The evening was still damp with ray of the just runaway sun when I stepped out of that my house, or David's house, or whatever it was now. I didn't lock the door behind me. What was the point? I wasn't coming back.
I had one satchel slung across my shoulder. It was light, deliberately so. Mara had said: "Only what you need. A few clothes. The journal. Nothing more." Like she knew how this would go. Like she'd seen it before. Maybe she had.
The journal was tucked deep inside the bag, wrapped in one of David's old shirts. Not for sentiment. Just a layer of protection. It still smelled like ink and that cheap cologne he wore, it was too cheap considering the number of zeros in his account then. Or maybe that was my imagination playing loyal tricks.
Mara was leaning against the hood of her black sedan like she was waiting for a late train. Sunglasses on, arms folded, calm as the sea before a storm. Her eyes flicked up as I approached, not unkind, just assessing. Like she needed to make sure I had actually come out. Like maybe she thought I wouldn't and wait to face death in it's face.
Zeus had left hours before. He had done a service to his friend David and delivered his message, heavy and precise, gave me a first move to do then left me to the weight of it.
"Go with her," he had said."But don't trust her completely. She's not your enemy... yet. But she's not your friend either. She's playing a game and so are you now. Play it better."
He handed me the gun before he said goodbye. Small, cold, and heavier than I expected. The kind of thing that changes a man just by being in his possession, it makes one a warrior and unafraid. What's the use of adrenaline with a gun in your possession.
Then he had said the words that stuck like burrs in the back of my mind:
"They don't know what you know. That's your weapon. Keep them thinking you remember something—anything. Secrets David might've left in you. So long as they think you're dangerous, they'll keep you alive. You start looking harmless, and it's over."And that was it.
Now I stood there at the curb, my fingers brushing the strap of my bag, and Mara opened the car door without a word. Just slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. She didn't ask if I was ready. Just waited.
I climbed in beside her. That simple.
"Seatbelt," she said, without looking at me.
I buckled in. "Where are we going?"
She gave a small, unreadable smile. "Anywhere but here." Then she pulled out into the street, smooth and quiet like a shadow slipping between buildings.
The house faded behind us in the rearview mirror. David's house. My father, the archivist. The lawyer. The Listener. The man who taught me how to look at words like weapons.
They didn't fear the journal. They feared me and now was the time to figure out why.
The city slept around us, the streets emptying, save for the occasional flicker of late knock-offs. Mara didn't say much. Her hands gripped the wheel steady, eyes flicking to the mirrors as if expecting something—someone—to come crawling out of the shadows.
I wanted to speak, to break the silence. But what do you say when your whole life's been turned into a warning? When every word feels like it could be a trap? So I kept quiet.
My mind, though? It raced.
David, The Order, Zeus, Mara... who could I trust? The only thing I knew for sure was that the war had already started, and I was running right into its fire.
Mara finally broke the silence. "You're carrying more than just that journal, you know."
I glanced at her. "Yeah? What else?"
Her eyes stayed fixed on the road. "Secrets. Shadows of your father's past. Things that others kill to hide and others will kill to know"
Her words weren't comforting. They were a promise. And a threat, I guess, actually I don't know.
I swallowed hard. "Then why help me?"
She chuckled, dry and sharp. "Let's just say I have my reasons. But remember, kid... in this game, keep your eyes open."
I nodded, gripping the satchel tighter.
The city blurred past us, but one thing was clear, I was no longer just a boy running from a broken home. I was a pawn in a game much bigger than me and if I wanted to survive, I had to become something more. 7 parts truth and 3 parts lie and Zeus said I would survive and it was now that I hoped that useless statement would mean something.
We travelled throughout the night and somewhere between here and there, I fell asleep.
The sun was barely up when Mara pulled the car into an alleyway tucked between crumbling brick buildings, the kind of place people only notice when they're running away from cops. She killed the engine, and the silence settled heavy around us.
"Listen, Adrian," she said, voice low, eyes sharp like a hawk sizing up prey. "The Order? They're not just some secret club. They're the ones pulling the strings behind every damn thing in this city. Ministers, judges, cops—they're all puppets. Your dad wasn't just their lawyer. He was their keeper of secrets. And they think you've got those secrets now."
I knew this but her repeating it did not make me feel any better like the guys who want to kill you are in charge of the cops, the army even finance. How was that even better? I hated her even more.
"Zeus warned you, right?" Mara continued. "He's a piece of work. He's their ace and that means he listens to noone there but he still works for them. He gave you a headstart, sure—but he'll hunt you down if you slip or they persuade him enough. And don't think for a second that him helping you is about kindness. He was repaying David. Now David once helped him and he's helped you so you're even. If he sees you now, he'll pull the trigger."
Her stare pierced me, waiting for a reaction. I swallowed and nodded. "So, what now?"
She smiled, thin and sharp. "Now? You survive. You disappear. And you figure out which ghosts to trust."
I looked down at the satchel—inside, the journal burned like a secret I wasn't ready to face.
Outside, the city was waking up, but for me, the real fight had just begun.
Mara leans in, voice barely above a whisper. "First, you lay low. No contact with anyone from your old life. The Order's eyes are everywhere. Then, you find allies—people who have their own scores to settle with The Order. You'll need resources, safe houses, protection."
She pauses, scanning the dark streets like she's weighing every risk.
"Most important," she says, "you learn to be useful. Answer questions when asked and I'm sure you'll live a long life "
Her eyes lock with mine. "You ready for this?"
I swallowed hard, the weight of the satchel suddenly heavier. "And that's where you come in. You are supposedly the definition of what you said I need, right?I don't have a choice, do I?"
Mara shook her head, a tight smile on her lips. "Nope, you follow rules. Like Zeus said, I am the last and only option."
She flicked a glance over her shoulder, voice low. "And trust me Adrian, you trusting me fully may be the reason you live."
I nodded, heart pounding but eyes wide open. Like damn, how could I trust her now when the only thing I knew about her was her name just yet. The real game was only just beginning and my life was in for a turbulence.