Chapter 38: A Moment of Fame

Jake Foster expected the stares. What he hadn’t expected was how uncomfortable it would make him.

Sitting in the common area, the mess hall felt smaller with all eyes turned toward him and Levi Blackwell. They had been locked away for weeks, separated from everyone else like animals kept in a cage, and now they were on full display for the other students. The tension in the room was palpable—thick, suffocating, as though everyone was holding their breath.

Levi, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. He lounged in his chair, a faint smirk on his face as he casually observed the room. The contrast between them couldn’t have been more obvious. Jake felt the weight of every stare, every whispered conversation, digging into his skin like needles. He didn’t want to be here, not like this.

He could hear the murmurs starting to rise again. Students huddled together, exchanging glances and speaking in hushed voices, all focused on him and Levi. Their reputation had clearly preceded them—he knew that much. After all, they survived the destruction of an entire city which killed everyone else.

But there were worse things than just surviving it…

A slight movement caught Jake’s attention, drawing his eyes toward a boy approaching their table. The student looked out of place among the mess hall crowd, with his messy brown hair and oversized backpack. He moved with a nervous energy, as though each step brought him closer to some invisible line he wasn’t sure he should cross.

Jake tensed slightly, watching the boy as he stopped a few feet from their table. Some of the other students fell silent again, their whispers cut off as they watched to see what would happen.

“Uh… hey,” the boy said, his voice wavering slightly. His hands fidgeted with the strap of his backpack as he glanced nervously between Jake and Levi. “You guys are, uh… Jake and Levi, right?”

The question felt almost ridiculous, but Jake didn’t answer. He could feel the knot of unease tightening in his chest, the weight of the stares pressing down on him. He wasn’t sure what this kid wanted, but the attention was making his skin crawl.

Levi, however, leaned forward, a glint of amusement in his red eyes. “That’s us,” he said smoothly, his voice dripping with amusement. “You need something, kid?”

The boy swallowed hard, his face flushing as he glanced between the two of them again. “I, uh… I wanted to ask if I could, you know… get a selfie with you guys?”

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A selfie? Jake blinked, not sure if he had heard right. Of all the things he’d expected someone to approach them for, that hadn’t even crossed his mind.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Even the other students seemed frozen, eyes wide as they waited to see how Jake and Levi would react. It was as if no one could believe someone would get that close, let alone want a picture with them.

Levi chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair with an exaggerated stretch. “A selfie, huh? You sure you want to do that?”

The boy hesitated, visibly second-guessing his decision. His hands fumbled with his phone, but after a brief moment of panic, he managed to nod. “Yeah,” he said quickly, his voice shaking. “I mean… you guys are kind of, uh… famous.”

Famous. That word twisted in Jake’s gut, making him tense even more. The idea of being famous for what had happened in Galewood made him feel sick. This wasn’t fame. This was guilt, shame, and the constant weight of the past pressing down on him. He wanted nothing to do with it.

Levi’s smirk widened. “Well, you heard him, Jake,” he said, nudging his chair back with his foot. “We’re famous.”

Jake shot Levi a look, his frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. Levi didn’t care. That much was obvious. He was enjoying the attention, maybe even reveling in it. But Jake? The last thing he wanted was to become some kind of twisted celebrity.

Still, he didn’t move as the boy stepped closer, his hands shaking as he raised his phone. “Is it, uh… okay?”

Jake didn’t answer, but he didn’t stop the boy either. The kid raised the phone higher, angling it to get both Jake and Levi in the frame, his hand trembling as he snapped the picture.

The camera clicked.

The boy released a nervous breath as he stepped back, clutching his phone like it was some kind of trophy. “Thanks,” he mumbled, backing away quickly before either Jake or Levi could respond.

As soon as the boy retreated, the whispers started again. The other students were buzzing with renewed energy, their eyes darting between Jake and Levi like they couldn’t wait to talk about what had just happened. Rory was already talking to his tablemates, leaning in close to share what he’d just seen.

Jake clenched his jaw, his fingers curling into fists under the table. This was wrong. All of it. Being here, surrounded by people who didn’t understand—who couldn’t understand. They looked at him like he was something… special. Something to be admired. He wasn’t. He wasn’t a hero. He wasn’t even close.

Levi’s voice cut through his thoughts. “That went better than expected,” he said, still lounging in his chair, as if none of this fazed him. “I think we’re making friends.”

Jake didn’t respond, his mind still churning as he tried to process the absurdity of it all. A selfie? Was that what it had come to? People wanting to take pictures with the ones who survived the destruction of a city?

Levi shrugged, leaning back further. “Maybe we should start charging for those.”

Jake shot him a glare. “This isn’t funny.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, a hint of mock surprise on his face. “Not funny? Come on, Jake. We’ve been locked up for weeks. You’ve gotta admit, it’s a little amusing.”

“I don’t have to admit anything,” Jake muttered, his voice low and tense. “This isn’t a joke.”

Levi’s smirk didn’t falter, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something colder, harder. “Maybe not to you.”

For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other, the weight of everything unsaid hanging between them. Levi’s eyes glowed faintly, the eerie red light making him look almost otherworldly. He was right about one thing: they were different now. Whether they liked it or not.

The mess hall was still buzzing with conversation, students sneaking glances their way, some whispering, others outright staring. Jake felt his shoulders tense further. He hated this—being watched like some kind of sideshow, their every move analyzed, every word dissected.

But as much as he wanted to leave, he couldn’t. Not yet. He wasn’t about to give them more to talk about.

Levi leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the table as he glanced around the room. “Looks like we’ve got an audience,” he said with a smirk. “Think we should give them a show?”

Jake didn’t bite. He stayed silent, his jaw clenched tight.

After a long moment, Levi chuckled under his breath. “Suit yourself.”