Morning sunlight filled the mansion, golden streaks gliding over marble floors and tall windows. I was in awe—the sun shone beautifully.
My phone buzzed to life where I had left it charging overnight. The screen lit up with a name that made guilt rise in my chest like a slow burn.
Keanu.
I stared at it longer than I should have—debating. Then I answered.
"Keanu," I breathed, the name tasting familiar but distant.
"Leighton?" he said, his voice laced with surprise and barely-contained worry.
"You okay? You kind of ghosted the entire planet."
"I know," I murmured, pressing a hand to my temple.
"I'm sorry. I... there was an emergency. It's complicated."
There was a pause—long, heavy, and full of questions he didn't ask.
"Well," he said finally, "I figured something was up. Wanted to check in sooner, but I figured... you'd tell me when you were ready."
"Thank you," I said softly.
"But there's something else, Keanu."
"Then let's talk," he said without missing a beat.
"After office hours. Just you and me."
I agreed.
Later that day, I waited for him at the small café near the Daily Life building.
When Keanu walked through the door, I raised a hand in greeting.
He spotted me and smiled—warm and genuine.
But there was something different and profoundness about him, a sense of having navigated life's complexities that manifested not as age, but as an inherent maturity.
Had I really been gone that long?
He slid into the seat across from me.
"Hey. How are you? You look... thinner. Are you eating? Are you sick?"
"Yes and no, but I'm fine, don't worry," I said, trying to soften the truth with a small smile.
"I wish I could explain, but I can't."
He leaned back, arms crossed, studying me like I was a puzzle missing half the pieces.
"You sound like a secret agent. Mysterious, all shadowy and intense."
I gave a short, weak laugh.
"Something like that."
"So? What did you want to tell me?"
I hesitated before finally speaking.
"I'm resigning."
Keanu looked at me, surprise flickering across his face.
Keanu exhaled hard.
"Seriously? Are you sure? You were one of the good ones."
"I don't have a choice."
He didn't argue. Just looked at me, quiet, steady.
"Nothing I say will change your mind, huh?"
I shook my head.
Hopefully, something better awaited me—once everything was over.
"Alright then," he said.
"But you've changed, Leighton. A lot. Just don't disappear on me again, okay?"
"I'll stay in touch. I promise."
He looked at me for a moment, then stood. "Come on."
I blinked.
"Where to?"
"You'll see when we get there. You're not in a rush, right?"
I shook my head.
So I followed him.
We walked for a while—past the familiar streets of the city, until it blurred into something new.
The sky shifted, painting soft golds and tangerine hues as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
It was almost sunset when we arrived.
A fruit festival had sprung to life in the town square—vibrant and colorful, alive with laughter, scents of honey and citrus and spices floating on the evening breeze.
Booths overflowed with strawberries, glistening grapes, peaches the size of my fists, and carved melons shaped like flowers.
Music played softly in the distance, the hum of violins mingling with the laughter of children.
"Fruit festival?" I asked, half-smiling in surprise.
"I thought you'd like it," Keanu said.
He remembered. I always had a sweet tooth for fruit. It was a simple pleasure, one that felt impossibly distant from the life I now led.
But I shouldn't have come. Not out in the open. Not where so many eyes could see me.
Still, as the moon began to rise—bright and full and watching—I let myself enjoy the moment.
We wandered from booth to booth, tasting slices of nectarines dipped in honey, cherries that burst with flavor, and figs drizzled with dark syrup.
Keanu laughed when I tried a fruit I couldn't name and made a face. I laughed too, forgetting for a breath that I was a walking target.
Then, suddenly someone brushed against my shoulder.
I turned instinctively.
He stood tall, broad-shouldered, with an elegance that felt out of place in the bustling crowd.
His eyes—blue as the ocean on a stormy day—were beautiful, cold, and strangely haunting.
Golden-blonde hair framed his face in gentle waves, catching the moonlight.
For a fleeting second, his gaze drew me in. It wasn't just a look—it was a pull, as though his eyes whispered stories of lifetimes lived, secrets buried deep.
I felt as if I could fall into them and unravel his thoughts one by one.
Then he spoke, and the spell shattered.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. But his eyes didn't move.
They stayed on mine, unblinking, searching—as if trying to uncover something I hadn't even discovered in myself.
And just like that, he vanished into the crowd, slipping away like smoke in the wind.
"You okay?" Keanu asked, noticing my tension.
"I'm fine," I said quickly, but my voice was tight.
Just as I was trying to recall the face of the stranger who bumped into me, I caught sight of a familiar one.
Vlad.
Standing at the corner of the crowd, watching. Like he had been there all along.
And to the left, near a fig booth—
Dylan.
What were they doing here? Watching me? Tracking me?
My stomach sank.
"Leighton…" Keanu's voice pulled me back to the moment.
Then, suddenly, he reached for my hand—catching me off guard.
"I…" he began, his eyes searching mine. "There's something I've been meaning to—"
But he never got the chance to finish.
In a flash, Vlad and Dylan appeared in front of us. Swift, purposeful. Their presence sucked the air out of the space between us.
"Excuse me," Keanu said to them, cold and polite.
"Do I know you?"
"There's an emergency," Vlad cut in, eyes locked on mine.
"She needs to come with us. Now."
Keanu blinked, confused.
"Wait—what's going on?"
"I'm sorry, Keanu," I said, pulling my hand away gently.
"I have to go."
"Do you know them?" he asked, voice uncertain.
I nodded.
"I can't explain right now. I'm so sorry."
Vlad and Dylan flanked me as we slipped away from the festival and into the night.
When we were far from the noise, I turned on them.
"What the hell?" I snapped.
"Am I not allowed to have a little fun? A slice of normal life? How did you even know I was there?"
"We're bonded, remember?" Vlad said smoothly.
"You're like a magnet to me. I can feel when your energy shifts."
"Same with me," Dylan added.
"Leighton, you have to understand—you can't live like before. If something happens to you, I feel it. The whole pack does. Your choices don't just affect you anymore."
"If you plan to go somewhere," Vlad said, "at least tell us first."
There was no room for argument.
Then I remembered him—that strange man.
"I saw someone weird just now," I said, my voice low.
"The blonde guy?" Vlad asked, eyes narrowing.
"Yeah, I saw him too. His energy… it wasn't normal."
I nodded slowly.
"It felt intentional. Like he bumped into me on purpose."
"He might've just been interested in you, Leighton," Dylan chimed in, trying to sound casual.
"Don't overthink it. It'll only mess with your head."
But something told me it wasn't that simple.