Jay POV
School felt normal again.
That was the problem.
Normal meant quiet.
And quiet never lasted long in my life.
The bell rang for dismissal.
Students flooded out like usual.
Chaos, shouting, laughter.
HVIS pretending it was just a normal school.
I walked out slowly, bag over my shoulder.
Acting like I had nowhere important to be.
Like always.
Behind me, Ci-n was arguing with Felix.
Yuri looked half asleep walking into a pole.
And Keifer—
Keifer was watching me.
Again.
"You're leaving early?" he asked.
"I'm always leaving early."
"That's not true."
"It is today."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Not angry.
Just curious.
"Where are you going?"
I smiled.
Too quickly.
"Home."
"That sounded like a lie."
"Everything sounds like a lie to you."
He sighed.
But didn't push further.
That was rare.
"Be safe," he said.
That stopped me for half a second.
Then I nodded.
"You too."
And I left before he could ask anything else.
🕶️ The Hidden Place
A few streets away from school.
Away from noise.
Away from people.
There was a building that looked completely normal.
That was the point.
I stepped inside.
The air changed immediately.
No school noise.
No laughter.
Just silence.
And waiting.
A chair scraped.
Someone stood.
"Boss."
One voice.
Then another.
"She's late again."
"She's always late."
"It's called style."
I rolled my eyes.
"It's called traffic."
A boy leaned forward from a table.
Messy dark hair.
Sharp eyes.
💻 Zane Kuroda (Hacker)
"Boss, I checked your school network."
"Why?"
"Because I was bored."
"I will delete your existence."
He smiled.
"You already tried that last week."
😭
Another voice spoke calmly.
🔍 Elias Vance (Investigator)
"Something is wrong."
The room went slightly quieter.
That was his specialty.
Not jokes.
Not noise.
Just truth.
He placed a file on the table.
"Someone has been watching HVIS."
I didn't move.
"How long?"
"Eleven days."
Silence.
That wasn't new.
But it wasn't normal either.
🥊 Rina Solace (Fighter)
She cracked her fingers.
"Say the word, Boss."
"We break them?"
"Not yet."
I sat down.
Finally.
🧠 Noah Calder (Strategist + Medical + Tech)
He adjusted his glasses.
Calm as always.
"If this escalates, we need a containment plan."
"We already have one," I said.
"You mean chaos?"
"Exactly."
😭
📡 Lila Monroe (Information Handler)
She slid her phone across the table.
"School isn't the problem."
I looked at the screen.
Names.
Connections.
Patterns.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"This isn't random," she said.
"Someone is mapping people."
That made the room go quiet.
Even Zane stopped joking.
🕶️ Seraphine Vale (Undercover / Social Intel)
She leaned back in her chair.
Smiling lightly.
"I can blend into HVIS tomorrow if needed."
"Too early," I said.
"Always too early with you, Boss."
I exhaled slowly.
Then stood up.
"We don't move yet."
They all looked at me.
Waiting.
"We observe."
Zane groaned.
"Boring."
"Safe," Noah corrected.
Rina smiled slightly.
"I like boring before violence."
😭🔥
Elias slid the file back.
"Then we wait."
I nodded.
But something in my chest felt off.
Because this wasn't just surveillance.
It felt like preparation.
Like someone was building something.
Slowly.
Carefully.
And HVIS was in the middle of it.
My phone buzzed.
📱
Unknown message.
Only three words.
"We're back."
My fingers stopped.
The room noticed instantly.
Zane leaned forward.
"Boss?"
I stared at the screen.
Slowly, I said:
"It started again."
Silence.
Then I added:
"And this time… they know I'm here."
The room didn't joke anymore.
No one smiled.
Even Zane.
Even Rina.
Even Seraphine.
End of Chapter 103 🕶️🔥📖