"WELL-TIMED. Giggle. Remember, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SEE THIS..."

7:29am

The bus rumbled down the empty desert road, its old frame creaking with every bump. Inside, the students were scattered across the seats, some chatting, others staring out the window with glazed expressions. The air smelled faintly of dust and worn vinyl.

Y/n sat in the very back. Alone.

Her posture remained stiff, head resting lightly in her palm, fingers supporting her jaw. She didn't fidget. She didn't engage. She simply observed, unblinking, her eyes tracking the outside world as it passed in a blur of beige and gray.

Then—something new. Something wrong.

A dark shape in the distance.

She blinked, focusing.

A large, armored truck. Dark blue. Heavy-built. Military-grade. It followed the bus at a measured distance, its reinforced body reflecting the harsh Nevada sun.

Y/n's fingers twitched slightly against her cheek. "Unusual," she murmured to herself.

It wasn't normal. Not here. Not on this road. There were no bases nearby. No reason for an armored vehicle to be traveling this route—let alone tailing a school bus.

She continued watching, unmoving. The truck never sped up. Never slowed down. It simply followed.

Y/n's grip on her own chin tightened slightly.

Minutes passed. The town came into view. The bus took its usual turns, slowing as it neared the school. The truck remained. Still trailing.

But then—

Gone.

Y/n blinked again.

One turn. One moment of obstruction by a passing semi-truck—and the dark blue vehicle had vanished. No tire tracks, no lingering presence. As if it had never been there at all.

The bus shuddered to a stop in front of the school. Students filed out, their conversations blending into the morning air. Y/n did not move immediately. She sat there for a few extra seconds, head tilted, replaying the sequence of events in her mind.

Then, softly—

"Noted."

She stood, adjusted the weight of her head in her hand, and stepped off the bus.

The day had begun. But she was already watching.

3:15pm

The afternoon sun hung low, casting long shadows across the pavement. The air was dry, thick with the lingering heat of the day as students trickled out of the school, their conversations a dull murmur in the background.

Y/n moved at her usual pace—slow, deliberate, each step placed with mechanical precision. One hand cradled her chin, keeping her head steady as she navigated the crowd. Her body swayed slightly with each step, her balance always a little off.

Then—stillness.

Something gleamed in the distance.

She saw it before she fully processed it.

Bright red. Polished. Unmistakable.

The Aston Martin One-77.

Y/n's fingers curled just slightly under her chin.

It was parked across the street, angled just enough for its headlights to catch the sunlight. The inner rims of the wheels gleamed gold, reflecting the light in a way that made them shimmer unnaturally.

It was watching.

That was ridiculous, of course. Cars did not watch. But this one...

Her shoulders tensed the way they did when something wasn't right.

It hadn't been here in the morning. Hadn't been anywhere near the school at all. And yet, here it was. Again.

Too clean. Too perfect. Too intentional.

Y/n inhaled slowly.

"Suspicious.." she whispered under her breath.

She did not move. She simply stared, eyes locked onto the car as the world around her carried on as if nothing was wrong.

Students passed by, laughing, pushing each other, unaware. A teacher walked toward the parking lot, fishing for their keys. A gust of wind sent loose paper fluttering across the pavement.

Normal.

Everything was normal.

Except for that.

The red car remained, unmoving, as if waiting for something.

Y/n's pulse remained steady, but something deep in her mind whispered a warning.

Slowly, carefully, she shifted her weight—her feet turned inward as she adjusted her grip on her chin.

The car did not move.

She took a step back.

The engine purred.

Y/n froze.

Not loud. Not aggressive. Just a soft, quiet rumble—like a beast exhaling in amusement. Her stomach twisted. And then, as if satisfied, the car pulled away. Smooth. Effortless. Not in a hurry.

Y/n watched it go, her body still as stone. 

It didn't need to speed away.

It knew she had seen it.

And it wanted her to know.

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