《Under The Shadow》 Chapter 1: Last Christmas Prologue Life is full of mysteries. Our existence is one of it. Why do we live? To die? Some may say they have a purpose for living. Then how about a purpose for dying? We have different opinions about this but an opinion is an opinion. It is an answer based on our perspective. Thus, it might never be true to others. The truth lurks near our answers but it will never get closer than that. After all, we try to dig deeper but we never try to fly higher. Higher than Icarus had reached. Nevertheless, I, as a person, have my own personal belief: "Life is a journey to death but before you go there, cherish your time looking at the wonders of your world." The end of a journey is the beginning of another journey. Chapter 1: Last Christmas I am sitting on a bench alone playing the game that the people got addicted to. It is Christmas and it is already 6:00 p.m.. Christmas is a day you should enjoy with your family, friends or lovers. It is a day where everyone should be happy or so. You might ask why I am alone. Let me answer that question for you. I have no friends to be with, no lovers and no family but I got some relatives. I live with my aunt, the sister of my father, but they don''t even bother taking care of me. When I was 10 years old, my father and mother are witnesses of a murder. As they tried to tell the police what happened, both of them were killed by the suspects. My parents died even though they are in the right. THERE IS NO JUSTICE. The suspects were not found. After that, I lived with my aunt. Since the beginning, they hated me as much as how they hated my father. So in the end, I can''t depend on them. At least they gave me shelter or else I''ll become a beggar in the street. *click* *tap* Therefore, no one cares about me. I am useless. Even if I died today, no one would be sad. The total happiness of the world won''t change. That''s why... "bzzzt....Game Over....bzzzt" ...I''ll commit suicide later. * * * * * * * * * * * * The people that pass by me are decreasing as the time passes by. I don''t look at them. I just see them through my peripheral vision. After all, they disgust me. The smile on their face, the lovers holding hands and the families strolling with their children reminds me of how people just looked at us as the killers tried to kill my parents. "I guess it''s time now." It is already 12 midnight. Christmas has passed. I checked my surroundings if there are still people walking or staying in the streets. I looked to my right and saw the light post that was dying out. Next, I looked to my left and saw a girl with an umbrella. Next, I looked in front- "Wait, a girl?" "Uhm!!," the girl got closed and shouted at me. "Wahhh!!!," I shrieked. "I-I-I''m sorry I didn''t mean to scare you." "No.. uhm.. I screamed because I thought you are scaring me." Please believe that lie. "Is that so, then I feel relieved." Wait, she did!? "And so ,uhm, what is it that you want?" "Eh..T-This might be strange coming from a stranger like me who just showed up in the-" "Uhm if you may, please get straight to the point. I still have something to do." "Well okay. Actually the thing is..." "Is there a dirt in my face?" "No uhm-," she breathed deeply and said... "Can I be your friend?" "Friend? Me?" "Is it a no-no?," she said with teary eyes. "No, that''s not it. It''s fine but why me?" "This might be rude but I didn''t choose you particularly. I just happened to see you while I''m walking and you look somehow uhmmm harmless." I thought it is my destiny to meet this beautiful blonde-haired girl with her unique choker with numbers written in it. Does it have a meaning? Well, she also has a big bossom-! If she hears this, she won''t think of me as a harmless person again. "Well, forget about the reason. Ehem ehem. You can be my friend-" "Yay-" "-but only for today." "Sure! That''s all I need!" "Then let''s g-" "And one more thing..." "What? There''s more? What is it?" "Can you lend me money? Teehee." "Ugh!" She asked me to spend the day with her while having fun. After that, we looked for stores that are still open. We walked through the darkness and silence. There''s no people around. Just the two of us. After a while, we luckily found some store. The dango store beside the bridge that is closing but the owner let us in and then we ate a lot while talking about how delicious they are.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. We''ve gone to the arcade and played Arcade Fighters. Never played it like before. I did have some fun but I never won against the girl even though she doesn''t play this much like me. When we got outside, the girl saw a dog. She tried to get closer to pet it but the dog barked and tried to bite her. We ran as fast as we can. We kept laughing at each other. We laughed at our own stupidity. Then, finally, we got a spot where the dog can''t see us. "It is gone now." "Let me take a look too." I realized that her face is close to mine. "Why are you blushing?" "hUh? AhHh? mE? b-Bl-bLusHiNG?!!" "Hahahaha, your expression is funny." We continued our strolling and saw a table tennis with the equipment needed outside a house. Since no one is looking at us we played. I tried my best to win but, as expected, I lost a lot of times. We stopped playing when the ball got inside the house and it hit the dog. The dog barked loudly and continuously so the people inside woke up and once again we ran. We still don''t know why they left their things outside. How stupid of them hahaha. We got exhausted. We took a break in a shed where I usually stay after school. Of all the things I experienced in my life, today was the best. Father, mother, I found the person who made my life happy again. We sat on the bench in the shed. We were silent. I have to tell her that our friendship must not end here. I have to take the initiative. "UHM!!," we shouted. "Ah you can talk first." "Eh, ah, actually, the truth is ahhh you are the first, wait. Ah, no. The thing is... the thing I said when we met... you know... the-the-the friendship thing hahaha I w-want it to last longer-" "AH! My umbrella is missing!" "What? You''re bringing it with you the whole time, right?" "Yes, and now I can''t find it. Help me search for it." "Sure." Did she hear the thing I have just said? I wish she didn''t. It''s too embarrassing. Wait, never mind, I want her to know that we''ll be friends after this day and so on. I helped her look for the umbrella near the shed. There are no traces of it being there. I thought I saw it beside her when we were sitting. Maybe my eyes are deceiving me. "Did you see it?" "I''m sorry." "No, it is fine. I will search for it with you until we find it." "It''s not that." "Eh? What do you mean?" "The umbrella''s behind my back." "Huh? Ehhh! Hahaha, you got me there." She had this sad look in her face even though we were supposed to be laughing or, so do we? "I want you to remember this. The answer is always near you. Some may try to hide the fact that they exist but never let those things affect you. Staying in your place is sometimes much better than moving around. Like what I did with the umbrella. If you had just stayed, you''ll eventually find it on my back but you kept moving around." "Wait, I don''t get this. Why are you telling this to me?" "There''s no time left." "Huh?" "After 5 minutes, I''ll die." Is she leaving me behind? No, there''s no time for this. I have to ask why- "You might want to ask me why. I''ll tell you a secret of this world." "What secret?" "This is not new to others but from people like you, this is something news to your ears. The ''Under the Shadow''." Certainly, this is news to my ears but to think that that thing in her neck is a time limit of her life. She did not tell me this but the numbers written in there is exactly the same to the time she mentioned of her being alive. "I can''t let you go with me there. It is a place under our footing that is full of creatures that are not easily defeated by mere human weapons." "I want to go there with you." "Are you even listening to me?!" "The truth is I am going to commit suicide if I never met you. I have nothing. No one will be sad if I die. But, you came. You became the guiding light to my dark journey. All I have is you. So, if you are going to die, I might as well die." "No. I can''t-" "You can''t stop me." "Okay, you''re so stubborn. I''ll let you come with me." "That''s the spirit!" She chanted some words that I can''t understand. She asked me to close my eyes. We held hands and then the moment I opened my eyes- "It''s dark." "Welcome to Under the Shadow." I don''t see the end of the place but I can see some hills in it. It is enveloped by darkness. The only one I can clearly see is the girl. For some reason, she possesses light that the place doesn''t have. "Just what is this-" A strange annoying sound starts to ring across the place. "It started. Stay back there." The numbers from her choker became 0000 from 0500. "No, I will protect you." "No, I will protect you. You still have to live on and see the beauty of the world." "Me?! What about you?! What are you talking about?! Is there no chance for you to live?! Is that what you are pointing out?!" "Yes, I will die today. It is my destiny. And-" "And?" "I will be sad if you die. Oh, by the way, my name is Lacia, nice meeting you." She smiled. She smiled while knowing she will die. Why does she have to die? I don¡¯t get it. I don¡¯t really get it. All I can do is cry. When the sound stopped. A hole started to open in mid-air. In that hole, I saw a creature I never saw before. The only thing I can say about it is- "M-Monster." I trembled in fear. The killing intent of them can be felt even when you are far to them. I can''t stand. How can I protect her? Why can''t I do anything? Why am I so powerless? "Don''t worry, I''m here." She put her hands together. It¡¯s as if she is praying. Then, a spark glows in her hands. It starts to get bigger. She ran forward to the monster and then! She cut through them. She was fast as a lightning and as sharp as a sword. The monster died but many others had started to show up. She fought them. She never falters. As time passed by, she got exhausted. I can''t bear to watch her anymore. I can''t just let her die. I stood up and walked to her place. My purpose is to save her but I killed her. Two monsters got near me. One at my right and one at my back. She saw that. She didn''t kill the monster instead she saved me. I KILLED HER. I KILLED HER. I KILLED HER. I KILLED HER. I held her in my hands. I embraced her. I cried and cried and cried. Is crying the only thing I can do? I heard a faint voice. It is Lacia''s. "Don''t blame yourself." "I let them do this to you." "I won''t die *coughs blood* as long as I live in your heart." "*sob* By the way, this is too late for introduction but my name is Marco, very¡­ very nice*sob* meeting you." "Marco, huh? What a nice name." She smiled. I kissed her. After that she became cold. She doesn''t move anymore. Her soul left her body already. When I kissed her, I felt her power surging through me. I felt like my weight became as of a feather. I felt like I can do anything. My anger towards the monster released a great power within me. It caused a shock among the monster in there. I created a Shockwave. They suddenly stopped moving then they were turned to dust. I felt fatigued after I released the Shockwave. As I got down, I saw 9 persons in there. They are running towards my place. They are talking to me. I can''t hear. My consciousness passes. * * * * * * * * * * * * The moment I woke up, I saw a light. A light coming from a bulb. I am in a room I''ve never seen before. It is pure white with a bed and a bookshelf filled with books. I remembered the accident. I remembered everything. I muttered some words unconsciously then I fell asleep. When I woke up again, it is dark. The same structure but I don''t see any light. I walked through the place and searched for some water. Before I saw the kitchen, I saw a strange door in the wall. I''ve gone there. And... I saw her. I saw Lacia. The Lacia I saw was not a real person. It is a picture of her. But, it is not just her. A picture including the 9 people I barely saw during the accident. But something''s different with Lacia''s. It has an ''X'' mark in it. I felt angry. Why would they tamper the face of Lacia with a mark? Is it because she is dead? I looked around and saw something: a letter. I''ve read it and it shook me. "KILL MY GROUP MEMBERS AND OBTAIN THE TRUTH AND POWER BEYOND HUMAN''S CAPABILITIES." I fell down on my knees. The killer is in their group. But why? What is the ''truth'' and ''power'' it¡¯s talking about. I saw the chokers in another table that killed Lacia. Is the killer using chokers to kill them? Then, I saw another paper containing something. "Target: Lacia. Dead" There are other papers but I felt a presence. A deadly presence. The presence of the killer among the group. Who is it? I want to see. I want to know the truth. But, I''ll die. I can feel it. I hid at the table near me. Even though I am hiding under the table, I can feel him gazing at me. He(she) walks closer to me. My heart won''t stop racing. I''M GOING TO DIE. Then he(she) suddenly ran away. Due to the nervousness it caused me, I collapsed. I don''t know if he(she) will find me here by the time I wake up. Chapter 1 END Chapter 2: Live, Doubt & Trust Chapter 2: Live, Doubt & Trust Am I still alive? Did the killer kill me? I woke up. I am still alive. I am still breathing. I am in that room. That pure white room. Why am I here? Did the killer bring me here or is ¡°that¡± just a dream? When I looked at my wristwatch, it was already 9 A.M. when I woke up. I hurriedly ran outside. Surprisingly no one was outside that time. I came to look for the room of mysteries but- ¡°Where is it?¡± -there is nothing. It is just a wall. I tried doing several techniques thinking that it has a secret door but nothing happened. I heard footsteps so I stopped bothering myself to the wall to avoid confusion and doubt. A girl showed up. With her posture and expression, you can tell that she is a shy girl. Besides her is a guy with a sword on his back who looked like a leader to me. ¡°So, you are awake,¡± the guy said calmly. ¡°This girl told me that she saw you running so she came to me and told the situation,¡± he added. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for running around. I just don¡¯t feel too comfortable. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ll do to me. After all, I found myself lying on a bed I do not own. By the way where is this?¡± ¡°This is the Black Jack¡¯s base,¡± said by another guy who suddenly showed up in the middle of our conversation. There is no mistaking it. This guy is their real leader. The aura he gives me is intimidating. ¡°Black Jack? What is that?¡± ¡°The Black Jack is-¡° The guy with the sword interrupted, ¡°Why don¡¯t we introduce ourselves first before explaining everything?¡± ¡°Seems fine to me.¡± ¡°How about you, leader?¡± He nodded. * * * * * * * * * * We gathered at the living room. The guy with the sword showed me around the place while waiting for others to come. We are now complete. We formed a circle then it started. The guy with the sword initiated the introduction. ¡°Let¡¯s start the introduction!¡± ¡°But I want to ask him a lot of questions,¡± a girl who wears a headset said. ¡°You can save them for later.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± the girl with the headset agreed. ¡°So, let me start it. I am Fellal Blame. You can call me Lal for short. You can always count on me. Buhi!¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was an awkward silence after he ended introducing himself. Lal created a way to remove us from this situation. ¡°Eh. Why did no one follow my wonderful intro? I see¡­ you guys are shy with our guest.¡± ¡°Wha-!,¡± a girl in blue said so. ¡°Since you reacted, you introduce yourself Mary.¡± ¡°Jeez, I just don¡¯t want you to misunderstand. Well, anyway, as that useless guy said, I am Mary. Mary Luckborg. Just don¡¯t bother me too much but you can ask me questions sometimes¡­ maybe?¡± ¡°Heh~ Are you the tsundere*-type Mary?¡± ¡°Shut up, do you want me to smack you?!¡± She smacked him after asking. ¡°GAH! Why¡¯d ya smack me?¡± She glared at him like she¡¯s telling him to die. ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am, please forgive me for what I have done.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t forgive you.¡± ¡°So harsh.¡± ¡°You still saying something!?¡± ¡°HEEEEE! NO MAAM!¡± ¡°By the way, let¡¯s continue. Hana, you proceed.¡± ¡°Eh sister? Why me?,¡± the shy girl asked. Mary didn¡¯t answer her though. ¡°Well, uhm, you see, ahh, we-we are si-sisters. I don¡¯t mean us but I am talking about Mary hehe. Stupid, why would I think that.¡± She starts talking to herself all of a sudden. ¡°I am Ha-Hana Luckborg. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll introduce myself next. I got bored with your chit chat.¡± A girly voice suddenly popped out. I looked around to find her. I can¡¯t see her. Is she invisible? ¡°How rude of you, don¡¯t you have manners?¡± ¡°Eh a young girl?¡± A girl who is as small as a grade schooler and those stuff toys¡­ Why¡¯s a child here? ¡°Yes, I may be young but, in our situation, I am the senior. I am more knowledgeable than you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I am Sanae Wizmith. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± With that, her introduction ended. ¡°I have a suggestion,¡± a man with a full black uniform stated. ¡°What is it?,¡± Lal asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just tell him our names then proceed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± ¡°We are just wasting time.¡± ¡°Okay then let¡¯s go with that.¡± After that, everyone who hasn¡¯t introduced themselves has told their names. Ravi Helms, or Ravi for short, the man with a full black uniform. He seems to be the right arm of the leader. Davis Frowne, or Dabbi for short, the man who has a pineapple head. He seems to be friendly and the comedian type. Geneva Hugo, or Eva for short, the secretary of the leader. She keeps talking with Dabbi while the others are introducing themselves. Shizuka Yamamoto, or Shizuka for short, a silent girl who only talks when she wants to or so she said. She likes to be alone and doesn¡¯t like to be bothered. And lastly, Hiao Jazzmuck, the leader of Black Jack. A mysterious and an intimidating man, indeed. And now, it¡¯s my turn. ¡°Before I¡¯ll start, I want to ask you a question. Why are you so considerate of me denying the fact that I am a guest or so you said?¡± The leader responded immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt. You must join Black Jack. You can¡¯t refuse.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Introduce yourself first before asking a lot of questions.¡± ¡°Okay. I am Marco Brande. My information about the ¡°Under the Shadow¡± is low. I can¡¯t help you with the things you do. Killing monsters is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll learn how to kill them in no time.¡± ¡°How?... Never mind that, just tell me what these monsters are.¡± ¡°I still doubt you for not knowing anything.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t trust me, then how can I trust you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way you can trust a person you only met.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s no direction to this conversation.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey. Keep your cool, Leader and Marco. This is not the time to be fighting,¡± Lal said to calm the situation. ¡°THEN THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO DO THIS! ONE OF YOUR COMRADES DIED YESTERDAY! TO DO SUCH NONSENSICAL THINGS IS SUCH A-¡° ¡°JUST WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!!¡± Everyone was shocked when I burst out but they were more shocked when Lal shouted in anger. Lal, with his teary eyes, looked up to me and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Then, he walked out. ¡°Just as Lal said, you don¡¯t know anything. About UTS, those monsters, how to kill them, and specially our feelings,¡± the leader stated. ¡°We tried to keep our emotions but we can¡¯t. Last night, we were crying. I didn¡¯t expect myself to cry but to see the grief my comrades are going through, I can¡¯t help but burst into tears. We can¡¯t just mourn her death forever. We must continue killing these shadows to justify her death,¡± the leader added. I felt guilty. What have I done? I let my anger consume me. It¡¯s true. I¡¯m clueless. I don¡¯t know anything but I judged them. Lal meant no harm with his words. The leader wanted to get straight to the point to end the mystery of the death of Lacia. They are concerned with each other. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I swallowed my pride but it¡¯s my fault. ¡°No point in apologizing now. Would you care to tell us what happened and what are you to Lacia?¡± I explained the events that happened starting from our meetup till the end. ¡°I find it unbelievable.¡± The leader still doubts me. ¡°Why would Lacia want a stranger like you?¡± ¡°You are wrong there.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Lacia didn¡¯t want me. She accidentally saw me sitting dumbfoundedly.¡± ¡°Let me tell you something. Lacia is a common target among shadow users because of her power. They wanted it because her power is strong. So, the thing you said right now made me think that you are one of them, after all, her power is flowing through you.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not one of those persons you are talking about. Actually, I am still thinking why Lacia gave her power to me. To survive? Perhaps not. You said a while ago that you can¡¯t trust a person you only met. But, I did. I trusted her. Weird right. I didn¡¯t have anyone since my parents died. I got abused by my relatives so I started to become anxious around people. I¡¯ve thought of committing suicide but she came. She said she¡¯ll be sad if I die. She got me, my trust and my heart.¡± Everyone was shocked when they heard the last word I have spoken. ¡°I-i-it is not like that. Uhmmm I-I-I-I can explain. Gah¡­ How to do this?? Uhmm¡­¡± ¡°HAHAHAHAHA.¡± The leader laughed so hard. ¡°You got me there hahaha, I am sorry. Excuse me for that. Okay, I trust you. I¡¯ll tell you the basics and other information you should know.¡± |Under the Shadow| |Information on Shadows| ¡°Well that¡¯s all you need to know so far.¡± ¡°I can go there without doing anything?¡± Lal came back with a news to say. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I left earlier.¡± ¡°No, I am sorry. I am the one at fault here. I judged your situation without knowing anything. I am very sorry Sir Lal.¡± ¡°No need to be formal. Just Lal is okay hehe. By the way, Leader, I have something to say.¡± ¡°What is it Lal?¡± ¡°The detector detected some shadows 2 km away here. There have been at least 6 shadows in there.¡± ¡°Heh~, it seems like you¡¯ll get to learn some things, Marco was it?¡± then the leader smirked. ¡°Eva, Lal and Sanae!¡± the leader shouted. The three of them responded in chorus. ¡°Yes sir!¡± ¡°The three of you were to go there and kill those shadows¡­ and¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± Sanae asked. ¡°Show and teach this guy here on how we do things.¡± We immediately went to the place where the shadows are. We were quiet when we were traveling. I wondered why they didn¡¯t ask me anything but I think¡­ they were just too focused on their job. We got down on the car. ¡°You ready now?¡± Lal asked while preparing himself. ¡°Are we supposed to say some things like chants?¡± ¡°Huh? Where¡¯d you get that? You just have to think of diving deeper than we had ever reached like passing to the other side of this ground hehehe.¡± ¡°I thought we are to say some things. I remember hearing some from Lacia.¡± ¡°From Lacia? What were they?¡± ¡°I was muttering them this morning when I woke up. What were they again? AH! I remember now.¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m curious now Buhi!¡± ¡°vivu et vivas¡­ post tenebras spero lucem¡­ or, so were they?¡± Lal was shocked. I don¡¯t know why. Maybe they were embarrassing words that Lacia wanted to hide. ¡°live so that¡­¡± Lal started whispering. ¡°What was it? I can¡¯t hear it?¡± ¡°Her words¡­ I remember them¡­ I think¡­ she wants to say it to you.¡± ¡°To me? What do they mean?¡± ¡°Live so that you may live.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°It means live your life to the fullest so that you can feel like you are alive.¡± ¡°Di-did she really say that?¡± I started to cry out of nowhere. I¡¯m such a crybaby, aren¡¯t I? After that I started to think about diving deeper. I imagined myself standing on the top of a tower then I jumped. REACH. REACH. REACH. DIVE.---------- I managed to get there. Lal and others started to walk ahead of me. ¡°¡¯After darkness, I hope for light,¡¯ what do you mean by that, Lacia?¡± Lal whispered to himself. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Eva said. Behind the tall rocks are the shadows waiting for their prey. Their eyes were red. Their mouths were drooling. Their hands were shaking with excitement. They crave for humans. ¡°LET¡¯S START THE HUNT!¡± With that being said, Eva and Sanae started to move. Lal acted as the bait. The shadows jumped where Lal is. ¡°Watch and learn¡± These words by Lal were meant to me. I watched them. Lal, who stood in the middle of the rocks, didn¡¯t do anything. He stood there as if there was nothing. But, when the shadows were near him, Eva¡¯s whip gathered all the shadows attacking him then Sanae¡¯s power of gravity forced the rocks to smash the shadows that were locked out. The damage is fatal but, as the leader said a while ago, they can¡¯t be killed by normal means. That¡¯s when Lal started to move. He pulled out a sword out of nowhere. It has a unique shape. It isn¡¯t like any other sword. He jumped to where the shadows are. Then, the shadows were cut in half. He slashed them with one move. Yes, I watched them but I didn¡¯t learn much except one thing. Strategy can change the way how one thing works out. These people are elites. You can¡¯t underestimate them. That¡¯s why I know now. I have to try this. The room of mysteries is not in the Black Jack¡¯s base rather in the UTS¡¯s Black Jack¡¯s base. I don¡¯t know if it exists but there¡¯s nothing bad in trying. Chapter 2 End. Chapter 3: First Mission After that day, they told me that after all this, they wouldn¡¯t let me go home. It was good for me though. I¡¯ll be leaving the house I¡¯ve been living for so long with nothing but hate. Still, I asked them if I could have the chance to at least thank them for the things they¡¯ve done. It was granted by the leader and I was accompanied by Dabbi. We talked a lot along the road when I went home. He¡¯s sure a funny and talkative person. Despite the thing that happened, I did not feel doubted by him. The moment we got there, I felt nothing. It¡¯s not like they felt relieved when I got home, in fact, they got happy when I said I am leaving their house. Dabbi, who is watching me from afar, had a tear in his eyes. I told him that it¡¯s not that big of a deal but I can¡¯t stop feeling a bit of happy when I knew that someone cared. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°¡­ ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°