[Scott's Penthouse 3rd POV]
Scott saw the abstract water sphere and was stunned.
"Wow," he exclaimed in shock.
Sarah noticed the sphere while Scott was still staring at it in disbelief. That explains it, she thought. She was surprised, assuming Scott had been hiding his ability.
But seeing the genuine surprise on his face, she realized he probably didn't know he had it—so she chose not to say anything.
After a few seconds, the water sphere popped and splashed into the swimming pool.
Julia came over after hearing the splash and noticed Scott's slightly wet clothes. She didn't say anything about it.
Instead, she asked, "Can we sleep in that bedroom?"
Scott replied, "It's kind of a hassle—going upstairs to sleep, then downstairs to eat."
Julia raised an eyebrow. "Because you're lazy."
Scott looked at her and said, "Because I lived alone, so there was no need for it."
Julia considered his words and nodded in agreement.
Scott then muttered under his breath, "Yes, because I'm lazy."
Julia heard him—but decided to let it slide.
After they finished talking, they agreed that Scott and Julia would sleep on the top floor, while Sarah would continue sleeping in her own room. They had dinner and went to bed.
The weekend passed without any incidents—just an ordinary, uneventful couple of days.
Scott told Sarah that he would take her home the following weekend. Meanwhile, Julia asked Scott if they could have a 'Samoan sex', but Scott declined, saying, "Maybe during summer vacation or some other time." Julia didn't press the issue.
[Monday]
Scott headed to school and met up with Mary along the way. They had made an agreement to walk together, since Mary didn't live far from the school and Scott passed by her apartment every day on his way.
They chatted about last week's test and made some light, casual conversation.
Once they arrived at school, they headed to class. The period began, and the teacher started handing out the test results. Mary ranked 1st in the class—and in the entire school—which didn't surprise anyone.
What did surprise everyone was that Scott ranked 2nd in the entire school. Most people probably assumed he had cheated.
From 161st out of 250... to 2nd out of 250.
Scott was stunned when he saw the results—but not entirely surprised.
The teacher announced that Scott came 2nd in Physics, but had tied with Mary for 1st place in the other subjects.
Scott looked over his test script and immediately saw where he had gone wrong. He simply let it go.
[Lunch Break]
In the cafeteria, Mary and Scott had just gotten their food and were heading to a table. Mary asked Scott which question he got wrong, and Scott replied,
"It wasn't questions—just one simple question:
'How many elements are in the periodic table?'"
"That's a basic question… Everyone knows it's 118," Mary said as she sat down. Scott did the same.
"Yeah… I wrote 124. Which is wrong," Scott said, shrugging his shoulders as he continued eating.
"Why 124? Where did the other elements come from? The periodic table is complete, right?" Mary asked, looking confused.
Scott looked at her and said,
"Mary, let me tell you something. There are things that exist and are known, things that exist and are unknown. But there are also things that don't exist yet are known, and things that don't exist and are unknown. You get me?"
"I asked about the periodic table, not the philosophy of life and death," Mary replied, rolling her eyes as she ate.
While they were talking, someone nearby overheard their conversation—and it triggered a memory from the past.
---
°In the middle of a battle, two sides were clashing violently. The person remembering this scene had once been part of the group fighting against a powerful individual.
"I think he's getting ready to attack—everyone, prepare yourselves," someone shouted, eyeing the lone figure across the field.
"Get to cover!" another voice yelled.
The opponent stepped forward, his aura—no, his mana—his presence—shifting colors with terrifying intensity.
"You think all of you are enough for me? No one is enough for me. You're all too weak!" the enemy roared, power radiating from him.
"Shit," someone muttered. "He's using more than one living element from the periodic table…"
"We're not in school. Focus," someone else snapped.
Just as the opponent launched his attack, the individual recalling the memory had jumped in front of it to protect the others—°
---
'So… there are six living elements', the individual thought to himself, quietly observing Mary and Scott from across the cafeteria.
While Scott and Mary were talking, a group of individuals appeared next to their table.
It was Ben and Jean's group.
They looked at Mary and Scott, but their eyes eventually settled on Scott. Jean spoke first.
"Hi, Scott."
"Hello," Scott replied without looking at her.
Jean, irritated by his dismissive response, smirked and said, "How's life after our breakup?"
Scott looked at her with a bored expression and replied, "Same as it's always been... LIFE."
Jean grew more irritated, while Mary laughed at Scott's response but quickly covered her mouth.
[A/N: Jean is irritating :-! ]
"I heard you found someone," Jean said to Scott. Everyone turned to look at him—Mary, Ben, and the others.
"And who might've told you that, if I may ask?" Scott replied sarcastically.
Jean, irritated, pulled out her phone.
"No one told me. I saw this," she said, holding the phone up to show him something.
The screen displayed a photo of a teen in school uniform kissing a woman in a red dress and heels, the woman shedding tears as she kissed him.
Scott looked at the photo and smiled.
Mary noticed Scott's smile and leaned over to see the picture for herself. She looked at it, and though she felt a twinge of sorrow, she smiled nonetheless.
"Yeah, and what of it?" Scott said, locking eyes with both Jean and Ben.
Jean became infuriated by his response.
"'What of it?' That's what you say? It hasn't even been that long since we dated."
"You're being partially irresponsible," Scott replied, pointing at Ben. "You got to sleep with my best friend while dating me—but I'm the one who's wrong for dating someone after you dumped me in public? That's crude."
"But this isn't—" Jean began, but Scott cut her off.
"But? There's no but. We dated. You dumped me. You chose my best friend. Me and you? We're the past. Now move on with your life. And leave me alone," Scott said, his voice harsh and final.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced from the past:
---
°Scott and Ben were walking down the street when they passed a poster of a missing person. They were chatting about girls and other things.
"Buddy, are you sure about her? I mean, she's good-looking and seems nice," Ben asked, watching Scott closely.
Scott just smiled, glowing with admiration.
"Yes, I'm sure. She's my dream girl. The way she moves, the way she smiles… and her VOICE—her voice is the sweetest thing I've ever heard."
"But she doesn't… she doesn't look that 'magnificent,'" Ben said hesitantly, concern in his voice.
"'Magnificent'?" Scott repeated, almost offended. "She's far more than perfect. She's gorgeous."
Ben gave up trying to convince him.
"She doesn't… Alright, buddy. I'll keep you safe. Follow your heart."°
---
Back in the present, Scott looked at Ben and called out, "Ben!"
Ben and his group turned to face him.
"I'm sorry. I should've listened to you back then," Scott said. "But I'm not letting you meet her."
Ben got the message. He nodded at Scott with a small smile, then turned and walked away.
So that's where I knew her from… Scott thought to himself, piecing together the memory.
>>End of School>>
Scott headed home but decided to take a detour to the restaurant where he had reunited with Julia—it had become part of his routine since his return.
He arrived at the restaurant and saw Julia sitting alone at a table with two plates of food. Scott knew immediately that the second plate was meant for him. He walked over, kissed her, and sat down.
Julia immediately asked how his day went, and the conversation began. Scott described his day as "the same as always" and mentioned the test results. Julia was surprised to hear that he tied with the smartest student in school and came second in Physics. Over the past week, Scott had told Julia about Mary and how smart she was. He had also mentioned Ben—but didn't say much beyond calling him his "best friend."
Julia told Scott about her day, which she described as boring. She said she had been job-hunting but hadn't had any success. No one wanted to hire her because she had dropped out of school. After several failed attempts, she gave up for the day and decided to wait for Scott at the restaurant.
While they were talking, a black van pulled up outside the restaurant. Several men in balaclavas, armed with guns, rushed in. They fired two shots into the ceiling, sending everyone in the restaurant into a panic. Terrified, the customers raised their hands in the air—everyone except Scott.
Scott didn't raise his hands. One of the robbers noticed this and pointed a gun directly at him. Scott visibly shivered but still didn't comply. Julia, alarmed, gestured frantically for him to do as they said—but Scott remained still.
In that moment, a memory of his older brother flashed through his mind—something from when he was very young.
[A/N: There's a lot of recalling in this Chapter]
___
°A young Scott and an older teen were playing games in the living room. It was just the two of them in the house—no one else around.
"Ahh, you always beat me, brother," young Scott said to the teen, clearly frustrated.
"I told you, Scotty. YOU. CAN'T. BEAT. ME," the teen replied with a grin.
Scott frowned, tears welling up in his eyes.
"It's not fair. You're older than me—you should let me win!"
"Nah-uh. Doesn't matter if I'm older. You still can't beat me, and I ain't letting you win."
"Why can't you just let me win? I'm your sibling—your little brother," Scott pleaded with teary eyes.
The teen suddenly turned serious.
"Would you let someone kill you, brother?"
Scott stopped crying, confused.
"Why would you say that? Of course I wouldn't let someone kill me."
"Exactly. Winning is victory. Losing is death and defeat. If I let you beat me, I'm admitting defeat. Raising your hands—that's the same as surrendering. And I don't surrender."
Scott stared at him, then asked,
"What happens when someone points a gun at you?"
The teen looked Scott straight in the eyes and said,
"Then you don't raise your hands—and you say to that person…"°
___
Scott looked at the person pointing a gun at him.
The man said, "Raise your hands, boy, or you die."
Scott stared at him and calmly replied,
"Why should I raise my hands for you? You're the one with the gun. You have the right to kill me—that's okay. You have the right to spare me—that's also okay. After all, my future is in your hands… literally."
The entire restaurant fell silent after Scott's bold statement.
[TO-BE-CONTINUE]