Noah stared at the keys in his fist.
He didn't freeze for long. He forced a goofy, surprised smile onto his face—a mask for the invisible audience he sensed but couldn't see.
"Woah," he said aloud, chuckling to the empty hallway. "Ninja skills."
He hung the keys on the hook, deliberately fumbling them so they clinked against the wall. Clumsy. Be clumsy.
BZZT. BZZT. BZZT.
His smartwatch pulsed against his wrist. It wasn't a text notification. It was a rhythmic, urgent pattern. Three long pulses.
Code Red.
Noah scratched his ear, slipping a microscopic earpiece from his sleeve into his canal in one fluid motion. He walked into the living room, his posture slouching, feet dragging on the floorboards.
"Don't look up," Jinx’s voice whispered in his ear. It was crystal clear. "And don't
