August never bothered to remove her hoodie from last night which was streaked with dust, her hair tangled, and her shoes scuffed from the long walk back. Evelyne was at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee untouched in front of her. Mark stood by the window, arms crossed, jaw tight.
"Where were you?" Evelyne's voice was sharp, but underneath it trembled with worry.
August set her bag down, eyes lowered. "I went looking for Cianly."
Mark turned. "Cianly? From the orphanage?"
"Yes." August's voice was steady, rehearsed. "She's been missing. I thought maybe… maybe she was at the camp. I had to check."
Evelyne's eyes widened. "You went there? Alone?"
August nodded, letting her shoulders slump. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about her. She was the only one who ever looked out for me back then. I thought if she was there, I could bring her back."
Mark stepped closer, scanning her dirt-streaked clothes. "And the mess?"
August exhaled, letting the lie breathe. "I didn't find her. I just found trouble. They chased me out. I fell, scraped myself up. That's why I look like this."
Evelyne pressed a hand to her mouth. "Oh, August…"
Mark's eyes narrowed, but he didn't speak right away. He was measuring her words, weighing them against the silence she carried. Finally, he said, "If you thought she was there, you should have told us."
"I didn't want you to stop me," August whispered. "She mattered to me. I had to try."
Evelyne pulled her into a hug, dirt and all. "You're reckless, but your heart is good."
Mark's gaze lingered. He didn't look convinced... but he didn't call her out either. Not yet.
.....
Later that night August decided to open the files, The words burned in her mind: High Value. Unstable.
August sat cross-legged on her bed, laptop open, the stolen drive plugged in. The folder blinked at her like a warning. She hesitated, then clicked.
Inside were reports-clinical, cold, written in the language of surveillance.
- High Value: It meant she wasn't just another runaway or orphan. She was an asset. Someone worth money, leverage, or power. The notes described her intelligence, her ability to memorize codes, her knack for slipping unnoticed into places she shouldn't be. They listed her as "potential operative material."
- Unstable: That was the catch. The file painted her as unpredictable. Emotional. A risk. Someone who could turn on her handlers, someone who might not obey orders.
Well she wasn't surprised she is indeed unstable anyway.. But how rude...!
She scrolled further.
There were photographs - grainy shots of her at school, at the orphanage, even one of her sitting under the jacaranda tree with Lilay. Each image was tagged with timestamps, coordinates, and notes about her behavior.
Then came the assessments:
- Subject demonstrates advanced problem-solving under stress.
- Subject resists authority figures, prone to defiance.
- Subject loyalty: questionable.
- Recommendation: monitor closely. Exploit connections (Evelyne, Mark, Cianly).
August's stomach twisted. They weren't just watching her. They were mapping her life, turning every friendship into a weakness, every bond into bait.
And then she saw the last folder.
PHOENIX.
She clicked.
Encrypted files filled the screen, but one document was open. It was a list of names. Her name was at the top. Next to it: "Asset. High-value. Unstable. Potential to ignite."
Ignite.
She stared at the word. It wasn't just about her being dangerous-it was about her being a spark. Something that could start a fire, a chain reaction.
She realized then what Rafael meant. High Value meant she was worth keeping alive. Unstable meant she was worth fearing.
And inside that file - - inside PHOENIX—was proof that she wasn't just a girl caught in the crossfire. She was the weapon they were all waiting to see explode.
Meaning they're waiting for her first wrong move to take her out or break her completely.
---
August slammed the laptop shut, heart pounding.
If Mark saw this, he'd know everything. If Evelyne saw it, she'd never sleep again.
But Rafael already knew.
And now August understood: the file wasn't just about her past. It was about her future.
She wasn't just bait. She was the prize.
But as much as she was the price, they wouldn't hesitate to kill her immediately...
Now she had to make a move because Raf already knows she opened the files.
--