CHARLIE FOLLOWED behind Seren and Alice as they led them through the hallway and to the front doors of the building. The two friends talked their socks off about their summers, as well as anything Godolkin-related, like gossip on some of the students, the Top Ten, their friends. It actually seemed sort of nice for Charlie to involve themselves in something like a conversation with peers her age, or just in the same age group.

      The Red River Institute clearly never had anyone over eighteen in there, so to listen to Seren and Alice, who were also media-involved girlies, was interesting to put it shortly. It was definitely different from what they were used to.

       By the time they entered the stadium, there were handfuls of students scattered around the seats just watching, some even recording. Seren and Alice were able to get down to the field to join their friends. Charlie sheepishly hung back at a bench and sat down after doing a 360 of the entire stadium, thinking it was huge but that was what made it fucking awesome. Alice accompanied them while Seren approached two boys—one of them Charlie recognized as the guy from before, Evan. But Seren didn't walk up to him. She walked up to the boy next to him.

        "Hey, Max," she said with a smile, stepping onto the platform where he had been. She pressed a kiss to his cheek to greet him.

       "Hey, Seren," Evan shoved himself into the conversation as he leaned forward from beside Maxim, a stretched out smile on his face as he squinted his eyes. "Have a good summer?"

       Seren dusted off one of Maxim's shoulders as she shook her head. "I wasn't talking to you," she said, keeping her eye on Maxim although speaking to Evan.

        "Okay."

       Pulling her hair back, Alice squinted her eyes and bounced her right leg up and down. "Don't mind Seren and Maxim half of the time, by the way. Their tongues have always been shoved down each others throats since they started dating," she told Charlie, letting go of her hair that was now held in her claw clip. "All for the media, though."

The Knight Supe furrowed their brows in confusion, their gaze shifting over to Alice. It was a rather abrupt piece of advice—one that Charlie didn't think she even needed.

Alice noticed the look on their face, and she added on, "You know about Fusion and Muse, right?" Charlie still didn't understand. "Big shots on campus? Fusion's ranked as Number One? . . . Seren should be somewhere in the Top Ten, if Brink ever acknowledged how worthy she could be. But these elitist assholes overlook her because she's too close to Fusion's limelight."

There was a silence left in their space, and Alice watched her friends interact before the first match between Maxim and another student. Music blared through the speakers down the field to indicate the time. She tilted her head, sighing.

"I take it you don't know about them," Alice continued, leaning closer to Charlie to be more easily heard. "Evan's also Fifth Ranked. He'd probably be higher if he actually put any effort in. Not a legacy like Maxim or Seren, but a prime example of . . . the complete opposite of Fusion. It's why they're best friends. He doesn't listen to the media."

Charlie nodded. "Do you?" they asked.

Alice shrugged. "If they compliment or congratulate me," she answered simply. "Otherwise, I'm deaf to Journalism."

They hummed in understanding. The conversation was cut abruptly short when students from the seat sections began cheering and wooing. Both Charlie and Alice lifted their heads to find Seren approaching them, probably to sit down, while Evan massaged Maxim's shoulders as the two walked over to the large platform in the middle of the field. It was the start of the first match.

Maxim's first opponent was a guy named Croft, a Supe they knew decently well. Croft was often present during most match days because of his ability.

His confident grin hinted at the surprise he had in store for the audience. With a deep breath, he initiated his power, causing his skin to ripple and shift. Evan and Maxim couldn't help but take a step back at the transformation. In a matter of seconds, Croft had become a larger, almost blob-like version of himself.

Evan couldn't resist the urge and yelled out to Croft, "Hey, Croft! You're looking a little bloated today. Have you ever considered peppermint tea and a heating pad to help?"

      "Stop," Maxim said as he nudged his best friend in the rib, and Evan curled over slightly and held his side with a sly smile. "Go sit down with the girls."

"Alright," Evan said as he watched Croft. "Hey, my niece is having her eighth birthday party soon, man. If college doesn't work out, you should consider a career as a living party balloon! I'll send you the details!"

      He giggled it off as he was shouted at by his friends to sit down, so he jogged down the steps of the platform and headed over to the bench they were sitting at, squishing himself right between Charlie and Alice. He looked to Charlie and eyed them up and down with a smile, then paid his attention to his best friend.

      Charlie furrowed their eyebrows in confusion as they looked past Evan and sent Alice a strange look, to which she returned with a shrug and a shake of her head.

All eyes were on Maxim and Croft as the area cleared and the match began. The arena crackled with energy.

      "Matches happen every day, really, but since Fusion's Number One on campus, this one's kind of big for Godolkin," Alice informed Charlie from the other side of Evan.

       Croft, in his new form, stood on the opposite side of the platform with confidence, ready to showcase his malleable mass manipulation. Maxim, unbothered by his abilities, opening his fist by his side to summon a mixture of fire and plasma, a rather deadly combination.

      The referee signaled the start, and the battle commenced. Croft lunged forward, his stretched limbs reaching out to the Marsden boy. Maxim quickly dodged, gracefully maneuvering around Croft's attacks. Croft's laughter echoed through the arena.

       "You've got it, Maxim!" Seren cheered her boyfriend on as she cupped her hands around her mouth, and Alice wooed him while clapping her hands together repeatedly.

      Maxim, focused and composed, released his electrified ice projectiles. They sailed through the air, causing a disrupt in Croft's rhythm. Some collided with Croft's malleable form, causing ripples and jolts of electricity, but he managed to absorb the hits with a resilient elasticity.

        He observed Croft's patterns. He noticed a slight delay in Croft's reactions when absorbing hits, a vulnerability waiting to be exploited. Maxim concentrated his efforts, aiming for that specific moment when Croft would be momentarily open.

       With a strategic combination of electrified ice attacks, Maxim created that opening. The electrified ice penetrated through Croft's stretched form, causing him to shudder and slow down. Maxim seized the opportunity, and with a grunt, launched a final barrage of electrified ice directly at Croft's vulnerable point.

       The arena fell silent for a moment as Croft, immobilized by the electrified ice, struggled to regain control over his mass. Maxim's victory was evident as the referee raised his hand, signaling the end of the match. The crowd erupted into applause.

       Evan bit his lip as he grinned, pumping his fist to celebrate the win. He was the first to rise from the bench and head over to the platform to join Maxim, whilst Alice slid over to Charlie. 

       "Pretty cool?" she asked. Alice watched the boys as Evan and Maxim greeted the other by running into each other, jumping into the air, and bumping shoulders. She cocked her head toward the stage, then looked to Charlie. "Maybe that could be you one day."

       After Maxim was done with Evan, he couldn't help but approach Croft to tell him a good job despite losing. Croft shrunk back to his normal size, his hand clutching his side as he used his other hand to grasp Maxim's and get back onto his feet. The two sent each other respective nods as they parted.

       Charlie couldn't help but smile.

•••

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serensolara are u serious

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↳ egarrisons @theofficialfusion WOMAN OF MYDREAMS I DONT SLEEP SO I CANT FIND HER
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↳ theofficialfusion @egarrisons why is this it's own comment

•••

     SEREN, ALICE, AND CHARLIE headed back to their dorm room, still talking about the match between Maxim and Croft—in which Maxim and Evan, by now, were hanging back in the stadium to work out while the others decided to go eat soon.

     "Could see why Maxim's ranked first," Charlie spoke up as they entered their hall. "He's like a wizard without the potions and scruffy old beard."

      Alice laughed aloud, "No, no. He still has that."

      Seren nudged her shoulder with a smile for commenting on Maxim, to which Alice responded with a nudge back, and Seren couldn't help but giggle as the two fell into each others arms as they walked together to their door.

      As they turned a corner, Charlie accidentally bumped into another student. "Oh, woah, hey!" Charlie exclaimed out of instinct, already feeling a warmth to their cheeks as they took a step back from the figure in front of her. She caught his eyes as he had reached down to check that his body was intact, as if he could've fallen apart over a tiny collision.

      The boy said nothing but offered a small, understanding smile. It was brief, as the awkward exchange prompted Charlie to want to apologize properly, but before she could, the boy simply nodded and continued down the hallway.

Seren and Alice, who had been observing the encounter, exchanged puzzled glances. Alice couldn't help but laugh as she reached for the handle to open their door, entering the room. Seren followed after, prompting Charlie to do the same.

"Mysterious type?" Charlie said almost like it was a question, but also like it was a joke to ease the mood. Seren and Alice knew who they were referring to.

"Lucian Voss is definitely one of those," Seren said, sitting on the edge of her bed and grabbing a pillow to lay it across her lap. "Whatever. It doesn't matter, anyway. We might not see him again for another few months."

Charlie watched between the two of them as Alice dropped off her belongings to her side of the room whilst Seren laid down to rest. She arched an eyebrow. "And that means?" she questioned.

Alice looked to Seren, then to Charlie. "He kinda just disappears from time to time. It's not really important, though," she said, pointing to the door. "I need to get some of that mac n cheese they're serving today. Come on."

"No, but now I'm curious," Charlie insisted.

Alice pursed their lips and placed a hand on her hip, tilting her head. "Seriously?" she said, and Charlie nodded. Alice sighed softly, "Something bad happened with the guy when he was younger. Rumors spread. And not only that, but he only appears in our classes, like, every other month. Don't know if it's because of his powers or because he just really disappears."

"He's also just shifty and shady as fuck," Seren added on. "Like, how is it possible for someone to keep such a low profile at Godolkin while also being in the Top Ten? There's, like, absolutely no info on him, whatsoever."

     "He's in the Top Ten?"

     "If we're going to keep talking about Shifty, can we at least start heading to the cafeteria so I can eat sooner?" Alice groaned out as her head fell back in boredom. Seren rose from her bed and tossed her pillow aside. "Yes, he's in the Top Ten. Why are you asking so many questions about him, by the way?"

      Alice and Seren had to lead Charlie out of the dorm and in the direction of the cafeteria. "I don't know," Charlie murmured as she trailed behind the two. "Looked familiar."

AUTHOR'S NOTE !
ugh i gave up on the last half of this chapter idk how to end it. crying myself to sleep tn okay

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