Apocalypse Rising: Brains After Brains

Day 1

ARGENTA - MORNING

Argenta smelled like ambition.

But not the poetic kind. Not "follow your dreams" kind. It smelled like overpriced perfume, burnt coffee, and people sprinting in heels just to catch deadlines.

The city was loud. Shiny. Fake. But everyone acted like it was the center of the universe.

Right in the middle of it stood the University of Crystalline...a tall, glass-covered school surrounded by malls and train tracks. It looked expensive. It looked important. And it was important...at least to people like Xenia Alderidge.

In Classroom 407, Xenia sat in her usual spot. Third row. Center. Perfect view of the board, and far enough from the overconfident front-row students and the half-asleep ones in the back.

Her dark blue blazer was ironed to perfection. Her planner? Packed with color-coded notes, stickers, and sticky tabs. Her brain? Hanging by a thread and three cups of vending machine coffee.

Today was supposed to be normal. Class. Notes. Thesis. The usual.

But then Professor Zy walked in, holding a clipboard and wearing a strange smile.

"Miss Alderidge," he said, loud enough that everyone looked her way.

Xenia looked up, blinking.

"Congratulations. You've been chosen as this year's Valedictorian."

For a second, the room went silent.

Then clapping. Weak. Awkward. Like no one knew if they were supposed to.

Xenia gave a polite smile—the kind you use during job interviews.

"Thank you, Sir."

But inside her head?

Pure chaos.

Four years. Four years of no parties. No holidays. No sleep. All for this.

She had spent nights crying over lesson plans, tutoring people who ghosted her later, and surviving on instant noodles. And now? A five-minute speech. One chance to sum up everything.

Her pen trembled in her hand. Not fear. Just the weight of everything finally catching up.

Professor Zy kept talking. Something about final papers. But Xenia barely heard him.

Her brain replayed old memories... her mom crying over school expenses. Even with a scholarship, it was never enough to cover the lab fees, facility charges, and external costs like camps and required tools. Crystalline University was built for the high-end elite... students who could afford to throw massive amounts of money just to study. Her cousin saying, "Can you even make money being a teacher?" The jokes about her being "too ambitious for someone from Westburned."

But here she was. At the top.

"I guess I really did survive on coffee and spite," she muttered.

She looked out the window. The city sparkled like it was perfect. But she knew better.

Argenta was pretty. But it had teeth. It chewed people up. Especially the poor. Especially the ones who didn't fit.

Still, she made it.

"Miss Alderidge," the professor called again. "Check your email tonight. Schedule's in there."

She nodded. "Yes, Sir."

The bell rang.

She packed her things, still in a daze. Her bag felt heavier, like the weight of her whole future had been shoved inside.

She was no longer just a student. She was the voice of her batch. The one everyone would hear.

She walked out of the building like a ghost. Proud. Terrified. Floating.

Outside, students were everywhere. Laughing. Studying. Taking selfies with the school dome in the background.

Graduation fever.

But Xenia didn't stop.

She walked. Fast. Planner in hand like a sword. Her brain already editing the speech she hadn't even written yet.

And behind her, somewhere deep in the alleyways of Argenta—

Something howled.

She didn't hear it.

Yet.

WESTBURNED DORM - EVENING

The dorm smelled like leftover ramen, shampoo, and student stress.

Westburned Student Village was "one of the better" dorms near campus. Which meant: the lights flickered like horror movie props, and the elevators were a gamble.

So Xenia took the stairs. Two at a time.

She was still buzzing. Still in shock. Still reading the letter from Professor Zy in her hands like it might vanish.

Room 2B. Home.

She kicked the door open.

"ZOOOOEEEEEE!"

Zoe Navarro once screamed and threw her face roller like it was cursed.

That's Zoe—loud, dramatic, and unforgettable.

She's Xenia Alderidge's roommate and total opposite. Zoe loves fashion, glitter, and going out. She may look like a goth with her short black hair and dark blue streak, but she's all about bold style, high energy, and living life loud. She's not rich... just an ordinary middle-class girl... but she knows how to look confident and fabulous on any budget.

Zoe and Xenia met by chance. On Xenia's first day in Westburned, she arrived cold, soaking wet, and completely alone. Her father had dropped her off with no money, just a school scholarship and an address. She walked for miles in the rain to find the apartment. No umbrella, no backup plan—just determination.

When she finally knocked on the door, Zoe opened it, looked her up and down, and said, "You look like a drowned ghost. Come inside."

That was the start of their strange but strong friendship.

They both attend Crystalline University, one train or bus ride away from their apartment. Zoe is the kind of roommate who gives bad advice but always shows up when it counts. She's loud, a little reckless, and sometimes too honest—but she's loyal. Fiercely loyal.

Xenia didn't expect to make friends in Westburned, especially not after how she arrived. But somehow, Zoe became more than just a roommate. She became family.

"Warn me before you yell like that! I almost died!"

Xenia grinned and held up the letter. "I got it. I'm Valedictorian. It's official. Speech. Graduation. Me."

Zoe blinked. Then screamed. Then tackled Xenia like a human tornado.

"YOU DID IT! I KNEW IT! Your planners! Your breakdowns! All worth it!"

They spun in a circle, knocking over a lamp.

Xenia dropped onto the bed, still out of breath. "I think I forgot how to breathe. Or function. Or be normal."

Zoe collapsed beside her. "Girl, you were never normal. But we're celebrating tonight."

"Celebrate how? I was gonna rewrite my speech and maybe cry a little."

Zoe sat up fast. "Nope. No crying. No Google Docs. There's a party at Nova Pulse. Music, lights, bubblegum cocktails. You, me, and poor decisions."

Xenia groaned. "I don't do clubs."

"You do tonight. I already picked your outfit. Glitter crop top. Boots that say 'I pay tuition with blood.'"

"Zoe..."

"This is your last night as a student. Tomorrow, you start becoming an adult. Tonight, we dance."

Xenia stared at the ceiling.

Honestly? She had no other plans. Just panic. Just schedules.

She sighed. "Fine. But no tequila. I have boundaries."

"Deal." Zoe grinned. "Now get dressed, Valedictorian."

Xenia sat up.

The speech could wait.

The world could wait.

For tonight, she would dance.

And far away, hidden under Argenta's neon lights, something watched.

And waited.