Echoes of Power: Entrusted Fate

THE LEADS

The next day, Jack woke up to the sharp sound of his alarm, groggy but determined to stick to their plan. He dragged himself out of bed, the remnants of restless sleep clinging to him. After a quick shower and grabbing a granola bar for breakfast, Jack threw on his backpack and rushed out the door, eager to meet up with T before class.

His mind was still buzzing from the research he had done the night before. Although he hadn't found anything conclusive, a few small incidents stood out—strange power outages, unexplained disappearances, and reports of people performing feats beyond normal human capabilities. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get the wheels turning.

Arriving at school, Jack spotted T waiting by the library entrance as they had agreed. She waved when she saw him, her usual calm demeanor giving away her curiosity. "Hey," she greeted him with a grin. "Ready to kick this plan into gear?"

Jack nodded. "I've got a few leads. Nothing major, but some weird stuff that might be worth looking into." He handed her a sheet of paper with notes he'd scribbled down late at night. "Power outages in random places, people disappearing for days then reappearing with no memory of where they've been. There's something going on."

T scanned the list, her expression serious. "You might be onto something. We should look into each of these after school. Maybe even visit some of the places where these incidents happened, see if we can find a pattern."

Jack agreed, leaning in so they wouldn't be overheard by any passing students. "We'll have to keep this quiet, though. No one can know what we're up to."

"Of course," T said, folding the paper and tucking it into her backpack. "But if we're going to do this, we need to make sure we don't get caught by the wrong people. If someone out there had anything to do with your dad's death, they might not want us digging around."

Jack's stomach twisted at the thought, but he knew she was right. "Yeah. We need to stay one step ahead."

The bell rang, signaling the start of the school day, and they both knew their conversation had to be cut short. "We'll talk more after class," T said, flashing him a reassuring smile before heading off to her first period.

Jack watched her go, his mind spinning with possibilities. As much as the idea of uncovering more about their powers excited him, there was a growing sense of danger lurking in the back of his mind. They weren't just searching for others like them—they might be walking straight into a world far darker and more dangerous than they realized.

But Jack had made up his mind. No matter the risk, he needed answers about his father's death. And now, with T by his side, they were one step closer to finding the truth.