The following days felt long.
Vivian went over the notebook almost every night, even when there was nothing new to add. Brittany asked her cousin every two days, always getting the same result: people in the neighborhood were still talking, the police weren't saying much, and the local newspaper had barely published a short article without mentioning clowns or smiles.
Ana, from Newton, could only pay attention to whatever reached her through word of mouth. Madeleine did the same on her end. The distance between the counties was more noticeable than ever. They couldn't meet often. The calls were short, careful, and always ended with the same phrase:
—If you hear anything else, let us know.
And nobody knew anything else.
On Thursday afternoon, Vivian and Brittany stayed in the school library after classes. They had used a history assignment as an excuse. In reality, they just needed a quiet place to talk without anyone listening.
Brittany closed the book in front of her without having read a single line.
—This is so frustrating —she whispered—. We know something happened. We know it fits. And we can't do anything.
Vivian rested her cheek against her hand.
—If we go to Trenton, we risk being seen. Or worse.
Ana is right. Not yet.
—I know.
But I hate waiting.
Vivian didn't answer. She hated waiting too. Every day that passed without a new clue made the fear mix with a dull frustration. They had gathered every piece they had. They had confirmed the rumor. And now they could only sit still, listening, as if the world itself refused to give them the next fragment.
When they left the library, the sky was already cloudy. Brittany adjusted her backpack.
—Do you think he knows we're watching him?
Vivian stopped for a second on the stairs.
—I don't know.
But sometimes… I feel like he does.
---
Ryan did know.
Not because he was watching them twenty-four hours a day. Simply because he didn't have much else to do that week. Nexum was running on its own. The ranking was generating enough income that he didn't have to worry. No new entity had appeared. The mark was barely bothering him.
So, from time to time, he teleported to a nearby rooftop and watched them for a while.
He saw them leave the library.
He saw them talking in low voices.
He noticed the way Brittany gestured whenever she got frustrated and how Vivian stayed quiet, staring ahead as if she were mentally going over every case again.
Ryan sat on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling, and sighed.
—They're still stuck.
It wasn't a complaint. It was almost an amused observation.
He remembered the letter again. That absurd job offer he had sent them months ago. He had made them investigate the twins. He had paid them. He had even given them a way to respond to him. And now those same four girls were dedicating time, fear, and energy to investigating him.
He found the situation amusing.
And a little tempting.
He could appear.
He could climb down from the roof, put on the mask, and speak to them directly.
He could tell them, in that elegant and slightly mocking voice, that the one who had hired them and the one they were chasing through newspaper clippings were the same person.
But no.
Not yet.
If he gave them all the answers now, the interest would be over. They would stop thinking. They would stop connecting the dots. And he would lose the little show of watching them reach the right conclusions on their own.
Ryan ran a hand through his hair.
—Patience…
The word sounded strange coming from him. He wasn't particularly patient. He preferred to solve things quickly, with blood or fire if necessary. But this time, he had decided to wait. To let them move forward at their own pace.
Meanwhile, he could keep building Nexum.
He could keep training.
He could continue ignoring—for now—the mark that occasionally reminded him there were worse things waiting.
He stepped down from the rooftop without making a sound and returned to his room.
---
That night, the four of them talked on the phone, an awkward chain of calls because they couldn't all be online at the same time.
Ana was the most direct:
—Nothing new around here. If the guy from Trenton was him, he hasn't moved toward Sussex.
Madeleine added:
—My brother asked around. Nobody really wants to talk. People are afraid they'll be looked at strangely.
Brittany summarized what her cousin had told her again, even though they had already heard it.
Vivian, in the end, said the only thing they could say:
—So we're still in the same place.
Stay alert.
Don't do anything stupid.
When she hung up, she stared at the ceiling of her room.
She hated the feeling of being halfway there.
They knew too much to forget about it.
They knew too little to understand it.
---
Ryan shut down his computer later than usual.
He sat in the darkness for a while, listening to the silence of the house.
He thought about what that future conversation would be like.
Would he bring all four of them together?
Would he talk to them one by one?
Would he use the same voice from the letters or something more direct?
He smiled faintly.
He still had time to decide.
For now, he would let them grow a little more frustrated.
He would let them gather rumors.
He would let them reach the edge of the truth on their own.
Because a good show
isn't enjoyed the same way
if the audience gets the ending
before they've had to suffer through the wait.
Ryan leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes.
Patience.
For the first time in a long time,
he was willing to practice it.