The bell above the shop door chimed again, sharper this time, followed immediately by the sound of too many footsteps for a normal customer rush. Luke looked up from the counter just in time to see four familiar faces pile into the shop like they owned the place.

Dante came in first, coffee carrier in one hand and a grin already locked in place. Eli followed close behind him, backpack slung over one shoulder and eyes already scanning the room out of habit. Jazz pushed the door wider with her hip, juggling a paper bag full of snacks, while Maya slipped in last, careful not to knock over a display as she adjusted the straps of her bag.

Dante Reyes:

Jasmine "Jazz" Monroe:

Maya Collins:

Elijah "Eli" Thompson:

"Morning, superstar," Dante said, making Luke groan softly.

Bro, it's too early for that," Luke said

Dante ignored him completely, setting the coffee tray down on the counter and sliding one cup toward Luke with exaggerated care.

"2% milk, 3 sugars and 2 creams," Dante said,"don't say I never do anything for you."

Luke picked it up, sniffed it, then took a cautious sip. He hummed as it was just as he liked it, and it was creepy Dante always somehow managed to remember his preferred way of coffee.

"I hate that you remember this stuff," Luke said

Jazz leaned against the counter, arms crossed, eyes sharp but amused but the twos interaction. She has know these two since they were all kids, when they all went to the same daycare as each other, back when Jazz knew Luke had to bring his sister to avoid her parents hurting her. She was still amazed even after all these years, Luke still smiled on

"That's because he uses it as leverage," Jazz said with a smirk

Maya laughed quietly, already moving toward the back shelf where they usually dropped their things. Then she saw how stiff Luke was, and she knew him well enough to know when he is stressed about something.

"You okay, Luke," Maya asked,"you look like you stayed up sketching again."

Luke shrugged, noncommittal, as Eli stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"You ready for today," Eli asked him

Luke hesitated just a fraction too long, but he nodded at Eli. Dante noticed immediately, he can tell something was up with Luke, he knew the guy well enough to know. Hell, he knew when Luke stole a cupcake at one of Jazz's birthday parties, he apologized for hours about it too. He walked up and pointed at Lukes face, who pulled back a bit from the gesture

"Ooohhh hold on now, look at his face," Dante said,"that's the face of someone hiding something, very sneaky like."

"I'm not hiding anything, so quit it," Luke said

"Oh now we know you absolutely are."

"You might as well spit it out James," Jazz said,"you know how he gets when he finds out about something."

Luke rubbed the back of his neck, eyes drifting toward the window like it might save him. He didn't want to tell them, it wasn't super serious stuff, but it was...kinda big.

"It's not a big deal guys," Luke said

"If it wasn't a big deal, you wouldn't be sweating," Dante said, his widening

Maya tilted her head, concern flickering across her face.

"Luke," Maya asked

Luke looked at Mayas face, seeing that worried look she gets sometimes and then exhaled, then finally said it.

"Couple weeks ago I took a placement exam," Luke said,"Mama said what harm could it be, so I took it."

The shop went quiet, as this was in fact HUGE news! Exams like those were chances into getting those private academies up state, the ones where those rich kids with private tutors and Ivy League degrees went to. Some kids from Harlem managed to get in, but those never last long cause of a range of things, the most obvious, the color of skin

"You what," Jazz asked,"Luke thats huge news."

"You took a test...without telling us," Dante asked, then did a dramatic gasp,"Luke, I am wounded by your-."

"Save it for later dumbass," Eli said

And Eli immediately got smacked upside the head by a flying chancla, making him groan in pain. They turned to see Christina holding a second one, then pointed it to Lily, who was too busy humming her music. Eli nodded as he understood, no use of the N word in this place or around the child in the room. So they went back to Luke, who sighed

"It was just a thing, something Mama said I should at least try," Luke said,"I didn't think anything would come of it."

"What kind of test," Eli asked, eyebrows lifted slightly,"and who was it for?"

"...The Helix Institute."

The silence hit harder this time, as they expected some fancy private academy, but not that one!

The Helix Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences sat at the edge of the Neon Harlem District, right where the glow of jazz clubs met clean glass towers. Private and very expensive, like multi-thousand a year. Impossible to get into unless you were rich, connected, or terrifyingly smart. A school built for future engineers, designers, scientists, and creators-the kind of place people whispered about like it wasn't real.

Dante stared at him for a full second, then another until he clapped his hands together and pointed them at Luke.

"...They gave you a scholarship," Dante asked

"I didn't say that," Luke said, wincing a bit

"You didn't deny it either," Jazz said, making Luke sigh.

"Full tuition for one year, if I keep my grades up, they can extend it to full time until I graduate."

The 4 looked at him in full silence, then Maya covered her mouth with her hand.

"Luke, this is more than huge," she said,"this is amazing!

Eli exhaled slowly, impressed despite himself.

"That's impressive Luke," Eli said,"only 1 in 100 kids manage to get into Helix

"It's embarrassing what it is," Luke muttered

"HA," Dante barked out a laugh,"dude embarrassing!? Man, you got into white boy rich-kid brain heaven."

"I don't belong there Dante, thats for rich white kids with Ivy League parents and promised futures as CEOs and shit."

Dante stepped closer, smile softening just a bit. He knew Luke didn't see himself as someone important or have huge potential like kids he knew. But Dante...he didn't it that way, instead he saw Luke had the most potential then anyone else he knew

"You belong anywhere you decide to walk into brotha," he said in a low and soft voice

"Man, shut up," Luke said and looked away, cheeks warm.

"He's right, though," Jazz said, and smirked widely

Dante slung an arm around Luke's shoulders, grinning wide as he gave Luke a little nookie.

"Future genius, huh," Dante said,"don't forget us when you're famous, we could use some that rich boy money for our rent."

"I'm not going anywhere dude," Luke said

"Good, because Harlem ain't done with you yet. You still need to show those pipes you got."

"Oh hell no!"

"Come on guys," Maya said,"we'll be late for school."

They grabbed their bags, finished their drinks, and filed back out into the street together, the neon glow waiting for them like it always did. The walk to Lowtown High School was routine enough that none of them really thought about it anymore. The sidewalks were already filling up with students, backpacks slung low, headphones in, conversations overlapping as Harlem shifted gears from morning calm to weekday momentum.

Neon signs dimmed as the sun climbed higher, replaced by storefront shutters rolling up and the smell of breakfast fading into exhaust and city heat. Dante walked backward for part of it, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets as he talked, completely unconcerned with where he was going. This was normal for them, but they do remember that one time he backed into a cart

"Freshmen year, man," Dante said,"remember how everybody thought we were gonna get jumped on day one?"

"That's because you wouldn't stop talking shit every minute," Jazz said

"I was establishing dominance."

"You were annoying people, and more importantly you almost got gangs to shoot us."

"Both things are true," Luke said with a chuckle quietly as he adjusted his backpack strap.

Eli walked beside Luke, gaze moving constantly, not anxious, just observant.

"I still remember getting lost the first week," Eli said,"I thought the science wing was on the third floor. Turns out I was just in the wrong building."

"You looked like you were about to cry," Maya said faintly and smiled

"I was about to cry, anxiety and stress don't mix well."

They laughed as the brick façade of Lowtown High came into view, the building worn but solid, banners welcoming the new school year hanging crookedly near the entrance. A group of seniors lingered near the steps, already loud, already convinced the place belonged to them. As they crossed the street, Luke slowed slightly as something caught his eye.

Across the way, a small convenience store sat with its front windows boarded up, police tape fluttering lazily in the breeze. The glass was shattered behind the wood, jagged cracks still visible. A handwritten sign was taped to the door saying it was closed until further notice. Luke stared at it for so long the others turn to see what it was

"That wasn't like that yesterday," Jazz said, frowning a bit

"Yeah, heard it got hit last night by some weirdos throwing fire around," Dante said

"Again, this is the fourth time this week...and its only Tuesday," Maya said

"City doesn't sleep, but neither do the problems," Eli said as he shrugged

Luke exhaled through his nose, eyes lingering on the store before he turned away.

"Feels like every time you blink, shit just happens," Luke said

No one really argued with that, ever since Quirks were born, Harlem was a warzone most of the time. When they continued to walk, they heard the unmistakable hum cutting through the noise of the street. Heads tilted up instinctively as a sleek black-and-silver Quinjet streaked overhead, sunlight flashing off its hull as it banked toward Manhattan, the silhouette unmistakable against the sky.

"Every time I see one of those, I forget how unreal this city is," Dante said

"Well we do live in a world filled with Superhero's, gods and monsters," Luke said,"oh and aliens, that shit still freaks me out to this day."

Eli shaded his eyes, watching it disappear as he hummed to himself. He was a huge fan of the Avengers, and a huge fan of Iron-Man, he loved all the tech he made. Especially the Iron-Man suit, he wished for a single day to go over everything Tony Stark made.

"Man, must be nice to have all that money to make such cool tech," Eli mumbled

"You don't need money, Eli," Jazz said, rolling her eyes,"Tony Stark could make anything from anything."

Luke glanced up one last time, then shook his head but chuckled.

"Tienes que tener agallas, hombre, (You gotta have guts, man)," Luke said in Spanish

Dante grinned immediately, nudging Luke with his shoulder.

"Says Mister Superstar," Dante said

Luke shot him a look, deadpan but not hiding the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I will kick you into traffic," Luke said

Dante laughed, loud and careless.

"See bro, that's the confidence they're giving scholarships to," Dante said

They reached the school steps together, voices blending into the noise of students starting another year. For a moment, the broken window, the Quinjet, the weight of the city all faded into the background as they walked in. And immediately Lowtown High buzzed the moment they stepped inside, the sound they've heard since day one.

Lockers slammed open and shut, voices overlapped in half-finished conversations, and the scent of floor cleaner mixed with cheap cologne and cafeteria food that shouldn't have existed this early in the morning. Teachers stood near doorways, coffee cups in hand, calling out reminders about schedules and behavior like it ever changed anything.

Luke walked with his friends down the main hall, exchanging nods and quick greetings with people he knew. A couple of kids from his block waved at him, one of the freshmen giving him an exaggerated salute that made Dante laugh under his breath. Jazz stopped to talk with a girl from the volleyball team, Maya peeled off toward the nurse's office to drop off a permission form, and Eli slowed when one of the robotics club kids started talking his ear off.

Luke was halfway toward his locker when a familiar voice cut through the noise.

"Luke James?"

He turned to see Ms. Brown, the school counselor, standing a few feet away with a clipboard tucked under her arm. She was older, sharp-eyed, the kind of woman who missed nothing and didn't pretend otherwise.

"Yes ma'am," Luke asked

"Walk with me please," Ms. Brown said,"we need to talk."

"Ooo, you in trouble," Dante said, his eyebrows wiggling mischievously

"Shut up," Luke said

"Mr. Reyes, please let Mr. Jefferson know James will be late," Ms. Brown said

"Yes ma'am," Dante said and walked off,"don't get expelled bro, need that brain to help me pass chemistry."

"Gonna need a miracle, I suck at chemistry," Luke said with a laugh

Ms. Brown smiled at the two's conversation, and now she and Luke were heading down the hall toward the counseling wing. Luke shot his friends a look that said I'll survive, then followed her, the noise of the school fading slightly as they moved farther from the main corridor.

Her office was small but tidy, walls lined with college pamphlets and framed photos of graduating classes stretching back years. Ms. Brown gestured for Luke to sit, closing the door behind him before taking her place across the desk.

"I'll get straight to it," Ms. Brown,"the Helix Institute contacted us this morning."

Luke's shoulders tensed at that.

"They did," Luke asked,"why? They plan to remove me?"

"No, in fact they want to meet you," Ms. Brown said, smiling,"they want to do an on-site visit next week."

Luke let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, then immediately shook his head. He couldn't believe this, he just thought they would go with someone who scored higher, so he was gonna be cut cause of it. But now this, he didn't think it would go this far cause honestly he didn't feel like he...had what it takes to go there

"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea," Luke said, rubbing his mouth

Ms. Brown looked at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Care to explain," she asked him

Luke leaned back in the chair, rubbing his hands together a bit nervously.

"Look, that place isn't for someone like me," Luke said,"it's full of rich white kids who've had tutors since they were five, parents with labs in their garages, all that. I'm just...me, a kid from the Neon district and I work in a music shop. I don't belong there, I'm just me."

Ms. Brown didn't interrupt, she wanted him to speak his mind, to see why he feels like. She let the words settle before opening the folder in front of her. She can now see why Luke was nervous, he had self-esteem issues and no confidence in himself, plus he felts like he doesn't deserve something good for once...and that was a load of bullshit

"You ever notice how you always say that like it's a fact instead of a feeling," Ms. Brown asked him

Luke frowned but didn't answer her, licking his lips to wet them. Then she slid a few papers across the desk toward him, ranging from his time in time 1st grade to middle school, showing off his grades, projects and extracurricular activities his been a part of since he was a kid.

"These are your middle school records, as well as other documents since you were a kid," Ms. Brown said,"you've had the top percentile in applied sciences. Your physics project on sound-wave resonance in 8th grade? You built that using salvaged speakers and scrap wiring you picked up around the streets."

Luke glanced down, uncomfortable at the praise he was getting. But she was right on the last part, he spent weeks salvaging all that stuff cause he needed a science project that costed him 70% of his finale term. So he with sound-waves to try and build a low-budget active echolocation rig-basically a sound-based scanner that could "map" a room without needing cameras.

The idea was simple in theory: you pulse controlled frequencies through a speaker array, measure how the sound waves bounce back off walls, furniture, and moving bodies, then run that return signal through a little signal processor to generate a rough 3D layout. It wasn't full sci-fi vision, but it could tell you where someone was hiding behind a door or how many people were moving through a hallway, especially if you tuned it right and filtered out background noise.

Luke called it "Harlem sonar," because in his words, "if the city gonna stay loud as hell, I might as well make the noise work for me". He got an A+, hell the science teacher wished he could have given him 2 A pluses, cause this was something else entirely. He never expected a kid at his age to make something so advanced, and all Luke now does with it is to do audio remixes

"Oh and this one here, your music tech submission," Ms. Brown said,"you rewired an old mixer to function as a digital sampler. Do you know how many students even think to do that Luke?"

She flipped another page, not letting him speak. As she showed him pictures of all his graphic art projects over the years.

"And these, your graphic design concepts," Ms. Brown said,"album covers, interface mockups, city branding ideas and even the mural on 65th for Lowtowns win against Middletown last year. You're not just creative, Luke, you're technical to the point I think you have a career not just in musical technology, but mechanical and electrical engineering."

Luke swallowed, a little flush at the praise.

"Doesn't mean I fit in," Luke said

Ms. Brown leaned forward, her voice firm but not unkind, she used this to cut the bullshit many kids put up.

"Luke, Helix isn't about rich or poor, or black, white, yellow or anything," Ms. Brown said,"it's not about where you come from, what you look like, or what neighborhood raised you. It's about potential, and Luke...you have it and more."

Luke looked away, jaw tight as he rubbed it.

"What if I go there and realize I'm not enough," Luke asked

"Then you learn, that's the point of living Luke," Ms. Brown said, then she closed the folder,"but if you don't go because you're scared you don't belong, you'll spend the rest of your life shrinking yourself to make other people comfortable."

The words hit harder than Luke expected. He sat there in silence, staring at the desk, thoughts racing for a long time. Ms. Brown saw this and then softened her voice slightly.

"No one's asking you to decide your whole future right now," Ms. Brown said,"look, just show them and show them who you are. And maybe...let yourself see you too, for what you can do."

"...I'll think about it," Luke said slowly, a bit hesitantly

Ms. Brown smiled, satisfied enough by the answer.

"Good, that's all I'm asking," Ms. Brown said,"Luke I know your past, what you went through was bad, but that doesn't fine you Luke. Whatever they said to you...they're not as hell, cause you...you have potential kid."

Luke just nodded and stood up, slinging his backpack back over his shoulder as he stepped out of the office. The hallway noise rushed back in, lockers slamming, voices laughing, life moving forward whether he was ready or not. He paused for a moment, hand on the strap of his bag, then headed back toward class-mind heavier, but something new flickering underneath the nerves.

It was possibility.

He walked through the wall and reached his class, and when he walked in the graphic arts room smelled faintly of ink, paper, and whatever cleaner the janitors used that never quite masked the scent of paint. Sunlight poured in through tall windows along one wall, illuminating rows of desks cluttered with sketchpads, tablets, and half-finished projects taped to corkboards.

Posters of typography styles and color theory lined the walls, some curling at the edges from age. Luke slid into his seat near the middle of the room, dropping his backpack at his feet and grabbed his supplies. Dante was already there, leaned back in his chair with his tablet propped up, stylus flicking across the screen like he wasn't even trying.

"You look like you just got interrogated by the feds," Dante said

"Shut up," Luke said, getting his paper ready

"Oh nah, that's definitely a counselor talk face."

Luke opened his sketchpad, flipping to a blank page and pretending very hard to care about the texture of the paper.

"I said shut up man," Luke said

The teacher, Mr. Jefferson, cleared his throat at the front of the room, tapping the whiteboard with a marker.

"Alright, settle down everyone and let's get started," Mr. Jefferson said,"allow me to welcome you all to Graphic Arts. This semester we're focusing on visual identity-logos, layouts, concept design. I want originality and intent, and no copying Avengers or Justice League posters off the internet."

A few kids snickered, as Luke didn't look at Dante who just chuckled. Dante leaned over anyway, lowering his voice just enough to pretend he wasn't being disruptive.

"So what did Ms. Brown want," Dante asked,"was it about Helix?"

"I'm trying to listen," Luke said

"You're trying to dodge."

Luke sighed, keeping his eyes forward as he tried to pay attention to Mr. Jefferson, who was informing them of how to handle color contractions.

"They want me to visit the school," Luke said

"You're lying," Dante asked

"I wish, they contacted this morning and want me to an on-site visit next week."

"Ohohoh dude that's crazy. You're going up in the world dude."

"Yeah but...I don't know if I wanna go or not."

"Eh, you are man, you deserve it," Dante snorted and flicked his tablet toward Luke,"also bro, look at this."

Luke glanced over despite himself, but he was curious. Dante's screen was filled with a loud, chaotic design, a lot of bold colors clashing, heavy lines, something that vaguely resembled a city skyline but looked like it had been punched repeatedly. Luke squinted at it, then glanced at Dante.

"Bruh, why does it look like a homeless man puked on it and said, 'Make it gangsta'," Luke asked, making Dante gasp dramatically.

"Wow," Dante asked, faking being hurt emotionally,"from a man whose last project looked like a Justice League ripoff."

"Take that back," Luke said as he snapped his head toward him.

"You literally used a cape motif."

"It was a symbolic flow element."

"It was Superman-coded."

"Say that again bitch, I dare you."

Before Dante could respond, Mr. Jefferson's voice cut cleanly through the room.

"Mr. James and Mr. Reyes," Jefferson called out

The class went quiet, then immediately not quiet as people tried very hard not to laugh. As the two juts stopped talking , then looked to the teacher, who was now standing between the two boys. Jefferson Price was a tall man around 6'2, around 240 lbs and had a bald head and a gentle smile on his face, he was annoyed by the two just wants them to focus

"If you two would like to share your professional critique with the rest of us, I'm all ears," Mr. Jefferson said

"No sir, just a little argument between friends," Luke said, straightening up instantly

"Yeah, just some creative differences, sir," Dante said

Mr. Jefferson sighed but smiled, then pinched the bridge of his nose with a chuckle.

"Okay boy, I'll let ya off with your first warning," Jefferson said,"so save the comedy routine for lunch, please."

A few students chuckled as the tension eased, clearly nothing serious was going on. Mr. Jefferson turned back to the board, continuing his lecture like nothing had happened. Dante leaned to the side again, whispering to Luke.

"So worth it," Dante said

Luke didn't respond to him. He just calmly shifted his foot and stomped down hard on Dante's sneakers, who flinched at it and stared at him.

"-SON OF-!"

"Focus on your art," Luke said

"You gonna owe me new Jays."

Dante bit his lip, shaking silently with laughter as Luke finally cracked a small smile, eyes dropping back to his sketchpad as the class moved on. After that, they continued their classes until it was time for lunch.

The cafeteria at Lowtown High was loud in that familiar, half-organized way, voices bouncing off tiled walls as students packed into long tables with trays full of food that ranged from edible to questionable. Luke and his friends claimed their usual spot near the windows, backpacks dropped at their feet as they settled in like it was muscle memory.

Dante slid onto the bench first, immediately spreading out like he needed more space than everyone else combined.

"I'm tellin' you, graphic arts is gonna be my class," Dante said,"hell, I don't think Mr. Jefferson knows it yet."

Jazz raised an eyebrow as she unwrapped her sandwich.

"You said that about math," Jazz said

"Hey my Math grade was sabotaged last year."

Maya smiled faintly, poking at her salad.

"You failed because you didn't study," Maya said,"instead, if what Luke said was true, you stayed up all night playing Avengers Rivals. And gooning for Rouge."

"Hey thats false! I emotionally prepared, also Luke you said you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Bro you were just staring at her ass the entire round," Luke said

"Says the Psylocke gooner!"

Luke blushed but chuckled as Dante did as well and took a bite of his food, listening more than talking. Eli sat across from him, already halfway through explaining something with his hands. Eli had just come from his physics class, and when he got all excited on anything science, he talked a lot.

"Physics is fine so far," Eli said,"teacher seems cool, but the lab equipment looks older than all of us combined."

"That tracks," Luke said,"massive budget cuts have been happening around the state due to the constant Hero battles happening."

"That or the government doesn't want to waste money on a city filled with Quirkless individuals," Dante said, his voice filled with rare annoyance

Jazz leaned back, stretching her arms, hoping to get off the topic.

"History's the same as always," Jazz said,"wars, speeches, people pretending they didn't know what they were doing."

"What about you," Maya asked, glancing at Luke,"besides graphic arts."

"Eh same stuff, nothing to crazy," Luke said, making Dante squint at him.

"Bitch that's a lie," Dante said,"you're doing that thing where you don't tell us something."

"I am not."

"You absolutely are," the other 3 said

Luke sighed, stabbing at his food a little harder than necessary. He didn't want to keep going on about this, he had to much to thing about and Helix was just to much to add to his mental workload.

"It's just school stuff," Luke said

They didn't push, just nodded slightly, filing it away as something for later. The conversation drifted naturally after that, moving from classes to teachers to rumors about who had already gotten into trouble. Eventually, Dante leaned back with a grin that was way too confident to mean anything good.

"Yo, so tonight there's gonna be a party at Malik's place," Dante said

"Of course there is," Jazz groaned

"And I'm gonna be the main attraction. Along with Luke here being the man with the plan!"

Jazz looked at him flatly as Luke groaned and rubbed his face.

"Please, you sound like a hamster going through puberty and it went wrong," Jazz said

The table burst into laughter, with Luke just giving Dante a smile and a shrug. Dante clutched his chest like he'd been wounded by the shot.

"That was uncalled for Jazzy," Dante said

Luke shook his head, smiling despite himself.

"Your a good singer dude," Luke said

"Look, finally someone encouraging me."

Maya laughed quietly, covering her mouth as Jazz smirked in victory while Eli just sighed. The bell rang a moment later, the sound cutting through the noise like a switch being flipped. Groans rippled through the cafeteria as students stood and grabbed their things.

They filed out together, splitting off as schedules demanded, the easy rhythm of friendship carrying them down separate halls. Luke slowed slightly as he headed toward his next class, his thoughts drifting despite himself.

Helix Institute.

The name sat heavy in his mind, uncomfortable and unfamiliar. A place built for people who already knew where they were going. People with confidence, with certainty, not someone who still worked behind a record counter and walked the same cracked sidewalks every day. Luke adjusted his backpack strap, staring straight ahead as he moved with the crowd.

Do I even belong there?

The question followed him down the hall, unanswered, as the bell rang again and the day pressed on.