Lost in Translation

Daniel hesitated under Sofia's piercing gaze. The alley was quiet now, but his heart was still racing. How could he explain what just happened?

Sofia took a step closer, her arms crossed. "I saw you running like someone was chasing you. Who was it?"

Daniel exhaled. "I... I don't know."

Sofia narrowed her eyes. "Carter, don't lie to me."

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I swear, I don't know. But someone's been watching me since I got here."

Sofia's expression softened, just a little. "That's not normal. You should tell someone."

Daniel huffed. "And say what? 'Hey, some guy keeps showing up near me, but I don't know who he is or why'?" He shook his head. "Nobody would believe me."

Sofia studied him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. But if this happens again, tell me, okay?"

Daniel nodded, though he wasn't sure if he meant it.

The next day at school, Daniel sat in his English class, staring at the whiteboard without really seeing it. His thoughts kept drifting back to the man in the dark jacket.

What did they want from him?

He barely noticed when the lesson ended. As he packed his books, he overheard a group of students talking near the door. They were speaking Catalan—too fast for him to catch much—but then one of them switched to Spanish.

"Sí, lo vi cerca de la escuela ayer. Parece raro." (Yeah, I saw him near the school yesterday. He looks weird.)

Daniel's head snapped up. Were they talking about him?

He turned toward the group, but before he could ask, someone clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go, Carter."

It was Marc, one of his classmates.

Daniel hesitated but followed Marc out of the classroom. His Spanish was terrible—if they were talking about him, he had no way of knowing.

He clenched his fists. He needed to figure things out, fast.