Adam glanced up at the sky as the morning breeze brushed across his face.
He liked it.
It was peaceful.
For a while, he could pretend he was just a boy walking to school with his sister.
Then, he observed the car on the other side of the street.
Just parked.
No driver.
Movement caught his periphery.
An apartment building had the 3rd floor window opened.
A woman hung a wet blanket on the edge.
No threat.
Behind him, a married couple walked their dog. He saw them almost every day.
Normal.
He had been doing this for as long as he could remember.
Observing for threats. A person's stature, whether they meant harm or not, or places to hide weapons. Every detail.
He sighed. It was just a walk to school.
No objectives, no routes to memorize.
No questions with correct answers and consequences for getting them wrong.
In front of him was his sister, Lena, walking and skipping along the sidewalk.
A year older than him, and yet more childish than he ever would be.
Lena glanced at him.
"What's taking you so long?"
Adam shrugged. "I walk a normal pace."
"Probably because you spend every waking moment looking at anything and everything!" she yelled teasingly.
"Habit."
Their neighborhood normally woke before they left for school. Engines from the main road, bicycle bells, maybe a lawn mower here and there.
Nothing was out of place.
Their part of Pinewood was a quiet middle-class neighborhood. The kind built mostly in the '80s and '90s. 2-story houses with brick walls or paint that attempted to look like it, attached garages and lawns whose owners either treated them as if they were sacred ground, or had overgrown weeds and tall grass. There was no in-between.
Oaks and maples crowded the older streets, near the woods that encompassed most of the outskirts of the city.
It was green enough that people visiting Oregon probably found it picturesque.
Adam caught up to Lena as they crossed an intersection.
Lena kicked a pebble while waiting for the green light.
"Bored?" Adam asked.
She put both hands into her jacket pockets and looked at him from the side. "Exhausted."
"I wonder why," Adam responded in the same flat tone.
"Don't even begin to say it."
"You stayed out until 1."
"Fine, it was late. But everyone was having fun. Can you really blame me?" Lena said.
"You told mom you'd be home by 11."
"She forgave me."
Adam shrugged. "Alright then."
It wasn't alright. He saw his mother's expression when she wasn't home at 11. That was why he and Aaron had left the house a bit later.
The light turned green.
"To make sure I get home on time, you should come along to the parties then," Lena said, turning toward him as she walked backward playfully. "Instead of staying behind doing old man hobbies."
"I don't have old man hobbies," Adam said flatly.
"You organize socks, undershirts, and shorts in your spare time."
"I prefer it that way."
"Birdwatching?"
"Birds look cool."
Lena sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if you're actually a 40-year-old man trapped in a 16-year-old's body. Maybe if you joined me sometime, you could disprove that."
Adam just shrugged and kept walking.
He had wanted to go to the party. That was the part he would never tell her.
He wanted to experience it, but he just couldn't. Adam knew how to dress appropriately for a room, where to stand, when to speak, when not to speak, and how long he could watch someone before they noticed.
The problem was that a party had no objective.
He couldn't function without an objective.
He was expected to participate.
"Why aren't you drinking?"
"Why do you keep looking at the door?"
"How the hell did you know who left 10 minutes ago?"
Questions a normal teenager shouldn't have answers for.
Tenet 5. Reveal nothing.
Lena believed Adam had stayed home that night when she went out partying with her friends.
He didn't.
After Lena didn't come home at 11pm sharp, both he and Aaron moved into position near the party.
They brought binoculars, wore dark clothing, and planned their route.
They moved whenever too many people gathered near the windows, when somebody stepped outside to smoke, or when a car stopped long enough to make their position uncomfortable. They positioned themselves in a tall tree shrouded in darkness.
From across the lot, Adam watched Lena laugh with her friends, dance badly, drink something he hoped was not alcohol, and otherwise behave exactly as he'd expected.
Nothing happened.
Nobody bothered her enough to require intervention.
She came home safely. They followed her the whole way.
As far as Lena knew, he was back at home reading his books or watching the birds.
He preferred it that way.
"Why do you hate parties?" Lena finally asked.
"I don't."
"Judging by the way you act, I think you do."
"I've never been to one to know that I hate it."
Lena rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll find a reason for you to go."
Adam disliked her tone.
Lena pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and scrolled through the gallery.
She picked a photo and showed it to Adam.
Hannah Martin smiled back at him, her hazel-brown eyes sparkling.
She and Lena stood outside a coffee shop in West Pinewood, Lena leaning against Hannah's shoulder while Hannah held a plastic cup in both hands. Hannah's dark hair was tied into a loose ponytail, several strands escaping across her face.
Adam recognized her instantly.
They shared 2 classes.
He couldn't remember ever having a conversation with her that lasted longer than 1 minute.
Lena watched his reaction. "Hannah's birthday is in about a month and a half. Her parents are leaving her the house for the night because apparently that's what she asked for."
"That doesn't sound responsible."
"That's not the point, Adam."
"What is?"
Lena let out an exasperated sigh. "You should come."
Adam looked from the screen to his sister. "Why?"
Lena's expression slowly changed. "What?"
"Why should I go?" Adam clarified.
She lowered the phone. "Because she's one of my best friends, because there'll be people you know, because you're 16 and are supposed to do things that don't involve school, watching birds, or running until your legs fall off."
"Cross-country is a sport."
"It's still just running really far."
Adam adjusted his backpack strap.
Lena narrowed her eyes at him. "Also you stare at her."
"I don't."
"Oh, you absolutely do."
"I look in her general direction."
"For suspiciously long periods of time."
"She sits near the window."
Lena stopped in her tracks.
Adam took a couple more steps until he realized she wasn't alongside him.
He turned, unsure why she had stopped. He scanned the area for immediate threats before he heard Lena laugh.
"Oh my god." Lena snorted.
"What is it?" Adam responded, trying not to sound alarmed.
Lena had a few moments of laughter to recover. "You like her."
"I did not admit to that."
"You didn't have to. That was the worst defense I've ever heard."
Adam shrugged and continued walking. Lena hurried after him, now far too entertained.
The truth was more complicated than that.
Hannah was pretty. Adam wasn't blind.
He just didn't know what to do with that information.
More importantly, Hannah was strange.
There had been 1 afternoon when she walked behind Adam and Lena for several blocks despite mentioning beforehand that she was going home after school. She lived in the opposite direction.
Another time, after cross-country practice, Adam had noticed her watching through a partially open door even though her class was in the other building.
And last night at the party. Definitely that.
There could be reasonable explanations. Maybe.
But Adam started keeping track.
Should he tell his sister that?
Absolutely not.
She would ask questions. Questions he didn't have good answers for. Not without revealing a part of him that would rather remain hidden.
Tenet 5. Reveal nothing.
Maybe Hannah knew something about him and the family.
Maybe she was doing recon.
Maybe she was-
"You're thinking about her right now, aren't you?" Lena's voice cut through the thoughts.
"What?"
"Wow. This is worse than I thought. You're daydreaming."
"I have no idea what you're on about."
Lena giggled and mercifully changed the subject, launching into a story about Kendra and a punishment game that had happened at the party.
Adam finally relaxed and enjoyed the walk.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A few minutes later, Pinewood High came into view at the end of the street. The front gates were already crowded. Students flowed through in groups and cliques. Some were half awake and dragging backpacks; others were loud enough to compensate for everyone else.
At the entrance, Coach Henry stood with a clipboard under one arm.
He was difficult to miss. Large, broad-shouldered, Black, with a shaved head and a permanent crease between his brows that made him look annoyed even though he wasn't. His school polo stretched across his chest and upper arms and looked like it was about to pop.
Adam checked himself immediately.
School ID worn on a sling across his neck. Shirt according to dress code. Shoes. Nothing prohibited in the outer pockets of his bag.
He glanced towards Lena.
She wasn't concerned, and as far as Adam could see, she was also within the dress code.
He shrugged and continued forward while she had already found some friends and was talking as she walked.
The students had already formed a line. No one was getting through without getting checked. One would think Coach Henry was security.
He wasn't. He was just doing this for the love of the game. Discipline.
Lena was near the back of the line, seemingly distracted as she gossiped with her friends. One was Kendra Layton, her best friend since middle school. Brown hair, average height, and as far as Adam was concerned, pretty.
The others, Anna and Kelly, hung around them chattering animatedly. They had been friends since this year, so he didn't know a lot about them. All were cheerleaders.
"ID, please."
Coach Henry had just waved another student through when it was Adam's turn.
Henry's expression eased a little bit when he recognized him.
"Costanza. Morning."
Adam was already wearing the ID card.
Henry noticed the ID immediately. "Good." He checked the photo and gave him the same quick inspection he gave everyone else. Shirt, shoes, belt, pockets, bag.
"Good. You're up to code. Go before Leone finds a way to make you late."
Adam nodded, then followed the direction of his glance.
Daryl Leone stood several students back in the line, frantically searching his pockets.
That's what it was.
Adam stepped through the gate and waited off to the side for Lena's turn so they could walk together.
Daryl reached Henry first.
"ID."
Daryl patted both front pockets. Then the back.
Then checked the front again as if the act alone might make his ID manifest from thin air.
"Come on, Coach… you know me by now. Is this really necessary?"
"First, yes, I know you. Second, yes, it's still necessary. Maybe this'll finally teach you to keep track of your ID," Henry said.
Daryl opened his wallet, a final try.
Empty slot.
His face fell and paled.
"I swear, Coach, I had it yesterday."
"That… is usually how losing something works."
Several students chuckled and some laughed behind him.
Daryl looked over his shoulder. "Ha ha…"
"Here."
Daryl turned.
Adam had stepped back toward the gate and was holding a card between 2 fingers.
Daryl stared at it. His ID.
"My ID?"
"Good, you can see it."
"Where'd you find it?" Daryl asked, slowly taking it from him.
Adam paused.
He knew exactly where and when.
11:34 pm. Near the bushes below the balcony at Scott's house. Just below the tree where he and Aaron had been staking out the party. Daryl had climbed over the low wall while escaping whatever punishment game had developed upstairs, snagged his jacket on a branch, and lost the card without noticing.
Adam couldn't say any of that.
Not when everyone believed he'd been at home in his room.
"On the road," Adam finally said.
Daryl gave him a strange look.
"Near what road?"
Adam's expression was blank.
Daryl leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Wait, weren't you home last night? Lena said you were."
A few feet away, Lena glanced toward them, though the sounds of complaining students around her drowned out most of the conversation.
Adam looked at Daryl. "I went for a walk."
"At midnight?"
"Yeah."
Daryl stared at him with suspicion.
Coach Henry cleared his throat. "Unless you want to stay here the whole day, I'd like to see that ID now."
Daryl straightened. "R-right. Sorry."
He then handed it over.
Henry looked it over and handed it back. "Keep it somewhere more reliable next time. Buy a sling. Don't just put it in your wallet."
"Right... yes, Coach."
Daryl hurried through.
Adam moved away from the gate and went back to where he was waiting for Lena.
Daryl moved beside him unprompted. He then looked sideways at Adam.
"You went for a walk."
"Yep." Adam nodded.
"At midnight."
Adam nodded again. "Yep."
"And during this completely normal midnight walk, you found the ID I lost at Scott's party."
"Mmhm."
"Bullcrap. Just say you snuck into the party, man! I won't tell."
"I really wasn't."
Daryl loosened his shoulders and let the subject go. For now.
"Anyway," Daryl said, stretching, "you actually missed a pretty good party."
"I heard."
"Next time, you're coming with me. I'll ask around and see what's happening."
"Looking forward to it," Adam responded.
Daryl wasn't sure whether Adam was serious or being sarcastic.
Adam's gaze was fixed on Lena. She was getting checked, then waved through. So were her friends.
There were giggles and whispers as they approached the group.
"Coach is really pumped today," Lena said, gesturing for Adam to come along.
Adam did. Daryl gingerly followed.
"Oh, hey, Daryl. What was that about?" Lena asked.
Kendra leaned closer. "Yeah, what held you up?"
"Just lost my ID. No biggie. Adam found it."
"Well, with the way he looks at everything, he's bound to find something sooner or later," Kendra said.
Adam almost let out a sigh of relief. Daryl did not attempt to correct her assumption.
Lena chuckled and swatted Kendra playfully.
Adam just stared ahead.
Soon enough, Daryl joked and interacted with Lena's group while Adam just walked silently.
Adam noticed the subtle change in his expression when he talked to Lena.
Affection?
Could be. No way to know for sure unless he asked. Adam filed it away as he observed passively. He let it pass.
Unlike most people at Pinewood, Daryl had never seemed bothered by Adam's silence. He didn't apologize when Adam failed to respond quickly enough or start explaining conversations he thought Adam didn't get. Daryl knew Adam was always listening.
Daryl just kept talking until Adam had something to say.
That was probably why he'd gotten closer than most.
Since middle school.
He didn't know when Daryl became his friend. They had been classmates at one point, and somewhere along the way, they just stuck together.
As the school buildings came closer and closer, Lena and the cheerleader squad said their goodbyes as their classes were in the senior wing.
"This is us. See you two later!" Lena waved goodbye and punched Adam lightly on the shoulder.
Adam could see Daryl's face fall slightly at the goodbye. "Alright… See you later."
"We'll see them at lunch," Adam finally said after Daryl just stood there staring.
"I know that..."
"Then why are you staring like they're headed for Europe on a plane or something?"
"S-shut up!" Daryl shook him. "Just look!"
Adam followed his gaze.
Some boys approached Lena's group while they walked.
3 boys.
One of them kept making her laugh.
The other 2 talked to Kendra and Anna.
Kelly looked alienated.
Adam's attention stayed on the one making Lena laugh. A moment longer than necessary.
Relaxed shoulders, hands visible, no obvious aggression.
Backpack not bulky. A tennis racket hung on one side.
Possible contents: books, notebooks, and a lunchbox, based on the boxy profile.
"You're doing that again."
Adam looked back at him. "What?"
"That thing you do where you stare at someone. Like you're deciding whether they deserve to keep breathing."
"You told me to look."
Daryl's face fell again, suddenly reminded. "I know… How come she doesn't laugh at my jokes like that?"
"You told jokes?"
"Screw you, man." Daryl pushed him again playfully and chuckled. "Let's go, bro. Before I die of jealousy."
Adam glanced again toward Lena's group and the boys around her.
There was no threat.
Nothing requiring intervention.
Aaron had reached the same conclusion last night.
Eventually.