Tell me, do you think knowledge is power?
If you know something you don't know, then don't know something you know, is that insanity?
Virtually, insanity is when your head stops syncing with everyone else's version of reality. You're watching the same movie but the audio is out of place and the subtitles are in a language you don't even speak. You can't keep up, you can't act right, and you start drifting further from the world everyone else seems so sure is real.
So when I know I hate school but I don't know why I keep studying, am I virtually insane?
It's five in the morning on the first day of school. I'm seventeen, starting my first year in college—majoring in physics and tech. The condominium is close enough to campus, but not so close I can just roll out of bed and walk there.
Honestly, I'm tired. I don't feel like going to the opening ceremony. Maybe I'll just—
My phone buzzes loudly on the table.
Who the hell is calling me this early?
…Stacy.
Of course.
I swipe to answer. "What?"
"Heyyy, Faithhh! You up?"
"No. What do you think?"
She laughs. "I think you're still asleep."
"Wow. Sherlock."
"So grumpy and sassy this early in the morning!"
"And you're noisy and nosy this early in the morning."
"Anyways, you better attend the ceremony. Or else."
"Else what?"
"Else you might get cursed and have bad luck for the whole school year."
"Only a year?"
"Fine. Your whole life."
"It wouldn't change much, to be honest."
"Dramatic much? Faith, you hear me? Attend the ceremony."
"Who are you, my moth—"
Before I could finish, she hung up.
Eh… might as well attend.
I dragged myself out of bed, straightened the sheets, and shuffled to the tiny dorm kitchen. Breakfast was quick and uneventful. Just ate, rinsed, and done.
Then the bathroom routine: showering, brushing my teeth, applying deodorant. Just standard human maintenance.
Back in the room, I yanked the sanctioned uniform from the hanger, ironed it until it stopped looking like a crumpled crime scene, then gave myself a couple spritzes of perfume so at least I'd smell like I had my life together.
Shoes came next. Pulled them from the wardrobe, wiped the dust like I was erasing evidence, shined them, tied the laces.
There. I didn't feel ready for the day, but I could definitely trick people into thinking I was.
I stepped out of my unit; it's on the third floor, farthest from the stairs, because of course. Seven more units lined the hallway, probably full of other students heading to the same school.
There's an elevator in the building, but it's been out of service for weeks they say and still is today. So, stairs it is.
As I made my way toward the stairs, the door to the second-nearest unit burst open and a girl came rushing out—
—and slammed right into me.
"Sorry!" she blurted.
"It's fine, just… be careful."
Her eyes flicked to my uniform. "Hey, same school?"
"I dunno," I deadpanned.
She frowned. "Huh?"
"I mean… yes."
"Why are you in such a rush?" I added.
"I'm late—late for the ceremony."
"It's only 6:30 in the morning."
"What?"
"What?" I echoed, just as confused.
She stared at her phone. "It's still 6:30?? My alarm said it was almost eight!"
"Ever thought of double-checking?"
"Okay, but wouldn't you panic too?"
"I mean… not really. I'd just rather be late than run around."
She huffed. "Well, you and I are different people. I'm me, so I'd do what me would do."
"And what's the name of 'me'?"
"Hah?"
I sighed.
"Oh—Felicity."
"How about you?"
"Faith."
"Faith, uhh… mind waiting for me?"
"I should probably prepare a bit more," She said.
"Wait for me—let's walk to school together?"
I scratched my head, weighing whether I actually wanted company this early.
"…Sure. No problem."
Poker face.
It's been a while now, and she still hasn't invited me inside her unit. I mean, I can't blame her—we just met, practically strangers. But still… the decent thing would've been to offer, and I'd decline.
Finally, her door creaked open.
"Sorry, took me forever to get ready," Felicity blurted, hair a little wild.
"It's fine," I said flatly.
"Should we go now?"
"Sure."
As we started walking, she glanced over. "Oh right, what year are you?"
"First. You?"
"Third."
She froze mid-step. "Wait—you're younger than me?"
"How old are you?"
She smirked. "You should never ask a woman her age. Especially that bluntly."
I stared at her.
She sighed. "Fine. I'm twenty. What about you?"
"Seventeen."
Her jaw dropped. "What??"
"I skipped a year."
"Oh, so you're some kind of prodigy?"
I sighed. "Maybe."
"What's your major?"
"Physics and engineering. Both."
She gasped theatrically. "Ohhh, Mr. Special."
"Funny. What about you?"
"Biochem."
I scoffed. "Eh."
Her brow furrowed. "Why 'eh'?"
"Nothing. Just that you're a—"
"A klutz?" she interrupted herself.
"…Yeah."
She grinned. "You can't really blame me, can you?"
"I can. And I do."
"Can this, can that," she shot back, "how about you can these nuts?"
I blinked. "You're really twenty years old?"
"And you're really seventeen? Lighten up."
"Ever seen me laugh?"
"No."
"Wanna know why?"
"Why?"
"Because you're not funny."
She clutched her chest. "Ouch. Straight to the heart."
I stopped and pointed ahead. "At least we're only two blocks from campus now."
"Wow, thanks for pointing that out—it's not like I've been here for three years already."
"Ever heard of a rhetorical statement?"
"That wasn't rhetorical. That was a fact."
"You getting smart with me?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
We halted at the crosswalk as the pedestrian light flipped red.
"Hey," Felicity said out of nowhere.
"What?"
"You have a signature?"
I frowned. "No. Isn't that supposed to be rare?"
"Yeah," she shrugged, "but most people who end up on this island are psions, signature holders… or at least have some kind of special talent."
"Don't tell me, Felicity…" I narrowed my eyes. "You possess a signature?"
"Nope. That's scary."
"So, a psion?"
"Still no."
"Then—"
She cut me off with a grin. "I can analyze chemical compounds with just my naked eye."
I blinked. "…That's not creepy at all."
The light turned green. Neither of us moved.
"We forgot to cross," Felicity muttered.
"And whose fault is that?"
"Yours."
"Really?"
"Yes. Really."
"Hey." I pointed at a black cat slinking by. "Look. A cat that's black."
"And?"
"It proves how unlucky I am for meeting you."
She smirked. "Never pegged you as someone who believes in superstition."
"I don't. But it doesn't hurt to hope luck exists."
"By that logic, I must be pretty lucky."
"How so?"
"I met you this morning."
"Flattering. Thanks. But I'll pass on the flirting."
"So, uh…" Felicity slowed her pace. "Please tell me I'm not seeing things."
I followed her gaze. A black cat sat under a car, and the car was floating a few inches above the ground.
My eyes lit up. "No way. An animal psion?"
She gave a short, dry laugh. "Perfect. Just what we needed."
My body moved before I even thought about it, pulled by pure excitement. I rushed toward the cat. Felicity groaned and chased after me.
"What do you think you're doing, Faith?"
"Cat. Psion. Must have."
"Stop talking like an idiot."
"Sorry. I'm just excited."
"You like cats that much?"
She followed up as shot me a look. "Shouldn't you be more worried than excited?"
"Then you can do the worrying. I'll handle the psion part."
"This guy, we just met."
"This girl, such a worrywart," I shot back.
When we reached the cat, I crouched low, ready to snatch it. But the moment I lunged, the ground slipped away beneath me. Just like the car, I was hovering in the air.
"That's what you get!" Felicity yelled, grinning at my struggle.
"…Ah," I muttered flatly.
"What do I do now?" I muttered under my breath.
"Well, you could start by being calm—" Felicity began.
"Can't you see? I'm as calm as I can be."
She shot me a look. "Right. Forgot you're that nonchalant guy."
"Wow," I said flatly.
"Please help," I added, glancing at her.
Before Felicity could reply, a muffled voice called from the hovering car. "Hey, kid, you okay?"
I looked up at the man inside, gripping the steering wheel.
"Yeah…" I answered.
"Don't worry, I already called the response team," he said, trying to sound reassuring.
"Okay. Thanks."
"Heard that, Felicity. Don't do anything stu—" I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed her crouching, hands out, trying to calm the cat.
"Hey!" I yelled. "Be careful!"
She ignored me, leaning closer. "Pspspspsps…"
"Come here, kitty."
To my surprise, the cat actually started to calm down. Little by little, it padded toward her, its tail swaying gently.
"Meowww."
"Who's a good kitty?" Felicity cooed.
The cat crept closer, its tail swaying side to side. Step by step, until it was finally within her reach.
"Yes, you are," she whispered, gently brushing its head with her hand.
As the cat finally eased into her touch, the invisible weight around us lifted, setting me free from its telekinesis.
The car dropped back to the ground with a heavy thud, suffering only a few dents.
The driver scrambled out, eyes darting between me and the vehicle.
"Kid, you okay?"
I had landed hard but caught myself with my hands, still a little shaken.
"Yeah… I'm fine," I managed, brushing off the dust.
I pushed myself to my feet just as the response team arrived. They immediately started speaking with Felicity, who was crouched down, gently playing with the cat.
"Miss, are you alright?" one of them asked.
"I'm fine. But you should check on the cat too," she replied, stroking its head.
"Is it okay if we examine you, just in case?"
"No need, really. I'm fine. The cat, though… it might be sick."
"We'll take care of it," the responder said reassuringly.
"Actually," Felicity hesitated, "would it be alright if I looked after the cat instead?"
"You can," he said after a pause, "but only after we finish the safety checks."
"And you'll need to handle some paperwork," another added. "Your background will be reviewed."
"Plus, you'll have to bring it in for check-ups. Monthly, at the very least."
"That way the cat, you, and everyone else will stay safe."
"Yes, yes, I'm very aware of all that," she said quickly, eyes fixed on the cat with a small smile.