Resonant Echoes

Chapter 8: Fractures

"Who the hell was that?" RJ muttered, his voice filled with anger and suspicion as they stood in the clearing, still processing what had just happened. His fists were clenched, his whole body tense.

"I don't know," Chandra said, her voice shaky. She couldn't stop thinking about Torin's words. The way he had known so much about them, about the resonator, about Nyla. And the way he had spoken with such certainty—like he had all the answers.

RJ shook his head, his jaw clenched. "I don't trust him."

"I don't either," Chandra said, though a small part of her was still intrigued by what Torin had said. He seemed to understand the power of the Echoes in a way Nyla hadn't explained yet. But could they really trust him?

"We need to talk to Nyla," RJ said, his voice sharp with frustration. "She needs to know about this guy."

Chandra nodded, though her mind was still spinning with questions. What if Torin was right? What if Nyla was keeping something from them? And what if they were in more danger than they realized?

As they walked back toward the trail, the tension between them felt heavier than ever. RJ was clearly angry, his usually calm demeanor replaced by a brooding silence. Chandra wanted to say something, to ease the tension, but she didn't know how.

When they reached the edge of the woods, RJ finally broke the silence. "So what do you think? Do you trust your aunt?"

Chandra hesitated, her stomach twisting with uncertainty. "I don't know. I want to trust her, but... Torin knew too much. He knew about the resonator. He knew about the Echoes. And he knew about Nyla."

RJ frowned, his eyes darkening. "You think she's hiding something?"

"I don't know," Chandra admitted. "But I think we need to be careful. With all of this."

RJ's jaw clenched, his frustration boiling over. "I don't like this, Chandra. We're getting pulled into something way bigger than us, and I don't know if we can handle it."

Chandra felt a pang of guilt. RJ had been her partner through all of this, but now it felt like they were starting to pull apart. She didn't want that. But she also didn't know how to fix it.

"I know," she said softly. "But we have to figure this out together. We can't let this power control us."

RJ sighed, his shoulders slumping as the tension drained out of him. "Yeah. You're right. I just... I don't like not knowing who we can trust."

Chandra reached out and touched his arm, offering a small smile. "We'll figure it out. We always do."

For a moment, their eyes met, and Chandra felt that familiar warmth between them—the bond that had always been there, even before the resonator. But then RJ pulled away, turning his gaze toward the ground.

"We should head back," he said, his voice flat.

Chandra nodded, but the distance between them felt larger than ever. And as they made their way back to town, the questions about Nyla, Torin, and the Echoes continued to swirl in her mind.