Ethan Cole stepped out of The Good Books. The noise of Novan City buzzed behind him, but it all felt distant. Like background noise in a life that kept moving without him.
He stopped for a moment.
The sky was on fire with sunset colors. Orange, pink, and gold. People around him admired it, took pictures, and smiled.
Ethan didn't look twice.
He used to care. Now it just reminded him how fast time was moving, and how little he had to show for it.
"Summer break," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "More like summer survival."
The streets were full of rushing people. Office workers heading for the train. Teenagers hanging out like they owned the world. Vendors shouting over one another to sell the last of their food.
"Out of the way!" someone shouted behind him. "I'm gonna miss my train!"
Ethan barely reacted. He just stepped aside and kept walking.
Was this what life was going to be like after graduation? Just… noise and deadlines?
A group of teens laughed loudly outside a cafe. Carefree, easy, like the world had never told them "no."
He checked his phone. 7:13 p.m.
His shift had ended, but his body still felt heavy. Like the stress hadn't gotten the memo.
Summer break had officially started. But for Ethan, it felt like more of the same. Just work, bills, and trying to stay one step ahead of falling behind.
A week ago, he'd called Mr. Parker at the bookstore. He was the owner.
"Sure, come on back," the man had said casually. Like nothing had changed.
So Ethan did.
Restocking supplies. Fixing the old printer. Dealing with customers who were always in a bad mood. It wasn't exciting. It wasn't fun. But it paid enough.
Definitely not the summer adventure he used to imagine when he was younger.
But maybe that kind of summer wasn't meant for someone like him.
The part-time job helped, barely. Just enough to cover some groceries, maybe take the edge off a few bills. It made things a little easier for his parents. But no matter how many hours he clocked in, that feeling stayed.
The feeling of not enough.
It clung to him. Followed him home. Whispered in his ear when he lay awake at night, wondering if this was all he'd ever be.
He kept walking, head down, lost in thoughts that looped like a broken record. Doubt. Pressure. Guilt.
Then...
BUZZ!
His phone vibrated in his pocket. A sharp reminder that the world was still spinning around him.
He pulled it out, blinking back the fog in his mind.
Mom (Voice Message): "Hey honey, can you grab some groceries on your way home? The usual, and... the landlord stopped by again. We need to pay the rent by Friday. Can I ask you to help this month, too?"
Ethan paused, staring at the message, feeling a wave of tiredness wash over him.
'How can I manage this time?'
He opened his banking app, Novan Trust, to check his balance.
"Let's see what I have…" he muttered, waiting for the app to load.
Upon seeing his account balance, he sighed deeply.
[Account Balance: $370.80]
The pressure hit him like a wave he couldn't outrun.
He wanted to help. To ease the burden at home.
But it was too much.
The weight came from every direction, and no matter what he did, it never felt like enough.
He was twenty. This summer was supposed to be a break. A chance to breathe after back-to-back semesters of deadlines and lectures.
Instead, it felt like a trap.
No classes, but more shifts. More guilt. More wondering if he was doing enough for the people who had always done everything for him.
"I'll figure something out," he muttered, almost like a prayer. As if saying it out loud would make it real. Make it true.
The words steadied him, just a little. Not enough to fix anything, but enough to keep moving.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket and fell into step with the evening crowd.
Novan City was starting to glow. Streetlights buzzed to life. Neon signs flickered on. It had that usual city magic. It was lively, chaotic, always pretending to be something brighter than it really was.
Out in the distance, the towers glittered like a promise meant for someone else.
Clean streets.
Expensive views.
Quiet air.
Nothing like the Edgewater, a place that would be most likely to be erased from the map, soon.
That's where Ethan lived. Where buildings leaned, paint peeled, and dreams were patched together with second jobs and crossed fingers.
He walked on, lost in thought.
Until a car horn blared.
"Hey! Watch it, kid!" a voice barked as a grey car shot past, its tires screeching over the pavement.
Ethan stumbled back, heart in his throat.
"I'm sorry!" he shouted after it, hand raised instinctively, even though the car was already long gone.
His heart was still racing. He hadn't even realized he'd stepped into the street until the horn snapped him out of it.
"That was close…"
He let out a slow breath, trying to calm the jitter in his chest. One more step and he could've been on the news, and not for anything good.
This time, as he started walking again, he kept his eyes on the sidewalk.
Focused. Careful.
One wrong step in this city, and you weren't crossing the street. You were crossing into something else entirely.
He didn't know if that meant heaven, hell, or just a hospital bed, but either way, he wasn't ready.
Not yet.
As Ethan turned onto Briggs Street, a voice called out from behind him.
"Yo, Ethan! Hold up!"
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Jordan jogging toward him, casual as ever. The guy moved like he had zero worries. He was athletic and, relaxed like the world bent around him instead of the other way around.
Jordan slowed to a stop beside him, slightly out of breath but still wearing that easy grin. "Dude, I just swung by the bookstore. Parker said you left a few minutes ago."
"Yeah," Ethan said, adjusting the strap on his bag. "Finished on time for once. Heading to grab some groceries for my mom."
"Groceries?" Jordan raised an eyebrow.
Ethan smirked. "Better than working overtime, trust me."
Jordan chuckled and fell into step beside him. "Mind if I tag along? I was gonna grab a coffee, but groceries with you sounds way more exciting."
Ethan shrugged. "Sure. I just need to be quick. Don't wanna keep Mom waiting."
"Got it. Lead the way, Mr. Responsible."
The grocery store wasn't far, but the walk there had become its own kind of tradition. They didn't say it out loud, but both of them knew. It wasn't about the errands. It was about the in-between.
The walk.
The quiet.
Ethan and Jordan had been friends since middle school. Nothing forced. Nothing dramatic. Just a friendship that grew on shared interests, dad jokes, dumb memories, and long silences that never felt awkward.
Jordan had taken a different route after high school. While Ethan went straight into university, Jordan took a pause. A gap year turned gap years.
Said he wanted to "figure himself out" first. They even lost contact for months. At the time, Ethan thought it was risky.
Now? He wasn't so sure.
Jordan kicked a small rock down the sidewalk. "So, what's the plan this summer? Besides working yourself into an early grave?"
Ethan let out a soft laugh. Automatic, not amused. "The usual. Saving up. Helping out at home. Maybe sleep in once or twice if I'm lucky."
Jordan looked over, eyebrows raised. "Dude, you're twenty. You're not supposed to have a mortgage on your soul yet."
Ethan smirked but didn't answer.
"I'm serious," Jordan added. "Come on, man. Let's hit the beach next weekend. Drinks, air, maybe even some sunburn. Or even girls. You need it."
Ethan hesitated. He wanted to say yes. But his brain was already calculating the cost. Well, there were time, money, and of course... guilt.
"I'll think about it," he said.
Jordan nudged him with an elbow. "That's code for 'no,' isn't it?"
"Maybe."
"Then I'll keep asking till it's a yes."
Ethan shook his head. "I'd love to, but I've got to cover rent this month. Mom's been stressing about the bills."
Jordan slowed a bit, concern flickering across his face. "You still need time for yourself, man. If you don't breathe now, uni's gonna eat you alive when it starts again."
Ethan gave a faint smile, the kind that said I hear you, but it's not that simple. Jordan wasn't wrong. Taking a break sounded nice. Really nice. But reality didn't care about that.
Rest wasn't something Ethan could afford.
A few minutes later, they reached the grocery store. Small corner lot, peeling sign, flickering light above the entrance. But it was a neighborhood staple. Cheap. Reliable.
The kind of place that kept struggling families afloat.
Nobody really knew how the owner kept prices low. Some said he just cared more about people than profits.
Ethan pushed open the door. A quiet jingle rang out.
"Welcome," mumbled the cashier without looking up. He sat slouched behind the counter, half-scrolling through his phone, half-hoping for the day to end.
Ethan and Jordan gave a nod, then split off. Ethan grabbed a basket and made a beeline for the essentials — milk, bread, eggs, and a few cans.
Every item felt like a decision. He knew exactly how much he could spend and how much he couldn't.
Jordan trailed behind, lazily browsing until he spotted a bag of sour candy. He tossed it into Ethan's basket.
Ethan glanced at it. "Candy? Really?"
Jordan grinned. "It's called balance. You need some sweetness in your life."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "These are sour."
"Same thing, just with a punch."
They both chuckled. The kind of small, shared laugh that reminded Ethan why Jordan's company always made things feel lighter.
As they made their way to the checkout, Jordan leaned in. "Hey, did you hear about that break-in at the electronics store down the block?"
Ethan blinked. "No. When?"
"Last night. The whole place was cleaned out. And get this. No alarms, no witnesses. Not even a broken window."
"That's... weird."
Jordan lowered his voice. "Right? What if it wasn't a normal robbery? What if it was something... else?"
Ethan gave him a look. "Let me guess. Superpowers?"
Jordan shrugged, half-serious, half-messing around. "Hey, stranger things have happened."
"Not in this city."
Jordan grinned. "Yet."
Ethan handed over his cash at the counter. Jordan reached for his own wallet, but Ethan stopped him with a nod. "It's a dollar. I got it."
He grabbed the bag, pulled out the candy, and tossed it to Jordan.
"Thanks, man," Jordan said, catching it with a grin.
Outside, the air had cooled. The city noise softened as they turned down a quieter street. For the first time in days, Ethan felt the pressure in his chest ease—just a little.
He let himself enjoy it. The stillness. The peace. Even if it wouldn't last.
They reached the corner where they'd usually split.
Jordan clapped him on the shoulder. "Think about the beach, alright? You could use a real break."
Ethan smirked. "No promises. But I'll think about it."
"Good enough. Just text me." Jordan gave a lazy salute and jogged off, fading into the golden wash of streetlights.
Ethan watched him go.
'Is that what I'm missing? A life with room to breathe?'
He didn't dwell on it. No point. He shifted the grocery bag in his hand and headed home.
The quiet wrapped around him like a blanket, but his thoughts kept turning, the same as always.
As he neared his apartment building, something made him stop.
The air felt heavier.
The sky above, once soft and calming, now looked... off. The stars were dimmer. Muted. As if something unseen pressed down on the city.
A chill ran down his spine.
He looked up. His breath caught for just a moment.
It felt like the world was holding its breath.
He shook it off. Just tired. That's all.
He climbed the steps to his building, pausing at the door.
The feeling still lingered. Not fear, exactly. Just a sense that something had shifted. Subtle. Uneasy.
He stepped inside.
Reality returned in full. Groceries to put away, bills to check, another day waiting.
But that strange weight in the air?
It didn't leave.
Not completely.
The weight of his reality settled back on his shoulders, but the unsettling feeling remained, a whisper of something yet to come.
[author]
Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my web series. It means the world to me that you've decided to give this story a chance!
I wanted to share a little bit about what to expect. This series starts by giving you a chance to really get to know the characters and the world they live in. But don't worry! Things will ramp up as the story unfolds, with action, drama, and plenty of twists along the way.
On a side note, I also wanted to address something important. Recently, I discovered that a previous version of this story had been pirated and shared on many pirate platforms. Luckily, it was the rough, unpolished version, full of flaws I've worked hard to improve.
Because of that, I decided to rewrite the story. I believe in creating something better for you and my readers, and I hope to earn your support directly. Not through pirated sites that show an outdated version.
Thank you for being here at the very beginning of this journey. Your encouragement and feedback mean everything to me, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts as the story grows.
[/author]