WHO AM I

SHADOWS LOOMING

The diner was far too quiet after Phillip's revelation. The clinking of silverware and the low hum of chatter around them felt distant, like background noise in a scene that had lost all meaning. Lila stared at Phillip, the weight of his words sinking in.

"They think I'm the price?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn't know whether to be scared or furious. A million questions swirled in her mind, but they all boiled down to one: Why me?

Phillip didn't look at her, just fidgeted nervously with the sugar packets on the table. "I didn't know at first. But when I realized, it was already too late. They're watching, Lila. They've been watching for a while."

Jasper's mouth dropped open. "Oh, awesome. So we're basically in a real-life version of Taken. Just without Liam Neeson to save our butts."

Noah shot him a look. "Not the time, Jasper."

"Yeah, well, humor's how I cope, okay?" Jasper fired back. "This is a lot to process."

Lila took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "What do they want from me? What could I possibly have that's worth a life?"

Phillip looked even more uncomfortable, if that was possible. "It's not about what you have. It's about who you are."

"Who I am?" Lila raised an eyebrow. "I'm just... me."

Noah leaned forward, his voice low and serious. "Lila, think back. Has anyone in your family ever mentioned anything about this? Something about... a debt, or a deal?"

Lila shook her head, confused. "No, never. My family's pretty normal. At least, I thought they were."

Phillip glanced around the diner, paranoid that someone might overhear them. "It's not your family. It's something deeper. There are people with power who have been keeping an eye on you for reasons I don't fully understand. But they've marked you, Lila. And that's why Renzo is involved."

"Renzo?" Cathy, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, suddenly spoke up. "What does he have to do with any of this?"

Phillip sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Renzo's family has deep ties to this network. Generations of debt. And when he couldn't fulfill his part of the deal, they found another way. They found you."

Lila's hands clenched into fists. She wanted to scream, to throw something, to make sense of this madness. How had her life turned into some sort of twisted chess game where she didn't even know the rules?

Noah reached over, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "We're going to figure this out. We'll protect you."

Jasper leaned back in his chair, still processing everything. "Okay, okay, hold up. So we've got shadowy figures, debts, deals, and now Lila's caught in the middle of some life-or-death situation. Does anyone else feel like we're living in an episode of Riverdale right now?"

Noah couldn't help but crack a small smile despite the tension. "Yeah, it's pretty insane."

"Insane is an understatement," Lila muttered, rubbing her temples. "So what do we do now? How do we stop this?"

Phillip hesitated. "You can't... not completely. But I know someone who might be able to help. Someone who knows the network inside out."

"And you didn't mention this earlier because...?" Zara asked, arching an eyebrow.

Phillip shrugged. "Because she's not exactly the most... trustworthy person. But she's good at what she does."

"Let me guess," Jasper said with a smirk. "She's got a mysterious past, a tragic backstory, and a leather jacket, right?"

"Something like that," Phillip replied dryly. "Her name's Kira. She's worked with Renzo's family before, but she's not loyal to them. If anyone can get you out of this mess, it's her."

Lila exhaled slowly, trying to steady her nerves. "Then we find Kira."