WHO AM I

CAUGHT IN THE WEB

The following day at school, things felt...off. Everywhere Lila looked, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Noah had texted her earlier in the morning, telling her to meet him after school, but until then, she was left navigating her day with a knot in her stomach.

Cathy and Jasper noticed the shift almost immediately.

"Yo, Lila," Jasper called out during lunch. "Are you okay? You look like you're expecting aliens to show up and abduct you."

Cathy laughed, nudging Jasper. "Yeah, Lila, what's up? You're usually more relaxed, like that one time you spilled coffee all over yourself and didn't even care because it was 'your aesthetic.'"

Lila forced a smile. "It's nothing. Just a lot on my mind, I guess."

Cathy didn't look convinced. "Lila, if there's something going on, you know you can tell us, right?"

Before Lila could respond, Noah appeared, holding his tray of food like a shield. He sat down across from Lila and gave her a look that clearly said they needed to talk.

Jasper, ever the comedian, threw a fry at Noah. "Dude, you look like you're about to give us the 'I'm Batman' speech or something. Spill it!"

Noah didn't laugh. Instead, he leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. "I think we've been found out."

Cathy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Found out by who?"

Noah looked around, checking to see if anyone was listening before answering. "I mean, I'm almost certain someone's been following me. And Lila, remember those weird texts? I got another one."

Jasper's eyes went wide. "Wait, so we are going full spy mode? Sweet! I've been waiting for this moment my whole life."

Lila couldn't help but laugh despite the tension. "This isn't exactly the time to be joking, Jasper."

But Jasper was already in full character mode, whispering dramatically, "Agent Jasper, reporting for duty!"

Noah sighed. "Okay, seriously, this is no joke. If we're being followed, we need to be careful. Renzo's family has ties to people who don't exactly play nice."

Cathy shook her head in disbelief. "This is insane. Are you guys actually getting involved in something dangerous?"

Lila didn't answer. She didn't have to. Cathy could see the truth in her eyes.

After School

Lila met up with Noah by the edge of the parking lot, the air thick with unspoken tension. As they walked toward the park, Lila couldn't help but glance around, half-expecting someone to jump out of the shadows.

Noah noticed her nervous glances and spoke softly, "I've been doing some more digging, and it's worse than we thought."

Lila's heart sank. "Worse? How could it get worse?"

Noah ran a hand through his hair. "I found out that Renzo's family is under investigation for money laundering. But it's not just them. There are other families involved—big names. If we keep digging, we could get caught in the crossfire."

Lila's breath hitched. "Do you think Renzo knows?"

"I'm not sure," Noah admitted. "But if he does, he's hiding it well."

Just as they were about to continue their conversation, a black car drove slowly past them. Both of them froze, exchanging wary glances.

Lila whispered, "Do you think they're...?"

Noah nodded subtly. "Yeah, I think so. Let's keep walking."

They walked in silence for a few minutes until the car finally disappeared. Lila's pulse was racing, her mind spinning with possibilities.

"We need to be smarter about this," Noah said after a long pause. "If we keep snooping around without a plan, we're going to get caught."

Lila nodded, still shaken. "What do we do then?"

Noah's jaw tightened. "We find out who's sending those texts. That's our first lead."

Later That Night

Lila sat on her bed, her mind too wired to sleep. She kept thinking about the black car, about Renzo's family, about everything. She couldn't shake the feeling that something huge was about to happen—and not in a good way.

Her phone buzzed, startling her.

Unknown Number: You're closer than you think. Keep pushing, and you'll find the truth.

Lila's stomach flipped. She immediately texted Noah.

Lila: I got another message. They know we're onto something.

Noah's reply came quickly.

Noah: Don't respond. It's a trap. We need to be smart about this.

Lila stared at the message, her pulse quickening. Noah was right—they needed to be careful. But part of her wanted to reply, wanted to know who was behind all this.

Taking a deep breath, she put her phone down and leaned back on her pillow. She couldn't get sucked into the game. Not yet.