LOGINTOMThe boy and I kept trading blows, neither of us willing to give the other an inch. Somewhere behind me I could still hear the chaos of the others fighting, grunts and snarls and the occasional sharp cry of pain cutting through the air, but I didn't dare look away from him long enough to check how they were faring. If I lost focus for even a second, he'd take it."You're persistent," the boy spat, blood dripping from his split lip as he circled me, his movements starting to slow despite how hard he tried to hide it. "Must be exhausting, caring this much.""You have no idea," I growled, lunging at him again.We fought for what felt like an eternity, every hit landing harder than the last, both of us bruised and bleeding, neither of us slowing down enough to let the other recover. He tried shifting to shadow again, desperation bleeding into the move this time, but I caught it faster than before, dragging him back into solid form before he could fully disappear. He snarled, furious, s
BLAKEMy back was still pressed against the door, my chest heaving, waiting for whatever came next. But nothing did. My mother simply turned away from me, walking back toward the counter like the last few minutes hadn't happened at all, like she hadn't just told me I was never meant to be happy.She picked up the dish towel again, wiping down the counter in slow, methodical strokes, humming faintly under her breath. The sound of it, so painfully familiar, so achingly ordinary, made my skin crawl worse than her anger had.I stayed frozen by the door, too afraid to move, too afraid that any sudden motion might pull her attention back to me. My heart hammered so hard it hurt, my eyes darting around the kitchen for anything, any way out that I hadn't tried yet.That's when I heard it. A faint knock, and then the door at my back rattled, like someone was pushing against it from the other side."Blake?" Pete's voice, muffled but unmistakable, sent a wave of relief crashing through me so fas
TOMThe darkness peeled away slowly into a place I didn't recognize at first, dead trees stretching endlessly in every direction, their branches bare and twisted against a sky that held no stars, no moon, nothing but an oppressive grey that felt wrong. And then I saw him.Blake lay crumpled on the ground a few feet away, still, his skin far too pale even for a dream. My heart lurched at the sight of him, every instinct in me screaming to reach him immediately, but before I could take a single step, the cabin door ahead creaked open.He stepped out, his expression shifting from mild curiosity into something delighted the moment he spotted me. "Well," he said, a slow grin spreading across his face, "this is a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting company so soon."I didn't bother responding. I crossed the distance to Blake in a few quick strides, dropping to my knees beside him and pulling him carefully against my chest. His body was cold, too cold, and his breathing was so shallow I ha
TOM I don't remember the exact moment I started shaking, only that by the time the pack doctor arrived, my hands wouldn't stop trembling no matter how hard I tried to stop them. Blake lay exactly where I'd left him, pale and still, his chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths that felt more like a cruel joke than reassurance. "He's alive," the doctor said, checking his pulse for what had to be the third time. "His vitals are stable. He's just... not waking up." That should have made me feel better. It didn't. "What does that mean?" I asked, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. "I don't know yet," he admitted, and the honesty of it did nothing to calm the storm building in my chest. "I just need to monitor him for some hours." He said and then left. I exhaled shakingly, trying to organise my thoughts and what to do next. Pops came into the room, and I noticed his eyes were wet the second he looked at Blake, like he couldn't help it, land I knew seeing him that still
BLAKE The house looked exactly the way I remembered it. The same faded yellow curtains in the kitchen window, the same chip in the paint along the doorframe where I used to drag my fingers as a kid. It smelled like home, like something warm baking in the oven, like a version of my life I thought I'd lost for good. And then I saw her. My mother stood by the counter, wiping her hands on a dish towel, looking up the moment I stepped inside like she'd been expecting me all along. "Blake," she breathed, and the sound of her voice undid something in my chest instantly, spreading warmth through it. "Mom," I whispered, and then I was moving before I even decided to, crossing the kitchen and wrapping my arms around her, burying my face into her shoulder the way I used to when I was small enough to be carried. She held me just as tightly, her hand smoothing over my hair the exact way she always had. "Look at you," she murmured. "You've grown so much." I pulled back just enough to look at
TOM I woke up before the sun had fully settled into the room, the light still soft and grey against the curtains. Blake was curled into my side, his breathing slow and even, one hand resting against my chest like he'd reached for me in his sleep and decided to stay there. I shifted closer, careful not to jostle him, pressing myself against his back and letting my arm settle over his waist. He didn't stir. His face was relaxed in a way I rarely got to see while he was awake, all the tension that usually lived in his shoulders smoothed out completely. After everything from the day before, after the conversation about Pete and the fear in his eyes when he recognized that boy's description, I figured he'd earned the rest. I kissed the top of his head softly, lingering there for a moment longer, before easing myself out from under the covers. He made a small sound of protest in his sleep, chasing the warmth I'd left behind, but didn't wake. "Sleep a little more," I murmured, even thou







