Chapter 3 Back In The Game Eden had been kicking around the Susmon Region for years, but her reach went way beyond its borders. She'd spun a web of influence across the globe, and one of her slickest moves was founding J.E. Shadow in Theonia two years back. Josie Turner, a Theonian born and bred, was two years older and had been dragged to Susmon to train as a killer. They crossed paths on a job a while back, hit it off, and started building J.E. Shadow on the down-low. The name? Just their initials slapped together-Josie and Eden. But make no mistake, Eden was the one running the show. Josie played the loudmouth leader for the crowd, while Eden pulled the strings from the shadows. In Drea City's flashy Inglow Club, Eden strolled into their reserved room. Josie was already sprawled on a plush couch, nursing a drink like she was born with it in her hand. The second she spotted Eden, her face lit up-and then she yanked a knife from her belt and swung it straight at Eden's throat. Eden didn't even blink. She leaned back just enough for the blade to zip past her nose. In a flash, she moved like a shadow, smacking Josie's wrist so hard the knife nearly flew. Josie tried to pull back, but Eden was too quick-she nailed Josie's elbow, hitting that spot that made one's arm go numb. The knife hit the floor, and Eden snatched it mid-air, pressing it lightly against Josie's neck with a sly grin. "Ow, come on!" Josie groaned, clutching her arm and milking the drama. "Eden, you're straight-up murdering me here!" "Gotta step up your game, Josie," Eden teased, sliding the knife back into Josie's sheath with a smooth flick. "Two moves, and you're already down for the count." The crew in the room didn't lift a finger to help. Nope, they just busted out laughing. "Practice makes perfect, rookie," Eden teased, sliding the knife back into Josie's waist sheath with a flick of her wrist, using the edge of Josie's shirt to guide it home. The laughter got louder. Josie shot them a glare. "Oh, real cute, y'all. Loving my pain, huh?" "Heck yeah!" another friend chimed in, grinning ear to ear. "You've been wiping the floor with us forever. About time someone put you in your place!" Eden just smirked, letting the banter roll off her. Josie shook out her arm, getting serious. "So, Eden, how long you crashing in Theonia?" Eden shrugged, kicking back. "Dunno. I'll chill till things cool off, then probably bounce." Josie let out a low whistle. "Girl, your name's all over Susmon. Word on the street is Ravenhold's big shots are fuming and coming for you." She shook her head, grinning. "You're a freaking rock star." Susmon was crawling with crews-tons of them, stacked with talent. But Eden? She was one of a kind. There was some global assassin leaderboard, but Eden never bothered with those kill-fests. So everyone had heard of Eden's name, but no one knew where she ranked. Her crew, though, knew the deal: the so-called number-one, some dude named Serpent, had already gone down to Eden in a fight. Sometimes, the unknown was scarier than the facts. The streets figured Eden was maybe top fifteen, at best. Then Crimson got wiped out, and it hit everyone: they'd been way off about her. Ravenhold, Susmon's nastiest outfit-aka "Devil's Pit"-had spent a decade sharpening Eden into their deadliest blade. Top fifteen? Nah, she was on another level. "Eden, I'm your number-one fan for life," one of the crew gushed, half-kidding. "With all those groups hunting you, we thought you were toast. Seeing you in one piece? Best. Day. Ever." "For real," another added. "No wonder Crimson's boss was obsessed with you. I mean, who wouldn't wanna know what makes you so badass?" Mercs and assassins were all about strength, and Eden was their idol. The room turned into a chatter-fest, everyone swapping stories about her legend. "Alright, enough already," Eden said, a grin tugging at her lips as she waved them off. "I'm not here for the fan club. We've got work to talk about." She pivoted to J.E. Shadow's next moves. Ravenhold had trained her to be a Swiss Army knife-fighting, planning, one named it. Eden was Ravenhold's golden girl, their masterpiece. Running a crew? No sweat. With all of J.E. Shadow's heavy hitters in the room, Eden turned their welcome party into a full-blown strategy session. By the end, the crew was so pumped they started begging to spar with her. Sure, they'd get their butts handed to them, but a few rounds with Eden was like a crash course in awesome. Eden, who'd had her fill of fights overseas, wasn't exactly thrilled. She gave each of them a playful flick on the forehead, told them to beat it, and called it a night. As the party wound down, Eden slipped out to the mall next to the lounge and called Quinten to send a driver. Tomorrow, she was starting school. Yeah, the same Eden who had Susmon's underworld shaking was about to play high schooler in Theonia. She'd been homeschooled by private tutors as a kid, and after getting kidnapped at six, she'd never seen the inside of a classroom. Missions rarely took her to schools, either, so this whole deal felt kinda cool. Ravenhold had schooled her on global education systems, so she wasn't totally in the dark. Still, she was curious. The next morning, over breakfast, Celia laid it out. "Eden, if school feels weird, just holler," she said. "The Wright family's got you covered. And Julie, Eden's new at Everbright High, so show her the ropes, alright?" "It's Physical Conditioning Week," Celia went on. "Think of it as a fun vibe. If you're beat, call us, and you can take a break." 'Physical Conditioning Week?' Eden had heard of it. Ravenhold's trainers likened it to their daily grind-a boot camp for Theonia's teens to toughen up. 'So, regular kids go through this too, huh?' she wondered. Her fake dad had already sorted the enrollment stuff, so Eden and Julie just had to show up. The car dropped them at Everbright High in Drea City, and Eden, with her killer memory, memorized the campus map at the gate. She found her homeroom-Class 2, Grade 10-in a snap. She paused at the classroom door, eyeing the setup with a spark of interest. Just as she stepped forward, a snarky voice hit her from behind. "Yo, who's this kid blocking the way?" Eden turned, and the girl kept going. "Yeah, you. What, you looking for someone else to stare at?" She came from a rich family but got switched with the maid's daughter years ago. The fake heiress found out and started causing trouble, even trying to take the man she loved. Just as the real heiress...