Chapter 12: Unpacking the Silence

The first morning in his new dorm room was unnervingly quiet. Marcus had expected a rush of excitement, maybe even a little fear, but instead, there was just stillness. The sounds of other students moving in had faded away. Now, it was just him, his belongings half-unpacked, and the hollow feeling that something was missing.

He lay in bed, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. The space felt so different from home—strangely impersonal. The walls were bare, the furniture generic, and the sterile smell of new paint clung to the air. The noise outside was distant, muted by the thick walls of the dormitory.

*This is it,* he thought. *This is my new life.*

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up, still feeling disoriented from the move. Boxes were scattered around the room, half-opened with clothes and books spilling out. His computer was set up, but the desk felt oddly bare without the personal touches he’d had at home. A few photos of his family and Lily’s random doodles were pinned to a corkboard, but it didn’t feel like enough to make the place feel like his own.

Marcus sat at the desk and opened his laptop, staring at the blank screen for a moment. The previous day had been a whirlwind of activity, and now that he was alone, the weight of everything started to press down on him.

*How did I get here?*

The thought nagged at him, but he knew the answer. Zenith Tech, the app—it all came back to that. He hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something was off, that his acceptance into this academy hadn’t been entirely his own doing. The eerie accuracy of the "Voyage" app still haunted him. It had guided him in ways that felt far too precise, far too invasive.

But now, without the tablet, without the app… there was a strange sense of emptiness. He had destroyed it, yes, but had that freed him? Or had it left him adrift without direction?

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He couldn’t dwell on it forever. The app was gone, and he had to make his own path now, even if he felt uncertain about what that path should be.

There was a knock at the door, breaking the silence. Marcus stood up, his heart quickening a little. He hadn’t expected anyone.

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Opening the door, he was greeted by a tall, lanky guy with messy brown hair and glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He looked about the same age as Marcus, with an easy grin plastered on his face.

"Hey, man! You must be Marcus, right? I’m your roommate—Ethan," the guy said, holding out his hand.

"Yeah, that’s me," Marcus replied, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Ethan stepped into the room, glancing around. "Looks like you’re still getting settled, huh? Me too. My side of the room looks like a tornado hit it. I figured I’d come say hi before I finished unpacking."

Marcus nodded, grateful for the distraction. "Yeah, I’ve got a bit more to do too. Just trying to figure out where everything goes."

Ethan gave a light chuckle, plopping down on the empty bed across from Marcus’s. "I hear you. This place is huge, man. I got lost three times just trying to find the dining hall."

Marcus smiled, feeling some of his tension ease. Ethan had an easygoing demeanor, and it helped to ease the anxiety that had been sitting like a weight on Marcus’s chest since he arrived.

"So," Ethan continued, "what are you majoring in? Let me guess—computer science?"

"Yeah," Marcus replied, leaning back against the desk. "How about you?"

"Same. Figured I’d better dive headfirst into the tech world while I still can. Plus, I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to coding, so… this seemed like the place to be."

Marcus nodded, though his thoughts drifted again. This *was* the place to be, but not for the reasons Ethan might think. Zenith Tech wasn’t just another school—it was the school, the one with connections that could change his future. But the price for that opportunity still weighed heavily on him.

"So, have you heard any rumors about the place?" Ethan asked, breaking into Marcus’s thoughts.

"Rumors?" Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like all the crazy tech they’ve got here. I heard they’ve got an AI lab that’s so advanced, it’s almost like the stuff out of sci-fi movies. And some of the professors? They’ve worked on top-secret projects for the government. It’s wild."

Marcus forced a laugh. "Yeah, I’ve heard a few things. Guess we’ll find out soon enough."

"Totally," Ethan agreed, standing up and stretching. "Anyway, I’d better finish unpacking before my stuff takes over the whole room. But hey, we should grab lunch later. You know, figure out the lay of the land."

"Sounds good," Marcus said, feeling a bit lighter after the conversation. "I’ll catch you later."

As Ethan left the room, Marcus sank back down onto his bed, his mind still buzzing with thoughts of the academy. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but something told him that this place wasn’t just about education—it was about something more.

He unpacked for a while longer, organizing his clothes, books, and personal items in the small space he now called home. But as he moved around the room, a nagging feeling of unease settled in the back of his mind. Ethan’s mention of the AI lab, of the advanced technology Zenith had, brought back memories of the "Voyage" app.

What if… what if the app wasn’t entirely gone? What if it was just waiting, lurking somewhere in the background of his life, watching him even now?

He shook his head, trying to push the thought away. No, that was impossible. The tablet was destroyed. He had taken control—hadn’t he?

But even as he tried to convince himself, the familiar sense of being watched crept in. He glanced around the room, but nothing seemed out of place. Just his belongings, just the ordinary objects of a college dorm room.

'Get it together,' Marcus told himself. 'You’re in control now. You’re at Zenith because you earned it, not because of some app.'

He took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand—getting ready for his new life at college. Tomorrow, classes would start. Tomorrow, he would dive into the world he had always dreamed of. But as he lay down that night, staring at the ceiling once again, Marcus couldn’t shake the feeling that his journey had only just begun—and that the road ahead was far more complicated than he could ever imagine.