Troubles
The end of electives spilled students into the hallways like a broken dam.
Eli and Taye moved together through the tide, slipping between cliques, loners, and teacher patrols without much fuss. Surprisingly — or maybe not — they didn't have a single class apart.
Not one.
It was weird. Really weird.
Taye blew a soft bubble from her gum and glanced sideways at the boy walking beside her — backpack slung over one shoulder, Holo-Brace glowing faintly on his wrist. Eli didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, he looked almost… peaceful.
Taye wasn't complaining though.
It was better to have a partner you already knew — or at least halfway understood — rather than end up stuck with a would-be suitor trying to impress her, or some climbing socialite desperate to curry favor.
Besides, it wasn't like Taye was the most trusting person in the first place.
No, sticking with Eli was better.
Even if he was a total anomaly.
Their dorm building loomed ahead, structured like a sprawling stone-and-glass hive. Massive steel beams crisscrossed the open common spaces, and walls shimmered with adaptive glass that could turn opaque for privacy.
Each student shared a room quad — four students, two bunk beds, a shared bathroom, and a shared living area.
No exceptions.
Taye sighed as she read the glowing number over their assigned door: Room 214-D.
Eli, as always, said nothing — just pushed the door open.
Inside, two figures were already unpacking.
The first girl had grayish-green skin along her arms and the sides of her neck, the rough texture of crocodile scales catching the low light. She tossed a duffle bag onto the lower bunk and grunted as the bed creaked.
"Dibs on the shower," she said, flashing a sharp-toothed grin. "Name's Gua Gray. Don't break anything."
Before anyone could answer, she grabbed a towel and stomped off toward the bathroom.
The second girl sat primly on the opposite bed, crossing one smooth leg over the other, her Holo-Brace already active. A soft blue glow illuminated the sour expression she wore, tapping lazily at the display.
Long silver hair, nails like sculpted glass, attitude thick enough to slice.
Taye recognized her instantly.
Plaza Hails.
Queen Bee. Ice Queen. Or, as some called her behind her back — Princess Popsicle.
Taye blew another bubble, letting it pop against her lip.
This was going to be fun.
Not.
Taye climbed up onto the top bunk above Eli without a word, tossing her jacket into a corner.
Eli didn't seem to notice — or care — as he settled onto the lower bunk, cross-legged, fiddling with the settings on his newly gifted Holo-Brace.
Then, the inevitable.
Plaza's voice cut through the tense silence like a scalpel.
"You," she said flatly, looking at Eli. "Pass me my bag."
It wasn't a request.
Eli looked up, blinking once, then calmly reached down, picked up the sleek designer bag near his foot, and held it out to her.
Their fingers didn't touch — not quite — but as Plaza grabbed the strap, a strange feeling flooded her.
Warmth.
Not heat. Not burning.
Warmth.
It started in her fingertips and rushed up her arms into her chest, blooming in her ribs like golden syrup. For a few seconds, she forgot the constant chill that her body always carried, the icy aura that her Absolute Zero power cursed her with since birth.
She felt…
Alive.
Light.
Free.
Her eyes widened — just for a fraction of a heartbeat — but Eli was already pulling his hand back, returning to his bunk like nothing happened.
The warmth vanished just as quickly as it came.
The chill crashed back over her bones like a tidal wave of frost.
Plaza clutched the bag tighter, scowling, trying to regain her composure. She wrinkled her nose, shivering slightly.
What the hell was that?
She stole a glance at Eli, who was now scrolling through news articles on his Holo-Brace with the same easy smile as always, eyes half-lidded, posture relaxed.
Is he stupid or something? Plaza thought irritably, puffing her cheeks slightly in frustration.
Probably was.
Probably some R-tard from a no-name academy who thought sharing a dorm with her made them equals.
She didn't say it out loud.
Barely.
Instead, she looked away sharply, pulling her Holo-screen up to eye level to drown herself in meaningless scrolling.
The bathroom door slammed open a few minutes later, steam billowing out into the room.
Gua Gray stomped back in, hair dripping wet and a towel slung over one shoulder, scales glistening like polished stone.
She made a beeline for her bunk under Plaza's bed and promptly collapsed onto it.
Within seconds, she was out cold, snoring softly.
Plaza rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt.
Meanwhile, Taye hung upside down over her bunk, grinning at the whole scene like it was her private sitcom.
"Your turn, smiley," she said, pointing at the bathroom.
Eli closed his Holo-Brace with a soft tap and stood up.
"Right."
The bathroom was surprisingly clean, considering Gua's hurricane entrance.
Eli peeled off his shirt, revealing a mapwork of scars and faint surgical marks crisscrossing his back, ribs, and shoulders. Old wounds. Some even older than he remembered.
He traced a line along his collarbone absently as he stepped into the spray.
Warm water washed over him.
For a few minutes, he allowed himself to relax.
Not smile for anyone else.
Not perform calmness or control.
Just breathe.
In and out.
The emotional induction field around him relaxed too, slipping back into his subconscious, untwining itself from the air.
He wasn't broadcasting anything anymore.
No warmth. No happiness. No comfort.
Just silence.
Mind over body.
When Eli came back out in fresh clothes, the room was darker.
Taye had kicked back on her bunk, headphones in, bobbing her head slightly.
Gua was already deep in the coma stage of sleep, drooling a little onto her pillow.
Plaza was lying stiffly on her bed, pretending not to be awake.
Eli moved quietly.
He knelt down beside Gua first, tugging the loose blanket up over her shoulders. The girl muttered something unintelligible, tail twitching once, before burrowing deeper under the covers.
Then he climbed onto his own bunk without a sound.
The Holo-Brace on his wrist dimmed as he set it to sleep mode.
Inside his mind, he flicked the last conscious switch: the one that controlled his emotions.
The field collapsed inward, shutting off, snapping shut like a book slamming closed.
There were consequences to leaving it on at night.
Too many dreams.
Too many risks.
Better to sleep empty.
Better not to remember anything when morning came.
Eli closed his eyes, letting the darkness pull him under.
His last conscious thought was simple — and chilling:
Mind over body. Always. Or break.