Chapter 9: Static Between Worlds
The lunch bell rang with the enthusiasm of a dying alarm clock, echoing through the school hallways like a bad omen. Kael shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets as he made his way back from the cafeteria, weaving through the crowd of noisy students who acted like they hadn't seen each other in decades.
His stomach wasn't full—just existing at school was enough to kill his appetite—but at least the food hadn't tried to fight back like the ones in the Dream Continent sometimes did. Small victories.
"Science next," he muttered to himself. "Nothing like a good dose of chemical misery to spice up my day."
Juno had already darted off to her art class, probably making chaos out of paint again, and Talia—well, she was punctual as ever. The girl treated time like it was a military operation.
Kael sighed, dragging his steps down the corridor. For a moment, he almost felt normal again. The laughter, the random chatter, the smell of cheap deodorant and fried snacks—it was painfully ordinary. Then, of course, reality decided to remind him that peace never lasted long.
Four boys stepped out from a corner like they'd been waiting for him. He recognized them instantly—Marco and his little gang. The school's self-proclaimed kings of idiocy.
"Hey, Kael," Marco drawled, crossing his arms. He was taller by a head, built like he thought he was in a boxing anime. "We need to talk."
Kael stopped, staring at them. "Wow. Four-on-one. You guys always travel in herds, or is this a special occasion?"
Marco's grin faltered. "Cut the sarcasm. It's about Talia."
Kael's brow twitched. "Talia?"
"Yeah," another one, Vince, piped up. "You should stop hanging around her. She's not your type, man."
Kael blinked slowly. "Not my type?"
"Yeah," Marco said, stepping closer, clearly enjoying his little performance. "You're, uh... not exactly on her level, dude. You get what I'm saying."
Kael's jaw clenched. He could feel that familiar pressure building in his chest—his power, restless, humming just beneath his skin like a live wire. His fingers twitched involuntarily, and he had to shove them deeper into his pockets before the air around him started to spark.
Damnation... he thought bitterly. Of all the stupid things to blow up over, it has to be this.
The boys didn't notice the faint shimmer that flickered behind Kael's eyes, but they sure noticed the sudden shift in his expression—the calm before the storm.
"You done?" Kael asked quietly.
"Don't get smart with us, man—" Marco began, but the sentence never finished.
A sharp, cutting silence fell over the hallway. The temperature seemed to drop by ten degrees. Kael didn't even have to turn to know why—he could feel the weight of her presence before she even spoke.
Talia.
She stood a few feet away, her bag slung over one shoulder, her expression unreadable—but her eyes were lethal. The kind of look that could freeze lightning mid-strike.
"What," she said, voice like glass, "is going on here?"
The four boys turned to her like they'd just been caught vandalizing the principal's car. Marco's bravado crumbled instantly. "N-nothing, Talia. We were just—uh—talking to Kael."
"Talking," she repeated flatly. "It didn't sound like that."
Her gaze swept across them—cold, surgical, terrifyingly calm. One by one, they wilted under it. Within seconds, they were backing off, muttering awkward excuses about class.
Kael exhaled slowly, realizing only now how close he'd been to losing control.
When the hallway finally emptied, he looked at Talia, half-annoyed and half-relieved. "Thanks," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Though, I could've handled it."
"I know," she said simply. "But you didn't have to."
Then—just for a second—her expression softened. A small, fleeting smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Not enough for most people to notice, but Kael did. It hit him harder than he'd expected.
"If they ever try that again," she said, adjusting her bag strap, "tell me. I'll deal with them."
Kael blinked, slightly thrown off. "Wait, what? You want me to—what—report bullies to you now?"
"Yes," she said matter-of-factly.
"Oooh, great," Kael muttered under his breath. She thinks I'm some kind of baby now. He could practically feel the eyes of everyone in the hallway drilling into his back—whispers, smirks, the usual teenage gossip storm brewing.
He sighed, resisting the urge to slam his head into the nearest locker. "Perfect. Just what I needed—reputation as the guy who needs a girl to save him."
Talia glanced back once, still walking away. "You're welcome," she said, voice calm but faintly amused.
Kael groaned. "Yeah, sure. Thanks."
The rest of the day crawled by. Every time he caught someone looking at him in class, he could practically hear their unspoken thoughts. That's the guy Talia stood up for. He tried to ignore it, burying himself in equations he didn't care about, but his mind kept replaying the moment—her eyes, that tiny smile.
By the final bell, he was mentally done.
When he finally got home, Kael tossed his bag onto the couch and was halfway to the fridge when a voice from the kitchen made him stop in his tracks.
"Yo, little man."
Kael blinked. "Ben?"
His older brother leaned casually against the counter, a mug of coffee in one hand and his usual lazy grin on his face. He looked exactly the same—tall, messy-haired, with that annoying confidence that made people trust him instantly.
"Surprise," Ben said, spreading his arms. "College gave me a week off. Thought I'd drop by before you burn the house down with your mood swings."
Kael snorted despite himself. "Wow. Heartwarming. I missed you too."
Ben laughed, crossing the room and giving him a brief, rough hug that Kael didn't even know he needed until it happened.
"Still grumpy, huh?" Ben teased. "You eat anything today that wasn't instant noodles?"
"Define 'eat,'" Kael said dryly.
They both chuckled, and for a rare, fleeting moment, the silence in the house didn't feel so heavy anymore. It felt... alive again.
Ben clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright, grump. Tell me everything I missed."
Kael smirked faintly. "You wouldn't believe me if I did."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Try me."
Kael looked away, staring out the window where the sun was beginning to dip below the rooftops. The line between dreams and reality had never felt thinner. "Maybe later," he said quietly. "For now... I'm just glad you're here."
Ben nodded, satisfied. "Good answer. Now sit your butt down. I made actual food."
Kael blinked. "Wait—you cooked? As in, using heat and ingredients?"
"Shut up and eat, genius."
Kael laughed, the sound foreign even to his own ears. For once, he didn't mind coming home.
Maybe, just maybe, things were looking up.