Carl stared at the holographic screen, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I still don't get it," he muttered. "What did you find on me?!"
Beatrix hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "It may be a shock to you, so… brace yourself?"
Katy, more certain, stepped in. "I think I know what you're about to say, Beatrix."
Carl's anxiety began to rise. "What are you guys talking about? Tell me already. Can't you see what the suspense is doing to me?"
Beatrix took a breath, her voice unsure. "It turns out… the DNA from the hair and some of the blood on your clothes match."
Katy nodded silently in agreement.
Carl's eyes widened in disbelief. "Blood on my clothes?! There was no blood on—" He paused, a memory hitting him like a wave. Silver's blood. He remembered it spilling on his clothes. His face paled. "No… it's not possible."
Katy looked at him sympathetically. "Carl, I know it's hard to believe, but it's difficult to say otherwise."
Shocked, confused, and visibly hurt, Carl turned to Beatrix. "Can you search the records for Silver Franklin?"
"I've tried," she said quietly. "There's no record of him."
Carl's shoulders slumped. "I still can't believe Silver lied to me."
Katy tried to comfort him. "I know it's hard to take in, but we've still got a lot to do."
Carl took a step back, thinking. "You know what? I think I need some time." Without another word, he turned and left the office.
Katy watched him leave, her eyes filled with sympathy.
Carl wandered aimlessly through the streets, his thoughts spinning. Eventually, he found himself at the library. He walked in and took a seat at an empty table, his mind heavy.
"Why, Silver? Why?" he whispered to himself. "Even though you're not human… you should've given me some kind of hint."
His mind drifted into a memory—back to middle school.
Carl had been walking through the school hallway when he noticed a crowd gathered. Ahead, he saw Norton slam his hand against the wall beside Silver, who was curled up on the floor, crying.
"Hey kid," Norton sneered, "you think you're hot stuff just because some girls complimented you?"
"Yeah," Kim chimed in, "dude thinks he's cool."
Silver whimpered. "Why are you doing this? I didn't ask for any of it."
Kim stared down at him arrogantly. "I think it's that pretty face of yours. What do you say we smash it into the wall and see what happens?"
Norton laughed. "Oh, I'd love to find out."
Carl, walking past, glanced their way. Normally, I'd just keep walking, he thought. It's none of my business… but this kid… He stopped.
The bullies closed in, ready to beat Silver down, while the other students watched from a distance.
Carl approached, hands in his pockets. "Hey. You two. Leave him alone and get out of here."
The bullies turned to face him.
"Look, Kim," Norton mocked. "This one wants to play hero."
"Yeah," Kim added. "Little guy thinks he can save his friend."
"You'd better back off before I—"
Before Norton could finish, Carl's foot slammed into his gut, knocking him back. Then came a swift punch to the face. Norton collapsed, unable to move.
Kim, startled, tried to fight back, but Carl grabbed his arm, flipped him upside down, and slammed him to the floor. Then he walked over to Silver.
"You okay?" he asked, offering a hand.
Silver, still shaken, took Carl's support and stood. "Thanks."
Kim and Norton groaned as they struggled to get up.
Carl's eyes gleamed with something fierce. "You want more of this, or are you gonna run for your lives?"
Terror-stricken, the two muttered apologies and limped away, supporting each other.
Silver watched them go, then turned to Carl. "Why did you help me? You could get expelled for this."
Carl shrugged. "Honestly? I'm not sure. Let's just say I wanted to look cool. And from the crowd's reaction, I think I nailed it."
Cheers and claps erupted from the bystanders. That day, Carl earned the nickname BOB—Bully of Bullies—a title that stuck.
Later, at the cafeteria, Silver sat alone at a table, as usual. He had only recently joined the school and had no friends, thanks to constant bullying. Carl approached and sat across from him.
Silver looked up. "Oh… if you want to sit here, I can leave."
Carl stared. "If I wanted you gone, why would I sit here? You and I… we're alike in a lot of ways, you know?"
Silver frowned. "We're not alike. Don't you see how you took down those bullies in seconds? All I did was cry."
Carl brushed it off. "Forget that. We both don't have friends. So why not stick together?"
Silver still looked unsure. "I don't know… something doesn't feel right."
Carl raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"For someone as strong as you to want to be friends with me… it must mean you're having trouble with schoolwork, right?"
Carl exhaled, defeated. "Alright, you got me. I never realized how hard it is to do anything without throwing a punch."
Silver chuckled. "Definitely an all-brawl, no-brains situation."
Carl scowled. "Hey! Who're you calling no-brains?!"
"Sorry!" Silver yelped.
Carl caught himself and calmed down. "Sorry for yelling. You don't have to be scared of me."
Silver relaxed. "I'll take you up on that."
They both laughed.
Back in the present, Carl smiled wistfully. We were so close back then. Where did it all go wrong?
His phone buzzed. Katy was calling.
He answered. "Hello?"
"Hey Carl," Katy's voice came through. "Could you come back for a bit? There's something we need to talk about."
"Okay, got it."
"And hey—could you grab some eggs on the way back? I'm starving."
Carl groaned, half annoyed. "And when exactly did it become my job to care?" But he laughed as he started walking.
"Can't you just do it without complaining for once?"
"For you, Katy?" he replied, smirking. "Over my dead body."