Chapter 3 – Eyes Everywhere
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His palms were sweaty. The cafeteria noise had faded into a dull roar... trays clattering, chairs scraping, laughter, and curses from annoyed students. None of it mattered to him anymore; someone else knew about the document. The message glowed one last time before his phone screen went black.
"Cancel the request about making Hawthorne your driver. Follow instructions or consequences will follow."
Seeing the message made Smith's grip on the phone tighten.
Defiance muted his fear, but only slightly. The signature this morning had felt like breaking free. Now strangers thought they could order him around. He felt constricted, as if someone was trying to strangle him. No. Not this time, he refused to be commanded.
His hands moved before he could think of the consequences. The phone unlocked, he found his chat with Alexandria, and quickly typed, "Changed my mind. Make Hawthorne my driver. Starting tomorrow if possible." Sent. No room for explanation, no hesitation.
The phone stayed quiet for a moment. His thumb hovering over the screen, half-expecting an immediate reply from Alexandria. But nothing came. Only the faint hum of the cafeteria to accompany his thoughts. The world felt muted, distant, like someone had turned down the volume just for him.
Then it buzzed, not Alexandria... the unknown number.
"I see you chose defiance, young Wesson. Prepare for the consequences."
He froze. A shiver running across his back. The text implied that it wasn't safe anymore; devices were being monitored. Who had this much insight into his life? And what consequences did they mean by that?
The laughter from students in the cafeteria now felt mocking. Every curse he heard, every whispered conversation, seemed like it was aimed at him. Eyes. He imagined every student as a watcher, sent to monitor his reactions.
He slipped his phone into his pocket and hurriedly stood up. His heart thudded like thunder during a rainy season. He needed to leave.
Smith Wesson pushed through the tables, shoving past unaware students. Being in the middle of the noisy cafeteria made him feel exposed. Every glance felt accusatory.
He moved toward the cafeteria exit without looking back. The doors felt farther away than usual. Conversations and sound felt intentional, like someone intending to make him more nervous.
Outside, sunlight streamed in uneven patches. After stepping out, Smith took a large gulp of air, like a man saved from drowning. The need to run far away from school pressed in on his mind, classes be damned. He needed to get back to the apartment and recollect himself.
Smith's phone buzzed again in his pocket. He resisted the urge to check it. Letting it lie there felt safer, after all ignorance is bliss.
The moment stretched. The act of moving from the cafeteria to the campus gates felt like a herculean task to Smith. He could hear his heart pounding loudly in his chest, loud enough to drown the shouting students. He forced himself to move faster, away from the school, his instincts hinted at him being watched.
Reaching the edge of the campus made him feel relieved, the streets opening up into the city. The traffic roar, honking cars, and shouting vendors filled the air. He flagged a taxi. Boarding it, he barely managed a breath. "Take me to Ladin Apartments."
The city rushed past the taxi window, life rolling on with its usual rhythm, but he felt removed, as if watching from behind an electric fence.
He withdrew his phone again. Unlocking it, he tapped his chat with Marcus and typed: "Hey, I won't be available for the next lecture. Don't wait for me at the gate. Come straight to my apartment for the document."
His thumb hovering above the send button before hitting it. Even a simple text felt like stripping naked in front of a crowd. The cityscape blurred outside the window. Car horns and distant chatter became meaningless static.
What kind of person could anticipate his every action so precisely? His signature this morning had been an act of freedom. Now that freedom felt restricting, every decision watched and measured, only to be countered before he even had a chance to act.
The taxi slowed at a red light. He kept his eyes on the passing cars, but his mind was elsewhere. Someone knew exactly what he was thinking; the Wesson family was being monitored.
Telling his sister came to mind, but it was like admitting weakness. He decided to make his own choices, so he must solve the problems these choices came with.
His phone buzzed. Marcus.
"Everything alright?"
He typed a quick reply, "yeah... it's just an errand I have been told to run. Nothing to worry about."