Jo sighed and stood up. He approached the teacher, and the closer he got, the more uncomfortable the adult was.

  “Is it showtime now ?” asked the math teacher with a smirk on his face.

  “And you’re the clown here.” responded Jo. “So keep going. Make me laugh.” he said with an assertive tone.

  The room went silent.

  “I think that’s enough. You can go back to your seat, you made your point.” mumbled the teacher.

  “Sorry what ?”

  “Do not test me young man.”

  “You’re the one trying to play smart with me, and now you wanna back off ?”

  “Hasn’t prison taught you any common sense ?” replied the teacher.

  “I don’t know. How about you go there to find out.”

  “I know what you’re trying to do. It’s not working. Now go back to your seat.” ordered the math professor.

  Jo headed towards his seat.

  “That’s what I thought.” muttered the teacher.

  Jo decided that it was enough. It was time to put that teacher back in his place. He turned around.

  “What do you think you’re doing ?” Inquired the math professor.

  The teenager didn’t answer. He grabbed a chair and threw it towards the teacher, who avoided it. Jo slapped him with his tail. He then grabbed his right hand and pulled the teacher towards him, punching him in the stomach. The other students were either calling the police; searching an adult for help; or looking at the scene, dumbstruck. Jo was strangling the teacher using his tail and punching him over and over again. He once again went back to prison, for a year this time.

  When he got out, his father was yet again waiting for him at the entrance.

  “Here I thought you learned something the last time you got out.” he said sarcastically.

  “At least I didn’t cause any trouble for a year.” retorted Jo.

  “Guess I can thank you for that.”

  They both headed to the car.

  “ You gotta know, this year hasn’t been really peaceful for us while you were gone.”

  Jo looked at his father, not really interested, but he knew his father was about to say something important.

  “Your sister has been in rehab this year. She has been taking drugs for quite some time now. We were too focused on you to realize it. She will be released in a few days. After that we will have a family reunion and talk, okay ?”

  Jo nodded.

  “kay.” whispered Arman.

  A week later Blair came back. Jo and Kylee were sitting in the living room when Arman and his daughter entered the house. Upon seeing her, Kylee stood up and hugged her daughter. Then, everyone sat down on the couch.

  “Now that the family is finally reunited, we can talk,” said Kylee. “Your father and I are so happy to see you. We really missed you.” she grabbed her husband’s hand. “ I want you to know that.”

  Arman was the next to speak.

  “You also should know that you both broke our trust. Blair more than Jo because we knew Jo was always troubled but still… We thought that once you entered highschool, you would be more mature. This is why, your mother and I, decided to implement some rules. And you will have to follow those rules until you gain our trust.”

  “First, you won’t be able to go out unless one of us is accompanying you. Even if it’s to play in the garden, you will have to ask us first and either your father or I will have to supervise you. This also means you won’t be able to go back to highschool for your last year.”

  “Second, none of you will have access to the meds’ drawer. If you’re sick, you ask us, and that’s all. No snooping around.” said Arman with authority.

  “And third, you will have to do everything we tell you to do. You can’t refuse. We give you an order, you obey and that’s all. Understand ?” ask Kylee.

  Both Blair and Jo nodded.

  “Do you have any complaints ?”

  “Nope.” replied Jo and Blair at the same time.

  For a while, they were a happy family. The twins were relaxed, they were able to grow closer again. They would talk each and every night about this past year and what happened to them. Their parents were slowly starting to trust them again. Not enough to let them wander around outside but enough to give them fewer chores. Everything was fine. Until Jo and his father went out to bring back some pizzas.

  It was around 9pm. Arman and Jo were waiting in line when Arman felt something sharp on his back.

  “Give me all your money,” said the stranger. Seeing Jo slowly looking back, he screamed “Don’t fucking turn around !”

  “Stay calm Jo.” whispered Arman to his son.

  “That’s right JO, stay calm and everything will be fine.” added the robber. “Now old man, take your money off your wallet and give it to me.”

  Arman executed himself. The people around became agitated upon noticing what was happening. This made the robber anxious.

  “Do it faster.” he mumbled to Arman.

  Arman had the money in his hand, he was about to give it away. Jo’urge to fight back was kicking in. The young man glanced at the robber. He had the money in his hand and was ready to run away. Jo grabbed his shoulder and made him turn around. The robber’s first reflex was to stab Jo, but Arman stepped in and got stabbed instead. Jo saw red and slammed the robber on the ground. The police and an ambulance arrived ten minutes after the incident. Arman was taken to the hospital while Jo and the robber were taken into custody. Jo went back to prison, for only six months due to the circumstances. When he got out, no one was waiting for him. He walked home. When he knocked on the door, his mother opened it. She cried.

  “I’m so sorry baby. Your father doesn’t want you inside.”

  Jo was confused.

  “What ? Why ?”

  “It’s just… You bring too much trouble…”

  “What do you mean I bring too much trouble ?”

  “There are consequences for your actions, and this is one of the consequences. You’re not allowed inside.”

  Jo was about to argue when he heard his father screaming in the house.

  “Quit the chit-chat Kylee ! Give him his bag and close the door !”

  And she did. Jo was homeless from now on. Not knowing where to go, he decided to look for shelters. There he met someone who clearly wasn’t homeless. That person told him he was looking for people who were searching for jobs. When that person looked at Jo, they saw an impressive appearance. The young man got immediately hired as a bodyguard. Everything went great at first. His clients were overly nice to him, he was handsomely well paid, and the people were too scared of him to try anything fishy. He worked like that for a few years, it was comfortable. Then he decided to quit. One of his last clients was an athlete. When he looked at Jo, he saw an amazing potential in him, he convinced him to change his career path. And Jo did. He became a boxer. Jo won every fight he participated in. But it soon became boring. His opponents were no match for him. With all the money he accumulated, Jo decided to try new challenges. He went on to live on the mountain chains alone, without any food or water, with no clothes except the small tunique he had. He was in the wild.

  Jo was wandering around, dirty and famished when he saw a small town. He hoped to find a nice and decent person to help him. He stumbled upon a small and old shop which was selling primary necessities. An old woman was sitting behind the counter.

  “Excuse me ma’am.” Said Jo in a hoarse voice.

  “Oh my, hello young man.” the elderly woman readjusted her glasses. “What happened to you ? Do you need help ?”

  “I need some water, please ?”

  “Not just that, you need a good bath, a nice shave, and clean clothes. Follow me dear.”

  The nice woman led him towards an old but comfy bathroom.

  “Take a shower.” she said, “I’m gonna bring you a set of clothes. Then I will ask Ramo to do your hair and beards.”

  It was the first shower Jo took in months. Jo never realized until now how much he missed smelling good. When he got out, he saw a crop top with a long skirt. They were light and smooth. The elderly woman was waiting for him in front of the bathroom door.

  “Look at you young man, this fits you perfectly.”

  They both headed to the woman’s kitchen. An old man was waiting there.

  “Hello youngster, I’m Ramo, what’s your name ?”

  “My name is Jo. Thank you for helping me out.”

  “Do not worry young man, we’re happy to do that.” replied the nice woman. “My name is Sicile by the way.”

  “Now come and sit down here,” said Ramo.

  Jo obeyed. The elderly man decided to completely shave Jo’s beard, which felt quite refreshing. He then cut at least half of Jo’s hair. They were still long enough to reach his waist. While the men were busy playing the hairdresser, Sicile was determined to feed her guest. When Ramo was done, Jo was served a fancy dish. While eating, the elderly woman noticed something on his hand.

  “That’s a weird birthmark on your hand.”

  “Oh yeah, my sister has the other half,” said Jo.

  “That is interesting,” added Ramo, “especially since I have the same on my hand. Except in my case, I have the entire mark, not half of it.”

  This caught Jo’s attention.

  “That’s right. I’ve never seen anyone with the same mark as mine. Do you also have it ?” Inquired Jo.

  “No, my mark is different, I have a lozenge, not a semicircle.” answered Sicile.

  “That is impressive. I’ve never seen someone with a birthmark like yours either.” remarked Jo.

  “That is because those aren’t normal birthmarks.” said Ramo.

  “What do you mean ?”

  “Have you heard of the guardians, the partner or the dragonlines ?” Asked Sicile. “No ? What about schield and aura ?”

  Jo didn’t know what they were talking about.

  “I’ve never heard of a case like yours,” said Ramo.

  “Me neither. A mark shared by two bodies. That’s not normal.” added Sicile.

  “You’re losing me here.” commented Jo.

  “The guardians are beings who were born to protect the world from evil energy and demons. We work by a team of two, one schield and one aura, together. There’s supposed to be 24 of us, all working in the different parts of the world that were attributed to us by the cristal. This mark, that you have on your hand, is the aura mark. This is the proof that you were chosen to be a guardian.”

  “What the hell ?!”

  “Ramo here is an aura, and I’m a schield. We’ve been working together for the past sixty years to protect the world.”

  “From demons ?”

  “Exactly.”

  Jo looked them in the eyes. He sighed before laughing.

  “You must be insane, you two.” he said while pointing at them.

  “We can prove it to you,” said Ramo.

  “Go on then. Show me !”

  Ramo and Sicile both stood up and headed outside. Jo was waiting on his chair, only standing up when he realized he had to follow them. The three adults headed to a cave inside the mountains. There was a symbol there that Jo had never seen before. A circle with what looked like a dragon in it. He tried to touch it, but the symbol was made of light.

  “This is what we call a dragonline.” said Sicile

  “It can only be seen and used by guardians. We use it to teleport from one country to another.” added Ramo.

  “So you can teleport wherever you want ?”

  “Not exactly. You’re gonna find a few symbols like that across the world. They’re all connected to each other. You can travel from one symbol to another. That is how a dragonline works.” answered the elderly man.

  “How does it work ?”

  Sicile took Jo’s hand.

  “Enter the circle. Do you feel this energy flooding your mind and soul ?”

  Jo nodded.

  “Good, dive in.”

  Jo was feeling more relaxed. He focused on the energy surrounding him. His body became lighter and lighter. He could visualize multiple roads. Sicile and Ramo joined him.

  “You did great. You see these roads, those are the dragonlines. Pick one.”

  “Which one ?”

  “Where do you wanna go ?” Asked Ramo.

  “I wanna see my hometown. Gamoul.”

  “This way.” Said Sicile.

  Jo’s body was floating around. It was way easier to move than what Jo initially thought. The dive lasted a few minutes. When they arrived at the end, Jo could see the same symbol as the one inside the cave earlier. Sicile and Ramo didn’t hesitate, they plowed into it. Jo followed them. The three of them appeared in an old mansion in ruins. Jo could see the symbol on the ground.

  “I remember this house.” He said. “It’s near the supermarket.”

  Jo ran outside. They truly were in his hometown. The young man couldn’t believe it.

  “This is real !” he screamed.

  “Of course it’s real,” said an unknown man beside him.

  Jo didn’t realize there was someone next to him and jumped out of surprise.

  “I’m Sasha, a guardian, like you. What’s your name ?”

  Jo didn’t really want to answer him. He looked back at Ramo and Sicile.

  “Nice to see you again Sasha.” commented Sicile. “We found your partner. His name is Jo.”

  Sasha looked at Jo, doubtful.

  “Are you sure it’s him? He does have the appearance of a guardian, but he clearly is ignorant. Look at his mark, it’s cut in half.”

  “His sister has the other half.” added Ramo.

  “So which one of them is my partner ?” Inquired Sasha.

  “Probably both.” replied the elderly man.

  “It’s the first time something like that ever happened. But as you know, the crystal never does something without giving it a second thought. It was probably meant to be like that.” Continued Sicile.

  “So, instead of one burden of a partner, I’ve got two of them ?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Fine. You !” Said Sasha to Jo. “Project your magic. We’re gonna see if you’re truly my partner.”

  Jo looked at the man confused. Ramo approached him and grabbed his hands.

  “You’re an aura, or at least half an aura, which means there must be some magic inside of you. Remember the feeling you had while diving ? Try to remember it.”

  Jo tried to recall what happened a few minutes ago. The feeling that he was free from his material shackles. He tried to feel the energy entering his body. But nothing happened.

  “Are you sure there is any magic in him ?” Asked Sasha.

  “Give him some time.” Said Sicile. “It’s his first try.”

  After a while Ramo looked at Sicile and shook his head.

  “Maybe his sister is the one who has all the magic…”

  “Then what am I supposed to do with him ?” shouted Sasha, growing impatient.

  “I don’t know, I have never heard of something like that before.” said Ramo.

  Sasha turned around and kicked a rock. The projectile hit a shadow in front of him.

  “Demon!” screamed Sasha.

  Ramo and Sicile turned around almost instantly. A spear appeared in Sicile’s hand. She threw it towards the shadow and destroyed it.

  “I can sense more.” claimed Sicile.

  The four of them ran towards a plaza. Jo saw Blair there on the ground. A shadow in front of her ready to attack.

  “That’s her.” He said to his companions.

  “You!” Screamed Sasha at Blair. “Project your magic now !”