It was painfully obvious Sasha was lying—her acting was stiff, her voice too forced. The young man, however, chose to play along. He puffed up with false confidence, convinced she looked weaker than she actually was.
"And I'm Jake… from the State Government Embassy," he said, mimicking her tone with a wacky seriousness that made it sting.
Sasha gave him a look that screamed I totally trust you. For a moment, it almost passed—until he smirked and broke the illusion.
"I was just kidding. Don't tell me you actually believed that. Besides, you deserved it—you lied to me first."
The words cut deeper than she expected. Her cover was ruined, her mask stripped away. Sasha stepped back, eyes narrowing.
"My real name's Barry," he added quickly, voice softening. There was sincerity in it, but to Sasha it sounded like a bargain—a trade she wasn't buying.
She backed toward the kitchen, her eyes never leaving him. Barry frowned, curiosity tugging at him. "Hey—what are you doing in there?"
He followed cautiously, only to freeze in terror. Sasha emerged with a knife glinting in her grip, her stance steady, her eyes unreadable. The blade was angled perfectly to strike.
Barry raised his trembling hands in a calming gesture, his mouth too dry to form words.
"What is your name?" Sasha asked, her voice low, deliberate.
"I already told you my name," Barry stammered, fear cracking his tone.
"I believe I asked you—what is your name?" she pressed again, her presence towering over him despite her smaller frame.
"Barry!" he blurted immediately, almost a cry.
Sasha circled him like a predator, knife poised, her footsteps slow and precise.
Leaving Ivi Town was one thing. But not being caught—that was the true trial. After the government abandoned the island, poverty became its name and hunger its law. Civilization had rotted away, leaving nothing but decay and desperation. The people wore the same plain brown garments, more like uniforms of survival than clothing. Anyone who escaped to the city still dressed in that garb might as well carry a death sentence—they were marked, exposed, hunted before they could even speak.