The morning buzzed with quiet energy in the cafeteria—chairs scraping, trays clattering, low murmurs of conversation bouncing off the walls. Notori sat at the far edge of one of the long tables, his plate untouched, fingers drumming a soft rhythm against the surface. Across from him, Cova sipped mechanically from her mug.. Katika and Adam had joined without invitation, Lukas trailing behind with the guarded stiffness that settled around him when Lili’s name was anywhere close to being mentioned.
Notori’s gaze kept drifting to the cafeteria doors. Every creak of a hinge made his head snap up.
“She’s late,” Notori muttered worried.
Cova glanced at him from behind her cup. “You think she’d be on time after what happened?” she asked softly.
“She should’ve come back from medical with us stronger,” Notori said in a low and strained voice. “She stood on her own two feet after all.”
Cova didn’t look up from her drink. Her fingers were tight around the cup. “She rebuilt herself from ash, Notori,” she whispered.
“Who cares?” Katika cut in with something close to disgust. “She doesn’t belong here with us. And it’s about time she understood that.”
Notori turned toward her slowly. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
A sudden hush fell over the cafeteria as Mike stormed in. Conversations halted mid-word. The clatter of utensils froze. Every eye turned. Seeing Mike angry was rare. Seeing him this angry was a bad omen.
“Seriously, Lukas!?” Mike’s voice cracked. “You think you’re righteous just because you wear our damn badge? Because you hunt the bad guys? With what you pulled yesterday in the cafeteria, you’re no better than the scumbags we send you after!”
Lukas stiffened in his seat, but said nothing. His silence only fueled Mike’s wrath.
“You know what makes those bastards monsters?” Mike continued, stepping closer. “It’s not the Gift. It’s the choice to use power to hurt. And that’s exactly what you did. You cornered her, shoved her, provoked her in front of everyone. You assaulted a teammate and I’m only surprised Lili didn’t tear you to pieces for it!”
Notori’s chair scraped back. He stared at Lukas, eyes wide and dark with disbelief. “What did you do?” he asked, voice trembling with a barely-leashed fury.
Lukas tried to meet his gaze but failed. His silence screamed louder than any answer.
Cova’s expression was a deep disappointment. She looked at Lukas like she didn’t recognize him.
Lukas’s jaw tensed. “She threatened me first.”
“No,” Mike snapped. “She defended herself after you made her. And she walked away. That’s more restraint than most of us would’ve managed. You don’t get to play the victim after this.” He turned to the rest of the table. “Let me be clear—every single Gifted on this base, no matter how powerful or unpredictable, is under my protection. You don’t have to like each other, but you will respect each other. Or I’ll make damn sure you’re off this team.” Then he left without another word—leaving silence in his wake, and a table suddenly unsure of who, exactly, they had been sitting with.
“You piece of shit!” Notori’s voice cracked. “How dare you!?”
“How dare I!?” Lukas snarled, matching his volume, rising as well. Chairs scraped, attention turning toward the table once again. “It’s you two—” he jabbed a finger between Cova and Notori “—who’ve lost your damn minds!” His glare swept to Katika, as if fishing for support, then snapped back to Notori. “Katika’s right. She doesn’t belong here.”
Notori’s fists clenched at his sides, the muscles in his arms trembling. But Lukas didn’t stop.
“I shouldn’t be surprised, though,” Lukas sneered. “Lately, it looks like your concern for her has less to do with the missions and more to do with what’s in her pants.”
Notori’s face twisted, the vein in his neck pulsing. Cova’s chair moved back with a slow scrape. She stood and when her eyes met Lukas’s, her gaze was cold. She didn’t shout, didn’t curse. Just said, “I’m going to check on Lili.” She didn’t wait for a response and left her half-eaten food behind.
The hallway outside the cafeteria was quieter. Her fingers itched with the restraint she hadn’t lost in front of Lukas. She wasn’t going to give him more of her breath when Lili hadn’t taken a single one since yesterday.
She climbed the stairs two at a time, passed a few soldiers who stepped aside without needing to be told. She didn’t knock when she reached Lili’s door.
“Lili?” she said softly, pressing her palm to the door, listening for any sign. “It’s Cova.”
No answer.
She tried again. “Please. I just want to see you. Notori’s about to fight Lukas to the death, and… I need to know you’re okay or at least alive. Preferably both.”
Still silence. Not even a shift of shadow beneath the doorframe.
Cova sighed, her forehead resting briefly against the cool surface of the door. “They don’t know who you are,” she whispered. “They’re scared. But I’m not.” And in the quiet that followed, she thought she heard something—barely more than breath, but it was there.
A whisper from within. “I’m… still here.”
Cova closed her eyes for a moment. “I’ll sit outside,” she said gently. “If you want to talk, I’m just on the other side.” And with that, she slid down the wall beside the door.
Cova stirred as a quiet click broke the silence. The door cracked open. “You can sit inside,” Lili said.“Just… don’t ask me how I’m doing.”
Cova simply rose, slipped through the narrow space, and closed the door behind her with the gentleness of someone stepping into sacred ground. She sat on the floor again, this time across from Lili.
“You don’t have to talk,” Cova finally murmured, staring ahead. “But if you ever do… I’ll listen.”
And there, in the hush that followed, two girls sat surrounded by stillness and shadows.
“I’m taking you out of the base tomorrow,” Cova said suddenly, her voice cutting gently through the silence.
Lili blinked. Her body tensed, eyes locking onto Cova’s as if she’d misheard. “But I’m not sure I’m allowed…” she whispered.
Cova tilted her head, genuinely surprised. “Why would you think that?”
Lili opened her mouth, but nothing came at first. “Well, you know, I’m…” The rest caught in her throat. She couldn’t form the word that branded her. So, she looked down, ashamed of her own uncertainty.
Cova watched her for a long moment, eyes soft but firm. “You’re not a prisoner, Lili and you’re definitely not a tool.”
“But that’s what I’ve always been,” Lili murmured, her voice barely audible, a frayed thread unraveling in the dim light. “Something people point and use.”
Cova didn’t blink. Her voice came steady, warm but edged like tempered steel. “Well, maybe it’s time someone taught you how to live for yourself.”
Lili looked at her, eyes full of doubt, of disbelief that wanted so badly to be hope. “You say one thing… but will Rafael let me out?” she asked again, quieter this time, like the question itself was dangerous to utter.
Cova leaned back slightly, crossing her arms. “Rafael isn’t your jailer, Lili and if he has a brain, which he does, he’ll understand that keeping you caged is the fastest way to lose you completely.”
Lili stared at her hands, clenched in her lap. “And if he says no?”
“Then he’ll have to explain why,” Cova replied calmly. “And I’ll be there to hear it.”
That made Lili glance up. Something unreadable passed over her face—wary, worn, but just a flicker more alive than before.
Cova rose smoothly, her expression unreadable but her voice soft with rare gentleness. “Will you accompany me to his office?”
Lili hesitated, her shoulders twitched. Her gaze dropped, lashes trembling against her cheeks, but after a long pause, she gave a small, uncertain nod.
They walked in silence through the dim hallways. When they reached Rafael’s office, the muffled sound of voices seeped through the door.
Lili tensed instantly. Her hands curled into nervous fists, heart thudding a warning in her chest.
Cova didn’t wait longer. She raised her hand and knocked.
The voices paused. Then Rafael’s voice rang from inside. “Come in.”
Cova opened the door and stepped inside first. Lili followed, her eyes carefully avoiding both men at first—as if looking at them might shatter the fragile resolve she barely held together.
Rafael was seated behind his desk, hands steepled, his gaze unreadable but focused. Mike stood near the window, arms crossed in tension. Both men turned as the door closed behind the girls.
“We didn’t expect you two,” Rafael said, voice even. But his gaze lingered on Lili watching.
“I asked her to come,” Cova said, straight to the point. “I want to take her out of the base tomorrow.”
Lili flinched at the directness. Her eyes darted to Mike, who remained unreadable, and then to Rafael, who leaned back slowly in his chair.
“For what purpose?” Rafael asked, tone neutral.
“She needs air,” Cova said. “Away from Luke and Adam. She’s been caged too long.”
“I don’t want to run,” Lili added quickly, finding her voice. “I… I just need a day where I’m not the thing everyone’s afraid of.”
Mike exhaled and finally turned to face her directly. “No one said you wanted to run, Lili.”
“You didn’t have to,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
Rafael was silent for a moment. Then he stood, slowly, and approached them. His eyes were on Lili again—calmer this time, as if studying a riddle with no clean solution.
“One day,” he said. “You leave early, you come back before nightfall. Stay with Cova the entire time.”
Lili blinked, stunned. “You’re serious?”
“I wouldn’t waste my breath if I weren’t,” Rafael answered.
Cova offered a small smile. “Told you so.”
Mike simply nodded. “Just… be careful. Both of you.”
***
The knock came early, gentle but insistent. Lili stirred under the covers. Her feet touched the cold floor with hesitation, sleep still fogging her thoughts as she shuffled toward the door.
When she opened it, she blinked. Outside stood Cova, her expression light and unmistakably amused.
“Time to fully wake up, sleepyhead,” Cova teased, one brow raised. In her arms she carried neatly folded clothes, a jacket slung over one elbow, and shoes hanging by their laces. “I’m here to help you get ready.”
Lili squinted at the bundle, then rubbed her eyes. “I don’t—”
But the rest of her protest withered under Cova’s sharp, commanding glance.
Lili sighed, stepping back without another word, and Cova entered without hesitation. “Shower’s that way,” Cova nodded toward the small bathroom in the corner. “You’ve got twenty minutes before I drag you out anyway.”
When Lili stepped out of the shower, she was already dressed. The black skirt fell just above her knees. The top was open, elegant, and brazen—something Lili would’ve never picked herself. Sandals with low heels completed the look, giving her an edge she hadn’t realized she could carry. And of course, curling along her arm, the dragon tattoo was visible again—etched fire and fury curling across her pale skin like a mark of both danger and endurance.
Cova, lounging in the corner with arms folded, gave a low whistle as Lili stepped into view.
“You look incredible,” she said with rare softness. “And you shouldn’t be ashamed of it.”
Lili looked down at herself—then into the mirror. She still didn’t quite recognize the girl staring back. But maybe… maybe that was the point.
They stepped out into the early light. The air was still crisp, laced with the hush of a base not yet fully stirred. They reached the car and Cova moved to the driver’s side.
Lili hesitated for only a moment before she opened the passenger door and slid in. She fastened her seatbelt, eyes fixed forward, hands folded too neatly in her lap.
Cova glanced at her, grinning faintly. “Relax. You’re not being smuggled out. This is just… air.”
Lili exhaled through her nose a quiet breath that might’ve been the edge of a laugh. “Could we… you know… go to the shopping mall?” Lili asked.
Cova glanced sideways with a smirk. “Of course.”
As the car hummed to life and rolled down the road away from the base, Lili reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone—the one she hadn’t dared to turn on in weeks. The screen flickered awake, and with it, so did the world she’d left behind.
A string of notifications burst across the display—missed calls, messages, urgent pings from numbers both familiar and forgotten. Her fingers hovered over them, hesitant. A part of her wanted to throw the device out the window, but curiosity rooted her there. She tapped into the messages, and her eyes scanned the screen. Most were from one name—Dotina.
“Lili, is everything alright?”
“You’re scaring me. I heard you died.”
“Lili! It’s your fault I’m so sentimental right now, but my contacts can’t reach you at all.”
“I shouldn’t have let you return to Torin that night.”
Lili took in a deep breath, fingers trembling as they hovered over the screen. The messages from Dotina stared back at her like open wounds. Lili had always thought Dotina was clever and sharp, dangerous in her silence and deadly in her knowledge. She was the kind of person who traded affection for leverage. So why… why had she cared this much?
Lili’s thumb hovered over the reply box. She wanted to type something but the weight of returning to a life that no longer fit, to people who saw her as someone she might no longer be, made her chest feel too tight.
“Is everything okay, Lili?” Cova asked gently watching her from the corner of her eye as she drove.
Lili flinched slightly at the sound of her name. She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she exited the message screen, and tapped into her banking app. Numbers loaded on the screen. It startled her more than anything else. They hadn’t frozen it. No one had stolen it. No one had taken what she’d left behind.
“Yeah…” she finally murmured, the word drifting out like it didn’t belong to her. Her voice lacked conviction, but it was the best she could offer.
Lili stared at the screen gone dim in her hand, wondering why the things that should feel like safety suddenly felt like chains.
“About your phone…” Cova said, her tone now edged with concern. “I’d be careful. You should give it to us to inspect—make sure it’s safe. If they can track you…”
Lili’s eyes flicked toward her screen, and for a split second, she froze. It was foolish to even turn it on without thinking. But in the blur of emotion she hadn’t considered the threat and somehow, none of them had either. Not Rafael. Not Mike.
“I’ll turn on flight mode,” Lili said quickly, her voice a little rushed. “Just until I need to use the bank.”
She opened her message logs and stared at the thread from Dotina. Her chest tightened as she read the final message again—“I shouldn’t have let you return to Torin that night.” It was raw and onest.
Lili deleted the messages, the call logs, the saved contact…
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