Tee dashed outside and nearly tumbled down the stairs, clutching the railing to steady herself. Her pride wouldn't let her run any farther dressed in a bra.
Chest heaving, she stepped just beyond the shade of the roof and tilted her head back. The sun burned her eyes, but she refused to look away. She shut them tight, thoughts crashing in. That wasn't how she wanted to feel his warmth—not after years of his distance, his silence. Did he really think she'd bare her most guarded self to him now? Nothing in her world seemed to be going right.
When she crept back inside, Jack had already pulled his shirt on. She folded her arms across her chest, face hot with embarrassment.
"Jack, we need to talk," she murmured.
"About what? Nothing happened," he replied flatly.
The sound of the door opening sent her fleeing before his parents could find her half-dressed. For the rest of the day, Jack treated her like just another guest in his house, and his earlier promises to "cherish" her felt like a cruel joke.
That night she sat by the window, staring at the moon framed by thick steel grilles. It glowed heavy and round, and her heart ached at the memory of what Jack had almost coaxed her into. She couldn't deny she wanted it too. The movies called it the ultimate thrill, the closest thing to free treasure—mutual satisfaction, a bullet of pleasure. But the shame of it gnawed at her.
Not long and Tee stood in the neon blaze of District Ninety-Nine station. Holograms flickered. Machinery roared. Crowds pressed in from all sides. The chaos of technology made the air vibrate.
Jack halted, and she stopped at his side. Behind them, his parents lingered for a final wave. His father, thoughtful as ever, had prepared another batch of concealer to match her skin tone. With the Tetra gone, she had no choice but to rely on him.
Jack's gaze stayed glued to the cracked concrete, as though it were more worthy of his attention than her.
Tee tightened her grip on her suitcases. "Well, let's go," she said, her voice laced with resignation.
"Yeah." His answer was soft, clipped, as if words had become too heavy.
His mother had suggested they travel together, since they were bound for the same place. But Tee couldn't shake the memory of the day before—how close they had come, and how quickly he had acted like it never happened. Was his ghosting finally over? Even if it was, it didn't ease the hollow ache left by Tetra's absence. Her lips trembled.
Then Jack reached for her hand. "Hey."
Her eyes widened. She couldn't stop staring at their fingers laced together. Was that the answer to her question?
They boarded the First-Class carriage of the Sigmata Train Line. Tetra had left her enough money to afford luxury, and she hadn't minded letting Jack share in it. Maybe it was kindness. Maybe it was bait.
The cabin opened into a plush lounge. As the train burst from its tunnel, sunlight spilled in and revealed sweeping seas, rivers, and lakes flashing by in gold. Tee's breath caught at the endless landscapes unraveling before her eyes.
A waiter delivered slices of cake, rich and moist. She closed her eyes as the sweetness melted on her tongue.
"This is amazing," Jack said.
She nodded, her mouth too full to answer.
Jack ignored the hologram projection flickering before them. His gaze stayed locked on the scenery, on the blur of color and motion outside, as if the world passing by was easier to face than her.
Tee wanted to ask. What did it mean, the almost? Did he regret her pulling away? Was there another chance? Just remembering his weight over her, the way he hovered, possessive and fierce, made her breath hitch.
She tugged at her turtleneck, suddenly aware of her curse mark beneath the fabric. With Tetra gone, she'd need his parents' help for more concealer. The last thing she needed was curious eyes seeing the truth branded on her skin.
"Mom, that girl's hair is as white as snow. My eyes hurt," a child's voice cut through her thoughts.
Tee caught the reflection in the window—an older woman shushing the boy across the aisle.
"I already told you to keep your thoughts to yourself, Felix," the woman snapped. "Besides, I'm sure it's just dye. Some people have no shame."
Jack chuckled nervously, trying to smooth the sting of it.
Tee stayed still, eyes half-lidded, expression blank. That brat had never seen snow in his life, so what did he know? She swallowed the urge to spit venom, choosing instead to close her eyes and feign sleep, retreating into herself once more.
The train hummed beneath them, steady and smooth. The scenery outside blurred into streaks of blue and green. For a long while, neither spoke, the silence filled only by the clink of teacups and the faint score of the hologram movie.
Tee shifted in her seat. "So… are we just going to sit here pretending this is normal?"
Jack glanced at her, then quickly back to the window. "What do you mean? This is normal. A train ride. Cake. Scenery. Pretty normal to me."
Her lips pressed tight. "That's not what I mean and you know it."
He leaned back, stretching his arms along the cushioned bench. "If you're talking about the Academy, then yeah, things are different. People grow up."
"Grow up," she repeated with a small scoff. "That's your excuse for acting like I don't exist half the time?"
Jack's jaw tensed, but he forced a laugh. "You're being dramatic. We talk. We're talking right now."
"Mm-hm." Tee stirred her drink, watching the liquid swirl. "So if I asked you about—" she hesitated, heat climbing into her cheeks "—yesterday, what would you say?"
Jack blinked at her, blank as stone. "Yesterday?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Nope." He sipped his tea and gave her an easy shrug. "I don't."
The lie hung in the air, heavy and obvious. Tee's nails dug into her palm under the table. He wasn't going to admit it. Not even a flicker of recognition in his voice.
"Right," she muttered. "Forget I said anything."
The silence thickened, but Jack shifted the mood with forced cheer. "Hey, remember that time at the Academy when you stabbed yourself and blamed it on an MG official?"
Tee's brow furrowed, but the memory cracked her lips into the ghost of a smile. "That was your fault. You told me the camera wasn't working."
"And you believed me!" He grinned, finally sounding like the Jack she used to know. "Your face—gods, I thought you'd kill me."
"I still might," she said, a tiny laugh escaping despite herself.
For a few minutes they traded stories—racing through alleyways, stealing fried dumplings from the market stalls, getting punished together for skipping curfew. Little echoes of who they used to be.
But as the laughter faded, so did the warmth. Jack leaned back, eyes drifting again to the window. Tee stared at the empty plate where the cake had been.
"So what now?" she asked softly.
He didn't look at her. "Now? We get to Mid-Guard, do what we signed up for."
"That's all?"
"That's enough," he said, voice final.
Tee leaned her head against the glass, letting the vibration of the train buzz through her skull. The world outside rushed past in blurs of light and shadow, but inside it felt like everything had slowed, frozen between who they used to be and the strangers they were becoming.
Back at Mid-Guard, curfew loomed close. They signed in, luggage in tow, then drifted their separate ways.
"See you around," Jack muttered, glancing back once.
Tee forced a smile and nodded. Inside, she wondered how things would change. Would he ghost her again? Pretend nothing ever happened?
Hours later, while she was unpacking in her dorm, a knock sounded. A slip of paper slid under the door—the usual way to leave notices when someone wasn't in. Her name was printed on the envelope.
She tore it open.
Transfer notice. Due to spacing and capacity issues, she was being reassigned to another Mid-Guard.
Her chest tightened. She crumpled the paper into a ball and flung it into the bin.
At dinner that night, she scanned the hall for Jack. He stood out easily, one of the few blondes. Just as easily, she stood out too—the only girl with snow-white hair.
Their eyes met. For a heartbeat, she thought he might smile. Instead, he looked away, leaning into his circle of friends. Their laughter carried, sharp and mocking, and Tee's stomach sank.
The disappointment widened the hole Tetra's death had already left inside her. That wasn't the boy she knew. He had changed—or maybe she was just seeing him for what he was. He didn't want her. He only wanted to use her. The thought shattered her, then burned into anger. She clenched her fists until her nails bit her palms and walked away.
The next day, on patrol, she leaned against the damp wall of an alley, staring at nothing. Life streamed past her—civilians laughing, couples holding hands, families enjoying the day. It all felt empty, meaningless. She thought bitterly: if she mutated there and then, she wouldn't care.
Tee decided to move, boots tapping softly against the cracked pavement. From a nearby alley, heavy, ragged breathing reached her ears. Her chest tightened; her heart began hammering. Hand on the hilt of her sword, voice-com clutched in the other, she edged closer.
What she saw made her stomach twist.
A male trooper slumped against the wall, chest heaving, while a female trooper leaned close, their mouths locked in a desperate kiss. The scene was grotesque—intimate in a way that made her flinch.
Tee looked away, stomach knotting. She hurried to the opposite side of the street, trying to distance herself, when a scream ripped through the air — a scream raw and jagged with terror.
She spun around and saw a trooper stumbling out of the same alley, drenched in blood, his belt still loose. His eyes flicked to hers for a split second before he collapsed, unconscious.
Instinctively, Tee pressed her voice-com and called MG command. They would trace her signal and be there soon.
She approached the fallen trooper, but then something invisible and merciless seized his legs, dragging him back into the shadows. His nails scraped against the concrete, tearing, leaving crescent-shaped marks as he screamed — a sound so primal it made her stomach churn.
Guilt struck her, but logic held her frozen. Troopers weren't meant to face Xenosapians alone. If she pursued him and got hurt, the blame would be hers — and she couldn't risk that.
Time slowed. His screams faded into the sickening sound of cracking bones. Tee didn't move.
The creature stepped into the dying light, nine feet tall, skin as black as void, veins writhing like serpents. Its gaze locked on her. It advanced, then shifted aside, narrowly missing a sword spinning toward its head. It bolted out of the alley and into the street.
The last rays of sunlight traced the shadowed contours of its skin, veins pulsating. It shrieked, charging on all fours, swords embedded in its limbs striking the ground. Too fast to stop, it slammed into an armed hover vehicle, sending sparks flying.
Then — a shuriken appeared, slicing through the air in a deadly arc. The spinning blade cleaved the creature's head clean from its body. The head rolled, jaws snapping, while the body collapsed into a viscous, dark goo, revealing the human host beneath.
Tee's stomach churned. The host — a recently mutated Xeno-victim — had been consumed from the inside, its flesh and blood twisted into the creature's monstrous form. Even with that gruesome meal, the hunger burned on, ravenous and unrelenting, as if no amount of human flesh could ever sate it.
A harsh hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her around. A tall man glared at her, brown eyes fierce.
"Why the hell are you standing here?!" he barked.
Tee's lip twitched. She gripped his hand with bone-crushing force, making him flinch. "I'm the one who called you guys, you bastard," she spat.
He yanked his hand back. Tee shivered — she couldn't believe she'd let him touch her.
A female official chuckled, "Leave the girl alone."
The sounds of chaos drew more troopers, rushing in, faces pale. Several broke down, tears streaming as they realized friends had died. Tee caught sight of the blond-haired boy, but blinked — and he was gone, a phantom.
She had come within inches of death. And she couldn't help the question gnawing at her: if she had died, would he have even cared?
As was custom after every Xenosapian attack, the X-victims became targets for cruelty. Some were spat on as crowds passed, shoved down stairs, jostled in narrow hallways, or even threatened with strangulation.
Tee could only stand and watch, the weight of recognition heavy in her chest. Deep down, she knew she was no different from them. Had she worn a crest as she was supposed to, the world would have treated her just the same—indifferent, hostile, and merciless.
When she returned to her dorm, her stomach dropped. Her belongings were piled in the hall. Cleaning workers were hauling out the rest with her roommate's help.
"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped, fury cracking her voice.
Her roommate froze as Tee lifted her by the collar, feet dangling off the ground.
"I—I'm just following orders!" she stammered.
"Whose orders?" Tee snarled.
"The man in the green jacket… he's in the floor lounge with others."
Tee dropped her and stormed toward the lounge. The massive glass windows framed the glittering city beyond, but all she saw were three soldiers in green battle suits standing guard. In the chair ahead, she could only make out a leg.
Her pulse spiked.
"Commander, there's the girl," one soldier reported.
Her breath hitched. Crap. That wasn't a transfer. They knew about Tetra's experiments. Panic gripped her chest. She spun to run—only to crash into something solid.
A man.