The coffee is bitter but grounding. I let the warmth spread through me, steadying the shaking in my hands. What now?
The diner’s quiet hum settles around me—until I hear it.
A faint scrape of fabric. A presence.
Someone’s watching me.
I don't react, just lift the cup to my lips and flick my gaze to the diner’s reflection in the window.
A man sits alone at the counter, stirring a cup of tea. Neatly pressed gray coat, polished shoes. Too clean for a place like this.
I watch as he folds a piece of paper, slides it under his saucer, and stands. He doesn’t glance at me as he walks out the door.
A warning bells in my mind. This is for you.
I wait a few seconds, then move.
At the counter, I slide the saucer aside and unfold the paper. Just one line, written in clean, deliberate handwriting:
“Your name is not Cade.”
My pulse hammers. The note isn’t signed, but scrawled at the bottom is something familiar.
The same serpent symbol from my wrist tattoo.
Someone knows the truth.
I shove the paper into my pocket and push out of the diner. The man is already gone, vanished into the night.
But he left a trail.
A sleek black car sits idling across the street, the exhaust curling into the cold air. The taillights glow red. The back door is slightly open. An invitation.
I hesitate.
Walk away—or step into the unknown?
I take a breath.
And get in.
YOU ARE READING
The Fractured Code: System Crash
Teen FictionBOOK 1: In a world where every thought, action, and memory is controlled by the Program, true freedom is nothing more than a myth. Society operates under the illusion of choice, but behind the scenes, an omnipresent system dictates every outcome. Ro...
