Miguel walked out of Drevan High with his hoodie up, backpack heavy, and silence wrapped around him like armor. The sky was soft with sunset, but he didn’t notice. Mo caught up beside him, hoodie half zipped, fade beard sharp, eyes full of mischief.

"Habibi," Mo said, bumping his shoulder. “You need to take a break. Go draw on a wall. Go skateboard. Go scream into a bush. I don’t care, just do something that isn’t carrying the whole world on your back.”

Miguel didn’t laugh. “I can’t,” he said. “I have to pick up Ashley.”

Mo stopped him gently. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll take her home today. You go walk. Go breathe. You don’t have to do everything, brother. I’ve got this.”

Miguel hesitated. “She’s my responsibility.”

“And she’s mine too,” Mo said. “You’re not alone in this.”

Miguel finally nodded. Mo grinned and jogged off toward the elementary school, calling out something dumb to a group of kids that made Ashley laugh from across the yard. Miguel turned and walked the other way.

He wandered through the neighborhood, hands in his pockets, head down. The streets were quiet, the sky bleeding orange. He passed Naomi without meaning to. She spotted him first.

“Hey, Miguel,” she called. “Why are you walking here alone?”

He paused. “Just needed to walk for a bit. I was heading home anyway.”

Naomi tilted her head. “Okay, but I’m starving. My treat.”

“I really have to--”

She was already jogging toward the burger place. Miguel sighed and followed.

They sat across from each other in a booth. Naomi scanned the menu. “I’ll take the double beef burger,” she said.

Miguel looked up. “Just water.”

Naomi raised an eyebrow. “No. Get him the same thing as me.”

He didn’t argue. They waited in silence until Miguel glanced up and met her eyes.

“Your eyes are beautiful,” he said, then looked away quickly.

Naomi blinked. “What?”

“Nothing like that,” he muttered. “You know.”

She smiled but didn’t press. They ate quietly. As they got up to leave, Naomi hesitated.

“You know,” she said, “I’m in no place to be saying anything. I obviously don’t know how you feel right now. But I can tell you this sad days don’t last forever. They just teach you how to feel deeper.”

Miguel nodded. “Thanks.”

“Bye, Miguel.”

He walked into his house to find Mo and Ashley on the couch, eating pizza and watching Bubble Guppies. Mo pointed at the screen.

“What is this shit, bruh?”

Miguel raised an eyebrow. “Don’t curse in front of her.”

Ashley giggled. Mo grinned. “Sorry, sorry. What is this nonsense, bruh?”

Miguel chuckled and dropped his bag. But the dream wouldn’t leave him alone. The white void. His father’s voice. It echoed in his chest like a warning.

He slipped into the garage. Dust hung in the air like a memory. He found the box labeled Aaron Vale – Research. Inside: old photos, notebooks, a cracked voice recorder. He picked up a photo Aaron holding baby Ashley, smiling like the world hadn’t broken yet.

Miguel sat down on the concrete floor and cried. He wiped his face and opened the notebook.

Every page had a diamond drawn in the corner. Four angles, each marked with a symbol: sadness, fear, joy, overwhelm. Each entry is tied to emotional states and strange energy readings. The diamond wasn’t a decoration; it was a code.

Then he saw the last page. Dried blood. A diamond pulsing faintly. Below it, a sketch labeled The Pulse, a waveform, jagged and alive.

Miguel touched the page. His chest tightened. His breath caught.

FLASH.

The white void. His father’s voice.

“They’re watching the wrong frequencies,” Aaron whispered. "Emotion is the key. You’re the signal now."

Miguel gasped and dropped the book.

He didn’t know how but something inside him was changing.