Mutant Teenagers

The Breaking Point

The team was gathered in the safehouse’s main room a few days after the Thessaloniki mission. Everyone seemed tense, the weight of the last mission lingering in the air. Spuros sat cross-legged on the couch next to Sofia, fidgeting with a glowing portal he conjured in his hand. Melina leaned against the kitchen counter, her arms crossed, clearly lost in thought.

Kwstas entered the room, his expression stormy. He’d been frustrated with the team dynamics lately, especially after Spuros and Melina had grown closer to Spurik. While he didn’t mind Spurik being part of the team, he felt like some members weren’t taking things as seriously as they should.

“We need to talk,” Kwstas said sharply, his voice cutting through the silence.

Everyone turned to him.

“What’s up?” Spuros asked casually, dissolving his portal.

Kwstas crossed his arms. “What’s up? How about the fact that you’ve been treating this like it’s some kind of game? You’re always goofing off with your portals instead of focusing on what’s important.”

“Excuse me?” Spuros said, his tone immediately defensive.

“You heard me,” Kwstas said, his tone colder now. “This isn’t a joke, Spuros. We’re dealing with life-or-death situations, and you’re sitting here like it’s a summer camp.”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Spuros shot back, standing now. “I’ve been doing my part. I helped get us in and out during the last mission. Without me, we’d probably still be stuck in Thessaloniki.”

Kwstas rolled his eyes. “Oh, right, your ‘portals.’ So useful. Except when you almost dropped half of us into the wrong room because you weren’t paying attention.”

“That was one time!” Spuros yelled. “And it didn’t even go wrong!”

“Yet,” Kwstas snapped.

“Kwstas, stop,” Melina interjected, stepping forward. “You’re being unreasonable.”

Kwstas turned to her, his eyes narrowing. “Unreasonable? Melina, you’re the one who keeps letting Spuros slack off because you’re too busy making googly eyes at Spurik!”

Melina’s face flushed with anger and embarrassment. “Excuse me? That has nothing to do with this!”

“It has everything to do with this!” Kwstas shouted. “You’re supposed to be one of the leaders of this team, Melina. But lately, it feels like you’re more focused on your feelings than the mission.”

Melina’s fists clenched. “You don’t get to question my commitment, Kwstas. I’ve been pulling my weight since day one. You’re just lashing out because you can’t handle that people care about someone other than you!”

“That’s not true,” Kwstas retorted, though her words stung deeply.

“It is true,” Spuros chimed in. “You act like you’re the only one who cares about this team. Newsflash, Kwstas: we all care. We’re all trying. Just because we don’t do things your way doesn’t mean we’re not serious.”

Kwstas shook his head, his frustration boiling over. “Maybe if you both stopped messing around and actually acted like professionals, we wouldn’t keep barely scraping by in these missions.”

“Maybe if you weren’t so obsessed with controlling everything, we could actually work as a team!” Melina shouted back.

The room fell into a tense silence. Kwstas glared at Melina and Spuros for a long moment before finally shaking his head.

“Fine,” he said coldly. “Do whatever you want. But don’t expect me to clean up your messes anymore.”

Without another word, he stormed out of the room, leaving the team in stunned silence.

---

The Fallout

For the next few days, Kwstas barely spoke to anyone. He avoided Melina and Spuros entirely, keeping to himself or spending time with Nikolas, who seemed torn between supporting Kwstas and trying to mediate the conflict.

Melina, meanwhile, was visibly upset by the argument. She confided in Sofia one evening, her frustration spilling out.

“I don’t get it,” she said. “Why is Kwstas being such a jerk? We’re all doing our best, and he just...he acts like it’s never enough.”

Sofia nodded thoughtfully. “I think he’s scared,” she said. “Kwstas takes everything so seriously because he feels responsible for all of us. But he doesn’t know how to handle it when things don’t go perfectly.”

Melina sighed. “I just wish he’d talk to us instead of shutting us out.”

---

An Unlikely Intermediary

Spurik, sensing the tension in the group, decided to approach Kwstas. He found him in the training room, practicing with his light energy. Kwstas was sweating and out of breath, but the look of frustration on his face hadn’t faded.

“Hey,” Spurik said hesitantly, stepping into the room.

Kwstas glanced at him but didn’t respond.

Spurik took a deep breath. “Look, I know I’m new here, but...you need to talk to them. To Melina and Spuros.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Kwstas said flatly.

“Really?” Spurik said, crossing his arms. “Because it seems like there’s a lot to talk about. Like how you’re angry at them for reasons you’re not even explaining. Or how your silence is making everything worse.”

Kwstas glared at him. “You don’t understand. They don’t take this seriously enough. And if they mess up, people get hurt. I’m trying to protect everyone.”

“I get that,” Spurik said gently. “But shutting them out isn’t protecting anyone. It’s just making it harder for the team to work together. And honestly? It’s hurting them. Especially Melina.”

Kwstas’s expression softened slightly at the mention of Melina, guilt flickering in his eyes.

“Look,” Spurik continued, “I’m not saying you’re wrong to be frustrated. But if you care about this team—and I know you do—you need to fix this.”

Kwstas was silent for a long moment before finally nodding. “Maybe you’re right. But I don’t even know where to start.”

Spurik smiled. “Start by apologizing. The rest will follow.”

---

A Step Toward Reconciliation

Later that evening, Kwstas found Melina and Spuros in the common room. They looked up as he entered, their expressions wary.

Kwstas took a deep breath. “I...I want to apologize. For what I said. I was out of line.”

Melina and Spuros exchanged a surprised glance.

“I was frustrated,” Kwstas continued. “But that doesn’t excuse the way I acted. You’re both doing your best, and I should’ve trusted that.”

Melina’s expression softened. “We’re all under a lot of pressure. But we need to trust each other if we’re going to make this work.”

Spuros nodded. “Yeah. We’re a team, man. We’re supposed to have each other’s backs.”

Kwstas managed a small smile. “You’re right. I’ll try to do better.”

The tension in the room eased, and for the first time in days, the team felt like they were on the same page again. While there was still work to do, this was a step in the right direction.