CHAPTER 14

Pike spends too much time on a little boost (part 1)

The athletic shuttle bus revved back into gear as it pulled away from its stop just in front of the university archway. Each member of the basketball team collected their duffle bags and commended each other on a job well done before parting ways.

Ryan was the last one off the bus, pausing in the doorway to heave a deep, satisfied sigh. Things were looking grim for a moment yesterday. On the way home, the bus had a few close calls—faulty brake system, sudden flat tire, trouble restarting after making a pit stop…

It wasn’t until the wheels suddenly veered into oncoming traffic that he realized there was a gremlin of chaotic energy trying to pull some sabotage. Once the wayward bus was pulled over, he and Zack Foster—a teammate who also happened to be luminescent—dealt with it swiftly. The Shade had turned out to be a member of the basketball team, extremely disgruntled by their loss. The Luminescence Department sent a Star from a satellite office to take him away afterwards.

The team had stayed one more night at a nearby motel while the bus driver made sure everything was working correctly after the incident. And now, although a new day was just beginning upon their return, Ryan was looking forward to a nice hot shower before dozing off in his own dorm room again. He hopped off the bus and grabbed his duffle—

“That’s mine, idiot.”

Startled by this teammate’s sharp tone, Ryan looked at the name on the bag and saw that it was, indeed, not his. He handed it over. “My bad, Harrison. Here you go.”

Harrison snatched it away from him and trudged off. His attitude gave the golden boy pause in momentary perplexity. Any further concerns were immediately placated by the gentle bump of another duffle against his side though. He turned to see a carrot-haired head with a much friendlier face holding up his bag.

“Don’t worry about him,” Zack said. “He’s just a little miffed about being shown up ever since you joined the team. Star complex and all that.”

“Guess wanting to be a star isn’t just for us luminescents, huh?” Ryan graciously took the bag off his teammate’s hands.

Zack laughed. “You’re already a star among stars, as far as I can see. You did great yesterday, Ryan!”

The golden-haired teammate scoffed. “You mean the buzzer-beater or the Shade we stuck it to? Really appreciated the help last night, Foster.”

“Yeah, no big. I’m just glad that we get a few days off from practice.”

“Thank our lucky stars for that. See you later, dude.”

Ryan walked away, and Zack found that he was the last of his team to stand at the curb in front of the archway. He may not have led in points or assists this time, but he was feeling pretty good regardless. Basketball was a passion of his. If he couldn’t become a certified Star during his time at university, he was banking on a career in professional basketball. Even being a benchwarmer in a smaller league would pay the bills enough for him and his sister, or so he hoped.

Reminding himself that he was taking part in the Halo Tour, he hauled his sports duffle over his shoulder and looked towards Central. “Maybe I’ll check the bulletin board real quick.”

=-=-=

Zack dropped his bag in shock.

While scanning the news postings next to the Leaderboard for any possible chaos-related leads, his attention fell upon a particular report. This specific post detailed an incident involving two of his basketball teammates who had failed to make the bus in time for the away game. They had been knocked out. The article reported they had their energy drained by a gorgon-like Shade.

There was a list of students suspected of being the Shade. Among the photos identifying them was one of a small, skulking young woman with a mess of long, dark hair.

There was no doubt in his mind it was her. “Sam…”

=-=-=

Class was in session for the art students, and Professor Belle went about her lessons in her usual way—letting her students go about their own projects while she roamed about giving them encouragement. Her deep, soothing voice pacified any flaring frustrations. Her hands found tense shoulders and coaxed them back into an easier state. In the case of a single, easily flustered male, it may have been the endowment of her breasts pressing against the nape of his neck that calmed him down (or perhaps flared up different frustrations).

Pike was also present among the students. He appreciated the professor’s avant-garde style; it allowed him to pursue this new project without unwarranted interruption from a lecture—which he needed. As he propped his head up by the elbow, studying the heart-shaped earring in front of him, he wondered just how he should go about this. He thought back on his exchange with Mindie as they left the Lumisphere…

=-=-=

“You want to borrow my earring?” Mindie placed her earring into the open palm of Pike’s hand.

“Yeah, just for a little while. I want to try something.”

“As long as you don’t break it or anything.” She gave Pike a stern look, poking a finger at his chest in a minor sort of threat. “I want it back, you know. It’s one of my most prized possessions.”

“Ha, ha… Okay, okay.”

Pike’s easy, tired smile then transitioned into something darker and more serious. Along with the thick, unkempt bangs of his dark hair curtaining over his eyeglasses, the expression change made him look a bit unsettling. He held his phone display up to his constant companion.

“Also, have you seen this yet?”

“Huh?” Mindie bent over a little and squinted at the screen, scanning the article he had open. It was the news post Pike had seen next to the Leaderboard. “Yeah, I have. I was planning to look into it tomorrow, assuming no one else gets to it first.”

“I heard the Luminescence Department tried to detain a suspect in her dorm, but she wasn’t there.”

“Probably another poor, distressed soul. I swear, people get too worked up over class work sometimes. It’s not like it’s the end of the world if you fail one midterm.”

It was true that all the Shades they had encountered since entering HRU had been students with some extreme agitations regarding one thing or another. Once Mindie beat the chaos out of them, they went right back to normal. But…

Pike grimaced. “What if they’re luminescent?”

“I doubt it. But if they are, then that’s a different story.” Mindie lowered herself to sit on the ground and began to put on her rollerblades. She seemed completely unfazed by the notion.

Fleeting memories from high school flashed through Pike’s mind. The horror he felt. The helplessness that paralyzed him as he watched a bright green glow slice through a chaos-shrouded individual loomed threateningly over him…

=-=-=

Pike shook his head back into the present. “Can’t get distracted. Gotta focus.”

Seated by the window during a bright, sunny day, the glowing aura of luminescence radiated from him less conspicuously than it would have otherwise on a darker day. He had situated himself far from the rest of his peers partly for this reason. Part of him didn’t even have to try that hard; no one had tried to get friendly with or even talk to him since the first week of class. It also helped that everyone else was also engrossed in their own paintings, sculptures, and other projects to pay any notice.

But Professor Belle chanced a curious glance his way.

=-=-=

The day passed quickly over North End Park, which was appropriately situated just beyond the northern border of HRU’s campus. Residents and students alike came to picnic in the field, stroll about the promenade that circulated the fountain, and roam along the path that cut through the south side of the park that was thick with trees and underbrush. A group of HRU students played a game of pick-up basketball on the park’s court, though they weren’t from the basketball team.

As the evening lamps flickered on and illuminated various parts of the park, they failed to shed enough light on the forested pathway. In the shadow of a tree, Sam Foster sat hunched over and out of sight. Chaotic energy danced around her, having helped her slip out of her room and elude the Luminescence Department. She hadn’t dared to return since yesterday, opting to hide where there were few people to encounter. She was tired but couldn’t sleep. She felt no hunger amid her state of anxiety. Time was meaningless, and she barely noticed the hours go by.

At her feet lay her latest victim; he would likely be out cold for two days. The misery she felt had grown from the night she became a Shade. Once again, she hadn’t been able to control her resentment, her self-loathing.

She hated it here in Halo Ridge. She hated how she was being treated. She hated herself for being so weak. So frustrated. So lacking. So small. So very, very small…

Chaos swelled within her, expanding her aura.

Don’t want no short people ‘round here…