Night fell over the facility and the temperature dropped fast. The camping areas had no heating, no electricity beyond the dim emergency lights. Just basic tents and sleeping bags that barely kept out the cold. Team Phoenix's designated zone was a cleared area between two abandoned buildings. Fifteen tents arranged in clusters. The upper class students had set up together, their tents forming a protective circle. The Silver students stayed in the middle. The Bronze students were on the edges, as always. Carter sat on the ground outside his tent, too exhausted to move but too uncomfortable to sleep. His body was a collection of pain points. Ribs, face, arms, legs. Everything hurt. Isla appeared with a ration pack and a bottle of water. She sat down next to him without asking. "Eat," she said. Carter looked at the food. His stomach was still unsettled. "I'm not hungry." "I don't care. Your body needs fuel to recover. Eat." She was right. Carter forced himself to open the ration

Carter's phone wouldn't stop going off. He'd silenced it twice already but the notifications just kept coming, the vibrations making his bunk shake slightly every few seconds. Finally, at seven AM, he gave up trying to sleep and checked it. One hundred and forty-seven messages. Fifty-three missed calls. His social media mentions had exploded into the thousands. The kiss video had been shared, remixed, memed, and analyzed from every possible angle. Someone had even created a slow-motion version with dramatic music. Carter scrolled through the comments, his stomach sinking with each one. @senpaiSlayerXD: "Owen Grace is a legend." @uwuReaper88: "Vivienne wanted it, you could see it in her eyes." @gigaChadNoJutsu: "Derek's gonna beat his ass." @copeArcane420: "This is what desperation looks like." @bronzeGoblin: "Bronze class trash trying to stay relevant." @shipperShogun77: "I ship it. Owen and Vivienne forever." @toxicTsundere99: "He literally assaulted her on camera." @Playba

He woke up to the taste of concrete.Cold seeped through thin clothes he didn’t recognize, and something sharp dug into his ribs. His head throbbed as large shapes zoomed past, their blaring horns loud enough to split his skull.The sidewalk boiled under the early morning sun.Sidewalk. He was lying on a sidewalk.Hades hissed in annoyance. He tried to push himself up but found his arms weak as a newborn’s. His hands were rough, calloused, and marked with scars he had never earned.When he managed to sit, the world swam around him.Manhattan towers stretched towards the sky, their peaks lost in the blinding sunlight that descended from above.The air tasted of exhaust, body heat and all the nasty smells mortals had to offer. They bombarded his senses and it took everything he had to filter out the noise and unwanted sensations.A newspaper skittered past. Hades caught it, despite his bones groaning from the sudden movement. “Novemver 15th, 2018,” he read out the publication on the pa

I check my watch. It's 6:15 AM. Same as yesterday. Same as the day before. I've long suspected my body has developed its own survival mechanism, waking me precisely forty-five minutes before she stirs. These moments alone are precious, a brief sanctuary from the performance of our shared life.The bathroom mirror reveals what it always does: my dark skin, hair that most likely would soon need shaving, and pale brown eyes that looked way too scared than I wanted them to be. I shower quickly, and try to get myself in order with the little alone time I have. As much as I hate it, it's become a habit. Protection. Control over the few things I can control.Downstairs, I measure coffee grounds with the finesse of a chemist handling uranium. Two cups. One with cream and three sugars (hers), one black (mine). This too is part of the ritual — anticipating her needs before she voices them. Keeping her content. It pisses me off though. Sometimes all I want to do is walk out the door and quit al

The next morning, I wake to Adeline cooking in the kitchen. The scent of freshly baked bread mingles with her perfume—an atmosphere that should feel comforting, but after yesterday's tension, I'm bracing myself for whatever storm might be brewing.I shuffle into the kitchen, still groggy from fitful sleep. Adeline stands kneading dough, her movements almost hypnotic. She looks up, her smile bright but with a sharpness behind her eyes."Good morning, honeypuff," she says sweetly. "I thought we could have breakfast before your sister arrives."I blink, caught off guard. "Mina's coming today?""She called last night while you were... occupied." She studies my reaction. "Didn't she tell you?"I shake my head. Mina and I haven't spoken much since the government forced me into this arrangement with Adeline. My sister had been openly skeptical, asking questions I couldn't answer without endangering her. The thought of her visiting fills me with conflicting relief and dread."She's bringing t