I woke up to something heavy on my chest.
Pheno.
His face was inches from mine, eyes wide open like a demonic stuffed animal plotting murder. The second I moved, he screamed — not meowed, *screamed* — and sprinted off the bed, knocking my phone off the nightstand in the process.
"Morning to you too," I muttered, dragging myself upright.
My back cracked like a glow stick. Too many alleyway heroics, not enough stretching.
I shuffled into the kitchen and went through my now-familiar routine — brush teeth, splash water on my face, check if I still looked like someone who got kicked in a video game. Surprisingly, the bruises had started fading. Just faint marks now.
Pheno waited at the counter like a judge.
I poured his food. He sniffed it, pawed the bowl twice, then walked away dramatically, tail high in protest.
"What do you want? Caviar?" I called after him.
No answer. Just the sound of something falling in the living room.
So far, it was a normal morning.
---
School was never fun, but today, I wasn't dreading it.
Not exactly.
I took my usual seat by the window — second last row, left side — and slumped into the chair like it owed me money. My legs felt heavy. My brain felt heavier. There was this low hum of worry I couldn't shake off, even though nothing *seemed* wrong.
Maybe it was just leftover adrenaline from the alleyway incident yesterday. Or maybe it was—
The door slammed open.
Our homeroom teacher walked in, followed by a tall figure.
White hair.
My stomach dropped.
No way.
No. Freaking. Way.
"Class," the teacher began, "we have a new transfer student. Please give a warm welcome to Isac."
Isac.
So he had a name now.
Girls were already whispering.
"Is he a model?"
"He looks like he walked out of a movie—"
"Is that hair natural?"
I stayed quiet, staring.
Isac stood calmly in front of the class, expression unreadable. He didn't seem nervous, or arrogant. Just... there. Like someone who didn't belong in a place this normal.
"I'd like to sit near the back," he said softly, voice calm like distant rain.
The teacher pointed. "Alright. Take the last bench, please."
Isac scanned the room. Then lifted a finger and pointed.
"To the left. Second last row. That seat—" he paused, his eyes landing on me, "—beside him."
Everyone turned.
Why me?
WHY ME.
"Uh, sure," the teacher said, confused. "Go ahead."
Isac walked over with the confidence of a man who owned gravity. His movements were precise — not stiff, but not lazy either. He pulled the chair out smoothly and sat down.
Even *sitting*, the dude looked like an actor in a perfume commercial.
I stared straight ahead.
Do not engage. Do not engage. Do not—
"Daniel, right?" he said quietly.
My head snapped toward him. "You know my name?"
He just smiled faintly. "It's a small world."
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN.
Before I could say anything else, class started.
I didn't hear a word of it.
---
Lunchtime.
I was still mentally spiraling about the fact that the literal stranger who saved my life was now sitting next to me like this was *normal*.
I poked at my sandwich. Pheno would've eaten it in one bite. I missed him already.
Isac hadn't moved much. He didn't eat. He just stared at the board. Quiet. Like a statue with premium skincare.
Then it happened.
The door opened.
Venny.
With two of his sidekicks.
I felt my muscles tense on reflex.
They spotted me instantly.
And started walking over.
My throat tightened. No more bats. No alley to escape into. Just desks and tension.
But before I could panic—
"Did you finish the math homework?" Isac asked suddenly.
My brain froze.
"What?"
He tapped his book. "The derivatives. You looked like you understood it earlier."
Was he... making small talk?
With *me*?
In front of *them*?
I blinked. "Uh. Yeah. I guess."
The air changed.
I glanced sideways — Venny and his friends had stopped mid-step.
Staring.
One of them muttered something. Then Venny, for the first time in forever, *backed off*.
They turned and walked away.
No punches. No threats.
Just silence.
I turned back to Isac.
"…Did you just psychic them away?"
"Hmm?" he replied, casually flipping a page.
"You—what just happened?"
He shrugged. "You looked uncomfortable. Thought I'd help."
"You made them LEAVE. That doesn't happen. That's illegal in our ecosystem."
Isac smiled. "Maybe they were just nervous."
"Nervous of *you*?"
He said nothing more.
---
School ended like a weird dream I couldn't wake up from.
I didn't even know what subject the last class was. History? Math? Interpretive dance? I had no idea.
As students filtered out, Isac gave me a polite nod and walked off in the other direction.
I stood there a while longer, collecting the shreds of my mental stability.
And then, finally, I made my way to the convenience store.
Sunny would know what to make of this. He always had that calm, disapproving stare like a grumpy cat in human form. He'd probably say something like, "You attract weird people."
It'd feel like home.
I pushed the store door open.
Ding.
The familiar bell sound.
But no Sunny.
Lehya stood behind the counter instead, restocking gum.
"Oh," I said. "Is Sunny not working today?"
She looked up, confused. "He didn't show up."
My stomach clenched. "What? He's not on a break or something?"
"Nope. He's supposed to be on the evening shift. Didn't text. Didn't answer."
My hands felt cold. "Maybe he's just sleeping in."
She gave a half-shrug. "Maybe. But he's never late. Ever. It's kinda his thing."
I didn't reply.
I walked outside and pulled out my phone.
Called him.
Once.
Twice.
Straight to voicemail.
Tried texting.
*"Hey. Where are you?"*
Nothing.
I stared at the screen for a while.
Then I started walking.
Fast.
---
I checked every spot I could think of.
Back alley behind the store. Nothing.
The side street near the bus stop. Empty.
The tiny bench by the park where he once said he liked sitting — no sign of him.
I even walked by the spot where we first met.
Where he kicked Raphael's ass and barely blinked doing it.
Gone.
He was just *gone*.
And with every unanswered call, that awful, crushing feeling in my chest got worse.
Pheno was going to chew my charger again tonight. I just knew it.
But right now?
I wasn't laughing.
I stood alone on the sidewalk, phone gripped in my hand, cold wind brushing my face.
And for the first time in days—
I was scared.
Not of bullies.
Not of knives.
But of silence.
The kind where someone you care about just disappears.
And you don't know why.