By the time I got out the door, I was already late I ran down the stairs and out of my apartment. I was halfway down the street when I realized, “Ahh, I forgot my phone.” Now that I think about it, I haven’t even touched the thing for about a week, since I got my powers at least. I gave it a quick test the day of and haven’t touched it since. If I touched the screen whenever applicable my ability would cause my fingers to sink into the screen, it's not like there’s an off button for magic powers. (Maybe if I put on a screen protector?) Anyway, my phone's probably dead by now... and I didn't answer any messages from Mom... let's not think about that.

Having made good time, I was already arriving at the college parking lot. It looked, surprisingly sparse. (Was today a holiday that I forgot?) The parking lot was normally packed especially for test days, more so on the last day of a term. Most wanted to get their test done with quickly and enjoy their break before the next term. There were also the active students who physically attended classes, taking that into consideration it looked even worse.

When I got to the main building I was surprised by the lack of people. Normally at least 3 or 4 dozen people were walking around. Many went to the library for their assignments or were here to ask a professor for help. Test days like today would normally have even more.  This college had a system for online students, in exchange, you had to take a quiz every two weeks on the material. Just to make sure you were actually doing their work. The last test coming at the end of each term was rarely the hardest. In some cases, it did have material from the whole term but those were outliers. Right now, it seems there were less than a dozen people who all seemed to be staff members. Checking the front for this week’s test room. I made my way down the hall.

Entering the room, I was greeted by this week’s test supervisor, Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith was a stocky and plump older woman; she was enjoyed by many who went to the college because she was quite nice to everyone and because she grades on a high curve. I had spent some time over the last year talking with her during my time at college. While each teacher had their expertise she didn’t mind anyone asking her some questions. As I entered the room she looked at me and raised her eyebrows. I will admit, I did look different than before I started messing around with things like the Body-Tempering Liquid. But it's not that big of a difference. A skincare routine and exercise would easily be enough of an explanation. “James?” she asked.

“Yes?” I asked in a similar way to her question.

“I thought you of all people would have chosen to stay home, given the current state of things”.

“What are you talking about”?

“You didn’t see the news? Or the announcements?”

“Err, no.” I could only respond.

Since I finished everything early I’ve been spending my time on other things. Checking my school email wasn't exactly on my priority list. And I only did it at the beginning of each semester or when I needed to contact the professor. Hearing my response, she called me over to the desk. Mrs. Smith had pulled up a video on her computer.  It seemed to have been taken from the inside of a house. The person recording seemed terrified of the focus,  a little boy maybe about 10-12 years old, standing on top of a red sedan in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. He was throwing fireballs from his hands. “You’re telling me you didn’t hear anything about this?” she asked as the child in question began throwing fireballs at his neighbors’ mailboxes.

I think I heard about it over the last week, on the news something about a kid causing mayhem with fireworks. You mean that kid was firebombing a street! “Aaa-” As I was about to voice my thoughts Mrs. Smith interjected.

“That’s not even the worst of it.” She says pulling up another video.

This one also seemed to have been taken from a phone, the recorder was quite shaky. as the screen focused On-screen was a broken and abandoned building with its roof having collapsed in on itself. Vegetation was sprouting from the building, clearly having been abandoned for some time. Towards one of the still-standing walls was a door. As the video played, the door opened, and a large humanoid figure came out of the door. Coming into the light the creature, which looked like what many would call a Werewolf with its dog-like head and humanoid body began looking around the area. It appeared the creature disliked direct sunlight as it growled when the light hit its eyes. After it looked around it returned to the door it came out of.

(The fuck is this! Fuck a glitch! Is the fucking matrix breaking down!?!) My Internal screams could only grow louder as I tried to keep them off my face. Before, I thought I was just one of the few that got magical power. Special. Lucky.

“James?” Mrs. Smith's tentative call snapped me back to reality. My attempt at a poker face was clearly lacking.  “I know this can be a bit, no, a lot to take in. It sure was when I learned about it. But nothing major has happened yet.” She said trying to give me a reassuring smile. “Even so, the college has called off the tests for this term. Maybe you should go home early for break? Spend some time with your family”?

Over the year I spent at college with my occasional interactions with Mrs. Smith there was something I learned. Around the time she first started working in the area, her son ran away. Disappeared without a trace. And It's been more than a decade since. This was probably the reason why she was so kind to the students. With that being said, when she says “Spend some time with your family” she really means it.

“By the way, you look healthier than usual”.

“Oh, uh.” I tried to brush off the comment with an explanation.

END