My Altered Mate

Grover’s POV

"Grab him!"

My hand was immediately pulled hard from behind, causing my body to slam into a row of metal lockers in the school hallway.

The impact was so loud that it caught several students' attention around us. They turned briefly to see who was being beaten today, then went back to their own business.

Normal. This was all too normal. I hadn't even had time to stand up straight when the first blow hit me in the stomach.

"Ugh—" It felt like my lungs were being squeezed from the inside. Two people held my shoulders so I wouldn’t fall. I looked up slowly, trying to focus on the face of the person in front of me.

Simon Watson.

Of course. He’s the son of one of the school’s major donors; even the principal often takes his side. He stood casually with one hand in the pocket of his uniform pants, as if punching someone in the middle of the school hallway were a routine after-lunch activity.

His dark brown hair was a little messy, but it still looked neat compared to mine, which was surely a mess by now.

He gave a slight smirk.

“See? I told you so,” he said to his friends. “He’s just annoying.”

I spat a little blood onto the floor and then gave a short laugh, even though my lips stung.

“Do you have family problems and take it out on me every day here?”

One of the kids behind me laughed reflexively, but Simon didn’t.

His smile slowly faded. And that was always the worst part. Because a smiling Simon was still better than a silent Simon, he took a step closer.

“My only problem is seeing your face here!”

I stared at him without answering. Because I didn't know, I might have thought staying silent would be more embarrassing. Or maybe it was because I was too tired to pretend to be scared.

Simon patted my cheek gently. Not hard. But condescendingly.

“Do you think anyone will help you?”

I glanced around. Some students pretended not to see. Others watched silently while betting. I smiled slightly.

“You really like to seek attention.”

His expression changed instantly, as if he’d just realized I’d said something I shouldn’t have. Simon stared at me for a few seconds. Then his fist slammed into my cheek so hard that my head hit the locker.

A ringing sound filled my ears.

After doing all that, he and his friends walked away, leaving me behind.

I’m not a genius, not an athlete, not anyone special at this school. I’m just one of the ninth-grade students trying to hang on until graduation.

But for some reason, people like Simon always find a reason to make me their target.

At first, it was just taunts. Then a little shove. Then it just escalated until eventually people got used to seeing me get beaten up in the school hallway.

And the worst part? I started getting used to it, too.

On my way home from school, I walked past a convenience store that had been out of business for a long time. My house was at the end of the street near a row of old trees. A simple house painted a dull gray with a slightly crooked fence. From a distance, you can already see the forest behind the house. It’s not great. But it’s enough for the two of us.

My steps are slow. My body still aches. I open the door and immediately toss my bag onto the living room sofa. Silence. No one’s here.

Good.

I walked into the kitchen and took some cold water from the fridge. As I took a sip, the pain in my lip immediately felt sharper.

I winced slightly. My reflection was faintly visible in the kitchen window.

A faint bruise was beginning to show on my left cheek. I roughly rubbed my face and went upstairs to my room.

My room is small. There’s only a bed, a study desk, an old wardrobe, and a few books scattered on the floor. I flopped onto the mattress, staring at the ceiling.

Sometimes I wonder…

Will life at secondary school be the same?

Will people like Simon still be everywhere?

The sound of the front door suddenly opening reached my ears. I jumped up and went out of the room.

A tall man walked in, carrying a black plastic bag in his hand. He slowly took off his dark jacket before turning to look at me.

His gaze immediately settled on my face.

“You’ve been hit again.”

It wasn’t a question. But a statement.

He’s my uncle, Sargon Lawrence. I’ve been living with him for a few years now, and even now I still don’t really understand what sort of person he actually is.

He rarely talks about himself. He rarely asks too many questions about my life, either. But for some reason, he always knows when something’s wrong. I leaned against the wall.

“Just school stuff.”

He walked past me towards the kitchen.

“Your school problems often end up in a fight.”

I gave a hollow little laugh.

“If there’s no fight, maybe they’re not satisfied.”

He was silent for a few seconds. Then he opened the fridge and said quietly, “You need to learn to avoid trouble.”

I stared at his back.

“I’ve tried.”

My reply made the atmosphere fall silent again. And as usual… he didn’t force the conversation.

Sometimes I think he’s actually more comfortable living in silence. A few minutes later, he took the car keys from the table.

“I’m going out to buy something.”

I gave a slight nod.

“I’ll come with you. Whenever you go into the woods, you never want to take me along and forbid me from going near the woods behind the house—at least take me to the mini-market.”

I actually didn’t feel like going. My whole body still ached. But staying home alone when my mind was in such a mess wasn’t a good idea either.

“All right,” he replied.

Simon’s POV

“Is that his house?”

I stood across the street, staring at the small grey house.

One of my friends nodded.

“Yeah. He went in a moment ago.”

I slipped my hands into my jacket pockets, still staring at the house. I don’t know why I felt the need to teach Grover a lesson today. It should have all been over once we’d finished earlier.

But the look on his face was infuriating. The way he kept talking back after being hit. The way he stared at me as if he were not afraid. Even though he’d clearly lost.

The front door suddenly opened. Grover came out with an older man. The man was tall, wearing a dark black jacket, and his face looked cold even from a distance.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“Probably his uncle.”

I watched them get into an old black car and drive away from the house. And Grover’s house was now empty. I gave a small smile.

“Follow me.”

“What else do you want to do?” my friend asked.

“Just for fun.”

When we reached the gate, I walked straight in. The front door wasn’t even locked properly. I chuckled.

“How stupid.”

I pushed the door gently until it opened. The house felt rather eerie and quiet. My friend went in first and looked around.

“How could anyone live in this tiny house?”

I walked in, taking in the living room. An old sofa. A small wooden table. A bookshelf. It all looked… boring, just like Grover.

I picked up one of the books on the table and threw it on the floor. For some reason, it felt good.

“Simon, don’t get caught,” my friend whispered, laughing nervously.

Instead, I kicked the chair until it fell over.

“He needs to know who he’s dealing with,” I said.

My friend laughed and started rummaging through the desk drawers. The sound of things falling filled the little house. I picked up a photo frame from the shelf.

Grover looked smaller in that photo. Standing stiffly with an awkward expression beside the man who’d just left the house with him.

I stared at the photo for a few seconds. Then I threw it onto the floor, shattering the glass.

Crash!

“Simon…”

I turned my head.

“What?”

My friend looked a bit pale as he stared towards the window.

“I think we should leave.”

I furrowed my brow.

“Why?”

“I don’t know why, but the atmosphere in this house feels strange. I’ve got goosebumps, like someone’s watching us.”

However, before I could reply, the sound of a car suddenly came from outside the house. We fell silent immediately.

Vroom... a car just pulled up to the house.

“They’re back! Quick, get out through the back door!” I was panicking a bit. The man who’d been with Grover earlier was quite intimidating, even though I hadn’t looked him in the eye.

“But there’s a thick forest behind us, and it’ll be night soon!”

“So you want to stay here and get caught? Hurry!” My friends and I immediately fled into the forest, and it turned out to be a terrible decision.