The storm from the night before left Tumberville soaked but not defeated. The streets bustled as usual, water pooling in the dips of uneven pavement. The town had a way of bouncing back from disruptions, but for four students at Tumberville High, the cracks in their lives were starting to show.
/////
*Ace Martins*
Ace sat in the music room, his headphones resting around his neck as he strummed an acoustic guitar. The familiar chords filled the empty space, soothing the tension that had been building since he woke up to another silent breakfast. His dad had barely looked at him before rushing off to work.
"Martins!" The sharp voice of Mrs. Clarke, the music teacher, jolted him.
Ace froze, realizing he'd been lost in his own rhythm, ignoring the sheet music in front of him.
"You're supposed to be practicing Für Elise, not improvising," she said, her tone stern but not unkind.
"Sorry," Ace muttered, setting the guitar down. He didn't want to explain that Beethoven wasn't going to fix his family. He packed his things quickly, eager to leave before anyone asked him why his eyes looked so tired.
////////
*Alice Creed*
Alice ducked into the computer lab during her free period, hoping to avoid Craig and his crew. The hum of the machines was a comfort, a steady sound that drowned out the noise of the school.
She opened a coding program, her fingers flying across the keyboard. The lines of code felt like a puzzle she could control, unlike the chaos of the hallways. Her current project was ambitious: a small app that could analyze sound waves.
"Still playing with your nerd toys?" The voice made her flinch.
Craig stood in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame.
Alice stiffened, her fingers pausing mid-type. "Go away, Craig."
"What are you gonna do, call your imaginary friends to help you?" he sneered.
Alice's jaw tightened. Her mind flashed back to the strange moment yesterday when Craig had frozen in place. Was that her doing? No, it couldn't be. She shook the thought away and focused on keeping her voice steady.
"Just leave me alone," she said.
Craig smirked but didn't push further this time. As he left, Alice stared at the screen, her mind racing with questions she couldn't yet answer.
////////
*Jimmy Price*
Jimmy stood in the locker room after gym class, the sound of laughter and chatter echoing around him. His teammates were still riding the high of their last game, joking about the upcoming championship.
"Yo, Jimmy," one of the guys called, "you're coming to the team dinner tonight, right?"
Jimmy forced a grin. "Wouldn't miss it."
In truth, he had no intention of going. His dad had already scheduled a "family dinner" with one of his business partners, which really meant Jimmy sitting in silence while the adults talked over him.
As the locker room emptied, Jimmy punched his locker, the clang reverberating through the empty space. For a split second, he thought he saw the metal dent slightly. He shook his head, dismissing it as a trick of the light.
///////
*Jessy Stone*
The evening rush at the café was in full swing, and Jessy moved between tables with practiced ease, balancing trays and taking orders. She didn't mind the chaos—it kept her mind busy.
"Jessy!" her boss called from the kitchen. "Can you stay late tonight? Sarah called in sick."
Jessy glanced at her phone. Her mom's message from earlier still sat unread: Make sure you eat dinner before your shift. She sighed and replied, Sure, I'll cover.
By the time the café emptied and the lights were dimmed, Jessy was exhausted. She locked up and headed to the shed at home, where her tools waited. Fixing things was her way of unwinding. Tonight, it was her mom's old sewing machine, which had been sitting broken for months.
As she worked, the world seemed to fade away. Her hands moved automatically, tightening screws and realigning gears. But then she felt it again—the faint spark in her fingertips. The machine whirred to life, startling her.
Jessy frowned, staring at her hands. Something wasn't right.
//////
That night, the wind carried whispers through the streets of Tumberville. In the shadows of the old chapel, the cloaked figures gathered again.
"They don't understand what's happening to them yet," said one.
"They will soon," another replied. "The storm was only the beginning. Kali'ana has awakened."
"What if they're not ready?" a third voice asked, softer this time.
The leader stepped forward, their hood slipping slightly to reveal piercing eyes. "Then we make them ready. The balance depends on it."