Chapter 26: Dopamine
The school cafeteria was organized chaos: plastic trays clattering, raucous laughter, and the greasy smell of fries hanging in the air. Yuki sat at a wobbly table, his eyes scanning the crowd like a hawk. He fiddled with a plastic straw, twisting it until it cracked. Ben was nowhere to be found, and it was driving him crazy.
His dad had already called the cops, but Yuki knew the police wouldn’t find anything. Not with a Wunder in the equation. According to Hassan, the creature that had shown up in Ben’s room had dropped its name. That meant this monster knew Ben, Hassan, and maybe even the whole group. And if it knew them, there was a chance it was lurking in the places they frequented. The school was the most obvious lead.
Yuki wasn’t a pro among the Zodiacs, but he had a sixth sense for spotting supernatural stuff. During class, he’d been watching. Five students had caught his eye—shifty glances, movements too smooth, or just a vibe that reeked of the unnatural.
Wunders, maybe. But what kind? Based on Hassan’s description—pale skin, piercing eyes, a predator’s aura—Yuki was leaning toward vampire. The problem was, a vampire could blend in. The amulets they wore let them walk around in broad daylight without burning to a crisp.
Yuki knew he couldn’t just walk up and tap them on the shoulder, asking, "Hey, did you kidnap my friend?" He needed someone who could see through their bullshit. Someone like Kaiser.
Kaiser was there, slouched in a corner of the cafeteria, headphones jammed in his ears, his black hoodie pulled up. He looked like a guy who wanted to be left alone. His empty gaze fixed on some invisible point, as if he were miles away. Yuki watched him. He had that gift—or curse—of spotting Wunders. Well, when he wasn’t on his meds. Yuki hesitated slightly because they’d been on bad terms lately.
The group had regrouped around the table—Hugo, Carter, Hassan, and Yuki. They were all there for Ben, but Kaiser stayed in his corner, probably unaware their friend was in deep shit. Hugo, with his ever-present backward cap, broke the silence.
"I thought Kaiser could see them, right? We just gotta ask him to help. If he knows Ben’s in trouble, he won’t be an asshole about it."
Hassan nodded, his glasses slipping down his nose. "Yeah, he’s weird, but he’s not a dick."
Carter, chewing on a toothpick, grunted. "He just needs to stop playing the diva."
They stood in unison and marched over to Kaiser. He spotted them out of the corner of his eye and sighed, yanking out his earbuds.