The Five Evolution

Chapter 47: Things That Go Bump In The Night (I).

『"There’s a chill in the air. You hear a creak on a stair..."』

Amara sat near the back of the lecture hall, chin resting on her hand. She stared at Professor Ayala without actually seeing her, completely failing to pay attention.

Professor Ayala was going on about Awakener resonance, but all Amara could think about was how badly she wanted to kiss him again right now, which was deeply inconvenient given that they were in completely separate classes.

Her thoughts drifted to the feeling of Ethan’s mouth on hers last night, the feel of his breath against her skin just before he’d kissed her again.

The image of his fingers sliding beneath the hem of her shirt flashed across her mind and heat flooded straight into her face.

Oh God. What was wrong with her?

She was sitting in class. In public. Surrounded by people. And somehow her brain had decided now was the perfect time to replay every second of last night in humiliatingly vivid detail.

Her thoughts drifted helplessly back to the watch floor, to the way his hands had gripped her hips, and how he’d groaned her name when she—

"Miss Murray."

Amara jolted upright and her notebook suddenly combusted into white flames.

She was immediately snapped back to reality by the smell of smoke, the sensation of heat, and the awareness that the entire class was looking at her.

"Yes, Professor?" She said with a nervous smile while frantically patting down the flames on her book with her hands until just ash remained.

Professor Ayala crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Care to tell us what happens when two Awakener frequencies fall into perfect sync?"

Amara cleared her throat and answered. "The resonance creates an amplification feedback loop. Their combined output becomes exponentially more powerful than the sum of their individual strengths."

Professor Ayala studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Correct. Though I’d appreciate if you could be present mentally as well as physically for the remainder of class, Miss Murray."

"Yes, Professor. Sorry, Professor." Amara sank lower in her seat as a few students snickered quietly in the background.

As soon as class ended, Amara gathered her things and stepped into the hallway.

"What was that?" She whispered, staring at her hands and charred notebook.

Whatever the that was with her book, she told herself it was most likely someone pranking her. So she decided to not dwell on it or think about it.

Almost immediately, she was surrounded and swept up in a tide of conversation and excited chatter.

"—swear I saw it with my own eyes—"

"—books flying across the room—"

"—temperature dropped like twenty degrees—"

"—has to be a ghost, what else could it be—"

Amara caught up with Hiro, Raj, and Sophia near the elevators. Then she pulled off her reading glasses and tucked them into her bag.

"Did you hear?" Raj asked immediately, his eyes bright with excitement. "There’s a ghost. In the Machine. An actual ghost!"

Amara blinked. "A ghost? What’s that all about? Everyone knows ghosts aren’t real."

"Thank You!" Hiro threw his hands up dramatically. "Finally! Someone who’s still sensible! There are no such things as ghosts. This is clearly mass hysteria or someone pulling a prank."

Amara folded her arms, considering. "Then again... we fight monsters and talk to a magical book that listens to rock music. Keeping an open mind doesn’t sound so crazy anymore."

Hiro looked betrayed. "I—but—you just said—"

"I said everyone knows ghosts aren’t real," Amara clarified with a small smile. "I didn’t say they actually aren’t."

Sophia pulled her pinky finger from her ear and rubbed it on Hiro’s shirt. "Well, I very much believe in ghosts. My abuela always said spirits walk among us, especially those who died with unfinished business."

"Come on..." Hiro said.

Sophia’s expression grew more serious. "In my family, we leave offerings on Día de Todos los Santos. We talk to our dead. They talk back sometimes. You don’t grow up with that and think ghosts are fake."

As if summoned by the conversation itself, Ethan appeared at the far end of the corridor, walking toward them.

Amara’s pulse immediately betrayed her, which was ridiculous. It had been less than twelve hours. And yet just seeing him made warmth spread through her chest.

"Hey." His eyes found hers instantly. "Are you ok?" He asked, as though he could tell something was bothering her.

Amara gave him a smile and tucked a few of her locs behind her ear. "I’m fine, thanks for asking."

"Ethan!" Hiro turned toward him desperately, interrupting the moment. "Please tell me you’re going to be the voice of reason here."

Ethan glanced between them, then gave an unhelpfully neutral smile. "I think there are rational explanations for most paranormal claims."

Hiro exhaled in relief. "Thank God."

"But," Ethan continued, "we do literally train inside a sentient shifting fortress and summon Spirit Weapons."

"Oh come on." Hiro’s shoulders sagged. "Not you too."

Before Hiro could protest further, Naomi and Andre appeared from around the corner.

Naomi was already scrolling through her device and Andre was casually eating something from a foil packet.

"Students on Level Three are already placing bets," Naomi said while scrolling. "Forty-two percent think it’s a poltergeist."

Raj’s eyes widened. "There are betting pools?"

Andre offered a lazy shrug. "People get bored."

Raj immediately looked interested. "We should absolutely get in on that."

"Yo," Andre greeted the rest, offering a casual two-finger wave.

"What’s up," Naomi added without taking her eyes off her phone, her tone slightly less hostile than usual.

When she finally looked up, her gaze shifted to Ethan and Amara. Then to the way their shoulders were standing just a little too close, and one brow arched.

"Naomi." Raj couldn’t contain himself. "What do you think about this whole ghost situation? The one supposedly in the lost library?"

Naomi tucked her device away. "I think if people are this worked up, there’s only one way to settle it."

Hiro already looked distressed. "No. Uh-uh."

Amara tilted her head. "What if it’s just an Awakener messing with people? Flying books... burning books, and dropping temperature could all easily be someone’s ability," she suggested.

"Yeah!" Hiro nodded eagerly. "That’s not too far-fetched."

"Burning books?" Raj raised an eyebrow.

Amara’s gaze lifted to the ceiling, then all around. She couldn’t exactly say "my notebook spontaneously combusted during class while I was fantasizing about Ethan."

"Just... covering all bases," she said carefully. "Fire manipulation and ghosts, right? Pyrokinesis can also be ghosty too."

Ghosty? Who says ghosty?! Amara thought to herself.

"Huh... okay." Raj studied her for a moment. She was a terrible liar and he was clearly not entirely convinced.

But before he could push further, Naomi cut in. "Ghosts are obviously real," she chimed in, saving Amara from a potentially awkward situation.

"There are actual documented spiritual entities," Naomi continued. "The Institute has entire departments dedicated to studying them."

"We’ve personally never actually seen one though," Ethan pointed out.

Andre wiped his mouth, then grabbed his phone to unlock it. "I could hook us up with an EMF scanner."

"Unnecessary," Naomi said. She looked directly at Hiro, clearly enjoying his discomfort. "If it’s real, every Awakener there will feel it."

Hiro swallowed.

She paused, then added, "So what do you say? Are we going to investigate the ghost room, or are you all too pussy to actually do it?"