Chapter 11: Quiet Things Break the Hardest
(Evan Carter POV)
Silence was supposed to be safe.
I'd lived most of my life in it—empty rooms, abandoned buildings, nights where the only sound was my own breathing. Silence meant no gunfire. No orders. No screams.
But this kind of silence was different.
It sat between us.
Mia walked beside me through the campus park, fallen leaves crunching beneath our shoes. The sun was low, staining the sky gold and amber, the kind of evening people took pictures of and posted online with captions about peace.
I kept my hands in my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her.
She was quiet today.
Not nervous. Not distant.
Just… thoughtful.
And that was worse.
"Do you ever skip class on purpose?" she asked suddenly.
I glanced at her. "No."
She smiled faintly. "You answered too fast."
I slowed my steps slightly. "What makes you think that?"
"Because most people lie slower," she said, then added gently, "And you don't lie well when it's about normal things."
Normal things.
I looked away. "I don't skip. I just… prioritize."
She laughed under her breath. "You make everything sound like strategy."
Because everything was.
We reached a small clearing where students usually sat to read or talk. Today it was nearly empty. A couple lay on the grass, fingers intertwined. Somewhere nearby, someone played music softly through a speaker.
Mia stopped walking.
"Sit with me?" she asked.
It wasn't a demand. It wasn't even confident.
It was hopeful.
I nodded once and sat beside her on the low stone ledge. The space between us was small—too small for someone like me—but I didn't move away.
She leaned back on her hands, tilting her face toward the sky.
"My mom used to bring me here," she said casually.
The words hit harder than they should have.
I stayed quiet.
"She said places like this were important," Mia continued. "Places where nothing happens. No pressure. No expectations."
She glanced at me. "Do you have a place like that?"
I did.
I just couldn't tell her what it was.
"Yes," I said instead.
She smiled, satisfied with the lie.
A breeze stirred her hair, carrying that faint scent I'd memorized without meaning to. Clean. Soft. Real.
Too real.
"Evan," she said quietly.
"Yes."
"Why do you always look like you're leaving?"
I turned to her fully.
"What?"
She hesitated, fingers curling slightly against the stone. "It's like… even when you're here, you're halfway gone. Like you're afraid of staying too long."
I felt something tighten in my chest.
That wasn't fear.
That was instinct.
I chose my words carefully. "Some people don't get used to stillness."
"Why?"
"Because when things are quiet," I said, "you start hearing things you don't want to."
She studied me, eyes searching. "Like what?"
The truth hovered on my tongue.
Gunshots. Orders. Blood. Names I couldn't forget.
I swallowed. "Regret."
Her expression softened instantly.
"Oh," she said.
She didn't push. Didn't pry.
She just moved closer.
Her shoulder brushed mine.
Every muscle in my body noticed.
"You know," she said lightly, "you don't have to be so careful with me."
I almost laughed.
Careful was the only reason she was still alive.
"I'm not," I said.
She raised an eyebrow. "You are. You think before you speak. You think before you move. You think before you smile."
I looked at her.
"You notice too much," I said.
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Takes one to know one."
We sat there longer than I should have allowed. The sky darkened gradually, the air cooling.
Time passed.
And for once, I didn't track it.
Mia stood first. "I should head back. I have an early class tomorrow."
I stood with her.
She hesitated, then surprised me by reaching out and adjusting my glasses—just slightly, like she'd done it a hundred times before.
"You look less tired when you forget to disappear," she said softly.
Then she stepped back.
"Good night, Evan."
"Good night, Mia."
She walked away, not looking back.
I watched until she vanished between the trees.
Only then did I let my expression fall.
Back at the apartment, the lights were on.
My sister sat cross-legged on the couch, homework abandoned, watching some drama show with exaggerated expressions.
"You're late," she said without looking away.
"Lost track of time."
She glanced at me, eyes sharp. "That never happens."
I didn't respond.
She muted the TV. "You met her again, the beautiful girl in same school with you."
It wasn't a question.
I sighed. "How'd you know about her"
She smiled faintly. And said with a shrug.
" I saw the two of you at the cafe when I was out with my friends, by the way she's so pretty ".
"Is she your girlfriend " . She said while giggling.
Stunned.
" No we're just friends, nothing more"
" Liar! I saw the way you stare at her" she said with a pout.
I ignored her and went into the kitchen and poured myself water. My reflection stared back from the dark window—black hair, glasses, calm mask.
Evan Carter.
A ghost pretending to be human.
"She's important to you, so don't bother denying it" my sister said quietly.
I froze.
"She makes you quieter," she added. "But not empty. Just… softer."
I turned slowly. "That's dangerous."
She met my gaze without fear.
"Or it's human."
I had no answer.
Later that night, I stood in the shower, water running cold against my skin, grounding me. I pressed my hands against the wall, head bowed.
This mission had never scared me.
What scared me was how easy it was becoming to forget it.
Mia's laugh.
Her questions.
The way she looked at me like I was something worth understanding.
Quiet things broke the hardest.
And I had a terrible feeling—
That when this finally shattered,
It wouldn't be me who bled first.