The morning light seeped through the curtain like spilled gold, but Lina didn't feel warm.
She sat on her bed, staring at her phone screen.
[Alert: You've triggered a passive surveillance flag.]
"Why does that sound like a polite way of saying someone's stalking me?" she muttered.
[Because it kind of is.]
[Source unknown. Interference minimal. Risk level: Contained.]
Lina swallowed. "System… be real with me. Is someone watching me?"
[Yes. But not with malicious intent.]
"…So, like a guardian angel?"
[If your guardian angel wore an expensive suit and had a dozen legal loopholes on standby.]
"That's not comforting."
[I didn't say it would be.]
---
Elsewhere…
Kael sat behind a frosted glass desk, fingers steepled under his chin.
He'd watched the footage of Lina standing alone at the networking event three times. The way she flinched when someone brushed past her. The way she almost left—and then stayed.
He admired that kind of restraint.
No theatrics. No fake confidence. Just grit and quiet fire.
"She reminds me of—" he stopped the thought before it finished.
A knock broke the silence.
"Mr. Marlowe. Updates on Subject LV-07," said his assistant. "Her confidence level has spiked 9%. She's responding well to external pressure."
Kael raised a brow. "What about her emotional volatility?"
"Stable. Surprisingly so."
He nodded once. "Keep it quiet. If anyone else finds her first, we lose control."
"And if she finds out it's you watching?"
Kael smirked.
"She won't. Not yet."
---
Back at the shelter
Lina paced.
The card she'd gotten from the literary scout was in her pocket, practically burning through the fabric.
She was thinking about emailing him. Or maybe… not.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a system ping.
[Emergency Task: Face the Past]
Your former friend Mira is trending locally again. She's speaking at a nearby shelter today at 3 PM. You have a choice: stay hidden or attend.
Objective: Confrontation is optional. Presence is not.
Reward: +$100 | Trauma Resistance +1 | Memory Lock Progress +5%
Penalty for Refusal: System Downgrade – Emotional Calibration
Time Limit: 6 Hours
Lina stopped moving.
Mira?
That name hit her like a punch to the chest.
"…No."
[You said you wanted to grow. This is the next step.]
"She humiliated me," Lina whispered. "She used me."
[She did. And now you get to decide who you want to be when you see her again.]
---
She didn't remember much of the walk to the event.
Her hands were ice cold when she arrived.
There, at the center of a makeshift panel, was Mira.
Smiling. Poised. Fake.
Just like always.
"And that's why I believe storytelling saved me," Mira said. "Especially the people who were there for me back then."
She paused dramatically, her eyes sweeping the crowd.
Did she see Lina?
She didn't flinch if she did.
Lina stood in the back, frozen.
Memories hit her all at once—sharing food in the same foster home, whispering secrets under thin blankets, Mira promising they'd be sisters forever.
And then the betrayal.
---
Lina's body moved before her brain caught up.
She stood. Took one step forward.
Then another.
Mira turned.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, Mira's expression faltered.
Then she smiled. "Lina? Is that you?"
A microphone was in her hand.
The whole room turned.
Lina didn't speak.
She didn't have to.
Her silence said more than a scream ever could.
After a beat, she turned and walked out.
Behind her, the audience murmured.
Behind her, Mira stood—frozen in place.
[Task Complete.]
Reward: +$100 | Trauma Resistance +1 | Memory Lock Progress +5%]
[Confidence +2 – Bonus for Silent Confrontation]
---
That night, Lina sat by the window of her room.
Her eyes were dry, but her chest ached.
[Would you like to talk about it?] the AI offered.
"No," she said.
Then softer, "Maybe later."
[I'll wait. I'm not going anywhere.]
She nodded slowly.
"…That's what they all said," she whispered.
The AI didn't reply.
Just waited.
---
Elsewhere…
Kael received the footage.
Her silence. Her walkout. Her composure.
"She's tougher than she looks," his assistant said.
Kael looked thoughtful.
"Not tough. Enduring. There's a difference."
"Should we make contact?"
"Not yet. Let her build her world first."
He turned the screen off.
"Then I'll be the one she sees when it starts to crumble."
---
System Update: Lina Vale Profile Progress
Confidence: 23% (Up from 8%)
Public Speaking: Beginner (1/5)
Trauma Resistance: 7% unlocked
Hidden Tag: Marked by Shadowwatch
---
End of Chapter 5
---