Booker stared at the empty page in front of him, gnawing the end of his pen. He had been trying to write a letter to Astor and the others for the hundredth time, with no luck. What was there to even say?

Sorry I never tried to contact you after everything we endured together. Hope you're doing okay, wherever you are. I think about you guys every day.

Frowning, Booker crumpled up the latest failed attempt and tossed it in the overflowing trash bin. He felt like a coward avoiding them this past year, but the silence had stretched too long now. Reconnecting seemed impossible.

And if Booker was honest with himself, he was terrified to learn what had become of the friends he'd left behind. Were they even still out there somewhere? The thought that he might be the only one who escaped the darkness haunted him.

A soft knock at his door pulled Booker from his brooding. "Yeah, come in," he called.

His mom entered holding the baby, her eyes full of concern seeing the writing attempts littering his room. "Working on your college essays?"

Booker forced a smile. "Uh yeah, just trying to figure out the right topic."

She sat on the edge of his bed, balancing the gurgling baby. "You've seemed so lost lately, honey. If you need to talk, I'm here."

Booker's carefully composed mask almost slipped at her gentle tone. But the last thing he wanted was to drag his family back into the supernatural chaos they'd worked so hard to leave behind.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Just senior year stress, I'll be alright," he said, managing to sound casual. "We still on for game night?"

His mom studied him for a long moment before nodding reluctantly. "Of course. We just want you to be happy, Booker."

As she left, Booker slumped back against the wall with a shaky exhale. He knew his family loved him and was trying their best to understand. But a dark abyss still yawned inside that he could never truly explain or share, keeping him forever adrift from those he once called friends. Each day the gulf widened, until he barely recognized the stranger staring back at him in the mirror.

There seemed no way to bridge the silent distance swallowing everything he once held close. Booker could only keep trying to move forward somehow, haunted by the ghosts of his past.

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Mei scowled as she summoned another glowing barrier, deflecting Sofia's bursts of golden flame. They had been sparring for hours now in the company training yard.

"Keep your guard up!" Sofia admonished. "You leave yourself open after those shield casts."

Mei just glared, frustration simmering. She was trying, but it felt like Sofia was pushing her relentlessly past exhaustion lately. Ever since their fight about John.

Dissipating the shimmering wall, Mei folded her arms. "I think that's enough for today."

Sofia frowned. "We've barely reviewed the evasion drills. Don't be lazy just because you're the boss's daughter."

Mei bristled at the condescending tone. "I'm calling it because I'm tired, not lazy."

"Well, rest up," Sofia said shortly. "Tomorrow I expect 100% again, no slacking."

As she moved to gather her things, Mei felt her anger spill over. "You've been completely unreasonable since I said I wanted to confront my dad about the expeditions!"

Sofia whirled, eyes blazing. "Unreasonable? I'm trying to get you battle-ready so you don't get slaughtered on one of those missions!"

"I shouldn't be going on them at all! The whole program needs to be shut down," Mei shot back.

Sofia threw up her hands in exasperation. "Still clinging to those childish ideals? When will you wake up and see the stakes here?"

"I'm not naive just because I want accountability," Mei said coldly. "But go on touting 'the greater good' or whatever helps you sleep at night."

She turned and stalked off before Sofia could respond, fuming. Why couldn't her mentor understand Mei wanted to reform the company safely, not enable its abuses?

But Sofia seemed blinded by her loyalty to John and callous disregard for the lives being exploited. It was driving an irreconcilable wedge between them.

Mei just wanted to protect innocents from the darkness she had endured. Surely that purpose wasn't so unreasonable, even if she had to stand against her own adopted father? She had to cling to hope her moral compass would win out.