Chapter 4

The day slipped away like sand through an hourglass. Michael and Trent retreated to Michael's place, where they immersed themselves in games, laughter, and the easy camaraderie of friendship. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the doorbell chimed—a jarring interruption to their leisurely afternoon.

"Who is it at this time?" Michael grumbled, still half-asleep as he shuffled toward the door. Trent's voice cut through the haze: "Dude, it's Monday. We're supposed to go to school."

"I must've overslept. I'll meet you there," Michael mumbled, waving Trent off. His energy levels were nowhere near Trent's perpetual high. "How do you have this much energy when we both stayed up late?" he wondered aloud.

"Meh, you get used to it," Trent jested, brushing off the fatigue. He headed to school, leaving Michael to his morning rituals. As Michael dressed, his gaze fell on Navi, the navigation device. "Just to be safe, I'll take it with me," he decided, slipping it into his pocket.

The school bell tolled, and Michael barely made it to class. His desk mate noticed something amiss. "Dude, is something wrong with your eyes?" he asked during home language period.

"What do you mean?" Michael replied, puzzled.

"Your pupils look like one of those pictures of an exploding star. All pretty-like," his desk mate described. The realization hit Michael like a lightning bolt—his powers might teleport him again. Anxiety crept in, and he eyed his surroundings warily.

Morning classes ended, and Michael joined his friends by the soccer field during break. "Hey, what's up with your eyes?" Life asked, concern etching his features.

"I don't know. I feel normal, though," Michael replied, even though he was far from it. His pupils held the cosmos within, a secret he couldn't share. Tsundzu, another friend, brushed it off. "He's probably wearing contacts," he suggested.

"Really? Where'd you get those?" Life probed.

"I don't remember. Bought 'em online," Michael deflected, keeping his newfound abilities hidden.

Saturday arrived, and the week had passed uneventfully for Michael. His eyes, however, bore a permanent transformation—a cosmic green hue that defied explanation. "I really can't get a handle on these powers," he mused, sitting cross-legged in his quiet room. "One day, I start teleporting, and now my eyes change color. Sigh."

Navi, the navigation device, lay on the table, its secrets unlocked. Michael had mastered its intricacies, and the translation chip embedded in him was no longer a mystery. But his newfound abilities remained elusive.

"At least I've got a handle on how Navi operates," he reflected, closing his eyes, to mediate, the training method Michael used throughout the week to learn about his powers. The room faded, replaced by a void of darkness and the soft glow of Michael's body. Michael stood, feeling as though he occupied two realms simultaneously. "It's like I'm still in my room, yet not," he marveled.

Cosmic green energy enveloped him, and he marveled at the sensation. Raising his hand instinctively, he waved his palm, and the environment shifted. Back in his room, but the shimmering cosmic-green glow persisted enveloping his body. "This is so cool," Michael whispered, a step closer to understanding his powers.

"Ok, now let's try..." he began, but a sudden awareness interrupted him. "Huh, it feels like someone is coming." His vision pierced the walls, revealing his sister, Penelope, and her husband, Njabulo, entering the apartment.

"We're back!" Penelope announced, unaware of the cosmic spectacle that unfolded within Michael's eyes.

"It's 1 pm; he's probably at Trent's house," Njabulo stated, referring to Michael's absence. Emerging from his room, Michael defended himself. "And who told you that?" he challenged playfully. "And here I was waiting tirelessly for you," Michael teased, the two sharing a knowing smirk.

"Well, this is a surprise," Njabulo continued, the banter flowing easily. "I told you he'd be here; you owe me," Penelope chimed in, revealing their playful bet. Michael interjected, amused by their antics. "You guys made a bet on whether I'd be home or not."

"Well, it's not like you're always home on weekends," Njabulo retorted, feigning sulking. "I lost 100 Rand because of you," he added, and the room erupted in laughter as Penelope and Njabulo settled in.

"By the way, what's with your eyes?" Penelope asked, her curiosity piqued by Michael's cosmic gaze. "Umm, do you like how they look on me?" Michael replied, masking the truth.

"No, they make you look weird," Penelope retorted, unfiltered honesty in her words. She settled on the sofa, turning on the TV. Meanwhile, Njabulo joined the conversation, as Penelope was questioning Michael's lack of phone responses over the weekend.

"I... didn't see your messages till Sunday," Michael explained, keeping his secret intact. Njabulo, ever the practical friend, suggested, "He was probably playing games all day. I think you should give it a rest."

Michael nodded, going along with Njabulo's reasoning. "Yeah, that's what happened," he agreed. But then, a new topic surfaced. "By the way, Trent's brother was looking for you," Michael revealed. "He said something about a breakthrough and said you'll understand."

Njabulo's excitement was palpable. He sprang up from the sofa. "Oh, really? I gotta go. I'll be right back." And with that, he dashed next door, leaving Penelope and Michael to wonder.

"What was that about?" Penelope asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I don't know. It's probably nothing important," Michael shrugged. "I'm going back to my room." And with that, he retreated, leaving behind the warmth of their small reunion.

Monday morning dawned, and Michael sensed an otherworldly shift. "What's this feeling?" he wondered aloud, walking the streets heading t school. Suddenly, everything turned black, and his cosmic-green eyes glowed. "It feels like someone is calling for help."

The environment shifted back to normal, and Michael found himself at school. He placed his bag on his table and headed toward the school toilet. The surroundings shifted again, and he groaned. "Ugh, what is this? Fine!" he yelled, securing Navi in his pocket. Michael willed himself to teleport, and in an instant, he was aboard a spaceship, surrounded by guards.

"Another one! Capture him!" one of the guards shouted in an unfamiliar language. They seized Michael and threw him into a prison cell, where he found another person already confined.

"Hey, your eyes—they're a different color, but they seem similar to mine," Michael observed, unaware of the what just happened.