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Isen ran his fingers over the slick, cold metal, keying in the numbers quickly. He had trained himself for this moment since he could read. This was what would save them all. He just needed to-

“Isen? Are you dreaming again?” A voice shattered Isen’s daydream, leaving him in the cold reality that he was sleeping on his desk.

“Shut up, Anrin,” he grumbled. “Why did you wake me?”

“Class is over, idiot,” Anrin said with a smile. “Unless you want to stay here instead of going home…”

Isen rubbed at his sleepy eyes and focused in on Anrin. The boy’s silver hair was contrasted violently by Isen’s raven locks, and though Isen had a pale, sickly complexion, Anrin’s was tan and smooth.

Why the two of them were friends, Isen had no idea. They had met when Isen’s father had transferred to the Station eight years ago, and had been inseparable since. Especially after his father’s death, when Isen was practically adopted by Anrin’s family.

The two boys walked down the silver-plated walls in respectful silence. Usually they would chatter away like monkeys, but today was different. Today the whole Station was buzzing with rumors about a newcomer to the villain world.

The Station was actually a sanctuary for ex-superheroes and their families. Usually, their children would grow and learn here until their powers matured and they would go off to fight evil. Some, however, would stay to further their studies and help the world in a different way.

The children that usually left the station by mid-teens were those who were blessed with super-strength or flight. Isen did not like those people, and he was glad to be rid of them. In his mind, the only people that counted were those gifted ones called Intellectuals. These were people like Anrin and himself, whose powers relied on their minds, not their muscles.

If a child was an Intellectual, they stayed at the Station for their whole lives, unless transferred to another. Here, they would find cures to diseases, fight mental wars with villains instead of physical ones, and invent new technology.

Isen was thrilled when he learned that he was an intellectual, and that Anrin was one as well. Therefore, they had stayed together to continue studying, strengthening their friendship. Recently, however, things had gotten stressful in the Station.

There was a new villain on the loose who was terrorizing the Station itself. There had been strange happenings in the Station: power outs, lock downs, and a downright eerie air to the place. Everyone was tense, even Anrin.

“What do you suppose is going on?” Isen asked Anrin quietly, once they were back to his room. Actually, it was their room, since there was no where else for Isen to sleep after moving in with Anrin’s family.

“I don’t know, but it’s fun, right?” Isen looked strangely at Anrin, who grinned back. “It’s like there’s a ghost in the Station.

Isen shuddered. “Don’t say that, Anrin, there’s no such thing.”

“You can still be afraid of something that’s not real. That’s what people are calling it now; ‘The Ghost’.”

Isen rolled his eyes and pushed Anrin out of the chair, taking his spot and opening a textbook.

“I’m not afraid of anything, Anrin.”

He turned back to his textbook, just missing the knowing glance his friend gave him.

---

Sirens went off that night. It was another black out, but this one seemed so much longer than the other ones.

“Isen?” Anrin called through the blackness. Isen responded by creeping out of his bed and into Anrin’s. He felt his friend’s arms wrap around his middle.

“Anrin, it’s okay. The Captain will take care of it, won’t he?”

Isen felt his friend’s grip tighten. He knew of Anrin’s disdain for the Captain, but in a situation like this, he could see no one else who would save them.

“Isen, promise me something.”

Anrin tugged one of his hands out from underneath Isen and began to stroke the raven locks of hair. Isen relaxed into the embrace and nodded.

“Promise that you’ll never hate me.”

Isen snorted. “That’s ridiculous. Of course I would never hate you.”

Anrin sighed, and Isen melted more as the warm breath tickled his face.

“Okay, go to sleep. I’m sure the power will be back by morning.”

But Isen was already asleep.

---

Sure enough, the lights were shining brightly in Isen’s face when he woke up. However, something wasn’t quite right.

First, Anrin was gone. Isen was up in a flash, and hustled to get dressed, looking around the room for his friend. But Anrin wasn’t there.

Second, everything was quiet. Usually, there would be the sounds of everyone getting up and going to the dining hall, their voices and movements echoing down the hallways and piercing the thin walls of the rooms.

Now there was nothing. Not a sign of movement.

And Isen knew for a fact he was completely alone. He didn’t need powers to feel the emptiness soaking through his skin. Still, he wandered aimlessly down the hallways, the silver glinting mercilessly at him. Finally, he was convinced there was no one.

He sank down to his knees and started to cry. There was nothing else he could do. Isen had absolutely no idea what had happened, but it had left no one at the Station. Except him.

He suddenly remembered the strange conversation last night. Had Anrin known this would happen? But how?

Isen jumped when strong arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him up. He tilted his head back to see Anrin standing there, his face smiling.

“Why are you crying, stupid? Be happy!”

Isen turned, but Anrin stubbornly pulled him closer. “W-What’s going on? Where is everyone?” Silently, however, Isen prayed the moment would last.

“They’re gone. Most, like my family, I moved to another Station, a better one. Others are dead.”

Isen shook his head. “Dead? Who? Why?”

Anrin’s smile faltered. “Those who were corrupted were killed by the Ghost. The ones who killed your father.”

“My father…” Isen dropped his gaze. “Did you, I mean, are you the-”

“Yes.”

Isen smiled and hesitantly pressed his lips to Anrin’s. “Thank you. For coming back.”

Anrin’s grin doubled in size. “Of course, this means I’m probably a villain now. I could never ask you to…”

“What are you talking about? You’re not a villain. I’m sure that between the two of us, we can make up some story about what happened here.”

Anrin kissed Isen softly. “You’re right. We are Intellectuals, after all.”

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Isen’s fingers keyed in the numbers softly, his skin sliding over the cold metal. The door slid open to reveal a silver-haired man.

“Excuse me, but are you trying to break in?”

Isen smiled. “It depends on what I’d find inside.”

Anrin captured Isen’s hand and pulled him through the doorway.

“You can always find out…” Anrin’s voice pierced through the daydream. Isen looked at their clasped hands and grinned.

“…when we get to the city,” Anrin finished. Isen looked out the window of the plane, still smiling.

“What are you grinning about?” His lover asked sharply.

“Nothing, I just had a nice dream, is all.”

Anrin rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you and those dreams. I hope I didn’t get eaten by a cat this time.”

“No, you were kinda normal.”

“Kinda? I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Oh, we were superheroes. And you killed a bunch of people. And I was really quiet, and you were the hyper one.”

“That’s quite the stretch from reality. Even a blind person could see you are the biggest hyperactive nutcase on the planet.” Anrin turned back to the newspaper he was reading.

Isen looked back out the window at the tiny houses and roads. “You’re mom doesn’t like me, so why are we visiting her?”

Anrin sighed softly and reached over to ruffle Isen’s jet-black hair. “She doesn’t hate you, and we’re not going to visit. We’re moving here.”

Isen turned back to his lover and snuggled into Anrin’s arm. “Is that why we packed all our stuff into the boxes?”

Anrin chuckled. “Yes, you big idiot. My mother is finally accepting you into the family, so we’re going to move closer to her. Please don’t zone out, mistake her for King Kong, and attack her with a lampshade on your head like you did last time.”

“Oh yeah, that was fun-” Isen caught Anrin’s dark gaze and paused. “I mean, it was her fault. She wore that awful fur sweater. You know I hate people who wear sweaters.” Isen leaned up to peck Anrin’s cheek. “Who would have thought that monkeys are afraid of lamps.”

Anrin laughed. “Honestly, you should be a writer. I don’t know anyone with a more random imagination than you.”

Isen nodded slowly. “Maybe I should,” he agreed, thinking back to his dream. “And I know a good place to start.”