Chapter 9: Shadows Beneath the Light
The door clicked shut behind me, sealing off the chaos of my sister's intrusion. I locked it, not just to keep Sharon out, but to create a barrier between myself and the world. I needed space. I needed silence.
I collapsed onto my bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, thoughts swirling like a storm. Rebecca's warning echoed in my head. Joseph's cryptic words lingered like smoke. "You're being watched." "Be careful with your steps." What did they mean? Who was watching me? And why?
I needed a distraction.
With a groan, I rolled off the bed and headed to the bathroom. The cold water from the shower hit my skin like a thousand tiny needles, but it calmed me. It grounded me. For a moment, the world was quiet.
When I stepped out, towel wrapped around my waist, I glanced at my phone. A missed call.
Rejoice.
A chill ran down my spine—not fear, but excitement. My heart thudded against my ribs. I snatched the phone and called her back, fingers trembling slightly.
"Is she about to ask me out?"
"Maybe she wants to confess her feelings…"
"No, maybe she…"
She picked up.
"Hello, Rejoice," I said, trying to sound casual. "I saw your call, so I decided to call back."
Her voice came through, soft and clear. "Yeah, I did call. I wanted to ask…"
My heart leapt. Yes, yes, yes, she's about to ask me out!
"…if you're done with the notebook I gave you in class today. I'd love to use it now. Can you return it?"
My heart crashed like a plane in flames. What?! Just the notebook?
I swallowed my disappointment. "Okay, should I come over to your place?"
"No," she replied quickly. "Let's meet at Lucrativo Eatery. I'll be waiting for you."
She hung up.
I stared at the screen. Lucrativo Eatery? That's kind of a date spot… maybe she does have a crush on me?
I changed into fresh clothes, heart racing. As I opened my door, Sharon was sitting right there, smirking like a cat who'd just stolen cream.
"Going somewhere?" she asked, eyes twinkling.
I ignored her and went to Mom's room. "I'm heading out," I said.
"Be careful," Mom replied. "And don't stay out too long."
I nodded and left. At the gate, I saw Aunt Maria. I thought she'd gone home already. I waved and dashed off—no cab, no bike. Just me and my legs.
I ran like my life depended on it.
It took me an hour, but I made it. My shirt clung to my back, soaked in sweat. As I stood outside the eatery, a strange sensation crept over me—like eyes were boring into my skin. I turned, scanned the street. Nothing.
I stepped inside.
The place was warm, buzzing with chatter and clinking cutlery. I scanned the room. There she was—Rejoice. Radiant. Her eyes sparkled, her smile lit up the space. She looked like a dream.
But someone was sitting beside her.
Precious.
What the hell is he doing here?
I walked over, trying to mask my confusion. I sat down, noting the notebooks and half-eaten plates of food.
"Hey Rejoice," I said. "How are you doing?"
She smiled. "I'm fine, Divine. Did you bring the notebook?"
I handed it over.
Precious gave me a handshake, and we did our signature move. I leaned in. "So… what are you doing here with Rejoice? Hope you guys aren't on a—"
"Nope," Precious cut in. "She needed help with a math equation. I'm just helping her out. You can join us if you want."
Relief flooded my chest. She's single. Not taken. Game on.
I pulled up a chair.
The conversation shifted to academics. Rejoice opened her notebook, pointing at a complex equation.
"I don't get this part," she said. "The quadratic formula makes sense, but this transformation step is confusing."
Precious leaned in. "You're missing the substitution. See, when you have ax² + bx + c = 0, and you're transforming it into vertex form, you complete the square."
I chimed in. "Yeah, and don't forget to divide the coefficient of x by 2 before squaring it."
Rejoice nodded slowly. "Okay… so if I have 2x² + 8x + 6, I divide 8 by 2, get 4, square it to get 16…"
"Exactly," Precious said. "Then adjust the equation accordingly."
We moved on to physics. Rejoice groaned. "Don't even get me started on Newton's laws."
I laughed. "First law: object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon. Second law: F = ma. Third law: every action has an equal and opposite reaction."
Precious added, "And don't forget the upcoming test. Mr. Ade said it'll cover thermodynamics too."
Rejoice sighed. "I hate thermodynamics. Entropy makes no sense."
"It's chaos," I said. "Literally. Entropy is the measure of disorder."
We talked about chemistry, biology, even literature. Rejoice confessed she hadn't read the assigned novel. Precious teased her. I offered to summarize it.
Time flew.
Eventually, Rejoice stood up. "I need to go. My dad will be back soon."
She left. Precious paid the bill.me and precious walked together, the streetlights casting long shadows.
"Are you bored?" Precious asked suddenly.
I frowned. "Meaning?"
"Well," he said, "you always seem kinda lonely."
That hit hard.
I looked away. "Lonely? Nah. I've got friends. My sisters keep me busy."
Precious smiled. "Hmm. I was just worried. You barely talk in class. You only talk to me or Rejoice."
I forced a smile. "Even though I have friends, I consider you number one. You mean a lot to me."
He chuckled. "Divine, are you free this weekend? Let's watch Mission Impossible 7."
"Yeah, I'm free. But I'm only at part 4. I haven't kept up."
"You need to catch up," he said. "Tom Cruise is insane. His stunts are legendary."
I scratched my head. "I've been watching anime."
He burst out laughing. "Anime? Cartoon?"
I glared. "Bro, anime isn't cartoon. It's a masterpiece. Don't compare."
"My bad!" he said, still laughing. "Okay, I think we'll split here."
"Saturday, 1pm," I reminded him.
He nodded and walked into the alley.
I stood there, admiring his confidence.
Then I heard it—a whisper in my ear.
"You have a really good friend."
I spun around. No one.
A soft hand tapped my shoulder.
Rebecca.
She wore black cargo pants, a sleeveless hoodie, combat boots, and fingerless gloves. Her hair was tied back. A katana hung across her back.
I wanted to scream.
She jabbed my belly with the hilt of her katana. "Didn't I warn you? You're being watched."
I winced. "I feel like I'm being stalked by you."
She hit my shoulder. I fell to the ground.
"Don't get the wrong idea," she said coldly.
I got up slowly. "Why bring up the Defender thing again?"
She stared at me. "Because I know why you refuse. It's your father's death. And Rejoice."
My blood ran cold. "How do you know—"
"Don't get high hopes," she said. "That girl doesn't love you. Give up. Join us. Protect humanity."
I shook my head. "That's a weird way to convince someone."
I turned to leave.
She grabbed my hand. "Love is poison at your age."
I pulled away. "Your grip hurts. You gym?"
"Every night," she said.
She was weird.
"I'll think about it," I said, walking away.
Her phone rang.
She answered. Joseph's voice came through.
"Did you convince him?"
"No," she replied. "He's stubborn."
"What about his friend, Precious?"
"You were right. Someone's following him. Suspicious type."
"Dig deeper," Joseph said.
Rebecca hung up and sighed.
"I wasn't paid enough for this."