K and Daw made their way home on the hoverboard, gliding through the streets as the night settled in around them. The city, usually alive with neon lights and the hum of technology, was filled with an unusual tension. Sirens wailed in the distance police, fire trucks, and ambulances all rushing in the direction they had just come from.
The sound echoed through the streets, a constant reminder of the chaos they had left behind. The flashing red and blue lights illuminated the buildings as they passed, casting shadows that seemed to dance along the walls. K glanced over his shoulder, watching the emergency vehicles speed toward the crash site, and felt a knot of anxiety settle in his stomach.
"Daw, do you think… someone else saw the meteor fall?" K asked, his voice low. He couldn't shake the feeling that their encounter with the gauntlet and watch was more significant than he first thought.
Daw, hovering close beside him, beeped thoughtfully. "It's likely. But I don't think they're after the meteor itself. That artifact… it's something rare. There are others who would want it."
K tightened his grip on the hoverboard's edge, the weight of Daw's words sinking in. He could feel the strange tingling in his right arm where the gauntlet had clamped down, a constant reminder of what he'd found.
As they weaved through the traffic and sirens, K's mind raced with questions and worry. He knew that tonight's discovery was just the beginning and that their peaceful lives might never be the same again.
K and Daw finally reached home. Standing outside the door, K knocked and called out, "I'm home."
The door opened, and a tall man with white hair greeted him, letting out a sigh. "Oh, you're late again, K," he muttered, looking somewhat weary. "Same as usual?"
K, equally tired, nodded. "Yeah, Dad."
The man was none other than K's father, a figure who seemed just as exhausted as his son. K headed to the kitchen, catching the scent of a familiar dish. "Did you make lasagna tonight, Dad?"
His father gave a small smile, nodding. "Yes, I managed to get home early, so I thought I'd make your favorite."
K's face lit up slightly. "Oh, that's great." He paused, then asked softly, "How's Mom doing?"
His father's smile wavered, a hint of forced optimism in his expression. "The doctor said there's been a little improvement."
K fell silent, his eyes downcast as the weight of the words sank in. His father gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, ending the conversation with a quiet, "I'm going to shower and rest now."
As his father walked away, K felt a mixture of hope and worry in his chest. The evening's events, combined with his concern for his mother, weighed heavily on him.
"I still remember that day," K thought, a shiver running down his spine. "And I'll never forget it."
Suddenly, K's phone buzzed in his pocket, snapping him back to the present. Glancing down, he saw the caller ID. "Lucy's calling? That's strange… Lucy never calls me."
Curious and a bit unsettled, he picked up his phone and saw that it wasn't just one call. His screen was filled with multiple missed calls and messages from her. K's face turned pale as he scrolled through the notifications, an uneasy chill creeping over him.
"What's going on…?"
K's heart skipped a beat as he realized something. "Oh no…" He quickly glanced at his phone, his fingers trembling. It dawned on him that he had accidentally left his phone on silent mode earlier when he had been rushing out.
"I… I must've forgotten to turn it back on," he muttered to himself, feeling a wave of panic rising. The unread messages from Lucy were piling up, each one more urgent than the last.
His mind raced. "What could be so important? Why didn't she just text me?"
K quickly opened the messages, hoping to find some clue, but his stomach twisted as he read them. Each message was filled with worry, each one more frantic than the last, as if Lucy knew something was wrong.
And now, K could feel it the eerie, unsettling feeling he'd had ever since he encountered the gauntlet. Something was coming, and Lucy was somehow at the heart of it.
K hesitated as the phone rang, the tension in his chest growing with every second. Finally, he answered, his voice shaky, "Lucy?"
There was a brief pause before Lucy's familiar voice came through the line, but this time, it sounded different—distant, almost urgent.
"Why didn't you reply to my messages, K?" she asked softly, but K could hear the edge of concern in her tone.
K's mind went blank. He wanted to explain, but words failed him. He had been so caught up in the events of the day, the mysterious gauntlet, and the strange occurrences, that he had completely forgotten to check his phone. His stomach tightened, and he could feel the weight of her disappointment in her words.
"I—" K started, but the words felt trapped in his throat. He didn't know how to explain everything that had been happening, the strange happenings that had taken over his life, the danger that was now surrounding him.
"Baby, are you there?" Lucy's voice broke through his thoughts, her concern palpable. "What's going on? Why haven't you been answering me?"
K took a deep breath, his voice finally finding its way out. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I… I've been dealing with some stuff. I didn't mean to worry you."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line before Lucy spoke again, this time more gently. "K, you're scaring me. Please, talk to me. I don't want to feel like you're pushing me away."
K closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. "I'm not pushing you away, Lucy. It's just… there's a lot going on right now. I don't even know where to start."
K's mind flashed back to a moment with Lee. He could still hear Lee's voice in his head, as clear as if it had happened just yesterday: "If you're afraid to tell the truth, create another truth to tell others."
Just as the memory lingered, K recalled the scene—Lee being pulled by his ear by his girlfriend, his face contorted in surprise as she dragged him out of the classroom. The flashback faded as quickly as it had appeared, but the weight of Lee's words remained.
K shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. He couldn't let Lucy know everything not yet. Not now.
He sighed and took a deep breath before responding to Lucy's earlier question. "I… I just got caught up in some weird stuff today," K said, trying to sound as casual as possible. "But it's nothing serious. Just a little chaotic, you know? I'm fine, really."
Lucy stayed quiet for a moment, her skepticism lingering in the air. K could almost hear the gears turning in her mind. She wasn't completely convinced, but she wasn't pressing him either. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice soft yet firm.
"Alright," she said, her tone still tinged with concern but also an undercurrent of trust. "I still don't know what happened, but I'm glad you're alright. Just… next time, K, don't shut me out like that. I want to be there for you, okay?"
K could hear the sincerity in her voice, and though part of him still felt the need to hide the truth, another part was grateful for her understanding. He nodded to himself, even though she couldn't see it.
"I won't," he promised, though he wasn't sure if he could keep that promise. "Thanks, Lucy. I'll explain when I can. Just… not right now."
There was a brief silence before Lucy's voice came through again, this time gentler. "Just be safe, okay? I care about you, K."
"Yeah, I know," K whispered, his heart softening. "I care about you too."
The call ended, but K couldn't shake the feeling that something was on the horizon something that he couldn't yet explain, and that Lucy would soon have to be a part of.
K let out a long sigh of relief as he sat back, the tension in his chest finally easing. He had managed to get through the conversation with Lucy without revealing too much, and for now, that was enough. He glanced at his phone, the screen still glowing with the last message from Lucy.
"Tomorrow, I'll have to treat him," K muttered to himself, smiling a little as he thought about Lee. If it weren't for Lee's advice earlier, he might have cracked under the pressure. The way Lee always managed to think on his feet, even when things were messy, had really helped him out.
Though K wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of paying for Lee's meal, he knew he owed him this much. Lee had helped him, after all.
K rubbed his temples and stood up, his mind still spinning with everything that had happened. Tomorrow would be another day, and hopefully, he'd be able to sort things out. But for now, all he could do was try to get some rest and face whatever came next.
As K drifted off to sleep, the room silent and calm, the watch on his wrist flickered for a brief moment, its light flashing in the darkness. K barely noticed, his mind lost in a sea of dreams and exhaustion. But as quickly as it had blinked, the light faded, and the watch fell still, its glow extinguished in an instant.
Little did K know, that small flicker was not just a random glitch. It was a signal. A silent call that something was awakening, something far beyond his understanding, just waiting for the right moment to reveal itself.