ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀꜱ : ᴛʜᴇ ᴜᴘʀɪꜱɪɴɢ

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• ＷＩＬＬＯＷ •

The dawn was a weak gray light filtering through the trees, and I stood by the stream longer than I should have, letting the chill seep into my bones. I watched as the last of the stars disappeared, swallowed by the coming day. A new day, but the same nightmare.

It felt like I was drifting, unmoored, caught between what I had lost and what I had to do next. The memories of the fight at the school replayed in my mind—Alicia's fear, the bullet frozen in the air, the way the guards looked at us like we were nothing more than animals to be hunted. And then Alicia's face, blank, lost to Maya's power. I knew it was necessary, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

I ran a hand through my hair, gripping tight as if the pain could anchor me. My hair was so long now, almost at the end of my back. The water in the stream flowed steadily, indifferent to everything. For a moment, I envied it, wished I could let go and be carried away, unfeeling, unaware.

But I couldn't. Not when there were still people depending on me, not when there was still a fight to be had. I knew I couldn't bring back my parents, or my old life, but maybe I could find some kind of justice. Maybe I could make them pay for what they'd done.

I forced myself to stand, brushing the dirt from my knees. I didn't have the luxury of breaking down—not here, not now. I had to be strong, had to keep going, even if it felt like I was piecing myself together with nothing but fraying threads.

The cabin was quiet when I returned. The others were stirring awake, gathering their things, preparing for another day on the run. I caught Raiden's eye as I stepped inside. He gave me a look—concern, worry, something more, maybe—but I just nodded, pretending I was fine. I wasn't, but I needed them to believe I was. They needed to believe I could handle this.

"Ready to move out?" Raiden asked, his voice gentle, as if he was afraid I might shatter.

I gave him a tight smile. "Always."

He didn't push, just nodded and went to help Ember with the map. The others started packing up, the weight of the day already settling over us. There was no room for hesitation, no room for doubt. We had a destination, however uncertain, and we had to keep moving.

I grabbed my pack and joined them, but my mind was miles away, back in the forest by the stream. I couldn't afford to let my guard down. Not again.

As we loaded back into the van, I took a deep breath, forcing myself to focus. The road ahead was long, and I couldn't let the ghosts of the past drag me down. Not while there was still a chance to make things right.

Maya sat beside me, her face drawn, the aftereffects of her powers still visible in the pale lines around her eyes. She glanced at me, her gaze searching, but I looked away. I knew she wanted to talk, to offer comfort or maybe just understanding, but I couldn't. Not now. Maybe not ever.

The van started with a lurch, and we were back on the road, the trees blurring past the windows. I watched them pass, my thoughts distant. The camp was still out there, somewhere in the mountains, and with it, the possibility of hope. Or maybe just another trap. We didn't know, but it was the only lead we had, the only thread we could follow.

Hours passed in silence, the miles slipping by as the landscape changed. The roads grew narrower, the trees thicker, until the van was crawling through a dense forest. The air was cooler here, the shadows deeper, but it didn't feel like safety. It just felt like another place to hide.

When we finally stopped, it was near dusk. The hideout was deeper in the woods this time, a small clearing surrounded by towering pines. There was a crumbling stone building, half-overgrown with ivy, but it would do. It had to.