Jim’s alarm clock screamed at him. He groaned and smacked it off the nightstand. “W-where am I?” Jim muttered, staring at the ceiling. Jim looked around the room, then he noticed. “A-am I in my old house?”

Birds chirped in the morning light- cranes shook somewhere in the distance. Someone’s voice cut through the peace, but Jim knew the voice from somewhere. “ Jim! Time for school!” she called from downstairs.”

Jim sat up, rubbing his face, thinking he was in a dream.“M-mom?” Jim looked confused, thinking he was hallucinating. Footsteps pounded up the stairs. Jim barely had time to react before his mom was at my door, with a thermometer in her hand.

“MOM!” he said, with a loud and happy voice. Jim ran, hugging his mom. “Jim? Are you okay?” his mom asked. Jim pushed away, trying to stay cool. “Y-yeah, I’m just sick. What year is it?” His mom looked confused. “It’s 3025.”

Jim looked confused back. But in the corner of her eye, Jim’s mom saw a thermometer. “If you're not at 38ºC, you’re going to school.” Jim put it in his mouth- focusing hard to get it to 40ºC.

The thermometer’s numbers shot up past 500ºC. His mom didn’t even blink. “What did I say about using your powers at home?” Jim tilted his head, confused. “How do you know?” Jim’s mom sighed and dropped Jim’s backpack in front of his door.

She walked out, already exhausted by Jim. He dragged himself downstairs, and the thought of his mom being alive lifted his mood. His mom stood by the stove, flipping pancakes with a tired expression. "Eat up,” Mom said, sliding a plate in front of him.

I stabbed at my eggs with a fork. “How are you?” Jim asked. “That’s new from you- I’m good.” New from me? Jim thought for himself. His stomach wasn’t in it, though. Something felt… off. The air felt heavier than usual.

His skin tingled like something was about to happen. The ground rumbled slightly. His mom froze, spatula in hand. Then, the rumbling stopped. She exhaled. “Probably construction.” "Yeah. Probably." But Jim wasn’t so sure.

He stepped outside. “Bye, Mom!” He adjusted his backpack and started to walk to school. The morning felt colder than usual, which was weird because, well… he’s never cold. Ever. As Jim turned the corner, he spotted them... Jake and his gang.

Jake, the school’s biggest jerk, cracked his knuckles and grinned when he saw Jim. “Well, well, if it isn’t Jim.” Jim rolled my eyes. “Well, you’re still here. " Jake stepped in front of Jim, arms crossed. “What’s the rush? We just wanna talk.”

His friends chuckled behind him. Jim clenched my fists, trying to keep his emotions in check. No one could know about his powers. “Move,” Jim said, annoyed. Jake smirked. “Or what? You gonna... ”

A massive explosion rocked the city. The sky flashed orange, and a shockwave sent them all staggering back. A fireball erupted in the distance, a pillar of smoke rising from downtown. Car alarms blared. People screamed.

Jake and his gang bolted without another word. But Jim just stood there, staring at the burning skyline. His heart pounded. Because he knew... this was no accident. And this time, Jim didn’t have a necklace to save him.

“Mom took my necklace, so I couldn’t use my powers! Well, I can use some of my powers, but my necklace holds most of my powers.” Jim began running so he could get momentum for his powers.

“Meteor flight!” Jim screamed before a meteor came up to my feet. “WOOHOO!” Jim screamed with joy, flying through the air, but it didn’t last. Jim landed downtown, his feet scraping across the cracked pavement as he came to a hard stop.

Smoke billowed up into the sky, thick and choking. People ran past him, panic in their eyes, but he couldn’t take his focus off the burning skyline. It was like the whole city was going up in flames, but this wasn’t an accident.

This wasn’t just another explosion. Jim scanned the chaos around him, his heart racing as the ground vibrated under his feet. He looked up, his eyes scanning the wreckage. And then, in the midst of it all, Jim saw it.

The glowing blue orb. “That’s it!” Hovering just above the ground, casting a faint light through the smoke. The one thing that could help him save everyone... or at least that’s what he thought.

Jim took a step toward it, his pulse quickening as he approached the orb. It was just sitting there, surrounded by debris. But Jim couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. His instincts screamed at him to stay back, but Jim couldn’t help himself.