Chapter 21: The Observers (1)
EL'S APARTMENT – 6:02 AM – WEDNESDAY
BEEEEEP—BEEEEEP—BEEEEEP
El's eyes snapped open.
He grabbed his phone.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 – 6:02 AM
Wednesday.
Again.
He stared at the screen. Heart pounding.
No.
No, no, no.
He looked at the nightstand.
The card.
The cracker.
He grabbed the card.
Stop looking for the exit.
Sweet dreams, El.
The symbol.
The entrance is where you first found me.
Remember the flowers.
All still there.
The cracker was still warm. Still glowing.
Still waiting.
El pressed his palms against his eyes.
Yesterday.
The previous Wednesday.
I lived it.
I learned from it.
And now I'm back.
Why?
What changed?
What am I supposed to do differently this time?
He grabbed his coffee maker.
Started the routine.
But his mind was already spinning.
---
TATE ASSOCIATION – 8:47 AM
The elevator doors opened.
Demi was there.
Chips in hand.
Grinning.
"You're late."
El stepped out. "I'm exactly on time."
"Exactly on time is late in Demi Standards."
Demi fell into step beside him, crunching loudly.
"I've been here for TEN MINUTES, El. Ten. Minutes. Do you know what I did with that time?"
"Observed. Analyzed. Gathered intelligence."
Demi stopped walking.
Stared at him.
"...Okay, that was creepy. How did you know what I was going to say?"
El kept walking.
"Lucky guess."
Demi hurried to catch up.
"That's the second time this week you've done that. It's starting to freak me out."
"You freak out easily."
"I freak out APPROPRIATELY. There's a difference."
They walked toward the cubicles.
The office hummed around them—keyboards clicking, phones ringing, someone already complaining about the printer.
Demi lowered his voice.
"Okay, serious now. Have you seen the newbies yet? Because I have THEORIES."
"You always have theories."
"Because I'm always RIGHT."
Demi held up his fingers.
"One: Nev. Dark hair, dark eyes, never smiles. That's SPY behavior, El. Textbook spy. I've watched movies."
He'll smile at me in the meeting, El thought.
I wonder if Demi will notice.
"He's from Lesive," El said.
"EXACTLY. Rival company sends a 'consultant' to 'observe.' That's how it starts. Next thing you know, he's stealing our snack stash AND our trade secrets."
El's eyebrow twitched. "We sell paper products."
"PAPER PRODUCT SECRETS EXIST, EL. The thickness. The texture. The... paperiness. These things matter."
Demi continued.
"Two: Hope. Sunshine personified. Travel mug with inspirational quotes. Smiles at everyone. That's either genuine or a COVER. Too early to tell."
"Not everyone is a spy."
"That's what a spy WOULD say."
Demi pointed at him.
"You're not a spy, are you? Wait. Are you?"
El looked at him.
"If I were a spy, would I tell you?"
Demi considered this.
"...Fair point. I'm keeping an eye on you too now. Just in case."
They reached El's cubicle.
El sat down, thermos in place, monitor adjusted.
Demi leaned against the wall.
"Three: Mark. Office coordinator. Perpetually angry. I respect his commitment to the bit.
Four: Théo. Intern. Looks like a scared kitten. I want to protect him but also I'm pretty sure he's going to quit by Friday."
He won't quit, El thought. But he'll come close.
"He won't quit," El said.
Demi blinked. "How do you know?"
"Just a feeling."
Demi squinted at him.
"You've been having a lot of 'feelings' lately. It's weird. You're usually made of stone."
Stone cracks, El thought. Eventually.
"I'm experimenting," El said.
"Experimenting with WHAT?"
"Patterns. Cause and effect. How small changes affect outcomes."
Demi stared at him.
Then he pulled a chip from his bag. Crunched it thoughtfully.
"You know what? I'm not going to question it. I've learned that questioning leads to more confusion and less snacks."
He pointed at El.
"But I'm watching you. Closely. For science."
He pushed off the wall.
"Meeting in ten minutes. Try to look alive. Mira will be watching."
El's hand paused.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean she's our boss. She watches everyone." Demi grinned.
"Why, you think she watches YOU specially?"
Shedoes, El thought. But not the way you think.
"I don't think anything."
"Sure you don't." Demi winked.
"See you at the meeting."
He vaulted over the cubicle wall—landing slightly better than usual.
El watched him go.
Then he reached into his pocket.
Touched the card.
Still there. Still the same.
For now.
---
CONFERENCE ROOM – 9:15 AM
Everyone shuffled in.
Janet with her stack of papers.
Mark muttering about printer passwords.
Théo trying to make himself small in the corner.
Demi immediately reached for the snack bowl.
El in the back, coffee in hand.
Mira stood at the front, tablet in hand.
Professional.
Neutral.
Just doing her job.
"Before we begin, I want to introduce two new team members joining us for Project Horizon."
She gestured to a young man sitting near the window.
Nev Blackwood.
Sharp features.
Dark eyes.
Completely still.
He scanned the room slowly.
Taking everything.
Everyone.
Then his eyes landed on El.
And he smiled.
Just a small smile. Just a flicker.
There it is, El thought.
Same as last time.
He knows something.
Or he senses something.
Or he's just... watching.
El held his gaze for a moment.
Then looked away.
Mira continued.
"Nev comes to us from the Lesive Association. He'll be observing and assisting with market analysis."
Demi leaned over.
"Observing. See? SPY."
El didn't respond.
He was too busy thinking.
Why me? Why does he keep looking at me?
Mira gestured to a young woman on the other side.
Hope Ashford.
Warm.
Bright.
Beaming like she'd just won a prize.
Her travel mug was covered in stickers—little suns and smiley faces and words like "GOOD VIBES" and "CAFFEINE AND KINDNESS."
"Hope is joining us as a junior marketing assistant. Fresh out of university."
Hope bounced in her seat.
"Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be here! I've heard such great things about this team!"
From the corner, Théo's voice squeaked.
"Welcome! I'm Théo! I'm also new! Well, not new-new, but still learning! We can learn together?"
Hope beamed at him.
"YES! Learning buddies!"
Théo looked like he might actually cry from happiness.
Demi leaned to El again.
"She's like a puppy. An adorable, terrifying puppy."
She'sgenuine, El thought. That's what makes her different.
El almost smiled.
Then his hand drifted to his pocket.
To the card.
He pulled it out.
Glanced down.
Stop looking for the exit.
The words were fading.
Right there.
Under his eyes.
What—
He blinked.
Looked closer.
Still fading.
Like ink dissolving into water.
Why? Why now? What does this mean?
Demi noticed.
"What? What is it?"
El shook his head.
Put the card away.
But his heart was pounding.
Something's changing.
---
EL'S CUBICLE – 10:30 AM
El had been working for an hour when a head appeared over his cubicle wall.
Mark.
"Hey El. Question."
El looked up.
Mark looked exhausted.
His coffee mug was empty.
His tie was slightly crooked.
"What exactly do you do all day?" Mark asked.
"Like... specifically. I'm a coordinator, so I coordinate things. But what does a marketing assistant actually DO?"
El took a slow sip of his coffee.
Set it down.
"Market research. Competitor analysis. Data compilation. I find patterns in consumer behavior, organize them into reports, and present them so the team knows what to sell."
Mark blinked. "So you're like a detective. For products."
El's eyebrow twitched.
"Something like that."
"Huh." Mark nodded slowly.
"That's actually kind of cool." He glanced at El's thermos.
"Your coffee smells way better than break room coffee."
"I bring it from home."
Mark's face shifted—wonder, hope, existential realization.
"You can DO that? Just... bring your own coffee?"
"Yes."
Mark stared into the distance.
"I could bring my own coffee. Every day. Good coffee. REAL coffee." He looked at El.
"You've changed my life."
"It's just coffee."
"It's NOT just coffee." Mark disappeared back into his cubicle, muttering.
"Bring my own coffee... why didn't I think of that sooner..."
From across the way, Théo's head appeared.
"Did someone say coffee? Is there coffee? Did I miss coffee?"
El pointed. "Shared drive. Printer password's under resources. You're welcome."
Théo's eyes widened. "How did you know I was going to ask about the printer password?"
Because you asked last time, El thought. And the time before that.
"Lucky guess," El said.
Théo nodded slowly, retreated.