This is a work of fantasy fiction intended for entertainment purposes
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Please note that Fated Strike may contain sexually suggestive content
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Chapter Eight: Afterimage
Malik arrived at Dre's place still buzzing from the adrenaline of his fight with Jinwoo's bullies. He launched right into the details of what happened, explaining the way he'd cloaked his emotions and intentions to blend in unnoticed and how he'd manipulated fear to send a message to the bullies.
"I thought we weren't supposed to have powers, Mr. Hero?" Dre said, smirking. "And what do you mean, cloak? Just show me."
Malik rolled his eyes, but he took a deep breath and shifted into the emotional cloak, masking his presence as he had earlier. He stayed that way for a few minutes, watching as Dre started ignoring him, checking his phone and glancing around without really noticing Malik. Satisfied, Malik dropped the cloak and spoke up. "So, what did that feel like for you?"
Dre jumped, clutching his chest, then grinned. "Damn, bro, I kinda forgot you were here. You got the power of being boring as hell." He laughed at his own joke, but Malik could sense his curiosity beneath the teasing.
"Be serious, man. You're the one who called this meeting. How are you feeling--anything new?" Malik asked, trying to get Dre back on track.
Dre's face turned serious, his eyes widening as he said, "Well... I flew last night."
Malik's mouth dropped open in shock, but then he caught the flash of amusement in Dre's expression and felt the wave of laughter coming. Dre burst out laughing, barely able to keep his composure. "Man, I'm just messing with you!"
"Alright, I'm out," Malik said, rolling his eyes, turning toward the door in mock anger.
"Bro, it's a joke, not a..." Dre said with a smirk, before leaning in closer and muttering, "Not a dick. You don't have to take it so hard."
Malik froze, a mix of panic and confusion tightening his chest as Dre's words hung in the air. Did he know? Malik's mind raced as he unconsciously slipped back into the emotional cloak, masking his reaction like a reflex.
Dre grimaced, rubbing his temples. "Can you not do that? You're making it hard to focus. I'm sorry, bro." Malik relaxed, dropping the cloak, and Dre's focus snapped back to him. "But seriously, though. I think I, like, saw myself last night."
Malik raised an eyebrow, recovering from the awkward moment. "That's called a reflection, genius. We've got these things called mirrors--you should check 'em out sometime."
"Just watch," Dre replied, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Malik's skepticism turned to amazement as Dre's body began to vibrate in place, blurring slightly. Malik watched closely, but before he could make sense of what was happening, he felt a whisper of breath against his ear. "Boo, bitch!"
Malik jumped, whipping his head to the side to find Dre grinning at him. Glancing back, Malik saw the image of Dre where he'd been standing, slowly fading like a ghostly afterimage.
"What the hell was that?" Malik asked, his heart racing.
"It's called an afterimage," Dre explained, looking way too pleased with himself. "Apparently, if you move fast enough, you can leave, like, a snapshot of yourself behind. Pretty cool, huh?"
Malik rubbed his neck, feeling a chill at the memory of the image. "Or creepy. It was like a ghost."
"Whatever, man. It's better than having the power to make people ignore you," Dre teased. "At least I don't have to look at your ugly mug all the time."
Malik smirked. "Didn't stop your mom from hollering at me."
Just then, his phone buzzed with a notification, and he pulled it out to see a message from Jinwoo. "HOLY FUCK! Are you some kind of ninja or something?!" Malik laughed, typing back, "Nah, you talk in your sleep. I learned some Kung Fu. Thank you Mr. Miyagi"
A few seconds later, Jinwoo replied, "Kung Fu is Chinese. I AM KOREAN, YOU JERK!"
Malik grinned, sending back a laughing GIF, and as the texts continued, he felt a warmth he hadn't expected, even though the teasing felt lighthearted. "Maybe I was dreaming, then," he wrote.
Aww, does that make me the guy of your dreams? Jinwoo replied, and Malik bit back a smile, sending back a GIF of an eye roll.
Then Jinwoo texted, "But seriously, thank you. I haven't felt safe here in a long time. I owe you one."
Malik smirked, sending back, "You owe me at least three. Pretty sure there were multiple guys in that fight."
"Who's got you cheesin' like that?" Dre interrupted, his eyebrow raised. "Elaina?"
"Nah, bro, it ain't like that," Malik said quickly, too quickly.
"It looks like that," Dre replied, his voice edged with curiosity. "I just figured it was your girl."
"Elaina and I are just friends," Malik clarified, perhaps a bit too firmly.
Dre's eyes widened. "Word? I was actually gonna holler at her, but someone told me she was into someone else. Thought that someone might be you, since y'all are always hanging out."
"Nope. She's great and all, but just not my type," Malik said.
Dre's mouth dropped open. "A `bad bitch' ain't your type? Bro, Elaina is the whole package. She's got it all, and she's smart as hell!"
"Bruh, don't be a simp," Malik shot back, rolling his eyes.
Dre shrugged. "Hey, call me whatever you want. Y'all lonely-ass-niggas can stay hatin', but I'm finna shoot my shot." He checked his watch. "Anyway, I gotta get going. I'll catch you around."
"Alright, hit me up if you need me," Malik said, turning to leave.
"Bet," Dre replied, grinning. Suddenly, he slapped Malik on the back of the head, hard enough to make Malik's head jerk forward. "And that's for talkin' about my mama!"
Dre laughed, taking off with a sonic boom that left Malik feeling both irritated and slightly amused, a lingering grin on his face as he watched his friend disappear down the street.
...
The next few days breezed by, with Malik and Dre settling into a routine that kept them grounded--school, powers practice, and quick check-ins with Jinwoo. The days passed quietly, until one afternoon Malik and Dre were preparing for practice when Jada's voice rang out, loud and clear, "FEMALE ENTERING MALE LOCKER ROOM!"
The guys turned to see Jada striding confidently inside, her presence commanding the usual chorus of hoots and whistles. Harry--or "Prince," as the team liked to call him--threw in some provocative hip thrusts, sending his teammates into a round of laughter.
Unfazed, Jada rolled her eyes and announced, "I need the following individuals for evaluation: Lawson, Carter, Richardson. Meet me in the coach's office. The rest of you need to hurry up and meet Coach Harris on the field. Tomorrow's game day, and we're going to have a mock scrimmage."
A few cheers rose from the guys who'd been dreading another grueling practice. Malik raised an eyebrow, wondering if Jada's sudden attention was a good sign. She was the only person on the team that Coach Harris seemed to listen to, and if she thought they were ready, maybe they'd finally be cleared to play tomorrow.
As everyone else ran out to the field, Malik made his way to the office. Jada was already perched on the edge of Coach's desk, and Dre sat slouched in one of the seats. Malik slid into another chair as Ty walked in, his usual smirk wiped clean from his face.
"DeAndre Lawson, Malik Carter, and Tyrone Richardson," Jada said, getting up to close the office door. She turned to face them, folding her arms with a steady, determined gaze. "Great. We're all here."
She took a breath, looking each of them in the eye. "So, I'm just going to say it straight: I know you all have powers."
The air in the room turned thick as the three of them froze. Malik's heart skipped, his mind racing, and he felt the shock mirrored in the emotions of Dre and Ty. Dre was the first to regain composure, opening his mouth to speak, but Jada held up a hand.
"I know you're going to deny it, Lawson. Same goes for Carter, as soon as he gets over his initial shock. And Richardson..." she shot him a knowing look, "...you're waiting until you're sure how confident I am and what I know about you."
She handed each of them a folded note. "Let me save you the trouble of guessing," she said, her expression calm.
Malik opened his note, and his eyes widened as he read. The note detailed a precise timeline of the day, beginning with Jada's entrance into the locker room: Prince Harry will catcall me like the obnoxious idiot he is. Some of the guys will cheer for the scrimmage--Jake and Marcus will be the loudest. Then Dre will finish dressing and join me in the office first, followed by Malik, then Ty. During the scrimmage, Bo will try to impress Coach by playing too aggressively. He'll end up hurting Kayden. Coach will call off the scrimmage if that happens, and with Kayden out, I'll suggest the three of you play tomorrow's game to improve our chances of winning.
Malik looked up, speechless, feeling her emotions out for any signs of deceit. "There's no way that's all going to happen," Ty said, his voice laced with skepticism.
Dre glanced back at her, his mouth slightly open. "She was right about Prince, though..."
"It was a lucky guess," Ty muttered. "Everyone knows Prince is a dog looking for a bone."
Jada shrugged. "Flip your notes over."
The guys flipped the papers and continued reading. This time, the note detailed their exact responses: Ty will voice his disbelief, Dre will defend me, and Malik will stay quiet, watching me intently before flipping this paper over.
"Well we should save Kayden from getting hurt." voiced Malik.
Jada sighed. "Listen, if we try to intervene and stop Bo, how are we going to explain knowing about it? We'd only draw suspicion."
Silence settled over them as they processed her words. Finally, Dre spoke up, breaking the tension. "Wait...how do you know all of this?"
Jada straightened, her gaze steady. "Because I have powers too. And by the end of practice, you'll have no doubt it's true."
Malik watched her closely, picking up no hint of deceit in her emotions. She believed every word she was saying.
They left the office and headed toward the field. Malik's mind buzzed with questions, but he could feel Jada's confidence radiating, steady and unshaken. What could her powers be? And why was she so certain of what would happen?
...
Out on the Field
Practice kicked off with the usual drills, but Malik's attention was divided. His thoughts kept drifting back to Jada's note, replaying her words in his mind. Beside him, Dre seemed jittery, his eyes flicking between Bo and Kayden, the quarterback, who was chatting with some teammates on the sideline.
Bo lined up as a temporary defensive lineman, his posture tense as Coach blew the whistle to start the scrimmage. Malik felt a chill of dread creep over him, almost like he was sensing Jada's prediction coming to life.
As the plays unfolded, Bo's aggression intensified. He was playing rougher, shoving and blocking with more force than the situation warranted. Malik saw Kayden throw a quick glance at Coach, who didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. But the feeling of tension grew, tightening in Malik's chest as he watched Bo throw himself into the next play with alarming intensity.
Then it happened. Bo lunged at Kayden, his weight barreling forward in a hit that was far too hard for a mock scrimmage. Kayden went down with a yell, clutching his shoulder, and Coach's whistle shrieked through the air, silencing the field.
"Bo, what the hell was that?" Coach's voice rang out, furious. "Everyone off the field. Scrimmage is over!"
Malik's breath caught, Jada's prediction playing out exactly as she'd said. The players trickled off the field, murmuring amongst themselves. Coach called Kayden over, his face tight with frustration as he inspected his shoulder.
When they reached the sidelines, Jada caught Malik's eye, her expression calm and unreadable. "See?" she whispered, giving him a pointed look. "No need to intervene. Now, let's just wait."
Sure enough, after a quick conversation with Coach, Jada leaned in and spoke, her voice carrying just enough for Malik to hear. "We could let Carter, Lawson, and Richardson play in Kayden's place tomorrow. It'll give us the best shot, especially with how they've been performing."
Coach hesitated, glancing over at Malik, Dre, and Ty. Finally, he nodded. "Fine. You three are in for tomorrow's game. Make it count."
As Coach walked off, Jada turned back to the guys, her lips curving into a small, satisfied smile. Malik felt a mix of amazement and apprehension at what had just happened, the sheer precision of her prediction settling into him like a cold certainty. There was no denying it now--Jada had powers, and somehow, they were connected to hers.
Dre let out a low whistle, his eyes darting from Jada to Malik and Ty. "Damn, you really called it."
Jada crossed her arms, looking at them with quiet intensity. "Like I said, I know what I'm talking about. And if we're going to figure out why we have these powers, we need to start trusting each other. There's more to come... much more than any of us realize."
Malik nodded, feeling a strange sense of unity forming between them. Whatever was coming, they were in it together. And this was only the beginning.