Prologue

"It's you" I whispered. The beast looked straight at me with its alluring amber eyes. Its breath, though warm, chilled me.
Why don't you run? It surged its thoughts into my mind like a battering ram.
"Because I'm not scared. Because I understand you." I replied.  
Well, you should be.

Time: 9.06am, Day: Thursday, Location: My Bedroom

Are you bored? Let's play a game. Hide and seek. My rules. I'm on. Start running Jake.

*buzzzz*
My eyes snapped open. My phone vibrated on my desk, sending numerous ripples through the wood. The small amount of change from the previous night danced in time to my message tone. I just stared at my phone. I was stiff from fear and lack of sleep. For weeks I have had the same nightmare. The exact same. Not a detail different. The same, terrifying experience. Every night. Though, I still don't know the end.
*buzzzz*
My phone slid off the edge of my desk. It looked like it had committed suicide from the bombardment of texts it was receiving. For one strange moment, I felt a connection with the machine. I blinked. It felt strange. I felt strange. I stretched out my arm towards the phone; my fingers clawed frantically at the air, but my attempts were in vain.  
*buzzzz*
There was another, more subdued, buzz from the incoming messages. I pushed myself up off my bed. My arms collapsed beneath me. My body seemed too heavy. I tried again. My hand slipped and I followed, landing in a contorted lump on the floor. My breathing turned into rasping for air as my limbs dug into my chest. I managed to unfurl and grab my phone, just as another text was being received.  
I pressed the button. 3 new messages, 1 from mum.  
*click* Gone out to shops. Will be back for dinner. Cheerios on the side. How typical of her. She didn't put kisses anymore. She thought I was mad. She has even gone so far to send me to a therapist. I was insulted and acted up to my alleged madness. The finally decided my state of mentality was too much to handle and cancelled all future appointments.  
I read the next text. It was from Celestia. You up yet? We're meant to meet Flynn in ten. And the next, OI, lazy, get up! We need to leave now! Celestia's voice ran through my mind as I read the texts. I dropped my phone on my bed and endeavoured to go back to sleep. I was just about settled down when I heard tapping on my window. I got out from under my covers and swept open my curtains. There was Celestia, standing on my windowsill, tapping the pane with one hand her phone in the other.
"How the hell did you get up there?" I exclaimed. She was wearing her black vest top with the red and white print on the left side and her muddy coloured combat trousers. There weren't any shoes on her feet.
"I climbed." She proposed. I didn't believe her. There was no way she could have climbed. There was a flash.
"Did you just take a picture of me? And where are your shoes?" I asked. She gave a huge grin. Her teeth were as white as ever. Her canines more like fangs than usual. "You didn't climb, did you? You know you should act like a person rather than yourself in the daytime. What if somebody saw you?" I began to rant.
Celestia stared straight into my eyes. I knew she was going to read my mind or make me forget about this or something along those lines. You've had another nightmare haven't you? I tried to avert my gaze, but with no success. She bore her way further into my mind. Don't try kidding me Jake. I always find out. I gave up trying to cloud my thoughts. I looked back at my window. Celestia was gone. My window was gone. In fact my whole room had disappeared. Then I realised. I was stood in my garden, in nothing but my boxers.  
"Lovely." I muttered to myself.  
"Isn't it just" Celestia's voice called behind. She was there, leaning against the tree, her phone recording the whole thing. I glared at her and she just burst into a fit of laughter.
"Oh I'm glad somebody is finding the funny side of this" I was steamed.
"Yeah, and so will the viewers of YouTube." Celestia teased. She locked her phone and disappeared into the tree.  
As I was standing there, my neighbours out on their morning errands looked at me like I had gone mad. The old biddies gave some rather loud murmurs of disgust. The 'hard crew' came past and gawped at me in my bareness. They too burst out laughing. Luckily for me, they didn't take pictures.  
I was growing impatient when Celestia popped her head out from under the tree.
"Grab my hand" She demanded. Her voice was shaky. She didn't like being upside down. This fact, I found humorous, for she was similar to a vampire. I chuckled at her expense. I didn't think it through and she pulled me by my hair.
"What was that for?"  
"It's your own fault. You laughed at me." She said. I couldn't believe her. I was raging mad. I wanted to knock her teeth out. I wanted to push her out the tree. Don't even bother. A sudden shockwave blew me back, slamming me towards a branch. I never came into contact with the tree. I was stunned and, quite frankly, scared out of my wits. It always worries me when Celestia acts like this. She dropped me. I went hurtling to the ground, only to be caught by Celestia's pale arms.
"Scared ya', didn't I? Come on, get your clothes on, Flynn will be wondering where we are." She threw my blue hoodie, a plain white t-shirt and a pair of jeans at my face. I was then greeted by my socks and black trainers.  
I became bewildered; I was still trying to put together all of the mornings events. I am the friend of a freak. I thought to myself. Even in my mind, I wasn't safe from Celestia's gaze.
I am not a freak. I was here before you. You are the freak in my eyes. Her thoughts were strong and cut into my consciousness like razor blades.
Yes, but you are the last of your kind. Your planet got destroyed. You only survived because you replaced your heart with the Dark Stone. You ARE the freak. I snapped back at her with the most hurtful way I could think of. She was silent for a bit, but I could still feel her consciousness. It was dark and angry.
And do you remember who I saved with my heart? Do you remember why you're here? Do you remember that night? You're only half human yourself. I was stunned, flabbergasted, at her steely thoughts. I tried to reach her mind again. Everything went white. I was attacked by an awesome surge of pain. She had put fortifications round her consciousness so that she couldn't be intruded. I had to kneel down to steady myself. Celestia was giving me all she could; and would probably try to exceed her abilities.
In the white, excruciatingly painful silence, a whispering voice echoed, getting louder, getting stronger.  
Are you bored?  
            Let's play a game.  
                           Hide and seek.  
                                        My rules. I'm on.  
                                                       Start running Jake