Chapter: How it all started

It was a mild morning, not a single cloud could be seen. A cold autumn wind blew in the streets of Devonshire, rattling the almost bare branches of the trees, robbing them of the last splendor of the brightly colored leaves and causing them to slide sadly to the ground.
Keichi blew the red linden leaf that had just flown on his forehead,
bored to the side and opened his eyes. Blinded, however, he quickly raised his hand in front of his face and squinted into the bright sunlight that fell on the park bench, exactly where he had slept before. "Stupid sun," he groaned, pushed his orange baseball cap with the black star printed on it over his face and turned on his side. But even that didn't make it any better, the sun also found its way through the shadows of the cap. "Shit!", Keichi cursed and straightened up with difficulty. He wore a white t-shirt and black jeans, which made him look even thinner than he already was.He had long brown hair that reached almost to his shoulders and, at 14 years of age, was probably rather slim. His pale blue eyes were fixed on the floor. Finally he looked up and looked around the park. The colorful foliage and the happy autumn time did not cheer him up a bit. On the contrary, it only made him feel even more depressed than he already was.
Keichi's life had taken a major turn after moving to Devonshire. Before he moved there, he had lived in Kirjaka, the cheerful town on the Kirja Sea, where everyone could find refuge and where it was easy to settle in. Just three weeks ago Keichi and his mother
used to his father and his little sister and enjoyed every day to the full. Nobody, absolutely nobody, would have suspected that something terrible would happen here in this oh-so-peaceful city. But most of the things that seem so wonderful mostly hide the dark side of their existence.Nobody thought that something like this would happen. Nobody.

Keichi dangled her feet and screwed up her eyes. He didn't like to think of the cruel day, the day that had changed his life. Often
he wished the whole thing was just a bad dream and he could wake up one day and everything would be the same as before. He couldn't really come to terms with what had happened, didn't want to believe that he had been left alone with his mother. But he had to do it for his mother, who loved him more than anything and tried to cheer him up every day. She read his every wish from his eyes.

Keichi got up slowly and in silence. His eyes were still on the ground as he took the path through the park to return home. Dried leaves crunched under his feet, but he didn't really notice it.
"Why?" He asked himself. "Why do things like this happen? I ... I didn't want this to happen.It couldn't happen ... I ... ", Keichi shook his head hastily, as if he wanted to get the cruel thoughts out of his head." No, "he said to himself and clenched his hands into fists." I have to stop thinking about it. Already because of mum ... "
With his feet he kicked a small stone that lay on the way, further and further ahead of him. The time after Keichi's fate had taken its course had been unbearable for him. Because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide his sad feelings. His aloofness and mental absence made people insecure and that was probably the reason why he hadn't found a single friend here. "I don't really care," he thought. "Let the others think what they want."
At that moment he entered the village street and left the park. His eyes wandered to the shabby shops and inns that were half-hidden.But he passed by, did not stop to look at the goods in the shops. He had never liked Devonshire. Hardly anyone lived here and everyone, absolutely everyone, seemed to evade him or talk about him behind his back. "I mean, what are these remarks about?" Keichi bit her lip. “Why don't people accept me for who I am?” Lost in thought, he stopped and listened. "I lost so much ... they took it away from me ...", but before he could think any further, he heard something. A faint cracking sound, as if someone or something had stepped on a gnarled branch. Immediately he spun around and stared down the street. "Who's there?", Keichi hissed suspiciously. He studied the trees and hedges, the dilapidated houses and shops. After the fall in Kirjaka he had become cautious, almost a little too vigilant.
There was nothing to be seen. Only a small black cat jumped out of the bushes and ran after something small gray with big leaps."Must be a mouse," he thought and turned around, relieved. "Listen to Keichi," he scolded himself, "you mustn't suspect something bad behind every house or tree. People think you're crazy!" But Keichi was not wrong. But on the contrary. There was something, and that something haunted him every step of the way. There is this feeling of being watched. And this feeling came over him so suddenly that he paused and stopped. But he tried to drive the thought away, concentrated on the street, his eyes fixed straight ahead. "Don't turn around," he thought convulsively. "Don't turn around."

With steady steps he marched forward and tried not to imagine what was after him and just seemed to wait for him to stop. Again Keichi heard the cracking sound of a branch and a cold shiver ran down his spine. "What is that?" He asked himself. "Why am I being followed?"He heard a few clacking noises right behind him and stopped short. "It can't go on like this," thought Keichi. He didn't want to run from danger, didn't want to make that terrible mistake of running away again. He had to know what was behind him there. His hands were shaking and his heart was beating, faster and louder than ever, when he turned around with a challenging expression, eyes still alert, and looked into a pair of deep blue eyes