Zander

  "Zander? Zander! Dude, wake up!"

  Jacob’s voice slices through my level of exhaustion. I blink a few times, rubbing my eyes as I struggle to stay conscious. I wasn’t even that tired. Or maybe I was. The past few nights had been brutal. Sleep wasn’t really an option for us. Sadly

  I glance over at Jacob, my best friend and, more or less, my partner in crime. We’ve been hopping from school to school, moving around together. This place? Just another stop on our never-ending journey. His light brown hair was blocking his eyes, and I could tell he was regretting having bangs. I bet he’s also super bored. He’s practically vibrating in his seat.

  "Ugh," I groan, sitting up straighter. "How much longer do I have to suffer?"

  Jacob rolls his eyes. "Let’s see… 20 minutes?! You’re going to fail CAASPP if you fall asleep. I get that last night was rough, but we gotta finish this."

  My heart skips a beat. "Shoot!"

  Panic fuels me as I look down at the computer in front of me. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress—CAASPP. Yeah, I forgot we had to take it. Again. For the fifth time. Since we kept switching schools, we had to retake it every time. I think I’ve taken this thing more than anyone else in history. Maybe I should get a trophy for that or something.

  I blaze through the questions, my mouse moving furiously across the pages. Numbers, equations, multiple-choice questions—I barely register any of it, my brain running purely on instinct. I mean, I’ve taken this test before, so I know what I’m doing. Probably.

  I finish, let out a deep breath, and lean back. "Nailed it."

  Of course, I won’t actually get the results until at least August, but I’m pretty sure I did okay. Or at least I didn’t completely bomb it.

  Now that that’s over, I finally let my exhaustion hit me. Last night was rough. We barely escaped with our lives. I don’t even want to think about how close we came to getting caught. It’s only by sheer dumb luck that I’m still breathing.

  "Can we please just go to your house and play video games?" I plead, looking at Jacob.

  He gives me another one of those classic exasperated looks. "You have more stuff. I’ll just grab my games. Also, have Sam get the Cars 2 game."

  I laugh. "Cars 2? Really? You’re totally addicted."

  "What? It’s a good game!" Jacob protests, crossing his arms.

  Before I can argue, our teacher, Mr. Rodrick, walks over to our desks, smiling warmly. "You two seem like you’re having a good time. Have you finished your tests?"

  We both nod.

  "Yeah," I say. "It was only a math test. The only real test we take, but still just a math test."

  Mr. Rodrick chuckles. "I appreciate you two and your hard work. Sam is almost done. Why don’t you step outside and wait for him? I know you want to talk, but your classmates are still testing."

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  We nod and get up, making our way to the door. The second we step outside, the fresh air is a welcome relief from the stuffy classroom.

  Jacob stretches his arms. "Man, I swear, school is the most exhausting thing we do, and that’s saying something, considering… the other stuff."

  "Tell me about it," I say.

  We wait for about thirty seconds before the classroom door swings open. Sam walks out. His piercing blue eyes cast a cold shadow over his face. He’s not in a good mood. His dirty blond hair is wild, like he just got out of bed.

  "Sorry for the wait," he grumbles. "Mr. Alex had me stay behind to talk about graduation. He said he’s gonna miss the three of us. I don’t understand why all the teachers talk SO much! I think they’re done, and I can’t go, because they’re still talking!"

  I smirk. "Well, I was really starting to like it here. But all mediocre things must come to an end."

  Sam frowns. “I’m pretty sure that isn’t how it goes.”

  Jacob tilts his head. "Yeah, Zander. It’s ‘all GOOD things must come to an end.’"

  I stare into empty space, my mind drifting. "I don’t know about that. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

  Jacob and Sam exchange glances, and laugh.

  These are the good times. I don’t understand why I’m actually happy. Given everything, I should have years of PTSD. And so should they. I guess we bonded over shared trauma. But shared trauma isn’t everything. Which is why it’s a good thing we like each other’s company.

  Before I can say something else to make them laugh even more, the ground starts shaking.

  My eyes widen.

  We exchange looks.

  We know what’s coming.

  To understand what’s happening now, you have to understand what happened before.

  Sam, Jacob, and I aren’t normal. Well, we are, but we aren’t. I used to live in a different dimension. I had a good life, a caring family, a sister named Jane. Then… HE came and took everything from me.

  Then I found the iWatches.

  Not regular iWatches. These were... different. More advanced than anything I’d ever seen. And when I put mine on, I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see.

  The Macroverse.

  An endless expanse of universes, each one filled with infinite possibilities. It was beautiful. It was terrifying. And apparently, I was supposed to protect it.

  But there were two. And the being that gave them to me, named Will, told me this:

  "Use the iWatch to travel. Keep moving. And whatever you do, don’t let him find you. And find Sam…"

  That was it. No handbook. No guide. Just a name, and instructions. I eventually found Sam, and Jakob. They were in mourning of the loss of their best friend. I eventually bonded with them, and I learned how to make another iWatch. I recorded it in a journal. The same journal I keep all the notes about the macroverse in.

  At first, we thought we were doing okay. Hopping between dimensions, avoiding danger, laying low. And having fun doing it. But then we started noticing things. The universes were changing. Falling apart. Like someone—or something—was breaking them from the inside out.

  And that’s when HE found us.

  The Lord of Demons.

  He came out of nowhere, like a shadow slipping through reality. We barely escaped. Since then, he’s been hunting us, chasing us across the Macroverse. And I learned of the source of all evil.

  I don’t know why he wants me dead. I just know that every time he sees me, he calls me Zolar.

  I hate that name.

  The ground shakes violently beneath us. The school trembles, windows rattling. People start screaming.

  Jacob swears. "We need to go. Now."

  I nod. "Sam, grab your iWatch. We need to—"

  Then, we hear it.

  A voice. Deep, guttural, filled with ancient malice.

  "Zolar."

  I feel my blood turn to ice.

  He found us.

  Sam grips my arm. "Zander, we need to go!"

  I shake my head, my mind racing. "No. We can’t just run again. He’ll keep finding us. We need to—"

  The sky above splits open. A jagged tear in reality itself. A dark figure steps through. Cloaked in shadows, glowing red eyes burning with rage.

  The Lord of Demons.

  Amil.

  You’d expect the Lord of Demons to have mangled flesh, horns, and clawed hands. But no. He looks like an adolescent. If an adolescent had glowing red eyes. He has very long golden hair, like, down to his chest. Why it’s golden, I don’t know.

  The ground splits beneath my feet. I lose my balance, tumbling backward. The air is thick, heavy with power.

  Jacob and Sam are shouting something, but I can’t hear them over the roar of the collapsing sky.

  My heart pounds.

  This is it.

  We exchange glances.

  We know what’s coming.

  And this time, there’s no running.