Chapter 40

Ramon POV

“Please do,” I said, grateful for the return to normal childhood concerns. “I want to hear everything.”

As Marcus pulled away from the school, Ollie launched into an animated account of his day. He’d made a volcano in science class that had erupted “so big that foam got everywhere and Mrs. Patterson had to use three whole paper towels to clean it up.”

He’d learned a new word in reading—”magnificent”—and had used it seventeen times throughout the afternoon until his teacher had gently suggested he might want to explore some other vocabulary. His friend Marcus had shown him the basics of chess during recess, and Ollie was convinced he was going to be “the best chess player in the whole world, even better than those people on TV.

I listened with genuine interest, asking questions and offering appropriate reactions, but part of my attention remained on my phone as updates continued to filter in from my security team.

*3:47 PM - Subject has