August 6, 2007. Monday.
The air was thick with humidity, and the cafeteria smelled like a weird mix of soggy fries and leftover lasagna. The kind of smell that never really leaves the school no matter how many janitors mop the floors.
I was sitting at the usual spot near the middle of the cafeteria. The round table closest to the window, where the sun always hit just right. With me were my two closest friends—Harry Frees, and Lily Croft my ride-or-die friend.
We were in the middle of lunch, poking at our trays filled with whatever counted as food that day. Sloppy Joes. Cold apple slices. Chocolate milk that tasted a little too metallic.
"I swear this meat isn't even meat," Lily said, scrunching her nose. "It's like… sadness on a bun."
Harry chuckled and gave her a shrug. "Better than last week's taco surprise."
I was mid-bite, laughing a little, when it happened.
"HEY! LOOK WHO'S HERE!" a voice boomed across the cafeteria.
I froze.
I didn't even need to look up. I already knew who it was.
Billy.
Billy Morton. Grade-A certified bully. The type of kid who never ran out of gum to stick under desks and insults to throw around like confetti. He was tall for a 8th grader, with a crooked nose that looked like it had been broken once—and probably deserved it.
"Here he is! The weirdo geek guy! The freak with no life!"
The cafeteria went quiet for a second. Then came the scattered laughter. The usual crowd of meathead wannabes cackled in their seats like it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard.
Harry's jaw clenched. I could see it. His knuckles tightened around his milk carton, crushing it slightly.
"Let me at him," he muttered. "Just once. Just one good punch to the jaw."
(I told him not to fight. Not for me. It's not worth getting suspended over an idiot.)
I raised a hand, giving him a quiet shake of the head. "Don't." My voice was calm, but my heart was hammering.
Billy swaggered over with his usual cocky grin, towering over us with that smug look like he owned the place.
"Still hanging with your imaginary friends, geek?" he snorted. "What are you gonna do? Make me disappear with your 'powers'?"
More laughter.
(He has no idea. No clue that I actually could. That I have a system that could rewrite his whole reality if I wanted.)
I looked at him silently, trying not to let my emotions show. But inside? Oh, inside I was boiling.
(Should I screw him up right now? Just... zap him into next week?)
But I knew I couldn't.
Not in front of everyone. Not unless I wanted to end up in some secret government lab getting dissected.
So I smiled instead.
And that seemed to piss him off more.
I turned to my tray and casually picked up my plastic fork, trying to act normal while my thoughts raced. (Alright. Let's teach Billy a lesson... the subtle way.)
I summoned the system in my mind.
"OmniScript," I thought, "create a banana peel. Standard size. Slippery coating enhanced by 30%. Keep it discreet."
Creation cost: 2% energy. Banana peel materialized in [Inventory].
The glow flashed in my mind's eye. The banana peel was now ready.
(Heh. Perfect. Now, where should I drop it?)
I scanned the cafeteria. Billy was still standing just behind me, laughing with his cronies, arms crossed like he owned the floor. If I timed it just right...
"OmniScript," I whispered under my breath, "place the banana peel directly behind Billy's right foot. In stealth mode."
Command accepted. Placing object... Done.
(Now we wait.)
I leaned back in my seat, casually chewing a bite of my cold burger.
Billy, still trying to get a reaction out of me, turned toward the hallway with a triumphant sneer on his face.
"Come on, guys. Freak's not even worth it today."
He took one step back—exactly where I placed the trap.
SQUELCH.
WHOOSH.
BAM.
Billy's legs flew out from under him as he landed hard on the tiled floor. His tray went flying. Milk exploded everywhere. Mashed potatoes splattered across the ground like white paint.
The cafeteria erupted in laughter. Even the teachers on duty were caught off-guard.
Lily gasped. Harry tried to hold in a laugh but failed miserably.
"Holy crap! Did you see that?!" he barked, pounding the table.
I smiled, sipping my milk calmly.
(And that, ladies and gentlemen, is karma served cold.)
Billy groaned from the floor, drenched and humiliated. He scrambled up, face red like a tomato, eyes darting as he tried to figure out what just happened.
"Who the hell put that there?!" he yelled.
"Maybe gravity doesn't like you," Lily quipped, folding her arms.
Billy glared at me.
I just shrugged. "Maybe you should watch where you step."
He stormed off, mumbling curses under his breath, slipping a little again as his shoes skidded on the milk-covered floor.
The whole cafeteria was still snickering, and I swear even the janitor in the corner gave a little smirk.
Harry leaned in with a huge grin, his voice low but buzzing with excitement.
"Dude. Did you do that? Do you really have that dragon right hand or something?"
I met his eyes and gave him the same look I always gave when something strange happened—half deadpan, half amused.
"Who knows? Maybe."
He leaned back in mock shock, hand on his chest like I'd just revealed I was a superhero.
Lily, still poking at her tray with a smirk, rolled her eyes and chimed in without missing a beat:
"Then he'll shout Abyss Dragon Flame Magic! and blow up the gym."
Harry laughed way too hard at that.
"Please. I wish he'd do that during PE. Coach would lose it."
I grinned a little.
(They joke. But if they saw the system menu, if they saw what I can do… they'd freak out.)
Still, I liked that they could laugh about it. It made everything feel… less heavy. Less lonely.
(Slimy would've bounced in delight if he were here.)
I imagined the little guy hopping up and down in excitement, his jiggly green body wobbling with each jump. My first creation. My first companion. He was tucked safely in the [Inventory] menu, waiting for me to summon him again.
(I'll let him out soon. He deserves to see the world too.)
Lunch started to wind down. Kids filtered out, trays clattered, and the buzz of conversation dimmed. But the glow of the system still hummed quietly in the back of my mind, always there, like a second heartbeat.
And even as I laughed with Harry and Lily, part of me was already thinking ahead—
(The next creation. The next guide. The next step forward.)
Because Billy wasn't the real threat.
He was just noise.
The real threat will be coming soon.
….
After the milk incident, Billy became cafeteria legend. Word spread fast. "Banana Peel Strike: The Fall of the Meathead" was already the talk of 8th period.
We walked out of the cafeteria with Harry still snorting with laughter.
"Dude, his face when he went down? Looked like he saw the ghost of math class."
Lily walked beside us, arms crossed, but her smirk betrayed her.
"You know he's gonna blame this on 'spooky nerd magic' or whatever."
(He's not wrong… but still. Spooky nerd magic is under copyright. Mine.)
In the hallway, Tyler's locker was stuck again. He banged it with his fist.
"Come on… open sesame…"
Harry tried yanking it, grunting like he was lifting Thor's hammer.
"Dude. Do you grease this thing or feed it souls?"
"Just trauma," I muttered.
Then I glanced around, making sure no one was looking.
(OmniScript… unlock locker. Quietly.)
A soft click.
The locker swung open smoothly.
Lily poked her head into my locker.
"Do you keep potion bottles in here or something?"
"Only on Fridays."
..
In History Class…
Mr. Thompson was going on about 18th-century taxes like he had personally been there, but I was barely listening. My eyes drifted to the [System Interface], projected faintly in the corner of my vision. No one else could see it—not unless I wanted them to.
I opened a sub-tab under [Creature Management] and noticed something odd.
Slimy had a mood indicator now: [Status: sad].
(How does a slime even get sad? He's literally a blob.)
(Wait… is he requesting a walk?)
I imagined myself walking through the halls with Slimy like some gelatinous golden retriever, dripping goo on the linoleum while the janitor chased us with a mop.
(Oh man… that's a future detention just waiting to happen.)
Mr. Thompson suddenly called out:
"Tyler! What were the Coercive Acts?"
Without thinking, I blurted out,
"Uh… a really bad boy band from the 1700s?"
The class exploded in laughter.
Mr. Thompson pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Sit down, Mr. Tyler. Just… sit down."
…
Now In Gym Class…
Coach Bronson was having one of his "motivational days," which mostly involved yelling "RUN LIKE YOU STOLE SOMETHING" while sipping coffee.
We were running laps, and Harry jogged next to me.
Harry said "Hey, if you really do have magic, now's the time. Teleport me out of here, I beg you."
"I'd have to sacrifice a frog for that spell."
"…Do it. I'll bring the frog."
Lily jogged past us effortlessly.
"Y'all are so dramatic. It's just cardio."
"Spoken like someone who has lungs," I wheezed.
I secretly use my skill. Just a tiny one, that guide. +10% Stamina Regen.
Instantly, I felt lighter, faster.
(Cheating? Nah. I call it… strategic survival.)
….
Meanwhile In a dim, abandoned subway tunnel just outside the city limits, shadows flickered under the glow of broken lights. A group of masked figures stood in a circle, each wearing a different animal-themed mask: Fox, Dog, Bear, Lizard, and a glaring bald man with no mask at all—just glowing scars across his scalp.
The bald man was their leader. He cracked his knuckles as he spoke, his voice grating and low.
"Today, we take the girl. No more delays."
The Dog-masked figure looked around uneasily.
"The school's too secure. Cameras. Guards. Students everywhere—"
"Excuses." The bald man's voice cut like a blade.
He stepped forward, and even the others flinched.
"We fail today… we die. There's no next time. That's what he said."
Everyone fell silent at the mention of "he."
The Fox-masked member finally nodded.
"Understood. The principal's daughter walks home alone every Monday. Today is that day."
They all nodded in grim unison.
To be continue