Elias bolted across the manicured gardens, dodging fountains and statues like a drunk squirrel.
The cool night air slapped his face, carrying the faint scent of roses, money, and — was that gunpowder?
Behind him, the mansion's alarms shrieked like angry sirens.
He didn't stop running until he reached a stone wall bordering the estate.
Elias cursed under his breath.
There was no way he could climb that.
Then, he heard a soft voice beside him.
"Looking for a way out, Houdini?"
He turned sharply — it was Sophia Langley again.
Her green eyes gleamed mischievously in the moonlight.
---
Sophia tossed him a coil of rope she somehow had hidden in her jacket.
"Tie it to that cherub statue over there. It'll hold."
Elias blinked. "You carry rope to parties?"
Sophia smirked.
"Only when I expect the rich to act shady."
He grinned.
"I like you."
"Don't," she said quickly, her expression hardening. "I bite."
They scrambled up the wall, slipping over to the dark woods beyond the estate.
--
Breathing heavily, they crouched behind a fallen log.
The cool earth was damp against Elias's palms.
He checked his Watch.
No new task — just a blinking notification:
[Mission Update: New Ally Potential Detected.]
Sophia wiped dirt off her jacket and turned to him.
"So, you gonna tell me why some rich dude wants you dead?"
Elias hesitated.
How could he explain the Watch?
The tasks?
The crazy rewards?
He decided on a half-truth.
"They think I have... something important."
Sophia chuckled dryly.
"Join the club. I've been running from people like that since college."
---
Under the moonlight, Elias noticed new things about her:
Her skin had faint scars near her wrists, like old battles fought and mostly won.
She had a tiny, crooked tooth when she smirked, which weirdly made her look more real, less perfect.
Her body language was always half-ready to sprint — the posture of someone who never fully trusted anyone.
He realized Sophia wasn't just clever.
She was survivor clever.
And he liked that about her.
---
As they rested, Sophia told Elias about her work — exposing corrupt CEOs, covering up human rights abuses, revealing environmental scandals no one else dared touch.
But every time she got close to a big story, someone tried to silence her.
"I guess," she said quietly, "in a world full of lies... truth is the most dangerous thing you can have."
Elias nodded.
For the first time since this all started, he felt less alone.
---
Sophia stood up, brushing leaves from her jeans.
"You can come with me, or you can keep running alone."
Elias checked the moonlit path ahead — dark, dangerous, uncertain.
He looked at Sophia, her messy hair haloed by silver light.
He made his choice.
"Lead the way, partner."
She grinned — and for a moment, Elias thought he caught a glimpse of the real Sophia Langley behind the walls.
---