When Leo knocked on my door at—I squinted at the bright light of my phone—six fifteen in the morning, my first thought was This is it, this is my villain origin story.

  Deciding to get to the door the old-fashioned way on my own to legs after almost burning myself out yesterday, I took my blankets with me and padded across my bedroom. These days, Leo didn’t knock without reason, though it was tempting to ignore him. And while in the past I would have just called out for him to enter, I didn’t want him in my space.

  “Why am I awake this early?” I grumbled. I glanced over Leo’s shoulder, noticing the sky beyond the windows flashing with sudden bright bursts of lightning.

  “It’s not that early,” he said, following my gaze.

  I scoffed. “You try almost burning yourself out and then getting up the next morning, see how you feel about it. Now, tell me what you want so I can go back to hibernating.”

  Lucie darted out of my room, sliding to a halt ten feet beyond Leo, staring at something only she could perceive.

  Leo and I both ignored her. “I want to update your bio-screen so when the numbers are confirmed, they’ll automatically sync for you. This way you won’t have to wait until tomorrow.”

  Heaving a dramatic sigh for effect, I said, “Acceptable, I suppose.”

  I shuffled the blankets until I managed to expose my left forearm, twisting so the screen was facing up. Leo held his tablet near and tapped a few times before my screen lit up. Leo typed in a code; it was one of the new safeguards now in place after someone had tried to hack it over two weeks ago. Now it wouldn’t connect to any device without the code, which only Leo and probably a secure server on company property knew.

  About a minute later, my bio-screen vibrated, signaling the update was complete.

  Leo and I both glanced down as I tapped it, checking out the new system sans data.

  “So. What am I looking at? I mean, some of it makes sense. But explain it to me anyways. Because it’s still so early.” I would die on this hill.

  Leo didn’t hesitate to dive right in. “Ability pool is going to be your calculated use of your ability. Like how we had divided the first set into different levels? The primary and secondary? This calculates them all together to create a single number, easier to keep track of.”

  “Got it. So I’m guessing the max is going to be whatever my daily limit is?”

  “Exactly. We’re keeping the reset to be every twenty-four hours, so twenty-four hours after you use your ability, that instance falls off. So you’ll never be at zero unless you go twenty-four without using it. The others, though, right here”—Leo pointed to where Strength, Constitution, and Intelligence were listed—“are going to fluctuate throughout the day and can positively or negatively affect your ability.”

  “How so?”

  Leo took a breath. “My father has been running tests the past several weeks, ever since he learned about the gamma. I’ve been a particularly frequent…participant. But we’ve learned our bodies process gamma radiation in specific regions. For us, with mental abilities, most of our gamma is going to end up in Intelligence, which is our brains, our central nervous system. Some other gamma will float around and leave residual amounts in the other two categories. The muscular-skeletal system we call Strength, and the other internal organs like heart and lungs that keep you healthy and alive are Constitution. The categories might change as we learn more, but it’s a starting point.”

  I frowned. “So the gamma level and physical condition are…what?”

  “When we use our ability, our body processes the gamma, right?”

  “Sure.”

  “So that level shows how much gamma your body is processing. Since it’s oh-so-early in the morning, I’ll break it down. It basically means that the bigger the number, the more that region of your body can process the gamma.”

  My mind jumped to conclusions, ignoring his snarky little jab. “Meaning, the bigger that number, the more my body can process, meaning the more I can use my ability? So that Ability Pool Maximum should increase when these other three do?”

  “Right. For us, Intelligence will have a bigger impact.”

  “And physical condition? How’s that tied in?”

  “Right now, you’ve gotten less than an optimal amount of sleep.” I tilted my head, pursing my lips together and raising an eyebrow at him. He took the hint and continued, “But that means it’s negatively affecting your ability to, well, use your ability.”

  “Maybe we should come up with a different word for it than ability,” I muttered.

  Leo considered. “We could call it magic.”

  I scoffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, okay. Because that won’t draw extra attention to it.”

  “What about talent?”

  “I have multiple talents,” I deadpanned. Reading a book in less than a day was a talent, right?

  He rolled his eyes. “Then I’m calling it magic, because why not. Anyways, because of your lack of sleep, there’ll be a negative modifier in that category, listed as a percentage.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “And how will that percentage be calculated? The bio-screens?”

  “Exactly. They’ll track your stats at all times, like heart rate and oxygen and such like it’s been doing, and adjust as necessary. So if you were to drink a cup of coffee, it could decrease the negative modifier for a little while.”

  I nodded, having to admit to myself that it all sounded…super fucking cool.

  “There’s other things I can do to increase those.” It wasn’t exactly a question; I knew the answer was yes. But Leo elaborated anyways like I knew he would.

  “Using your magic will increase your Level over time. Training your body will increase that Physical Condition bonus, or make you resistant to a negative modifier, kind of like an advantage. But it’s also the most prone to daily fluctuations.”

  “That’s…a lot of information,” I acknowledged. “But, moral of the story, once I get these numbers, watch them because they’ll tell me what I need to know.”

  Leo grinned and took a step back. “Yeah, basically. I’m sure it’s not a perfect system and will need tweaks—”

  “But it’s better than what we’ve been working with,” I finished. “Do you have those numbers yet?”

  Leo nodded, glancing down at his screen. “We’ve been using me as the dummy. But I’ll have to show you later. I’ve got to get to work. Crunching some numbers for an ungrateful little hellion today. Enjoy your beauty sleep.”

  I narrowed my eyes and flipped him off as he walked away. Leaving my door open so Lucie wouldn’t scream at the door to be let in, I made to climb back under my covers when my phone rang.

  I almost ignored it, because who in their right mind called me before seven in the morning, but I checked who it was anyways.

  Alex.

  My eyes closed without my say-so as I considered whether or not to answer.

  Things had been a bit tense between us these past two weeks. After I’d told him I was resigning from Hubert Industries, he’d grown a bit suspicious. He didn’t fully believe my reasons for leaving, for “jumping ship for the enemy” as he’d said in the heat of the moment.

  I picked up. Ignoring my boyfriend wouldn’t help solve anything.

  “Hey, everything alright?” I asked.

  “Yeah, no, it’s fine,” he answered. “Just wanted to catch you before you got to work.”

  “I’m actually off today.”

  “Oh? Did they fire you already?”

  “Funny.” I pulled my phone away to put it on speaker; my ear cuffs were too far away, and I didn’t feel like getting out of bed to put them on to continue the call hands-free. I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. “No, they didn’t fire me. I almost blew myself up, though.”

  “What?”

  “I’m fine,” I insisted. “I just did too much, got close to burning out. But hey, I can teleport other people, so that’s pretty cool.”

  “That’s…yeah, that’s cool.” A pause. “You promise you’re okay?”

  “Yes,” I insisted. “It was my own fault. I didn’t recognize the signs because I’ve never gotten close to burning out before. But now I know.” My arms had tingled the rest of yesterday, but thankfully calmed down enough for me to drop dead asleep at eight in the evening.

  Alex was quiet on the other end of the line.

  “You sure everything’s okay?” I asked again.

  “Yeah. I wanted to see how your first day went since we didn’t talk last night.”

  “I fell asleep pretty early,” I said.

  “That would make sense, since they almost had you kill yourself.” His tone had a teasing edge, but I heard the tension he was hiding underneath.

  I held back a sigh. We’d already had this discussion, in-depth, followed by other thinly-veiled comments ever since.

  “Well, since I’m off today, do you want to meet for lunch? I can show you the new stat system Leo came up with. It’s actually pretty cool.” Would bribery help him come to terms with my decisions? Maybe. I didn’t need him to agree that it was fine, good even, for me to work for Farley Tech to get my app up and running, but it would be nice having him on board and supportive.

  “That sounds nice. What are you going to do with your freedom until then? Read five books?”

  “You’re just hilarious today,” I said, heavy with sarcasm. “No, actually. I’m going to start apartment hunting.” Since apparently I was up for the day, I might as well make some progress in that department, even if I only managed to look online today.

  Farley Tech was paying me a salary large enough for me to move out, and I was itching to have my own space again. It had been a good idea at the time to move into Leo’s place so we could look out for each other, what with the whole terminal illness problem we’d had. Now that we were ‘cured’ or ‘evolved’ or whatever, it wasn’t necessary. While not paying rent was also nice, it wasn’t worth the mental struggle I went through on a daily basis. My heart missed my friend, but my brain would never completely forgive him for manipulating me like he had. Even though it all seemed to be working out, at least for one day, I couldn’t knowingly put myself in a situation to be taken advantage of again. It felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop now, a bomb that would blow up our friendship into a thousand broken shards that could never be repaired.

  Should something like that happen, I didn’t want to be scrambling to find a new place in the fallout. I could continue to play the polite and friendly roommate and coworker for a while, but it was wearing me down. What I wanted was to ignore Leo completely outside of work and pretend he didn’t exist in the same space as me. But if I did that, the man could make sure my app never saw the light of day. He didn’t strike me as someone who’d seek revenge, but it wasn’t worth the risk. There was a chance he’d get upset with me moving out, but I would come up with an argument explaining why it was necessary.

  I was already eyeing a few complexes that were situated about halfway between Farley Tech and Hubert Industries to keep things convenient. Today I’d start actual research into them. While I could never afford this type of apartment, something modest would be more than enough. And if I could find a two bedroom to have my own personal library? Heaven. Once that first paycheck hit, I’d be putting down a deposit on a place. I just needed to find one first.

  “Having roommate troubles?” Alex half-joked.

  “No,” I lied, then added honestly, “but the only reason I moved in with Leo was because of our LaShoul’s. Since we’re, you know, fine now, there’s no need. I like having my own space. Lucie isn’t the easiest roommate, and she keeps attacking his rugs and curtains.”

  “Well, if you’re feeling the itch to get out of there asap, you and Lucie welcome to stay with me for a bit. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough space for you to stay long-term, but we could put your stuff in storage or something in the meantime,” he offered.

  My arms stiffened around my legs and my jaw dropped as I scrambled to come up with an answer.

  “Um, that’s really sweet of you to offer. I, ah, hadn’t been planning on finding an interim place, so…” I swallowed and closed my eyes. “I’ll have to see how things go with this apartment hunting. If it’s going to be a long wait to get in, I might take you up on that. I hate to inconvenience you, though.”

  “I really wouldn’t mind,” he responded. Was it just my imagination, or did his voice sound a bit deeper? He cleared his throat and continued, “And I like cats. One of my friends, when I was a kid, had two. I’ve always thought about adopting one. It would give me an idea if I’d really be up for that or not.”

  “Well, maybe while I’m moving you can look after this heathen for me,” I suggested.

  “Sure,” he agreed easily. “And no pressure, either way. I’d love having you, but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or pressured. Okay?”

  “Okay. Thanks. I appreciate that, really.”

  “Good. So, where are we going to meet for lunch? I want to see these stats.”

  Objectively, it was far from perfect. The unit was outdated, the appliances a silver stainless steel versus the darker graphite color that was almost exclusively purchased by anyone with taste. My reflection stared back at me in the fridge door momentarily until the screen shifted, showing me the empty interior.

  “It’s a few models old,” Manuel explained, gesturing to the fridge. “You’ll have to keep an eye on your fruits and vegetables. It doesn’t create lists or search recipes for you, either, though it will tell you what you have left inside.”

  One of the tiles at the kitchen sink was cracked, though a rug could easily hide it. The handles on the cabinets looked worn, the shiny coating dulling in places, but it was a quick fix too. Replacing them would help give the place a facelift.

  Really, the entire apartment needed a facelift. The walls were an odd mix of tan and the lightest shade of gray or maybe covered in a layer of dirt? I wasn’t sure. The tiled and faux-wood floor were both neutral and boring. But some paint, a few rugs, new curtains? I’d have this place looking like new in no time, even if the bathroom had a gaudy silver sparkle accent on everything, including a strip of crackled mirror tiles at face-height in the shower. I’d be staring at my naked self whenever I wanted to get clean.

  The biggest downside was it wasn’t a two-bedroom like I’d hoped; the first searches online at a few complexes had thrown that option right out the window. But this apartment came with bookshelves on either side of the white-painted brick fireplace and enough space for me to figure out how to create my own little reading corner. I could hang curtains from the ceiling maybe, or create a half-wall of short bookshelves, or even just visually separate the space with some other idea. Being at the end of the hallway along the short side of the building, it had a wall of windows and a very long and somewhat narrow living space.

  However, I could probably afford this place. It’s location was great, and beneath me were seven floors of office space, meaning there would be no one below me to complain about Lucie practicing her parkour in the middle of the night. And since they’d been so willing to show it to me today gave the impression they wanted someone renting this space yesterday.

  “I like it,” I told Manuel. “It’s got potential.”

  He grinned, pleased. “You’re allowed to paint whatever colors you want, just no wallpaper or sticky tiles or anything like that.”

  “Really?” That made it so much more appealing. “Awesome. Okay. What’s the deposit on this place?”

  “So, because it’s not updated and has been empty for so long, deposit is waived.”

  My brows jumped to my hairline. “Why’s it been empty?”

  Manuel shrugged. “It’s not family-friendly, there’s no privacy if you have a roommate with the one-bedroom, but because of it’s location and square footage, it’s usually too pricey for most single people.”

  I eyed him. “You’re not going to add that someone was murdered here, right?”

  He smiled again. “No, no one was murdered here.”

  My hands rested on my hips. “Well, on one hand, it feels like a bad decision to get the first apartment I see. On the other, I think this place is perfect.”

  “Tough decision,” he agreed.

  I took a bracing breath. “Okay. Hit me. What’s the damage to my bank account?”

  Manuel rattled off a number, and explained that it included the utilities, though the laundry was located three floors above and was pay-by-load, or there was a laundromat service that would pick up, clean, and drop off the laundry. Tempting, but I wanted to build better habits, especially when it came to keeping up with my own laundry. Manuel added that parking in the garage was a monthly fee, but without a car that didn’t matter to me.

  I excused myself to check my account balance. I probably had enough for the first month’s rent already, but I’d also have to furnish this place, which could add up quickly. My fingers and toes were metaphorically crossed as I pulled up my banking app and logged in. The number stared back at me. It wasn’t enough to fully furnish the place immediately, but I could get away with just the basics like a bed and maybe a couch for now. Having less in it would also make painting the place easier.

  Turning, I nearly blinded Manuel with my smile.

  “After I sign, how soon can I move in?”