Nate finally got ho just as the sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow over the quiet neighborhood. His mother sat on the porch, a steaming cup of tea in her hands as she enjoyed the evening breeze. She looked up when she saw him, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
"You're back," she said.
"Yeah," Nate replied, stretching his arms. He then turned to Sera and Cleo, nodding toward his mom. "Go keep her company for a bit."
Cleo, still clutching her oversized teddy bear, eagerly jumped onto the porch, practically bouncing with excitent. "Mom! Guess what! We went to the football ga, and then we got ice cream, and then we went to this place where you throw balls and try to win stuff! And then—"
Nate's mom laughed as Cleo continued rambling on, her voice animated with all the details of their outing. anwhile, Sera turned to Nate, her expression calm but her eyes filled with warmth. She simply gave him a small wave.
"Thanks for today," she said softly before heading toward the porch.
Nate nodded, watching them for a mont before he checked his phone. Madison's ssage was still on the screen:
Dinner at eight. Told my parents you're coming.
He scoffed. He still couldn't believe she just dropped that on him. He had no idea what kind of dinner it was going to be, but he was already dressed well enough from earlier. His black jeans were crisp, his sneakers fresh, and his shirt was a simple but well-fitted one. He figured there was no need to change.
Since Madison's house was too far to walk, he flagged down a cab and leaned back against the seat, letting the ride pass in silence.
The mont he reached her house, he noticed the warm glow of lights coming from inside. As soon as he stepped toward the front door, the scent of food hit him. It was strong, rich, and inviting. Nate hesitated for a second. Did Madison's mom go all out for this?
He knocked.
The door opened almost instantly, revealing Madison.
She was wearing a deep blue gown, one that hugged her figure perfectly. Her usual straight hair had slight waves in them, framing her face in an elegant way. She smiled at him, and for so reason, Nate imdiately felt sothing was off.
"Co in," she said.
Nate stepped inside, peering toward the dining table. He expected to see a formal setup, maybe her parents already seated, waiting for him. But the dining area was empty. No extra plates. No sign of adults.
His face imdiately turned weird.
"Where are your parents?" he asked, turning back to Madison.
She smiled again, this ti with a small tilt of her head. "They're not here."
Nate blinked. "What?"
"They had sothing to do," she said casually, closing the door behind him.
Nate slapped a hand over his face, sighing heavily. "Madison."
This girl. She tricked him. Again.
"So why exactly did you bring here?" he asked, exasperated.
Madison didn't answer. Instead, there was a sound from the kitchen.
A soft clinking of dishes.
Nate frowned and turned toward the sound. He walked past the living room and stepped into the kitchen—only to freeze when he saw a familiar figure.
Long white hair flowed down past her waist, and she was moving effortlessly as she worked at the stove. A delicious aroma filled the air as she stirred sothing in a pan.
Alice.
She turned around and smiled at him. "Hey, Nate."
Nate stared at her, then at Madison, who was now standing behind him with that sa smile.
Alright. Sothing was definitely up.
These girls must be on sothing.
Nate slowly turned back toward Madison. "Why is Alice here?"
Madison just grinned. "She wanted to help."
Nate narrowed his eyes. He was about to ask more as he turned to the sitting room —but before he could take two steps, Madison appeared right in front of him, blocking his way.
Nate froze. His eyes twitched.
She had teleported.
His voice dropped into a sharp whisper. "Madison. What did I tell you about using your powers?"
Madison just gave a playful shrug. "No one saw ."
Nate clenched his jaw. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her aside, stepping forward again.
Madison disappeared—only to reappear in front of him once more.
Now Nate was really annoyed. His glare hardened as he leaned in slightly.
"What if soone saw you?" he said in a low voice.
Madison just smiled at him.
Nate let out a breath, shaking his head slightly. "Alright I'm not going away," he muttered.
Madison raised an eyebrow, her arms crossing over her chest. "Where are going then?"
"To the sitting room," he clarified, exhaling tiredly.
Madison smirked but didn't stop him this ti. She stepped aside, letting him walk past. Nate dragged himself to the couch, dropping onto it with a heavy sigh. The exhaustion from the day had finally settled in, and his body ached from all the running around.
Madison followed and sat beside him, her fingers gently brushing over his forehead. Her expression shifted slightly as she frowned.
"You're burning up," she said softly. "Did you overwork yourself?"
Nate sighed, leaning his head back against the couch. "Took Sera and Cleo out all day," he mumbled. "Thought they should see more of the outside world."
Madison's expression softened, and she simply nodded. "Oh."
The room was silent for a mont, just the distant hum of the kitchen fan in the background. Nate turned his head slightly, his voice quieter now.
"Why did you invite to dinner?" he asked.
Before Madison could respond, there was movent from the kitchen.
Alice stepped out, her white hair slightly damp from the heat of the stove. She pulled off the thick gloves she had been using to handle the hot pots, setting them down on the counter. Then she turned to face Nate with a knowing smile.
"Is it bad to treat our man to a nice dinner?" she asked.
Nate blinked. His eyebrows lifted slightly as he looked between the two girls sitting in front of him.
So they had planned this together.
He had been trying to find the right mont to talk to them—trying to figure out how their relationship was supposed to work now. But apparently, they had already figured it out on their own.
Alice moved toward the couch, sliding onto the seat behind him. She reached forward, her hand cupping his chin as she gently turned his face toward her.
Nate stared at her for a mont before speaking.
"So... that ans I can do this?"
Without waiting for a response, he leaned forward, pulling Alice closer. Their lips t in a deep kiss, her warm breath mixing with his. Her fingers instinctively curled into the fabric of his shirt as she returned the kiss without hesitation.
Then he pulled back slightly, turning his head toward Madison.
"And this?" he murmured.
Before she could react, he tugged her closer, his lips pressing against hers.
It was surreal.
He was kissing both Madison and Alice, holding them close, feeling their warmth against him. And neither of them resisted. In fact, they leaned into him, completely comfortable, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.
For a brief mont, it felt like a dream.
Like sothing that wasn't supposed to happen—yet it was.
----
Ray pushed open the heavy tal door of the lab, stepping inside. The place was dimly lit, the glow of computer monitors and overhead LED strips casting eerie blue and green hues across the walls. He had just left a few hours ago, but the urgent call from Jack had dragged him back.
"What's so important that you had to call back?" Ray muttered, rubbing his temples.
Jack didn't answer.
Instead, he was moving frantically around the lab, papers scattered across the tables, a whiteboard covered in complex mathematical equations and strange symbols. Ray's eyes flickered to the board for a second, but the equations barely made sense to him. Jack had always been the genius, but even this looked beyond anything he had worked on before.
Ray exhaled sharply, crossing his arms. "Jack, what the hell is going on?"
Jack ignored him, his movents becoming more desperate as he searched through piles of notes and equipnt. His eyes darted around the room, muttering calculations under his breath.
Then suddenly—
"Found it!" Jack shouted.
He pulled sothing out from a locked tal drawer. A small, glowing object pulsed in his hand.
Ray's breath hitched.
The crystal.
The sa crystal that had brought them back to Earth.
Jack slowly turned to Ray, his usual confident deanor replaced by sothing much more serious. His grip on the crystal tightened as he locked eyes with Ray.
"We have problems," he said grimly.
The air in the lab felt heavier.
Ray took a cautious step forward. "What do you an?"
Jack didn't answer imdiately. Instead, he walked toward one of the monitors, typing rapidly. The screen flickered, then displayed a strange, shifting pattern—one that Ray couldn't imdiately recognize.
"I've been running scans on the crystal," Jack began, his voice tight. "Sothing's wrong with it. At first, I thought it was just residual energy from the island, but…" He hesitated, then turned to face Ray fully. "This thing isn't just active—it's reacting to sothing."
Ray frowned. "Reacting to what?"
Jack's face darkened. "That's the part I don't know yet. But I can tell you this—it's not reacting to Earth."
Ray's blood ran cold. "You're saying…"
Jack nodded. "Sothing out there is triggering it."
Silence filled the room.
Ray felt his heartbeat quicken. If the crystal was reacting to sothing not on Earth, then that ant—
The island.
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