Adrian walked slowly down the cold, gray concrete stairs. Each step he took made a soft, lonely tap sound that echoed in the dark. He was leaving the bright, happy world of the school behind. Above him, the loud, cheerful sounds of students eating, talking, and laughing faded away completely. It felt like closing a thick, heavy door on the normal world.Instead, a new sound filled his ears. Thrum. Thrum. Thrum.It was the school’s giant heating system. The deep, rhythmic noise vibrated right into Adrian's bones. The massive machines sounded like a giant, angry monster breathing in the dark. The air grew thicker and heavier with every step down. It felt very hot, wet, and smelled strongly of thick dust, old oil, and rusty metal.Adrian reached the bottom of the long stairs. He stood in front of a heavy, gray metal door. He pushed it open with his free hand and stepped into the boiler room.The room was a terrifying maze. Thick metal pipes wrapped around the brick walls like giant gra

The dark boiler room was completely silent, except for the loud, rhythmic thrum, thrum, thrum of the heavy machines.Adrian lay on the cold, dirty concrete floor. His own warm blood spread out around him like a dark red blanket. The pain in his side was a screaming fire, but his hands and feet felt like freezing ice. He could barely keep his eyes open. The flickering yellow light above looked like a dying star.Jason stood over him. The tall bully was breathing heavily. Thick sweat and dirt covered Jason’s face. He looked down at Adrian, holding the bloody hunting knife in his shaking hand. The manic, crazy look in Jason's red eyes was completely gone. Now, there was only cold, dark purpose."I told you, Worm," Jason whispered. His voice was flat and empty. "You do not belong in my world. You are just trash. And now, you are going to disappear."Jason took one slow step closer. His heavy black boot splashed in the puddle of Adrian’s blood. Smack.Adrian tried to move. He told his arms

The heavy glass front doors of the school opened. Adrian walked inside.It was exactly one week since the dark, bloody boiler room. Under his loose gray t-shirt, thick white medical bandages wrapped tightly around his stomach. Every step he took pulled sharply at his healing skin. It sent a hot, stinging pain through his body. But Adrian did not bend. He did not hold his side. He kept his back straight and his head high.The main hallway was packed with students. It was filled with the loud, morning noise of slamming lockers and laughing voices. But the second Adrian stepped inside, the noise completely changed.The loud talking died down. A low, buzzing whisper quickly spread down the long hall. Students turned their heads. They stepped back, pressing themselves against the metal lockers to give him space. They parted for him like water.Adrian kept his eyes forward. He heard the quiet, rapid whispers flying through the air like invisible bugs."That is him.""Is it true? Did he real

Adrian did not wait on the hard wooden bench outside the principal's office. His father would not arrive for another thirty minutes. Adrian had to act right now. He stood up quietly and walked down the empty hallway.He needed to see the fake messages on a real phone, not just a printed piece of paper.He found a boy named Tyler standing near the bathrooms. Tyler was skipping class. Tyler was staring at his phone, swiping through the terrible rumors about Adrian. When Tyler looked up and saw Adrian standing there, he froze in pure terror. Tyler remembered what happened to Jason’s arm."P-please, Adrian," Tyler stuttered, stepping backward. "I did not say anything bad about you. I swear.""Show me your phone, Tyler," Adrian said. His voice was calm but very firm. "Open the picture of the text messages."Tyler’s hands shook badly. He quickly opened the image and held the phone out.Adrian focused his mind. He activated his new Mental Skill.[Skill Active: Insight (Lvl 1)]A warm, electr

Adrian turned the cold metal deadbolt. Click. He pulled the heavy wooden door of the broadcast room open.Principal Hargrove stood right outside. His face was bright red, like a boiling tomato. The tall, serious police officer stood right behind him, resting his hand on his heavy black belt."Adrian Cole! What do you think you are doing?" Principal Hargrove yelled. His deep voice shook with furious anger. "You hijacked the entire school!"Adrian did not look scared. He did not shake or step back. He simply held out his phone."I am proving my innocence, sir," Adrian said calmly. "Check the audio file on this phone. Listen to it yourself. Then, go check Chloe Summers' expensive leather bag. You will find a pink burner phone inside. The phone will match the fake texts perfectly."Principal Hargrove snatched the phone from Adrian’s hand. He pressed the play button. He listened closely to Chloe's cruel, bragging voice. Slowly, the angry red color left the principal's face. His mouth fell