Ꮥecret Ꮥcars Ꮥecret Ꮥcars The school bell rang, signaling the time to leave for many students. Seven hundred high school students pulled their backpacks over their shoulders and left home without a second glance back towards the school. I don't know why I did. What compelled me to glance back at the nearly empty school? Sometimes I wonder if I had kept walking that day, maybe I would continue living my false but satisfying #life. I laughed. If I had, I would be a dead fool. I could distinctly remember a mysterious boy approach me through the golden leaves of autumn. His piercing blue eyes captured me. Perhaps I was going to greet him with an awkward 'hi' or ask him if he was lost; he couldn't have been a student at my school. He suddenly met my gaze fell into a sprint. His hand grabbed my arm and I was surprised at how strong he was. "Don't just stand there. Get moving," he said angrily. We raced out the front entrance of the school. "Wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Where are we going?" I planted my feet to the ground, but he just pulled me harder. "Idiot, you're going to get killed!" he whispered fiercely. His eyes flickered to our left before he pushed me against the fence. Gunshots resounded throughout the streets. Screams from high school girls erupted around me. "What's going on?" my voice shook. "Shut up and move. DELTA finally decided to show up and kill you." He pulled me away from the fence and ran to the nearest car. Smashing the window, the boy unlocked the door and pushed me inside as he made his way to the driver's seat. "Who's DELTA?" I asked. Once more gunshots started and four dark figures in suits appeared among the crowd of escaping students. My eyes widened as I distinguished my parents amidst their company. "Hey that's my mom and dad," I said as the boy put the car in drive. "My apologies," the boy simply said. He slammed his foot on the pedal just as my mother raised a gun towards us. The tires of the cars screeched. My mother's bullet only managed to scratch the side of the car. Her bullet. My mother. My blood ran cold. "What the hell is going on?" "Your parents are secret agents," the boy explained. His dark hair blew uncontrollably as the air from the broken window came into the car. "They ran away from their jobs at ORION without a second word. You became their recompense for leaving us. It appears they have joined DELTA." I didn't have enough time to digest what he had just said. He sighed as he glanced at my puzzled face. He pulled onto a McDonald's driveway and parked the car. "Look," he began once we were both out of the car and hailing for a taxi, "all you have to know is you're someone important, if not your parents wouldn't be trying to kill you. I'm here to help you from getting assassinated by DELTA. From here on out, you're ORION property, okay?" A taxi took notice of us and was heading our way. I still stared at the boy with doubt. Maybe I was dreaming. "What's your name?" I asked. A smile touched his lips. "That's the strength I need. You can just call me Jed." My stomach fluttered. Charmed by Jed's smile, I began to believe this wasn't that bad of a dream after all. The taxi seemed to drive me further away from reality.