When I open my eyes again, I’m lying in my bed and darkness has settled across the sky outside.

Even with all the sleep, I feel groggy as I sit up and stretch my arms out. On a positive note, a lamp has been left on, so I’m not completely in the dark. But my head is also buzzing with confusion and my stomach is rumbling with hunger.

As I climb out of bed to go find something to eat, my mind races with questions. Why were Porter and Hunter acting so weird before they got out of the car? And why did Max put me to sleep just to avoid answering my questions? If I’m being completely honest with myself, it kind of annoys me that he hypnotized me again. The next time I see him, I’m going to demand that he stop doing it to me.

Yep, I’m making it a goal.

Before I walk out of the room, I check my reflection in the mirror to see if anything that happened to me today did any physical damage. I instantly cringe at how swollen my lip is and the dried blood left over from where Brody bit me.

Rage simmers underneath my skin, and the sky outside reacts, lightning reflecting across the darkness. I take a few breaths to steady my rage then step out of my room.

The house is silent as I make my way down the hallway and toward the stairs, not even Kash the faerie is shrieking. I begin to question if anyone is home, but when I walk into the kitchen, Foster’s standing near the kitchen island, cupping the side of his face with his hand.

His gaze collides with mine as I enter the room, his eyes back to the striking shade of lightning-blue.

“Hey,” he greets me with a hesitant smile. “How are you feeling?” He shakes his head. “Sorry, that’s a dumb fucking question, isn’t it?”

“No, it really isn’t.” I pad over to him and lean against the counter. “I’m fine for the most part, but I’m really confused how I got here. The last thing I can remember is being in the car with Porter, Hunter, and Max. Then we had to pull over because Porter and Hunter were acting weird. Max started to explain that they were acting like weirdoes because my power did something wonky to the link, but when I asked him exactly what it did, he got super twitchy and knocked me out with his hypnotizing powers.”

Foster blinks at me. “Wow, I’m pretty sure that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at once.”

“Sorry,” I mutter. “I’m just really confused and starting to get annoyed.”

“I didn’t mean that as a bad thing. It just means you’re getting comfortable around us.” He shifts his weight and scratches at the back of his neck. “And I’m sorry for what Max did. Sometimes when he panics, he turns to his power. It’s a bad habit of his. He’s been working on breaking it, but fucks up sometimes.”

“I get it.” Sort of. “But I still don’t get why he made me pass out or why he was panicking to begin with when all I did was ask a question.”

Foster restlessly drums his fingers against the countertop. “I don’t want to scare you.”

“You guys lying to me and knocking me out is scaring me,” I point out, crossing my arms.

“I guess you’re probably right.” He moves his hand away from the counter and turns toward me. “When you were in the room of darkness and your power was trapped inside you, some of it leaked through the link and kind of… spilled into my brothers and me.”

“Wait… So my powers are actually in you guys right now?” Holy crap, when Max said my powers leaked down the link, I didn’t think he meant my powers actually went into them.

Panic flares through me and a bolt of lightning zaps across the ceiling.

Foster places a hand on my shoulder. “Easy, Sky. It’s not as bad as it sounds.” His fingers splay around my shoulder and he holds onto me, his touch singing to sleep the adrenaline soaring through me. “And Hunter is working on repairing the link. Once he does, your power won’t be able to leak into us anymore.”

“So it’s still going into you guys?” I ask with wide eyes.

He nods. “But it’s fine. It’s not hurting anyone.”

“Then why were Porter and Hunter acting so weird? And why was Max so evasive about telling me?”

“Porter and Hunter always act weird, but even more so right now because your power is energizing their power and making their abilities a bit magnified. And Max was reluctant to tell you this because we knew you’d feel guilty.” His fingers trace a path down my arm. “We can tell from when you talk about your powers that you’ve spent a lot of time worrying that you were going to hurt someone.” When his hand reaches mine, he gives it a squeeze. “But you didn’t hurt any of us. I swear.”

I search his face for a sign that he’s lying, but all I can see is lightning blue eyes piercing into me.

“How are you feeling about the other stuff that happened?” He changes the subject and I have an inkling he did it on purpose. “About Brody and being in that room?”

I smash my lips together, unsure if I want to, or even can, answer him.

If I let myself think about what happened in that room, I can almost feel Brody’s lips against mine and feel the pain of seeing the images that darkness showed me. Particularly the ones of my parents leaving me. Could that be true? Could they have left me? Did they ever care about me?

Does anyone care about me?

“I’m not sure how I feel…” I admit. “Did you …?” I struggle to get the words out. “Did you find Brody in that room?”

Foster’s eyes briefly flash blue, but then he carefully nods. “I did.”

“Was he …? Was he okay?”

Foster works his jaw from side to side. “He was okay until I got ahold of him.”

My stomach clenches. “What did you do?”

“Nothing he didn’t deserve,” Foster bites out. “Not after what he did to you … And locking you in that fucking room …” An uneven exhale eases from his lips. Then, with his free hand, he brushes his finger lightly across my bottom lip, his face a portrait of pain. With each stroke of his finger, I swear the imprint of Brody’s lips against mine fades.

“Did …? Did Easton tell you what darkness said to me in that room?” I can barely utter the words, too distracted by how calm his touch is making me feel. “About knowing what I am and the condition I’m in?”

He nods, tracing his fingers along my hairline and pushing my hair back from my eyes. “I sent a message to my parents about it. I’m not sure if the darkness in that room can actually escape and contact the elemental god of darkness or if it was just trying to screw with you, but they’re going to try to find out. Until then, we’re going to lay low and stay at the house, okay?”

“But what did darkness mean when it said, the condition I’m in?”

“I’m not sure. But my best guess is you being locked in that room and that it was draining your powers from you.”

I take a subtle breath as I attempt to process everything he just told me. How my lips hurt Brody. How my powers seeped into the Everettson brothers.

I’m such a risk. Why would anyone ever want to be around me? Not that the Everettsons have a choice in the matter, I guess. Well, unless their parents decide to kick my ass to the curb.

“So, no more school for now?” I attempt to focus on something else instead of my sudden burst of self-loathing.

He nods. “Not until my mom finds out more about the room of darkness.”

“What if they do find out it warned the god of darkness?” Not that I’m saddened by the fact that I get a few days off from having to go to that school again. In fact, I’m grateful I don’t have to go back yet.

Honestly, I wish I never had to return.

“We’ll figure that out when the time comes. If nothing else, we can attend another school. We just need to make sure you’re well-protected and that darkness doesn’t know where you are. Here, you’re pretty damn safe. There’re enough protection spells around our house.”

“That’s good.” I work to bottle back the fear creeping through me, but a bit oozes through, making the light bulbs flicker on and off. “So, there’re more schools for elementals on earth?”

His gaze flits from the flickering light bulbs to me. “They’re a ways away, but yeah.” He draws a path with his fingertip down the side of my face to my jawline, his eyes crammed with puzzling guilt. “I’m so sorry for letting that happen to you. What happened to you while you were in that room was probably awful, and I … I wish … I’m so sorry. I promised you’d be safe, and I failed you.”

“You didn’t fail me.” I’m taken aback by the guilt in his voice. “Stuff like that happened to me all the time in my normal school. Well, not that I was ever locked in a room of darkness, but one time, some guys locked me in the janitor’s closet. But I’m sure they would’ve locked me in a room of darkness if we had one at our school.”

“What happened today should’ve never happened. And what happened in your past should’ve never happened either. You never should’ve had to go through any of what you did … Brody …” His fingers twitch and his whole body tightens. “He only did it to get back at me. If I’d just been nice when I turned Sofie down, none of this would’ve happened.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I briefly met Sofie and her friend, who apparently saw me holding your hand at school—that’s what she was upset about. And besides, if you had to reject her several times, she should’ve taken the hint long before she did.”

“Maybe.” He studies me, tracing his fingers along my hairline then my jaw. “What all did they do to you? Brody and his lackeys … I know you said Brody kissed you, but …” He swallows, the ground shaking with whatever he’s feeling inside.

I shrug, but a foul taste burns at my tongue. “Brody made his friend drop my body temperature to a hypothermic level, and then his other friend blasted me with darkness. After that, I blacked out and woke up in that room. Brody was there, and he … well, he tried to kiss me, and then bit my lip when I bit his tongue.” My voice quivers, and I swiftly clear my throat. “But, yeah, anyway, he didn’t get very far before he passed out.” But, did he even pass out? I never did see him afterward …

Remorse pours from Foster’s lightning-blue gaze. “I’m so fucking sorry, but I promise, that if we return to the academy, you won’t have to worry about Brody or his friends again. From now on, you’re going to feel safe.”

The way he says I’ll never have to worry about being hurt by Brody again leaves me wondering if he hasn’t told me the full story. That maybe…

“Did I …? Did my kiss kill Brody?” I blurt out.

Foster swiftly shakes his head. “No, he just passed out. I swear.”

Relief trickles through me, but rapidly dissipates. “Did you kill him?”

“As much as I wanted to, no, I didn’t. When he woke up, I did get a few good punches in and blasted water through his body. Then someone broke up the fight. And since Brody was already on probation, he got kicked out of school.” He sweeps his knuckles across my cheek, watching in fascination as my eyelashes flutter. “Him and his friends who locked you in that room are never allowed on school grounds again.”

“What about Sofie?”

“With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to handle Sofie if you need to. Her powers are weak.”

“I don’t even know how to use my powers properly. Today more than proves that.”

“What happened today wasn’t your fault. And you’ll learn how to control your powers in time. My brothers and I will make sure of that. In fact, we should probably start as soon as possible.” He lowers his hand from his cheek, revealing a gnarly bruise forming on his skin.

“Holy shit, did Brody do that to you?”

He gives a dismissive shrug. “It’s just a little bruise. Brody ended up way worse. He’s lucky I was smart enough to control most of my powers or his ass might have been fried.”

I place my hand on his cheek, and light skims across my fingers and along the bruise. “Why’s your skin so cold?”

He lifts the hand he’d been holding against his cheek and lines his palm against the side of my neck. I flinch as a chill bites my flesh and let out a squeal.

“I used my ice power to make an ice pack.” He withdraws his hand with a trace of a grin on his face.

Remembering the goal I made to myself earlier, I ask, “Can you show me how to do that?”

“Sure.” He sets his hand on top of mine, trapping my palm against his cheek. “Just think about coldness seeping through your veins and channel it toward your hand. It also helps to visualize it.”

I do what he says, and only a handful of seconds later, my hand is as cold as an ice pack.

He smiles. “You catch on to everything so easily. It makes me wonder how powerful you’re going to be.”

His compliment makes me blush, but weirdly, it doesn’t make the ice in my hand melt.

“Don’t be embarrassed about being powerful. It’s a good thing.”

“I’m not embarrassed about that. It’s just …” Stupid flushing cheeks. “I just don’t do well with compliments … I’m not used to them.”

“I have no idea how that’s possible.” His gaze searches my face. Then he steps forward, backing me up against the counter. “You’re so gorgeous, smart, powerful, funny, and brave. How has no one ever told you that?”

“Because I’m not any of those things, and I’m definitely not brave. I mean, I cried when I was in the darkness room, for hell’s sake. That’s not bravery.”

He looks at me solemnly. “That room is made for experienced elemental protectors who’ve had years and years of practice fighting against evil. The fact that you made it out of there and are standing here talking to me, completely sane, proves how brave and powerful you are.”

“Maybe I’m not sane right now,” I quip, trying to lighten the mood before my powers start to surface.

His expression is serious as he rests a hand on my hip. “You’re impressive. That’s what you are.”

His gaze zeroes in on my lips. I remain motionless, more conflicted than I was earlier when he tried to kiss me. I’m not even sure why, or what I want. Maybe it’s the stress of the day. Or maybe it’s because the more time we spend together, the more connected and at ease I feel with him.

But, do I really want him to kiss me? Does he really want to kiss me? Especially after everything that happened? After Brody just forced a kiss on me?

His lips never touch mine, though. Instead, he rests his forehead against mine. He doesn’t say anything, just breathes in and out with his hands on my hips. I think I might like him a bit in this moment, for not trying to kiss me when I’m not sure if I’m ready for it.

As we settle into silence, his power currents into me, warm and calming, and I’m pretty sure some of mine whisks into him.

While I’ve never actually, really kissed anyone, I wonder if it’s overrated, because there’s no way it could feel better than this … than our powers and this … calm he’s putting inside me.

“You feel so good,” he whispers, his breath tickling my cheeks. “Like everything and nothing at the same time.”

I understand what he means. While his touch and power bring a calmness to me, it also pours the most wonderful energy inside me.

“Sky,” he whispers. “When I felt how scared you were when you were put in that room … and I couldn’t find you … I just … Dammit.” He tenses.

My eyes pop open—I hadn’t even been aware I closed them—as he pushes away from me and glares at something over my shoulder.

When I twist around, Easton is leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and a weird, uneasy look on his face.

“I hate to break up this little moment—and yes, that’s sarcasm—because good gods, you two need to fuck before the rest of us spontaneously combust from your sexual tension.” He grins but it looks a bit forced.

I wonder why? If it has something to do with my powers altering the link? Is it making him feel uneasy inside?

Blinking a few times, Easton focuses on Foster. “Mom’s about to send a message through a secured magical signal and wants you guys to be present for it.”

I angle my head to the side. “What’s a secured magical signal?”

“It’s …” Foster starts then pauses. “Well, it’s easier to see it than try to explain it.”

Okay, now I’m a bit curious. “For how long is your mom going to be gone?”

“We’re not sure yet,” Foster says. “And actually, everyone is gone right now. You, Easton, and me are the only ones here.”

“Porter, Hunter, and Max left already?” I ask.

He nods, his face a mask of guardedness. “Right after they dropped you off, they got called on a job. So did Holden.”

Why do I get the feeling he’s lying to me? Maybe he is. Maybe Max, Hunter, Holden, and Porter took off because they couldn’t stand being around me while my powers are flowing down the link. Perhaps Foster is just trying to spare my feelings. It’d make sense since Porter and Hunter seemed to struggle with being near me while we were in the car.

“Where are your parents?” I ask, scratching at my arm.

“On missions,” Foster says. “Well, my dad is on a personal mission in Shimmerland, the world of faeries. He’s looking for some faerie dust so he can concoct a potion that’ll hopefully erase Kash’s memory.”

“So he won’t remember what we are?”

“Yep,” Easton is the one to answer. “And then we can kick his ass out of the house.”

“He was really quiet when I walked by the room just barely,” I tell them. “I thought maybe he was gone.”

“Nah, he’s still there. He probably just screamed himself to sleep,” Easton explains. “Thank the gods. He screams are more high-pitched than a whining unicorn.”

My jaw drops. “Unicorns exist.”

“They do.” Easton smirks at me. “Maybe if you’re really nice to me, I’ll show you one someday.”

Foster’s brows crinkle as he glances at Easton.

Easton hastily clears his throat, his flirty smile vanishing. “Just an FYI. Everyone’s going to be gone for a few days,” he tells no one in particular.

Foster stares him down for a moment before slipping his fingers through mine. “When is Mom sending the message?”

Easton glances at our twined fingers then at his watch. “In like three seconds—”

Poof.

A lavender cloud of smoke puffs up in the center of the kitchen, hovering just above the kitchen island and taking the form of Emaline.

“Oh, good. You’re all here.” Her cloudy eyes glance at the three of us then settle on me. “I just wanted to check in and see how everyone’s doing, especially you, Sky. I heard what happened, and I feel awful. After we spent so much time assuring you that everything would be all right, this happens. Plus, that whole ordeal with darkness …” She shakes her head. “We’re currently working on finding out if the darkness in that room can send messages to the outside world. But I promise that you’re safe with Easton and Foster. They won’t let anything happen to you. I don’t want you to be afraid.”

“I’m fine,” I try to reassure her, even though I’m not sure I am

She gapes at me in disbelief, smoke twirling around her. “I want to talk more about it when I get back, but right now, I wanted to let you know that nothing like that will happen again. If you go back to that school, we’ll make sure no one harms you again.” She waits for me to nod then directs her attention to Foster and Easton.

“I wanted to let you two know that, as of this morning, the council has gone silent. Between that and what happened at the school, you’re all on high alert until we find out more about what’s going on. You are to be guarded by protection spells at all times and, for now, you’re just going to have to hang out in the house.”

“No one knows what the silence from the council is over?” Easton asks, resting his arms on the counter.

She shakes her head, her hair moving like wisps behind her. “Your father’s looking into it. I’m still working on … something else.”

Her vagueness sends warning flags popping up everywhere.

She’s being discreet, but about what?

“Look, I have to go. I’m in the middle of something really important, but I’ll check in tomorrow morning.” Apprehension floods her features as she gives a pressing look at her sons. “If anything happens, you know what to do.”

Easton and Foster nod, and then just as quickly as she materialized, she evaporates into a cloud of smoke.

“That was … weird,” I state, staring at the traces of smoke lingering in the air. “And, why did she seem so worried about the council going quiet?”

Foster shares a troubled look with Easton then turns to me. “Because the last time they went quiet and didn’t communicate with anyone was when the gods and goddesses died.”

A nagging pain starts to prod at my chest. “Do you think someone else has died?”

“I really have no idea,” he says.

So then, why does he look so worried?

Everyone remains fairly quiet after that.

Eventually, I make myself something to eat then head back to bed to get some rest. Even though I’ve been sleeping for most of the day, I feel drained. When I tell Foster this, he explains that being in the room of darkness drained a lot of my energy. But he assures me that, with how powerful I am, I should feel replenished in the morning after a full night’s rest. The problem is, I’m terrified to go to sleep, that darkness will visit me in my nightmares.

“Are you okay?” Foster asks as we stop in front of my bedroom door. “You’ve been really quiet since my mom sent her message.”

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “It just feels like you guys are keeping some stuff from me. Not that I blame you. I know you don’t know me very well. But it’s weird feeling like such an outsider all the time.”

“It’s not that.” He folds his arms across his chest and shifts his weight. “We just don’t talk a lot about the missions my parents go on. At least, not the full details. It’s not allowed.”

“Oh, okay.” I turn to go into my room, unsure if I’m buying what he said.

As soon as my gaze lands on the darkness covering the sky outside my window, I pause.

Foster moves up behind me. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing.” I give a shrug. “I’m just nervous about going to sleep and maybe having nightmares about darkness.” I feel like a wimp. “It says such creepy-ass things to me. And the images I saw in the room …”

Seriously, though, where is my badassery? I need to get over this. So, maybe my mom and dad did leave me? Who cares? I should be tougher than this. And it’s not like I haven’t been on my own before. Still, knowing they maybe just me left hurts like a bitch.

“Can I ask you something? It’s about the room of darkness and whether the stuff it showed me was real.”

Foster hesitates. “Darkness has the ability to read creature’s fears, so what it showed you may have held a bit of truth, but it’s also spun with a web of exaggeration, if that makes sense.”

I wrap my arms around myself. “It showed my parents leaving me.”

“Even if that held any truth to it, it’s your parents’ loss. Not yours.” He loops his arms around my waist, his movements a bit fumbling, revealing he’s nervousness. “You’re an amazing creature, and anyone who gets you in their life is very lucky. We all knew that from the moment we met you. You were nice, even though we were acting like assholes. And then you said a few smartass remarks and that made us like you even more.”

“It sure didn’t seem like you guys liked me.”

“Trust me; we’re good at wearing masks, but the link doesn’t lie.”

“The link is broken right now,” I remind him.

“No, it’s not. It’s just… altered and working differently.”

Am I pathetic for liking what he said about them liking me? Is it bad to want to be part of someone else’s life and for them to want you to be?

“Do you want me to lie beside you while you fall asleep?” he asks with a nervous edge in his tone. “I can help you try to control the nightmares. My mom used to do it for me when I was little. It helped sometimes.”

When I was younger, I used to have nightmares. My mom and dad would always get mad at me when I tried to sneak into their room and sleep on the floor. I used to wished that someone would comfort me or at least tell me everything will be okay. Maybe even give me a hug.

Whether it makes me weak or not, I nod. “Yeah, okay. That sounds …” Wonderful, I want to say, but then I mentally kick my own ass and settle on, “good.”

“Are you sure …? You sound hesitant.”

I nod. “Yep, I’m sure.” I think.

He moves back. “I’ll give you a couple of minutes to change.”

Nodding, I step into my room and shut the door. Then I put on a pair of plaid pajama shorts and a tank top, pull my hair into a messy bun, and grab my phone to text Nina and Gage, deciding I need some BFF time after the crappy day I’ve had.

Me: So, maybe they’re not as bad as I thought …

Nina: Ha! I knew you’d fall for one of them? The question is: which one?

Me: None. I just decided they’re not as bad as I thought.

Nina: Liar. I bet it’s the one from the parking lot, right?

Gage: The one who treated her like shit?

Me: I didn’t fall for any of them … But Foster, the guy from the parking lot, he’s not as bad anymore. In fact, he’s pretty nice.

Nina: Blah. Nice is sooo boring.

Gage: You only think that because you love drama.

Nina: Ha! Like you don’t.

Gage: Whatever. You’re way worse than me.

Me: Both of you are terrible if you ask me.

Nina: Whatever. You both suck. Just kidding. I love you guys.

Me: I love you guys, too. I mean that. I really do.

Gage: Okay, now you got me worried. What’s up with the mushiness?

Me: It’s nothing. I just had a rough day.

A rough day where I realized that, before I moved here, the two of them were the only stable people in my life. Not that they’re stable in the head or anything like that. But, as friends, they’ve been pretty solid.

Nina: You want us to come visit? You seem sad. And while we’re there, we can see for ourselves if this Foster dude is really worthy of you.

I wish I could see them, wish it was okay, but with everything going on and us being on lockdown, it’s safer if they’re not around.

Me: I have school for the next couple of weeks, but we for sure need to get together soon and hang out.

But I have to wonder if I’ll be able to or if, the deeper I fall into this world, the more distance I’ll have to put between us.

I don’t have too much time to stress out over those questions, though, because someone knocks on the door. I send Nina and Gage a quick text saying I have to go then put my phone away, get up, and answer the door.

Foster is standing on the other side, and his gaze skims up and down me as he enters my bedroom. “You ready for bed?”

“Nah, I just put on my pajamas for fun,” I joke. “Thought I’d make a new fashion statement. In fact, I think I should wear this to school.”

“Such a smartass.” Shaking his head and suppressing a grin, he crosses the room and flops down on the bed.

He’s wearing a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a black T-shirt, but as he tucks his arms behind his head, his shirt rides up and I get a glimpse of his lean abs. Then I roll my eyes at myself for gawking at him and lie down beside him, keeping a bit of distance between us, despite how much I want to snuggle up with him and feel at ease. It would be a stupid move, and I’d be stupid for doing it.

“You want the lights on or off?” Foster asks, rotating onto his side.

I also roll onto my side to face him. “Can we keep the lamp on?”

He nods then scoots closer, tracing his hand up and down my arm.

Up …

And down …

Why is he really here? What does he really want from me?

Finally, the unknown becomes too much. Later, I might blame what I say next on exhaustion, but right now, I’m too tired to care.

“Do you really like me?” I ask the question that’s been bugging me since I found out what it really means to be an elemental enchanter. “Or are you just acting this way because of what I am?” I mentally roll my eyes at myself. Did I seriously just ask him if he liked me, like we’re in grade school or something?

His gaze relentlessly burns into mine. “I swear I’m not here with you just because of what you are.”

I’m unsure if I believe him or not, but decide to just let it be for right now because I’m fucking tired. How, though, who the heck knows, since I’ve been sleeping almost the entire day.

Silence fills the room, but even though I’m exhausted, I can’t seem to doze off.

“What was it like growing up knowing what you are?” I ask when the silence starts to drive me crazy. “Did you always attend the same school? Did you always live here?”

“I’ve always lived and gone to school here. Porter, Max, Holden, and Hunter were all born in Elemental, though, before the gods and goddesses started to die. But when that happened, my parents decided to move here. They didn’t want to raise their family in a dying world that was plagued by darkness. As for what it was like growing up knowing what I am, it actually sucked. Not because I had powers, but because of the powers I had and knowing I was more than likely going to live a lonely life and would always have a target on my back.” He shifts closer to me. “My parents and brothers have been great and everything, but it’d be nice to just once be able to live my life how I want, without having to worry about what I’m feeling inside. I also sometimes wish I could travel the worlds; just pack up and go, doing whatever I want. I might one day if I can figure out a better way to hide my identity.”

“My friends and I had that plan, too—to travel after we graduated. Unfortunately, I’m starting to wonder if that’s going to happen. But I’m not even sure if it ever would’ve happened. Even though my friends and I are close, I still always have to put up this wall between us, and that makes spending every waking moment with them complicated.”

Reluctance currents off him. “If you want, you and I can find a way to hide our identities and travel the worlds together. We can just take off, see the worlds, live in different cultures.”

Could I do that? Do I want to do that? What about my plan with Nina and Gage?

But everything is so different now. Knowing what I know—that my existence could put them in danger—I’m not sure I could be around them all the time.

“That sounds nice, actually,” I admit, but I feel a bit guilty for bailing on my friends.

What world do I really belong in?

Who am I really?

Will I ever have the answers?

“Good.” He sounds happy about the fact. “Then I’ll get working on making it happen.”

With that, sleep begs me to give in, and I surrender. But, as I begin to doze off, I feel his lips brush my forehead as he softly whispers, “One day, beautiful girl, I’ll prove to you that I liked you way before you liked me. Then you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”

I want to ask him how and reprimand him for calling me beautiful, but sleep gets the best of me and, seconds later, I drift off to dreamland.