Maddy Perez lounged effortlessly against the kitchen counter, her cheerleader friends gathered around her in a loose circle, their voices rising and falling in a rhythm of gossip and laughter. The party buzzed around them, a blur of music, red solo cups, and drunken confessions.

“I swear, if Ethan texts me one more time, I might just block him,” one of the girls, Cassidy, huffed, flipping her blonde ponytail over her shoulder.

“You said that last weekend,” another girl, Lauren, smirked, swirling the ice in her drink.

Maddy barely heard them. Her focus was elsewhere. Across the room, in the dim glow of neon lights, stood a man cloaked in black, his techwear molding to his frame like armor. The soft ember of his cigarette pulsed in the darkness, casting fleeting shadows across his sharp, unreadable features.

Marius Listhrop.

“Earth to Maddy,” Cassidy sang, nudging her. “Who’s got you all spaced out?”

Maddy’s lips curled, slow and knowing. “That guy,” she murmured, nodding toward Marius. “Who is he?”

Lauren followed her gaze and scoffed. “Oh, him? Marius. No one really knows much about him—just that he’s British, showed up out of nowhere, and… well, let’s just say he’s got connections.”

Cassidy raised an eyebrow. “You mean—?”

Lauren nodded. “Yeah. The kind that keeps half the football team buzzing at practice.”

Maddy hummed in interest, her fingers tapping lightly against her cup. A mystery. She liked mysteries.