"You shouldn't have joined MDL."
The words didn't leave me.
Not that night.
Not even after two weeks.
Two weeks passed.
And somehow… everything changed.
Steve and I grew close.
Closer than I expected.
We started spending time together—more than just coincidence would allow. Shopping, movies, long walks, even an entire day at the amusement park where he laughed more than I thought he could.
And the aquarium.
My favorite place.
He had watched me there—not the fish, not the lights—but me. Like he was trying to understand something.
Or remember it.
I ignored that feeling.
I told myself I was overthinking.
Nicki and I had grown close too.
She filled spaces I didn't realize were empty—constant chatter, random jokes, energy I could never match but somehow needed.
For a while… everything felt normal again.
Almost perfect.
Until that evening.
We were sitting by the sea, the waves brushing softly against the shore. The sky burned orange, then slowly softened into shades of pink.
For a moment, everything felt still.
Peaceful.
"I don't think this is what I want," I said quietly.
Steve turned slightly. "What isn't?"
"This job," I admitted. "It's fine… but it's not me. I want something more meaningful. Something real. Maybe an NGO… something where I can actually help people."
He didn't respond immediately.
That pause again.
"I know someone," he said finally. "A friend. They work in an organization like that."
I looked at him. "Really?"
"They're selecting new people," he added. "But it's not a normal interview."
"What do you mean?"
"Audition," he said simply.
Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten slightly.
But I ignored it.
"Where?"
"Los Angeles."
I went the next day.
Without thinking too much.
Maybe I should have.
The building didn't look like an NGO.
It was too… quiet.
Too controlled.
The kind of silence that doesn't feel peaceful—just watched.
I stood in line with several others, waiting my turn. Everyone seemed normal.
But no one spoke.
Not really.
That strange feeling returned.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Just… wrong.
Like my instincts were trying to say something my mind couldn't understand yet.
"My heart knew," I whispered to myself.
"This changes everything."
"Next."
My turn.
I stepped inside.
There were judges seated across a long table.
No smiles.
No introductions.
Just eyes watching.
Evaluating.
Before I could say anything—
"Begin."
I frowned slightly.
My gaze dropped to the table in front of me.
Six glasses.
Three filled. Three empty.
Arranged in a line.
Full. Full. Full. Empty. Empty. Empty.
"Arrange them," one of the judges said, "so that every filled glass has an empty one beside it."
"Only one move," another added.
I stared at the glasses.
One move.
Only one.
My mind began racing.
Options. Patterns. Restrictions.
I picked up one filled glass.
Cold.
Heavier than expected.
If I couldn't touch any other glass…
Then the answer had to come from this one.
I moved it toward the empty glasses.
No.
Not place.
Pour.
I tilted it slowly.
The water slipped into the second-last empty glass.
I placed the now-empty glass back.
Full. Empty. Full. Empty. Full. Empty.
Silence.
One of the judges nodded.
"Next round."
I was taken to another room.
Ten people stood there already.
The second task was announced.
Flexibility test.
I exhaled slowly.
My muscles tightened instinctively.
I hadn't thought about acrobatics in months.
But my body remembered.
Movements. Balance. Control.
The test was hard.
Hard enough to break most people.
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
Something about that place… made quitting feel dangerous.
Not just failure.
Something worse.
When I finally stepped out, my legs ached.
My breathing was uneven.
I checked the time.
8 PM.
That wasn't possible.
It had felt like… two hours.
Three at most.
Something wasn't right.
"Transport is available," one of the staff members said.
I looked at him.
Smiled politely.
"No, thank you."
His eyes lingered a second too long.
I turned away.
As I stepped outside, the air felt different.
Heavier.
Like I had walked out of something… I didn't fully understand.
Questions flooded my mind.
Why an audition?
Why intelligence tests?
Why physical ability?
This wasn't an NGO.
Not a normal one.
Not even close.
Were they hiding something?
Testing us for something else?
Something dangerous?
I pulled out my phone.
My fingers hovered over the screen.
Police?
Should I report this?
Or was I overreacting?
Just then—
my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A message.
I opened it.
And froze.
"You passed."
My heartbeat quickened.
Another message appeared immediately after.
"Report tomorrow. Don't be late."
I swallowed.
Something about it didn't feel like an invitation.
It felt like an order.
And then—
one final message.
This time…
not from an unknown number.
From Steve.
"You went… didn't you?"
My breath hitched.
Another message came before I could reply.
"Rose… you need to stop now."
I stared at the screen.
My hands suddenly felt cold.
Because for the first time—
it didn't feel like I had found a new opportunity.
It felt like—
I had stepped into something I wasn't supposed to.
And maybe…
Steve already knew that.