The sound of my phone ringing dragged me out of the deep fog of sleep. I groaned and squinted at the screen. 6:30 AM. I could already feel my brain trying to shut down and restart. But I knew who it was.
“Bryce!” Chloe’s voice cracked through the phone like a bullhorn. “Wake up! It’s the first day of school! Get out of bed!”
I mumbled a curse under my breath, grumbling into the pillow. “Chloe, it’s six thirty. Are you seriously calling me this early?”
She didn’t let up. “I woke up for you, so get your butt out of bed and start getting ready. I’m waiting outside your window!”
I blinked, trying to process. “You woke up for me?” I asked, rubbing my eyes in disbelief.
“Don’t get all weird about it, Bryce. Just. Get. Up. Or I swear I will drag you out myself.” Her voice was firm, but there was that familiar teasing lilt beneath it.
“Fine, fine,” I mumbled, reluctantly swinging my legs out of bed and standing up, the cold floor biting at my feet. If she’d woken up early for me, I couldn’t exactly be a jerk about it. I stumbled to the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face, and tried not to think too hard about the impending chaos of sophomore year.
A few minutes later, I shuffled back into my room, my mind still on the distant dreamworld I was sure I belonged in. And that’s when I heard it—a faint tap-tap-tap sound on the window. I froze.
I crept over to the window, pulling back the blinds, and blinked in confusion. Chloe was sitting on the roof—on the roof—looking entirely too pleased with herself.
“You’re seriously sitting on the roof right now?” I called out, wondering if I was still half asleep and hallucinating.
Chloe gave me a casual wave, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “What? It’s faster than knocking, and I’m way too awake to knock, Bryce. Come on, get up.”
I stared at her in disbelief, trying to wrap my mind around how she’d even managed to climb the three stories to get there. “How did you even get up there?”
She shrugged. “Climbed up the side of the house. It’s not that hard, you know.”
I blinked. "Are you serious?"
"Yep! What? You don't think I can scale a building?" Chloe grinned, clearly enjoying my shock. "Hurry up. I’m not going anywhere until I see you out of bed.”
“Okay, okay,” I muttered, still feeling half-dazed, “I’ll be down in a minute.”
Chloe didn’t wait. In one swift motion, she pulled herself up from the roof and practically leapt through the open window, landing with an almost graceful thud on the floor of my room.
I stared at her, still processing. “You—just—jumped in from the roof? Are you—are you insane?”
She flashed me a grin. “I’m not insane. I’m resourceful. Plus, it’s way quicker than knocking. Seriously, though, it’s the first day of school. Get it together, Bryce. You’re the one who needs to get out of bed.”
I could feel the sleepiness fading, replaced by my usual low-level anxiety. "Fine," I muttered, stretching and yawning. “You’re here. I’m awake. What else do you want from me?”
Chloe scanned me with an exaggerated look of distaste. “You’re still in your purple boxers, huh?”
I glanced down at myself and immediately flushed. I’d completely forgotten that I was still wearing my ridiculously mismatched boxers. “Seriously?” I grumbled. “You don’t have to rub it in.”
“Bryce, this is important. You can’t be seen in public looking like this,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “Honestly, you’re lucky I woke up early enough to save you from yourself.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed the first thing I could find—a black hoodie and a pair of jeans—and threw them on as quickly as possible. "Better?" I asked, gesturing at myself.
She didn’t even answer. Instead, she pulled out a small wrapped box from her bag and shoved it into my hands. “Here. Open it.”
I raised an eyebrow, already expecting something ridiculous. “You know my birthday was today, right?”
She gave me a look, clearly amused. “Yeah, I know. I’ve got you covered. Open it.”
Reluctantly, I unwrapped the box and pulled out a fresh pair of violet Chuck Taylors.
My jaw dropped. “You got me purple shoes? Again?”
“Not just purple. Violet, Bryce. There’s a difference.” Chloe grinned, crossing her arms. “I thought you could use a little color to balance out your chaotic personality. Trust me, these are exactly what you need.”
I glanced down at the shoes, considering how… well, bright they were. But, truth be told, they looked amazing. “I mean… I guess I can’t argue with the fact that they do match my chaos level.”
“You better wear them today,” Chloe said, with the look of someone who knew I didn’t stand a chance. “You owe me after that fashion atrocity you were planning to walk out in.”
“Alright, alright,” I muttered, slipping off my old, scuffed sneakers and putting on the new ones. They fit perfectly. Surprisingly, they were ridiculously comfortable.
I took a few steps and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I’ll admit it. These are actually awesome.”
Chloe grinned, pleased with herself. “Of course they are. Now, go get dressed for real.”
I groaned. “I am dressed.”
She just rolled her eyes. “Don’t even try it. That hoodie and jeans are definitely not going to cut it. Let’s see what we can do with your closet.”
Chloe dove into my closet like it was a treasure chest. A few minutes later, she held up a pair of khakis, a white t-shirt, and a jean jacket. “Here. This is your outfit for today.”
I gawked at her. “Khakis? Really? This isn’t some dad look you’re giving me, is it?”
“Just trust me. You’ll look way better in this than whatever else you were planning,” she said, her hands on her hips. “You’ll thank me later.”
With a sigh, I slipped into the new outfit, pulling on the khakis, white t-shirt, and the jean jacket. I was going to complain, but... well, she was right. The clothes actually looked decent on me.
“Alright,” I said, stepping out of the bathroom and eyeing myself in the mirror. “I look… normal.”
“Better than normal,” Chloe corrected. “You look great, actually.”
I glanced at her with a smirk. “Are you sure? Because if I look like a five-year-old again—”
“I swear,” she interrupted, “this is your ‘let’s not get yelled at by teachers’ outfit. We’re going with it.”
I chuckled. “I’ll let you take credit for my entire wardrobe change. But just know, I’m only wearing this because you made me.”
Chloe winked. “We’re in this together. Now let’s get to school before you accidentally summon another monster or, you know, tear a hole in reality.”
I grinned. “If I do, I’ll just blame you for the outfit. You know, in case the universe does collapse.”
She laughed. “Good plan. Now let’s go.”
The day was shaping up to be exactly like every first day of school we’d ever had—awkward introductions, a ton of half-baked icebreakers, and the inevitable mess of schedules and lost books. But something kept nagging at the back of my mind. As Chloe and I made our way to the cafeteria, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something weird was coming. I didn’t know why, but it was like the air had shifted, just a little bit.
We slid into our usual spot at the back of the cafeteria, sitting in our corner booth that had been our unofficial base since freshman year. Chloe, always the picture of confidence, was already unpacking her lunch—an absurdly healthy salad, probably with enough kale to feed a small nation. Me? I had a bag of chips and a chocolate bar. Nothing fancy. But it was enough.
"So," Chloe said, popping a forkful of salad into her mouth and eyeing me across the table, "you still haven’t heard from Jackson, huh?"
I looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Jackson? He's still at that weird camp, right? The one he never talks about?" I asked, popping a chip into my mouth.
Chloe nodded, the faintest hint of a frown appearing on her face. "Yeah, the same one. You know, the one he refuses to give us any details about. It’s like he thinks it’s a secret or something."
I snorted. "Come on, it’s just a summer camp, right? I mean, sure, Jackson's… different. But he's not exactly the secret agent type."
"That’s what you think," Chloe said, rolling her eyes. "The guy’s been gone for, what, the entire summer? And we’ve barely heard anything from him. I mean, nothing. No pictures, no texts. Just a bunch of 'I'll see you when I get back' messages." She picked at her salad for a moment before continuing, "He’s gotta be up to something. I’m telling you, it’s not just some ordinary camp."
I shrugged. "Maybe it’s one of those camps where they make you do trust falls and meditate by a lake for six weeks. You know, one of those ‘find yourself’ places. Jackson could totally be into that."
Chloe made a face. "Jackson doesn’t exactly seem like the ‘meditate by the lake’ type. The dude is all about action—no way he’d last in one of those places."
She had a point. Jackson was, if anything, the opposite of zen. I mean, sure, he had his moments of calm—like when we were all hanging out and he’d zone out for a second, looking like he was trying to remember a dream or figure out some puzzle in his head. But the rest of the time? He was either hyper-focused, pacing in circles, or talking so fast it was hard to keep up. And when things got stressful? Jackson was always the one to step up and do something. But he never stayed in one place long enough for us to really figure him out.
"And seriously," Chloe continued, "the way he talks about this camp? It’s almost like he's… I don’t know, hiding something." She leaned forward, lowering her voice like she was about to tell me some big secret. "I mean, have you ever noticed how he dodges any question about it? It’s not like him."
I frowned, picking up my drink. “Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk about it. Some people are private, you know?”
"Yeah, but Jackson?" Chloe raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “He doesn’t do private. Jackson’s the guy who shares way too much. He loves being the center of attention—talking about all his weird little hobbies and the strange stuff he’s into. So why the silence about this camp? Why no details?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, glancing around the cafeteria as if it might provide some sort of answer. There was no denying that Chloe had a point. Jackson was never shy about his life. He could go on for hours about random facts, books he was reading, or even just strange theories he had about the world. But whenever we asked him about that camp, he either changed the subject or gave us vague answers.
“I don’t know," I said slowly. "Maybe it's just… a personal thing. Some people don’t feel like sharing everything."
Chloe shrugged, her eyes narrowing. "Maybe," she said, but her tone made it clear that she wasn’t buying it. "But it doesn’t sit right with me. I’ve been thinking about it all summer. There’s something off about that camp. Something he’s not telling us."
I leaned back, my fingers tapping absentmindedly on the edge of my tray. "You think something's going on? Like… what? What kind of camp could be so weird?"
Chloe shrugged again, but this time, she looked serious. "I don’t know, but there’s definitely something weird about Jackson lately. He’s been acting strange before he left too. Like… more jumpy. More on edge." She paused, chewing on her lip. "I don’t know, I just get this feeling that whatever he’s into, it’s not normal. And the fact that he won’t talk about it? I mean, come on. He’s never been one to shut up about stuff."
I didn’t have an answer for her. All I could think about was how Jackson had seemed a little different when he left. It wasn’t just that he was quieter than usual. It was like there was something he was hiding, something heavy on his mind. I thought back to the last time I saw him—at the end of the school year—how he’d shaken his head when we joked about his camp and how he’d changed the subject so fast that it almost felt like he was hiding a secret.
"But seriously," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "What’s the worst that could happen? Maybe he’s just been spending his summer learning to, like, juggle flaming swords or something." I paused, remembering how not good Jackson was at handling fire. "Actually, scratch that. I’d pay money to see him try."
Chloe snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, well, let me know if you find out what the ‘flaming swords’ camp is all about. But I’m telling you, there’s more to it than that. He’s too good at hiding stuff."
I sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Alright, alright. We’ll figure it out later. But right now, I think we should just focus on surviving today. You know, avoiding any more wardrobe disasters or accidental world-ending events."
Chloe grinned at that. "Fair enough. But mark my words, Bryce. When Jackson gets back, something’s gonna change. And I think we need to be ready for whatever he’s hiding."
I gave her a side-eye, taking a bite of my chocolate bar. "I guess we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?"
"Yep," she said with a glint in her eyes. "Soon enough."
And somehow, the rest of the day passed without any world-shaking events or exploding realities. But in the back of my mind, Chloe's words echoed. Whatever Jackson was involved in at that camp? It was only a matter of time before it caught up with us.
Well, it did. As soon as the school caught on fire.
