Marcus

Concert Hall

I'm sitting working on my laptop as everyone prepares to go home. Our Principal comes up on the loudspeaker. It crackles for a bit but comes back into focus.

"Remember students, 10 points of extra credit will be given to those who attend the fall festival! Please stop by the festival to show your pride in the empire! This marks the 10th year since the beacons overthrew the late tyrant our empire was sadly under. By now most if not all the restorations have been completed! As per this celebration, all festival products will be 10 percent off on the 25th!"

His voice sounds sharp and irritating. It makes my ears ring, but it sounds way worse in person.

I roll my eyes realizing that barely makes a dent in how much stuff at the festival costs. I'm eating some stew my mom packed me. It's chicken, my favorite. I haven't spoken to either of my parents since Saturday night, the party. They left with Amber on Sunday morning for the Lightning Kingdom and set up food for me. They'll be back today. They had something important to do. Filing some paperwork.

"Mind if I join you, Mac?"

I look up from my food and my friend Hailey standing there with her own lunch bag.

"No, come sit!"

"Have your parents come home yet?"

"No, they're still out doing something. They took Amber with them."

"So they seriously just left you? Personally, I think that's messed up."

"Yeah me too."

Hailey stops eating for a second and wipes her hands with a napkin. She checks her phone and has a focused expression, her eyes dotting from side to side as she reads some text messages. My phone shakes too for a second and as I'm about to reach for my phone she speaks. Sighing.

"Looks like the others won't be able to make it. Ruffles has baseball practice and Clover has a pottery class."

She rolls her eyes and face palms.

"I already got the key too, Ms.Sheperd limits how many times we can get the key to the stage. This is my third and final time being able to rent the key, and you already used up all your time. This was such a waste!"

She pulls out her laptop and starts to type away, her face browed.

"They're lying!

She turns the laptop to face me. I finish gulping down my food and wipe my face. I then focus on what she's trying to show me. FriendTracker.

"You checked their location?"

Me and my friends share our locations. We thought it'd be a good idea since some other kid went missing a while back. Not even in the woods this time. He shortly appeared later covered in wax and brutally emaciated. It still sends shivers down my spine to this day. That picture was horrific. Afflicted drones really can be terrifying.

I snap back to the present and look at where it shows they are. They're at some restaurant! Together!

"They're eating together!?"

Hailey nods, clearly annoyed. It's become a running problem in our band that these two will run off to be "romantic" but it leaves me and Hailey to practice alone.

"Wait where's Leo then?"

Leo's our 5th bandmate and she didn't specify where he was.

"He said he can't make it since he has a doctor's visit."

Leo hadn't mentioned a doctor's visit.

"His location is at the doctor so he's not lying."

I scroll a bit out and see his location on the map, sure enough, he's at the Healer's office. Not my dad's but one that's more specialized for afflicted.