By the time Lisa stepped off the bus, the afternoon sun was sliding low in the sky. Edelson Park was only a few stops from her school, close enough that some kids came here for lunch or to kill time after classes.

  The western entrance loomed ahead, framed by old oak trees and a peeling noticeboard. As she walked, Lisa thumbed at her phone, searching Westridge High in the news. One of the top results made her slow down:

  Westridge Student Reported Missing

  No photo. No details. Just a few vague lines about “a freshman last seen two weeks ago” and the parents’ request for privacy. The article ended with an empty statement from the school: We have no reason to believe students are at risk.

  Lisa’s stomach tightened. She locked the screen and shoved the phone into her pocket.

  Near the gate, the rest of them were already there. Mia sat on the low stone wall, swinging her legs. Daryl stood beside her, hands in his hoodie pockets. Javi was playing with something wrapped in a cloth, and Theo, tablet in hand, was hunched over it like a general reviewing battle maps.

  Mia spotted her first. “Hey, you made it!” she called, hopping down.

  Daryl straightened, a faint smile on his lips. “Didn’t think you’d actually show.”

  Lisa shrugged. “Guess I did.”

  Suddenly, a hand slipped around her neck, pulling her into a warm side hug. The surprise made her freeze, but the comforting scent of mint gum quickly gave it away.

  “Of course you did,” Juno said, her voice playful as she chewed on her favorite flavor. She flashed Lisa a wide grin. “You’re way too easy to catch off guard.”

  “Juno!” Lisa laughed, still startled by the hug. She rubbed her arm, suddenly a little shy. “Hey… um, I didn’t really get a chance to say it before,” she murmured, “but you saved me back there. I honestly don’t know if I would’ve made it out without you. So… thank you.”

  Juno gave a small nod. “Don’t mention it. We look out for each other, right?” She glanced over at Theo. “And you, Mr. Tablet, gonna say something or just keep staring at that thing?”

  Theo didn’t look up. He only let out a quiet sigh. “Well, Miss Bell,” he said, dry, “looks like you managed to navigate the situation after all. Not bad.”

  Before Lisa could respond, Daryl stepped in, smirking with his hands still buried in his pockets. “What he means, in case you couldn’t tell, is that he’s glad to see you with us.”

  Mia spoke softly. “It wasn’t so lucky for some of the others… two from art didn’t make it.”

  “And one more from the track team,” Javi added. “Got caught right before it rang.”

  Mia lowered her head, pressing her lips together. “Well… at least the rest of us made it. I guess that still counts for something,” she said, offering a small, uneasy smile.

  But Juno wasn’t smiling. “Not everyone,” she said, sweeping the group. “Where’s Amir?”

  Javi blinked, startled. “I thought he was with you… haven’t seen him since—”

  “Since the break?” Juno finished, stopping mid-step. “If he didn’t make it out…”

  “You think the Moner got him?” Mia whispered.

  Nobody answered right away. Theo’s gaze dropped to his tablet. Javi muttered something under his breath.

  And then —

  “Miss me?”

  They turned. Amir strolled up the path, flipping his folding blade into the air and catching it like he was tossing a set of keys. His grin was easy. “You guys worry too much.”

  Daryl let out a laugh and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. Javi followed with a high-five, trying to play it off like no big deal.

  “Where the hell were you?” Juno demanded.

  “Long story,” Amir said, sliding the blade into his sleeve again. “Not the fun kind.”

  He glanced at Lisa, a teasing sparkle in his eyes. “So you’re the new kid, huh? Welcome to the chaos.”

  That comment caught Lisa off guard, and she blinked. “Uh… thanks,” she said, feeling her cheeks warm. His casual tone reminded her of that first moment in the lab, when everything had spun out of control. She shook it off quickly.

  Theo cleared his throat, drawing the attention back. “Alright, now that everyone’s here… listen up. I know some of you have been eager to see the results, so here’s what we found.”

  The group formed a loose half-circle as he swiped across his screen. Mia and Daryl sat together on a bench nearby, listening intently. Colored lines and sharp graphs flickered in the sunlight.

  “This morning wasn’t just bad luck,” Theo began. “Mr. Calder’s capabilities have increased. Fits the same escalation pattern we’ve been tracking for the past two weeks. More reach, faster movement, sharper response time. That pretty much proves what we were speculating yesterday: the Moners feed between rounds.”

  “Feed?” Lisa echoed.

  Theo tapped a data point on the chart. “We’ve placed sensors on every door in the school. Every time they scratch at it, pound on it, or try to force it open, that’s not just them trying to get in. It’s them getting stronger. The more doors they ‘feed’ on, the more juice they have for the next round.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Mia’s face darkened. “So… they get stronger every day?”

  “Every round,” Theo corrected. “But so can we.”

  Javi crossed his arms. “If the school even lets us.”

  “That’s where the resource game comes in,” Theo said, swiping to another screen: a map of Westridge High peppered with icons. “The only power that works in the Game comes from inside the school. Wall sockets, wiring, built-in systems. Outside electricity, such as phone batteries or portable chargers, only gets you so far.”

  Lisa glanced at her phone instinctively. “I had my phone with me today,” she said. “I didn’t even think to call for help.”

  Javi chuckled. “Wouldn’t have worked.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the second the Game starts,” Theo explained, “anything powered from the outside world dies. Think of it like a building’s power grid. If the electricity comes from inside, everything works. Lights, heating, doors. But try to feed it from an outside line, and it shuts you out.”

  “So what’s the point of the outlets?” Daryl asked.

  “Everything,” Theo said. “We use them to power our devices. Each safe room has a different number of outlets, and we have to make sure we use them better than anyone else.”

  Juno spat her gum into the grass. “And if we don’t?”

  Theo looked up from his tablet. “Then the Moner levels up, we don’t… and eventually, we stop having safe rooms at all.”

  A quiet stillness fell over the group.

  Lisa glanced at the others before speaking. “I guess calling the police isn’t an option?”

  “Not unless you want them to show up after recess is over,” Juno said. “By then, it’s either over… or you’re dead.”

  Theo nodded. “And that’s if you don’t get expelled first. Call in a false alarm enough times and they throw you out of Westridge. And when that happens…” He hesitated just long enough for it to land. “…the Game just finds a new student.”

  Lisa’s eyes widened. “It moves?”

  “Like a parasite,” Theo said. “It needs a host. And like it or not, we’re it. The only way to survive is to win inside its rules. Which is why we build inside. Every round, we take the outlets, make the gear, and use it before the bell rings again.”

  “Now we’re talking,” Amir said with a grin. “What kind of gear?”

  Theo swiped to another page. Crude blueprints, half-done schematics. “Barriers. Stunners. Distraction rigs. Stuff we can actually run off the school’s power grid. Sometimes it’s enough to push the Moner back. Sometimes…” His voice trailed off. “Sometimes it’s not.”

  Juno cracked her knuckles. “And that’s when the running starts.”

  Mia sat forward on the bench, elbows on her knees. “That’s crazy. Everything has to be built during recess?”

  “Exactly,” Theo said. “We bring spare parts, but the final build, the wiring, the first charge, all has to happen in a safe room. That’s why outlets are gold.”

  Amir tossed his blade into the air, catching it without looking. “Sounds simple enough. Keep the power, starve the freak.”

  “Simple,” Theo agreed, “until you’re the one running down a hall with nothing charged and no door left to hide behind.”

  The group fell quiet again. Somewhere beyond the park gates, a breeze rattled through the leaves.

  Daryl moved his weight, hands still buried in his pockets. “Or… we could just leave,” he murmured.

  All eyes went to him.

  He looked up, meeting their stares. “Me and Mia, we’ve been talking about it,” he said, a little stronger this time. “There’s nothing in the rules that says we have to keep playing. No bell forcing us to stay after the day ends. We could walk away. Leave town. Pretend none of this ever happened.”

  Juno stared at him like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “You think you can outrun this?”

  “Why not?” Daryl shot back. “We go somewhere it can’t find us. That’s better than just sitting around waiting for it to happen again. And if you guys want to stay, fine. But we’re leaving. Tomorrow we go for it. Right, Mia?”

  He turned to her, waiting for her to say something. But she didn’t speak. Didn’t even look at him. Her shoulders just curled in tighter, arms locked around her knees.

  Theo exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “We’ve been over this. For all we know, tomorrow it could be the mailman standing at your door. And it’s not about finding you. It’s about replacing you. You leave, someone else takes your spot. Someone who doesn’t know the rules. You really want to hand them over to Calder?”

  Daryl’s jaw tightened. “Yeah, well… maybe that’s just how it has to play.”

  For a moment, no one said anything. Mia’s shoulders hunched further, but she stayed quiet. Theo’s gaze didn’t leave Daryl.

  Lisa felt a heat rise in her chest. Before she even realized it, she’d stepped a little closer. “If what you’re saying is true, then the safest place is where we actually know how it works. Out there—” she gestured toward the darkening street “—we’ve got nothing. No safe rooms. No idea when it’ll start.”

  Theo nodded. “Lisa’s right. The best option is to play the Game where it can be controlled. Outside, you’re just prey.”

  Daryl looked like he wanted to argue, but the words didn’t come. He glanced at Mia, who still hadn’t moved.

  The sun dipped behind the trees, throwing the park into long shadows. One by one, they began to drift apart, Javi slipping his screwdriver back into the cloth, Juno pushing off the fence, Amir flipping his blade shut with a snap.

  Theo closed the tablet and tucked it under his arm. “Tomorrow,” he said.

  No one argued.

  He took a few steps, then looked back. “Oh, by the way… might want to bring an umbrella with you. There’s a good chance it’s going to rain.”

  The group broke apart slowly, conversations dying mid-sentence.

  Theo slung his backpack over one shoulder and disappeared down the path.

  Javi stuffed the screwdriver into his pocket, gave Lisa a small nod, and headed the opposite way.

  Juno left with a sharp crack of gum and a muttered “Later.”

  Mia and Daryl stayed on the bench until they were the last ones there. When they finally rose, Mia’s gaze didn’t meet anyone’s, least of all Lisa’s. Daryl stayed close beside her, almost protective, as they walked toward the bus stop without another word.

  Lisa lingered a little longer, listening to the faint rustle of leaves in the trees and the far-off buzz of traffic. The sun had dropped lower, turning the park’s shadows into deep pools. She felt the air change, cooler now, with a damp edge that reminded her too much of the chill in the school halls during recess.

  She pulled out her phone. 20% battery. She opened her contacts out of habit, thumb hovering over her mother’s name. Then she remembered Theo’s voice: the second the Game starts, anything powered from the outside world dies.

  It was strange, how quickly the rules had already started to feel real. How easily she believed them.

  A distant creak of the park’s swing made her head turn. Empty. Just the wind moving the chains. Still, she walked faster toward the bus stop.

  The ride home was quiet, most of the seats empty. She took one by the window, bag in her lap, watching the neighborhoods slide past. Her thoughts kept returning to the missing student from the article. No name. No picture. Just a blank space where a person should be.

  And now Amir, missing all day, then showing up like nothing had happened. She couldn’t shake the way he’d smiled when he flipped that blade.

  At home, the lights were on in the kitchen. She heard her father’s voice, low and warm, as he spoke to Marcy about something she couldn’t make out. For a moment, she stood in the doorway, letting the normalcy of it wash over her.

  Then Marcy looked up. The way her eyes lingered on Lisa, too still, made something twist inside her.

  “Dinner’s almost ready,” Marcy said.

  Lisa nodded and went upstairs without another word.

  Her room felt smaller in the evening light, the corners shadowed. She dropped her bag on the desk and sat on the edge of the bed, kicking off her shoes.

  Her phone buzzed once.

  Theo: Tomorrow. Same time. Don’t be late.

  She read it twice. The next recess was less than a day away.

  Leaning back, she stared at the ceiling fan spinning lazily overhead, the same kind Theo had mentioned. Inside power. Safe, for now. But she couldn’t stop imagining the fan slowing, the blades stuttering to a halt as the Game began again.

  The thought made her pull the blanket over herself, even though she wasn’t cold.

  Sleep didn’t come quickly. And when it did, it carried the smell of old hallways, the sound of footsteps behind locked doors, and the scrape of nails against metal.