𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐤

20⇢surprises

JAMIE

"Fuck!"

I turn around from my spot in the kitchen at the exclamation, the anxiety making my heart skip a beat. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Sam groans from the living room, "I dropped it on my toe."

I only chuckle at his answer, returning back to making myself a cup of coffee. I don't hear anything else, so I assume Sam just rolled his eyes.

I hear muttered conversation from the living room, and I try not to let the stranger in our apartment bother me.

It's Saturday evening — just a few days after the break-in, and we're currently getting a new coffee table brought in. Problem is the mover-helper-guy sounds almost exactly like Gun dude, and it's been keeping me on edge ever since he got here.

Since Sam has no special powers of his own, I've had to keep an eye on the two of them ever since he got here — which has only been like ten minutes, but it's enough to make me a bit anxious.

If the mover-helper-guy is Gun dude and if they did break-in on Voltar's account, it would make me even more on edge. I don't know Gun dude, so either he's Phantasm's friend or he's a spy.

Wait... What if Sam's parents were spies? I didn't know them, and I think Phantasm would've showed up if he knew they were in danger. So maybe they were spies.

If they're actually spies, all jokes aside... Voltar could be more dangerous than I thought. Manipulating people we love and complete strangers? I think I'm underestimating her power a little bit.

I don't want to seem scared or afraid of her power, but at the moment, I have a feeling she has the upper hand. No matter what, she's always one step ahead, and it's only because she knows my identity.

And what's holding me back is not knowing her identity.

The only girls I know personally are Isabel and Mia. It can't be either of them. I won't believe it if it is.

But... they've both been pretty suspicious lately.

When I told Isabel about how I ran into Voltar that one Sunday morning, she froze and gave a nervous response. And when the Voltar broadcast came on the TV, she pointed out how it was live — like she was trying to cover something up.

But even a few days ago... Mia told me Isabel was planning an eventful night with her family, and then that evening, I got my ass whooped.

And when I told Isabel about how Sam and I started dating, she showed signs of jealousy—and that evening, Voltar tried to kill Sam.

Also, she literally has black hair with purple tips.

Mia was constantly out of school because she was 'sick' from all the pollen, and Sam told me that she and Theo broke up because she didn't give him much attention—she was always focused on something else.

Also, she doesn't have black hair and purple tips... but looks can always be deceiving.

I don't know what it is or who it could be, but at this point, my gut is telling me not to trust anyone.

I brush off the thought and make my way into the living room, smiling at the new coffee table that sits in front of our couch. I walk over to the two boys, standing next to Sam.

We paid him at the beginning, so all he needs to do is leave. "Thank you so much."

"Of course," he responds, his voice scruffy and raspy, and I try not to think of how similar it sounds compared to Gun dude. "Later, man."