WHO AM I

PHEROMONE BLIND

STARWRITES

CHAPTER NINE

The room fell into complete silence.

Lucas couldn't breathe.

His eyes remained fixed on the small piece of paper in Eric's hand, but the words refused to make sense.

Your parents have been lying to you for eighteen years.

"No..."

His voice cracked.

"That... that isn't possible."

He took a shaky step backward until the edge of the bed bumped against the back of his knees.

"My parents..." he whispered. "They wouldn't..."

The sentence died before it could be finished.

Wouldn't they?

His thoughts became a tangled mess. Every birthday. Every family photograph. Every doctor's appointment. Every report card his parents had proudly hung on the refrigerator. Every memory suddenly felt... uncertain.

Eric quietly folded the note before placing it back inside the envelope. Unlike Lucas, his attention wasn't on the message anymore.

He was studying the room.

His sharp blue eyes moved from the open window to the curtains swaying gently in the night breeze. Then to the floor. The desk. The wardrobe…Every tiny detail.

"They came through here," he said quietly.

Lucas looked up.

"What?"

Eric walked toward the window.

The metal latch had a thin scratch running across it.. Fresh…Someone had forced it open with a narrow tool.

"They knew exactly what they were doing."

Lucas slowly approached.

"You mean..."

"They were inside my apartment?"

Eric nodded.

"And recently."

Lucas felt his stomach twist. He had been sleeping here. Living here.

Completely unaware that a stranger had entered his home. He wrapped his arms around himself without realizing it.

"They could've..."

His voice became almost inaudible.

"They could've hurt me."

Eric turned around immediately.

"But they didn't."

Lucas looked at him.

"They wanted something else."

"What?"

"They wanted you afraid."

Lucas frowned.

"Afraid?"

Eric held up the bracelet.

"If their goal was to kill you, they had the perfect opportunity."

"They waited until you left."

"They broke in."

"And instead of stealing anything..."

He looked down at the faded hospital bracelet.

"They left evidence."

Lucas stared at it.

The yellow plastic looked fragile with age. It wasn't something that could be bought yesterday. Someone had kept it for nearly two decades.

Waiting.

His fingers trembled as he carefully took it from Eric.

The faded words were still there.

BABY BENNETT

Secondary Gender: OMEGA

He swallowed hard.

"I don't understand..."

Eric looked thoughtful.

"This bracelet proves one thing."

Lucas looked up hopefully.

"What?"

"The hospital in your records isn't where you were born."

Lucas lowered his eyes again.

"...Then everything really was changed."

Neither of them spoke for a while. Outside, the wind rattled against the apartment windows. The once warm atmosphere of the tiny home had completely disappeared. Lucas slowly sat on the edge of his bed.

"I don't know who I am anymore."

Eric walked over and stopped in front of him.

"You know who you are."

Lucas gave a bitter laugh.

"Do I?"

"My name..."

"My birth records..."

"My secondary gender..."

He looked up.

"What else is fake?"

Eric remained silent.

There was no easy answer.

Lucas rubbed both hands over his face.

"I always thought I was just... unlucky."

"My parents struggled to pay bills."

"We moved three different times."

"My father worked late almost every day."

"My mother always looked worried."

He forced a weak smile.

"I thought we were just an ordinary family."

He looked at the bracelet again.

"What if we never were?"

Eric noticed something.

"When was the last time you talked to your parents?"

Lucas blinked.

"They're overseas."

"I only call them once or twice a month."

"They've been working abroad for almost two years."

Eric frowned slightly.

"They left you alone?"

Lucas shook his head.

"They wanted me to go with them."

"I refused."

"Why?"

"My scholarship."

Lucas smiled faintly.

"I didn't want to lose everything I'd worked for."

"So I stayed."

Eric nodded slowly.

Something about that explanation felt... incomplete. But this wasn't the time to push. Lucas suddenly stood.

"I'm calling them."

Eric looked at him.

"Now?"

Lucas had already taken out his phone.

"I need answers."

His thumb hovered over his mother's contact.

For several seconds, he couldn't bring himself to press it.

Then...

He did.

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. No answer. Lucas frowned.

"They're probably asleep."

Eric glanced at the clock. The time difference made sense. Lucas immediately called his father. Again… Nothing. His chest tightened.

"They always answer."

Eric watched quietly.

Lucas tried once more. Straight to voicemail. Silence filled the room again. Lucas slowly lowered the phone.

"...Something feels wrong."

Eric didn't disagree.

Instead, he asked,

"Do you have any relatives nearby?"

Lucas thought for a moment.

"My aunt."

"She lives across town."

"When did you last see her?"

Lucas frowned.

"Months ago."

"She and my parents aren't... very close."

Eric's eyes narrowed.

"Do you know why?"

Lucas shook his head.

"They argued years ago."

"My parents never told me what it was about."

Eric looked toward the bracelet again.

Maybe...

That argument had nothing to do with money.

A sudden vibration broke the silence.

Both boys looked down.

Lucas's phone.

An unknown number.

Neither of them moved. It vibrated again. Lucas hesitated before answering.

"...Hello?"

Nothing. Only breathing. Slow. Deliberate. Lucas's grip tightened around the phone.

"Who is this?"

The breathing continued.

Then...

A distorted voice spoke.

"You should have stopped looking."

Lucas's blood froze.

Eric immediately took the phone from him and switched it to speaker.

The voice laughed softly.

"You found the bracelet."

Neither of them answered.

"I wonder..."

"Did your parents ever tell you why they chose you?"

Lucas felt the world tilt beneath his feet.

"What...?"

"You weren't supposed to survive." The call ended.

The room became deathly silent. Lucas stared at the dark screen in horror. His breathing became uneven.

"What..."

His voice barely came out.

"...What did they mean?"

Eric's jaw clenched.

Whoever was behind this wasn't simply threatening Lucas anymore. They were revealing pieces of a carefully hidden past. One sentence at a time.

Just enough to keep him searching. Just enough to destroy everything he believed.

Eric looked at Lucas.

Lucas looked completely lost.

Terrified. Confused. Alone.

Without thinking, Eric placed a steady hand on his shoulder.

"Listen to me."

Lucas slowly looked up.

"We don't know if anything they said is true."

"They want you to panic."

"They want you questioning every memory you've ever had."

Lucas swallowed hard.

"But what if..."

"What if it is true?"

Eric held his gaze.

"Then we'll find the truth."

Lucas blinked.

"We?"

Eric nodded.

"We."

There wasn't a trace of hesitation in his voice.

"You won't do this alone."

Something inside Lucas cracked.

For the past three days, fear had followed him everywhere.

Anonymous messages.

Threats.

Secrets.

Lies.

Tonight, for the first time...

Someone had chosen to stand beside him.

Not because they had to.

Not because they were obligated.

But because they wanted to. Lucas lowered his head, blinking rapidly.

"...Thank you."

Eric smiled faintly.

"You've thanked me too many times already."

Lucas laughed through the tears threatening to escape.

"I don't think I've thanked you enough."

Eric looked around the room one last time.

His expression became serious again.

"You're not staying here tonight."

Lucas blinked.

"What?"

"Whoever entered this apartment can come back."

"You'll stay somewhere safe."

Lucas frowned.

"Where?"

Eric looked directly into his eyes.

"My house."

Lucas's eyes widened.

"...Your house?"

Eric nodded.

"My family has full-time security."

"If they're targeting you..."

"It's the safest place I can think of."

Lucas opened his mouth to refuse. But before a single word could leave his lips—

Someone knocked.

Three slow knocks. From the apartment door.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Lucas and Eric froze.

Neither of them had heard anyone climbing the stairs.

Neither of them was expecting visitors.

The knocking came again.

Slow. Patient. As though whoever stood outside knew...

They were already inside.