2025-10-19 15:26:30
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XVI
After the incident and the laughter died down, the group started to relax. The tension that had filled the courtyard during the Unity Drink challenge dissolved into something lighter. Rex pulled out a bluetooth speaker from his backpack and connected his phone. Music started playing, something with a heavy bass line that made the air vibrate. Milo started dancing badly on purpose and making exaggerated moves that had Clara cracking up while filming him.More students drifted over, drawn by the music and the energy. Someone brought out a frisbee and started tossing it around. Juno sat on the edge of the fountain with his laptop, editing footage but bobbing his head to the beat. The whole scene felt weirdly normal, like a regular college hangout instead of the content obsessed pressure cooker that Star Academy usually was.Carter stood off to the side, still feeling the awful taste in his mouth and the heavy weight of the drink sitting in his stomach. He watched the others laugh and jok
XV
Carter arrived at the studio the next afternoon with his stomach churning with anxiety. He had barely slept. Every time he closed his eyes he saw clauses from the contract floating in the darkness. He tried to research initiation rituals at Star Academy using the Protocol's database access. He found almost nothing useful. Just vague mentions on old forum posts, usually deleted within days. References to challenges, pranks, loyalty tests. Nothing concrete. Nothing that told him what to expect.The Unity Collective was waiting for him when he walked in. They were all smiling but there was something different in the air now. A tension that wasn't there yesterday. The studio felt smaller somehow. The ring lights seemed brighter, more invasive."Ready for your big day?" Amaya asked. She was wearing different clothes than usual. More formal. A blazer over her usual casual style."I guess," Carter said. His throat felt dry. "What exactly am I doing?""Three tasks," Juno said and for once he
XIV
The Unity Collective had a small studio space in one of the campus buildings. Nothing fancy, but functional. Ring lights stood on tripods in each corner, cameras mounted on stands, a green screen hung against one wall, and editing equipment cluttered a desk shoved against the window.Clara explained that they pooled their resources to rent it while adjusting a camera angle. "It's expensive but worth it. We can control everything here. Lighting, sound, background. Makes our content look more professional than filming in dorm rooms."They spent the afternoon filming. Each person created content featuring Carter in some way and the atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed. Amaya filmed a cooking video where Carter attempted to help make some complicated pasta dish and failed spectacularly. Flour ended up everywhere. He burned the sauce. The noodles stuck together in a clump. But Amaya laughed the whole time and turned his failures into comedy, making it feel less like humiliation and more li
XIII
Carter met Amaya by the fountain in the main courtyard the next afternoon. The sun was low in the sky and cast everything in golden light. The fountain sparkled and students passed by in groups, filming themselves, living their curated lives.Amaya wasn't alone. There were four others with her. The Protocol scrambled to tag them and data flooded across Carter's vision.AMAYA REEVES – SILVER CLASS – REP: 9,100SPECIALIZATION: FOOD CONTENT (MUKBANG STYLE)THREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWNCLARA MENDEZ – SILVER CLASS – REP: 8,400SPECIALIZATION: LIFESTYLE/VLOG CONTENTTHREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWNJUNO PARK – SILVER CLASS – REP: 7,900SPECIALIZATION: GAMING/TECH REVIEWSTHREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWNREX KUMAR – BRONZE CLASS – REP: 3,200SPECIALIZATION: FITNESS/COMEDY SKETCHESTHREAT LEVEL: LOWMILO TORRES – BRONZE CLASS – REP: 2,950SPECIALIZATION: MUSIC/REACTION VIDEOSTHREAT LEVEL: LOWAmaya was pretty in an approachable way. Round face, warm smile, curvy build. She wore a pink hoodie and jeans and her hair was p
XII
Sebastian didn't push. Instead he ordered pizza and they sat on his couch eating in silence while some basketball game played on the TV. Carter barely tasted the food. His mind was still in the lobby, replaying the fight, the humiliation, the way everyone had looked at him like he was garbage.Finally, Sebastian spoke. "You're different."Carter froze with pizza halfway to his mouth. "What do you mean?""You're just... different. I can't explain it. The way you talk, the way you move, even the way you eat." Sebastian studied him with an intensity that made Carter want to look away. "It's like you're wearing your own skin wrong."The Protocol flashed a warning across Carter's vision but he ignored it. "I told you, I went through some stuff. People change.""Not like this." Sebastian set down his pizza and turned to face Carter fully. "I've known you since we were twelve, Owen. We've been through everything together. Summer camps, family vacations, every major moment of our lives. And I
XI
Carter walked through the glass doors into a lobby that made him forget how to breathe. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and caught the light in a thousand different ways. The floor was actual marble with gold veining that looked like lightning. Leather couches and chairs were arranged in conversation clusters and students lounged on them in designer clothes. Everyone was filming themselves or each other, laughing in that effortless way that came with never having to worry about anything.Carter walked in and the room went quiet.Every head turned. Every phone rose. The Protocol went into overdrive and tagged faces faster than Carter could process.STEPHANIE VAUGHN – GOLD CLASS – REP: 16,400MARCUS TANG – GOLD CLASS – REP: 19,200BRIANNA OKORO – GOLD CLASS – REP: 17,100Standing behind the front desk was a massive man in a security uniform that was too tight around his gut. His name tag read "Roland." His face split into a nasty grin when he saw Carter."Well, well, well." Hi
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