𝑼𝑵𝑬𝑿𝑷𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑫 | 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡

𝐴𝑁𝑂𝑇𝐻𝐸𝑅 𝑈𝑁𝐼𝑉𝐸𝑅𝑆𝐸

A/n: This is the only chapter that is written in Leo's P.O.V.. I repeat, this chapter is written in Leo's P.O.V.

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　　 𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐘, 𝐒𝐎 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓 a little wrong. No, scratch that—something went very wrong. Big-D has invented this ridiculous proton fuser again, and somehow I managed to get myself sucked into it. Of course. Just my luck.

It all started with the dishes. Mom had been looking forward to a quiet night, just her and me watching a movie, but somehow I ended up with dish duty instead. And of course, I dropped a plate. Did I mention I dropped it because she startled me? Yeah. And somehow that counts as my fault. Naturally, I stormed off to the lab, furious, only to be sucked into a machine that looks like it was designed specifically to ruin my life.

Now I'm here. In this weird, slightly terrifying world. Something feels... off. Mom's lab assistant, Big-D, is even scarier than usual, and mom herself—well, she's still the billionaire genius who runs Tasha's Technologies—but there's a tension here I can't explain. Perry is nowhere near as harmless as I remember. She smiles, yes, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

I follow her into the cafeteria, scanning every corner of the room. She introduces me to the lunch ladies—who, shockingly, look way too young to be making lunch—but she walks away as if nothing happened. My gaze drifts to the usual suspects, and there they are: Adam, Bree, and Chase, standing up as if they've been waiting for me.

'Hey, guys!' I shout, hoping my voice carries confidence, though I feel jittery inside. 'There you are. This is unbelievable.'

Chase immediately mocks me. 'Hey, wow, wow, wow. Check it out everyone. We've got an exchange student from Nerdestan.'

I resist the urge to punch him. I glance sideways, hoping for some backup. Addilynn, my favorite anchor in this chaos, rolls her eyes at him. 'Let's hope that he does have a pair of brains.' That's my girl. Sharp, unflinching, and perfectly unsympathetic to Chase's theatrics.

Chase huffs. She rolls her eyes again. The air between them sizzles, but I don't have time to overthink it—at least not yet. Bree jumps in, biting at Chase's commentary. 'Yeah, like step away. We don't know you.'

I blink, confused. I can't figure out what they're doing. 'Guys, it's me, Leo,' I say, trying to keep my voice level. 'And you are Adam, Bree, and Chase Davenport.'

Adam squints, frowning, then dramatically crouches to my eye level. 'Uh, we're Adam, Bree, and Chase Henderson,' he corrects, like a puzzle piece I can't quite fit. 'Are you lost, little guy?'

'Not little!' I blurt, more defensively than intended, and they laugh. My stomach twists, a strange combination of irritation and embarrassment. I glance around, searching for clarity. None comes.

Adam leans past me, muttering something in a language I don't recognize. Something about existing versus living, maybe. I try to follow, but my brain short-circuits. 'Pluse-what?' I ask, but he ignores me, scribbling in his ridiculous journal.

Chase grins at Addilynn. 'Then maybe some of us would realize what kind of a loser they are.'

Her eyes narrow at him. Dangerous, intense. I swear if he weren't bionic, she could knock him out on the spot. 'And maybe others would realize just how low their IQ is,' she snaps, and I feel my jaw clench. Chase huffs again, but it's futile—he's trying, but he's outmatched in sheer presence.

I glance around. This is... bizarre. Adam is still the genius in a chaotic, abstract sort of way. Bree is bubbly and commanding at once. And Chase and Addilynn—they're at war, fighting with words and body language, instead of the constant cuddles and flirtations I expected. I've never seen them like this. It's unsettling.