❝You have ice powers?❞ Adam asked shocked.
Taelyn turned around, laughing as she looked back at her hand. She looked at him, confused. ❝What? You've never seen a girl with ice powers before?❞
Leo is an ordinary teenager who has moved into a hig...
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The room is quiet, the only sounds coming from the gentle hum of the night outside and the occasional rustling of the covers as Taelyn and Adam shift in their sleep. The chaos of the past week has finally melted away into the comfort of silence, and for the first time in what feels like forever, Taelyn isn't on edge. She isn't fighting for control, or running, or worried about what will happen next. She's just here, safe and warm in Adam's arms.
But then—her phone buzzes.
Taelyn stirs slightly, groaning as she tries to ignore it. She's too comfortable to move, and honestly, if it's important, they can call again. But then it buzzes again. And again. And again. Whoever it is, they aren't giving up.
With a reluctant sigh, she groggily shifts out of Adam's grasp, blindly reaching for her phone on the nightstand. She squints at the screen—Cadence.
A small flicker of surprise cuts through her exhaustion. Why would Cadence be calling this late? Still half-asleep, Taelyn swipes to answer and presses the phone to her ear, her voice groggy.
Taelyn muttering. "You better have a good reason for waking me up right now."
Cadence relieved but urgent. "Oh, thank God, you're okay!"
Taelyn blinks, suddenly more awake. She sits up slightly, rubbing her eyes. "Uh... yeah? Why wouldn't I be?"
Cadence yelled. "Are you kidding me? Taelyn, I heard everything! The lab, the Triton App, the whole brainwashing thing—what the hell happened over there?!"
Taelyn exhales sharply, running a hand through her tangled hair. She can't say she's surprised Cadence found out—news like this spreads fast when it involves something as insane as that.
Taelyn muttering, still waking up. "Who told you?!"
Cadence groaned. "Callie texted me a little while ago. She said you were okay, but I needed to hear it from you."
Taelyn sighs, leaning back against the pillows. Adam shifts beside her but doesn't wake up, his arm lazily draped over her waist.
Taelyn softly. "Yeah. I'm okay. Tired, but okay."
Cadence relieved but still frustrated. "You scared the hell out of me, Tae. I mean—getting mind-controlled? Fighting your own friends? That's next-level terrifying!"
Taelyn dryly. "Yeah, tell me about it."
Cadence is quiet for a moment, then her voice softens. "How are you really feeling?"
Taelyn hesitates. That's the real question, isn't it? Physically, she's fine—just exhausted. But mentally? Emotionally? She doesn't know how to put it into words. There's a weight on her chest that hasn't fully gone away, a lingering unease from the sheer loss of control she experienced. The things she almost did—the way it felt to not be herself—it still lingers in the back of her mind like a bad dream she can't shake.
