Invictus

Twenty-One

[in ictu oculi]

There was a heartbeat or two of silence as Tessa stood, shell-shocked, atop the central platform of headquarters. Her heart twisted within her chest, every nerve in her body erupted into existence and faded, as if the very fabric of being she existed on couldn't fathom what her eyes were seeing.

Tessa managed a shaky breath, averting her gaze from Reese's disheveled figure to Dale, Mark, and Kaden. Her friends had seemingly assumed their own form of confusion and disbelief, but one thing was strikingly similar within them all. Hope, blazing like fire in their eyes.

"Did I land in a universe where none of you know who I am, or something?" Reese tried for a laugh, but his voice was gruff, like he'd spent his two months across the universe screaming atop his lungs.

Before another wave of silence could wash over them, Dale's soft voice chimed. "If you take off into another stupid-ass decision like that again, I will actually murder you."

And as Reese drew his eyebrows together in confusion, Dale darted forward, pulling the son of Apollo into a long-awaited hug. Reese looked taken aback for a split second, but wrapped his arms around the smaller girl, his eyes closing as he released a breath.

Tessa dug out her phone as Kaden and Mark swept to join Reese on the platform, sending a quick message to Imogen. She stuffed her phone away, turning on her heel and following her friends.

"So much for being a hero, huh?" Reese managed as he pulled away from Mark and Kaden's group embrace to drag Tessa into his embrace.

Tessa took a deep breath, her heart slowing to a normal pace. This was Reese. He was alive and safe and back home.

"How did you get back?" Tessa asked, stepping out of the embrace to look up at Reese. His eyes had darkened, or maybe it was Tessa's imagination, but the son of Apollo cleared his throat.

"It wasn't a planned return, I'll tell you that much," Reese exhaled. He staggered to one of the chairs nearby, slumping into it like he hadn't sat down in years. "I only left this early because I was found out."

"Found out?" Kaden asked, bracing his hands on the back of another chair. "The General?"

Reese nodded, dragging a hand through his dust-laden blond hair. "For the past two months, I've been playing the part of my alternate self on the other world. The plan was working: I was gaining intel on how the Regiment works, I was working with Matthew to come back home. Everything was working until..."

His sapphire eyes looked haunted, like part of him was still trapped on the other side of the portal. On the glass tabletop, his free hand twitched with some sort of nervous tic.

Tessa grabbed a pitcher of water on a nearby counter, pouring Reese a glass. She walked back over to the table where her friends were crowded, handing the son of Apollo the glass.

"You don't have to tell us anything if you aren't ready," Tessa assured him, sitting down. "Whatever you went through these past two months can't be easy to talk about."

Reese was silent for a while, taking small sips of water as if to clear his head. He set down the glass, his knuckles white around it. "I'll talk. I want to say it once and be done with it, put it behind me."

Tessa nodded to Reese, but glanced up to look at each of her friends. They all wore the same visage of concern, the hope in their eyes dying down. Here was a reminder of the war they were all forced into from birth, a reminder of the troubles and hardships they'd never be free from. Something withered within Tessa at the thought; she wondered when it died within Reese.