[V2] Chapter 20: I Spy With My Little Eye, Jamal

Date: Monday, April 24

Location: Will Vary

Operation: Three Goons

Time: 17:00

It should’ve been illegal for Jamal to walk this fast.

There was no justification for why I had to jog just to keep up with someone who was only walking. He moved with urgency, yet casually enough to make it look like he wasn’t up to anything suspicious—which, of course, made him even more suspicious.

He had originally been heading toward the elevator, and I had almost relaxed, thinking that maybe I could just take a different one and still catch up to him at his stop.

But then, out of nowhere, he took a hard left and veered toward the stairwell.

That changed things.

This was bad.

If he noticed me following him, he’d do one of two things:

Attack me to throw me off his trail.

Start talking about Nikki.

Both were horrible options for entirely different reasons.

I wasn’t in the mood to have my ribs rearranged, but I also didn’t feel like enduring a lecture about Nikki—again. He’d probably start talking about how I was obsessed with her, or how she wasn’t interested, or worse, how he had some weird insight into her thoughts that I didn’t.

I didn’t need that today.

Fortunately, just as he reached the stairwell door, a couple entered—a redheaded guy and girl, walking side by side.

Perfect cover.

I fell in step behind them, pretending to be just another student on his way somewhere. But almost immediately, my brain betrayed me, and a vision popped into my head—me and September in their place, walking together like an actual couple.

I shook my head violently, forcing the thought away.

Focus.

The stairs were gray, just like everything else in this academy. The walls, the floors, the furniture—gray, gray, gray. The whole place had this weird sterile vibe, like the people designing it had run out of paint options and just settled for “depressing industrial.”

I kept a calculated pace behind the couple. Not too close, not too far. The key was to make it look like I was coincidentally heading the same way, not like I was actively trailing a guy who probably wouldn’t hesitate to punch me in the face if he figured it out.

Jamal didn’t check behind him.

Good.

The problem?

The couple was way too slow.

I gritted my teeth as we descended. Jamal, on the other hand, had no hesitation, taking the stairs like he had a purpose.

Then, I saw it.

He didn’t stop at the ground floor.

He kept going.

Wait. Why is he going underground?

I hesitated. I hadn’t even realized there was an underground section in this academy. The YMPA building was huge, sure, but no one ever mentioned anything about an extra level below ground.

The redheaded couple didn’t seem to notice—or care. In fact, oddly enough, they went upstairs instead of continuing down.

That meant Jamal was going somewhere that wasn’t meant for casual foot traffic.

I swallowed hard and followed.

The air grew colder as I descended further. The stairwell lighting dimmed, and the walls seemed to close in, making the space feel more cramped.

The moment I stepped onto the underground level, everything was dark.

Jamal clicked something on his utility belt, and suddenly, a light flickered on.

My breath hitched.

Do all students have access to this?

I hesitated, then pressed my own belt’s function.

The lights cut out.

Jamal froze.

He turned sharply, scanning the area.

I panicked and leaped back up the stairs, pressing myself into the shadows behind the corner. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

I held my breath.

Silence.

Then—

Click.

The lights came back on.

Footsteps.

He was moving again.

I exhaled slowly and crept back down, staying low. Jamal was already further down the hall now, making his way toward what looked like a loading dock.

I moved carefully, taking in my surroundings.

This place was a bunker. But not for security—for storage.

There were fridges, boxes, crates… even a couple of trucks parked near a large garage door.

I stared in disbelief. How had I never heard about this?

Then—

My phone buzzed.

I nearly had a heart attack.

I yanked it out and answered before the ringtone could betray me. I didn’t even check who it was.

“What?” I whispered.

“Have you checked your email?”

Tisiah’s voice.

I frowned. “No.”

“Well, we got invited to tryout practice this Saturday. That way, we can prep before the real tryouts and see if we make the team.”

I stole a glance at Jamal—he was now standing by one of the trucks, seemingly rummaging through something.

Still unaware.

“And if I don’t?” I muttered.

“Then you’re not on the team.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Meaning Malachi might not make the team either.”

“Right. But if Malachi doesn’t make it, September won’t show up to the games. Plus, let’s be real—he’s too good to fail. That’d be diabolical.”

Tisiah paused.

“By the way, who are you chasing?”

I hesitated. “What do you mean?”

“You sound hasty. I can hear footsteps—light ones. Wherever you are, it’s not in the main building. Who are you following?”

I sighed. “Jamal.”

Tisiah went quiet for a second. “Who?”

“Black guy, graffiti-covered jacket, hangs with Malachi’s group. One of the goons.”

“Ahhh.” I could practically hear his nod through the phone. “What’s he doing?”

I peeked over a crate. Jamal was stuffing pastries into his pockets.

I blinked.

“He’s… stealing food?”

Tisiah scoffed. “What?”

“Yeah. The pastries. The ones with the little chef hat on the wrapper.”

The best snacks in the entire school.

Then—Jamal’s phone rang.

I tensed, watching as he answered and patted his pockets.

“Yo, Elf. What’s up—yeah, I’m bringing you some too, bro. Maddie as well.”

No way.

This guy just risked everything for pastries.

He nodded, muttering a quick “Yeah, hold up, I’m heading back. Just make up an excuse.”

Then he turned and started walking back toward the stairs.

I sighed. “He was just stealing food.”

Tisiah let out a long sigh—relief or disappointment, I couldn’t tell.

“We still need to watch him. But we’ve got a huge problem. How are we supposed to track everyone around him?”

That was… annoyingly true.

Jamal had a small city’s worth of friends. Three people couldn’t possibly cover all of them.

Then—Tisiah gasped.

“Malachi is the one they might want to kill, right?”

I tensed. “Yeah.”

“So why not track him instead?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“If we follow Malachi, whoever’s after him will reveal themselves. They’ll either think we’re interfering with their job, or assume we’re close friends of his. Either way, we force them to move.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re saying I have to suck up to Malachi?”

Tisiah grinned.

“Yes,” he confirmed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I physically recoiled. “Do you even hear yourself? Do you know what kind of unholy level of suffering that would be?”

“You have to play the game to win the game.”

I groaned. “That is the dumbest, most cancerous proverb I have ever heard.”

Tisiah snickered. “It’s a solid plan.”

“No, it’s a suicidal plan,” I countered. “Malachi is literally my mortal enemy. If I suddenly start acting friendly, he’ll know something’s up.”

“That’s why you gotta be subtle.”

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Subtlety isn’t exactly my strong suit.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Tisiah said dryly.

I ignored him. “Is Nikki there with you?”

“Nah, nature called,” he replied.

I nodded slowly. “Alright. From there, I’ll—WHOA!”

My stomach dropped.

I hadn’t even heard her approach. One second I was alone, the next—Mari was standing right behind me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

She stood there, arms crossed, her oversized sleeves drooping past her hands like she was some kind of strict nun. Her expression?

Unimpressed.

“Well,” she said, tilting her head, “Figures. You steal food here.”

“What? No!” I shot back immediately.

I shook my head, frantically trying to piece together an excuse, but my brain was moving at the speed of molasses.

“I was following—wait, did we not tell you?” I tried, hoping for some way out of this.

Mari blinked, her expression not shifting in the slightest.

“Tell me what?”

She stepped closer, her black hoodie and skinny jeans making her seem even more ominous. And the worst part?

She was wearing those Jesus sandals.

The ones that somehow made no sound when she walked, which only made the whole situation more terrifying.

“There are three guys,” I said quickly, “that we’re watching. We think they’re up to something. Jamal is one of them.”

Mari narrowed her eyes. “And what, exactly, is he up to?”

I opened my mouth to explain—

Then—

My wand beeped.

I frowned, pulling it out. The screen flashed with a notification.

LEVEL 2 UNLOCKED.

“Oooh,” I muttered.

Mari arched an eyebrow. “What?”

I squinted at the screen, flipping through the interface. “Wait—where’s the weapon selection?”

“They changed the system,” she said flatly. “Now you earn points and buy the weapons you want instead of getting random ones.”

I stared at her. “So do the old ones reset?”

“No. You keep whatever you unlocked before,” she said. “But—” she crossed her arms tighter. “There is no reason for you to be down here. I’m reporting you.”

I froze.

“There’s no way you’re being a snitch,” I said, trying to keep my voice light.

Mari shrugged. “Might as well get on Principal Renner’s good side.”

Oh, no, no, no, no.

This was bad.

I needed a plan. Fast.

My eyes flicked back to my wand.

Mallet time.

I scrolled through the inventory, selected Equip, and—

My wand morphed into a mallet.

Mari turned toward the stairs.

I crept behind her, gripping the mallet. Ready to swing.

But Mari was fast.

She spun around instantly, her wand flashing.

I barely dodged.

Then—two kicks.

One to my thigh.

One to my chest.

I staggered back, gasping. She moved in for a finishing strike.

I dove beneath her attack, rolled to the side, and—

Swung the mallet.

Mari flew.

She crashed into a fridge, the impact knocking it over.

I stood there, heart pounding.