Plaziary Entry - PRIVATE
Today was crazy.
First, I had to nearly freeze some idiot who called me "Princess Popsicle."
Seriously? I could've turned him into a sculpture right there.
Hopefully that doesn't come back to bite me later...
Then classes. Super boring.
Not just the usual girls trying to curry my favor — the boys too.
It's exhausting sometimes.
Future me:
I don't care if you're lonelier than a Moon Crater.
It's better than living surrounded by liars.
Ugh.
Sometimes... sometimes I wish someone would just take me away.
—Not for anything weird, future me. Just away. Somewhere else.
And then...
I met him.
Elijah.
Or Eli, like Taye calls him.
Mystery of the Academy.
Smiling mess.
He grazed my fingers when he passed me my bag...
And I felt it.
Warmth.
Not cold. Not frost. Not numbness.
Joy.
It was like my body heated up from the inside. Like I had a heart that beat normally instead of pumping ice through my veins.
Then... it faded.
I'm freezing again now.
Future me, listen:
No one's going to save you.
Not Eli.
Not anyone.
Parents. Taye. That's it.
Focus on yourself.
(But maybe... maybe it's okay to hope a little.)
—End Entry
History Class was boring.
So, so boring.
Plaza sat stiff-backed in her seat, arms folded, a practiced scowl frozen onto her face.
Eli sat two rows down, beside Taye — the two of them a natural, unbothered pair in a classroom full of buzzing wannabes. Half the class was focused less on the lesson and more on peeking glances at Plaza, trying to catch her attention.
They were wasting their time.
Plaza kept her gaze steady on the glowing smartboard.
The teacher droned on: facts, dates, and disasters blending together in a barely audible hum.
2030 — the year of the Supernova.
The real beginning of modern history.
One massive stellar event.
One ripple through the universe.
A flash of energy so profound it tore open the hidden seams between worlds.
"Humanity suffered nearly twenty-five percent casualties worldwide during the initial shock," the teacher recited dully, tapping the Holo-pen against his palm.
"The Antarctica Continent suffered the worst — becoming classified as a Black Code Monster Zone. Entire species mutated. Surviving creatures evolved at terrifying rates into true monsters."
Plaza scribbled half-hearted notes.
Antarctica was already deadly.
Now it was basically a monster-breeding hellscape.
No news there.
"Newly opened gates didn't just release monsters, though. Some linked peaceful worlds — the Americas gained the Elven Portal in Colorado. Japan received the Dwarven Portal beneath Mount Fuji. Korea opened the Draconic Portal..."
"...North Korea, attempting to invade the Dragon World, was eradicated."
The class chuckled quietly at that.
Plaza allowed herself the ghost of a smirk.
"Humans themselves... the last species to awaken latent abilities. But we adapted. We rebuilt. Stronger, smarter, harder."
Blah, blah, blah.
Plaza's mind wandered, eyes flickering to Eli.
He wasn't taking notes.
Just listening, head tilted slightly, half-smiling as if he found something funny nobody else could hear.
There was something off about him.
Something...
Hidden.
The bell rang, cutting through the monotony like a scalpel.
Plaza rose gracefully, ignoring the gaggle of students pretending to accidentally bump into her. She slid her Holo-Brace open and flicked her private messaging app open under her sleeve.
Incoming: HackRat
(That's what Gua called herself when they were being subtle. Which was... never.)
HackRat:
Got what u asked 4.
Not easy. Def not legal.
Meet me @ Dorm 214D after curfew. Bring snacks.
Plaza smiled thinly.
She owed Gua big.
Night fell fast.
By the time Plaza slipped back into the dorms, the hallways were mostly silent except for a few stray sounds: showers running, distant laughter, the buzz of a broken light fixture.
In their room, Gua was already sprawled across her bunk, laptop open, hood up.
Eli and Taye were nowhere to be seen.
Good.
Gua shoved a tiny drive at Plaza without even looking up.
"Careful," Gua muttered, chewing on a licorice stick. "Government-grade encryption. They buried it deep. Way deeper than school records."
Plaza inserted the drive into her Holo-Brace and unlocked the first file.
Eli's file.
Elijah Thorn.
Born February 2153.
Current year: 2167.
Fourteen years old.
Subject Classification: Weaponized Human Development Program — Codename "Project WARDEN."
Purpose: War Deterrent Creation.
The words felt heavy.
Plaza scrolled faster, heart thudding painfully against her ribs.
Subject underwent experimental bio-enhancements from age six.
Endured augmented mental conditioning at age seven.
First displayed abilities at eight.
Labeled unstable at nine.
Transferred to high-security black site known as "The Spire."
There were videos too.
Plaza hesitated — then clicked one.
A grainy clip flickered into life.
A cell.
Concrete walls.
A boy, no older than nine, shackled to the wall by chains heavier than he was.
Battered.
Bruised.
Eyes glazed over — but still alive.
Still fighting.
There was no sound, but Plaza didn't need it.
The way the boy — Eli — trembled as he tried to lift his head was enough.
The footage shifted: scientists yanking out teeth, shoving him under freezing water, depriving him of food, stabbing him with glowing needles while his body arched in silent agony.
Plaza ripped her BudBuds out, breathing hard.
Her chest hurt.
This was no kid.
This was a weapon they broke — and tried to rebuild.
She kept reading.
Subject 009 survived Spire programming. Escaped during Incident 6-B. Subject exhibited spontaneous emotional projection abilities alongside physical augmentation. Recommended termination. Not followed.
Taye's voice echoed in Plaza's head suddenly, playful and light:
"Mystery of the Academy."
There was nothing mysterious about it.
Eli was a survivor.
And somehow...
Somehow he still smiled.
Plaza wiped her eyes quickly, furious at herself.
No.
No tears.
No pity.
Eli didn't need her pity.
He didn't need her anger.
He needed — wanted — to live.
Same as her.
Plaza closed the files, locking them under seven different encryption keys.
She sat back heavily on her bunk, hugging her knees to her chest.
I called him a R-tard.
I thought he was stupid.
He's stronger than I'll ever be.
Gua snored quietly on the lower bunk, licorice stick still hanging out of her mouth.
Outside, the Academy lights dimmed, signaling the start of enforced lights-out.
Plaza didn't move.
Couldn't.
Her arms and legs felt frozen again — but not from her powers.
From guilt.
From shame.
From awe.
She looked at the closed laptop once more.
Somewhere in the sleeping dorms, Eli was curled up too.
Probably smiling to himself, probably trying to pretend none of it mattered.
Tomorrow, she decided, tightening her fists,
Tomorrow she'd be better.
Tomorrow she'd treat him properly.
Not like a charity case.
Not like a freak.
Like a comrade.
Like a survivor.