Luelle
There was the usual energy in the school — voices leaking down from classrooms, lockers slamming, the familiar thump-thump of sneakers on tile floors. For many of the students, it was just another normal day. But for Luelle, it was a whole different thing.
The morning had been an opportunity to meld and observe the lives of those near her. Her training had honed her instincts, which allowed her to pick up on the subtle signs other people might miss: the brief flash of uncertainty in someone's eyes; the slight tightness in their stance; and the way conversations had a tendency to fall off when she walked past. Those nuances seemed more pronounced today.
Her eyes wandered toward Ethan's locker, but her brain was a tornado, sorting through the faces and movements. Aria filled the atmosphere with her signature animated chatter; Rowan, cheek pressed against the wall in a comfortable lean, wore a trademark smirk. Ethan, though, seemed less than his usual energetic self, searching through his locker with an expression approaching boredom. But Luelle didn't have the luxury of worrying about them; her focus was on those hovering just beyond their periphery, the ones who lingered a little too long or looked at Ethan once too often.
Luelle was swiped back around to the group when used Aria's voice floated up from the depths of her focus.
"Luelle! What's taking you so long?" her tone both playful and loving. "You look like you were plotting a heist standing there.
Luelle stepped forward and forced a laugh. "Just trying to think of ways to sabotage Rowan's next game," she said casually.
Rowan grinned. "Good luck with that. I'm un-sabotageable."
"Noted," Luelle replied, her eyes flickering over Ethan, who looked deep in thought.
As they entered the courtyard, Luelle stayed a step behind, her mind racing. That morning, she had seen a new Counsellor – someone she'd never seen before and who seemed overly interested in the students. Whispers had gone around the halls, discussions that died down when she came near. Someone was following Ethan, and she could feel it.
At lunch, she sat strategically near Rowan. He was the ideal buffer — smart enough to raise no suspicions, but stupid enough not to challenge her intentions. "Rowan," she began as they were sitting down, "who's the new counsellor?"
Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Counsellor? You mean Vael?"
She nodded, trying to make her voice sound breezy. "I assumed he was some sort of a fill-in or something."
"Vael's just been here a few weeks," said Rowan, reclining. "He's... I don't know. Quiet. Kind of creepy, honestly."
"Creepy how?" Luelle pressed.
Rowan shrugged. "He asks strange questions sometimes — about family stuff, things he shouldn't care about."
Luelle's heart thudded, but she stiffened herself to remain steady. "Does he talk to Ethan much?"
Rowan frowned. "Why? You've got a crush on Ethan or something?"
"No," Luelle said immediately, rolling her eyes. "I'm just curious. He's around a lot, when Ethan is."
Rowan shrugged again. "Probably just part of his job. But sure, I've heard them talk a few times. "
That was enough for now, Luelle didn't want to push too hard, not yet. But Vael—if that was what he was called—would be her next prey. She didn't know who he was or what he wanted, but she would find out.
The hours passed; Luelle drifted through the halls of this school; melding with the surrounding noise; her mind combing through the tangle of threads she had been constructing. Vael was the one thread that connected her to a troublesome episode with Ethan, the only figure who stood out against the setting of the school's usual tenor.
By day's end, Luelle had charted her path forward. She would observe Vael, follow his interactions, and follow him. Whoever he was and however he fit into the growing threat toward Ethan, he wouldn't stay hidden for long.
Her first job was to collect information without being caught. She started quietly shadowing Vael's schedule, gliding around the school as if she were just another student lost in the throes of the daily grind. Yet her sharp eyes saw it all, where Vael had taken his time, the little movements he'd made as he lay in wait, after positioning himself to intercept Ethan or anyone else who would be foolish enough to get in his way. Sometimes she saw him at the library, as if working through a stack of paperwork, but looking up often enough to give the impression he was keeping a watch on someone. At other times, he loitered around the halls between classes, his eyes sometimes flicking over Ethan's circle before he moved on. To anyone else, he could've blended in as just a normal counsellor, but Luelle felt there was something much more deliberate in his presence.
A few days into her spying on Vael, she sat with Aria and James in their usual spot in the courtyard at lunchtime, sunlight filtering through the trees, dappling their table with shadows. James was mid-story, animatedly telling Aria about a basketball game he'd played the night before, his hands moving dramatically.
"Oh, come on," said Aria, rolling her eyes. "You completely missed that shot."
"I did not," James replied, beaming. "I was close."
"Mmhmm," Aria said, taking a bite of her sandwich. "But Luelle, why the serious face?" You haven't said much today."
Luelle faltered, mind tampering with her words. "I just been thinking about Vael."
James raised an eyebrow. "Vael? The counsellor? Why?"
"He's... odd," Luelle said slowly. "He's been around a lot. Watching people."
"Watching people?" Aria echoed, a glimmer of amusement in her eye. "Or watching Ethan? Because it sounds like you know a lot about what he's doing."
Luelle's cheeks flushed a bit, but she kept it together. "I just pay attention," she said dryly. "Vael seems to be focused on Ethan more than anyone else."
Aria feigned not being able to hide a smirk, and she clearly was revelling in Luelle's response. "Right. You just happen to be there to Ethan when he's there. Nothing else to it, huh?"
James burst into laughter. "Luelle, do you like Ethan? This is beginning to sound very suspicious.'"
"I don't!" Luelle said hastily, rolling her eyes and struggling against a blush. "I just find it odd that Vael continually asks Ethan questions, which no one else cares about." Don't you think it's worth noting that?"
Aria turned her head to the side, a shadow passing through her mischievous grin as she considered. "Okay, fine. Now that you mention it… yeah, Vael does seem to ask a lot of personal questions about Ethan's family."
"Exactly," said Luelle, grateful for the change of subject. "That doesn't sound like normal counsellor behaviour."
James dropped his arms and relaxed into the seat. "It could be that Ethan's parents are really big or something, and maybe Vael's just being nosy. You know how adults are — they think they can know everything."
Aria frowned. "Ethan doesn't say much about his parents, even when we ask. But Vael goes on and on, as if he was fishing for something."
Luelle nodded slowly as her brain worked a hundred miles a minute. Vael's stare toward Ethan was strange. The hovering, the pesky questions — all of it seemed too intentional to be accidental. But she wasn't able to voice her concerns yet. Instead, she leaned back, affecting indifference toward the banter between Aria and James.
That was when Aria's eyes twinkled with mischief and Luelle knew trouble was afoot. "Speaking of," Aria said, dragging out her words for dramatic effect, "how are your little tutoring sessions with Ethan going?
Luelle tensed, wishing that she had never brought it up. "They're fine."
James grinned. "Oh? Just fine? That's all we get?"
Aria leaned forward eagerly. "Get real, Luelle. You don't ask anybody for help, and now Ethan's your tutor? Sounds convenient."
Luelle sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Well, it's just easier to explain math, so there."
"Huh," said Aria thoughtfully, clearly relishing the moment. "Oh, I'm sure staring at Ethan while he works is just what you need to learn algebra!"
James chuckled, and Luelle breathed another sigh. "Can you two stop?"
"No way," Aria said, shoving a grape in her mouth. "So tell me, does he go all gentle and explain-y or is he just broody and annoyed the entire time?"
Luelle swallowed hard, forcing herself to ignore their exchanges. "Neither," she muttered. "It's just math."
James shook his head, leaning back. "I don't buy it. You absolutely have an angle here."
"There's no angle," Luelle said, the exasperation covering her embarrassment. "It's just studying. In any case I've asked Rowan to tutor me, he suggested that Ethan helps me instead."
A glance passed between Aria and James, before Aria grinned at Luelle. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
Luelle sighed, finally dragged from this teasing by the still-taunted James and Aria — she could read amusement still bubbling in Aria's eyes. The subject had changed, and she let herself relax into the normal cadence of discussion for one moment.
"So," James said, extending his legs in front of him, "are we actually gonna study for the history test, or are we just winging it like last time?"
Aria moaned, burying her head in her hands. "Please, no. I hardly made it through the last one.'"
James grinned. "That's because you thought that memorizing random dates would be sufficient."
"They should be enough!" Aria shot back, exasperated. "Why do they have to make us remember the politics and the trade negotiations and all that nonsense? Just give us a listing of significant battles and call it a day."
Luelle laughed and shook her head. "You may need to reconsider that strategy."
James leaned back lazily. "I say we just convince Ethan to tutor us."
Aria smirked. "Oh no, no, I think Luelle would protest that."
Luelle rolled her eyes. "You two are impossible."
Aria nudged her playfully. "Okay, but seriously. You're really studying with him, right? Does he teach, like a real teacher, or does he sit around gloomy and shove answers at you?"
Ignoring the flush creeping into her face, Luelle sighed. "He's... efficient."
James snorted. "That's the most boring description that I've ever heard."
Aria gasped dramatically. "Wait, do you explain stuff to him instead? Is that what's happening? Is Ethan secretly bad at math and you're covering for him?"
Luelle shook her head; she figured a lack of engagement was best. "I'm not doing this."
James laughed. "You're so doing this."
Fortunately Aria changed the subject before Luelle could be subjected to further questioning. "Well, are we still on for my movie night this weekend? Rowan said if he wasn't "too busy being amazing" or whatever, that he'd come."
James rolled his eyes. "I'm calling it now — he's gonna come late just to make an entrance."
Luelle smiled lightly and allowed herself to bask in it. Despite all the things she was juggling in her mind — the investigation, the threat that awaited her, Ethan's safety — there had been something comforting about these mundane conversations.
Unknown
Ethan was always the same—cool, calm, and unflappable. The spy couldn't tell if this demeanour was genuine or meticulously crafted, but either way, it was frustrating. Observing him was easy; Ethan's life operated like clockwork. Every move he made was part of a predictable rhythm, every interaction carefully calibrated. To anyone else, this might have seemed dull, but to the spy, it posed a challenge. The key to dismantling someone like Ethan wasn't brute force; it was patience—finding the cracks and slipping through undetected.
The problem was, people like him didn't crack easily. The spy had few cards to play. Even among his closest friends, Ethan revealed little, if anything, personal. Neither Rowan nor Aria, despite their loud and lively personalities, seemed to know the full story. And Ethan preferred it that way. He was not one to trust easily. The spy couldn't help but wonder if Ethan was aware of the unseen eyes upon him—whether his every gesture of guardedness was a conscious choice or simply part of who he was.
Then there was Luelle. The spy still couldn't quite figure her out.
At first glance, she seemed unremarkable—quiet and unassuming, the type of girl who could easily blend into the background. Unlike Aria's boisterousness or Rowan's effortless magnetism, she had always been overlooked. But over the past few weeks, she had begun to stand out—not in a showy manner, but just enough to catch the spy's attention. The way she gravitated toward Ethan, the way her eyes tracked him, was… peculiar.
Perhaps that was all there was to it. Maybe she was just another girl with a crush, enchanted by Ethan's laid-back demeanour and sculpted jawline, as so many others had been. She was often seen with Rowan and Aria, laughing at their jokes and sharing lunch. Was that her motivation for getting close to Ethan? A simple crush? A devotee smitten by someone who seemed so far above the rest?
That would make sense. Ethan had that effect on people—an innate magnetism he seemed unaware of. A girl like Luelle could easily be captivated. Maybe she had admired him from afar for years, not out of ulterior motives, but simply because she admired him.
And yet…
The spy's instincts whispered that there was more to her story.
Luelle was not entirely ordinary. There was something deliberate about the way she presented herself; every movement and expression seemed purposeful, her gaze razor-focused. She was invisible enough to go unnoticed, yet she teetered on the edge of visibility without ever falling off. It was subtle—almost imperceptible—but the spy had been trained to notice such nuances. It didn't feel natural; it felt like something else entirely.
Doubt gnawed at the spy, urging him to dig deeper. In just a couple of days, he spent hours piecing together jigsaw fragments of information about Luelle—gossip, student records, anything he could find. This effort bore fruit, sketching out a picture that was both mundane and puzzling.
Luelle was the daughter of a single mother—a housekeeper juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet. Growing up, she had spent most of her childhood in the countryside with her grandmother while her mother worked as a live-in housekeeper in the city. That arrangement had been convenient, even at the cost of separation. But after her grandmother's death, everything changed. Luelle's mother relocated them to a modest apartment in the city, closer to her job. The apartment was unremarkable, located in an average neighbourhood. Her mother commuted daily, and as far as the spy could discern, Luelle's school fees were covered by her mother's employer—a curious detail, but not alarming enough to warrant further investigation.
On the surface, it all seemed straightforward—a family striving to make ends meet amid loss and change, like countless others. Yet, something about Luelle didn't conform. Her sharp focus, her ability to seamlessly blend into the background when necessary, and the quiet confidence she exuded suggested much more.
There remained the possibility she was precisely as she appeared—a perceptive girl who had experienced enough to seem older than her years. Perhaps her fascination with Ethan was innocent, born of admiration or even a teenage crush.
That lingering doubt brought the spy to the far end of the library that afternoon, settling at a table tucked behind shelves filled with dusty reference books. From there, they could see Ethan and Luelle seated together at a corner table, notebooks and calculators sprawled across the surface. The spy pretended to flip through a textbook, keeping their gaze low as they tuned into the low hum of their conversation.
Ethan's voice was steady, patient, as he pointed at something in Luelle's notebook. "You need to distribute the values first," he said, his tone even, though it carried the faint edge of focus. "Otherwise, the equation won't balance."
Luelle frowned slightly, her pen tapping against the paper. "Right. That makes sense now, but I don't know why I couldn't see it before."
"Maybe you were overthinking it," Ethan replied, glancing at her briefly before returning to his own work. "It happens."
The spy narrowed their eyes, watching the way Luelle leaned slightly closer, her brow furrowed in concentration. To anyone else, it would have looked like an ordinary tutoring session. But the spy couldn't ignore the subtle dynamics—the way Luelle seemed to be focusing on Ethan himself as much as on the math, the way Ethan's posture was relaxed despite his usual guarded demeanour.
Luelle let out a soft laugh, breaking the quiet. "I guess I should be thanking you for not judging me for being terrible at this."
Ethan smirked faintly. "I'm not judging you. Yet."
Their voices were quiet, conversational, but the spy caught every word. Was this just tutoring? A silly girl trying to impress someone who wouldn't give her the time of day otherwise? Or was there more? Luelle was hard to read, and her calm demeanour didn't make it any easier.
The spy leaned back in his chair, pretending to jot notes in the margins of their textbook as their mind whirled. Ordinary or not, Luelle was too close to Ethan for comfort. And if she was more than what she appeared to be, she wouldn't stay hidden for long.
Brendan Mars
Brendan Mars sat in his private chamber, the dim glow of the screens casting kaleidoscopic shadows across his face. A naturally quiet man, he had always found solace in this solitary space, which allowed him to immerse himself in the workings of the Dominion without interruption. Yet tonight, the stillness felt heavy, almost oppressive.
Leaning forward, he combed through the latest intelligence reports on his encrypted system. Most of the information was routine—updates on regional assignments, assessments of trusted operatives, and potential threats. But then, an alert quietly flickered onto the screen, jarring him from his focus.
A background inquiry. On Luelle.
Brendan paused for a moment, his heart quickening, though he managed to maintain his composure. He clicked on the alert, and the details of the inquiry filled the screen. It wasn't particularly sophisticated—just someone sifting through routine records, school files, and public databases. Nothing overtly threatening, but there was a disquieting quality to it. Whoever this was hadn't fully committed to digging deeper, but that half-hearted interest was enough to set off alarm bells in Brendan's mind.
His instinct urged him to act quickly—to eliminate the threat and ensure Luelle's anonymity remained intact. But Brendan hesitated. Overreacting could raise red flags, drawing the attention of whoever was behind this inquiry and prompting them to wonder if there was something to hide. For Luelle's sake, her invisibility needed to be flawless.
Instead, he leaned back in his chair, his thoughts swirling. He recalled Luelle's cover story—a narrative they had painstakingly crafted together, down to the smallest detail: a normal childhood in the countryside with her grandmother, a single mother working as live-in housekeeper who had sacrificed everything for her daughter. Their struggles were modest, their circumstances unremarkable. It was all designed to blend seamlessly into the background of everyday life, leaving no room for doubt or scrutiny.
But now, someone was asking questions.
Brendan's jaw tightened as his gaze returned to the monitor. Who were they? What motivated their interest in Luelle? She had played all her cards right, moving subtly, acting with caution. She was meant to go unnoticed, her ties to the Dominion concealed in plain sight.
What troubled him even more was that the inquiry wasn't about the Dominion itself; it was all about her—her background, her family, her education. Brendan drummed his fingers against the desk, grappling with the implications. Were they tracking her proximity to Ethan? Was it someone from within the school, someone who had prepared for this? Or was it something deeper, connected to the botched ambush?
His thoughts briefly flickered to Luelle herself. He remembered the fire in her eyes when she spoke, the quiet determination that reminded him so much of her mother. That resolve was why he had agreed to train her, why he had made the painful decision to maintain his distance—both to protect her and to strengthen her will. Yet as he stared at the alert, doubt crept in: had he done enough? Was she truly ready to face this kind of scrutiny?
With a sigh, he made up his mind. For now, he would let the inquiry lie beneath the surface, keeping it off his radar while he investigated its origins. Acting too quickly would only jeopardize her position. But Brendan wouldn't keep her waiting long; whoever was trying to unravel Luelle's past wouldn't stop at this point. When they drew closer, he would be ready.
Leaning forward, Brendan flagged the alert for heightened surveillance and issued a swift command to his operatives. If this had anything to do with Ethan, the ambush, or even the rogue movements of The Eclipse, he would know. And when he did, he would ensure that Luelle remained untouched.