Today's Sunday. 8 o'clock in the morning. The sky was still pessimistic but at least, the surge of rain somehow halted.

Customarily, the Headmistress and the rest of the girls, Seraphina included, attended today's mass.

While on their way to the Church, it once again commenced raining pretty tough, baffling the girls particularly the Headmistress who all are disturbed at the impression of getting their gowns dirty.

For Seraphina's part, she vastly has no dilemma with it for, but as usual, she wore an ebony frock, somehow masking the mud that will stick to her gown as soon as they get off the carriage.

As foreseen, the girls let out awful loud groans as soon as their feet stepped off the carriage which frankly speaking, brought about Seraphin's giggle in the back of her mind.

After the abrupt mass, the Headmistress notified them that there would be no classes since the professor couldn't make it due to the storm.

And so, Seraphina consumed the rest of her day sleeping and frankly speaking, stroking the doll's blond hair Zachary gave her last evening.

Despite its torn arm in which Seraphina ultimately feels guilty about, one cannot deny the refinement of the doll. She wonders where did Zachary purchase such a doll like this for she had never seen one as beautiful as this.

Regardless, the tiny hair at the back of her neck rose when she realized she looked precisely like the doll. Its emerald eyes, long thick lashes, thick eyebrows, its fair skin, and the plump lips, all mirror hers.

The sole discrepancy was the pigment of their hair although their hair length is extensively equivalent.

Conceivably, it was Zachary himself who created this doll? But, certainly, why would he but at the same time, why wouldn't he? He is an A-class psycho.

Besides, that man is an artist for he had the ability to create anything with that slender fingers of his. The thing is, he could also even kill any creatures.

Seraphina, letting out a sigh, compelled herself into the verdict that it was just a coincidence. Nothing to fret about.

Still, the idea of Zachary sculpturing a mere doll after her sends chills down her spine. With that, Seraphina hid the doll under her mattress, separating it from the rest of her dolls which are hidden inside her drawers.

Burying her face between her cushions, Seraphina's mind proceeded to wander around Zachary which annoys her since these past few days, more like months, she can't stop thinking about that one heck of a man.

Sure, one cannot deny the roaring fact how Zachary had been on her mind since day one. Ever since she first met him at the age of 10. Still, it was all due to curiosity and terror but now?

Preferring not to answer herself, afraid of what her mind can conjure, Seraphina chose sleep as an escape. It is better this way.

Just as she guessed the night couldn't get any worse, she was roused by a deafening sound from the outside.

Her eyes automatically went broad, stooped straight, frail fingers clenching the white sheets, eyes polling the surroundings.

With that, without bothering to slip on a pair of slippers, Seraphina took off outside, the downpour of rain progressing.

Brow lifting, Seraphina cannot conceal her confusion, realizing she was the only one who bothered checking the source of the loud gunshot. They must've thought it was just the rain.

Seraphina perceived something was erroneous, that possibly, a crime is occurring just outside the boarding school. You never know, considering the various murders circulating around the country, one must not grow content.

Eager and ready to head back towards her chamber in the midst of the night, there she heard it again, the rough gunshot. Still, not a sole soul came outside their respective rooms. How strange.

Letting out a weak sigh, Seraphina knew she'll regret her ruling. Nonetheless, at that very juncture, she doesn't care. The next minute, she found herself strolling barefoot towards the massive window, yanking the maroon curtain aside for a bit.

What the spectacle outside quivered Seraphina to her very core for there stood a tall hooded man, a gun to his gloved hand and an ax to the other.

What made all this worse was over him is no other than Zachary himself, plopping in the ground, all soaked from the rain, drowning in his own reservoir of blood.

Seraphina felt her blood drained out of her body at such sight before her. Her stunning emerald eyes follow the movement of the man as he raises his ax. Seraphina knows what will happen next if she doesn't do anything.

She knew she had to do something. She knew she had to rescue Zachary. Despite how psychotic he is, she knows she cannot lose another Canning.

As stupid as it sounds, Seraphina found herself bawling Zachary's name but he did not seem to hear her. Instead, the hooded man stared at her, realizing he wore such a creepy clown-like mask. The only difference was, his mask is filled with tears of blood.

Frankly speaking, she couldn't really tell because she couldn't see much due to the dark. Besides, she is lurking behind the curtain which after all, doesn't do much.

The mask surely frightens the hell out of her for Seraphina was fastened in her very place, her hand clutching the curtain hard, her hands jiggling.

Zachary, thank goodness, look over at her. Panic rising within him. "Get inside!" He roared, pleading.

Gulping, Seraphina did not listen to him, deciding to be dauntless and without any second thought, she grabbed dozens of parasols near the balcony and threw them at the hooded man, scarcely hitting him.

He is possibly snickering at her behind that mask.

Great, not only did she hurl the girls' extravagant parasols, shattering them, she also made herself a laughing stock.

Moreover, Zachary is still laying in the ground, grunting, his blue eyes glancing at her with such emotions she's not used to seeing him with.

Seraphina forced herself not to think of anything about him considering him swimming in his own pool of blood. There's no way he is...

Her eyes went massive as the hooded man hoisted his gun at her, his ax across Zachary's feet when Seraphina decided to come into the light, the moonlight illuminating above her.

In a well-ordered universe, no way would Seraphina do what she just did for she knew this is pure stupidity. Zachary, as well, knew that his mouth went large, his eyes wide in anger and panic and worried and so much more, and screamed at her to go back inside.

What subsequently transpired shook her for the man was glued in his very spot, and with that, for an unknown reason, the murderer galloped away, leaving the ax behind.

When she came into the light, that's when she realized the man was wearing a mask covered with different patches of skin and a clown-like make-up above it.

As the murderer was nowhere to be seen, Seraphina hastily went outside, towards the bleeding Zachary. She did it as fast as she could before the man came back.

As soon as she reached Zachary, she knew that instantly he had no power to get up on his own because his foot and leg were misleading.

She knew Zachary's about to shriek at her for being such a fool a while ago but for some reason, despite the apparent outrage in his face, he declared none.

Crouching, Seraphina worriedly nuzzles Zachary's damp hair, "what happened here?"

Zachary responded with a mere moan, troubling Seraphina more.

Cursing at herself for not helping him sooner, Seraphina quickly boosted Zachary back inside the boarding school, to her very room.

Funny how just a minute ago, she would've cracked up such an idea of accompanying Zachary to her chamber.

After what seems like forever, a trail of rain and blood behind them, they eventually reached her compartment. Seraphina tells herself that she'll just clean it up later. She cannot afford the girls particularly the Headmistress glimpsing this.

Seraphina recklessly plops the bleeding and rasping Zachary to her bed, his blood tinting the white sheets Seraphina doesn't care about.

As soon as Zachary is laying in her mattress, Seraphina rashly surveys her room, panicking where she stored her bandages and God knows what when it comes to mending an injured one.

"Why are you crying?" implored Zachary, his voice low.

With that, Seraphina patted her cheek, realizing it's damp, that she is, clearly, crying.

Nevertheless, she urged herself not to weep as she could feel Zachary's gapes at her, realizing he has two bullet wounds in his feet and leg, Seraphina began panicking once again.

She has no experience with treating a gun wound, okay?

What astonished her was the abrupt sound of a bleeding man before her chuckle which sounded a bit like a grunt. "Don't worry about me, this is just a scratch,"

"Just a scratch?! Are you kidding me, Zachary?" her voice surging, anger as well. She cannot believe the nerve of this guy.

Again, Seraphina responded with a mere chuckle.

"What happened with, 'don't ever call me by my Christian name' of yours?" replied Zachary which frustrates Seraphina even more. What's worse is, her tears can't seem to halt. Dammit.

Why is she even crying? What does she care about him?

Eager to broadcast her frustration towards Zachary once again, she was cut by Zachary's sudden loose grip around her wrist, staining it with his blood, interrupting her from walking back and forth around the room, confiding her to chill out.

All that simply provoked Seraphina to sob once more, "how am I supposed to calm down knowing you're close to dying just a minute ago, you ogre!"

Zachary chuckled, "I told you, this is nothing," his brows rising in such a playful way Seraphina is pissed off about. Flashing his smirk, Seraphina wants to slap.

Seraphina was about to express her anger about that statement of his once again when he began instructing her to grab a cloth in which she hurriedly did.

Subsequently, without his instructions, Seraphina swiftly commenced unbuttoning his polo as her mind began demanding what the hell she was doing. That this is not ethical. That she shouldn't strip a man, particularly as dangerous as the one before her. Seraphina nudged all those thoughts behind.

As Seraphina works with the buttons, revealing a lot, as in a lot of scars.

For a second, her jaw dropped for she had never beheld such myriad scars as this. She found herself wanting to implore how and where he got all these but decided not to since now's not the time for that.

Attending his wounds is what she needs to do, not mingling with one's scars. That's too shallow for her.

Moreover, she knew Zachary wouldn't answer since as soon as he realized she was gaping at his enormous collection of scars, his eyes traveled around the room, anywhere except her questioning eyes.

It was as if he was insecure about it.

He then notified her to take the bullet out from the inside only using a barrette he is sure she has.

At the mention of the barrette, Seraphina automatically stood, head straight to her crate crammed with trinkets. Without any seconds thought, she clasped the closest to her heart.

The silver barrette Dorian gave her last Christmas, just before he departed. She knew she shouldn't use it, she shouldn't mingle it with blood, even enter it into her brother's wound.

However, Seraphina knew Dorian would mind. Well, maybe he would but...this is his brother we are talking about. Plus, she has no other barrettes aside from this.

Judging from Zachary's reaction which merely lasted for a second since he hastily masked it with his typical serious face, Seraphina could tell he has mixed judgments about using the barrette.

Of course, Zachary himself witnessed his brother bestow the barrette to Seraphina last Christmas.

Seraphina was trembling so painfully and taking so long to fish the bullet inside Zachary's wound and so, it was Zachary who in the end did it, even had the nerve to stitch it. Seraphina just watched in horror.

Feeling useless, Seraphina just wiped all the dried blood dispersed around his bare skin using the fabric Zachary requested her to fetch.

"Silly, it's not for that," voiced Zachary out which confuses her.

Feeling useless, she ceased dabbing all the blood, frowning for being dumb. For now, her panic began to evaporate.

"T'was lucky the bullets were not dipped in poison," said Zachary, eyeing his bandaged wounds.

Now that Zachary is finished with his wound, Seraphina knows now's the time to get on with her countless concerns.

"What is this all about, Zachary? All the murders and even that strange writing on your wall, in what way is it connected to you?"

As foreseen, Zachary did not answer her. His mouth lingered shut, his blue eyes averting her gaze.

Nevertheless, it stunned Seraphina when Zachary snatched her hand, preventing her once again from walking back and forth around the compartment.

Without any warning, as usual, Zachary enveloped his bare arms around Seraphina who could perfectly feel his heat seeping through her thin nightgown, her blush deepening.

Seraphina, exhausted from what transpired throughout the night, returned his tight embrace. What made Seraphina sob, the idea of Zachary dying replaying in her mind was when Zachary began brushing her untied hair, caressing her back.

Seraphia hid between Zachary's head and shoulder, her tears streaming alongside with the downpour outside, her nails digging through his bare skin.

"You are so, so stupid!" muttered Seraphina, her voice soft, weariness deliberately chewing her up.

"...so stupid I want to kick you deliberately and pull that hair of yours," added Seraphina sleepishly, earning a chuckle from Zachary.

Zachary, lifted his rough thumb on her smooth rosy cheeks, "you wouldn't dare. I'll best believe you'll only pull my hair due to overwhelming pressure. I am more delighted to provide you," his voice husky against her ear.

Seraphina lazily looked up at him, her brows meeting due to confusion. Zachary, meanwhile, despite his injuries, managed to respond with an amused smirk, his head shaking, "So many things you need to learn, my love,"

"That's why I am going to school, you idiot," replied Seraphina, her eyes closing momentarily, lost in the soothing sensation of Zacahary's calloused thumb running across her cheek.

"It's something you can only obtained from me, my naive Sep,"

Seraphina asked him questions on what he meant by that. Nevertheless, Zachary replied none, a smug look planted on his face, still stroking and caressing her, soothing her up.

Seraphina proceeded with naming him stupid on and on and on until she fell asleep in his arm.

Leaving Zachary gaping down at her, his hands still around the sleeping maiden, an ache growing inside him for not disclosing the truth to her.

For endangering her life all because of his stupidity.

If he could only turn back time.