*Villen University – The Weight of Memories*
Zaris stood by the edge of the courtyard, his sharp blue eyes scanning the sea of faces ahead. Students milled about, laughing, chatting, and soaking in the morning sun as if the world had no edges sharp enough to cut them. For them, this was just another day. For Zaris, it was a battlefield.
The distant sound of a bell struck his chest like an echo of the past. He clenched his fists, steadying himself against the flood of memories he thought he'd left behind. The laughter—it wasn't cheerful anymore. It was mocking, sneering, the way it always had been. He could still hear their voices:
_"Zaris the nerd."_
_"Why don't you go read another book, loser?"_
His jaw tightened. He remembered their faces, the whispers that followed him in the hallways. Even the teachers hadn't been much better, their eyes full of judgment despite his brilliance. And his father...
_"What's the point of being smart if you can't even make me proud?"_
Zaris swallowed hard, the sting of the memory sharp as ever. He had thrown himself into his studies back then, burying the pain in formulas and words, trying to prove his worth to a man who never cared enough to notice.
A voice broke through his spiral. "You good?"
Zaris blinked, turning to see Jace watching him, green eyes narrowed. His friend leaned casually against the car, but Zaris could see the tension in his posture.
"I'm fine," Zaris muttered, his tone clipped.
Jace raised an eyebrow. "Sure you are. If glaring at students were a sport, you'd have just won gold."
Jace didn't press him, but Zaris could feel his friend's eyes lingering, as if searching for the cracks in his armor.
Zaris sighed, looking away. "Just... give me a minute."
---
*Villen University – Unfinished Conversations*
Zaris took a deep breath, trying to steady his thoughts. The longer he stood there, the harder it was to ignore the ghosts of his past whispering in his ears. He clenched his fists tighter, his nails digging into his palms.
"You know, glaring isn't going to make the school disappear," Jace said casually, stepping up beside him.
Zaris didn't reply. His eyes tracked a group of laughing students as they passed, their carefree energy a painful reminder of everything he had never had.
Jace tilted his head, studying him. "You're spiraling, aren't you?"
Zaris flinched, his jaw tightening. "I said I'm fine."
"Yeah, and I said I'm a ballet dancer," Jace quipped. "Neither of us is being honest." He crossed his arms, letting the silence stretch between them. When Zaris didn't answer, Jace sighed, his tone softening. "Look, I get it. This place sucks for you. But we've got a job to do, and I need you with me—not lost in whatever hellhole your head's taken you to."
Zaris turned to him, his blue eyes blazing with frustration. "You don't get it."
Jace raised an eyebrow. "Don't I?"
For a moment, it seemed like Zaris might say more, might let the words he was holding back finally spill out. But instead, he shook his head and walked off toward the main building, his steps rigid and determined.
---
*The Courtyard – Taylor in the Shadows*
Jace ran a hand through his hair, watching Zaris' retreating form. He'd pushed him too hard again—it was always the same. Zaris never talked, not when it really mattered.
But before he could follow, his attention was pulled to the crowd of students lingering around the courtyard. Whispers caught his ears, snippets of admiration and envy.
🗣️ "He's hot, but definitely dangerous."
🗣️ "I bet they're rich—look at that car."
Jace smirked to himself. People always saw the surface, the polished exterior. None of them had any idea who he and Zaris really were—or what they were here to do.
A flicker of movement caught his eye. Among the crowd, a girl broke away, her laughter ringing clear before she turned and disappeared into a shaded corridor.
Jace straightened, his instincts humming. "There she is," he murmured to himself.
Without hesitation, he slipped into the crowd, weaving his way through the sea of students. His green eyes stayed locked on the hallway where Taylor had vanished.
---
*Inside the University – The Target Found*
By the time Jace caught up, Zaris was already there, leaning against the wall near the hallway entrance. He didn't look at Jace as he spoke. "You found her, didn't you?"
Jace nodded, his voice low. "She's here."
Zaris' shoulders tensed, his gaze fixed on the doorway ahead. For a moment, neither of them moved.
"What now?" Zaris asked, his tone sharp.
"We wait," Jace said, his voice calm. "We observe. We don't act until we're sure."
Zaris shot him a glare. "I didn't come here to play babysitter, Jace."
"And I didn't drag you here to get yourself killed," Jace snapped back, his tone a shade colder.
They stood there, the silence heavy between them. Jace was the first to look away, his gaze softening. "Look, we'll figure it out. Together."
Zaris didn't reply, but the tension in his posture eased—just enough for Jace to notice.
From down the hallway, the sound of footsteps echoed, drawing their attention. Taylor emerged, her movements casual, her focus on the phone in her hand. She passed them without a glance, the sunlight catching on the edge of her hair as she turned the corner.
Jace and Zaris exchanged a glance. The hunt had officially begun.
____
The mid-afternoon sun filtered through the high windows of Villen University, illuminating the hallway in soft, shifting patterns. The hum of student activity created a deceptive sense of normalcy, masking the tension that clung to Jace and Zaris as they tracked their target.
Taylor walked with steady purpose, her movements almost hypnotic in their precision. She blended into her surroundings effortlessly, but to Jace and Zaris—hidden in the shadows—she stood out like a beacon.
As she reached the end of the corridor, Taylor pushed open a door, stepping into one of the campus meeting rooms. Jace's gaze sharpened as he caught sight of the figure waiting inside—a young woman leaning casually against the edge of a desk, her auburn hair catching the light.
"Taylor's meeting someone," Jace muttered under his breath, his green eyes narrowing.
Zaris didn't reply, but his focus intensified, his piercing blue gaze fixed on the room. It was clear that whoever the young woman was, she wasn't just a random acquaintance.
Inside, Taylor exchanged quiet words with the woman, her gestures animated yet restrained. There was an air of familiarity between them, but nothing overt—nothing that would give away their bond.
Jace tilted his head, his mind racing. Was this an ally, or something more? And why had Taylor chosen such a public place for their meeting?
"Do we act now?" Zaris asked, his tone sharp and to the point.
"Not yet," Jace replied, his voice steady despite the slight unease creeping into his chest. "Let's see what she does next."
The two assassins remained motionless, their presence cloaked by the shadows, as Taylor and the woman continued their quiet conversation inside the room.
---
*The Watchers*
The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly, the sunlight filtering through the high windows casting fragmented shapes onto the floor. Jace leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his green eyes locked onto the door Taylor had disappeared through. He wasn't sure how long they'd been standing there—minutes? Hours? Time had a way of warping in moments like these, each second crawling slower than the last.
Beside him, Zaris stood perfectly still, his stance rigid and disciplined. Unlike Jace, there was no restlessness in his body, no fidgeting or shifting. He was the embodiment of focus, his sharp blue eyes flickering between the door and the corridor behind them, always vigilant.
"You're unusually quiet," Jace muttered, his voice low enough to blend into the hum of the university around them.
Zaris didn't reply right away. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze narrowing as if searching for something Jace couldn't see. When he finally spoke, his tone was clipped and impassive. "You're unusually distracted."
Jace huffed, a ghost of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'm always distracted."
"This is different," Zaris said, his words more observation than accusation. He glanced at Jace, his expression unreadable. "You're thinking too much."
"And you're thinking too little," Jace shot back, though there was no real bite to his words.
Their exchange faded into silence, the tension between them as palpable as the mission itself.
To Zaris, this was just another mission. Another name on a long list of targets. Taylor might have been a skilled adversary, but at the end of the day, she was just that—a target. His role was simple: eliminate her and move on.
But as he stood there, something gnawed at the edges of his focus. It wasn't the mission itself—he could handle that in his sleep. No, it was Jace. His partner was distracted, his usual sharpness dulled by some internal conflict that Zaris couldn't quite place.
Zaris exhaled through his nose, his jaw tightening. "You're unusually distracted," he said finally, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.
Jace didn't respond right away. Instead, his gaze remained locked on the door, his expression unreadable.
"I'm fine," Jace muttered eventually, though the edge in his voice suggested otherwise.
Zaris turned his attention back to the hallway, his focus unwavering. He didn't have time for distractions, not when the target was so close. He pushed aside the flicker of frustration and reminded himself of the mission. Emotions had no place here
---
*Shifting Focus*
A faint sound drifted from the room—a muffled laugh, light and carefree. Jace's head tilted, his smirk slipping as his focus sharpened.
"Whoever she's with, they're close," he murmured, mostly to himself.
Zaris shifted his weight ever so slightly, his posture still as controlled as ever. "And why does that matter?"
Jace didn't answer. His attention remained fixed on the door, his mind racing. There was something about this that didn't sit right with him. Taylor's careful movements, her choice of meeting spot—it all felt too deliberate, like a game of chess where every piece had been placed with meticulous precision.
"She knows we're here," he said finally, his voice quieter now, more thoughtful.
Zaris didn't respond, but the brief flicker of tension in his jaw was enough to tell Jace he agreed.
------
*Inside the Room*
Taylor stepped into the meeting room, her movements deliberate yet unhurried. The sunlight streaming through the tall windows cast a soft glow over the space, illuminating the sparse furniture and the woman waiting patiently by the desk.
Jessica turned as Taylor entered, her auburn hair catching the light. Her posture was relaxed—one leg slightly bent as she leaned against the edge of the desk—but her sharp gaze revealed the underlying strength and awareness she carried.
"Finally," Jessica said with a wry smile, her arms crossing as she studied Taylor. "You always make me wait."
Taylor shrugged, her lips twitching into a faint smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She moved closer, her steps measured, her expression carefully neutral. "You should be used to it by now."
Despite their easy banter, there was a tension in the air—a weight that hung between them, unspoken but undeniable.
Jessica tilted her head, her gaze narrowing slightly. "You're tense."
Taylor paused for half a beat, her eyes flicking briefly to the window before returning to Jessica. "The job's been... complicated."
"Complicated how?" Jessica asked, her voice softening.
Taylor's fingers twitched at her side, a habit she hadn't quite shaken. She exhaled quietly, her gaze drifting to the floor for a moment before meeting Jessica's. "We don't have much time. Things are closing in."
Jessica didn't press further, but the brief flash of concern in her eyes was enough to show she understood. She stepped forward, closing the gap between them, her voice low. "Whatever happens, you know I've got your back, right?"
Taylor nodded, a flicker of genuine emotion crossing her features before she masked it again. "I know."
---
*Taylor's Internal Thoughts*
Taylor studied Jessica in the dim light, taking in the warmth in her expression, the unwavering loyalty in her posture. That loyalty was a rare thing. Precious. And terrifying.
She didn't deserve it.
The weight in her chest tightened, though she kept her face carefully composed. Jessica had seen her at her worst—had been there on the night Taylor lost everything. That night had changed them both, binding them together in ways neither could put into words.
But Jessica didn't know everything. Not truly.
She didn't know that Taylor's time was running out. That every breath, every fleeting moment, was a stolen luxury.
She didn't know how many times Taylor had considered walking away—vanishing before the sickness could take control, before it could make her weak.
Weakness wasn't an option. Not for her.
She swallowed the thought, forcing herself back into the present. Jessica was watching her, waiting for something—for *her* to let down her guard. But Taylor couldn't afford that.
Not now.
Instead, she offered a small smile, one that barely touched the lingering shadows in her mind.
"We should go," she said, keeping her voice steady. "There's still work to do."
Jessica studied her for a second longer, then nodded.
And just like that, Taylor buried everything deep again, sealing it behind the cold precision that had kept her alive all these years.
-----