"I have been afraid of you, Mr. Robert Audley," she thought, "but perhaps the time may come in which you will have cause to be afraid of me." ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon

* * * *

The rain came down in heavy sheets, a rhythmic, unrelenting drumming against the metal hull of the boathouse docked quietly in Zalfari's mist-veiled port. Thunder muttered low in the distance, and every now and then, a fork of pale lightning laced through the sky, illuminating the fog-covered waters of the bay in brief, ghostly brilliance.

Zalfari, one of the last places in Eldario where the Gifted weren't hunted like animals, was quiet tonight, unusually so.

The usual buzz of life in the underground haven was muted beneath the storm's voice. Perhaps it was the storm itself, or perhaps it was the silence of those who had seen too much lately, of those who were beginning to understand that their world was collapsing faster than they could prepare for.

Kailey stood at the boathouse's entrance, soaked through, the rain dripping from her raven-black hair and pooling at her feet. She shivered slightly, not just from the cold, but from everything that had come before this moment.

She closed the door behind her slowly, the creak echoing too loudly in the stillness. Her boots squelched against the wooden floorboards, water trailing behind her as she stepped deeper into the boathouse's cozy interior. The familiar scent of dry wood, faint lavender incense, and aged paper lingered in the air—comforting, even if only slightly.

The main lounge was dim, lit only by the soft yellow glow of a single lamp. The furniture seemed smaller in the gloom. Books lined the shelves, scattered sketches and maps were pinned on a nearby corkboard, and the faint warmth of a dying fire lingered from the hearth.

And there, waiting for her in quiet stillness, sat Neil.

Her twin brother.

He was curled up in one of the worn armchairs, his long raven hair, tied back as always, falling over his shoulder. His pearl-white eyes, so like her own, lifted from the page of a half-closed book in his lap. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes had that familiar shine. That knowing gleam that told her he didn't need to ask.

He already knew.

Next to him on the armrest lay a white, fluffy towel. Wordlessly, Neil picked it up and held it out to her. "You're going to catch a cold if you don't dry off," was all he said, his voice soft, steady, and yet heavy with something unsaid.

Kailey's throat tightened. She reached for the towel and took it with both hands, her fingers brushing his. "Thanks," she murmured, her voice barely audible as she slowly began to rub at her dripping hair, trying to keep her trembling in check.

Neil watched her for a moment longer, his gaze calm but piercing. Then he closed his book, setting it aside with a sigh. He leaned back in his chair, arms resting loosely against the armrests, and exhaled quietly.

From the look in Neil's eyes, Kailey knew that he already know what had happened.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Her twin always had a way of knowing how she felt. Kailey and even some of the members of Aegis had always chalked it up to being twins. Though Tatius and Ness are twins, too, and they didn't seem to have the same inner understanding between them that Kailey and Neil shared.

If anything, those two argued every chance they got. It's a marvel Claudia had yet to go insane, listening to her twin brothers go on and on every time.

"Neil…" Kailey began, uncertain.

"I won't ask," Her brother interrupted gently, his eyes lowering. "I never did, Kai. Because in this case, I think it's better I don't know." A pause. "Ignorance is bliss. Or at least, easier to live with."

Kailey stilled, her hands frozen against the towel. The fire crackled faintly in the background, flickering shadows across the wood-panelled walls.

Neil turned his gaze back toward her, sharper this time. "But… Are you sure about him?"

Kailey's heart skipped a beat. Her grip on the towel tightened, her fingers twisting into the fabric. She looked away. "…How did you know?"

Neil let out a long sigh, closing his eyes briefly. "You always went to that same music café whenever we passed through Zalfari to rest or refuel," he said. "Every single time, like clockwork. You thought I wouldn't notice?" A faint, self-deprecating smile tugged at the edge of his lips. "I mean, come on, Kailey. I'm your twin. And I'm not blind. If I hadn't figured it out, I'd be insulting our shared genetics."

Kailey let out a breath that was part laugh, part sigh, rubbing at her hair again. Her heart felt like it was twisting in her chest, her emotions like waves crashing against one another—guilt, longing, sorrow, and fear. "He's…not like them," she said softly.

"You mean the rest of the ESA? Or the hunters?" Neil's voice was calm, but there was something beneath it. An edge. A tremor of pain, frustration, and worry.

"Both," Kailey whispered.

Neil rose from his seat slowly, walking over to her. His expression wasn't angry. It wasn't cold. It was just…sad. "You know, I remember…when you warned Sera not to fall for Zest. Back before we knew him, and only knew of him from the rumours around the underground of the Black Demon. You said it would only bring her pain."

Kailey closed her eyes. "…I should take my own advice, huh?"

Neil said nothing for a long moment. Then, gently, he reached out and took the towel from her hands, finishing what she couldn't. He rubbed her hair dry the way he used to when they were little—when the world was simpler, before war and fear and hate tore it apart.

"We're not kids anymore, Kai," Neil murmured. "I can't protect you the way I could when we were children. Back when we thought hiding under blankets could save us from the world." He gave a weak smile, full of heartbreak.

Kailey looked up at him, her pearl-white eyes glassy with unshed tears. "I don't need you to protect me."

"I know you don't," Neil said. "But I want to." His hands stilled. "But I'm saying this as your brother. He's still ESA. He's still them. And we're the people they hunt. There are no happy endings in this, Kailey. Not for us. Not for them."

A pause.

"You said he's not like the others. But are you really sure?"

Kailey hesitated.

Images of Jonan's bloodied form on the cold ground flashed in her mind. The way he looked at her like she wasn't some monster. The way he touched her hand. Like she was human. Like she mattered.

But then she remembered the truth too. The collars. The screaming from the labs. Karl's limp body. The atrocities of the hunters. And even the ESA.

Kailey shook her head, unsure. "I don't know."

Neil gave a slow nod. "You say that," he said. "But…" He gently reached out, and tapped her chest with two fingers. Right over her heart. "Do you know that?"

She didn't respond.

Rain drummed louder on the rooftop, the storm outside matching the chaos in her heart.

Kailey dropped her gaze again, her voice hollow. "…We're losing, Neil." He stiffened slightly. "I know no one says it," she went on. "But we are. The people are scared. The Gifted are hunted. The hunters don't even see us as human anymore. The way they…use our blood to make that drug—Blue Pandora, like we're just cattle. Just…parts." Her shoulders trembled. "They're not trying to rehabilitate us. They're trying to erase us. Make us weapons. Or monsters. Or corpses."

Neil's face hardened.

Kailey took a breath that felt like knives. "And I'm falling for a man who works for them. Even if he isn't one of them, he still…is."

Neil stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her into a quiet embrace.

He was warm. Grounding. Safe.

"We don't get to choose who we love," he murmured into her hair. "But we can choose why we love them. And if they're worth the pain that comes with it."

Silence hung between them for a long time.

"I just…" Kailey's voice cracked. "I don't want to lose him. But I don't want to lose me either."

Neil slowly pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Then you need to figure that out. Soon. Before you fall too deep. Because if he ever has to choose between us… Between you and the ESA…"

He didn't finish. He didn't have to.

The weight of Neil's words lingered like smoke in the air.

Kailey nodded slowly, her heart heavy. "…I'll think about it."

"You'd better," Neil whispered. "Because if he ever hurts you…" A spark of steel lit in his ghost-white eyes. "…There won't be a corner of Eldario safe enough for him to hide."

Kailey gave a weak, tearful laugh. "You're such a drama queen."

Neil smiled faintly. "Takes one to know one."

And for a moment, just a moment, they stood together in silence. The storm still raged outside. Eldario was still bleeding. The war was still coming.

But for now, they had this. The warmth of a sibling's love in the cold ruins of a broken world.

And sometimes… Sometimes, that was enough to hold on.

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