“Hey, everyone!” Neil shouted, his voice slicing through the chaos. “Retreat—now!”Clint spun around. “Huh?”“What do you mean retreat?” Sandy yelled back.“Hm…” Ned sighed, wiping sweat from his brow.“Just do it!” Neil barked again.Sandy hesitated. He didn’t get why Neil was yelling, but when Neil got that tone, you listened. “Fine, whatever,” he muttered, leaping over a puppet’s head and dashing toward him.Ned spread his arms, glowing light forming a massive cube that expanded outward, sealing them inside as the abductors pounded on its sides with echoing thuds.“Now what, Neil?” Sandy complained. “You’re killing my prime mood here.”Neil’s voice dropped low. “Launching attacks one by one won’t catch the real guy.”Sandy blinked. “What?”“I said—launch a simultaneous attack on all the puppets.”“Ha! That’s impossible,” Sandy laughed, half-serious, half-panicked.“Keep your voice down, mate,” Neil whispered again. “It’s the only way.”Ned frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. He can

Earlier that afternoon, Delia had gone out for a walk—alone, as usual. She often strolled down quiet alleys, watching people live freely, laugh easily, love openly. She had never known what that felt like. Happiness, sadness, anger—none of it existed in her world. Her emotions had always been still water, her mind pure logic.Except for one anomaly that never made sense to her—Neil and Sandy.She raised her head that afternoon and saw them by the flower shop with Rory, Clint, and Ned. A strange group, she thought. A curious combination of temperaments. She was about to walk past when a van sped down the road. Seconds later, the boys were chasing after it.“Not my problem,” she muttered.She turned to leave—but the crash that followed made her stop. Her eyes lifted, scanning the damage, the trails of smoke and flares licking the skyline. “They’re fighting,” she realized.“Not my problem,” she said again, though her feet betrayed her, guidi

Neil opened his eyes slowly, staring up at a white ceiling. His body felt lighter, his breathing steady. The soft pillow beneath his head and the gentle mattress under him almost made him believe he was home. But when his blurry vision cleared, the truth set in—he was in the school infirmary.“Good, you’re awake,” Dr. Midori said, approaching with her usual calm smile. “Let’s check your vitals for a final estimation.”Neil blinked in confusion. "A hospital… great."He tried to stay calm as the doctor began her routine—touching his forehead, checking his neck and wrist, then flashing a blinding medical torch into his eyes.“Your vitals are fine,” she said finally. “But you’ll need to stay here for a few days to recover fully.”“Uh… excuse me,” Neil said weakly.“Yes?”“How did I get here?”“Your friends brought you in,” she replied. “You collapsed from exhaustion. You pushed past your limits, even when your body had already given up.”“I’m back at school already,” he muttered, lying ba

“Good,” Ms. Wade said, her voice slicing through the chatter. “And bad.”She raised her arms, and silence rippled across the classroom. “Those in favor of yes, hands up.”Seven hands went up.“And those for no?” she continued, her smile almost too calm.The rest of the class lifted theirs.“Then the no’s have it.” Her laughter was brief, almost playful—until her expression flattened. “Unfortunately, that was the last fun part of today. The principal found out what you fellas did… and he’s not happy.”Groans filled the room.“Then what’s the good news?” Lyn asked cautiously.Ms. Wade’s grin returned, but it didn’t feel reassuring. “The principal decided to punish the entire class. You’ll all be working at the National Museum Park.”For a moment, the class was frozen—then chaos erupted.“WHAAAAAT?!” voices roared in unison.Days later, Neil sat beneath the oak tree near the garden, watching students laugh and play under the soft afternoon light. The breeze was gentle, carrying faint lau