Winter break ended today, and the classroom buzzed with stories and laughter as everyone caught up after the holidays. Strangely enough, the entire class was present—perfect attendance, which was rare for us. Still, I was just happy to see everyone back. I sat at the front, going through the attendance list while we waited for our homeroom teacher to show up. "Dante?" I called out, noticing his seat was suddenly empty. He'd been here just a minute ago. I raised my voice slightly. "Has anyone seen Dante?" Heads turned toward me, most shaking in unison. Noah was the only one who spoke up. "He said he wanted to get some fresh air." I nodded, but then Ronan muttered something that wasn't exactly helpful. "That bastard's probably on the roof, smoking or hooking up with some freshman." I sighed, shooting him a look that said, Don't start something you can't finish. The last thing I wanted was Ronan getting into a fight with Dante's friends. "I'll be back in a minute. Axel, can you take over?" I handed him the papers. He smiled and nodded, and I made my way up the stairwell to the rooftop.
It took what felt like a dozen flights of stairs before I reached the door. I opened it slowly and peeked through. Sure enough, Dante was there—leaning against the railing, cigarette between his fingers like a scene from a movie. The daylight cast long shadows, and a cool breeze pulled at his jacket. I stepped forward silently, snatched the cigarette from his hand, and tossed it over the edge. He stared at me, mildly annoyed, but his signature smirk still tugged at the corner of his lips. "Are you out of your mind, Miss Class President?" I sat down on the table pressed against the railing, letting out a sigh. "You're out of your mind for destroying your lungs like that." He chuckled, then ruffled my hair like I was his favorite little sister or something. "I missed your nagging the most these past three weeks." I scoffed, but a small smile tugged at my lips despite myself. For a moment, we just watched the clouds drift across the bright sky, neither of us wanting to break the quiet.
Back downstairs, our homeroom teacher had arrived—and she wasn't alone. Standing beside her was a man who looked like he'd walked straight out of a war movie. Dressed in a crisp military uniform, tall and unreadable, he had striking eyes—brown, but with hints of green that caught the light. His face was flawless, sharp and symmetrical. A cap hid his hair, but even without seeing it, I could tell he was the most handsome man I'd ever laid eyes on. He introduced himself with crisp confidence: Commander Kai Riven. Or rather, Commander Riven.
Magnus was the first to say what we were all thinking. "What the hell is someone from the military doing here?" His voice was half-angry, half-curious. I turned my eyes to Commander Riven. His face stayed completely neutral, voice calm but firm. "I'm here to train you all to join our military forces." The class erupted in laughter. Nobody took him seriously. Whispers spread like wildfire, and a few students clapped sarcastically. But something about it didn't sit right with me. The air felt heavier, like the calm right before a storm.
"Why are we being trained?" I asked, standing up. My voice was steady, clear despite the knots twisting inside me. "Isn't that something you should've told us before?" "Yeah!" Tarek shouted. "Don't keep secrets from us!" Commander Riven didn't blink. "You're being trained to fight off creatures that came from another planet." More laughter. Louder this time. They thought he was joking. Dante wiped away a tear from laughing so hard. "You're a funny guy, Mr. Kai. But there are no 'aliens' here." I watched Riven's expression shift, just slightly—his brows narrowing. "Oh, so you don't consider the monsters that killed my colleagues creatures?" he said coldly. "The ones who slaughtered hundreds of innocent people? What would you call a monster then?" Silence fell like a blanket over the room.
He turned on the TV, and grainy footage began to play. It showed something attacking a person—a pink, twitching thing that moved too fast and too violently to be fake. A few girls screamed. Others claimed it was AI-generated. I stood up and raised my hand, shushing them. I turned to Commander Riven. "What exactly do you expect us to do? We're teenagers. We're not trained soldiers. You think we can kill those things?" It was the first time I'd ever raised my voice in front of the whole class. I didn't expect him to walk up to me. But he did—slowly, eyes locked on mine. He scanned my face, then my name tag, pinned crookedly to my shirt. "Private Flora Hong," he said calmly. "You don't seem to understand. This operation is happening across the entire country. You've already been enlisted."
His eyes held mine, intense and unreadable. For a second, everything else seemed to disappear—the classroom, the silence, the weight of everyone staring. I couldn't breathe. Until Dante stepped in, shoving his arm between us and pushing the Commander back slightly. "Whoa, whoa. Let's not get pervy here, alright?" His smirk was there, but this time, it looked forced. And his eyes—his eyes were darker than usual. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he looked jealous. But Dante? Jealous? Of someone he never dated, never even touched? No way.
I sat back down and stared at Commander Riven. I already hated his guts. Sana leaned in and rested a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry. He's probably just messing with us. And if he's not... he can't force us to join the military."
