Nova stared at his phone while messages flooded the class group chat nonstop.
CLASS 9B
BRO WHAT EVEN HAPPENED?!
Was that guy targeting Stacy?!
How did he disappear?!
I heard the police think he escaped.
No way bro literally VANISHED.
Stacy are you okay???
The messages kept coming endlessly.
But Stacy never replied.
Nova leaned back in his chair quietly.
Honestly…
he didn't blame her.
What happened at school today would've terrified anyone.
Especially her.
After hesitating for a moment, Nova opened her personal chat instead.
His fingers hovered above the keyboard.
Then he simply typed:
hi
A few seconds passed.
Then—
hi
Nova exhaled softly.
At least she replied.
He avoided mentioning the incident completely.
Instead, he kept the conversation normal.
School.
Homework.
Random jokes.
Anything except what happened earlier.
Because if someone had pointed a gun at him—
he probably wouldn't want to talk about it either.
Still…
something kept bothering him.
Why Stacy?
That man hadn't entered the classroom randomly.
He specifically wanted her.
Nova's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
What if…
she had powers too?
The possibility refused to leave his head.
Slowly, Nova sat up straighter.
Inside his mind, lines of code began forming once again.
A small camera.
One that could temporarily connect to another device's camera feed.
Ten minutes only.
No permanent access.
No recording.
Just live viewing.
A single-use creation.
The familiar heavy feeling filled the room again.
Reality distorted slightly.
Then—
a tiny black device appeared in his palm.
Nova stared at it for a moment.
Even now, this still felt insane.
But he didn't have time to panic anymore.
Not after what happened today.
If Stacy really had powers—
then she could be in danger.
Nova activated the device carefully.
Almost instantly, a screen flickered to life.
Stacy's face appeared on it through her phone camera.
She was sitting silently on her bed.
A blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
Her eyes looked exhausted.
Scared.
Nova felt a little guilty watching her like this.
But he needed answers.
⸻
Meanwhile, at Alice's house—
Alice laid across her bed while holding the trophy she won earlier that day.
Under normal circumstances, she would've been celebrating nonstop.
But today didn't feel normal anymore.
Not after hearing what happened at school.
Her smile slowly faded.
She grabbed her phone quickly and called Stacy.
No answer.
Alice frowned.
"Come on… pick up…"
Still nothing.
The call eventually ended.
Alice lowered the phone slowly.
Her mind drifted back toward the strange memories from the night before.
That black tentacle.
The weird feeling in her room.
The fever afterward.
For some reason…
everything suddenly felt connected.
But that was impossible.
Right?
Alice pulled the blanket over herself uneasily.
Outside her window, the night sky remained strangely quiet.
⸻
Back in Nova's room—
The conversation with Stacy continued normally.
At least on the surface.
Nova carefully kept her comfortable.
He joked around a little.
Talked casually.
Waited patiently.
Then finally—
he decided to test something.
Nova typed slowly.
What would you do if you randomly got a superpower… but it had one drawback?
The message sent.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then Nova looked at the camera feed.
Stacy froze completely.
Her expression changed instantly.
The relaxed look on her face vanished.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Her fingers stopped moving.
Nova's heartbeat quickened.
Bingo.
The chat stayed silent for several long seconds.
Then finally—
Why would you ask that?
Nova stared at the screen quietly.
He had been right.
Stacy had powers too.
And judging by her reaction—
she already knew it.
Nova stared at Stacy's message for several seconds.
Then finally, he typed:
because you're just like me
The moment the message sent, the atmosphere between them changed completely.
A typing bubble appeared instantly.
Stopped.
Appeared again.
Then finally—
you too have powers…?
Nova exhaled slowly.
So it was true.
He wasn't alone.
don't worry
this stays between us
A few seconds later, another message appeared.
but listen
i think the man who came to school that day was probably some kind of FBI agent
Nova's fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.
his accent was recognizable
and he specifically came for you
The chat fell silent again.
Nova glanced toward the small black device beside him.
The ten-minute limit was almost over.
Through the camera feed, Stacy looked terrified.
Not just scared from the incident anymore—
genuinely afraid.
Finally, another message appeared.
i trust you nova
but can we not bring this incident up?
Nova read the message quietly.
i don't feel comfortable talking about it right now
Honestly…
he understood.
If he had been the one targeted at gunpoint, he probably would've reacted the same way.
Nova typed one final reply.
okay
i won't push it
A small pause.
Then—
thanks
Nova smiled faintly.
For the first time since discovering his powers, he finally knew one thing for certain.
He wasn't the only one.
The camera device suddenly disappeared into black particles.
The time limit had ended.
Nova leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling quietly.
Things were escalating way too fast.
First the sword.
Then the teleportation button.
Now Stacy had powers too.
And if the FBI really was involved…
then this situation was far bigger than he originally thought.
Before he could think further—
his phone suddenly rang.
Alice.
Nova blinked in surprise before answering the call.
"Hello?"
Meanwhile, at Alice's house—
Alice sat cross-legged on her bed while nervously tapping her fingers together.
Both of her best friends suddenly felt distant tonight.
Stacy wasn't answering.
And after what happened at school, Alice couldn't stop worrying.
The strange memories from last night kept returning too.
That black tentacle.
That uncomfortable feeling.
The fever afterward.
Everything felt wrong somehow.
There was only one person she felt comfortable talking to right now.
Nova.
To Alice, he was almost like an older brother figure.
Calm.
Reliable.
Easy to trust.
The moment he picked up the phone, Alice felt slightly relieved.
"Nova?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah?" Nova replied