Ethan Knox - August 2120
We follow the curve of the river together, our hands still linked. The grass brushes softly against our legs, and the breeze is cool enough that I'm grateful for the warmth of Kai's hand, solid, steady, grounding.
I keep sneaking glances at him. Not because I'm worried, but because he looks… peaceful. Actually peaceful. I haven't seen him this relaxed outside before, and it makes something warm twist in my chest.
Eventually I slow us down near a flat stone that overlooks the water."Let's sit for a bit," I say.
Kai nods, and we settle onto the grass, shoulders touching. He looks out at the river like he's admiring a painting. Meanwhile, I'm admiring him. His profile, the calm line of his jaw, the sunlight warming his skin, it's all too much and not enough at the same time.
"Thank you," I say softly.
He turns just slightly. "For what?"
"For today. For… all of this." I wave vaguely around us, then at our linked hands. "The meal, taking me out, this walk… just everything."
He studies me like he's trying to figure out why I'd thank him in the first place."It's your birthday," he says. "I wanted you to have a good day."
I smile and shake my head gently. "I always have a good day with you."
His eyes flicker, and I can feel the way the words hit him. His breath slows, like he's filing the moment away somewhere important.
He looks away again, toward the river, as if it's safer than looking at me. His thumb brushes mine, careful and slow, like he's afraid he might break something.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he says quietly.
I grin, unable to stop myself. "You were nervous, weren't you?"
He tenses. "A little."
"A little?" I raise my eyebrows. "Kai, you were gripping the steering wheel like it was about to attack you."
His lips twitch, almost a smile."I just… didn't want to ruin anything."
My heart squeezes, too full. I lean against him fully now, our sides pressed together.
"Kai," I whisper, "you couldn't ruin my birthday even if you tried."
He doesn't answer, but the tension drains from his shoulders. I rest my head against his, and he shifts just enough to make it easier, more comfortable, like maybe he's getting used to the idea that I want to be close.
After a moment, he speaks again. "I'm… glad you came with me. To town."
I let out a soft laugh. "Of course I came with you. I've been trying to drag you into town for weeks."
He hums. Quiet. Acknowledging.
"And you always said no."
Another hum.
I lift my head to look up at him."So what changed?" I ask, teasing gently. "Why today?"
He turns to me, and the honesty in his eyes makes my breath catch."It was for you," he says. "I wanted to give you something you'd like."
For a second, everything inside me just… stops. No jokes, no teasing, just warmth flooding my chest until I feel too full of it.
I lean in and kiss him.
His hand rises to my cheek, hesitant but gentle, and I deepen the kiss just enough for him to relax into it.
When we finally pull away, I rest my forehead against his."You're going to make me fall ridiculously in love with you," I whisper, breathless and smiling.
He stiffens, just a little, but he doesn't pull away.Instead, he murmurs, so softly the wind almost steals it,
"I think... I already fell."
The world freezes. My heart does something stupid and dramatic in my chest.
I can't help it, I smile like an idiot and wrap my arms around him, pulling him tight against me and I pull up backwards on the grass with me.
"Good," I whisper into his shoulder. "Then we're on the same page."
I watch Kai's face turn red, a deep flush creeping over his cheeks as he looks straight into my eyes, intense, focused, almost… sparkling. His black eyes always look dark and stormy, but now they shimmer like there's light caught inside them.
He reaches out and gently brushes my hair away from my forehead. His fingers are warm. Careful. He leans down and presses a soft kiss against my skin, and I can feel his breath catch.
"The other day…" he starts, hesitating.
I stay quiet, watching him, giving him the space he needs.
"…with my conversation with Edmund." He pauses again, and something tightens in my chest. But I still don't push, Kai will tell me when he's ready.
"Edmund said I should go find Noah. Let him know I'm alive."
Noah... His brother.
The thought punches something tender in my heart. Kai once told me Noah was everything to him, and ever since he escaped the facility, I've caught him sneaking my phone to look up news articles about him. Wanting to know more about him, to see him.
"Isn't that a good thing?" I ask softly.
He looks guilty for even considering it. Then back at me.
"I don't know," he whispers. "I've been trying to think about it, and I don't know what I should do."
I reach up and stroke his cheek with my thumb. "I'm sure he misses you just as much as you miss him."
He closes his eyes for a second, leaning into my touch.
"I just… I just don't want to ruin the life he's built." His voice cracks with sadness. "GeneX will want to take me back, and I can't drag him into that."
GeneX. Always there. Always ruining everything.
I understand why he's scared, especially when Noah works for the same company that tortured him. Tortured both of us.
I don't want to think anything bad about Kai's twin, but… I don't fully trust him either. What if he's like their father? What if he forces Kai back? Uses him?
"You don't have to decide right now," I say gently. "There is plently of time to think. And if you ever want to go meet him… we can go together."
His body relaxes just a bit. He leans down and kisses my cheek, then rests his face against my neck. His chest rises and falls against mine, slow and heavy. I wrap my arms around him, holding him close.
I don't ever want to let him go.
But then, my vision slams into me, sharp and bright.
[A thin woman limps out of the trees. Blood drips from her fingertips. Her leg drags uselessly behind her.]
My eyes snap open, and I push lightly at Kai's chest."Kai, someone's coming."
He's on his feet instantly, pulling me behind him. Shadows coil around his legs like living smoke as he steps forward, shielding me.
Just then, the woman I saw in my vision stumbles through the trees. Her leg looks broken, yet she barely notices. Her bloodshot eyes dart wildly, just like-.
"Kai… I think she's like Bennet," I whisper.
He tenses, but doesn't look away.
"Hel… help," she breathes, voice cracking.
When I peek around Kai, I see the tears streaking down her face, the panic in her broken expression. Instinct flares up inside me and I move, wanting to help, but Kai immediately grabs my arm and pulls me back.
"She could hurt you," he warns, glancing at me before focusing on her again.
I force my sight to activate, searching for what would happen if I approached her.
[I walk towards her. She screams. Falls to her knees, clutching her head. Then her hand snaps out, grabbing mine. I drop to the ground clutching my head.]
I gasp, stepping backward to Kai."Don't let her touch you. I-I can't tell what her power is."
Kai's shadows slither forward cautiously.
The woman steps toward us again. Then again.
Kai doesn't hesitate. His shadows lash out, wrapping around her and holding her in place.
"What should we do with her?" he asks, still shielding me.
"We need to take her back to Trinity. Thomas and Edmund will know what to do"
Just then the woman suddenly screams. A raw, ripping sound that makes me flinch. Kai's shadows hold firm, but she thrashes wildly.
Before I can speak again, my eyes flash blue.
[A bullet comes out of nowhere and hits Kai in the chest. He falls.]
I don't think, I grab Kai and yank him back. Hard.
Something thuds against the ground where he stood a moment before.
Kai reacts instantly, throwing up a wall of shadows as another shot hits it with a dull thump.
He backs us up, step by step.
"Stay behind me, okay?" he says, voice low.
He pushes me behind a boulder, shielding me with his body. Then he turns, cupping my face with one hand.
"Are you okay?"
I nod shakily, pressing my hand to the spot on his chest where the bullet hit him in my vision. Nothing. No blood. No wound. He's safe.
"Yeah, I'm okay" I whisper.
"Do you think that's the same shooter from the day Daniel and Tessa saw someone watching them?" I ask.
"It seems likely," he mutters, still holding the shadows up with one hand.
He looks at me again, and his eyes soften."You need to stay here. Let me handle this."
He tries to stand, but I grab him.
"Don't go. Please." The plea slips out before I can stop it.
Another bullet hits his shield and but he doesn't flinch.
"Don't worry." He leans down and kisses my forehead. "I'll make sure you get out of here safe."
And then he moves.
His shadows sharpen into dozens, no, hundreds, of black shards. With a flick of his hand, they blast forward, slicing into the treeline with echoing thuds. It sounds like a storm. Like hail. Like death.
No one could survive that.
I glance over the rock but freeze.
The woman is gone.
"Kai…" I whisper.
He glances where she stood, jaw tightening.
I flash my sight again, but pain slams through my skull. My vision blurs. When I blink, blood trickles from my nose.
Kai rushes to me immediately, falling to his knees."Ethan, Ethan, are you okay?" His hands cradle my face, frantic.
I nod weakly. "Yeah. It's normal. Don't worry."
"You shouldn't push yourself like that," he snaps, not angry, just terrified. "What if you-" He stops. His voice breaks. He lowers his head.
Burnout. He couldn't say it.
I lift his chin gently. "Hey. Look at me."
He does. His eyes tremble.
"I'm fine," I tell him with a soft smile.
Slowly, he breathes out. But his body stays tense. Guarded. Protective.
I didn't see any incoming attack, but something is wrong. Something bigger than one shooter or one missing woman.
And I can feel it.
Right there, under my ribs.
Like a warning.