They were just sitting there when Theo suddenly clapped his hands and broke the quiet.
"Project done." He grinned. "You get all that, Rex?"
Rex nodded, lowering his camera with a satisfied click. "Finished."
Eliot let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, a smile spreading across his face. "I can't believe we actually did it."
Leon nodded, rare approval in his expression. "Yeah. We're really a great team."
For a second, it felt light. Earned.
Then they turned around.
Lunara was asleep.
Curled slightly on the couch, coat still on, beanie tilted just enough to shadow her eyes. Her wolfish edge hadn't vanished—it had softened. One knee tucked in, fingers loosely curled like paws at rest. Her breathing was slow and even, lashes resting against her cheeks, the faintest hint of a frown still etched there, as if she was guarding her dreams.
Fierce… but offline.
Leon stared, then muttered under his breath, "She says she's fierce, now she sleeps like a baby."
Eliot blinked, then leaned in just a little, whispering to himself like the universe had made a mistake.
"No. She's supposed to look fierce."
Lunara shifted, letting out a quiet huff—almost a growl, almost a sigh—and settled deeper into sleep.
No one dared wake her.
--
Eliot stepped out into the hallway, still carrying the weight of all what's haappening, when—
Thud.
Something slammed into his face.
Pain flashed white.
His glasses tilted crooked as he stumbled back, hand flying up just in time to catch them.
Laughter erupted.
"Hey, glasses," Brent's voice rang out, lazy and loud.
He stood a few steps away, spinning a basketball on his finger, his friends clustered behind him like an audience that had already decided how this would end.
"Return the ball. Quickly."
More laughter. Someone whistled.
Eliot bent down and picked up the ball. His fingers tightened around the rubber. He paused.
Just for a second.
The hallway felt smaller. Warmer. Every sound sharper than it should be.
He straightened—but before he could move—
"Yo."
A new voice cut through the noise.
Leon stepped in from the gym doors, still in his basketball clothes, jersey loose, sleeves pushed up, hair damp like he'd just finished playing.
He took in the scene in one glance Brent smirking, the crowd waiting, Eliot standing there with the ball like it was a test.
Leon didn't ask questions.
He reached out, took the ball from Eliot's hands, and in one smooth motion—
Smack.
The ball hit Brent square in the face.
The laughter died instantly.
"What the—" Brent staggered back, shock replacing the grin.
Leon stepped forward, grabbed Eliot's wrist, and pulled him along without slowing.
"Wrong target," he said flatly, already walking away.
They moved through the stunned silence, past frozen faces and open mouths.
No one followed.
Only when they turned the corner did Leon let go.
Eliot exhaled, heart racing. He looked at Leon, glasses still slightly crooked.
Leon glanced back.
"Next time," he said calmly, "you don't stand there."
Then he walked on.
And for the first time that day, Eliot didn't feel small at all.
-
They regrouped at the science club room just before sunset.
Chairs scraped, bags dropped, voices overlapped—then settled.
The projector hummed to life as Rex adjusted the angle, blonde hair catching the glow of the screen while the intro video rolled.
Leon stepped forward.
Silky brown hair, steady eyes, shoulders relaxed like he wasn't trying to impress anyone—because he didn't need to.
His voice was calm, low, and clear, the kind that made people stop whispering without realizing why.
"Our project is renewable energy systems," Leon began. "But not just the usual solar panel setup."
On the screen, diagrams flickered to life under Rex's control.
"We thought—what if energy didn't rely on just one source?" Leon continued. "So we built a hybrid model. Solar during the day. Kinetic as backup."
Rex zoomed in on a clip showing movement-powered generators.
"Any motion," Leon said. "Walking. Wind. Vibration. If it moves, it helps."
That's when Eliot and Theo stepped in.
Theo rolled the prototype onto the table—a compact frame, clean wiring, carefully labeled.
Eliot stood beside him, glasses catching the light as he adjusted a switch.
"Watch this," Eliot said, a spark of excitement breaking through his usual restraint.
Theo angled a small lamp over the panel.
The system lit up.
A soft whir ran through the room.
Then Theo tapped the side panel, setting a small wheel spinning.
The light didn't flicker. It stayed steady.
A few students leaned forward.
"That's the kinetic backup kicking in," Eliot explained, smiling now. "If one source drops, the other compensates."
Rex cut to a live feed overlay showing the energy shift in real time.
"No interruption," he added. "Zero delay."
Murmurs spread.
Someone whispered, "That's actually cool."
At the back of the room, Mr. Miller had gone very still.
He stepped closer, adjusting his glasses, eyes moving from the screen to the prototype to the boys themselves.
He tapped the frame lightly, thoughtful.
"This," he said slowly, "isn't just a concept."
The room went quiet.
"It's practical. Efficient. And most importantly—creative."
He looked at Leon. "Clear presentation."
At Rex. "Excellent documentation."
Then to Theo and Eliot. "And solid execution."
Mr. Miller straightened, a smile breaking through his usual seriousness. "Full marks."
The room erupted.
Eliot laughed under his breath, Theo let out a quiet yes, Rex pumped a fist behind the camera, and Leon—Leon just nodded once, satisfied.
A real team.
And for once, everything worked exactly the way it was supposed to.
The triumphant mood shattered.
From somewhere outside the science club room came a scream—piercing, jagged.
Then another. Followed by heavy, urgent footsteps pounding the hallway.
"Go get them!" a voice barked.
Mr. Miller's hand shot out.
"Hang on tight!" he warned, stepping toward the door.
Leon glanced at Theo and Eliot.
Both of them were frozen, wide-eyed, their breaths shallow.
The excitement of earlier had vanished, replaced with something raw—fear.
Before anyone could argue, Rex stepped forward.
"I'll check it out," he volunteered. Blonde hair bouncing, shoulders tense.
A voice rang out again, sharp and commanding. "Where are those four boys?"
Rex froze mid-step, pale.
"It… it seems they're looking for some boys," he stammered.
Leon swallowed, steadying himself. "Guys… we need to go. Now."
Without thinking, all four of them bolted through the hallway.
Time slowed.
The bodyguards were there—tall, muscular, dressed entirely in black.
Jackets fitted like armor, boots heavy against the floor.
Every motion precise, almost mechanical.
Their hair was slicked back, dark, flying slightly as they pivoted, turning to track the boys' movements.
Eliot, Theo, Leon, and Rex moved as one—a tight, chaotic rhythm, hearts hammering.
Each step echoed, every breath caught somewhere in their chests, like the hallway itself was holding its breath.
Theo's hair swung across his forehead, glasses bouncing.
Eliot's curls caught the light as he ducked sideways, narrowly avoiding a sweeping arm.
Leon pushed forward, steady and forceful, every movement deliberate.
Rex kept the camera tucked to his chest, eyes flicking to every shadow.
The black-clad figures moved with terrifying synchronicity.
Muscles coiled, eyes sharp. Every second stretched.
The boys weren't just running—they were weaving, diving, sliding—barely a step ahead.
For a heartbeat, it felt like the world had narrowed to four boys, four bodies dodging the almost inhuman precision of their pursuers.
And then one misstep could end everything.