[13th April 2024]

Finally, the day had come, and Evan was ready for it.

In his room, he was making some final preparations in his bag to conceal the item, in case he got caught while coming here.

He had concocted a few lies, claiming he was suffering from a stomachache to Peter and that he was going to meet an old friend from the orphanage who had turned eighteen and had come to see him.

Rossy had suggested letting him come here, but Evan lied again, saying he was heading to another city and would just pass by here, meeting him at the train station for a few minutes.

She believed him, as she couldn't imagine Evan lying to her like that.

He felt relieved that he had managed to get away with it, and mentioning it to Jason was just a formality, as he didn't dwell on such matters; just inform him, and you're set.

Now, he was ready for the mission. He walked out of his house to reach the place where he would meet his friend, the delivery guy.

He descended with his backpack, which he intended to use for carrying items, and a mask in his pocket to conceal his identity, not wanting to be recognized by acquaintances.

As he made his way downstairs, he saw Rossy sweeping the area, and she noticed him approaching.

"Oh Evan, you're up early, that's good. Now come and have the breakfast I've prepared for you."

"Aunt, I can't, I'm already late. My friend's train arrives at ten in the morning, and it departs fifteen minutes later, so I need to rush."

"There's still an hour and a half left. Come inside, or else, young man, you won't be leaving this house," she declared, her gaze intensifying.

"But aunt..."

"No 'buts.' Come in and eat your breakfast. If you object again, be ready to stay home today."

"Alright, I'm coming."

"That's my boy," she said, her smile beaming as if her earlier sternness had vanished.

He and Rossy entered and found Jason seated, engrossed in his newspaper, with food already laid out on the table.

"Oh, where have you two been? The food has been out for quite some time."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I was supposed to call Evan, but I got caught up talking to our neighbor, and then I started sweeping. By the time he came downstairs to meet his friend, I remembered. Can you imagine if people heard that Rosalia let her son leave without breakfast? What would they think?"

"Oh, come on, aunt. No one will know or care even if they do hear about it. You're making a mountain out of a molehill, you know."

"Please, don't lecture me. Let's eat... oh wait, don't eat that. I'll make something fresh, and then we can eat."

"That's not happening, aunt. I'll be late if you do that. I'm eating now."

He began to eat the food, which was cold but still edible.

He finished quickly and stood up to leave.

"Son, when will you be coming home?" Rossy called after him.

"I'll be back in a few hours," he replied loudly and left.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Oh geez, what's so great about this friend of his that he had to meet him so urgently?"

"Oh dear, you know childhood friends are a kind of attachment we can't just tear apart. And aren't we all a bit like that at our age?"

Jason mused as he drifted into his memories.

Meanwhile, Rossy sighed and cleared away Evan's eaten plates.

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Outside on the street, Evan was seen running and only stopped when he felt a good distance from home.

He checked his phone and saw that the delivery person's location and the time had already been sent quickly.

Noticing that the location was quite near, and the arrival time was around nine-thirty in the morning, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to wait long. It was already nine, and not wanting to wait any longer, he decided to head there.

With caution, he reached the area where the delivery person was supposed to show up.

Standing there, wearing his mask and a cap, he looked around to ensure he wasn't being watched by anyone.

"Where is he? I've been waiting for much longer now," Evan muttered, scanning the area in hopes of spotting the delivery guy. The second person he was expecting hadn't shown up either.

As the delivery time neared with only three minutes remaining, a man with a large suitcase approached. His appearance was gloomy; his face obscured by untidy hair.

The street was deserted, and seeing no one else around, Evan quickly walked towards the man.

Noticing Evan, a look of relief flashed in the man's eyes.

"Oh, hi sir, are you here for your delivery? The big order?" he inquired as Evan drew near.

"Ah, no, I'm just here to pick up a small item," Evan replied awkwardly, eager to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Ah, okay, take your belongings and leave. I don't like having people around me much," the delivery guy said, his demeanor completely changed as if he were a different person.

"Okay, if you say so," Evan replied, taking his small package and leaving the area. He lingered for a moment, hoping to meet the other person, but when they didn't show, he decided to leave.

A few minutes after Evan left, from a different street, a man fully concealing his face and skin approached.

"Oh sir, you've arrived. I've been waiting for you for quite some time," the delivery guy greeted him enthusiastically.

"Yes, hand over my items, and I'll be on my way. And if you even think of telling anyone about me, your family will be reading about your demise in tomorrow's newspaper," the man threatened in a deep voice, reminiscent of a badass character from a comic book.

"Oh sir, no need to worry, I won't say a word. But I do have a proposal for you. I can tell you're planning something big with these items. If you need assistance, I could be of help, and in return, you could give me a share of the reward," the delivery guy offered, referring to the items the man had ordered, which included a blade, a suit for concealing the body, protective armor, and more.

"Listen, kid, don't meddle in other people's affairs, and as for work, perhaps I need to speak with your supervisor to inform them that the salary they're paying you isn't sufficient. They might need to recruit someone new because this phone won't be answered if you're not up for the task," he said. After gathering his belongings and stuffing them into his large bag, he left, leaving the frightened man who had fallen to the ground. It was only when the man's figure had vanished that he snapped out of it and left the place.

As this occurred, we could see the same man walking away with the bag. He removed his mask and sighed in relief.

Had Evan seen him, he would have undoubtedly recognized the man; it was Rey, now walking away and talking in the same manner.

"He must have been terrified, bro. Even I was taken aback by the script you gave me," Rey remarked as he continued on, possibly towards his home.

Meanwhile, in a different area, we see Evan heading towards a park to pass some time, as he had to wait until ten-thirty to go home.

After wandering for a while, he walked towards his home with caution.

He arrived and was relieved to find no one noticing him.

He prepared himself to go to his room and, after setting his pace, he hurried towards it.

He reached his room without any issues and opened the door, expecting a moment of relief, but was startled into breathlessness.

His aunt was tidying up his room. She noticed him, offered a smile, and resumed her work.

"Oh Evan, you're back. I was just cleaning your room, thinking you were out. Did you see your friend?"

Rossy bombarded him with questions.

"Oh... well, you know. Yes, I met him, and we had a long talk. He's gone now. And Aunt, I think someone is downstairs to see you; I noticed someone by your door as I was coming up," Evan replied, thinking quickly on his feet.

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Will his plan work? Will she believe him and leave? To find out, come back and read more tomorrow.