The rooftop had never felt this quiet.
Aarvin sat on the ledge, legs dangling over the drop, the city glowing beneath him like a distant constellation. The wind combed through his hoodie, cold and insistent, but the real storm churned behind his eyes.
Probation. One more misstep, and Oakridge would erase him like chalk from a board.
He shut his eyes.
John's hesitation.
The punch that landed.
The way the seniors vanished into the dark as if they owned the shadows.
*Nairi was bait. I was the trap.*
His jaw tightened. Rage flickered—sharp, familiar—but Coach Ramirez's voice pushed through the chaos:
**"Learn when *not* to be the storm."**
Aarvin breathed hard. The advice felt like chains and freedom at the same time.
Nairi's face hovered in his mind: soft eyes, trembling voice.
**"I don't want to be the reason you lose yourself."**
He didn't know when distance had become protection
—or when protection had started to feel like punishment.
---
## **Meanwhile, Beneath the School**
In the forgotten basement of the old science block, a dim bulb buzzed above a cracked table. A map of the campus lay open—red circles inked with precise, predatory intent.
James tapped one circle: the rooftop.
**"He goes here every night. That's our moment."**
Michel pulled out a compact device, a grin carving his face.
**"Blackout. Total darkness. No cameras. No interference."**
Henry's voice was calm, too calm.
**"And while he's distracted… we hit Riyan's family. Pressure breaks people faster than fists."**
Footsteps emerged from the dark.
John.
He stepped forward, cigarette glowing between his fingers, face carved with guilt that had long since rotted into something else.
James raised an eyebrow.
**"We counting on you or not?"**
John exhaled smoke, staring at the map like it held his sins.
**"I won't throw the punch,"** he said.
**"But I'll make sure he's alone when it lands."**
Silence settled. Agreement sealed.
And the shadows listened.
---
## **Back on the Rooftop**
Aarvin's phone buzzed.
Adrien: **"They're moving. Meet me at the old gym. 10 minutes."**
The message thudded in his chest.
So soon.
So predictable.
Aarvin rose. The wind sharpened, slicing across his face as thunder murmured beyond the hills.
**"They think they can isolate me."**
His voice was steady, controlled.
**"But I'm not becoming the monster they're building."**
He turned—
A soft voice stopped him.
**"Aarvin… wait."**
Nairi stepped into the pale rooftop light. Worry gleamed in her eyes, but something stronger sat beneath it.
**"I heard about the plan,"** she whispered.
**"Don't go alone."**
Aarvin hesitated. Protect her… or push her away?
He narrowed the chaos inside him, shaping it into resolve.
**"I'm not going alone,"** he said.
**"I'm bringing the pack."**
Nairi let out a breath she'd been holding, a faint smile touching her lips.
**"Then let's make sure the storm they summon…
is the one they can't control."**
Above them, lightning cracked—white, violent, promising.
The night shifted.
And the shadow waiting for Aarvin realized something:
This storm had learned to think.
*To be continued…