The Final Days of Normal

The apartment had never been so quiet. Jess sat at the kitchen table, textbook open, but she wasn’t reading. No one was. Across from her, Kevin tapped his pencil against the spine of his economics book, staring off into space. Olivia had her laptop open, but her gaze flickered toward the others more than the screen. Leanna was the only one who *looked* like she was studying, but Jess knew better—her highlighter hadn’t moved in five minutes.

They were all thinking about the same thing.

Ryan, slumped back on the couch, exhaled sharply. "Alright, this is ridiculous. We’re all freaked out, right? Let’s just say it out loud."

No one spoke at first, then Kevin muttered, "I was fine until we got that message."

Jess’s fingers curled around her phone. *You’re getting close. Be careful who you trust.* The text had come late last night, just as she was falling asleep. No name. No number. Just a reminder that someone out there *knew* what they were doing.

"What if we’re messing with something bigger than we can handle?" Olivia asked, voice small.

Leanna leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "We are messing with something big. But we can’t stop now. We need to know the truth."

Jess sighed, rubbing her temples. "I agree, but… I don’t want to get any of you in danger."

Ryan’s expression darkened. "You’re already in danger, Jess. We just don’t know how much."

The words made the room feel colder.

Kevin cleared his throat. "Alright, look, we’ve got finals in a few days. Let’s focus on that. If we fail our exams, we won’t even have a summer to investigate this stupid conspiracy."

Jess snorted despite herself. "Okay. Fair point."

**********************************************

For the next few days, they tried to act normal. Studying together in the library, making flashcards, pretending their world hadn’t just been turned upside down. Jess threw herself into it, pushing aside the anxiety about the flash drive, about Lazarus Vellum, about the mysterious texts.

But the messages kept coming.

You shouldn’t be looking for him.

You need to stop.

They are still watching.

Jess never responded.

By the time finals ended, she was exhausted—not just from the exams, but from the waiting. From the silence in between messages, from the paranoia of wondering if someone was watching her, from the not knowing.

When she turned in her last test, she walked out of the classroom feeling a strange mix of relief and dread.

Ryan met her outside. "So, we survived."

Jess let out a slow breath. "For now."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Ryan glanced at her. "You’re ready, aren’t you?"

Jess looked up at him, then at the campus around her. Students laughing, celebrating the end of the semester. People making summer plans that didn’t involve government conspiracies and genetic experiments.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I’m ready."

Summer had officially begun. And so had their investigation.