Saturday mornings at Saint Harold's weren't meant for peace. They were loud, chaotic, and dripping with the scent of hangovers and bad decisions.
But Julian wasn't in his dorm.
He was at Neon Drive.
An underground auto shop located behind the abandoned arcade on Milton Avenue. Known only to thrill-seekers and criminals, Neon Drive was the breeding ground for street racers, mod mechanics, and anyone craving adrenaline more than sleep.
Julian stepped in wearing a hoodie, hands in his pockets, the watch tight on his wrist.
The air smelled of burnt rubber and metal oil.
Engines roared.
Hip-hop shook the walls.
And there she was.
Valerie Cruz, 19.
Brown skin kissed by firelight, short curly hair dyed emerald green, tank top grease-stained and tight against curves that made boys forget their names. Valerie didn't smile—she smirked. Daughter of a deadbeat racer and a Cuban ex-stripper turned car queen.
She fixed cars like other girls painted nails.
And when she saw Julian, she whistled low.
"Well, well… the dead boy walks."
He gave her a half-smile. "I need a ride."
She raised an eyebrow. "This isn't Uber, sweetheart."
He pulled out the Black Market Access Card.
The effect was instant.
Her smile dropped.
She stepped closer. "Where'd you get that?"
He didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
She lit a cigarette. "Follow me."
---
Dark.
Crowded with vintage car parts, illegal tech, and posters of half-naked girls holding turbochargers.
Valerie sat on the hood of a custom matte-black Camaro.
"You're not the kid everyone's talking about, are you?"
Julian stared.
"The one who made Serena Volkova miss chemistry class yesterday?" she added.
He didn't flinch.
She laughed. "Thought so."
She threw him a drink. Vodka, no chaser.
"Why do you need the shop?" she asked.
Julian pulled up the watch. The screen glitched—then revealed a new task.
[New Task Unlocked]
Task: Win the Devil's Drift in District 9.
Reward: Blueprint Fragment – Eternal Memory Project
Bonus: Unlock Hidden Profile: Subject R-8
Valerie's eyes narrowed as she watched the screen.
"Who the hell are you, Julian?"
"I don't know yet," he muttered.
She licked her lips. "That's hot."
---
District 9 was the filth behind the city's golden teeth. Abandoned buildings, drug dens, rats in chains, and girls who wore danger like perfume.
Julian arrived in Valerie's Camaro, engine growling like it knew blood was coming.
The crowd parted for him.
Half of them were junkies.
The rest?
Hunters.
Boys with steel knuckles and girls with knives in their heels.
They watched him.
Some laughed.
Some whispered.
And Milo stepped forward.
Tall. Skinny. Scar above his left eye. Drug addict since fourteen. Son of a cop, expelled for sleeping with a female teacher, arrested for blackmail, and now—King of the Drift Track.
"Fresh meat," Milo said, voice raspy with pills. "You got a death wish, pretty boy?"
Julian looked him dead in the eyes. "Just a better life."
The crowd howled.
The race began.
---
Julian had never raced like this before.
The Camaro danced with death on every corner.
Skidding inches from flame pits, scraping walls, dodging spike strips. Milo was a beast—pushing speeds that blurred vision. But Julian?
He had something else.
The watch flashed red.
Time slowed.
His senses exploded.
And then…
He became the road.
---
Tires screamed.
Smoke swallowed the finish line.
Julian stopped first.
The crowd exploded.
Milo threw his helmet. Furious. Ashamed.
Valerie ran to Julian, wide-eyed, breathless.
"You did it… You really did it."
The watch vibrated.
[Task Complete: Win the Devil's Drift]
[Reward Unlocked: Blueprint Fragment – Eternal Memory Project]
[Bonus Complete: Subject R-8 Profile Unlocked]
A hologram appeared.
Subject R-8: Valerie Cruz
Status: Former subject of illegal neural enhancement. Memory wiped. Blueprint inside cerebral vault.
Julian stared at her.
Valerie froze.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Julian shook his head slowly. "Nothing… You just helped me more than you know."
---
Small. Messy. Smelled like oil and incense.
Julian sat on the floor, bruised and raw.
Valerie walked out of the shower in a towel, hair dripping.
"You gonna tell me who you are?" she asked.
He looked at her.
So beautiful. So broken.
"I don't know yet," he said softly.
She stepped closer.
Kneeled in front of him.
"You wanna forget for a while?" she whispered.
His hands shook.
He said nothing.
She kissed him anyway.
Not out of love.
Out of pain.
And in that pain…
They found comfort.
Even if just for one night.
---