[v2] Chapter 26: New Direction

"Nothing much."

It was a pitiful answer. I could feel the weight of suspicion swinging right back toward me like a heat-seeking missile.

"Useless..." Principal Renner muttered, voice flat and cold.

Agent White sighed, tapping his knee in irritation.

Captain Drails gave a nod. "I think Jamal might be a lead. If he’s harassing Connor, it might be because he knows Connor's on the case. That would make a lot of sense."

White mumbled something under his breath, something I couldn’t quite catch.

Principal Renner exhaled sharply. "Then what other plan do we have?"

"It’s not about what other plan we have," White replied. "Because Connor could still be the informant. So here’s what we’ll do."

He turned toward me, eyes narrowing.

"Connor, the only way you’ll clear your name is if you find the real mole."

Captain Drails stepped in, tone firm. "Our own agents can handle this."

"I understand that, Captain," White said coolly, "but this strategy might draw the mole out. And I’m saying this out loud because it won’t change a thing. If we get no report, no intel, no benefit from your efforts—then Connor is our TSA informant."

He paused. Then his voice dropped like a blade.

"And if there are any more assassination attempts—particularly ones tied to you—we will not hesitate to eliminate the threat. Understood?"

My throat went dry. I swallowed hard.

White took that as a yes.

"Don’t get comfortable," Principal Renner said, scanning me from head to toe like I was already guilty. "Don’t."

I swallowed again.

15:35

Apparently, that was the YMPA football team’s bathroom. So now, every time I set foot in there to change, shower, or even just breathe, I’d be haunted by the memory of airborne toilet water.

Regret, I discovered, was not just a concept. It was a smell.

After about twenty minutes, I managed to get a change of clothes and was now back in the hallways, navigating the passing period crowd. I’d been released early thanks to my "situation" and was now on a mission of my own—find Malachi.

Lucky for me, Malachi never stayed hidden for long. He was surrounded by a semi-circle of girls, of course, laughing like he was the main character in a romantic comedy. But the moment he saw me, he gave a small hand signal, and the group dispersed like trained performers.

"All right, you didn’t die. Nice," he said, dusting off his sleeve with theatrical flair. "Now on to the next thing. What did they tell you?"

"I need to tell you something first before I tell you what they told me," I said.

He blinked slowly, his expression blank.

"Yeah… that sounds about right."

"So here’s the entire situation—"

And in the interest of saving both your time and my page count, I told him everything. All of it. Pretty sure I crammed the whole story into ten minutes flat.

Malachi, for his part, looked amused—maybe even impressed.

"Wow. Look at you, getting in trouble," he said, grinning. "So that’s why those agents grabbed me? They thought I was a target for assassination?"

"Yeah."

He looked smug. "I always knew something like this would happen. When you're literally famous across YMPA—probably all of EMO—it comes with the territory."

"So you’re not scared? Not even a little?"

He shook his head. "What can they do to me? I’ve mastered every element you can think of. Fire, ice, earth, air, lightning, illusion—"

"Illusion?"

"Yeah. You didn’t even know that one existed."

"Regardless," I said, trying to redirect the conversation, "we need to find the mole. And I’m guessing someone’s spying on your friends. Honestly, they’d probably be honored to be spied on by you."

"True, true," he nodded sagely. "But how are we actually gonna do that?"

I glanced around. Nothing resembling a plan had formed in my head yet, and I had serious doubts Malachi had one either.

"I—I’ll let you know. But we need somewhere more discreet to talk."

"The field."

"The field? Where everyone is?"

"No, the football field. We’ll grab a ball, toss it around, and discuss strategy like we’re just chilling."

I gave him a long, suspicious look. The smirk he gave in return did nothing to ease my nerves. He slapped my shoulder three times before turning away, and something in my gut made me ask:

"Can you make sure Jamal stops being a nuisance?"

"Jamal is the least of your problems," Malachi replied over his shoulder, already heading for the stairs.

As he climbed, I noticed the eyes. All around us, students were glancing at me—some curious, some cautious. Every time I caught their gaze, they looked away immediately, but with all the grace of turtles on ice. I saw every single one.

Coming down the stairs were Nikki and Tisiah—the infamous sibling duo.

"Oh, thank God. You’re alive," Nikki said, exhaling. "What happened?"

"Jamal snitched to Principal Renner about what I did to Mari. And now they think I’m the mole."

"So why are you still here?" Nikki asked.

"Before White—"

"White was there?" Tisiah cut in, eyes wide.

I nodded. "Yeah. And the agents were hiding in the Mage Football bathroom. They threw toilet water on me."

Nikki and Tisiah exchanged horrified glances, then looked back at me like I was an actual war survivor.

"Luckily, Mr. Drails was there to speak on my behalf," I added. "Can we go somewhere safer?"

"The bench outside?" Tisiah suggested.

Nikki agreed with a nod.

So we stepped out the front doors and turned left, heading toward a lonely bench sitting just out of reach of the setting sun. The day was slipping into gold and amber hues, and for once, something felt quiet.

"What did Mr. Drails say?" Tisiah asked as we sat down.

"He defended me. But now I’ve got to either find the mole or come up with enough evidence to prove who it is. If I don’t, they’ll pin it all on me."

"But Mr. Drails invited you himself," Nikki said, frowning. "He’s your father. Why the confusion?"

"Exactly. We’ll find the real mole. Also—Malachi’s in on the mission now."

Nikki blinked. "What kind of drugs were they on during that interrogation?"

Tisiah, meanwhile, looked visibly impressed.

"Not officially," I clarified. "Malachi just made a deal with me. I do his homework, he helps me find the mole."

"And now that we’re working with the target himself," Tisiah said with a grin, "we’ve got more leads than ever. Was this part of your plan, Connor?"

"Do you think I planned to get chased by elite agents, tied up like cattle, and doused with toilet water?"

"Yeah… probably not part of the original blueprint," Tisiah muttered, amused.

"I think we already have enough evidence against someone," Nikki said suddenly.

Both Tisiah and I turned to her so fast she flinched.

"Jamal," she declared.

We both sighed.

"This guy started pressing you right after we got the mission. That weird move with asking me out? Total distraction. He wants you away from Malachi. And to do that, he’s trying to get you locked up. He ambushed you and Greg on the way home!"

"That won’t convince them," Tisiah said, shaking his head. "Maybe we should ask Mari."

I gulped. "Mari?"

"Yes. I’m not ready to kill you yet," Tisiah said with a wink. "Let’s go."

He led the way, Nikki close behind. I followed, feet dragging like I was headed toward a firing squad.

We went up the stairs and took a right toward the dorms.

"Room 25," Tisiah whispered to Nikki.

She nodded and vanished into the girls’ hallway.

We waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Then came yelling.

More waiting.

And finally—Mari appeared, clearly annoyed, wearing blue pajamas decorated with crescent moons.

"What’s going on?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Nikki didn’t tell you?" I asked cautiously.

"No, Cory, she didn’t," Mari replied, voice sharp. "Not that I’d want to hear it from her, anyway."

Nikki’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t respond.

"Do you have any idea who the mole might be?" Tisiah asked. "Connor’s life depends on it."

Mari’s expression shifted instantly. "What do you mean his life depends on it?"

"If we don’t find the mole—or come up with strong evidence—Connor will take the fall."

She went still, face unreadable.

And just like that, the mission got even more serious.