The sound of a phone alarm blared. A deep grumble was heard from the sleeping boy as he moved his hand to turn it off.
He picked up the phone, staring at it intently, reading that it was 6:30 in the morning. He gave a light sigh before picking his blanket off of himself and sitting upright on the edge of his bed.
The apartment he lived in was quiet, his parents had chosen it after all, but they were half way across the world right right now. The wooden foot boards making a light creaking under his light weight, as he walked over to the washroom, still half-asleep.
Turning the faucet, he splashed some cold water onto his face, waking him up immediately, before brushing his teeth.
He was only 16, still not a full adult, yet he had the entire place to himself. In charge of food, laundry, trash, and remembering to water that plant he had forgotten the name of. At least the WiFi still worked, so that's a plus.
The boy showered and made his way to the kitchen, opening the fridge, a dim glow hitting his face, illuminating it a little.
The boy looked a little hurt by the selection of food he had left, just a slice of pizza from last night, and a cup of yogurt that he didn't remember buying.
He closed the fridge and opened up a cabinet containing a dozen cups of instant noodles. He began heating some water and finally turned on the lights, illuminating the room.
Setting down the cooking noodles, he got ready his backpack with the essentials and picked up his phone for school. He sat back down in the kitchen and put his backpack near his feet, taking out his phone and slipping in some earbuds.
After finishing up his noodles, he drank the broth before throwing it out. Good thing he took out the trash the day before. He went back into his room, picking out his outfit for the day before settling on a white t-shirt with black cargo pants.
He looked at himself in the mirror, reflecting a young boy, with slightly wavy, shoulder length hair. His hair falling over his soft cheekbones, reaching to his small, gently contoured jaw. His soft lips turning into a scowl as his eye twitched, before returning to normal with a slight sigh. His long eyelashes fluttering in the dim light peeking through his curtains.
"Every day I wake up, is another day of this sh*t", a deep baritone voice came out his throat, completely contrasting his doll-like appearance. He looked over to his phone, held in small hand.
Min: bro u ever think bout thoughts like that?
Seeing his best friend in the morning always goofing off have him some comfort in the morning. He quickly typed up his reply with his long slender fingers, walking back to the kitchen.
Me:nah not really
Me: only in the shower
He picked up his backpack from the ground before pulling out his head phones and wearing them around his neck.
Opening the front door, he pushed a button to call for the elevator. Waiting for a few seconds, he stepped in, greeted by the empty lift.
Walking out of the building, he began his commute to his high school, which was only a 10 minute walk away from his apartment. Shifting his headphones to be on his ears, he opened up a music app on his phone and started playing some tunes while walking.
After a few minutes, his school was in sight. Crossing the street, looking both ways, he had made it to school. Half an hour early. The boy gave a small sigh as he checked his phone, saying that it was 7:30 in the morning.
Thinking that he had nothing better to do, he made his way to his home room class.
On the way there, some students were talking to each other in halls. "Yo bro what do you think that chick is listening to?" "That's a guy. But probably instrumental?"
The 'girl' they were talking about soon past, with an expressionless face, opening the door to his class with death metal pounding his ears.
Looking around, seeing nobody yet, moved to his desk in the absolute corner. During the winter, he was close enough to the radiator to keep his legs warm. He set his bag down and sat down, pulling out his phone and skipping the song currently playing.
He looked out of the window, seeing a slight trickle of students beginning to form at the gate, before turning his head back to his phone, scrolling through social media.
Min: im ditching today
Me: want me to take pictures of the notes
Min: [HeartEyesGif]
The class soon filled, missing a few people, it was a Monday after all. At exactly 8 in the morning, the home room teacher walked in, not a second early, and not a second late.
He put his headphones back into his bag as the bell rang, and the cliques of students broke up and sat in their respective seats. The teacher began taking role as the morning announcements were broadcasted.
"Johnathan?" The teacher called out. "Present" Johnathan replied, getting a questioning stare from a few kids. "Kai?" "Here." A deep baritone voice hit the ears of the teacher, flinching a little before shaking her head and marking him present.
'Just an average Monday…" Kai thought, staring blankly at the wall behind the teacher, when the broadcast ended. "Alright! Free time for a few minutes!" She exclaimed as she sat down in her office chair, opening her laptop.
Whispers were then shared with friends, as the minutes ticked down. "What do ya think you'll get on that Calc test?" "100!" A kid grinned back. 'F*ck. I forgot about that." Kai thought, his eyes widening imperceptibly.
'Thankfully my next class is gym, then study hall, before the test." He thought, planing his cram session carefully.
A sharp bell was then heard, shattering his train of thought. Sighing louder, he got up with his bag to his side, walking out of the class with the rest of his class.
He began moving to the gym, his footsteps falling into rhythm with others also heading in his direction. The dull buzz of fluorescent light overhead made the packed hallway nearly unbearable, but he was able to make it through.
His eyes drifting down, a testament that he hadn't slept till 4 in the morning. One long blink and he'd be out of it. Trying to keep himself awake during role call, he pressed his nails into his palms, just enough to make it uncomfortable.
The gym smelled old rubber, but somehow fresh? Maybe because the fans were left on, or just because it wasn't in use for a couple of days, Kai didn't know.
Just as Kai was zoning out again, barely hearing the coach shout for names, something strange happened. There was an earthquake. Not a real strong one, just some light shaking.
Everyone was startled by the sudden earthquake, then an alarm blared from the loud speakers above. The coach then said, "Ok class! We've practiced this before! Follow me!" He shouted.
Then, everyone in the gym froze.
It was just an instant, but the entire world had frozen in front of Kai's eyes. The sound of panic, shouting, and idle chatter that had permeated the air had abruptly stopped.
And then—
"Awaken"
It wasn't a sound, it didn't travel through the air, it felt like a voice. The world had resumed before Kai could think any further than sleep deprivation.
Kai's body went rigid, when before he was slightly swaying, his chest moving with each breath he took, now it felt as if he had become a statue.
Around him, students blinked, jolted slightly, looking around in confusion. A few grabbed their heads, and one girl gasped.
"What the hell was that?" Someone questioned.
"Did you hear that?"
Hushed whispers were strewn across the class, Kai's breathing had slightly relaxed, before quickening. He felt as if there was something beneath his skin, crawling around. It was deeply unsettling to Kai, almost making him feel like it wasn't his own skin. But he felt as if there was something hidden deep within himself.
His attention was shifted over as the coach, visibly rattled, clapped his hands, ending the discussions. "It was probably just a prank. Come on, we still have to evacuate." He gestured with his hands to follow him out of the building.
The class followed slowly, still wary of any aftershocks. They had made their way to the baseball field, the most open location in the school. Their class was one of the first classes to get there, with only other gym classes being there before.
He looked over to the main part of school, watching as the students make their way over.
The teachers tried to round up all the students, making a head count, but they just congregated into a massive blob.
Then it happened. A young guy, probably a freshman, was getting pushed around near the middle of the mass, feeling sick, he had the urge to throw up. Instead, he spat a cloud of acid, traveling a few meters, melting dozens of students into a puddle of fleshy goop.
A scream was heard. It erupted from the boy himself, then it became contagious, spreading all over the crowed that witnessed it. The boy, feeling even more sick, had accidentally activated his ability once more, melting a new group of students, before collapsing into a pool of his own acid and slowly melting away, unconscious.
Kai, who hadn't witnessed the spectacle, but saw some people freaking out, thought it was a good idea to book it. He was on the outside of the ring. He climbed up onto the bleachers, before taking a dive off of the fence keeping students from leaving during class.
Making his landing, graceful as a cat, he rolled and started running back to his apartment with fervor.
Students, seeing this, imitated him, teachers trying to stop them were quickly overrun, as the bleachers were congested. A smart teacher quickly opened the back gate with a key before high-tailing it to his own house.
Seeing the new opening, students rushed over and soon it became clogged, perfect for another ability to go off, which it did, escalating the already chaotic situation.
Kai, already a few hundred meters away from the school, slowed down, looking back, then started his sprint again. He continued for another 2 minutes before having to take a rest against the wall of a building.
He checked his phone, hands fumbling the passcode, he saw a few messages from Min.
Min: you hear ts too
Min: news. now.
He quickly opened up the news app on his phone, seeing that the president himself had made a public announcement.
"My fellow Americans! I gather you here today to discuss the anomaly that happened today at 8:57 in the morning!" He said with a solemn shout.
"At 8:57:17, an earthquake hit the west coast, permeating from Los Angeles, which has been hit with the worst damages. Then, just 13 seconds later, at exactly 8:57:30 in the morning, Monday, October 13th, 2025, a mysterious message was played into the minds of all. Reading, 'Awaken'." He explained further, then switching to a more somber tone. "During this event, more than ten million people globally have had superpower awaken in their bodies. This could range from creating fire on command, to bringing forth a tsunami. During this event, from then, till now, currently 9:09 AM, a total of 300,000 deaths have been confirmed globally. We must stay safe during this trying time, we are the lifeblood of this country, we are America." The speech had ended.
Kai, feeling less winded, walked back to his apartment, which he could now see in his vision, just a few blocks away.
'Huh? When has my shirt been this long?' When trying to put his phone back into his pocket, he felt that his pocket was being blocked. Which it was. By his shirt.
Thinking nothing of it, he walked back home, taking the elevator, before opening his door with his keys and went straight to his room.
"Ahh, f*ck I really thought I was gonna die." Kai said to himself in his dim room, with a complicated expression on his face. Turning on his lights, he dropped his bag on his chair and texted Min.
Me: come over real quick
Min: bet
Smiling a little at his friends loyalty, he turned off his phone before grabbing his laptop and doing some research.
Time passed quickly and soon Kai heard a knock on his front door. He quickly got up, his legs hitting the floor, he went over to the door and looked through the peephole. There he was. Blond hair, blue eyes, sharp jaw, the ideal male physique to boot. Though, it didn't exactly make him flattering if he was doing the mega mind pose.
Kai's smile twitched as he let him in.
"Sup," Min said with a smirk. He stepped in before closing the door behind him, "Still reeks of noodles here, man, you gotta stop eating those." He criticized. "So you heard the voice too, Kai." The duo walked back to his room. "Yeah."
Min flopped onto his bed with asking, while Kai pushed his bag to the ground had sat it the chair, spinning a little. "Some kid, probably a freshman, just killed like… 50 people?" Kai questioned, an uneasy look in his face emerged.
The smirk on Min's face froze and withered away. "So you just dipped?" Kai nodded at the question, "Smart."
"So… did ya get any powers?" Mom's sheepish grin returned, trying to change the subject. "Well, I don't know, I do feel something." Kai replied, his gaze not meeting Min's.
"Come on bro, stand up." Min got up and coaxed Kai, who stood up. "Bro? Did you get shorter? Weren't we around the same height?" Min questioned Kai.
"Huh?" Kai sounded surprised, then taking a good look at Min, indeed seemed taller by a few centimeters. "Maybe just my posture?" Kai tried to reason. "Nah, do you have a tape measure? We're gonna investigate." Min said with a dead serious expression on his face.
"Yeah, right here." Kai said, pulling on a drawer and fishing out a tape measure, throwing it over to Min. Min gestured with his hands to come over next to him. Kai took a few steps, and now he was in front of Min.
The tape measure was unfurled, reaching the ground, Min's finger snakes up the tape, before reaching the top of Kai's head. "You sure you aren't slouching?" Kai shook his head, confirming Min's thoughts. "Bro. You are 167 cm tall. Weren't you 175 cm?"
Kai looked back at him in shock, his mind racing for possibilities. He checked his clothing, now they were a bit looser than earlier in the morning. He looked at his phone, reading 9:27 AM. "It's been 30 minutes. And that's enough for be to decrease in height by 8 cm?" Kai questioned.
Doing some mental calculations, he realized his impending fate. "That means… in around 11 hours… I will disappear." His eyes widened, darting to Min, who looked grave.
"F*ck" Kai said. "F*ck indeed" Min repeated.