The morning air felt different as Talia walked across campus.
It wasn't just the usual noise of students moving between lectures or the distant chatter from groups sitting on the grass. Everything felt sharper to her now, like her mind was tuned into something she couldn't turn off. Every face she passed felt unfamiliar in a way she couldn't explain, like she was looking at strangers for the first time even if she had seen them before.
Her hand kept brushing against her pocket without thinking.
Empty.
But the memory of the note wasn't.
PROJECT C
Those two words kept repeating in her mind like a loop she couldn't escape from. She didn't even fully understand why it mattered so much yet, but something inside her told her it wasn't just random. It was connected to something bigger. Something she wasn't supposed to see.
When she reached the far side of campus, she saw her.
Maya.
Standing under a tree near the walkway, calm like she had been waiting there for a long time. She wasn't looking at her phone or talking to anyone. She was just there, still, like she already knew Talia would come.
Talia stopped a few steps away.
"You came," Maya said quietly.
"I need answers," Talia replied immediately.
For a moment, Maya didn't respond. She studied Talia's face like she was trying to decide how much to say, or maybe how much not to say.
Finally, she exhaled.
"Okay," she said. "But you're not going to like this conversation."
Talia didn't move. "Then start talking."
Maya looked around first, lowering her voice slightly.
"I asked you before if you were sure you wanted to dig into this," she said. "And I meant it. Because once you start looking too deep, you don't really get to stop."
Talia frowned.
"I don't care. Someone gave me that note. It's not random."
Maya shook her head slowly.
"That's the problem. We don't actually know what it means."
That made Talia pause.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Maya crossed her arms.
"I mean exactly that. Project C isn't something I understand fully. I only heard it mentioned once… from my mom."
Talia's expression shifted instantly.
"Your mom?"
Maya nodded, her voice dropping slightly.
"She didn't talk about it directly. It was more like… a warning. Like she was scared of even saying the name out loud."
Talia felt a cold weight settle in her chest.
"If your mom was scared of it, then why are we even touching it?" she asked quietly.
"That's exactly my point," Maya replied. "We shouldn't be doing this alone."
She turned slightly, glancing over her shoulder.
"That's why I brought someone."
Talia followed her gaze.
And that was when she saw him.
A guy standing a few steps away, leaning casually against a low wall like he didn't care about anything happening around him. He looked calm, but there was something solid about him. Like he was used to standing in situations where things could go wrong.
Maya gestured toward him.
"That's Jace."
Talia blinked. "Why is he here?"
Maya hesitated for a second before answering.
"Because we're going to need him."
Talia frowned. "Need him for what?"
Maya's expression tightened slightly.
"For protection."
The word landed heavily.
Talia didn't like how that sounded.
Maya continued anyway.
"I don't know what we're getting into yet," she admitted. "But I know enough to know it's not safe. If someone is leaving notes like that, then they're either watching you… or setting you up."
Talia felt her stomach twist slightly.
Maya's voice lowered further.
"My mom used to say something before she stopped talking about it. She said, 'If you ever hear Project C, don't go looking for answers alone.'"
Talia's breath slowed.
"And what happened to her?" she asked quietly.
Maya didn't answer immediately.
That silence was enough.
Finally, she said, "That's why I'm not taking chances."
She looked at Jace again.
"We don't know what's going to happen if you keep investigating this, Talia. But I do know this… if my mom was that scared of it, then it's not something we can treat like a normal mystery."
Talia stood there quietly for a moment.
The wind moved through the trees above them, but she barely felt it.
Everything inside her felt tighter now.
Heavier.
Because for the first time since this started…
She realized she might not be the one in control of the situation anymore