-There’s a meteor-like rock raining down at top speed, it shakes the entire atmosphere with its every movement. People begin to leave their houses, as they look to the sky. Some believe it is a shooting star, others think it is the world's end. The rock rams into the ground behind a shack, stranded alone in a field. The wood shakes and the glass shatters at its impact. The room is messy, with piles of paper stacked on top of one another in a scattered manner, pounds of caffeine packets laid out, and the man is unkempt. The TV is shouting-

  New Reporter- The Chosen has once again saved the day. Stopping a car moving at the speed of sound from hitting a little girl and an attack done by villainous Stoppage, who launched a second attack on D.C. this week. What will we do without these heroes?

  Garrett *in his thoughts, eyes closed*- Everything is clogged, every part of her body. Damn, how to get this back to normal?

  -His eyes are open and eyes the dark brown wood is shaken to a last breath. He rushes outside of the shack and sees the rock planted a few yards outside his door-

  Garrett Members: The hell?

  -Garrett proceeds to run out of the building and sees the rock there. He begins to scan the rock before even moving, then proceeds to creep towards it. As he approaches, his face is constant, locked on the spectacle of the rock. His face has a combination of concern and certainty. The purple rock begins to move like a heartbeat like it’s alive. Garrett hesitates but he kneels in front of it. There is a creature there. A slimy creature emerges from the blinding purple glow of the rock. It’s like a blob of slime. Black, with no indication of eyes or any bone structure. The heart of the creature can be seen beating from the center of its bubble-like exterior. Garrett’s face changes to a look of astonishment as he reaches out his hand towards the creature but before he can reach it, the creature melts as it touches the grass. Garrett rises with a look of small disappointment. He’s stagnant. His head tilts slightly to the side and he sighs-

  Creature: -bubbles-

  -Garrett swiftly shifts upright. The creature begins to transform back to its normal state and begins to move around the grass. Garrett stands there for a moment, silent, stagnant. His eyes alone scan the area-

  Garrett *in his thoughts- I’ve never seen a creature like this. Shit, should I kill it? I doubt that I would even be able to.

  -Garrett rushes back into the shack and makes his way back out. Garrett reaches into his pocket grabs a jar and holds it out in front of the creature-

  Garrett *in his thoughts*: Clear signs of adaptation, slimy but protective exterior, fascinating.

  -The creature squirms itself into the jar as Garrett slams it shut and jets back into the building. He pushes away papers on his desk places the creature in the newly created space and just stares-

  Garrett *in his thoughts*: So interesting, so unique, perhaps it could award me a miracle.

  -Garrett then looks at a picture. There is a woman. Medium-sized, green eyes, curly hair, and brown skin trapped inside a tube, but seems to be sleeping. Garrett takes a deep breath and looks at the creature-

  Garrett: Hopefully, this could help you, Michelle. There are only a few special things left here.

  -In a home not too far there is a kid drawing something. The room is also messy, full of papers and soda cans. They’re met with comic book covers hung up over the bed. There are action figures of the heroes all over the country. With a PS5 stomped below the TV screen that stands firm across the king-size bed. The kid has his headphones in and listens to music as he drifts away in his artistic thoughts. He’s singing the lyrics, murmuring over some lyrics, and singing tacky. He barely knows the lyrics.-

  -His mom bursts into the room-

  Mrs. Wright- Jackson! Are you packed yet?

  -She scans the room and looks at Jackson with a lightning-strike stare-

  Jackson- Yeah…..

  -She sighs-

  Mrs. Wright- Just get ready Jackson.

  -The door shuts and Jackson facepalms-

  -Jackson swiftly opens his closet, as he surveys the area. He pulls out a casual fit. Gray hoodie, gray joggers, a jumpsuit*

  Jackson *in his head*- Not a high school breakout kind of fit.

  -He pulls out another combination, a black shirt with a bear and some white joggers-

  Jackson *in his thoughts- Too childish, it’s time to grow out of this stuff.

  -His eyes swiftly eye every possible combination, pulling out combination and combination as his bed piles up with all kinds of clothes until he eyes a Chicago White Sox jacket. He barely gets on his clothes and is rummaging through the house. He stumbles inside the bathroom. Grabs his toothbrush and gets to work. He goes to every possible crevice in his mouth-

  -He rushes back into the room and grabs all the essentials. Lotion, deodorant, vaseline, and hustle with purpose back in the bathroom. He does all with efficiency.-

  Jackson *in his thoughts*- All done in a new era. All I need is for Grant to lock in, and then we’ll be moving.

  -He grabs his backpack and throws his needed materials. A notebook, binder, and phone charger are those things-

  -Jackson’s eyes expand for a moment-

  Jackson- My phone?!

  -He scurries around the room, lifting bed sheets, TV screens, and papers on his desk. He runs and runs for a moment until he accidentally feels a presence in his pocket-

  Jackson- Well…shit.

  -A voice is heard from the other room-

  Mrs.Wright- Jackson let’s move!

  Jackson- Right.

  -He exits his room and makes his way through the apartment to the kitchen. He passes through a slightly lit living room, the beige walls are filled with scattered family photos. Photos that include multiple of a light-skinned baby, with a few scatters of curly hair on his head. As he enters the kitchen, his mother is there waiting holding a lunchbox up in the air as she smirks-

  Mrs.Wright- Lunch.

  -Jackson looks down and delivers a small smirk back-

  Jackson- Lunch.

  -Jackson goes to grab the lunch but his mom moves it away from his reach-

  Mrs.Wright- Are you ready son?

  -Jackson pauses for a moment, thinking and reflecting on his summer of preparation and prepping-

  Jackson- I would hope so.

  Mrs.Wright- Chi-Town Tech is one of the most academically challenging schools in the nation, are you sure?

  Jackson- Are you testing me, Mom?

  -Mrs. Wright stops and smiles at her son-

  Mrs.Wright- I’m trying to make sure my baby is okay. You were just in diapers not too long ago son, time has been fast Jackson. Your father is looking down so proud of you.

  Jackson- I know. *in his thoughts* I try for the both of you.

  -They stare for a moment. Both holding their smirks as they both hear a car honking in the background-

  Jackson- Already?

  Mrs.Wright- Yep, better get to moving! Mrs.Ekeler will leave you.

  -He grabs his lunch as he and his mom both walk outside of the apartment a slightly damaged, silver middle-class car is waiting, continuing to honk. A young brunette white boy is in the passenger seat, he rolls down the window, lets his bright white teeth shine with a smile, sticking half of his body out the window-

  Mrs.Ekeler- Grant! Come back in here before you fall again!

  Grant- Jackson come on! It’s our first day aren’t you excited?!

  -Jackson gives a small wave with a scrunched-up face and he and his mom stare at the scene for a moment, then stare at each other and just giggle-

  -Jackson is about to approach to car when his mother stops him-

  Mrs.Wright- I did not forget Jackson.

  Jackson- Dear God. Mom listen I think I’m getting too o-

  -Mrs. Wright begins giving Jackson a barrage of kisses on the cheek. Jackson is swinging his arms all around and pointing towards the car as a bunch of gibberish and bickering can be heard from the car-

  -Grant is staring-

  Grant- Are they fighting or not ma?

  -Mrs. Ekeler sighs-

  Mrs. Ekeler- She’s telling him goodbye son…

  -She puts her hand on her forehead-

  Mrs.Ekeler- In the most overprotective mom way possible.

  -Mrs. Wright continues as she finally stops and that ends the bickering-

  Stolen story; please report.

  Mrs.Wright- Alright I love you, son!

  -Jackson positions his body straight forward to the car as his face is straight, not a feature moving-

  Jackson- Mhm love ya.

  -Jackson begins approaching the car-

  Mrs. Wright-Jackson.

  -Jackson stops for a moment and slowly turns his head slightly to see his mother-

  Jackson- Yes Mom?

  Mrs.Wright- Try your best alright?

  -Jackson grins-

  Jackson- I’ll try.

  -Jackson enters the backseat of the car and sits in the car putting his backpack to his side on the other seat. Mrs.Ekeler begins to drive away as Jackson looks out the window and sees his mom waving and doing slight jumps. Jackson gives a small chuckle and does a small wave back. As the car drives farther away, his mother’s waves become more and more excited but then suddenly stops. She slightly wipes underneath her eye Jackson could just be awed, as she walks back into the apartment.-

  -Jackson continues to look as a voice is piping in from the background-

  Grant- Jackson….Jackson…..Jackson!

  -Jackson yanks the head around to face Grant. The car is silent for a moment-

  Jackson- Yo.

  -Grant gives a mighty grin-

  Grant- How are we feeling man?

  Jackson- Feeling about…

  Grant- Ya know.

  Jackson- No, I don’t.

  Grant- High school man! What else could I be talking about?!

  -Mrs. Ekeler lets out a small chuckle and Jackson's eyes sink and rubs his hand at the back of his head. He then lets out a tiny smile-

  Jackson- Oh, of course, high school.

  -Grant laughs and Mrs. Ekeler looks at Jackson from the small window at the front of the car-

  Mrs.Ekeler *with a quiet giggle*- Mr.Wright, are you sure you need to go to Chi-Town Tech if your mind is in the gutter like that?

  -Jackson sits there in silence-

  Mrs.Ekeler- I’m just joking with you, Mr.Wright.

  Grant- It’s okay man, you know how my mom is!

  -Grant reaches to the back of the car and pats Jackson on his shoulder-

  -Mrs. Ekeler eyes grow and quickly turns around-

  Mrs.Ekeler- Sit down Grant before you do something stupid!

  -The car almost pumps into a car in front of them at the stop light but Mrs.Ekeler slams the break right before they make full contact, only bumping it.-

  -The driver in the car rolls down the window and pokes his head out the window. Face all crunched up and still-

  -Grant gives an awkward smile and waves, Mrs.Ekeler sits there for a while and her face slowly forms a smile, and Jackson fades back into the backseat-

  Jackson *in his thoughts*- Please God, not today. Of all days, not today.

  Mrs. Ekeler- Oops.

  -The car ride afterward becomes silent as they all arrive at the Chi-Town Tech High School. The grand and heavenly white school is scattered with teenagers, from the front to the back. Some rushing into the school with urgency while others are outside chatting with other students-

  -Grant rolls the window down and pokes his head slightly out. Jackson gives a slight glance and begins to sink into the chair-

  Jackson- Alright Grant, let’s go in smooth…

  Grant- Love you ma! Bye!

  -Grant rushes out of the car stands before the medium, white steps of the school, and turns back to the car-

  Grant- Jackson hurry!

  -The students around begin to stare as Jackson looks away at the speed of light while Mrs.Ekeler giggles and turns to Jackson-

  Mrs.Ekeler- Mr.Wright, I have one thing to tell you.

  -Jackson pauses for a moment as Mrs.Ekeler reaches over and puts her hand on his shoulder-

  Mrs. Ekeler- I urge you to protect my son. Guide him.

  -Jackson sits there for a moment and nods and Mrs.Ekeler delivers a small smile back-

  -Jackson leaves the car and begins to meet up with Grant but turns around last second before he gets too far from the car-

  Jackson- I will Mrs. Ekeler, you got my word.

  Mrs.Ekeler- I know I do Mr. Wright.

  -Jackson nods and meets with Grant at the steps as they both stare at the huge high school signs in the middle of the front-

  Jackson- Alright let’s g-

  -Grant puts his arm in front of Jackson, peers at him, and nods-

  Grant- New era buddy, let’s live it up.

  -Jackson freezes for a moment and nods back-

  Jackson- As always man.

  -They begin entering. Grant steps in with a grin on his face, head held high, and stares straight forward. Jackson glares at each student he paces by on his way. As they begin their movement to glance back, Jackson tilts his head back to the front-

  -They both step into the school. Both of their eyes glisten from the grand, bright white, and almost royal aura to the entranceway. The sophisticated and enormous white and black owl logo is placed underneath their feet, as countless students pass by them. The lockers are set in rows along the wall, like soldiers standing mighty going into war.-

  Grant *with a smirk rubbing his hands*- Alright, this should be a challenge.

  Jackson *in his thoughts*- As smart as you are, your ambition is admirable but dumb.

  Grant- Okay let’s finally reveal our schedules.

  -They reach into their backpacks. Grant with a frantic quickness and Jackson in a slow way. He continues to scan the hallways and the students that crowd them.-

  Jackson *in his thoughts*- These guys are mostly white, around 65% I’ll say. A few blacks, I say around 25%. Then I barely see any Hispanics or Mexicans, around 10%. Even split in male and female I’ll say. Dudes are mostly tall and occupy the white demographic, but most of the black kids I see are girls, interesting.

  Grant- Jackson!

  Jackson- Huh?

  Grant- Schedule!

  Jackson- My bad.

  -He reaches into his bag and throws things around for a second. Pencils, notebooks, rulers, etc-

  Jackson *in his thoughts*- Why do I have pencils in here of all places?! Shit.

  -He finally gets a hand on a piece of paper. Beat up and condensed together. Grant eyes it and gives a small laugh-

  Grant- Dude did you just toss it in there? With that much force, you should join the team.

  Jackson- No, I thought I put it in my binder. *in his thoughts* My binder? Did I feel it? Man oh no.

  -Jackson puts his hand back into his bag, going through item and item.-

  Grant- Dude are you good?

  -Jackson begins throwing things out. Notebooks and other things. People are bumping into his back and feet as his face gets a little sweaty-

  Jackson- I forgot my binder….

  Grant- Sheesh man, how fast were you moving last night?

  Jackson- Clearly not fast enough, let’s just look at our schedules.

  -They both analyze each other’s schedules-

  Grant- Ugh! No classes?

  Jackson- Apparently.

  -Jackson stands there for a moment continuing to look at Grant’s schedule-

  Jackson *in his thoughts*- I and Grant have always had classes together. This can’t be real dude. What the hell am I supposed to do now in terms of backup?

  Grant- Man. Well, I guess I’ll see you at lunch.

  -Jackson pauses for a moment and nods-

  Jackson- If we have the same lunch. *as he giggles*

  Grant *giggling*- If they’re not plotting against us.

  -They dap each other up and walk away-

  Jackson- Alright Mrs.Warner’s room, where is it?

  -There are zero class numbers and no teacher’s name on the door-

  -He fumbles around the school for a significant amount of time. Opening incorrect classroom doors, bumping into students-

  Jackson *in his thoughts*- Shit wrong class, shit I’m sorry, shit don’t be mad at me.

  -Then after a time, he finally rams into a door and every student in that room stares at him-

  Mrs.Warner- You’re late, Mr.Wright.

  -Jackson rolls his eyes-

  Jackson- Yes I am.

  -He stares around the desolate but filled class. All desks are lined up like a military formation towards the screen where the teacher is teaching. Every student’s face has their eyes widened and facing the TV screen but they shift their attention towards Jackson. People are staring at him like bats in a cave. Next to this medium-sized blonde kid. There are posters hung up with “motivational” quotes on them, “Failure can be controlled” and “Be beyond yourself”. All seats are filled except for one. With blue eyes and a similar outfit to Jackson's. Jackson sits next to him as the teacher talks away with the lecture. The kid next to Jackson leans from his chair to the ear of Jackson-

  Camden- Don’t be late or steal my outfit dipshit.

  -Jackson turns slightly with his mouth slightly open-

  Jackson- I didn’t steal your outfit and this is the one time I’m l-

  Camden- I don’t care dipshit, just don’t do it again.

  Jackson *taking a deep breath*- Sure dude.

  -Mrs. Warner turns around at the speed of light-

  Mrs.Warner- Shut it, Mr.Wright!

  -Jackson’s mouth widens and just sits there for a few seconds-

  Jackson- Yes ma’am.

  -Camden turns to Jackson and flips him off-

  -His day continues. Class after class after class. The same talk and introduction. “Welcome to Chi-Town Tech, where the best learn and elevate”. A mountain of books and notes are given to them about the ruleset and the everyday activities at the school. As Jackson is moving his pencil to every word every teacher is saying, he gets most of it down, but not all. Even the papers they hand out become a problem. He cannot secure them anywhere so he just puts them all in his pocket and prays that they don’t mess up or crumble up. After all that hell, the final bell rings.-

  Jackson- Amen!

  -Everyone in the class stares at him in the classroom as Jackson smirks and shrugs his shoulders-

  Jackson- Sorry?

  -Jackson dashes out of the classroom with the rest of the students and makes his way to the door, but before he opens it, Camden steps in front of him-

  Camden- Sup dipshit. You remember what I told you?

  -Jackson rolls his eyes-

  Jackson- Don’t steal your outfit again.

  Camden- G-

  -Jackson shoves Camden out of the way to get outside the door as a bunch of students collide with Camden on his way back to his feet-

  Jackson- Okay bye!

  Camden- You stupid piece of s-

  Random Teacher- Language Washington!

  -Jackson surveys the outside area of students making their way out and finds Grant and his mother waiting on him on the outside, as Grant is waving outside the window-

  Grant- Come on man, don’t you have somewhere to be?

  Jackson- Yep.

  -Jackson rushes into the back seat sinks into it and sighs-

  Jackson *quietly*- Finally.

  Mrs.Ekeler- I see who had a stressful day.

  Grant- My day was great m-

  Mrs.Ekele- Not you Grant! Jackson.

  Grant- Oh sorry…sorry Jackson.

  -Grant sinks into his chair-

  -The car ride is silent, but they arrive at a shack in downtown Chicago-

  Mrs.Ekeler- Alright Mr.Wright, we’ll see you tomorrow morning.

  -Grant turns around and smiles-

  Grant- See you tomorrow man!

  Jackson- Of course.

  -Jackson exits and knocks on the door of the shack as people pass, he scans them to make sure they aren’t suspicious. A camera comes down as a voice comes on from the inside-

  ???- Who is it?!

  Jackson- Jackson Wirght!

  ???- Oh okay right, Mr.Wright!

  -The camera inserts itself back into the front entrance of the shack as the door opens and Jackson enters. The shack is destroyed. Coffee packets are on the ground, as some paint is smeared off the wall with a few holes. Jackson stands there for a moment as someone leaps in front of him-

  Garrett- Ah Mr.Wright, are you ready for what we are about to do today?!