Breaking News

The campsite smelled like roasted marshmallows, smoky firewood, and whatever Jack had overcooked in the pan. The sun had just set behind the trees, casting an orange glow over the still water of the lake. It was their first evening of camping, and everything had come together surprisingly well.

Tents were up, the fire was going, and dinner was finally ready.

Leo stretched out on the ground, stuffing a spoonful of beans into his mouth. “Not bad, considering we made this in the wild.”

Aisha tapped her fork against her plate. “It’s literally canned food, Leo.”

“Still counts.”

Emily sat cross-legged by the fire, sketchbook in her lap, drawing the way the flames flickered in the night air. Jack, meanwhile, had abandoned his plate and was poking at the fire with a stick, probably just to see what would happen.

Mr. Carter sat a few feet away, sipping tea from a metal cup and staring at the stars like he was regretting ever agreeing to sponsor the Geography Club.

It was a perfect, peaceful moment.

Until Leo checked his phone.

His chewing slowed. Then stopped. His eyes narrowed. He squinted at the screen, then held it closer, as if moving it two inches forward would somehow change reality.

“Uh… guys?”

Jack was still focused on shoving flaming sticks into the dirt. “If it’s about dessert, I claim first dibs.”

“No, it’s—” Leo turned the screen toward them.

The words BREAKING NEWS flashed across the display.

Underneath, a shaky video played. A group of tourists stood in the middle of an endless stretch of desert, pointing at something in the distance. The camera zoomed in, struggling to focus, and then—there it was. A small, bright green figure scrambling up the side of one of Sudan’s Nubian pyramids.

The reporter’s voice carried over the footage.

"Experts remain baffled by the mysterious figure spotted at one of Sudan’s ancient pyramids. Some believe it’s a mirage, others a hoax, but eyewitnesses claim it disappeared into thin air—"

Leo turned the volume down, but the words hung in the air.

The team stared at the screen in silence.

Emily tilted her head slightly. “That’s not… normal.”

Aisha wiped her hands on a napkin. “That’s Zaz.”

Jack sat up straighter. “No way. What would he be doing in Sudan?”

“Maybe he thinks pyramids are alien charging stations,” Leo said.

Aisha sighed. “That is not how pyramids work.”

Jack leaned in, watching the blurry green dot sprinting across the screen before vanishing. “I don’t know, guys. He’s getting way too comfortable running around Earth.”