WHO AM I

THE WEB TIGHTENS

Lila tossed and turned all night, the weight of Phillip’s words pressing down on her. "They want you." Those three words echoed in her mind like a broken record. Who were these people, and why did they want her? Every question brought more confusion.

Morning broke with a dull grey sky, the perfect backdrop to her swirling thoughts. Noah had texted her early, insisting they meet at the park. He didn’t say why, but she could sense he had more to say about the situation.

---

At the park, Noah was already there, sitting on a bench, looking like he hadn’t slept either. As soon as Lila approached, he stood up.

“We need to be smart about this,” he said, his voice firm but laced with worry. “Phillip wasn’t lying, I could tell. But I don’t think he told us everything either.”

Lila crossed her arms, the cold air biting at her skin. “What do we do? It’s not like we can just march up to these people and ask them to leave us alone.”

Noah sighed, running his hand through his hair. “No, but we can’t sit back and wait for them to make their next move either. We need to get ahead of this.”

“Get ahead of what?” Jasper appeared out of nowhere, munching on an apple like he didn’t have a care in the world. “We’re basically in some espionage movie without the cool gadgets.”

“Jasper,” Noah warned, his tone sharp.

“Okay, okay,” Jasper said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “But seriously, what’s the plan? Because I’m not built for the whole ‘taken hostage’ scenario.”

Lila couldn’t help but laugh a little at Jasper’s sarcasm. “I don’t think anyone is.”

---

Back at Lila’s place, Cathy, Zara, and Asher were waiting, deep in conversation. As soon as Lila and Noah walked in, the questions started flying.

“Did you learn anything new?” Cathy asked, looking up from her phone.

Noah shook his head. “Nothing yet. But we need to be careful. These people… they’re dangerous.”

Zara rolled her eyes, throwing her hands in the air. “Great. As if my life wasn’t already complicated enough.”

Jasper plopped onto the couch, stretching out like he owned the place. “You know, maybe we should just move to the mountains. I hear it’s peaceful there. No shadowy organizations, no secret societies—just fresh air and no Wi-Fi.”

Asher chuckled, his deep voice adding to the levity of the moment. “Yeah, right. You wouldn’t survive a day without your gaming setup.”

“Details,” Jasper said, waving him off. “But seriously, if we’re going to fight these people, we need a strategy.”

“That’s the problem,” Lila said, sitting down on the arm of the couch. “We don’t even know who ‘these people’ are.”

Cathy tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe it’s time we dig a little deeper into Renzo’s background. There’s gotta be something there that ties him to these people.”

“Or we could go straight to the source,” Jasper suggested with a sly grin. “Phillip. He’s clearly not telling us everything.”

Lila groaned. “I’m so done with Phillip. Every time we talk to him, things just get messier.”

Asher nodded. “But Jasper has a point. Phillip knows more than he’s letting on. And if we’re going to get ahead of this, we need the full story.”

“Great,” Zara muttered. “Another trip to the guy who probably has a death wish.”

---

That evening, the group decided to confront Phillip again, this time making sure he understood the stakes. Noah arranged the meeting at a diner outside of town, somewhere neutral but public enough to avoid any unwanted drama.

When Phillip arrived, he looked more on edge than before. His eyes darted around the diner, and he barely met Lila’s gaze as he sat down.

“What now?” he asked, sounding more irritated than anything.

“We know you’re still hiding something,” Noah said, cutting straight to the point. “We’re not playing games anymore. If you don’t tell us everything, we’ll walk away and leave you to deal with this mess on your own.”

Phillip’s face paled slightly. He glanced at Lila, as if looking for sympathy, but her expression was stone cold.

“I’ve told you everything I can,” he muttered.

“Bullshit,” Jasper snapped, his voice louder than necessary. Several heads turned their way, but Jasper didn’t care. “You’ve been giving us half-truths since the beginning. So either you come clean now, or we’re done.”

Phillip looked genuinely conflicted for a moment before he leaned in, lowering his voice. “Alright. Fine. You want the truth?”

The group leaned closer, the tension building.

“The people after Renzo aren’t just some random criminals,” Phillip whispered. “They’re part of a much bigger network. And Renzo owes them more than money. He owes them a life.”

Lila felt a chill run down her spine. “What do you mean… a life?”

Phillip’s eyes darted to her, then to Noah, before settling on his hands. “It’s complicated. But Renzo made a deal, and now they’re calling it in. And they think you—” Phillip looked directly at Lila, “—are the price.”

The room fell silent. No one knew what to say.