I Never Knew

Chapter 19

***Be prepared for EVEN MORE drama, people. This book is reaching its climax soon...***

***(Jay's POV; song for this chapter: "Broken Strings" by James Morrison and Nelly Furtado)***

It's too quiet back at the monastery. All of us are back, sitting in a circle, staring at each other. Something's off.

"So, Lloyd..." I begin. "How did it go?"

He shakes his head and sighs. Nya wraps her arms around him.

"I love Harumi," he whispers. "How could she do this to me?"

I don't know how he can even like her.

"I'm not sure, Lloyd," Nya comforts him.

"Plus, I'm a garbage leader. My team is breaking. We're losing everyone and everything." He heaves a sigh. "We didn't find out anything from Rumi. She was ecstatic that we were spending time together, and she didn't even mind that I had Cole along. We went to a party."

"But, Lloyd!" Nya exclaims. "Like, a party, party?"

"Man, you're sheltered," Cole mutters under his breath.

She slays him with her eyes. "Lloyd doesn't want to drink while underaged. He promised he wouldn't, since he was afraid of following in his father's steps. Don't you think being at a party, surrounded by alcohol and who knows what else, he might be incited to break that vow?"

"Calm down, Nya," Lloyd says, rolling his eyes. "It was just one party. Nobody got hurt. I didn't drink anything. End of story."

I wince at Lloyd's rude tone. "Hey, Nya doesn't deserve – "

She stops me with a look, offering me a smile of reassurance. "It's okay, Jay. Lloyd is hurt right now. I can take it."

Yeah, but she shouldn't have to. I'm afraid their friendship is threadbare. A song I don't want to ever sing begins thrumming through my head.

"Let me hold you for the last time;

It's the last chance to feel again.

But you broke me; now I can't feel anything."

I don't want that to become the story of their relationship.

"Zane, would you like to recount our findings?" asks Nya.

He snaps out of whatever dreary world he's been stuck in all afternoon. "Oh, yes. Of course. After talking to Ronin, we learned that the staff was transported on the ship Insolence Rising approximately two weeks ago. It was rented out for just one night to do the job. We can figure out the name of the man who acquired it, but that would probably require the help of the authorities."

"The commissioner likes us," I shrug. "Shouldn't be too hard."

Lloyd raises a brow. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, I mean, you wouldn't remember, but Nya and I do. Nya, do you recall when the police force thought we were all criminals, so they put us in Kryptarian prison, but it turns out – "

"We don't have time for messing around, Jay," Cole sighs. "But we do need to track where that boat went. We could find witnesses and that kind of thing."