There were no surprises today. The city was as crowded as ever. People rushed about their business, and cars zipped through the streets like lunatics. Forever City wasn't exactly a masterpiece of urban planning. It was one of the largest cities in the country, but only because it had to be. Surrounded by dense forest, everything else was far from it—so they brought everything to it.
To make things worse, today was sweltering. The kind of heat that made you pity anyone relying on public transport—like Cole and the gang. There they were, packed into the back of a stuffy bus at 2:00 PM, heading toward Blitz's former school.
"Alexander Hoffman," Blitz said, scanning the paper in his hand. "Seventh grade. Room Twenty-Three."
"I'm still surprised you went to this school," Cole said.
"Yeah, it used to be really close to home," Blitz replied. "Shame we had to move."
"Why?" Nina asked, using her best skill—asking questions.
Blitz shrugged. "My father lost it."
Nina and Cole exchanged a glance.
"What?" Blitz said, pulling a pair of dice from his pocket. "You think I just stumbled into all this? No, man. My dad used to host tournaments. Sometimes we had nothing to eat. Other times, we feasted like kings."
"Listen, Blitz," Nina said seriously, locking eyes with him. "We need to clear something up. Are you in any way, shape, or form connected to the Red-Feather men?"
Blitz frowned. "No… but now that you mention it, I did beat a few guys wearing clothes with red feathers on once. Used my tricks in some casino, and they followed me out."
"So you don't know anything else about them?" she pressed.
"Nope. Just kicked their asses and left. Why?"
"The Agency," Nina asked, making Cole snap.
"You stupid? Don't give away intel like that," Cole hissed, his fingers tensing as if he were aiming an invisible weapon.
Nina looked down, a bit ashamed.
"So you're the secretive type, huh?" Blitz asked, eyeing Cole.
"I'm just not dumb," Cole replied coldly.
Blitz respected that. "Alright, then let's make a deal." He had them hooked. "You tell me what this Agency of yours really is—and I'll tell you my power."
Nina and Cole looked at each other. After a brief pause, they nodded.
"Okay," Cole said. "You first."
"Oh, now you think I'm dumb?" Blitz smirked.
"It's an organization that tries to maintain order," Nina jumped in. "It was founded when people first started getting powers."
Blitz burst out laughing. "You really believe that?"
Nina frowned, giving him a dirty look.
"Didn't mean to upset you. It's just… people coming together to make the world better? That only happens in books."
His words made her think. Even Cole stayed quiet. Deep down, he knew Blitz was onto something. The Agency wasn't as noble as it liked to seem—not completely.
"And this place you're talking about," Blitz continued, his voice dead serious, "didn't stop the bad guys from creating their own version. Did it?"
"The Red-Feathers..." Nina murmured.
"And I bet they're not just letting kids like you run around unsupervised. So who's your boss? That guy you spoke with on the phone—Felix, right?"
Cole turned sharply to Blitz.This guy's smart, he thought. But I'm smarter.
"That's all you're getting for now. Don't push it," Cole snapped. "Your turn."
"Oh," Blitz said, as if remembering something. He pulled out the dice again and rolled them across his palm. "This is my power."
"You fuckin' with me?" Cole said, his tone like a gangster ready to throw down.
Blitz laughed hard. "Man, I'm glad I came with you. My powers are tied to these. If I roll a pair—depending on which pair—it gives me a specific ability. Strength, speed, durability, stuff like that. If it's not a pair but the total's higher than six, I get all of them—but way weaker."
"And if it's lower? You get hurt, right?" Nina asked.
Blitz nodded. "Bingo."
"So what does each pair give you?" Cole asked, clearly intrigued.
"I'm not telling." Blitz grinned. "If you want more, you gotta give more."
The answer irritated Cole, but once again, he respected it. "Okay, I'll say more—"
But he didn't get the chance. The bus reached its destination. They got out fast, excitement mixing with a growing sense of dread. None of them knew what was waiting.
Blitz paused and stared at the three-story building. Memories rushed in. His father showing up early to drag him on their so-called adventures… His mom coming in after to apologize, begging the teachers not to expel him… The hallway fights… And that one time—the only time—when Blitz saw his "legendary" father for what he really was.
"Looks like recess started," Nina said, nodding toward the kids running out into the yard, laughing, shouting, living what should've been the most carefree part of life—childhood. Something Cole wished, from the bottom of his heart, he'd had.
"Yeah…" Blitz replied, his voice hollow. "Let's go." He took the lead, Cole following, barely holding back tears.
They were lucky. The big recess meant half an hour of chaos. Teachers were either out in the yard or tucked away eating lunch, complaining about life like every adult eventually does.
Once inside the main hall, reality hit them. They'd spent the entire bus ride talking—and hadn't made a plan.
"Yeah so…" Blitz said. "What now? Why did we even come here?"
"To ask questions, dumbass," Cole said.
"Hey Cole," Nina jumped in. "Why don't you go outside? See what the kids know. We'll handle the inside."
Cole considered it. "You sure you can manage without me?"
"Yes," Nina nodded. "Going out in the open is the hardest part. You're the only one who can pull it off."
Cole nodded like a general preparing for a suicide mission. "Understood. Take care." He headed toward the back door leading to the yard.
"Good," Nina muttered. "Now we can be sure nothing ruins the plan."
"Didn't think he'd take the bait," Blitz said.
"He might be freakishly smart," Nina replied, "but he's still just a kid."
They moved down the hallway, looking for the classroom.
"How old are you two, anyway?" Blitz asked, realizing he hadn't bothered to learn that yet.
"I'm sixteen. Cole's fourteen, I think. You?"
"Nineteen."
"Oh, so it's been a while since you were here."
That one hit harder than he expected. "Yeah… So what's the plan?"
"I mean… we go… and hope some kids stayed behind?"
"So you didn't think this through either," Blitz said.
"Finding missing kids isn't exactly my specialty," Nina smiled.
They passed door after door, all numbered starting with zero.
"So it must be on the second floor," Nina guessed.
As they headed for the stairs, a janitor stepped out of the bathroom beside them. Recess meant a flood of kids—he had to make sure things were clean. He spotted them and smiled.
"Hello there," the janitor said. "Aren't you two a bit too old to be here?"
"Uh…" Blitz froze. Not exactly stealthy.
Luckily, Nina stepped in smoothly.
"We're looking for our little brother. We're going on vacation tomorrow and came to pick him up early. Mom talked to the teacher, but neither she nor dad could come. We were having a picnic in the park. Since we were close, we figured we'd swing by."
The janitor thought for a second. "Sure! But all the kids are outside now."
"He's waiting in class," Nina said quickly.
"Which one?"
"Twenty-three," Blitz answered.
"Ah… that kid," the janitor said. "Tell him to stop being such a crybaby, will ya?" he added with a grin.
"Sure…" Blitz said awkwardly.
They climbed the stairs and then kept passing rooms twenty… twenty-one… twenty-two…
Room twenty-three had its door slightly ajar.
"What now?" Blitz asked.
"You stay here," Nina said. "Keep watch. Make sure no one's coming."
Blitz nodded, taking position outside as Nina slipped into the room.
The classroom looked a lot like her own back at school. Two-person desks, two green chalkboards. In the first row, near the window, sat a kid—alone—watching the others play outside.
"Hey," Nina said, stepping closer with a warm smile.
The boy turned suddenly, startled. He hadn't expected anyone."Hello…"
Nina walked past the rows of desks and sat in front of his, still smiling.
"I'm Nina. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"Jo…ey," he replied hesitantly.
"You've got a cool name, Joey. Listen, I just want to ask you a few questions. If that's okay—"
She stopped mid-sentence as a loud commotion erupted outside. She glanced out the window and saw Cole in the middle of a crowd of kids. They were hanging onto his every word and cheering wildly whenever he raised his hand.
She blinked, sighed, and turned back to Joey.
"So... where were we?" she asked, pretending like nothing happened.
Blitz stood in the hallway, lost in thought, when footsteps approached from behind. An older teacher—probably in her sixties—stopped a few meters away and studied him carefully.
"Arthur?" the woman asked. "Is that you?"
That name. That voice. It froze Blitz to the core. He shut his eyes, dreading the moment, but he turned around anyway. When he saw her face, it was exactly as he remembered—gentle, motherly, and too kind for this place.
"It really is you," she said with a soft smile. "Why are you here? Look at how much you've grown."
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Graham…" Blitz mumbled, panicking inside.
Back in the classroom, Nina struggled to ask the real questions.
"Uh… how do I say this…"
"Did something happen?" Joey asked, already on the verge of tears. "Why are you here?"
"I just need to ask you about one of your classmates. Alexander Hoff—"
"I knew it! You're here to take me too!" Joey cried, beginning to shake uncontrollably.
He was hyperventilating now—right on the edge of a full-blown panic attack.
Outside, Blitz tried to stay calm as he talked to his old teacher, masking his nerves with a practiced smile.
He lied easily.
"It's so nice of you to come visit!" she beamed. "And look at you! Grown up and an engineer, no less!"
"Well, what can I say—I've learned my lesson," Blitz said. "How's Melissa? Everything good?"
The woman smiled tightly. "Actually, she's here today too!"
Blitz's eyes widened.
"She's a chemist now," Mrs. Graham continued. "She came to help plan a field trip to the lab she works at. We go every year. Just last week, they had this wild demonstration—"
Her sentence cut off as screams rang out from inside. Without thinking, Blitz bolted down the hallway. Mrs. Graham followed closely behind. They rushed into the classroom to find Joey curled up, mumbling and shivering like he'd lost his mind. Nina stood frozen, unsure what to do.
"What is going on here?!" Mrs. Graham shouted, staring at Nina, then at Blitz—back and forth.
"I can explain," Blitz said quickly.
Mrs. Graham shook her head, disappointed. "Some things never change."
A few minutes later, Blitz, Nina, and Joey were seated on one side of a long table in the teachers' lounge. Several teachers sat across from them, grim-faced. Even the janitor was there, standing near the door.
"Next time you lie," the janitor said with a wink at Nina, "try using fewer details. You pick up a lot working with kids."
"Now then," Mrs. Graham said, folding her arms. "I want to know what happened."
"Well—"
Blitz started, but she cut him off sharply.
"Not from you. From him." She pointed at Joey, who still had tears in his eyes.
"Joey, sweetheart. What did these people want with you?"
"She… she wanted to kidnap me!" Joey screamed.
The room fell dead silent.
"That's not true!" Nina snapped. "We were just trying to—"
She stopped as the door swung open again. Another teacher entered—bruised, bloodied, and clearly fresh from a fight—dragging what looked like a wild animal. But it wasn't.
It was Cole Burns.
"Oh my God, Reggie!" one of the teachers gasped. "What happened?!"
"Does anyone know who this kid is?!" Reggie barked, furious.
Cole looked across the room, spotted his partners—and the kid.
"I knew this would happen," Cole muttered like a war-weary commander. "Shouldn't have left you two alone." He locked eyes with Joey. "And who the hell is this little shit?"
Joey burst into tears again.
Mrs. Graham looked like she was about to break down herself.
"Reggie, what is going on?"
"This little demon," Reggie growled, putting a hand on Cole's head, "rallied every single kid on the playground. He was teaching them how to take over the school!"
He glared at Cole. "Just who the hell are you?!"
Cole didn't hesitate. He threw a hard punch—right between Reggie's legs. The man collapsed in agony.
Behind the desk, the principal—an enormous, bald man—stood up.
"You!" he roared. "Who do you think you are?!"
Cole calmly shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Baldie," he said, voice low and threatening. "Say another word, and I'll kill you."
"You'll what?!"
Nina buried her face in her hands. The room was frozen in confusion and chaos. No one understood what was happening anymore.
While Cole and his friends were on trial, somewhere else a doctor was sipping tea and reading a book in what looked like a hospital break room. He was nearly two-thirds through, and the story had grown so engaging that he didn't notice when a nurse walked in.
"Doctor?" the nurse asked, trying to get his attention. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work so she had to lower the book herself to break his trance.
He flinched and closed the book."Sorry. It's a really good story," he said, smiling. "My break's over, isn't it?"
She gave a sympathetic nod."Yes, I'm sorry. A patient is waiting for you."
"Which one?" he asked, standing up.
The nurse handed him a clipboard.
"Ah, the new one. Got it." He looked up. "Well, I'd better go. Don't want to keep him waiting."
The doctor exited the break room into what resembled a hospital—except the halls were far wider, grander, almost too perfect. He turned left, skimming the patient notes as he walked. Then he took a right down an unusually long corridor. He greeted every nurse and doctor who passed him.
When he reached the end, instead of ending at a door to some exam room, the hallway continued deeper and deeper—until the hospital setting faded entirely. It gave way to rough stone walls and dim lighting. An abandoned mine.
He kept walking into the shadows.
Eventually, he reached a large metal door, which he opened without hesitation. Inside, the sounds began—buzzing like flies, low whispers that crawled across the walls. The faint light from the corridor barely lit the space, but it was just enough to reveal one of the sources of the noises, or rather, her little foot.
As his eyes adjusted, he saw them: dozens of children, eyes wide, crammed together in the farthest corner of the room. Huddled close, trying to shield each other. He stepped into the center of the room and smiled.
"Well, good to see you too," he said cheerfully, laughing. "How's everybody doing?"
No one answered.
"Tough crowd, huh? That's okay. You'll warm up to me eventually."He pulled out the clipboard and glanced at it—though the list had been memorized already.
"Now then. I'm here to announce today's lucky player. And who knows, maybe he, or she, will even get cured—if the Lord wills it, of course."
He scanned the paper theatrically."Let's see… Ah yes, today's lucky pick is our newcomer, Alexander Hoffman." He looked up. "Not here? Should I cross him off the list?" He chuckled to himself.
"Come on, Alex. Where are you hiding?" His voice took on a sing-song edge, like a twisted game of hide-and-seek.
Something shifted in the mass of children. A figure tried to stand, but others pulled him back. The doctor sighed, pretending to be generous.
"Alright, here's the deal. If you come out now, on your own, I promise—you'll be the only one I take today. Everyone else stays."
"Fine," said a small voice.
A boy slowly emerged, pushing his way through the trembling crowd. His face was hard to see, lost in the darkness, but from his almost new clothes, the man could tell it was him.
"Good," the doctor whispered, crouching down and leaning in close.
"Next time, if you disobey…" he said softly, "I'll take twenty more. Got it?"
The boy nodded, paralyzed with fear.
"Luckly this time, I'll only take ten."
The boy stopped breathing for a moment.
"Oh—and don't warn them," the doctor added. "You'll spoil the surprise."
Tears rolled silently down the boy's face as he nodded again.
"Good boy," the doctor said, rising to his feet and holding out his hand. "Let's go."
The boy took his hand and together, they walked out of the room, the heavy door closing behind them. Darkness returned to the room. But not for long.