The boy without a system

CHAPTER 12 — THE DECISION

Evan stood outside the motel for a long time, the cool air doing nothing to clear his head.

The list was still gripped in his hand. Sarah's name. Vessel candidate. No matter how many times he stared at the words, they stayed exactly the same.

She's been playing me from the very beginning.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Evan. Please. I need to talk to you.

He stared at the glowing screen.

If I ghost her, she’ll know something is up.

But if I answer, I have to keep up the act.

His thumbs hovered over the keyboard before he typed back:

Can't tonight. Family stuff.

There was a long pause. Then:

Okay. Tomorrow?

Yeah. Tomorrow.

He shoved the phone away.

Marcus was still sitting in the truck, engine idling, eyes watching him through the windshield. Evan walked over and climbed in.

"You okay?" Marcus asked.

"No."

"What happened?"

Evan laid it all out. Everything. Adam, the list, Sarah, the Director. He poured it all out until there was nothing left to say. Marcus just listened, never interrupting. When Evan finally went quiet, the silence in the cab stretched on.

"You believe him?" Marcus asked eventually.

"I don't know."

"But you believe the list."

"The list has her name on it, Marcus. Adam didn't even know who she was before tonight; he figured it out while we were talking." Evan paused, his voice dropping. "That has to mean something."

Marcus gave a slow nod. "It means he’s either telling the truth, or he’s a hell of a liar."

"Yeah."

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

Evan made it home by ten.

The house was still, the lights off. He checked on Lily anyway, just to be sure. She was fast asleep, curled up and looking completely at peace. He stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching the steady rise and fall of her breath.

if Sarah is a vessel, she knows about Lily. She’s been close to me this whole time. She's been watching us. She could hurt her. I won't let that happen.

He closed the door as quietly as possible and retreated to his room. Sitting at his desk, he pulled out the notebook.

22 DAYS.

He drew a line through it and wrote:

21 DAYS.

Then he flipped to the page dedicated to Sarah.

SARAH VANCE — VESSEL CANDIDATE — LYING — DANGEROUS

He stared at the ink until it blurred.

*But what if Adam is wrong? What if she really has been reborn? What if I’m about to push away the only person I can actually count on

He slammed the notebook shut.

I need to be sure. I have to test her.

---

By six the next morning, Evan was already at the dojo.

Chen was there, waiting.

"Two hundred skips. Then we work."

Evan pushed through it, moving faster and with more intent than he had the day before. Then came the heavy bag, the footwork drills, and the training dummy. By the time they finished, he was drenched in sweat, but the usual post-workout tremors were gone.

"Better," Chen noted. "You're getting stronger."

Evan just nodded, taking a long pull from his water bottle. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

He grabbed his gear and headed outside, only to find Sarah waiting for him. His heart skipped a beat.

Stay calm. Act like you don't know a thing.

"You're here," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"I told you I'd find you." She pushed herself off the wall, studying him. "You look exhausted."

"Didn't sleep well."

"Me neither." She fell into step beside him as they walked. "I've been thinking about what Adam said."

Evan froze for a split second. She knows about Adam?

"What do you mean?"

"Adam Cole. The third reborn. I've been trying to track him down." She turned her gaze toward him. "Did you find him?"

Evan’s mind went into overdrive.

She doesn't know I met him. She's testing the waters.

"No," he said. "I went to the motel, but he was already gone."

Sarah’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Gone?"

"Yeah. Empty room. No sign of him anywhere."

She studied his face, searching for something.

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"You are." She stopped walking dead in her tracks. "I can feel it, Evan. Your ripple is different today. It's stronger. You met someone."

Evan remained silent.

"What did he tell you?"

"Nothing."

"Evan." Her voice took on a harder edge. "What did he say?"

He looked at her at those dark, calm eyes. It was the same face he had trusted completely just two days ago.

She's a vessel. She's lying. She's dangerous.

But the words wouldn't come. Not yet.

"He said he was reborn," Evan finally said. "He said he remembered me from the old timeline. He said he wanted to help."

Sarah’s jaw tightened.

"And you actually believed him?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm telling you."

She stared at him for a long beat before nodding slowly.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay, I believe you." She started walking again. "But we have to be careful. If Adam is around, he isn't alone. He might have others with him."

"Others?"

"Vessels. People like him." She glanced back at him. "People who want to stop us."

Evan kept his expression perfectly blank, She’s good. She’s really good.

"Let me know if you see him again," Sarah said. "I'll handle it."

"Handle it?"

"He's dangerous, Evan. You have no idea what he's capable of."

Neither do you, he thought.

"I'll let you know," he said aloud.

She smiled. "Good."

She turned and walked away, leaving him standing there.

She's lying. She's been lying since the start, And I'm going to find out why.

---

Later, he went to Marcus's garage.

Marcus was hunched over his workbench, cleaning a knife.

"You look worse than you did last night."

"Feel worse." Evan sat down on a wooden crate. "I tested her."

"And?"

"She lied. Again. Claimed she’d been tracking Adam, said she wanted to handle him herself."

Marcus set the knife down with a dull thud. "She's good."

"Yeah."

"What's the plan?"

"Keep her close. Play along. Wait for her to slip up."

Marcus nodded grimly. "That's a dangerous game."

"I know."

"You're going to need backup."

"I have you."

Marcus was quiet for a moment, then stood up and reached for a box on a high shelf. He brought it down and handed it to Evan.

"Take this."

Evan opened it to find a small pistol. It was old, the finish worn down from years of use.

"I thought we weren't using guns."

"For monsters, maybe. Not for people." Marcus looked him dead in the eye. "If she tries something, you need to be ready."

Evan picked up the weapon. It felt heavy and unnervingly cold in his hand.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Then don't. But keep it anyway." Marcus sat back down. "Go home. Get some sleep. We train harder tomorrow."

Evan nodded, tucked the pistol into his jacket, and walked home.

---

That night, he sat at his desk once more.

He opened the notebook.

21 DAYS.

He crossed it out.

20 DAYS.

Then, he added a new page:

SARAH — VESSEL — TESTING — WATCH HER — DO NOT TRUST

He closed the book and slid it into his desk drawer.

Then he froze.

The drawer was open—just a tiny crack.

I closed it. I know I closed it.

He pulled it open. The notebook was exactly where he left it. Nothing seemed to be missing.

Someone has been in here, He scanned the room, looking for any sign of an intruder, but everything looked normal. He checked the window; it was locked. He checked the door; it was shut, Yet, the feeling of being watched wouldn't leave him.

He sank back into his seat.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

He eventually lay back, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Twenty days. And I’m already falling apart.

A buzz from his phone broke the silence.

It was Sarah.

I found something. About Adam. Meet me tomorrow. Same place.

He stared at the glowing screen for a long moment.

She’s lying.

But I can't stay away.

I need to know what she's up to.

He typed a quick response.

Okay

Then he set the phone aside.

He closed his eyes and tried to breathe.

Tomorrow. I'll find out the truth.

One way or another.