The safehouse wasn't what Jade expected.
She thought maybe a bunker. Or some futuristic secret lab. Instead, it was a dusty old bookstore buried behind rows of abandoned buildings. No sign. No lights. Just "Carter's Used Books" faintly carved into weathered wood above the door.
The irony wasn't lost on her.
"Seriously?" Jade whispered as they approached. "A bookstore?"
"Best place to hide things people don't read anymore" Ezra said, unlocking the door.
Inside smelled like paper, ink, and time that had dried out and gotten bored.
Stacks of books leaned against each other like old drunks at a party that ended years ago. Dust floated through thin strips of moonlight sneaking in through broken blinds. The place felt forgotten, but not dead.
Ezra flipped a few hidden switches behind the counter. With a soft hum, metal shutters slammed down over the windows, and an almost invisible field shimmered across the front door.
"Perimeter secured" she said, dropping her bag onto the counter. "We're good for now."
Lexie hovered near Jade, still shell-shocked but trying hard to act like she wasn't.
"I've seen this movie before" Lexie mumbled. "It never ends well for the people who hide in the creepy safehouse."
Riley dropped onto one of the old couches like she owned the place.
"Relax. Only about half the safehouses I've used have been compromised."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Lexie asked.
"No. That was me trying to be comforting. I clearly need practice."
Noah stood near the window, silent, scanning the street like he could see through walls. His tension never slipped. Jade didn't expect it to anymore.
It hit her again how different they all were. Riley with her sharp tongue and hacker brain. Lexie with her terrified loyalty. Noah with his silent, steady grief. Ezra, the wildcard she couldn't read yet. And her... the glitch everyone was risking themselves for.
She was the problem that brought this strange little group together. And if she didn't figure things out soon, she'd be the reason they broke apart.
Ezra finally pulled off her jacket and faced them.
"Alright. Let's talk."
"Great" Jade said softly. "Let's talk about how I keep almost dying."
"That's the short version" Ezra replied. "The longer version is messier."
"I've got time."
"You don't, actually."
Ezra's voice wasn't cruel. Just blunt. She didn't waste words. Jade respected that, even if it made her stomach twist.
"You're a temporal fracture" Ezra continued. "You weren't supposed to survive your first collapse. But here you are. A living echo with pieces of different timelines stitched inside you. That's why you don't remember drawing certain things. That's why you keep seeing... versions of yourself."
"The mask" Jade whispered.
"Exactly."
Lexie rubbed her face like she was trying to physically process everything.
"Okay, but why can't you just... fix it? You're clearly some kind of time science wizard."
"Because the system doesn't want it fixed," Ezra said simply. "The system wants Jade erased. The Queen... "
"We're not talking about her yet," Noah interrupted sharply.
Ezra raised an eyebrow but let it go.
"Okay" Jade said, voice tight. "Then what are we doing? Just hiding until someone deletes me?"
Ezra leaned forward, folding her hands.
"We're buying you time to stabilize."
"How?"
"By forcing your thread to anchor. Keeping you in one place long enough for your existence to rewrite itself into something the system can't immediately reject."
Jade blinked.
"That's... a thing?"
"For now. But it's risky."
"Everything's risky," Jade muttered. "Breathing is risky."
Riley spoke up from the couch.
"You're not wrong. Every time you loop, you get closer to collapsing entirely. But if we can trick the system into recognizing your thread as stable, if we anchor you hard enough, it might stick."
"Might."
"Might."
The word hung in the air like a bad smell.
Lexie finally sat down next to Jade, lowering her voice.
"Why you?" she asked quietly. "Why is this happening to you?"
Jade's throat tightened. She didn't have a good answer.
"I wish I knew."
For a long moment, the safehouse went quiet.
The only sound was the faint humming of the perimeter field and the soft creaks of old wood settling under their weight.
Finally, Noah spoke, his voice quieter than usual.
"You're important, Jade. More than you know."
She looked up at him, and for a second, his guarded expression cracked. There was something deeper in his eyes, not pity. Not fear. Something heavier.
"You've survived more loops than anyone should have," he said softly. "That means something. You matter. Even if we don't fully understand why yet."
Jade wanted to believe that. But belief felt like a luxury she couldn't afford.
"I'm tired of running," she whispered.
"Then don't," Riley said. "Stay here. Breathe. For tonight, at least."
Ezra nodded.
"You've earned one night."
The tension eased, just slightly. For the first time in days, Jade felt the smallest flicker of safety.
Temporary. Fragile. But real.
For tonight, she wouldn't die.