Nathan’s phone buzzed on the bedside table. He groaned, lazily reaching for it and shutting off the alarm. Staring up at the ceiling, he exhaled heavily. His headache was gone, but his mind still felt drained. He needed more sleep.

  He turned his head toward the other bed, where Noah had been when he dragged himself into the room the night before. But now, the bed was empty.

  Nathan frowned. ‘No way Noah left on his own’. A creeping thought entered his mind. He closed his eyes and sent out a pulse, expanding the range of his hearing for just an instant before dialing it back down. A still image of everything within his range formed in his mind.

  ‘Convenient,’ he thought, smirking.

  Noah wasn’t on this floor. Which meant he was probably downstairs getting breakfast. Nathan figured he should get up and eat too, but right now, something else took priority—understanding what else he could do with this newfound ability.

  Where did it even come from? A mutation? Some kind of weird genetic anomaly? He had accidentally drunk some questionable milk last week, but that surely wouldn’t cause a mutation… right? I mean, it did look kinda radioactive…

  Shaking his head, he pushed himself up from the bed, stretching his limbs. A sudden rush of blood made his vision blur, and he almost collapsed back onto the mattress. He steadied himself, then made the bed before heading into the bathroom to freshen up.

  ~~~

  Edward stood in front of the mirror, combing through his hair, trying—and failing—to get it to stay in place. He wouldn’t admit it, but he’d been worried about Nathan. The guy had been off for the entire past week. And now, on this field trip, away from home and all the usual pressures, maybe he’d finally get a chance to unwind.

  Ed’s phone buzzed on the bathroom counter. A message from the group chat.

  [Nathan: You guys awake? I just woke up and Noah’s gone.]

  Eddie picked up his phone.

  [Ryan: Yep. He’s at the buffet. Dude, you’re missing out. Ivan fell into the pool literally just now.]

  [Ed: I’m still in the room. Gonna go down soon.]

  [Nathan: My dad’s calling. I’ll be down in 10.]

  [Ryan: Cool.]

  Ed set the phone back down, screen facing the counter. Maybe he was overthinking things. Everyone was stressed about exams—not because they cared about the tests, but because none of them wanted to disappoint their parents. That wasn’t really the case for Eddie, so he couldn't exactly relate.

  He sighed, glancing at his reflection. His hazel eyes stared back at him beneath a mess of wavy black hair that refused to be tamed. His features were… average. No sharp jawline, no striking eyelashes, nothing that made him stand out. Even his athletic build wasn’t the kind that turned heads.

  He scoffed. Not everyone gets to be whatever they want.

  But that’s why he liked their group. They kept him grounded, pulled him out of spiraling into insecurities. Ryan was the one with the looks. Nathan had that effortlessly captivating smile. Lucian had his contagious laugh. And Eddie… well, he had his academics. That was his thing.

  He let out a small laugh. “What am I even doing with my life?” he muttered, shaking his head before heading out.

  ~~~

  Jenny hadn’t slept all night. How could she?

  She had just confessed to the guy she was supposed to hate. She groaned, burying her face under the pillow. She still couldn’t wrap her head around it. How had that even happened?

  Zoe, her roommate, had clearly noticed something was off. She sat on the bed, drying her hair, before casually dropping the question.

  “So… when were you gonna tell me?”

  Jenny’s head shot up. “Tell you what?”

  Zoe turned, giving her a knowing look. “You know what.” Jenny swallowed hard. Did Zoe see it happen? Did she know?

  After a long silence, Jenny sighed in defeat. “Fine. I like Nathan Blake, alright?”

  The hairdryer slipped from Zoe’s hands. “WHAT?!”

  She spun around so fast it was a miracle she didn’t snap her neck. “The hell do you mean Nathan Blake?! He’s friends with Ryan! The same Ryan who tried to force himself on you!”

  “I know that, okay?! But Nathan doesn’t even know that about Ryan,” Jenny shot back, sitting up.

  “Look, I’ll admit Nathan’s a good guy,” Zoe said, crossing her arms. “But he sucks at choosing friends. Or maybe… maybe we’ve got him all wrong. Maybe he’s just as bad.”

  “You don’t know that,” Jenny muttered.

  “Come on, Jen! You never liked Nathan before. You always said there was something off about him.”

  Jenny sighed. “Zoe… there’s something off about everyone.”

  “Not like this. Did you see how he looked at Edward when he broke his leg? Ed’s supposed to be his friend, and he just stared at him. It was Lucian who actually helped him.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Maybe there was something else going on,” Jenny said, rubbing her temples.

  “Or maybe you’re just blind now because you like him,” Zoe argued.

  Jenny had no response to that. Because, deep down, she knew Zoe had a point.

  Maybe she was right.

  Or maybe… she wasn’t.

  ~~~

  “I get it, Dad.” Nathan’s voice echoed through the room as he stood in front of the mirror, buttoning up his shirt and fixing his hair. His phone lay on the dressing table, the call screen displaying one word: Dad.

  [I know I haven’t been home much, and I know that hurts you and your mom, but you have to understand—]

  “Dad, seriously. I get it.” Nathan sighed, picking up his phone. “But that’s not what this is about, is it?”

  Silence.

  [Look… there are things related to the case that I can’t share with you, but you need to be careful. As far as the evidence goes, there are certain individuals in that hotel you should definitely avoid.]

  Nathan frowned. “What kind of case are you working on?” His brows furrowed, attention shifting from the mirror to the phone.

  Another pause.

  “Dad?”

  [Just... don’t trust people too easily.]

  Nathan exhaled slowly. “Alright. I promise.” He ended the call, staring at his phone for a moment. What the hell was that about?

  His father had never warned him about a case before. In fact, he usually shared details, often asking for Nathan’s insight. Nathan had even helped solve a few cases in the past. So why the secrecy now?

  “Certain individuals, huh?”

  Closing his eyes, Nathan expanded his hearing. This time, instead of pulsing outward, he scanned each floor separately, searching for anyone suspicious.

  A famous artist. A programmer. An office worker. A cheater. Cops undercover. A writer. His classmates. His friends. Jenny—

  Nathan slapped himself in the face and immediately cut off his senses.

  Shit.

  How was he supposed to face Jenny now? Technically, he hadn’t seen her in the shower—but let’s be real, the difference was barely noticeable. Groaning, he covered his eyes with his hand.

  It wasn’t embarrassment. It was shame. He had seen something he wasn’t meant to. Strangely, the guilt wasn’t there when he spotted the guy cheating on his wife a few floors down. But Jenny? He knew her. Not well, but well enough. And if her confession last night had been sincere, avoiding her now would send the wrong message.

  Focus.

  His father had mentioned a case. Undercover cops were here. That wasn’t a coincidence.

  Nathan sharpened his senses again, this time zoning in on the room where the officers were stationed. He sat still, concentrated—and suddenly, it was as if he had left his own body. The room unfolded around him, visible from every possible angle.

  And he listened.

  “We don’t have much time. He’s going to be on the move again.” One officer sat on the bed, rubbing his temples.

  “We still don’t know what he looks like,” the other muttered, standing by the window, staring out at the city. “So how do we even know the sources are legit?”

  “We don’t. Higher-ups want him gone.”

  The officer by the window snapped his head around. “Why? What did this man even do? And he’s a single parent, for God’s sake!”

  “Look, Danny, we just follow orders, okay? If we want to keep our heads on our shoulders.”

  Danny scoffed. “I joined the force to fight injustice and corruption. This is corruption! There’s no evidence of this man ever committing a crime!”

  The first officer met his gaze. “There are things in this world beyond our understanding. People who look human but aren’t. People with abilities straight out of fiction. They exist, Danny. And they run the show from the shadows. We’re here to stop them.”

  Danny barked out a laugh. “You expect me to believe that?”

  The officer’s expression darkened. “Where do you think all those stories come from? Vampires, shapeshifters—these aren’t just myths. They’re warnings from people who saw them firsthand.”

  “You’re seriously telling me vampires are real?” Danny’s voice dripped with skepticism.

  “The stories aren’t accurate, but they’re based on truth. I’ve seen it. I saw my partner’s heart ripped out of his chest—through his back.”

  Danny’s face paled.

  The first officer lowered his voice. “You don’t have to believe me. And yeah, our system’s corrupt. But we’re not letting that thing in human skin go free.”

  Nathan snapped back to himself, his senses returning to normal.

  His heart pounded.

  What the hell was his dad working on?

  Who—or what—were the cops chasing?

  And most importantly...

  If powers like his existed, then what else was out there?

  Nathan exhaled, shaking his head. I’ll think about this later.

  Glancing at his reflection one last time, he turned toward the door.

  As he opened it, he nearly bumped into Lacey. Her hand was raised mid-knock.

  “Lacey?”

  “You weren’t down for breakfast, so I thought I’d check on you.” She lowered her hand and clasped them behind her back, following as Nathan stepped out and walked toward the elevator. “Are you mad at me?”

  “No.”

  “Offended?” She tilted her head playfully.

  Nathan chuckled. “No, Lacey. I’m not mad. Or offended.” His face melted into a familiar, easy smile.

  “Then why ignore me?”

  “What do you want me to do, Lacey? I confessed. You rejected.” He shrugged.

  “I still want my friend, you know.”

  The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped inside. Nathan pressed the button for the cafeteria, and Lacey waited patiently for him to respond.

  “We can’t be just friends anymore,” he sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “You know how I feel about you.”

  “It won’t be the same as before… but we can still try to be friends, you know.” She nudged him lightly.

  Nathan clicked his tongue. “Wow, look at you. Desperately trying to friendzone me.” He shook his head in mock disapproval.

  Lacey burst into laughter, and despite the knots inside his chest, Nathan found himself laughing too.