Badass in Disguise (Shadow) novel Chapter 4

I paused at the doorway. “Sometimes it’s advantageous to be underestimated.”

Max stared at me, his expression shifting from confusion to suspicion.

“That could’ve been a lucky guess,” he said, reaching for another textbook. “Let me try something else.”

He flipped through several pages before stopping at a problem marked with a red star. “This is from last year’s MIT Physics Competition. Even our physics teacher couldn’t solve it without looking up the approach.”

I glanced at the problem. Electromagnetic field equations with multiple variables and constraints. Child’s play.

“You want me to solve this?” I asked, not bothering to hide my boredom.

Max nodded, watching me intently.

I didn’t even reach for a calculator or paper. “If you apply a Taylor series expansion, the electromagnetic field equations simplify to a second-order differential equation. The resulting force vector equals 347.82 newtons per square meter at the boundary conditions.”

Max’s jaw dropped. He frantically worked through the problem on paper, his pencil flying across the page. After several minutes, he looked up, eyes wide.

“That’s… exactly right. How did you—”

I shrugged. “I told you, I’m just too lazy to bother with school.”

“But this is advanced theoretical physics! You could—”

“I’ll make an effort when it matters,” I cut him off. “For college applications.”

Max studied me for a moment, then reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small container. “Here,” he said, offering me a box of chocolate chip cookies. “I’ve noticed you barely eat anything lately.”

“Thanks,” The gesture caught me off guard. In my previous life, gifts always came with expectations. I hesitated before taking one.

Max nodded, then turned back to his homework, clearly still processing what had just happened.

Back in my room, I stared at the ceiling, thinking about my situation. I’d been Shadow, the world’s deadliest assassin, with a perfect record of eliminations. Now I was trapped in the body of an overweight, underachieving high school girl.

My memories of both lives existed side by side. The original Jade had been weak, allowing herself to be bullied by everyone from her family to random classmates.

That would change now. I had the knowledge and skills of the world’s top assassin. I just needed to recondition this body.

The next morning, I woke before dawn. The house was silent as I slipped into the baggy sweatpants and oversized t-shirt that constituted Jade’s workout clothes. Pathetic, but they’d do for now.

Outside, the cool morning air hit my face as I began a slow jog through the neighborhood. My muscles screamed in protest after just half a block. This body was in even worse shape than I’d thought.

I pushed through the pain, maintaining a steady pace. By the time I circled back to the house thirty minutes later, I was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. A pitiful performance by Shadow’s standards, but it was a start.

After a quick shower, I changed into Jade’s school uniform – a shapeless combination that did nothing for her figure. Not that it mattered right now. Soon enough, I’d have this body in prime condition.

When I stepped out of my room, I was surprised to find Max waiting by the front door. According to Jade’s memories, this had never happened before.

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