~ Nini's POV ~ 6:47 pm

"Why do people even have do to reading homework anyway?" I groaned, shoving the papers away. Putting my pencil down, I put my hands behind my head, leaned back, taking in a deep breath. Approximately eight minutes later I had finished the last two questions and told my mom that we were in fact ordering pineapple pizza. "This teacher's a jerk anyway!"

Shoving the papers back into the depths of the horrifyingly well organized folder they came from and gently placing my school book back in my bag, I rolled my chair on wheels back to my desk, but I slipped off of my chair when I saw a pair of male, youthful, courageous, almond eyes. Almost instinctively, I twisted around and placed my hand on the floor, boosting myself back up. I sighed in relief and wiped my forehead clean of sweat before I realized what had just happened. Surely... Surely I'm just tired and reading assignments are getting to my head. Yeah, that's the problem. I thought, dusting my hands off.

Looking to the left, I noticed a pen, which I was pretty sure is my sister's, and, being the good person I am, I decided to return it to her. I picked up the black pen and moved to get out of my chair when I heard a voice coming from the computer. The voice caused me to turn my head swiftly, but the image on the screen made me drop the writing utensil.

"Uh, that one's yours, actually."

In my dark reflection, there was a boy, almost a man. His light, caramel hair fluffed up in a happy, energetic quiff, he wore a black and red checkered jacket over a white v-neck while a set of dog tags hung loosely around his neck, which was as pale as the rest of his uncovered skin. His cheekbones as clear as day and smile bright and shining, I felt like I was going blind just looking at his pearly whites, which is probably because they were reflecting what little light was in the room and my eyes weren't used to light since the sun sets early in Annapolis, Maryland, my home, during autumn.

"Uh..?" I whispered, causing his dorky grin to widen.

"Hi! I'm Mitch, Mitchell Hughes," he greeted.

"Like... Like the legend? Mitchell Hughes the Archer?" I questioned, wondering why there was a legend talking to me when all that I wanted was to watch YouTube and play video games. In case you're wondering, I do not want to go on a big adventure to defeat a villain. As long as the villain doesn't kill me, my cable, my WiFi, or my food, I'll let it take over the world happily. So, for now, sir, please fudge off. I thought to myself quietly.

"Yep. That's me. Anyway, I won't keep you from your computer for long, but I need your help," he started. No no no, I said I do not want to go on a big adventure.

"And why does the legendary Mitch need the dorky Nini's help?" I asked.

"Because she's a dork, that's why," he laughed.

"That's exactly why you shouldn't  need my help," I retorted, raising my eyebrow.

"Well the only person who can help me is the person who acts the most like me, and I'm a huge dork, so, help," he chuckled.

"Alright, alright, what's up?" I asked.

"The sky," he smirked.

"The sky technically exists around us, not particularly above us. It's below, next to, and above us all at the same time, so, what's up?" I asked again.

"Ok, you got me there, but, um, monsters are popping up everywhere, and the few ways to bring back heroes that could defeat them would take centuries, which we don't have. Because we can't bring heroes back, we're making new ones," Mitch explained. My eyebrows knitted together in a doubtful and concerned expression as I moved to a more comfortable position.

"What makes you think that I'm worthy of becoming a hero?"

"Is the fact that the universe won't let me connect with anyone else and the universe always knows best with that kind of thing enough for you or do I need to go in depth?" he asked, smirking that confidant smile that I'm now starting to grow familiar with.

"Do you like pineapple on pizza though?" I smirked. His confidant smile immediately dropped and his nose scrunched up in confusion.

"People put pineapples on pizza now?"

~ Tatos's POV ~                                                                                                                                                       5:47 pm

"And as I soa- No. No no, that's not right," I muttered, scrapping the idea and scribbling out the lyrics. Pushing my long, brown ponytail off of my shoulder and onto my back, I blinked a couple of times and stretched my back, my eyes closing shut for a moment, as my arms reached behind my head. I yawned slightly, song writer's block really getting to me, and put my pen against my lip, turning it off. Shaking my head and tossing my notebook to the side, I put my pen down and tied my red, orange, and black varsity jacket around my waist over my white, Minecraft themed t-shirt.

My grey basketball shorts hanging a little above my knees, I told my mom that I was going for a short walk as I slipped on my nikes. After my mother told me to be home before 8:30, I shouted an agreement back at her and walked out into the hot Texas air, the bright sunlight hitting my slightly tanned skin. I sighed in relaxation as I slipped on a pair of shades over my bright, almond eyes, shielding them from the bright sun. I walked down the sidewalk among a few other Texans who were out and about on this sunny autumn day, kicking at the occasional piles of brightly colored leaves. A few small puddles, which looked more like someone had dug a small, shallow hole in the concrete and poured some water in it, were jumped into as I made my way around the block.

Suddenly, a flash of alert, chocolate brown eyes flashed before my own, causing me to fall over. Before I could have a chance to fall, a girl about my age in a blue jacket snatched me from right underneath my arms, spun me around in a complete circle, and put me back down. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, and her skin a fair, light color. She was wearing a dark blue shirt with a science pun on it and black jeans, a set of rectangular glasses framing her brown eyes. At first, I was confused as to how she was so smooth, until I realized that she was wearing roller skates.

"Hey! Are you alright?" she asked, holding her hands out in case I fell again.

"U-uh... um... Yeah! I'm great! Thanks. I, uh, I tripped, on my shoelaces! Yep! That's it!" I stuttered awkwardly. I just want to go home and play video games and eat pizza... I thought as I tried to figure out a way out of this social interaction. Taking in what I just said, I glanced down at my shoelaces to see that they were both tied to where I can't step on them, so I hid my foot behind my leg in an attempt to keep what dignity I had left.

"Um, ok then. Better tie them then! Uh, see you around?" she asked as she skated backwards gracefully. As I let out a breath that I hadn't known that I was holding, I continued walking forwards, thinking that the wind had swept a couple of autumn brown leaves past me, resulting in a misconception on my part. I kept walking step by step until I reached my location, where many other people, tourists and locals, were visiting. I took in the familiar sight of the Temple of Jason Probst, a large, cloud shaped building that seemed to levitate off of the ground. The impressive architectural phenomenon was completely white to make it look like a cloud, and it has a large, sky blue gemstone at the top.

The temple was built by Jason Probst himself, just like how the seven other Temples of Team Crafted were built by their respective heroes, and the inside was purely marble, the outside being made of quartz. There was nothing flammable in any of the temples, and anything flammable besides clothes are banned to this day. The building is always kept clear of dust and grime, so the entire structure is always perfectly clean. The ancient temple is a miraculous and beautiful sight to behold, and it has given many people hope for a new beginning and inspiration to start a new journey or continue the one that they're already on. The holy structure is a symbol of freedom, which makes the fact that it's located in America very convenient.

I took a few steps towards the large temple, but stopped when I saw something strange in the reflection that was provided by the clean quartz. There was a boy staring at me, directly at me. However, there wasn't anything between the building and myself, making the reflection impossible without magic. While I made my way towards the boy, my head tilted in confusion, he walked closer in the reflection, smiling the whole time. As the boy got closer, I started noticing his physical features more.

His skin was fairly light and he had the same almond eyes that had caught me off guard earlier, his hair a sweet mocha brown. Sporting tight dark navy jeans that reached the tops of his shoes, he was wearing a void black, zipper-less hoodie with the word 'POSH' in bold, white letters, and the 3D outline of a diamond in light blue above and to the right of the writing. A shallow beard defining his face, his smile remained a flawless, confidant, yet friendly smirk under his large nose. He wore a pair of vibrant white nikes with bright green streaks against his pitch black socks. His hands resided at his sides in his jeans pockets and his fawn colored hair was styled in a quiff, which was swept to his left. His name, however, was known by all who lived.

"Before you guess, yeah it's me, Jerome. Before you freak out, yes I'm still dead. No, I didn't randomly rise to take over the universe or something. No, you are not going crazy. It's hard to explain," he said before I could comprehend what in this abandoned timeline was going on. Taking a deep breath and looking around to make sure that no one else was seeing this, I noticed that I was the only one who seemed confused by anything other than how the Temple of Jason Probst was able to project the illusion of levitation.

"Um... ok. Why? How? Uh?" I tried, failing to produce proper sentences.

"Claire will explain," Jerome replied.

"Claire?" I whispered, now more confused.

"You'll see. just whisper my name whenever you need me. Until then, I'll be able to communicate with you through reflections and thoughts - not all thoughts, only ones that you direct towards me.

"O-okay..." I muttered, starting my walk back home.