Ughhh… what a drag.
Lewis had just missed his bus to school and now had to wait another twenty minutes—definitely making him late. At least it gave him time to think about the strange phenomena he'd been experiencing lately. Unexplainable. Persistent. Maddening.
He sipped his morning coffee, desperately trying to shake off the lack of sleep. The jog earlier hadn't helped one bit.
He tried to remember:
This…
It was truly astonishing. And what was with that mysterious energy?
Maybe I should ask around…
Ah, better not. They'd just think I've lost it.
In the end, did it even matter? Little did he know, fate was already being written for him—leading him down a path with no return. And this was only the beginning.
Lost in thought, Lewis was startled by a hard bump to his side.
"Yo!" came a cheerful voice.
A young boy greeted him with a grin, wearing a beige alpaca pullover and blue jeans. His windswept cinnamon-brown hair and storm-gray eyes gave him a calm but confident presence. Following behind was a stark contrast—a boy with dark circles under his eyes, messy blond hair, dressed entirely in black, a mesmerizing necklace with a strange emblem resting against his chest. But what stood out most was his unnerving, omniscient smile.
These were my closest friends: Jan and Nico.
"Jo, what's up, Lewis? We waited for you, you know," Jan said.
"Ah, you shouldn't have bothered, man—but thanks," Lewis replied.
"So, would you mind telling us why you're late again?" Jan pressed, his tone edged with annoyance. "You know I can't afford another punishment. My mom's still furious over the stunt we pulled last time. Your curiosity really gets us in trouble, you know that?"
"Haha, I didn't force you into anything," Lewis said with a smirk. "Next time, don't worry about me. I didn't drag you into danger on purpose. And maybe listen to me next time, will you? As far as I remember, you were the one yelling and drawing attention. If you'd stayed quiet, we wouldn't have been caught sneaking into school at night."
Nico gave a small nod in agreement.
"Okay, okay, I admit it—but that was terrifying," Jan said. "There was this monstrous shadow in the hallway. It was huge—unlike anything I've ever seen before. Straight out of a horror story. I just panicked."
Lewis chuckled. "Yeah, but I checked it out. There was nothing there. And if there had been a monster, you'd have survived. We all know you're the strongest one in the group."
"Haha, yeah…!"
"Wait, you still didn't answer the question."
Nico really is quite formidable. He easily catches the thing i tried to dodge.
Luckily, the bus arrived—earlier than expected—and Lewis used the moment to change the subject and hop on. He wasn't about to start spilling his problems, not even to them.
Even though these two were his most trusted companions, Lewis had learned long ago that trust was something best given in pieces—never whole. And that habit still followed him, no matter how close they were. Still, unknowingly he had severed these shackles for them but speaking about his problems was something Lewis truly hated. He highly disliked anything that would get his family or friends worked up or worried. He would rather handle it himself.
---
Despite the late arrival, the three boys were quickly swept into a crowd of chattering students rushing to class. In front of their classroom, someone was already waiting.
It was Kisuke, another member of my inner circle. Tall and composed, with an iridescent steel-like gaze, he welcomed us with a nonchalant nod. He was the most modest—and most uptight—of the group, yet still waited for us, risking punishment.
Naturally, we drew plenty of stares as we walked in. Our group had a certain reputation at school.
Jan, one of the school's star athletes, had a charisma that made people gravitate toward him. His empathetic, warm nature lit up every interaction, and he was never alone anywhere on campus. Still, he preferred to stay with us—deep down, he was more ambivert than any sort of a social butterfly.
Nico, in contrast, wasn't as famous, but he excelled academically. There was little he didn't know, and he consistently topped the class.
And then there was Kisuke. Tall, slender, and strikingly handsome, with perfectly shaped features, high cheekbones, and eyes that seemed to draw people in. His brown eyes were magnetic, his lips soft and full. He was the kind of person both physically and intellectually idolized by both genders.
Ignoring the curious glances, we hurried to our seats. It was almost surprising that we'd arrived before the teacher.
First on the day's schedule was physics—Lewis's favorite subject. Although he disliked the style in which his teacher Mr.Taka thought, today a new teacher would be arriving, which sparked Lewis hope-Prof.Grey.
The moment he entered, the atmosphere directly shifted. Chatty students fell silent, and even the most disinterested ones sat up straighter.
In walked a man in his thirties, with wavy, mod-style hair and an acute fashion sense —leather bomber jacket, baggy trousers, crisp white shirt underneath, and a black tie. He didn't look like a typical teacher, more like a model even rivaling kisuke but his presence commanded absolute attention.
Slowly, he approached my desk, stopping right in front of me. His gaze was suffocating—predatory—as if he wanted to swallow me whole.
I met his eyes calmly, refusing to flinch.
"Late again, Mr. Cayne…"