Theo didn't sleep, he couldn't.
He stared at the ceiling for hours, heart racing at every creak, every gust of wind outside. His mind replayed everything, the blood, the flash, the silence after.
He kept waiting for sirens.
Waiting for a knock on the door.
For someone to scream and tell his name.
But nothing came.
By morning, his eyes were bloodshot, his hands still shaking. He dragged himself out of bed, only to freeze mid-step.
"Oh god."
He forgot to clean the cafeteria.
The blood had stained the entire cafeteria.
Panic seized his chest. He scrambled for his phone, nearly dropping it as he fumbled through local news sites and social media.
Then he saw the headline.
+-------------------------------------------------------+
[FIRE CONSUMES SCHOOL CAFETERIA - LOCAL GANGS SUSPECTED]
Evidence points to intentional arson, says deputy hurtz dough knit.The school have been temporarily closed until further notice. No injuries have been reported...blah..blah blah.....
+-------------------------------------------------------+
Theo stared at the screen in disbelief. The crime scene-gone. Reduced to ash.
His heart slowed just enough for him to breathe as he let out a sigh of relief.
"Guess... that's one problem taken care of." he muttered.
Still trembling, he brewed a cup of coffee, the smell oddly grounding.
His mom still wasn't home, another emergency shift. She'd left some pasta in the fridge and a small envelope with a few bills and a sticky note:
"Lunch + snacks. Be good. I'll be back by evening. Love -mom."
Theo sat alone in the quiet, sipping his coffee, staring at the steam rising like smoke from yesterday.
He opened his laptop and searched.
"Sudden nosebleeds. Bright flashes. Hallucinations. Superpowers???"
He clicked through several sketchy articles, forums buried in conspiracy theories and half-baked blog posts.
"THE KEY TO TELEKINESIS? LSD + CHLORINE + STAR ALIGNMENTS."
"Government won't tell you this, but marijuana = third eye activation..."
"You don't get powers unless you awaken your pineal gland, bro."
"On my life, on my homies life, THIS is how you get super power!!"
Theo groaned and shut the laptop. "I'm losing my goddam mind."
He leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath.
That's when it started.
A faint sound, then another.
A bark.
A distant whistle.
A kettle.
Whispered voices.
A couple arguing.
A dog panting.
Then-
"....so I was thinking france for summer?"
"Yeah, but not paris again. Too many tourists."
Theo's eyes shot open. That was his next door neighbors.
More voices poured in. A man ordering pizza toppings four blocks away. A TV ad. Wind brushing against the gutter. Every sound, every word, it was crystal clear.
"What the hell..." he whispered.
He turned his head. His eyes focused instinctively and locked onto a book sitting in a window across the street. The page was open. He could read it. Every single word.
Theo's breath hitched. He could feel the air in his lungs, the temperature of the room shifting with every motion. Everything was louder, sharper, clearer-alive.
And then it all slowed. Not completely-just enough to feel the world hesitate.
The clock ticked once.
His heart pounded twice.
"What the hell is happening to me?"
He staggered to his feet, gripping the wall.
His head throbbed violently again.
"Goddammit-"
He rushed to the bathroom, flung open the cabinet, and snatched a bottle of painkillers. His reflection caught his eye as he popped a pill.
He stared at himself.
Was that... a crack in the mirror?
"Thats bad luck you know? We gotta replace it." His mother would have probably told.
Oh wait.
Nope, just a strand of hair.
He turned away and headed for the bedroom, desperate to sleep, to pretend this wasn't happening.
The moment he left the room, tiny fractures began to bloom across the mirror's surface-like spiderwebs under glass.
----------------------------------------------
It was dark when his mom finally came home.
The door clicked, then the sound of hurried footsteps. She dropped her bag and wrapped Theo in a tight hug.
"Why didn't you call me yesterday?" she scolded, her voice high and sharp with worry.
"I was worried sick!"
Theo froze.
He hadn't thought about her. Not even once. The guilt hit harder than any punch.
"Yeah... uh, about that. I kinda forgot."
He mumbled.
"...S.....Sorry mom."
She pulled back, eyes softening only slightly.
"You forget again and I'll forget how to feed you. Now go sit, I'll make something quick."
He sat in silence as she cooked.
The clatter of pans was almost comforting-until she spoke again.
"You know, there have been a lot of missing person reports around your school lately."
Her voice was casual, but Theo heard the concern underneath.
"I'm starting to get really worried."
Theo blinked, zoning out, her words floating past him like static.
Then, finally.
"It's fine, Mom. I always walk home with Stuart. I'm never alone and our home isn't even that far."
She glanced at him, worried, suspicious-but didn't press. Not
"I don't care if you're alone or in a crowd. Worrying's my full-time job."
She wiped her hands, turned, and pulled something from her bag.
"Here," she said, holding out a lobster-shaped necklace.
Theo stared at it. "Uhhh... I'm not wearing that. And aren't lobsters supposed to be red, why's it blue?"
"Just shut up, it's the only one I could find."
He snorted, for the first time in two days.
"...What does it even do?"
"It's got a GPS tracker in it," she said, proud. "You will wear it. For your own safety."
Theo opened his mouth, but her glare sliced through him like a scalpel.
"...Alright. I'll wear it mom."
"Good. Now go to bed. I know school was canceled, but you need to get your eight hours, young man."
"Fine, fine. Goodnight, Mom."
----------------------------------------------
Theo layed in bed staring at the ceiling. The fan above him clunked and whirred, louder than usual. Sleep didn't come.
He turned onto his side. Then back. Then sat up.
Screw it.
He crept to the window, eased it open, and stepped onto the ledge. The cool night air brushed against his skin.
And then, he floated.
Theo rose into the sky, slowly, like gravity had finally decided to let him go.
The necklace sat at his desk.
He soared silently toward the nearest hill, the city glowing beneath him.
He didn't know what he was searching for.
Only that it had already begun.
**[To be continued or something idk]**