The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over Mikey's bedroom. He sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the wall, still replaying the events of the previous night in his mind. The mysterious woman's voice echoed in his head: "You're not invincible."
He hadn't told anyone about the encounter. Not Gregor, not Sarah, and definitely not his family. How could he? It was too dangerous. The woman's warning still weighed heavily on him, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Every moment outside the safe walls of his room felt like a trap waiting to spring.
But today was different. Today, he had to be normal. Or at least act normal. School was waiting for him, and with it came his friends, midterms, and the constant barrage of questions. He couldn't afford to let his secret life show, no matter how much it was starting to suffocate him.
Mikey grabbed his backpack and headed out, trying to push the tension to the back of his mind. As he walked down the street toward the bus stop, he kept his head on a swivel, scanning for any signs that he was being followed. Every passerby seemed like a potential threat, every car a potential tail.
But the ride to school was uneventful. No one stood out, no shadowy figures lurked behind corners. Still, the sense of paranoia refused to leave him.
When Mikey arrived at school, the usual noise of chattering students and slamming lockers filled the air. He blended in, just like he always did, keeping his head down and slipping through the hallways unnoticed. At least, that was the plan.
"Mikey! Over here!"
Lila's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She stood by her locker with Jake and Ryan, waving him over. Mikey forced a smile, adjusting his backpack as he walked toward them.
"Hey, man!" Jake greeted him with a fist bump. "You good? You look kinda off today."
Mikey hesitated. He wasn't sure how to explain that he had been ambushed by a mysterious woman who knew far too much about his secret life, or that he might be being watched by dangerous people. Instead, he shrugged and gave a half-hearted grin.
"Yeah, just didn't sleep much," he said, keeping his voice casual. "Too much studying."
Lila raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Studying? Since when do you care that much about school?"
Ryan laughed, nudging Mikey. "You should've just hung out with us last night. You missed out on some killer gaming sessions."
Mikey chuckled, though it felt hollow. As his friends continued chatting, he felt the weight of his secret pressing harder against him. They had no idea what he was going through, and he couldn't drag them into it. They were safer this way—outside of the world he was caught in.
But the conversation shifted, and soon they were talking about the upcoming oral test. Mikey tuned in just in time to hear Lila say, "I hope we don't have to go first. I hate speaking in front of everyone."
"Same," Jake added. "But hey, Mikey will probably crush it. Dude's always got something cool to say."
Mikey smiled, though his mind wasn't on the test. In fact, he hadn't prepared for it at all. Between missions and now the looming threat of being hunted, school had taken a backseat in his life. The thought of standing in front of the class, trying to act like everything was normal, made his stomach twist.
The bell rang, and the group dispersed toward their first class. Mikey's footsteps felt heavy as he walked toward the classroom, the familiar walls and desks now feeling like part of a distant reality. Sitting through lectures and taking tests seemed trivial compared to the danger waiting for him in the shadows.
As the teacher droned on about the importance of public speaking, Mikey's mind wandered. He kept replaying the encounter with the woman, trying to piece together who she was and what her true intentions were. She had offered him something—an opportunity to be part of something bigger, to leave behind the small-time missions he'd been working on. But at what cost?
"Michael."
Mikey snapped back to reality, blinking as the teacher's voice cut through his thoughts. The entire class was staring at him. He hadn't even realized that it was his turn to speak.
"Your oral presentation," the teacher prompted, her tone firm.
For a second, Mikey's heart raced. He hadn't prepared a thing, and his mind was still stuck in the alley from last night. But years of training kicked in, and he quickly composed himself. He stood up, gripping the edges of his desk as he walked to the front of the room.
He could feel the eyes of his classmates on him, but it was nothing compared to the cold, watchful gaze of the woman from last night. This was nothing. Just another performance. Another role to play.
Mikey started talking, pulling random facts and ideas from the back of his mind. He knew how to keep people engaged, how to sound convincing. His voice remained steady, his expression neutral. But inside, his thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and fear.
As he wrapped up the presentation, the class gave a polite round of applause. The teacher nodded approvingly, and Mikey returned to his seat. His friends gave him a thumbs-up, but all Mikey could think about was how disconnected he felt from this world.
It was like he was living two lives, but neither of them felt real anymore.
By lunchtime, the weight of it all was starting to wear on him. He sat with Lila, Jake, and Ryan in the cafeteria, picking at his food while they talked about their weekend plans. Every now and then, one of them would ask him a question, and Mikey would give a vague response, but his mind was elsewhere.
What if the woman wasn't bluffing? What if she was still watching him right now? His eyes scanned the cafeteria, looking for anything out of place. No one stood out, but that didn't mean he was safe.
Lila nudged him with her elbow, snapping him out of his daze. "Earth to Mikey. You've been quiet all day. Seriously, what's up?"
Mikey forced a smile, but he could tell Lila wasn't buying it. She always had a way of reading people, especially him. "Just stressed," he lied. "Midterms and all."
Lila narrowed her eyes, studying him for a moment before nodding. "Okay. But if you ever need to talk, you know we're here, right?"
Mikey nodded, but the truth was, he couldn't talk to them—not about this. They were his friends, but they couldn't know the truth. Not if he wanted to keep them safe.
As the day dragged on, Mikey's paranoia only grew. Every glance, every sound made him feel like he was being watched. The weight of his double life was starting to crush him, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it together.