Chapter 32: Crossing Paths

When Jake Foster was released into the common area, the first thing he noticed was the stillness.

The mess hall wasn’t loud and chaotic the way he had imagined. Instead, the room seemed to fall into a tense quiet the moment the door opened and he stepped inside. His eyes scanned the space, taking in the groups of students sitting at tables, trays of food abandoned as all attention shifted to him.

Jake kept his expression serious, unflinching. He didn’t know what he had expected, but this wasn’t it. He had been locked away for weeks, isolated from everything, constantly tested, poked, and prodded by the Academy staff. This was the first time he was seeing anyone outside those sterile rooms, and by the way the students were looking at him, it was clear that they had heard something about him.

But what struck him most was the weight of their stares. They weren’t just curious. They were watching him like he was dangerous. A threat.

His jaw tightened, but he kept his expression unreadable. Whatever these students thought of him, he wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of a reaction. He had learned early on when his mom died how to mask his emotions—how to shut it all down so no one could get inside. That skill had become more important than ever since Galewood.

He didn’t need to hear the whispers to know what they were saying. He had picked up enough pieces, explosion. Survivors. Galewood. Dangerous.

As Jake moved deeper into the room, he noticed how the students leaned back, creating space between themselves and him. No one made eye contact, but he could feel the weight of their gazes. Like they were afraid to look him in the eye, but even more afraid to ignore him completely.

He didn’t know where he was supposed to go, so he just kept moving. The Academy hadn’t exactly given him a road map for this. It was as if they had tossed him into the deep end, waiting to see how he would handle it. He could feel the Academy’s eyes on him, even now. Watching. Studying.

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The quiet of the room felt suffocating, and Jake found himself focusing on keeping his movements steady. Don’t let them see anything. No weakness. No doubt.

He had also seen Levi.

Jake had almost stopped right in his tracks, but he forced himself to keep walking as if nothing had changed. He hadn’t expected to see Levi here. In fact, he hadn’t been told anything about where Levi was, or if they would ever even see each other again. The last time he had seen his friend had been during the chaos of their capture, and since then, they had been kept apart.

Levi stood next to him, a small smirk on his lips as he casually moved forward. His white hair and glowing red eyes made him impossible to miss. Jake’s heart gave a heavy thud in his chest, though his expression remained calm. Seeing Levi again after all this time stirred something deep inside him—relief, confusion, guilt, and a tangle of emotions he couldn’t quite name.

But as Jake continued walking, it became clear that Levi hadn’t changed the way Jake feared he might have. Or at least, he didn’t seem to be completely broken. Levi looked… amused. He moved through the room like he was in control of the situation, like he enjoyed the way everyone stared at him, unsettled by his presence.

Jake, on the other hand, could feel the tension gnawing at him. The students weren’t just watching Levi—they were watching both of them. And whatever they had heard about them had already made them well known.

He could see the fear radiating off of some of the younger students, their eyes wide as they whispered to each other. The older ones—more seasoned, more jaded—watched with a mix of curiosity and caution. No one dared to speak to him or Levi.

Jake didn’t show his surprise, but internally, he was trying to wrap his head around the fact that Levi was here. And yet, they hadn’t been given any warning. No explanation. Was this the Academy’s plan? To just throw them back into the student body like this, without preparation?

It didn’t sit right with him.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of walking through the mess hall under the weight of a hundred eyes, Jake reached an empty table. He sat down, keeping his movements slow and controlled. No need to draw more attention than they already had. His eyes flicked to Levi again, still with that unsettling smirk.

Jake didn’t look directly at Levi as he sat down across from him, but the air between them felt charged. Levi’s presence was almost palpable, but neither of them spoke.

Levi leaned back in his chair, arms draped casually over the backrest, his glowing eyes scanning the room like he was in on some private joke. Jake kept his posture straight, hands resting on the table in front of him, his expression unchanging. He could feel the students’ eyes still on them, and it was clear that no one in this room knew what to make of them yet.

The tension in the mess hall didn’t dissipate, even as minutes passed with neither of them saying a word. Jake wasn’t sure what to expect from the Academy or even from Levi, but he knew one thing for sure—nothing was the same anymore.

And it wasn’t going to be.