Chapter 37

Archer.

One Month Later…

The room buzzed with a mix of excitement and nervous energy as the math teacher scribbled the final part of the equation on the board.

My pencil twirled between my fingers, the numbers and symbols already dancing in my mind, forming patterns that seemed to jump off the whiteboard. I barely noticed the clock ticking away. This was my zone.

"Alright, let's see who can solve this," Mr. Grayson said, his eyes scanning the room for a volunteer. Most of the class shrunk back, eyes glued to their desks, but my hand shot up almost instinctively.

"Archer," Mr. Grayson called, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth as if he expected nothing less.

I stood up, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on me, and walked to the board. The markers felt cold in my hand, but the equation was warm, familiar—like an old friend I hadn’t seen in years but still knew every detail about.

As I wrote, the room fell silent. I could almost hear the gears turning in everyone's he