The alley stretched behind Kai like a narrow throat of concrete and shadow. The sounds of the school—shouting students, slamming lockers, teachers calling out reminders—faded into nothing the moment Rowan stepped into view.
Kai didn't move. Didn't breathe too loudly. Didn't blink.
His instincts screamed at him to create distance, to reach for a weapon he wasn't supposed to be carrying anymore. But he stayed still.
Rowan approached with steady, effortless confidence.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence felt thick enough to choke.
Finally, Rowan said, "Relax. If I wanted to drag you out of here, you wouldn't be standing."
Kai answered calmly, "You talk a lot for someone who's been staring at me all day."
"Observation," Rowan corrected. "Not staring."
"Same thing."
"Not when you're trained."
That single word—trained—landed between them like a dropped blade.
Kai's eyes narrowed. "You're not exactly subtle."
Rowan gave a faint, almost amused shrug. "I didn't come here to be subtle. I came here to confirm something."
He stepped into the alley fully now, the light catching faint marks on his knuckles, barely visible but unmistakably familiar to Kai—evidence of someone who practiced controlled strikes, not street brawling.
"I know what you are," Rowan said.
Kai's stomach tightened. "And what's that?"
"A runner," Rowan said simply. "Someone who's trying to disappear."
Kai held his expression in place, but inside, tension coiled tighter.
Rowan continued, voice calm, "Your posture shifts between defensive and casual. Your steps are too balanced. You scanned every corner of the cafeteria without looking like you were scanning. And you react before things happen."
Kai exhaled slowly. "Maybe I'm just observant."
"And maybe I'm the school mascot," Rowan muttered. "Let's not waste each other's time."
He reached into his pocket. Kai tensed instantly, ready to strike if he had to. But Rowan only pulled out a folded piece of paper and tossed it onto the ground near Kai's feet.
Kai didn't pick it up immediately.
"You're not the only one being watched," Rowan said. "There are people in this school who know something changed the moment you arrived."
"And you're one of them?" Kai asked.
Rowan actually looked offended. "No. I'm one of the few trying to stop the others."
Kai finally bent down and picked up the paper. Inside, written in small, tight handwriting, was a list of names. Students. Teachers. People he'd barely noticed.
"Who are these people?" Kai asked.
Rowan's jaw tightened. "Targets."
Kai's eyes hardened. "Targets… for what?"
Rowan gave him a long, silent look.
Then: "Not everything here is normal. You think you came to this school to hide? Wrong. You came here because someone wanted you here."
A cold chill crawled down Kai's spine.
"What do you mean?" he demanded.
Rowan stepped back toward the mouth of the alley. "I mean you walked straight into a trap."
Kai moved forward. "Explain."
"Not yet." Rowan stopped, turning halfway. "If I tell you now, you'll react. And if you react, you'll expose yourself. So do yourself a favor—pretend nothing happened."
Kai clenched his fists. "I'm done pretending."
Rowan smirked. "No, you're not. Because if you stop pretending, people will die."
The words hit Kai harder than he expected.
Rowan pointed at the list in Kai's hand. "Those people are already in danger. And you? You're the reason the danger is coming faster."
Kai didn't reply.
Rowan continued, voice steady, "Tonight, 9 p.m. Behind the athletics building. Come alone. If you don't, you'll lose your chance to understand what's really happening."
"And if I don't show up?" Kai asked.
Rowan paused at the alley exit. "Then you'll wish you had."
He disappeared into the sunlight and noise of the school grounds.
Kai stared after him, the paper list clenched tightly in his fist.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't random.
Someone was pulling strings.
And Kai was in the center of it.
---
As he walked back inside, the world felt even sharper than usual. Every voice echoed too loudly. Every shadow felt too deep. Every step of every student felt like something Kai needed to track.
Aria spotted him from across the hallway. Her eyes narrowed—she saw something in his expression, something she wasn't expecting.
Lila noticed too. She waved, hesitant, concerned.
But Kai kept walking.
He couldn't afford to talk. Not right now. Not with the list in his pocket. Not with a meeting waiting for him at 9 p.m. Not with Rowan's warning replaying in his head.
Someone wanted him here.
Someone was watching.
Someone was planning something big.
And Kai…
Kai had just been dragged into the beginning of something he wasn't ready to face.