Day 53 – Hour 010"Until It's Done"
The laughter lingered in the air even after it quieted.
Tamber's smile had faded to something respectful. Vex still grinned, though more to himself than anyone else. Marco returned to his work like nothing happened. But I could still feel the last traces of amusement curling in the room — like the afterimage of a flash.
Then Marco spoke.
"You're not allowed back."
I turned toward him. "What?"
"Not until the job's finished."
His tone wasn't harsh. Just... final.
"You've learned what you needed," he said. "There's nothing left to teach before the test."
I didn't argue. Partly because I knew it was true. Partly because there was no use.
Vex clapped me on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. Take what you need. Marco already signed off."
That's when I realized: no one asked how I was going to prepare. No one asked if I needed film or lenses or a fresh battery.
They all knew.
Marco had already given permission.
I walked to the back corner of the shop — the supply shelf. Stacked with gear I had once eyed like a thief in a jewelry store.
I'd stopped noticing it, really. Somewhere in the second week, Marco told me to use what I needed. Quietly, casually. As if I'd always been allowed to.
At the time, I thought it was a trick. That he was keeping track, silently judging. But he never once mentioned cost again.
Not even when I took more than what the task required.
Now, standing in front of the shelf, I understood.
He hadn't been testing my spending.
He was testing what I valued.
As I picked through the inventory, Vex leaned close and whispered, "This gig? Pays more than every single roll of film you've burned in here."
He said it with a grin, but I felt the weight behind it.
So this is what it meant to earn trust.
This wasn't another Club mission.
It was something more personal.
And for some reason, that made it feel even more dangerous.
I packed two spare batteries, a backup film roll, one light tripod, and a small-view rangefinder camera I had cleaned myself a dozen times. Nothing fancy. But I didn't need fancy.
I needed to disappear behind the lens.
Tamber was already at the door when I zipped up the pack. "Garnet and Fifth. Two days. Hour 015."
"Got it," I said.
He gave a nod, then left without another word.
Vex followed close behind but stopped at the curtain.
He turned, then tilted his head at Marco. "Hey, speak about me again sometime. I like hearing my name in your mouth."
Marco didn't blink.
Vex winked at me and vanished.
Marco hadn't said anything more. Not even goodbye.
But I knew better than to ask.
He had already given me what mattered.
Day 55 – Hour 014"Prepared"
I hadn't slept much.
Didn't need to.
This wasn't nerves.
It was rhythm. Awareness. Like something was humming under my skin, a warning bell that didn't need to ring out loud.
I laid out the gear again on the floor. Every item exactly where I needed it.
Camera.
Tripod.
Film — unwrapped, inspected, rewound into its case.
Cloth gloves.
A water bottle.
No excess. Nothing flashy. Just enough.
Just right.
The plan was simple.
Arrive twenty minutes early. Watch the corners. Map the light. Watch the shadows.
Garnet and Fifth wasn't unfamiliar to me. I'd passed it a dozen times. But this time I wouldn't be passing through. I'd be waiting. Watching.
No one could see me work.
That's what Tamber said.
That's what Marco meant.
I zipped the bag shut.
I left the house without looking back.
Tomorrow, I would need to vanish in plain sight.
And today… I had to become invisible.