Zayne in college. He's around 14-16 in this, so semi-canon.
Linktober | Masterlist
A young man was working in the college lab late at night. His partner during this burning of the midnight oil was an even younger boy. Carter had gone to college two years early while Zayne was nearly a decade above his expected education level. He had turned 16 just last month.
The two were waiting for a sample to finish processing before heading home. They had no classes in the morning, but Zayne was still a kid. Having him stay up so late wasn’t good for his health.
“You’re gonna go straight home after this, right?” Carter asked.
“Yes. My parents work late as well. They will be picking me up once we record our initial findings.” Zayne took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I’ve put off an essay. I’ll probably spend tomorrow finishing that up.”
“Tomorrow is Halloween. Aren’t you gonna go out and party? Go out with your friends. You’ve gotta have friends around your age, right?” He playfully poked the boy.
“I have a few, but we’re not really as close as we used to be.” The cold teenager said. “So if they have plans for the holiday, then I’d rather not intrude.”
Carter asked, “Is one of them that girl you were texting earlier? You cancelled plans with her to be here right now.”
“Yes. She understands how important this is to me.” Zayne sighed.
The man stood off to the side to redo his long hair into the bun that had begun to fall apart. He then checked himself in a mirror and resumed watching the timer.
“I get that she knows your schooling is important, but do you know that she’s important, too?” Carter started balancing the stool.
The boy looked over at him, “Explain.”
“You’re a genius. Smart, clever, and you’re a handsome young man. Distinguished even. Those aren’t really traits that go away. You don’t really have to nurture those things. However, your relationship with her is something you do need to take care of or those other factors won’t matter.” He answered.
Zayne sort of understood what he was saying, “I’m doing all of this for her. We still keep in semi-regular contact. The two of us will be fine.”
“But you can never know for sure.” Carter nearly fell back from leaning too far.
The younger boy caught his chair and righted it, “I’m the one under 18, and yet you’re the one acting childish.”
“I’m simply bored. You don’t do anything except homework and research, so I doubt you have any interesting stories to tell.”
“Then you tell me some stories then. I’ll listen. I have nothing better to do.” Zayne folded his arms and looked at the timer.
There was still half an hour left on the sample. He texted his parents and waited for the older man to speak. The sound of a slamming door made both boys jump. Zayne called forth his ice before the two looked into the hallway. They had to keep the door open since one was under age, but for safety’s sake, Zayne planned to freeze the doorstop to the frame and the door itself to give them a few extra seconds to react if anything or anyone was in the hall.
Carter stopped his arm, “Why don’t we go out and look? Just to be extra careful.”
“You want to abandon our project?” He asked.
“No, no. We’ll be right back. Honestly, there’s a ghost story I’ve heard about. I bet that’s the thing making all the weird noises.” The man said.
Zayne looked at him, “As a man of science, I’m surprised you believe in ghosts.”
“As a man of science, I believe it isn’t that strange to believe in both the natural world as well as the supernatural.” Carter shrugged. “Look, it won’t take that long. We’ll just go down this hall, peek into some rooms, and we’ll be back before you know it.”
The boy sighed, “Fine. If it will satiate your curiosity and keep you from fidgeting, then we can take this…minature field trip.”
Carter and Zayne made sure they had the passkey to their current room before walking to the left. Each of the other doors were locked. It was just the locked elevator and another lab. Then, they went up the other side. There was nothing of interest until the staircase. When the flashlight grazed over the door, odd oblong shapes caught Carter’s eyes.
“Hey, use your Evol here. Create some frost.” He requested.
Zayne sighed but obliged. Three fingertips were on the edge of the wooden door. Did they purposefully avoid using the doorknob? Whoever it was? The younger of the two then pulled out a small blacklight flashlight he still had in his pocket. The frosted tips began to glow, as did a set of footsteps. It seemed like someone was limping or dragging their feet.
“See, ghost!” Carter motioned to the marks.
“Or…somebody got a bit too involved with a science project.” Zayne smirked.
The long-haired man replied, “C’mon, let’s go check it out!”
“You’re supposed to be chaperoning a child genius for the greater good of humanity, and yet here we stand…ghost hunting.” The teenager folded his arms.
Yet, Carter was already following the visible footsteps up the stairs, “We’ll be fine! The machine keeps it sterile!”
Shaking his head, the ‘child genius’ began to follow his chaperone. The steps on the stairs led to the roof. Despite all but abandoning the project, Zayne admitted to himself that it was nice to get some fresh night air into his lungs. Another student was there, too.
“Oh, hey there!” Carter said. “You workin’ late too?”
“...Working…yeah…” The student said. “I…I’m a failure. All the work I do is worthless now.”
An uncomfortable laugh left his throat. He eyed the edge of the building.
“Aww, it can’t be that bad!” The man said.
Zayne asked, “What happened? Talking it through might help. Like fresh air, some fresh opinions could allow you to clear your mind.”
The student turned around, eyes red from crying, “I’ve been working on making accessibility features more natural. Mostly for those who can’t see very well. Most paint used leaches into the ocean and water, hurting wildlife and humankind. Most natural paints aren’t qualified as high visibility and they fade quickly. I was so…so close to creating the perfect pigment. Then, I spilled it before adding the final ingredient. It took me MONTHS to even get to this point. My notes are ruined! I’ll never help anyone!”
He began to get worked up again and put his hands on the ledge.
Carter’s eyes widened, “Now, now. Let’s not be hasty.”
“I’ll be kicked out! Another failure! This was my last chance! It’s too expensive to start over from scratch!”
“Are your notes only on paper, or are they in your mind?” Zayne spoke with a calm strength.
“W-what? I just told you--”
“And I heard what you said. I understand. However, with how much this matters to you, I’m sure once you get started your muscle memory will kick in. Like how when we’re children, we learn how to tie our shoes. It’s difficult to begin, yes. Then we grow up, tying our shoes every day, and it becomes second nature. Don’t give up before you even try again. That would be a true failure.”
The young boy reached out his hand. Slightly hesitating, the student took it. All three went downstairs where several police were waiting.
“We heard there was a sighting of a jumper.” A gruff-speaking officer said.
“Yeah. This is them. We got them down.” Carter showed off the student.
Zayne added, “I implore you not to chalk this up to school stress and find somebody to talk to. Extreme reactions can be the symptom of something bigger either mentally or physically.” He handed the student a spare chocolate that was in his pocket. “Candy makes me feel better. I hope it can do the same for you.”
The student looked at the metallic wrapper and then hugged the boy, “Thanks.” and then he pulled back. “Sorry. I’m a hugger.”
“It’s fine.” He then spoke to the officer, “Please take good care of them.”
Once the two were back inside their original lab, their timer still had 20 seconds left. Carter sighed and slumped in his chair before opening his notebook to the right page. Zayne had done the same.
“Looks like my ghost was just a troubled college kid.” The older one said.
“Seems like it. Though, if it weren’t for your superstitions, we might have had a real specter haunting the halls.” His partner said.
Carter felt like it was a compliment, “Thanks…I think. And I’m not that superstitious. I’m just a little -stitious.”
