Alex’s blood rushed as he opened his closet and pushed away his clothes to reveal the outfit he had been putting together over the weekend. In the dead of night, the clicking of hangers together sounded like smacking rocks together, and just opening the door had been like a massive vault being cracked open. He paused for a moment, making sure no one was awake. His mother usually got up to use the bathroom around now, but it seems tonight was an exception. He took the stash of clothes onto his bed and laid them out. It felt like the complete opposite of when he would get ready for school in the morning. God forbid, he’d be going nowhere near the city tonight. He grabbed the waist of his pajama bottoms, but stopped, deciding that he could use the extra insulation in the cold Chicago night. Slowly, as to not make any noise, he put on the outfit he’d come up with.

  Some black pants Alex’d found in a Goodwill, both comfortable and with large pockets. A pair of grey hiking boots his father had wanted to give away after a year of use, but Alex had kept, knowing they would be perfect for this. A Doctor Who tee with a blue base, random to anyone else but for him it felt perfectly on the nose. A light blue windbreaker he half zipped, he liked it and they didn’t call it the Windy City for nothing. He’d expected this to be harder without any light, but it was just a bit slower than usual.

  And finally, as any good superhero would, Alex put on a mask. But not something someone like Spider-Man had. For him, he had a scarf, and stared in the mirror with it over his mouth. It was the first time he’d actually put it on, but it didn’t feel right. He couldn’t describe it, something was just off. So he took the scarf off and rummaged around for something else. Eventually, he did end up finding the Captain America costume he was going to wear this Halloween. He felt the inside of it, and flipped it inside out to hide the star.

  Alex put the cowl on, and then looked back in the mirror. He looked… cool. He could feel his heart pounding as he checked himself out, even trying the pose Cap did on those old war films from history class, raising his arm as he holding up a shield and putting the other hand on his waist. He couldn’t help but smile.

  He then found a small drawstring bag to bring supplies he’d stashed before pretending to go to bed. A bottle of water, obviously, some cash in case he ever needed to spend it totaling $103.43, a roll of tan bandages, a tube of antibiotic cream, bug repellent, a phone charger and plug, a portable battery, an umbrella, a pack of baby wipes, about a dozen zip ties, a flashlight, and a notebook labeled “Deerfield Case” in case he ever found something pertaining to its contents.

  Slinging the bag on his back, Alex went over to is window. He looked down, he said NOT want to jump down two stories. So he went over to his bedroom door. The only way out of his house would be the front door. But that then came with risk. His dad woke up before the crack of dawn for his job. If Alex came home too late, he’d be caught red handed. Then again, it WAS possible to sneak past him. He certainly could, but he didn’t like using his powers like that, especially around his father like that. But it wasn’t like he had any other options.

  So Alex took a deep breath and snapped his fingers. The breeze of the vent in his room stopped, and the raccoon about to rummage through his neighbor’s garbage stopped moving as the flow of time came to a sudden and seamless halt. He opened the door, and walked to the stairs. Thanks to his powers, no one would hear a thing. He got downstairs, and felt his way through the anteroom to the door. He turned the knob to unlock the door, and slowly opened the door to leave. He then closed the door behind him, putting in the passcode to unlock the locking mechanism, turning the lock shut when the keypad flashed green. He looked down at his watch, he saw that it was 11:44. He snapped his fingers, and the eerie not-so-quiet of night filled his ears, and the time changed over to 11:45. *Three hours* he thought to himself, *three hours of this and I go home, that should give me enough time to sleep before school tomorrow.* He really should have done this on Saturday night instead of Sunday night. At least then he would have not had to worry about getting enough sleep to get up early. But that was behind him, he was committed, and he began walking into his first night of being a superhero.

  After half an hour of walking, Alex wished he got flying instead of being able to pause time. It started making sense why Captain America had a motorcycle. Also, he realized he’d overestimated his ability to get anywhere, since after only half an hour he’d only reached the Eden Expressway. His original plan of walking to Deerfield and helping whoever he found along the way seemed more and more unrealistic. At best, he’d get there by 2AM. So Alex stopped at the curb, and hailed a cab.

  After a few minutes, one arrived and pulled over for him. The driver put down the passenger window and asked, “Whereto?” He either hadn’t registered what Alex was wearing or decided to ignore it in the name of a speedy interaction. “Deerfield High School.” Alex requested, getting into the back seat as the driver turned on his fare counter and began to drive. After some quiet driving, the driver finally decided to strike up conversation.

  “So what’s with the outfit, you some sorta superhero?” He asked.

  “Yeah,” Alex responded simply.

  “But like an actual superhero, not just some dork running around with a mask?” The driver asked, since Alex’s getup wasn’t exactly professional.

  “Yep, superpowers and all.” Alex responded, his confidence boosted by the admission.

  “Hope it’s something useful. I tell you, this city needs some superheroes.” The driver began to complain.

  “Yeah I get’cha.” Alex responded, sharing the sentiment.

  “I mean, why do all the cool superheroes gotta be everywhere else? You got the Avengers, Spider-Man, and the X-Men in New York, Black Panther’s in Africa, the Thunderbolts are on the West Coast. What about us?” The driver began, clearly having thought about this for a while.

  “I get’cha.” Alex repeated, unsure how else to respond.

  “So you gonna protect the city and give us some superhero rep?” The driver asked, clearly already putting Alex’s superhero persona on a pedestal.

  “Uh… I’ll try.” Alex shyly answered, uncomfortable with the sudden perceived burden of responsibility to his city.

  “Try? What’s your thing?” The driver pushed.

  “My thing?” Alex asked.

  “Your thing, your power, your gimmick, whatever they’re called. What is it?” The driver clarified.

  “Oh, well I can pause time with the snap of my fingers.” Alex answered, trying to make it sound normal. When it wasn’t, even for him to an extent.

  The driver was silent for a moment, wrapping his head around it. “So you can just make everything stop for as long as you want?” He finally asked.

  “Pretty much,” Alex answered.

  “...That’s actually not a bad power.” The driver complimented.

  “Oh, thanks.” Alex said back, taken aback by the compliment.

  “Alright, so you can pause time. What’s your name?”

  Alex went silent. *crap* he thought to himself, he’d never picked out a name.

  “Um… working on it.” He finally answered.

  “Working on it? You put together a whole get up, went out to fight crime, and you never thought of a name?” The driver asked, incredulous.

  “It just kind of slipped my mind, I was focused on other stuff.” Alex admitted, he really was.

  “Alright, well I may not be the smartest guy, but I DO know that branding is hella important. So think of something fast.” The driver advised him insightfully.

  “I already am,” Alex agreed, already ruling out “Snapshot” as a hero name.

  “So why you going to Deerfield?” The driver finally asked.

  “Independent investigation,” Alex answered, trying to sound as professional as a 16 year old could, “I heard about a girl who went missing a few days ago. I tried asking around last week, but didn't get much. Figured I’d find more if I checked around the school.”

  “Not bad for a first timer. You know if it was her being taken or something?” The driver commented.

  “I’m not sure, she was around m-” Alex began, then stopped himself. Probably not the best idea to give away he wasn’t an adult. “She was a junior.”

  “Well good luck, last thing this city needs is someone snatching young people off the streets.” The driver grimly offered.

  “I’m hoping it’s nothing like that, but thank you.” Alex responded.

  The cab then stopped and Alex looked out to see Deerfield High School. He looked at the fare counter: $42.19.

  “Oh wow, that’s a lot.” Alex realized, looking into his bag.

  “Hey don’t worry about it. I’ll give you a hero discount.” The driver offered, “Just gimme a 20.”

  “Wow, really?” Alex asked, surprised.

  “Sure.”

  Alex then pulled out a $20 bill and handed it to the driver. “Thank you.” He said, getting out of the cab.

  “Good luck with your investigation.” The driver said, driving off and leaving him at the school.

  Alex walked up the front door of the school, jiggling the handle to find it locked. He scanned the windows for a way in, only to be met with nothing. Despite having superpowers and a bag of supplies, he was beaten by a high school security system. He looked down at his watch, 12:13, had to get in and out to make it home. He thought about ways to get inside, and took out his iPhone 5 and opened the Safari app to look up, “how to pick a lock for beginners.” Only to realize, as the search results loaded, that the doors had no visible locks to pick. He went over to the windows, no way to shimmy them open. Clearly, a master infiltrator he was not.

  He walked over to the left, hoping to find other doors, and finally found a pair of doors with a visible lock. He looked at the search results and found a WikiHow article about picking locks… only to realize not only did he not have any paperclips, he didn’t have any pliers to bend them into a lockpick. He looked down and considered throwing something to break the glass, then quickly discarded that idea. After all, that would do more harm than good. In a moment of frustration, he wrapped his hands around the handle of the door, planted his feet, and yanked on it with all his might. Expecting to have done nothing, and look like an idiot had someone been watching, instead the door flew open with his overexertion of force, causing him to fall over.

  Alex stood up, brushed dust and pebbles off the back of his pants, and walked up to the now open door. He rationalized it as someone forgetting to lock it. But as he got into the dark school, in the back of his mind, he couldn’t stop thinking about how someone might have already gotten inside, and may not be open to leaving him to his business. Alex reached into his bag, pulled out his flashlight and activated it. He flashed it in front of him, walking through the dark halls only illuminated by fleeting moonlight.

  He figured a good place to look for evidence would be the locker of the girl who went missing. Maybe it would tell him why she disappeared or where she may have gone. But first he had to find which locker was hers. It’s not like he could spend all night checking every locker for hers… Though he could snap and pause time to do so, but he wasn’t gonna do that when an easier method was available.

  Eventually finding the main office, Alex found it to be locked. This is where he suspected any information to help him find the locker would be, and yet again a simple door lock beats him. He made a mental note to pack something to get around this next time. By now he noticed the lack of air conditioning in the school, and how the mask was starting to get warm. He considered taking it off, but put it off to focus on getting the door open. He thought about it for a while, but couldn’t think of a way to get it open. Defeated, he kicked the door in frustration and walked away, hoping to find something else. As he walked, his flashlight fell on a cork bulletin board, and a poster caught his eye. It was very basic, no noteworthy graphics, reading, “DEERFIELD GHOST HOTLINE. Have you seen her?!” With a phone number at the bottom and several tabs taken. Alex took out his small notebook labeled “Deerfield Case” and jotted down a note: Deerfield Ghost, possible lead?

  Moving on, he continued to walk and theorize in his head. Clearly the Deerfield Ghost was some sort of urban myth, or a story the students were telling themselves. He’d never heard of any ghosts, could that be what caused the girl to disappear?

  Trying to find a secondary office, he heard someone walking. Not in front or behind, but above. He walked over to a staircase, where the faint echos of footsteps cascaded from the floor above. He grabbed the railing and slowly climbed up the stair, curiosity driving him to see who could be here after midnight. He stopped when the footsteps stopped, believing he’d been heard. Then he heard the metal clang of a locker being opened. Either a thief, or someone who found the missing girl’s locker before him. He continued up the stairs and turned off his flashlight, the sound of someone rummaging through a locker getting louder.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Alex finally made it up to the second floor, trying his best to keep his boots from squeaking on the linoleum floor. He inched closer to the sound, hiding between rows of lockers and moving between sections, inching closer to the noise. But when he was halfway to the sound, the sound stopped, and someone walked out of the lockers. It was too dark to see any recognizable, but he could make out the shape of the person who’d been rummaging. About his height, long hair. The figure, which he presumed was a girl, turned to face him. They stare at each other, so dark they’re unsure if they’re even making eye contact. Alex tried to raise a hand to wave, only for the girl to bolt towards him. Alex, assuming this was about to become a brawl, raised his hands to fight. He was hoping to talk, but it seemed the girl had already made up her mind. But when he thought she’d stop to attack him, she kept running… straight through him. For a moment, it was like his body had something filling every cavity, his lungs like they were filled with fluid. And then, as quickly as the sensation came over him, it dissipated.

  Alex stumbled and gasped, the girl passing through him and running past him. Quickly recovering from the phantom sensation, Alex turned around to see her running for the stairwell. “He-Hey, wait!” Alex called out, getting up to run after her. He sprinted to and down the stairwell, jumping at the third to last step to save time. Running out into the hall, he saw her running down a hall that went away from the main entrance. Alex continued after her, “Wait!” He yelled out, but she didn’t react. She turned a corner into a classroom and Alex followed, only to find it empty, with no sign of the girl. Was she actually a ghost? Alex spun around, looking for where she could have gone, only for a shadow to run past the door. It was her, now running to the exit. Alex rushed out of the classroom, chasing her again towards another set of doors.

  Realizing he wouldn’t be able to catch up to someone who treated walls like a suggestion rather than an obstacle, he snapped his fingers. And as time stood still, so did she. He finally put his hands on his knees and took a breath. After a breath or two, he walked over to her still body, caught in the middle of a running step. He turned on his flashlight, and could finally get a good look at her. She didn’t look like a ghost, she looked like a regular person. Long, brown hair put up into a ponytail, wearing black shorts and hoody. She seemed nervous, of what he wasn’t sure. Him? Why would he make her nervous? Alex stepped back, stood just in front of the doors, and raised his hand. He didn’t know exactly what to do, only he needed to make her stop running if he was gonna get any answers.

  SNAP

  The girl started running again, and Alex raised his hands up like he was bracing to stop a train, and yelled, “I JUST WANT TO TALK!”

  She slowed down. Alex called out, “I’m not here to hurt you, I just want answers.”

  She stopped in front of him… “What kind of questions?” She asked, suspicious.

  Alex quickly pulled out his notebook, “I’m looking for someone who went missing last week. Would you…” He found the page where he’d written her name, “Know a girl named Katherine? Goes by Kat?”

  “How do you know that?” She asked, as if him knowing that name troubled her.

  “I just asked around,” Alex sheepishly admitted.

  She sized him up, “You dress weird for a journalist.”

  “Oh, I’m not a reporter. This is my super suit.” Alex explained. Though he had never ruled out journalism as a career.

  “Ok…” she trailed off, “What kind of questions?”

  “I just want to know what happened. Do you know her?” Alex asked.

  The girl seemed to take a moment, then answered, “Well of course I know her, she’s me.”

  He was taken aback, both at the sudden Star Wars reference and that the girl he’d been looking for just made him run around a school. “You’re Katherine?” He had to confirm.

  “Just Kat, Kat Pryde” She affirmed, then asked softly, “People are looking for me?”

  “Well, yeah, you just left out of nowhere.” Alex confirmed.

  “Doesn’t feel that out of nowhere.” Kat said, a pinch of bitterness in her tone.

  “Then, uh, would you mind answering some questions?” Alex asked.

  “Alright, but can I close my locker first?” Kat asked.

  “Of course,” Alex agreed, then putting out a hand to shake, “I’m Alex by the way.”

  “I thought superheroes had codenames?” Kat asked, shaking his hand. She had soft hands.

  “I’m still working on it.” He admitted, following her to her locker.

  After Kat closed her locker, she led Alex up to the roof, where she felt more comfortable talking more. After they got out into the cool air, Alex began his questions, pen in one hand and notebook in the other, “Ok, so if you feel comfortable disclosing, how did you run through me?”

  “You promise not to tell anyone?” She asked, but it didn’t seem certain she’d believe his answer.

  “Yes.”

  She took a moment, “Only if you tell me how you somehow got ahead of me.”

  “It’s my superpower. I can pause time by snapping my fingers.” Alex explained.

  “Alright,” Kat said, surprised by his openness, “Mine is phasing.”

  “So you’re not a ghost or part ghost?” Alex asked, unknowingly stirring something in her that caused Kat’s face to sour and posture shrink. That’s when it clicked for Alex. KAT was the Deerfield High Ghost. Then something else clicked.

  “The Deerfield High Ghost, that’s a bad name, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” She revealed, sounding dejected.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset.” Alex apologized earnestly.

  “It’s fine, you didn’t know.” Kat accepted, “Hey, did the name Tony West come up at all during your bit of sleuthing?”

  “No, why?” Alex asked, assuming he was related to the case.

  “Cause that’s the asshole who started this whole mess!” She yelled out. She signed with much frustration, “A year together, and all it took was ONE moment where he saw me phase. Next morning, I go to class, and everyone’s looking at me like I have 6 heads.”

  “Oh my, that’s awful.” Alex sympathized. He’d never been in a relationship, let alone been the center of a schoolwide smear campaign, but he could see it bothered her deeply.

  “Next thing I know everyone’s talking about me like I really am a ghost. And the teachers did jack shit! You have any idea what it’s like standing right in front of someone, looking them in the eye, talking to them, and they don’t respond!?” Kat ranted, overflowing with anger not at Alex but with everyone else.

  “And that’s why you ran away…” Alex mumbled to himself. Kat leaned up against the outer wall of the staircase. “How did you get your powers?” Alex asked, an idea in his mind already.

  “I don’t know, they just showed up one day.” Kat explained, “Cause I’m a mutant.”

  And now it all made sense to him.

  “Well, at least you aren’t alone now.” He tried to reassure her, then admitted, “I’m a mutant too.”

  She looked at him differently now, as if he actually looked different in a good way.

  “Maybe we could help each other.” Alex offered.

  “I’d like that.” She agreed.

  “So… where do you wanna go?” Alex asked, knowing she needed somewhere.

  “Definitely not home.” Kat asserted.

  “Why not?” Alex asked, confused.

  “It’s a long story,” Kat explained, and he was willing to let it be.

  She then pulled something folded up in her pocket, and unfolded it into a brochure.

  “What’s that?” Alex asked.

  “What I grabbed from my locker. Forgot it when I ran away.” Kat explained.

  Alex came over and flashed his flashlight onto the brochure. At the top of the front was the title “Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.”

  “Is that where you wanted to go?” Alex asked. He’d heard of Xavier and the X-Men before, but never considered them within reach.

  “Yeah, feels like somewhere I might actually belong.” Kat explained with a tone of longing, “We could go together. It says they always have room for more students.”

  Alex hesitated, the whole idea seemed like an extreme measure. “I don’t know,” He began, “I don’t think I’d want to do that. I mean, I don’t really WANT to leave. Seems like a good thing for you, but I don- I have a job, and my parents. Oh man, my family would be devastated.”

  “Alright.” Kat accepted… “Do they know?”

  “No, no, just you.” Alex admitted, with some regret. He wanted to tell them, but…

  “Wait, is that Doctor Who?” Kat asked, finally noticing the tee under Alex’s windbreaker.

  “Yeah, why?” Alex asked, bracing for embarrassment or judgement.

  “Nothing it's just, never seen a supersuit use a graphic tee before.” Kat commented, not judgement but amusement.

  “It's a first draft,” Alex sheepishly admitted. “You like the show too?” He asked, hoping for a connection.

  “No, but I've heard about it. Is it any good?” Kat asked.

  “Oh it's very good, Alex said, getting into it, “it's my favorite show. They just did an episode where, ok it's a bit simplified but, there's an invisible mummy on a space train killing passengers. It's pretty much their version of Murder on the Orient Express.”

  “I remember that book.” Kat recognized.

  “Were you forced to read it for a class too?” Alex asked, assuming their school experiences were comparable.

  “Yeah, it wasn't a bad book,” She said, “You go here?”

  “No, I live in Jefferson Park.”

  “Then what are you doing up here?” Kat asked, confused why he would go out of his way to find her.

  “Heard about a girl that'd gone missing and wanted to try finding her.” Alex stated altruistically. Kat’s expression softened slightly.

  “Do you wanna get off the roof?” Alex asked, hoping she’ll agree.

  “Alright, but where would we even go?” Kat asked, expecting something more substantial than his actual answer.

  “I think I saw a 24 hour gas station on the ride here. Wanna get some slushies?” Alex offered, knowing those make him feel better.

  “I’d be alright with that.” Kat accepted, moving with him towards the exit of the roof.

  Exiting the school, Kat and Alex walked to a 24 hour gas station. The pumps were off, but the lights inside the store were still on. Alex opened the door, letting Kat go in first. The guy behind the counter seemed like he was one more counted sheep from passing out. Alex immediately found the slushy machine, leading Kat over to it. A no pressure, low cost way to enjoy themselves that Alex had become accustomed to. Perfect for two kids with not that much disposable income.

  He grabbed the small sized cup and put on the lid, perfectly aligning the nozzle into the hole at the top of the lid. Then pulling down the handle, he watched as the blue slurry gushed into the cup. Once the cup was filled halfway, Alex put the handle back up and removed the cup from the nozzle. Then, he placed the cup into the other nozzle, and pulled down the handle to allow the red to flow onto and mix with the blue. Kat stared at his concoction as it filled up to fill the cup and the lid up to the hole in the top, wondering aloud, “Why did I never think of that?”

  “You wanna try? Go ahead.” Alex offered, moving over to let Kat try what he’d done. She put the lid on her cup, fuddled for a bit getting the nozzle into the hole properly, and pulled down on the blue handle. She’d pulled a bit too hard, causing the blue to flow rapidly, but she let it up quickly to slow it down. Then once it reached halfway full, she took it out and placed the cup into the other nozzle, and pulled down the handle to allow the red to flow onto and mix with the blue.

  However, Kat hadn’t secured the lid as well as she should have, and once the red reached halfway up the lid, it began to spill out from the rim of the cup onto her hand. “Ah, crap!” Kat yelped, stopping the flow and putting the cup down, runoff spilling onto the counter. Alex grabbed some napkins to put around the cup, handing Kat a few for her hand. “Gotta make sure that lid’s on tight.” He commented as he helped her clean up the spill. Once the spill was soaked up, he threw out all the napkins and grabbed his cup, using a straw to swirl the blue and red into a combined flavor. Kat did the same, the lid now secure on her cup. And, without planning, they ended up taking a sip through their straws for the first time. The soft carbonation and fruity flavor like an old friend to Alex. “Holy crap, this stuff is good,” Kat praised, enjoying the slushy. But then they heard from the counter, “Um, are you two gonna pay for those?” The employee seemed to finally remember he was at work.

  “Oh yeah, sorry,” Alex said, walking over to pay for their slushies. As he went to pull some cash from his bag, Kat walked up beside him, asking, “How much?”

  “One small and one medium slushie that’s… $5.72.” The employee answered.

  “Kat, it’s fine, I’ve got this.” Alex said, counting his bills.

  “Alex, it’s fine, I have money.” Kat said, trying to assume responsibility.

  “No no, you’ve had a rough night, let me take this.” Alex continued, thinking it was only polite he paid since it was his idea to come here. He gave the employee a $10 bill, and after a few seconds of fumbling with coins and bills, the employee came back with $4.38 in change. “Thanks.” Alex offered to the employee.

  Exiting the gas station, Kat brought it up again, “Thanks for paying.”

  “Oh it was nothing,” Alex humbly responded. He then checked his watch: 1:09AM. “Oh crap, I gotta get home.” Alex realized.

  “You sure?” Kat asked, beginning to enjoy this night.

  “Yeah, I got class tomorrow. Sorry.” Alex apologized.

  “No no, it’s fine.” Kat accepted, “Jefferson Park right?”

  “Yeah, you think cabs still operate at this hour?” Alex asked, wondering if he’ll be able to even get home in time.

  “I dunno, never been out this late.” Kat admitted.

  “Crap.” Alex groaned.

  “Well… either way, this was nice.” Kat offered Alex’s kindness having cheered her up, “Thanks for the slushies.”

  “You’re welcome,” Alex reciprocated, “You got somewhere to stay? I know you said you weren’t going back home so…”

  “Yeah, I can find somewhere.” Kat said.

  “How long are you gonna stay in the city until you go to that Xavier’s place?” Alex asked, pulling out his notebook and attached pen.

  “I’m not sure.” Kat admitted, the vague idea of getting on a train to Westchester in the back of her head.

  “Well, until then, if you ever need help,” Alex began, ripping off a piece of paper from his notebook, “Now you know where to find me.” Hastily written on the paper was his full name, “Alexander Kazimierz Duszynski,” alongside his phone number and home address.

  “Oh, uh… thank you.” Kat accepted, taking the note surprised by his offer of continued communication. Alex didn’t think much about it in the moment, just a way to make sure she wasn’t alone from here on out.

  “Ok um, well, I best be going.” Kat said, walking away.

  “Do you want me to walk you home?” Alex offered, the polite thing to do.

  “No it’s fine, I’m good.” Kat rejected softly.

  “You sure?” Alex asked again, just to be sure.

  “Trust me, I can handle myself.” Kat insisted, walking away.

  “Alright, good night Kat.” Alex said, waving goodbye.

  “Good night Alex.” Kat returned, walking off.

  Hours later, Alex arrived at his house, his feet tired from walking. There were no cabs, at least ones he could find. He ended up snapping to pause time after it reached 1:30AM. He unlocked his door, crept inside, and closed the door, relocking it now inside. He realized he’d have to shower in the morning as he went up the stairs. He got into his room, tossed his bag in the corner of his room, and began taking off his supersuit, revealing his pajamas underneath. Tired from walking for five hours, he collapsed into his bed, unable to stop thinking about what he and Kat had done that night. Snapping to resume time and so he could get some sleep, he pulled his covers over himself, flipped his pillow, and turned over to get some sleep.

  But as he began drifting off, a ping of a thought shot through his head that would keep him up for another hour… did he just go on a date?