The afternoon sun beat down on Freeridge like it had something to prove.
Elana Reyes had only been here two days, and already her sneakers were covered in dust from streets she didn't know the names of yet.
Cesar Diaz
walks beside her, hands shoved in his hoodie pocket You get used to the heat. Or you don't. Either way, it's not going anywhere.
Jamal Turner
jogs ahead, spinning around to walk backwards What he means is—welcome to Freeridge, population us, and don't drink the water unless you want a free colon cleanse.
Ruby Martinez
groans Jamal, she's been here two days. She doesn't need the full tour speech yet.
Monse Finnie
rolls her eyes, but smirks He's been practicing that line all morning. Let him have it.
Elana laughed, the sound still new around these people. They'd pulled her in faster than she'd expected—the girl with the sharp tongue, the short one who worried too much, the nerd with the conspiracy theories, and the quiet one with the kind eyes.
They walked past a row of houses. Some with neat lawns. Some with cars up on blocks. Some with curtains that twitched as they passed.
Then the mood changed.
Cesar Diaz
slows down, his shoulders tightening
Ruby Martinez
voice drops to a whisper Uh. Hey. Maybe we take the long way.
Jamal Turner
stops walking backward, all the humor draining out of his face Yeah. Yeah, let's—let's just keep moving.
Monse Finnie
grabs Elana's elbow, gently steering her Come on. Don't look.
But Elana looked.
The house was like the others—paint peeling at the edges, a low fence out front, a car parked in the driveway that had seen better days. But the man standing by the fence wasn't like the others.
He was older than them. Mid-twenties, maybe. Dark hair. A sharp jaw. A Santos hoodie that hung loose on his frame, and a stillness about him that made the air feel heavier.
Oscar "Spooky" Diaz didn't move. He just watched them approach.
And then his eyes found Elana.
She felt it before she understood it. A pull. A strange, electric recognition that made no sense. Like looking at a photograph of someone you'd never met, but somehow knew.
Oscar Diaz
tilts his head slightly, studying her
He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. The silence was loud enough.
Cesar Diaz
mutters under his breath Keep walking.
Oscar Diaz
his voice is low, calm Cesar.
Cesar Diaz
freezes, then turns What's up.
Oscar Diaz
eyes flicker to Elana again You making new friends?
Cesar Diaz
Yeah. Something like that.
The moment stretched. Elana could feel her friends holding their breath. She could feel the weight of Oscar's gaze on her, like he was trying to solve a puzzle he didn't know existed.
Oscar Diaz
finally looks away, back at his brother Get home before dark.
Cesar Diaz
nods, already moving Yeah. Okay.
They walked faster after that. No one spoke until they were a full block away.
Ruby Martinez
lets out a shaky breath Okay. That was terrifying.
Jamal Turner
That's Spooky. He's Santos. You don't mess with him. You don't even look at him.
Monse Finnie
glances at Elana You okay? You went quiet.
Elana didn't answer right away. Her mind was still back there. Still on that face. Still on that strange, impossible feeling that she'd just seen someone she should know.
Elana Reyes
Who was that?
Cesar Diaz
voice tight My brother.
He didn't elaborate. And Elana didn't ask again.
But she couldn't shake it. The way he'd looked at her. The way something in her chest had pulled, like a thread she didn't know was tied.
She didn't know it yet. Neither did he.
But that moment on the sidewalk outside the Diaz house was the beginning of a secret sixteen years in the making.