I don’t remember falling asleep.
One second I’m laying down on my bed trying to convince myself that everything was okay, and the next I’m waking up.
My neck hurts and one of my arms is numb beneath me. The room is dim, shadows stretching long across the walls. I slowly begin to realize that daylight is slipping away to evening.
How long have I been sleeping here?
For a moment, everything felt… still. A little too still.
Then it hits me all at once.
The scan. The message. My parents… gone.
I gasp sharply, as I push myself up. My heart is racing again as though it never truly slowed.
The tablet.
I grab it, searching frantically; however, no new messages. Jax hasn’t even come, and it’s late now. A tight knot seems to form in my chest. Did he abandon me too?
“No… He said he would be here,” I murmur, though the words sound uncertain to me.
I glance toward the window. The light outside has shifted… it’s later than I realize, as though hours have passed. Whatever the case, it’s way too long.
My dad’s voice echos again… Do not stay in this house for too long.
I grip the tablet tighter, as I whisper, “I should go.”
However, my feet won’t move. Jax is coming. He said he would… said he would try. Besides, if he is able to help me, then leaving without him will make everything harder. It would be more dangerous, too. I just need to wait a little longer.
I stand and start pacing back and forth across my room. My bag sits where I left it, ready to go.
A sound suddenly cuts through the silence. Low at first, and mechanical.
I stop breathing for a moment, staying perfectly still.
Another sound follows… closer this time. A vehicle. Then another.
My head snaps toward the window. Dark shapes slide into view at the edge of the street. They’re shaped like authority vehicles.
My pulse spikes instantly. “No…!” I whisper, as though they will hear me if I speak louder.
I grab my bag, yanking it onto my shoulders as I dart toward my desk. My hands are shaking, but I manage to pull open the drawer and snatch the hologram device, clutching it tightly before stuffing it deep into my bag.
I hear doors opening outside, followed by voices and boots hitting the pavement.
My heart is slamming against my chest. I’m surrounded… front door, back door, windows.
No!
There’s no way out… not now.
Think, I scold myself. Think!
I’m having a hard time slowing down my breathing… and then…
A memory.
It’s me laughing as a little kid. My dad’s voice, light but firm: “Hide better this time, Lissy. They’ll find you too quickly if you leave the panel open.
My mom laughs softly, “It’s not a real search, but treat it like one.”
It was a game we played. It had always been a game.
Except…
It’s not a game.
I look towards the hallway where my dad’s office is and I make a run for it. Not wasting any time.
The house seems louder now, every creak amplifying with each pound of my heartbeat. I slip into the office and shut the door just as a heavy knock echoes from the front of the house.
“Authority! Open the door!”
My stomach drops. This is all too real… nothing like my childhood game. Or, maybe I just imagined the whole thing and my memory is wrong.
I cross the room quickly, dropping to my knees beside the built-in shelving unit. My fingers search along the lower panel, finding the seam my dad showed me years ago.
I press it and the panel shifts with a soft click.
I gasp. It’s real. My memories haven’t failed me.
I pull it open just wide enough to squeeze through, dragging my bag in before closing it behind me. Darkness swallows me instantly, as I wait for it to be safe again. It’s tight and close. The air smells faintly of dust and wood.
I curl into myself, pulling my knees close, and forcing my breathing to slow.
Seconds later…
The front door slams open. Heavy footsteps flood the house.
“Clear the lower level!”
“Check all rooms!”
I can hear them yank the drawers open and shift the furniture around. It’s the sound of my life being taken apart piece by piece.
I press my hand over my mouth, willing myself to not make a sound. Not to move or even exist.
My gaze adjusts slowly to the dark, catching the faint outline of a vent just above me and causing a thin strip of light filters in.
Carefully and slowly, I shift upward just enough to look through the narrow slats. I see part of the office… boots, dark uniforms. Glove hands pull open the drawers in my dad’s desk, scanning the surface.
“They cleared the bedroom,” one officer says. “No sign of her.”
“Parents are gone too,” another replied. “House was prepped.”
My chest tightens. They knew. Though I know it’s not really a surprise.
A new set of footsteps entered the room… slower… measured.
The officers straighten slightly. “Sir!”
I lean closer to the vent, holding my breath as the man stepped into view. He’s tall and composed. His presence shifts the entire room without a word. This man is a big deal… obviously the one in charge, but who is he?
Director Vale…
Rian’s dad’s name screams through my mind as my stomach twists.
“So,” Director Vale says calmly, his voice smooth and controlled, “they anticipated the scan.”
“Yes, sir,” one of the officers replies. “Minimal traceable data left behind.”
“Smart,” Director Vale murmurs.
He moves further into the room, his gaze sweeping over everything with quiet precision.
“Which means they’re not improvising,” he continues. “They have a plan.”
My pulse is pounding in my ears now. I can hear every word, yet it seems far away.
“They won’t get far,” another officer says. “We’ve already locked down…”
“No,” Director Vale interrupts, almost gently.
The room falls silent, everyone hanging on his last word… including me.
“You’re thinking like they’re running,” he says. “They’re not.”
But, aren’t we, I wonder. All I know is to meet some woman before meeting up with my parents.
He pauses longer than expected.
“They’re relocating,” he finally says, almost with an excited interest.
I gasp silently. Is that what we’re doing?
Director Vale turns slightly, his expression thoughtful.
“She’s the priority,” he says. “The parents are secondary.”
My stomach drops. They’re really after me.
“She won’t understand what she is yet,” he continues. “Which makes her unpredictable, but also easier to manipulate.”
My grip tightens around the edge of the vent. What do I do now?
“You want her taken in?” one officer asks.
Director Vale’s lips curve, just barely. “No.”
The word chills me.
“I want her to come to us.”
I’m confused now, especially now that I know what he wants me to do. There’s no way I’ll ever willingly come to them.
Director Vale continues, voice calm as ever. “Monitor known contacts. Friends. School connections. Anyone she might trust.”
My heart slams into my chest again.
Jax.
“If we apply enough pressure,” he says, “she’ll make a mistake. And when she does…”
He doesn’t finish the sentence, but he doesn’t need to.
“Understood, sir.”
Director Vale turns toward the door, pausing just long enough to glance around the room one last time.
“If you find anything of interest,” he adds, “bring it to me directly.”
Then he leaves.
The officers follow, one by one. Soon the house grows quieter, but not silent.
I don’t move. I can’t. My breathing is too shallow and fast, as though I’m about to hyperventilate. They’re watching everyone.
Jax.
If I stay… if I wait…
I could lead them right to him. I should have left earlier!
My dad’s words come back to me again. Do not stay in this house for long.
Too late… but, maybe not completely. Not yet, at least.
I wait a few more minutes… or, maybe it’s seconds. It feels like both. Eventually, the sounds shift… footsteps retreating, voices fading, doors opening and closing. A vehicle engine roared to life outside, then another.
I wait longer, just in case, making sure the coast is clear. Then, slowly, I push the panel open. Light floods in and I see the aftermath of their visit. The office is a mess. Drawers emptied, papers scattered, and furniture shifted. My home doesn’t look the same anymore.
I crawl out, muscles stiff, and I stand carefully.
Move… Now!
I slip into the hallway, every step cautious. The front door hangs slightly ajar, but I ignore it, heading instead toward the back of the house.
That way will be safer and quieter, I convince myself. Almost there…
I reach the back door and ease it open. Then, I hear it.
A voice outside. “Check the perimeter.”
I freeze, as I hear footsteps approach. There’s no time. What should I do?
I slip back inside and duck behind a tall storage cabinet near the kitchen, pressing myself into the narrow space just as the back door opens.
Light spills in, followed by boots crossing the threshold.
I hold my breath.
“Clear out here,” the officer mutters after a moment.
The door shuts again. Then, there’s silence.
I wait. One breath. Two. Three.
I finally move… fast. I’m out the back door, across the yard, and over the low fence in a matter of seconds. My body moves on instinct now, weaving between houses, keeping low, and staying in shadows.
Don’t stop! Don’t look back!
I hear a car engine sitting idly ahead, so I slow down, cautious. My heart is hammering from the run and fear of almost getting caught. Then, I recognize it… Jax’s car.
Relief hits so hard it almost knocks the breath out of me.
Jax leans across the passenger seat, pushing the door open. “Get it!”
I don’t hesitate. I dive inside, slamming the door shut just as he hits the accelerator. The car surges forward, turning sharply down the street. Only then do I realize how hard I’m shaking.
“You okay?” Jax asks, glancing at me quickly.
“No,” I say honestly.
He lets out a breath, “Yeah, I figured.”
We’re silent for a moment as we speed away.
“What happened?” he finally presses. “That lockdown… Felicity, they don’t lock down schools like that unless…”
“I don’t know,” I cut in quickly.
The lie comes easier than I expected.
His brow furrows, “You don’t know?”
“I mean… I think the scanner messed up or something,” I say, forcing my voice to steady. “It flagged me. Said something about an error.”
“That doesn’t just happen,” he says immediately.
“I know,” I snap, then I soften my tone. “I know. That’s why I left.”
He glances at me again, more carefully this time. “You ran?”
I hesitate. Should I tell him? However…
“There was this guy,” I say instead. “Rian Vale. He… helped me.”
Jax’s grip on the steering wheel tightens. “Vale?” he repeats.
“Yeah.”
There was silence for a brief second.
“Of course it was Vale,” he mutters under his breath.
I turn toward him, “What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” he says quickly. “Just… his family’s all Authority. High-level.”
“I know.”
Jax shoots a look at me, “And you trust him?”
The question hits harder than I expect.
“I didn’t have a choice,” I say.
His jaw tightens, something sharp flickering across his expression, something that looked a lot like irritation. Or… jealousy.
That’s ridiculous. Jax is just a friend; he wouldn’t feel that way over nothing.
“Right,” he says flatly.
I look away. The gravity of suspicion becoming too much for me.
“Anyway,” I continue, pushing forward, “he told me they’d escalate. That I needed to get out before they locked everything down completely.”
Jax nodded slowly. “He’s not wrong.”
My chest tightens again. Is it from gratitude or is it from…? All I’m certain of is that Rian saved me.
“What about your parents?” Jax asks.
The question comes too fast. Too direct.
I force myself not to hesitate. “They’re… out of town,” I say. “Second honeymoon.”
He frowns. “Their anniversary isn’t for months.”
This is what I get for having a friend who knows too much about me and my family. What do I expect… we’ve been friends since we were little kids.
“They wanted to celebrate early,” I say quickly.
Another lie and weight on my shoulders.
He studies me for a moment longer than is comfortable, making me nervous not just because he might figure it out, but also because he’s barely paying attention to the road.
Finally, he nods, “Okay.” Though he doesn’t sound convinced; however, he’s not pushing the issue any further. At least not yet.
“So,” he says, shifting gears, “you want to disappear?”
“Yes.” No hesitation or doubt this time.
Something in his expression shits, focus replacing everything else.
“Alright,” he says. “Then we do it right.”
I blow out a heavy sigh.
“I’ve got a place,” he continues. “Off-grid. My parents don’t know about it. No monitoring. No oversight.”
I grip my bag tighter. This is really happening. “Take me there.”
He nods once. The car turns, heading away from everything familiar. Away from my home and the life I know. The city blurs past the window, as I lean back in the seat, my heart still racing, but steadier now.
I have help now, even if it’s built on half-truths and probably won’t last for long. Closing my eyes briefly, I try not to think about how many more lies I’ll have to tell in order to survive.