Logan was a typical adolescent; nothing about this sixteen-year-old boy particularly stood out.
Nothing about him was unique, not the straight hair that fell to his shoulders and constantly covered one of his eyes or the beanie he wore to keep a few strands of his rich chocolate brown hair in place, hiding a portion of his face from the rest of the world.
Certainly not the dull-colored hoodies he alternated when one of them got dirty, and most definitely not the faded denim jeans he chose from the limited selection in his closet.
Logan used this image every day to represent who he was—a loner who enjoyed leading a solitary existence. Away from people and any situations that could trigger sentimentality.
Logan had had enough of this one specific feeling; if his parents' early divorce hadn't left a lasting impression, it had to have been leaving behind a close friend with whom he had spent more than half of his brief life growing up, only to re-meet as strangers.
That certainly couldn't be the cause, could it?
Perhaps it was the unintentional death of his eight-year-old dog, who raced out of the house to welcome him after school, only to be hit by a car.
The youngster was therefore sick of it—relationships that only resulted in unhappiness, the anguish of losing something dear, the anxiety of losing what you still have, the pity of knowing you have no control over anything, and eventually, the loneliness.
This cycle made Logan into the person he is today—a young boy who stands outside his classroom and peers out a window towards the athletic fields, where a forest stretches far beyond the reach of the eye.
The morning was dominated by a gloomy cloud that stained the sky with drab shades of gray, creating the ideal representation of a typical autumn day.
The yellow and orange of withering trees pervaded the fields and woodland, making the cold morning breezes feel much chillier than they should. However, none of this could be savored as the first-morning bell rang, warning the youngsters to hurry to class.
Logan didn't move from his spot though. Instead, he turned up the volume on his phone to drown out the noises of the rushing children making their way to their classroom, the deep bass popping through his headphones.
The boy remained still while gazing through the huge rectangular glass crystal. After a while, he realized he had to get ready. He took several deep breaths, perhaps trying to take in the fresh air that was only there in his field of vision.
Five minutes had passed since the first bell, and now the second warning bell rang. It was time for him to start moving as his surroundings were now empty, void of all the students who had been standing around just a few minutes ago.
The only sounds present in the long school hall were the squeaking sneakers of someone running at a distance and a random teacher yelling about.
Logan didn't need to worry, though, because, without any interruptions, he had thirty seconds to get to the window from his seat. Naturally, he had acquired this information through repetition, and today was no different. Just as the final bell rang, he managed to make it to his seat barely in time.
The time had come for him to forfeit his freedom, and he sat down as swiftly as possible. At that point, the teacher standing by the door quickly looked outside before shutting it.
She cleared her throat softly before calling out to everyone and extending a friendly greeting.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm delighted to see that no one is running late. So before we start today's lecture, let's take a quick roll call." Ms. Claire began the class as usual, flashing a bright smile that caught the attention of many of the boys.
While waiting for his name to be called, Logan began to reflect on his teacher's excited and sincere demeanor.
Initially, she had a difficult time managing a class of teenagers because she was one of the school's youngest lecturers. However, after a few months into the new semester, the students began to accept her.
"Logan... Logan!" Finally, Logan heard the teacher shouting his name, and with each repetition, the voice grew louder.
The boy, whose head was drooping and who was on the verge of dozing off, lifted his head from his crossed arms, which made for a comfortable pillow. He had completely forgotten about the roll call ordeal.
"Present!" Logan cleared his throat, trying to sound inattentive. This didn't fool the teacher, who glared at him for a few seconds, causing a few of his classmates to snicker.
"Logan, if you don't sit up, you'll fall asleep." The teacher tapped her pen as she awaited his response.
"Yes, ma'am!" Logan yelled out, trying to protect himself from any further damage from this incident.
The young teacher gave Logan one last severe look before getting back to calling names from her notebook.
Although the shame he felt likely played a role, Logan didn't have any trouble staying awake for the remainder of the morning. The surge of heat that rushed into his neck and back didn't seem to settle, though.
Logan let out a heavy sigh and scanned the room to forget what had just happened. A girl seated a few rows in front of him caught his wandering glance.
Lisa had a wonderfully contoured profile face, or at least Logan thought so. She had long, light ash-brown hair with a hint of gold mixed in that was neatly pulled up into a bun.
Her thin brows framed two exquisitely shaped, deep-set eyes with hazel-colored pupils. She had a small snub nose and glossy, tiny red lips that, like the rest of her face, were lightly coated with makeup.
She was someone the youngster had known well in the past, but now she was a stranger to him. At the beginning of the school year, they had only a few interactions, and he believed that none of them had shown she wanted to talk to him.
Furthermore, what would the class beauty see in him now? He was a guy who was clearly a shadow of his former self and at the bottom of the school's social circles.
Upon reflection, there were seven students in the class who stood out from the crowd, being unusual or popular. In addition to Lisa, who was considered beautiful by all accounts, her close friend Alma wasn't far behind her.
Seated beside Lisa, Alma was taking care of her nails. She couldn't paint them in class, but she enjoyed using an odd heart-shaped nail file when she was bored. Alma was tall and curvy, exuding a model-like aura at all times.
No one knew the color of her natural hair, although it was now blonde with pink tips. She always meticulously applied just the right amount of cosmetics. The cherry on top of all of this was her fortune of possessing an attractive face.
Her mother allegedly worked as a stylist, which would account for her impeccable sense of fashion. Logan didn't think much of this particular girl, but he did include her in his mental list of the class's top seven distinctive individuals.
Logan turned his attention to the front where three boys were grinning and casting shady glances at the teacher as he considered the other members of the unique group of classmates.
The trio, which he liked to refer to as "the three idiots," always bothered Logan for some reason. It wasn't severe enough for him to call for assistance or anything of the sort, but he didn't exactly understand why they kept targeting him.
They were merely isolated instances of mild bullying, and if he called them out, they would probably only receive minor punishment, like detention for their impolite behavior. It would probably even get worse, so Logan chose to ignore them.
The leader of these three was Brian, a clever and fit individual who excelled at whatever he did and never paid attention to people he considered beneath him.
It wasn't difficult to comprehend why girls would struggle for his attention. A hunk who was well-built and had every good quality you could imagine—except his personality. Even Logan had to admit that he was a little envious of the guy.
The other two, Jonathan and George were always by Brian's side, both undoubtedly having joined every single sports club in the school. Also, the pair were tall, attractive, and all that.
To rid himself of the bitterness welling up inside, Logan suddenly felt the impulse to spit to the side.
He shifted his attention to Silvia, a small girl who was unique in another manner and seated in a corner of the first row. Silvia was reserved, excelled in her studies, and was very determined be the the classes number one in grades.
She hadn't yet acquired a mature figure, but she enjoyed having the teacher's attention. Logan had never spoken to her, so he couldn't say much more about her other than she had rare brownish silver-like hair and a pair of unusual grayish-amber pupils hidden behind glasses.
The last of these seven was not a student but a young adult, Ms. Claire, the teacher who was presently distributing papers.
She was the only adult in the room and a stunning woman in her early to mid-twenties by any standard. Many guys even revered her adult physique, which most teenage boys admired. She was regarded by all these young people as the unattainable forbidden fruit.
Ms. Claire was also the ideal form that many girls aspired to be when they became adults—always prim and proper, punctual, and fun to talk to at times.
"Logan, it's nice to see you're no longer sleepy. I'll need your complete attention on this quiz, so stay with us." Ms. Claire leaned in and appeared to whisper in his ear.
When Logan looked up to see the stare she was giving him, it alone was enough to make him raise his chin even higher. Logan didn't respond and continued to nod.
It didn't last long since she quickly smiled slyly in Logan's direct line of sight. As he grew to know his teacher, he became aware of a minor flaw—she skillfully concealed a sadistic personality, and of course, he always managed to make a mistake that brought it out.
While sighing and going over the test, a blue light appeared in front of the class. Everyone initially assumed it was a joke because the light appeared to be a powerful laser beam focused on a single location.
Within a few seconds, additional blue lights began to appear in various places throughout the classroom, forming a ring that encircled all the students.
But no one responded since everyone appeared too engrossed in what was occurring to react, and it was impossible for them to do anything because it was all happening so quickly.
More lights started to appear, and the pattern changed to take the shape of a star in the center of the enormous circle. Several strange characters also started to appear in green and red colors.
Only ten seconds had passed when a second, larger ring emerged on the edge, and that is when something unexpected happened.
Everyone experienced a sudden, intense pressure on their bodies, but instead of reacting, they were all immobilized. It felt as if gravity had doubled, drawing everyone downward as the strange array started to revolve clockwise.
Like the others, Logan was unable to move, but as everything unfolded, he bit down on his molar and gripped his desk tightly. Logan attempted to look around the room, feeling as if he were falling.
The class fell silent as the light show seemed to absorb all sounds and colors that had surrounded them just moments earlier.
A black shadow began devouring everything outside the outer large circle. The doors, windows, and walls started to warp, and eventually, there was no light left.