It was a sunny day, same as always.

Calvin headed to school on the bus like usual. Same old bus, same old streets, same heavy backpack. But everything felt… different.

“Yo, Calvin, morning!” a brown-haired kid waved.

“Morning, Lucas,” Calvin said, snapping out of it and yanking off his earbuds to greet his classmate.

“You skipped yesterday ‘cause of that livestream, right?” Lucas said, leaning in with a sneaky grin. “Spill it—how’d you fake those effects?”

“Effects?” Calvin asked, thrown off.

“Yeah! Your stream’s recording blew up in our class!” Lucas’s eyes lit up. “It was creepy at first, but it’s gotta be props, like a haunted house, right?”

“You think it was fake?” Calvin probed.

“Duh, what, ghosts are real?” Lucas laughed.

“Uh…” Calvin paused. If I say ghosts, no one’s gonna buy it, and it’ll be a whole thing… “Yeah, just props,” he mumbled.

“Knew it!” Lucas pressed. “Come on, give me the behind-the-scenes scoop!”

“It’s a secret,” Calvin dodged.

The bus pulled up to school, and Calvin stashed his stuff before heading to class.

“Calvin, your eyes are glued to the ceiling,” his math teacher, Mr. Jimmy, teased. “What, forget to save your game last night?”

Calvin was never super into class, but today he was totally out of it, his head full of hospital blood footprints and floating kitchen knives.

“Mr. Jimmy, I bet Calvin’s planning his next stream—like hitting up an abandoned mall!” a kid shouted.

“Nah, a graveyard! Throw in some fake ghost flames and flying skulls!” another chimed in.

The class cracked up, piling on. Lucas must’ve spread the “livestream was staged” rumor all morning. Calvin rolled his eyes, just wanting school to end.

At lunch, Calvin barely stepped out of the classroom before a group of kids swarmed him.

“Hey, big shot, take me on your next stream! I wanna see how you do the effects!” a tall guy said, grinning.

“Can I get a selfie if I join?” a girl added, hyped.

“Uh, ask Tommy. I’m out of the game,” Calvin said awkwardly.

As he brushed off the wannabe crew, Tommy came striding down the hall. They weren’t in the same class—his room was two doors down. Spotting Calvin, Tommy grabbed his arm. “Yo, we need to talk. Come on.”

“What’s up?” Calvin asked, nervous. Did Tommy get powers too? Or figure out something about the hospital?

Tommy pulled him into the bathroom, away from the crowd. “Why’d you say the livestream was fake?” he demanded, staring Calvin down.

“Huh?” Calvin blinked, caught off guard.

“I know it was you,” Tommy said, voice low. “Noah and Ethan were saying it was real at first, but then they came to me, asking if I pranked them—‘cause Calvin said the whole thing was a stunt to mess with them and the viewers.”

“Alright, my bad,” Calvin said. “I had my reasons. It’s not a big deal, is it?”

“Not a big deal? You know how much trouble this caused? Of course you don’t—you bailed, so you can just tank everything!” Tommy’s voice tightened.

“What, you want me to tell them there’s a ghost?” Calvin shot back. “What’s the point?”

“Forget it, too late now,” Tommy muttered, storming out of the bathroom.

At the cafeteria, Calvin got mobbed again. “Big shot, let me join your next stream! Show me the effects!” the tall guy said again.

“Selfie for the vibe?” the girl piped up.

“Talk to Tommy, I’m done,” Calvin said flatly, walking off.

The kids lost interest when he shut them down, scattering to their own tables. Calvin plopped down, staring at the school’s sad burger and cheap chicken nuggets. He forced down a few bites, glancing at Tommy a few tables away, arguing with some jocks. “I’m telling you, my stream wasn’t fake! Wanna join? Fine, but don’t say that!”

“Yeah, right. Everyone’s saying it’s fake. You think I’m dumb?” one jock scoffed. “If you’re not taking me along, fine, but don’t lie to us like you’re scamming the audience.”

“Enough, I swear it’s real!” Tommy said.

“Chill, dude, talking to him’s pointless. He’s obviously messing with us,” another guy said.

“You’re such a jerk,” the first jock sneered. “Unless you show me a ghost—no props, ‘cause I’ll punch your fake setup to bits—you’re just a liar.” He turned to the crowd, loud. “See? All props, and he’s too stubborn to admit it. Total fraud.”

Tommy, fuming, grabbed his tray and stormed off, dumping his uneaten food in the trash.

Calvin watched it all go down, thinking, This is way worse than I expected.

Classes dragged on, brutal for Calvin, but when the bell finally rang, he bolted home. “Not hungry, skipping dinner,” he told his parents, then slipped out to the convenience store for some chocolate bars and energy drinks.

At home, he pulled up the livestream’s recorded video on his phone, scrolling through the top comments:

“I’m their classmate, and one of them said it was fake. It’s legit confirmed. But the streamer’s still swearing there’s ghosts, just hyping for clout and cash.”
“Yup, heard the streamer even fooled his own crew. They didn’t know and got so scared they couldn’t sleep. Kinda sad.”

Calvin wondered if he should apologize, but then thought, I’m quitting anyway. What’s the point of saying sorry now? This whole mess was too much drama.

He glanced around, making sure no one was nearby, and picked up a pebble, letting it float above his palm. Just a tiny rock, but it felt awesome.

He flicked it, and the pebble shot out, nailing a street railing with pinpoint accuracy. His aim was way better than before. Could this be a weapon? Calvin wondered. Then he spotted a $2 coin on the ground.

“Who dropped this?” He walked over, too lazy to bend down, and reached out. The coin started floating toward him.

But just as it neared his hand, something yanked it away, flying to the side.

“What the—?” Calvin froze, looking up. A guy in a black robe stood there, out of nowhere. Sunken eyes, messy hair, pale skin—he looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. He smirked, sizing Calvin up. “Newly awakened magic user? Cute, but kinda pathetic. Playing with your little toy powers like a kid. So, when’d you awaken?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t get it,” Calvin said, a chill running through him. This guy knew about powers. “Magic user”? Was he, like, a wizard? Why was he here?

“I’m asking when you awakened your magic, newbie,” the man said, annoyed.

“Uh… a day ago, maybe two,” Calvin said, hesitating. “The night before last, I was with some friends at an abandoned hospital for a YouTube livestream. Weird stuff happened, and after, I got this power… I think it’s tied to the hospital.”

“Weird stuff? Spill it,” the man said, squinting.

“So, we were streaming for our YouTube channel, and…” Calvin started.

“Cut the crap! What happened?” the man snapped.

“Okay, okay! There was a ghost—some nurse named Mary’s spirit, they say,” Calvin said, nodding as the man cut in.

“A spirit? In an abandoned hospital?” the man asked, and Calvin nodded again.

“Great… the barrier’s thinning. Otherworld projections are getting worse. This is bad, real bad,” the man muttered, shaking his head like he’d just gotten the worst news.

“What’s going on?” Calvin couldn’t help asking.

“You don’t need to know,” the man said with a dark grin. “Just know the world’s about to get messy. You’re lucky, newbie—awakened early.”

“Oh, and I’ve got good news for you.”