Chapter 58: The End

To be safe, they searched the cave and surrounding mountain. The Synthians had reached out and found no quiet spaces in nature. It was something they hadn’t done the last time, thinking all was well. That was a lesson they had all learned the hard way.

On the return home, Callie felt...odd. That night when they camped, Jardan had taken her hand and pulled her off to walk beside a little creek until they came to a fallen log that was clear of moss. Only the sound of the quickly moving water filled the area around them.

Callie felt Jardan’s patience. He didn’t pressure her to talk to him. He didn’t badger her about how she felt at that moment. For that, she was grateful.

Reaching out to take his hand, she entwined her fingers with his. “A year ago, I was an ordinary teenager ticked off at my mother. Everything was typical.”

Jardan didn’t answer. Instead, he squeezed her hand and rubbed the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand.