Once the final bell rang, I quickly gathered my thoughts, mentally preparing the speech I had rehearsed for this moment. Mr. Drails escorted me into the school building, and I immediately scanned the corridors to see if anyone was around.

  At this time, the hallways were mostly deserted, likely because everyone was either at lunch or heading to their next classes. I casually made my way toward the cafeteria, keeping a watchful eye out for any sign of my friends.

  As I entered the cafeteria, I spotted Tisiah and Nikki sitting together, deep in conversation. I couldn't help but feel a surge of discomfort just being near them, the weight of our recent tension hanging between us.

  I let out a heavy sigh, trying to shake off the sour feeling, but it was hard to stay upbeat when they seemed to hold a permanent grudge against me.

  I slowly walked over to them, running the conversation I had planned through my head.

  "Uh—guys," I began, trying to catch their attention.

  Tisiah's eyes narrowed. "Oh... brother..." he sighed with a mix of surprise and disdain.

  Oh, great. That was awful. But I managed to keep my composure. "Hey, um..." I said, forcing a smile, "I had an idea that could maybe get us off the blacklist sooner than before."

  They both looked at me, and for a brief moment, they burst into laughter. Tisiah's cheeks turned pink, while Nikki had become an organic tomato straight from Fry's from laughing so hard.

  "Seriously, I’m not joking," I said, trying to sound serious despite the awkward situation. Their laughter gradually stopped, and Nikki wiped her eyes, looking at me with disbelief.

  "Wait, are you for real?" she asked, her tone skeptical.

  I nodded, feeling a bit more confident. "Yes. The best way to prove ourselves and get off the blacklist is by showing we can successfully complete a mission—on our own terms."

  Tisiah shot me a doubtful look. "He left us off the mission—how are we supposed to even get back into the game?"

  "We'll take matters into our own hands," I said, feeling a surge of resolve. "No need for his approval."

  They both fell silent, surprised by the boldness of my suggestion. The expressions on their faces softened, a mixture of intrigue and curiosity replacing their earlier anger. Those wide-eyed looks made me feel oddly reassured.

  "Connor. What in God's green earth makes you think he'll remove the blacklist if we disobey his orders, if the reason why we're here is because we disobeyed his orders?" Nikki exclaimed, her voice filled with alarm.

  "Well, what else could you do? It's something we could try," I quipped with a grin.

  "Bet," Tisiah declared without hesitation.

  Nikki glanced over at her, a worried look on her face. "What do you mean, ‘Bet’? What if we get expelled?"

  Tisiah shrugged, looking unconcerned. "What’s at stake? It’s not like we’re going to be walking across the graduation stage anytime soon anyway."

  "I guess you’re right," Nikki conceded with a sigh. "You better thank Tisiah for that."

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  With that, we all nodded in agreement, but the next step was figuring out how to deal with Malachi and September.

  Malachi was the one I feared most.

  "Any idea where Malachi is?" I asked, my nerves tightening at the thought of confronting him.

  Tisiah seemed unfazed. "He’s probably at his favorite workout spot, punching bags and blowing off steam."

  "Right. Catch you all later," I said, already making my way toward the training center.

  I raced through the building, my footsteps echoing in the hallways as I reached the training center, which was eerily quiet. The only sound was the rhythmic thud of punches landing on a punching bag.

  There he was—Malachi, clearly in the zone. His fists were moving fast and powerful, each punch landing with the kind of force that made me wonder if I could ever measure up.

  "Hey, uh, Malachi?" I called out, my voice hesitant.

  He didn’t stop. He merely glanced over, giving me a quick once-over before returning his attention to the bag. But then, without warning, a punch came flying toward me.

  I barely had time to dodge it, my heart racing as I barely avoided his attack.

  "Looking for trouble?" Malachi said with a smirk, his voice dripping with challenge.

  I shook my head, trying to remain calm. "I’m not here to fight. I just want to talk, okay?"

  Malachi paused, letting out a chuckle that didn’t sound at all amused. His anger was palpable, but I pushed on.

  "I get it," I said, "You’re upset. But I’ve got a plan to get us out of this mess, and I think you’ll want in."

  Malachi stopped, eyes narrowing. "Are you on the blacklist too?"

  "Well, not exactly," I said, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "What I’m suggesting is that we take matters into our own hands. No need for Mr. Drails’ approval. If we can show we can handle a mission ourselves, we might be able to get our status reinstated."

  He stopped, staring at me as he processed what I’d said. Then, without another word, he turned back to the punching bag, delivering a powerful blow. He paused, sighed, and then turned back to me, his presence now even more intimidating.

  "Alright, here’s the deal," he said. "Your Perk caught my attention. I’m game to see what you’ve got." He stepped closer, his fists already clenched, ready for a fight. "Win, and you keep your last name a secret. Lose, and you spill the beans."

  I blinked, confused. "Wait, what? What exactly are you trying to say?"

  Malachi smirked. "You’ll see. Are you in, or are you chicken?"

  I tried to shake off my unease and squared my shoulders. "Fine. I’m in."

  With that, Malachi slipped off his boxing gloves and launched himself toward me.

  We clashed, the sounds of our fists colliding filling the air. I relied on my agility, dodging and weaving, trying to land a hit, but Malachi was quick—too quick. It was like I was constantly a step behind, each movement a blur as I struggled to keep up.

  Then, in a split second, I saw my chance. I threw a punch, catching him off guard. It landed solidly, but just as quickly, Malachi evaded and retaliated. My attempt to dodge was too slow, and I was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall.

  "Ha!" he shouted, clearly enjoying himself. "No one hides this much for no reason..."

  I slowly pushed myself up, feeling dazed. My head was spinning, but I wasn’t giving up. I got to my feet and charged at him, landing another punch, this time to his nose. The crack of it breaking echoed in the training room.

  He hit the ground hard, groaning in pain. I stood over him, breathing heavily, trying to catch my breath.

  "Do you want to keep going?" I asked, a grin tugging at my lips.

  Malachi, despite his pain, grinned back. "I’m ready for round two," he said, getting up and rolling his shoulders.

  Before we could continue, I noticed a figure in the doorway. It was Mr. Drails. "What are you guys doing?"

  Malachi and I paused, turning toward him. "We were just honing our skills," I said quickly, trying to brush it off.

  Mr. Drails raised an eyebrow. "Honing skills, huh?" he said, his tone dry as he walked out. "Well, check your email. Construction's on it tomorrow."

  As soon as the door closed, I felt Malachi's grip on my neck tighten. He yanked me forward, ready for more, but I was exhausted. My energy was flagging, and my focus was slipping. But I wasn’t backing down.

  "You think you're going to walk away with this?" he challenged.

  I struggled against him, pushing with everything I had. "Hoping so..." I said through gritted teeth.

  Malachi’s eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that." He lunged, but I had just enough left to evade his attack.

  With one last strike, I managed to land a blow that sent him reeling, and as he collapsed, I looked down at him, feeling a rush of adrenaline.

  "Not bad," Malachi said between gasps, his voice filled with grudging respect. "You’ve got some fight in you."

  I nodded, trying to catch my breath. "You too."

  Just then, a smile tugged at his lips. "So, about that last name—"

  "It's Drails," I said, cutting him off. He blinked, clearly surprised.

  "Wait, you're part of the Drails family?" he asked.

  I nodded. "Yeah. He’s my uncle."

  Malachi’s expression shifted, his curiosity piqued. "So how do you have a Perk? I thought it was only passed down in the immediate family."

  I hesitated, then shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe there’s more to it than we thought."

  Malachi smiled, giving me a slap on the back. "Sure. Sure."

  We left the training center together, heading back to our classes.