The feeling doesn't go away.
Even after we move, even after we step into the building, it stays — quiet, crawling under my skin like something I can't shake.
At first, nothing happens.
Just an empty hallway. Faint echoes. The kind of silence that makes every small sound feel louder than it should.
But then—
Jace slows down.
Not suddenly.
Just enough for me to notice.
His head tilts slightly, like he's listening for something I can't hear.
"What?" I whisper.
He doesn't answer.
That's when I see it.
A figure at the far end of the hallway.
Standing still.
Watching.
My breath catches.
"Jace—"
"I see him," he says quietly.
The guy doesn't move.
Doesn't speak.
Just stands there like he's waiting for something.
For us.
My heart starts beating faster.
"Who is that?" Maya asks, her voice lower now.
Jace doesn't respond immediately. His eyes stay locked on the figure, calculating, like he's trying to decide something.
Then—
"Don't run," he says. "Just walk."
That somehow makes it worse.
We start moving.
Normal pace.
Like nothing's wrong.
But I can feel it — the tension tightening between us, the awareness that this isn't random anymore.
When I glance back—
The guy is gone.
Like he was never there.
We don't stay long after that.
Maya is the first to break the silence once we're back outside.
"Okay, that was not normal," she says, crossing her arms. "I'm not staying around for whatever this is."
She looks at me.
"Text me when you get home, okay?"
I nod.
"Yeah."
She hesitates for a second, like she wants to say more… then shakes it off.
"Just be careful."
And then she's gone.
Just like that.
Leaving me alone—
With him.
Jace doesn't move right away.
He just watches the direction Maya left, like he's making sure she's really gone.
Then his attention shifts back to me.
"We need to talk," he says.
I exhale slowly. "We've been talking."
"Not like this."
There's something different in his tone now.
More serious.
More direct.
I hesitate for a second before nodding.
"Fine."
We end up at a small place just off campus.
It's quiet enough that no one pays attention to us, which I'm starting to realize is exactly the kind of place Jace prefers.
For a while, neither of us says anything.
It's… weird.
Not uncomfortable.
Just heavy.
Like there's too much sitting between us that neither of us knows where to start.
Finally—
"So," he says, leaning back slightly. "How have you been?"
The question catches me off guard.
I hesitate.
Because I don't know which answer he wants.
The easy one?
Or the real one?
"I've been fine," I say eventually.
It sounds flat even to me.
Jace doesn't call it out.
But he doesn't believe it either.
"I'm serious, Talia."
I look down for a second, then back at him.
"I said I'm fine."
A pause.
Then he lets it go.
For now.
"What about the note?" he asks instead.
My fingers tighten slightly around the edge of the table.
"What about it?"
"You didn't tell Maya everything."
That makes me look up.
His eyes are already on me.
Focused.
Sharp.
"I didn't think I needed to," I say.
"You do," he replies. "Just not to her."
That lands heavier than I expect.
"Why?" I ask.
Jace leans forward slightly, lowering his voice.
"Because we don't know who's involved yet."
A chill runs through me.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," he says carefully, "you don't assume anyone's safe."
Including Maya.
He doesn't say it.
But I hear it anyway.
"What do we do then?" I ask quietly.
Jace doesn't hesitate this time.
"We go back."
"To where?"
"Home."
That word feels heavier than it should.
"Why?"
"Because if this 'Project C' thing is connected to anything…" he pauses slightly, watching my reaction, "it's not starting now."
My stomach tightens.
"You think it's been there this whole time?"
"I think," Jace says, "we've already missed something."
Silence settles between us again.
But this time, it's different.
Not awkward.
Not uncertain.
Focused.
Because now—
This isn't just curiosity anymore.
It's something we have to figure out.
Before it finds us again.