It wasn’t long before dinner was ready, and the five of them were seated around the table. Their mom had made some sort of overcomplicated chicken and noodle soup, which Orion didn’t hate, but also wasn’t dying to eat.

That said, he was dying to eat something. Not having eaten since breakfast and doing all of that running around was wearing him down. He wasn’t sure how anyone around here did it without starving all day.

With the announcement that he would have to leave soon still hovering over them, there wasn’t a lot being said during dinner, other than a lot of “how was your day?” and listening to a recounting of the hospital trip. Rami ate every little detail up, from the doctors checking for and fighting infection, to making sure they had the resources for actually treating her. As it turned out, Syndra’s little escapade had caused a shortage of a lot of medical supplies around Carmsborough, and the Agricultural District had to shift inventory around to help with the more populated areas.

And, of course, there was no shortage of words to say about that. Their dad was very clear to make aware how upset he was about the whole situation, to the point of threatening to take them to court over their unpreparedness. In the end, the hospital had to send a group out to get materials back from a place in the housing district. They were promptly discharged an hour after her getting said materials.

“But,” Rami’s dad said, “we are getting a significantly discounted bill. Which is great, because even with that discount, we’re still going to be paying for it for months.“

Not too long after, a soft patter of rain tapped against the kitchen window. The storm was only just starting, but Orion wasn’t going to take any chances.

“Do you think I’d be able to take the Clockwork and put it in the barn with the cows?” he asked their dad.

The dad thought about it for a couple of moments, but eventually allowed it. Orion excused himself from the table to go check on his mechanical bodyguard. It stared at him with unblinking eyes.

“We’re going to get you inside the barn. That way, you’re out of the storm. I’d rather not have you break down on me right now.”

The Clockwork simply continued staring, but followed Orion to the barn. The cows were all still out, but he figured they’d all take sheltered once the rain got annoying enough.

Instead of heading right back in, he sat next to the Clockwork for a moment. It looked down at him before deciding to join him, kneeling its long legs down to get in a natural position.

“What are we going to do? They’re going to kick us out in a matter of days. We have nowhere to go. Not to mention, things are apparently getting bad everywhere. We won’t be safe until we leave the country.”

The Clockwork, ever stoic, simply sat, looking down at the human it had chosen to protect. Orion looked back at it for a moment.

“I mean, Carmsborough isn’t safe either way, right? Us being here doesn’t make a difference. Except to us.”

The machine continued staring. Its lack of response was more than Orion’s conscience could handle.

“We have to stay, don’t we? We have to be the heroes. We have to defend and take back the city. Or people keep getting hurt. Or Syndra gets his way.”

This time, the Clockwork seemed to respond with a whir. Orion groaned.

“All right. Stay here. You can come out once the rain stops. Whenever that is.”

Without waiting for another word, Orion left the barn and closed the door behind him, figuring that the Clockwork was smart enough to open it itself, or just go out the same way the cows do. The rain had picked up slightly, and as he re-entered the house, a slight regret for not wearing a jacket took over.

Everyone had finished eating and was clearing off the table when he came back to the kitchen.

“It looks like it’s gearing up to be pretty stormy night,” Orion said, as thunder roared in the distance.

“We’ll play it by ear,” their dad said.“In the meantime, come help me set up a board game over here.“

“Can it be Orion’s turn to choose this time?” Max asked, hobbling over to the living room. “Anything Rami chooses ends up being super boring.”

“I’m not exactly a board game expert,” Orion said. “I don’t know which ones are boring or not.”

“Fine, then you can choose, Max.”

“No way,” Rami said. “Every time Max gets to choose, she picks—”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Stay Alive,” Max said. “That’s because it’s one of the best.”

“You only think that because you have absolutely no taste.”

“Whatever. You wouldn’t know taste if it crashed into your wheatfield.”

“Now, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“That’s enough, you two,” their dad said. “Orion, would you be willing to grab the game for us?”

I did as he requested, pulling the box out from underneath the entertainment stand. As soon as they were all done clearing the table, the five of us sat around the board game.

“This is usually just a four-player game,” their dad said, “but in this case, I think it’s fair to have you and Rami work as a team. The goal is to have one of your marbles be the last one left on the board, and to knock off other marbles.”

“Makes sense.”

“Yeah, pretty straightforward. Unfortunately, Max has mastered this game.”

“Good luck,” she said, smiling a little. She couldn’t muster a lot, but apparently her competitive spirit was never gone.

The five of them set up their board and each of their colors, and Max started by moving one of her slides. Rami and Orion’s marble in that column immediately fell, and Orion could already feel the weight of what this game was going to do to Rami, who was already in a funk.

Next was their turn. They spent a few long moments trying to decide which slide to adjust, until eventually settling on the most obvious choice, the row where they had put none of their own marbles. One from each opposing team fell.

Then, it was their mom’s turn, who spent exactly zero seconds planning an attack and taking out one of her own with a single movement.

“You have to try harder than that, Mom,” Max said.

“I guess I do.”

-◦=[ ]=◦-

As they were nearing the end of the game, some sort of alarm started sounding off from the radio, which Orion had thought was off.

“This is a weather alert broadcast,” the radio said. “A severe thunderstorm warning is now in effect for most of southern Carmsborough from now until three in the morning tomorrow. Expect heavy winds, significant lightning, and a chance of hail as much as two centimeters wide. It is recommended that you take shelter inside and away from windows.”

Rami’s dad sighed next to him on the couch. “Boys, will you two get the cows in to the barn real quick? We can’t afford to lose another one to lightning.”

Rami immediately hopped up and went to the coat rack for his jacket. Orion did the same, grabbing a random jacket, and followed him out the door.

The weather was significantly more intense compared to the last time Orion was out. Bolts of lightning zipped through the sky once every few seconds, acting as their primary source of light on the trek to the barn.

The cows were having a conniption when they arrived, likely in fear of the intense weather. Rami grabbed some sort of tether from the barn wall, looped it around a cow’s nose, and pulled it towards the barn. It resisted at first, but once it realized it was being taken to dry safety, it had no problem with the action.

Orion mimicked Rami, grabbing his own tether and doing the same for another cow. It also fought, but nowhere near enough to stop Orion from slowly bringing it in.

“Is everything all right?” Orion asked, yelling over the sound of rolling thunder and the rain pelting the barn. “You’ve been awful quiet since dinner.”

“No. I knew we’d have to go our separate ways at some point, but I didn’t expect it to be already. I was hoping… I was hoping we’d have longer.”

“Me too,” Orion said.

They continued in silence. The rain didn’t help with the somber feelings they were having.

As they were nearing the last couple of cows, Rami spoke again.

“Would you come back for me?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Once we’re both eighteen? Would you come back to for me and get me out of here? Take me away? Maybe we could go out and see the world together?”

Orion felt his hair rise. He wasn’t sure initially if it was what Rami had said or just the atmosphere around them until he looked up at Rami, whose hair was also frizzing up. They exchanged a quick, worried glance.

“Lightning,” Rami said. They both ran for the cover of the barn, Rami ahead of Orion.

Then it happened. Orion felt as if the world was moving in slow motion as a bolt of lightning came down from the sky directly above them. He instinctively flinched, but watched as the Clockwork came bounding out of the barn and into the open air. The lightning seemed to arch over the two of them and struck the Clockwork, sparkling and crackling against every plate on its body.

The two of them stood in worried silence. For a good five or six seconds, the Clockwork didn’t move as the electricity continued to ripple across it. Then, as the effect finally diminished, it looked over at Orion.

“He just tanked a lightning bolt for us,” Rami said. “We would literally be toast right now.“

Orion just continued to stare, still trying to process what had happened. How was it still functioning? Had it known that the lightning was coming? And, on top of that, how had the sound of it striking the Clockwork not been deafening?

He didn’t have an answer for any of the questions, but he did have a swell of emotions take over all at once. He had been treating the Clockwork as a curse, when at this point it was so abundantly clear it was his best asset. All it took was a near-death experience for it to register in his head.

“Yes,” Orion finally answered. “I will. I’ll come back for you. And we’ll go see the world together. And we’ll never have to worry about what your parents, or the neighbor fisherman, or Syndra says or does.”

Rami stepped forward and kissed him. Rain ran down their hair and faces, but in the moment, neither cared. He pressed his hands to Orion’s face, and after a considerable amount of time, he let go and took a step back again.

“Sorry. That was…”

“Don’t be sorry. That was striking.”

Rami laughed. “I’m not sure I’m ready for lighting puns yet. Come on, let’s finish getting the cows in before we risk another strike. I’d rather not test the Clockwork’s limits right now.”

-◦=[ ]=◦-

As soon as they were done herding the cows inside, Rami slammed the doors shut and locked them. The Clockwork followed them back to the house, apparently unfazed by both the lightning and the rain.

They took their jackets off when they stepped inside, but as the two of them looked into the living room, they realized everyone had left. Rami’s mom was at the kitchen counter on the phone, slightly soaked from head to toe, talking to someone on the phone. Max and his dad were nowhere in sight.

“They came back inside,” his mom said, her eyes wide and unfocused. “Yes, he’s here. The kid with the Clockwork is inside of my house.”