After We Collided Novels & Stories

​As the RIBs sped north, cutting through the dark water toward the safety of the hills, Roman looked back at the city skyline. ​The three-pronged attack was complete. Arthur Blackwood was officially bankrupt. The resources were gone, the tech components were stolen, and his private wealth was sitting in waterproof cases at Roman’s feet. ​"All teams, check in," Roman commanded. ​"Alpha clear. Jersey is a mess. Miller is crying," Mario reported, laughing. ​"Bravo clear. Brooklyn is glowing nicely. Arthur sounded... upset on the intercom," Jean-Pierre added.

"And I don't know what 'us' looks like without formal rules. But I want to find out. I want to try." I lifted my face to his. Kissed him softly, tasting salt from both our tears. "So do I." We stayed wrapped around each other for a long time after that. Cocooned in cashmere and each other, letting the magnitude of what had happened settle around us like falling snow. The contract was gone. The forbidden words had been spoken. And somehow, impossibly, miraculously, we were still here. Together.

I threw my entire body weight into her back, tackling her to the ground. We collided with a heavy thud and began to roll down the path, hitting woods and rocks along the way. The world became a sickening blur of dark sky, sharp stones, and tearing thorns as we fell down the steep mountain path. My shoulder slammed into a protruding root and Zara’s knee cracked against a boulder. We groaned in unison as we finally came to a halt on a narrow dirt plain right at the edge of the mountain.

The stale air of the detention room clung to me. Outside, the last rays of the afternoon sun painted the windows orange, a vibrant contrast to the gloom within. Each tick of the oversized clock on the wall echoed in the silence, mocking the ache in my chest. This was my fifth time in here. All because of Zane, my brother. Despite him being older than me, we were in the same class. He was not the brightest tool in the box and was always landing me in trouble. Today was no exception. I was here because he had taken my science project about the solar system and presented it as his own.

I repeated, grunting as I sharpened my telepathic message, projecting my inner voice with every ounce of willpower I possessed. "Take cover, Ash!" Caspian’s sharp warning cut through my focus just as I caught sight of our car hurtling toward us. We leaped out of its path a split second before the vehicle crashed into the masonry above our heads. We hit the ground hard, rolling away as heavy bricks dislodged by the impact rained down. The collision had deformed the house, providing a jagged entry point where the walls had collapsed near the roof. But there was no time to exploit it; the creature was charging.

All of it. And then— She chose. — The world snapped. The lights corrected. Red. Green. Amber. Aligned. Cars slowed. Stopped. Moved in sequence. The near-collision never happened. The horns faded. The voices softened. The pattern— Restored. Clean. Seamless. As if the disruption had never occurred. Aria opened her eyes. The intersection breathed again. Normal. Damien exhaled slowly. “That was bigger.” Liam nodded. “They pushed harder.” Aria turned slightly.

Collin could make nothing out of his words. Right after a collision, when another was on its way, George opened the door of their side and pushed Oriel and Collin out of the car. They fell rolling over the empty road, getting scratches and cuts all over. The car went scampering past to them and followed it the rampant SUV. Oriel removed her blindfold and looked at Collin, a face that she saw at the moment she had lost everything. The moment was a desperate one and both of them were hurt, but that was all the two little ones were left with.

Crashing into it did not seem like an option, but that was the only thing I could think of. I thrusted forward with my eyes squinted and my lips pressed together. The impact of our collision was deafening, sending the enemy’s car flying like they had lost their control system. The impact, surprisingly, had nothing on us. We were unscathed and I still had total control of my wheels. For a brief second, I watched them wiggle on the road aimlessly before their engine sputtered with the last bit of smoke. I drove past them, our eyes locking across the distance for a second. I wanted to get a good look at them, mark their faces with a purpose to haunt them down.

And in an unexpected turn of events, we both fell backwards and cover ourselves because of the loud explosion. Sugarmaui—