7. Daniel

I pulled into the Zeus school parking lot in a yellow 1974 Honda Civic. He said goodbye to me with a serious look on his face. He handed me an egg cake, saying he wouldn't prepare food for me for quite some time.

"Be careful, Daniel," he warned me, "even if our organization is okay with you infiltrating Zeus School, we don't want them to find out who you are."

"Thanks for arranging everything, Liam," I replied sincerely, "you're the best. Take care of yourself."

I got out of the car, trying to avoid everyone's gaze. At least I pretended to. I had to follow the profile Liam had invented for me: to be a farm boy who got into Zeus School thanks to a scholarship. So I didn't mind wearing my jeans, my square shirt and a second-hand backpack.

As I walked towards the school entrance, I thought about how to keep my true identity hidden. I knew it would be complicated, but I had to do it if I wanted to find those responsible for my parents' death and fulfill our organization's mission.

"Will I make it?" I asked myself as I walked onto campus. I had no choice but to try.

I arrived at the place where the guides were meeting to ask for information about my dormitory. As I waited, I watched the faces of the students around me; they all looked nervous and excited about their first day at Zeus School.

"Which dorm am I in?" I asked when it was my turn. One of the guides looked at my name on the list and told me I was in the boys' dorms in the north area.

"I can accompany you if you like," offered a girl with Chinese hair and brunette, dressed in a short blouse that left little to the imagination. I accepted her help, although I had my suspicions that she was more interested in me than in actually being helpful. On the way to the bedroom, she asked me several personal questions and flirted quite obviously.

"By the way," he mentioned before taking his leave, "there's going to be a party for the newcomers in the common room tonight. You should go." I thanked him for the advice and headed toward the area manager.

Axel, the manager, was a tall, muscular young man with an apparent bad temper. His appearance reminded me of Liam, although their personalities were completely different. I introduced myself, trying not to attract too much attention, and asked him where my room was.

"Come, I'll take you to your room," Axel told me in an authoritative voice. As we walked, I thought about how to keep a low profile during my time at Zeus School. I didn't want to jeopardize my mission or the safety of Liam and our organization.

"This will be your room" Axel announced as he opened the door to a room in the hallway. I thanked him and entered, mentally preparing myself to face the challenges that awaited me in this new stage of my life. I was determined to accomplish my mission, no matter what obstacles stood in my way.

"Okay, Daniel," Axel said quietly as we walked down the hall to my new dorm. "There are some important rules you need to know here at Zeus School: no alcohol, cigarettes or substances of abuse. It is also forbidden to come in late at night, make a racket in your room, fight with your roommate or bring girls to the dorm" he concluded with a stern look.

When I got to my room, Axel showed me the bed and the closet that belonged to me. Despite his bad temper, at that moment his attitude changed. "Congratulations" he said to me, smiling for the first time since I met him. "You got a perfect grade to get into Zeus school, that's something you don't see every day" He wished me the best of luck before closing the door behind him.

"Thank you" I replied, feeling a bit of pride mixed with nervousness at the prospect of starting this new stage.

Once alone, I noticed that my room was unoccupied, which was a relief. I began to unpack my things, placing each object carefully in its place, trying to transform that unfamiliar space into something more familiar.

When I was done, I took off my shoes and plopped down on the bed, exhausted. I pulled out my cell phone and texted Liam to let him know everything was okay. His reply was quick and blunt: "Don't forget to keep a low profile" His words echoed in my mind as I drifted off to sleep.

I know, I thought as I plunged into the darkness of the night, "I can't let anything or anyone distract me from my mission" With that determination etched in my heart, I fell asleep, not yet knowing the challenges and dangers I would face at Zeus School. But, at least for now, I was sure of one thing: I would let nothing stand in my way of justice and vengeance.

I jumped up and saw Axel standing next to a radiant-looking young man. The boy had blond hair that fell in soft locks over his forehead, framing bright, expressive blue eyes that reflected a mixture of curiosity and kindness. His fair skin radiated a healthy, smooth youthfulness.

He was of average height, which made him appear approachable and approachable. His build was slim and athletic, showing that he had a well-groomed physical form. Although he did not stand out for his stature, his presence exuded a natural charm that drew the eye.

"Daniel, meet your roommate, David Welt," Axel said.

"Nice to meet you" I said, stretching out my hand, as I took the moment to hide a small microphone in David's clothes. "I'm sorry we couldn't decide which bed and closet each of us got, sorry for rushing to choose" I added.

David didn't seem to mind. "No problem" he replied with a smile.

"By the way," he continued, "I am the son of Samuel Welt, owner of Welt Entertainment, a music production company."

"Wow" I said, trying to sound impressed, although I didn't really care. "I'm a farmer and I'm here at Zeus School thanks to a scholarship" I commented humbly.

David's smile faded instantly. I knew no one would pay attention to me for not coming from a wealthy family, but that didn't matter to me; I had more important things to focus on.

"Interesting," David said, trying to sound friendly, but I noticed the change in his tone of voice.

"I know" I thought, "just the intention I want to achieve, that no one notices me."

After our brief introduction, David began to set up his things in the dorm. As he did so, he told me that he would be heading to the welcome party for the new students. As he said this, I noticed a tone in his voice as if he didn't expect me to accompany him.

"It's okay," I replied, trying to look nonchalant. "I'll stay here and rest."

That seemed to please David, who nodded with a smile before leaving the room.

Taking advantage of the fact that I was alone, I connected the microphone I had hidden in David's clothes to my computer and began listening to their conversations. I didn't know what to expect, but it was important to keep an eye out for any useful information.

David arrived with his friends at the entrance of the party and told them about me when they asked him about his new partner.

"I'm just getting to know him," he said, avoiding giving details about our conversation. Meanwhile, the sound of music was flooding the atmosphere, so I had to adjust my computer settings to better hear their conversation.

"This farm boy" I thought, "has no idea what I'm really doing here" I felt a little bad for David, but I had to constantly remind myself that my mission was more important than anything else.

As I continued to listen, I wondered what kind of information I might glean from these conversations. Would I really find anything useful or would it just be a waste of time? However, I knew I couldn't afford to waste any opportunity.

"I hope this is worth it," I said to myself, concentrating on the words of David and his friends.

"Come on, David" I heard one of David's friends insisting, "we have something special to celebrate our entrance to Zeus School, let's go to an unoccupied classroom."

Through the hidden microphone, I picked up David's reluctance.

"I don't know, guys... I came to this party to meet some pretty girl, not to get in trouble."

"Come on, don't be boring!" another of his friends replied. "It'll just be a little adventure, I assure you, you'll have a great time."

Reluctantly, David agreed to go with them to an empty classroom. I couldn't help but think about what disgusting drug addicts these kids looked like, and I worried about David.

"Okay, just once" I heard David finally relent. At that moment, I knew I had to be even more attentive to whatever happened. Hours passed, and I could hear David getting more and more restless and dizzy. "I think that's enough" he said, "I want to leave, I feel sick."

Then, I heard the sound of a thump, followed by malicious laughter. "He's finally unconscious, wow that took a while" said one of David's friends, while another added, "Now it's time to act and take him away as we had planned."

My heart raced as I realized the gravity of the situation. What were they planning to do to David? I could not allow my roommate to suffer. I decided I had to act, but cautiously so as not to draw attention to myself.

I quickly linked the microphone to my cell phone and activated the GPS. I was determined to go for it.

I was running through the field, trying to get to David's place as fast as possible. I didn't mind bumping into one person or another as I ran; I was apologizing as I ran. The GPS indicated that I was near the parking lot and sure enough, as I arrived I could see a group of guys dragging David.

What the hell are they planning to do, I thought as I tried to control my breathing. I approached the group of boys, managed to locate Ethan Blackwood and felt only revulsion at the sight of him. I decided to pretend I knew David, so I called out to him:

"Hey, David, everything okay? I was just passing by and saw you" I shouted with a forced smile on my face.

Ethan watched me and asked:

"What do you want?"

"Wow, I was just passing by and saw David" I replied trying to sound nonchalant. "I thought I might take him up to our room to rest up since he seems to have had a few drinks."

"What's it to you? Get the hell out of here," Ethan spat disdainfully.

In the parking lot, Ethan dropped David off with the other two boys and told them he would take care of it. Suddenly, David woke up and looked at me.

"I want to go and rest" begged David to the boys who were holding him. "Let me go with Daniel."

Hearing this, Ethan stiffened and waved him back to sleep. Acting fast, I ran over to where Daniel was and he tried to take a swing at him. I managed to dodge him and punched him in the stomach, grabbing his back and spinning him around to knock him to the ground.

"Relax, I just want to help" I replied, trying to stay calm. In my mind, all I could think about was how I would get David out of this situation without attracting attention .

Suddenly, David woke up and looked at me.

"I want to go and rest" begged David to the boys who were holding him. "Let me go with Daniel."

"I said get out , if you don't want to get in trouble," said Ethan, suspicious.

Ethan left David with the other two boys and told them he would take care of it.

Ethan stiffened and waved his hand to be put back to sleep. Acting fast, he ran over to where I was and tried to hit me. I managed to dodge him and punched him in the stomach, grabbing his back and spinning him around to knock him to the ground.

"Enough games!" I exclaimed in a firm voice. "Hand David over to me now."

The other two boys, startled, let go of David, dropping him to the floor. I lifted him up in my arms and he smiled at me before falling asleep again. Ethan yelled too much nonsense behind my back, but I decided to ignore him.

The other two boys, frightened, let go of David, dropping him to the floor. I walked over to him, picked him up in my arms and he smiled at me before falling asleep again.

Carefully, I carried him to our bedroom and when we arrived I gently dropped him on his bed.

As I watched him sleep, I thought about everything that had happened and how my goal of not drawing attention to myself might be at risk. However, I couldn't help but feel that I had done the right thing by protecting David.

"Forgive me Liam, I'm ruining it" I whispered to myself.