Zaire — Morning
Orea waltzed out of the girls' room, stretching after a full night's rest. Her curls bounced with each step as she headed for the kitchen, throat dry. She halted mid-walk when she spotted Valtor in the living room, sitting alone on the couch with his head tilted back, deep in thought.
"Good morning," she said.
His eyes flicked open. "Hey. Morning."
"You look worried," Orea noted as she continued toward the kitchen.
"I'm not," he called after her.
She returned seconds later with a bottle of water and took a quiet sip before settling beside him.
"It's okay," she shrugged. "You don't have to tell me what's bothering you… yet." She added the last word with a sideways glance.
Valtor shook his head with a small smile. "Nothing ever gets past those eyes "
Orea nodded proudly.
"I just didn't want to seem worried. It's nothing much," he continued. She raised an eyebrow, gently pressuring him to go on. "My dad said the superintendent called, that's all. I'm just hoping he hasn't figured out what's going on. But my dad also said he had everything under control, so… I guess we're fine."
"So there's no reason to be bothered then," Orea said.
"I guess." He finally looked at her. "Thanks for helping me see that."
"Anytime." She leaned lightly against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "How's that injury, by the way?" she asked, glancing up.
Valtor lifted the side of his shirt, revealing the healed stitched line. "Just a scar now", he replied before reaching in, eyes fixed on Orea, his fingers slightly tracing her chin-
—and suddenly jolted backward as an invisible force shoved him.
"What was that?" he blurted, staring at Orea, who looked just as confused.
"Surprise!" a voice yelled.
Kymani shimmered into view between them, grinning.
"Our powers are back!" he announced proudly while his friends stared blankly at him.
"That's great," Valtor said dryly as he climbed back onto the couch.
"You didn't have to scare us like that," Orea added with a grimace.
"Why not? You two were getting way too close in front of me. I had to do something," he teased.
"Well, I'm glad you slept well," Valtor muttered, reclaiming his spot.
Zara trudged in moments later, hair a complete mess. She yawned loudly, earning everyone's attention.
..................
Lynx stood at the doorway to the girls' room, peeking through the small gap in the door. Rowynn was awake, sitting alone on the huge bed. He knocked softly before pushing the door open a little wider.
Rowynn lifted her head.
"Hi… can I come in?" he asked.
She shrugged, finger-combing her long hair.
Lynx stepped inside slowly.
"It's been a while, and it seems like everything's calm again, but I know we still need to talk before we can actually move forward."
He paused. "Rowynn, I… I know what I did hurt you. Personally. And I deserve the silent treatment that came along . But I don't want things to stay like this between us."
Rowynn kept playing with her hair, gaze lowered.
"Rowynn, I need you to know that I'm truly sorry for betraying your trust."
"Yeah," she murmured, glancing at him with a calm expression. "I know you're sorry. You've already proved that."
Lynx blinked, surprised by her honesty.
"But feeling guilty doesn't change the fact that you fractured the bond between us," she continued. "You can't expect things to go back to the way they were."
Lynx's gaze dropped.
"You're like my big brother," she said quietly. "I respected you. I trusted you. Why wouldn't I? , you were all I had for a long time, and your visions gave me the hope I needed to believe we'd someday be free "
She exhaled, looking away.
"When the others didn't trust you, I stood by you. I defended you. Even when they grew suspicious after your hesitation at the escape point, I told them you were just as happy as we were." Her voice softened. "But I was wrong and they were right."
She looked back at him, their eyes locking.
"Guess I didn't know you as well as I thought," she said, pushing herself off the bed.
Lynx stepped forward. "Rowynn, please." His voice was steady but desperate. "You mean so much to me. I can't afford to lose our friendship."
She sighed. "What exactly do you want from me, Lynx?"
"All I need is your forgiveness."
"Fine." She nodded once. "I forgive you." Then she walked past him and left the room.
Lynx stood frozen where he was.
"Why didn't that feel as satisfying as I thought it would?" he whispered to himself.