(Lisa's POV)
I sprinted through Oakwood Park, the hum fading as I moved. Susan waited at the edge, eyes wide.
"What happened?" she whispered.
I bent over slightly, trying to catch my breath. My lungs burned from running, and my heart was still hammering from everything that had just happened in the park.
"I—" I swallowed. "David was there. Alex said I'm in danger."
Susan blinked. "David? As in *David David*? From school?"
I nodded.
Her grip on my arm tightened. "Let's get you home."
We didn't argue about it. Not this time.
We walked fast, almost jogging down the quiet street, both of us glancing over our shoulders every few seconds. The town looked completely normal—streetlights glowing, houses quiet, the occasional car passing in the distance.
But everything felt different.
Like something was watching.
The wind rustled through the trees lining the sidewalk, making the shadows shift and stretch along the pavement. Every small sound made my nerves jump.
Neither of us spoke much until we reached my house.
At my place, we collapsed on the couch. I told her everything – Alex, the shard, David showing up.
The living room lamp cast soft light across the room, but it didn't make the tension disappear. I hugged a pillow to my chest as I explained what Alex had told me in the park.
About the shard.
About the *luminae*.
About people with abilities.
Susan listened without interrupting, which was unusual for her. Normally she would have cracked at least three jokes by now.
But not tonight.
"Lisa, this is insane," Susan said, but her voice was steady.
She didn't sound like she thought I was lying.
Just overwhelmed.
I nodded, mind racing. "I need answers."
Because right now, nothing made sense.
Why did Alex know about me?
Why did David suddenly appear in the park?
And why did it feel like both of them were hiding something?
My phone buzzed.
The sudden sound made both of us jump.
I grabbed it from the coffee table and looked at the screen.
A message from *Unknown*.
Meet me at the old warehouse. Alone.
Susan leaned closer immediately, reading the message over my shoulder.
Her reaction was instant.
"No way. That's a trap."
The words echoed exactly what my brain was already thinking.
The old warehouse on the edge of town was the kind of place people avoided at night. Broken windows, rusted metal siding, and graffiti covering half the walls.
Not exactly a safe meeting spot.
But my gut said otherwise.
I stared at the message for a long moment.
"I'll go."
Susan groaned loudly. "Of course you will."
She grabbed my phone and started tapping through settings.
Susan scrolled through my phone. "I'll track your location. If you don't text 'safe' in an hour, I'm calling... whoever."
"Whoever?" I repeated.
"I don't know," she said quickly. "Police, your parents, the Avengers, someone."
Despite everything, I laughed a little.
Then I hugged her tightly.
"I'll be careful."
She hugged me back just as tightly.
"You better be."
Twenty minutes later I was standing in front of the old warehouse.
The old warehouse loomed ahead, moonlight casting eerie shadows. I pushed open the creaky door...
The metal door groaned loudly as it swung open, the sound echoing through the huge empty space inside.
Dust floated through pale beams of moonlight shining through broken windows high on the walls.
The air smelled like rust and old wood.
My footsteps echoed as I stepped inside.
And then I saw him.
David stood inside, back to me. "Lisa."
My heart skipped. "What do you want?"
For a moment he didn't move.
Then he slowly turned around.
He looked different somehow.
Still the same David I saw every day at school… but something in his expression was more serious now.
He looked tired.
Almost relieved.
"To explain," he said quietly. "Please."
The word hung in the air.
Before I could answer—
BANG.
The door slammed shut behind me.
I spun around instinctively.
The sudden sound echoed through the entire warehouse.
And then—
Alex appeared from the shadows.
Like he had been standing there the whole time.
Alex's eyes were sharp, locked on David.
"David's not what he seems."
David's jaw cliked. "Enough, Alex."
The tension between them was immediate.
Heavy.
Like two magnets pushing against each other.
The air crackled.
I felt it again—that strange pressure building in the room. Like electricity humming through invisible wires.
Shadows stretched across the concrete floor, twisting unnaturally along the walls.
My heart pounded harder.
I backed away slowly. "What's going on?"
Neither of them answered right away.
David took a step toward me.
Alex moved instantly, placing himself between us.
The air practically vibrated now.
David's eyes locked onto mine. "Lisa, trust me."
Something in his voice felt real.
Desperate, even.
But Alex pulled me back. "He's not safe."
My mind spun.
Both of them sounded certain.
Both of them looked like they believed they were protecting me.
The humming sound returned—louder than ever.
It filled my ears, my chest, my entire body.
The hum surged. The room blurred...
The walls warped like heat waves.
Light flickered around the edges of my vision.
I felt that same spark in my hands from earlier—stronger this time.
Like energy rushing through my veins.
The warehouse twisted around me.
Voices echoed strangely.
Then—
Everything went white.
And I was gone.