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I groaned, letting my head fall into the cradle of my hands. “Yeah, trying to be.”

“Well, it’s happened to all of us at some point in our lives. Don’t worry about it.”

I split my fingers wide enough to peek through the gaps. She sat poised. Her violet gaze highlighted her sharp, russet features. “If Chrome hadn’t stopped me…”

“I know,” she said, her face not betraying her intent. “It’s scary. We’ve all had some really close calls. But for you, it’s to be expected, considering you’re like a tot learning to walk.”

I snorted. “Thanks for that.”

River shrugged again. “Look,” she said, the usual tightness around her mouth slackening a fraction as her gaze softened. “I almost depleted my little brother once. I know how you feel.”

My heart sank at the implications had she succeeded. It hit too close to Chrome’s story. A story few knew. “And what happened?”

River looked away and began chewing on the inside of her cheek. “My mother stopped me. She filled my lungs with water until I passed out.”

My brows shot to my hairline. “Wow. That’s…intense,” I said, thinking of the harsh punishments my lovely father had bestowed upon me.

Another shrug. “That’s my family: intense.”

“I can relate.” I ran my fingers through my hair, the black-and white waves catching between my fingers. “My father once broke all of my ribs because I failed to summon a ball of electricity on the first try.”

River scoffed and shook her head. Her narrowed eyes told me she was trying to envision the memory.

“He proceeded to throw me into the deep end of the swimming pool before I had the chance to heal. I blacked out and sank to the bottom. He waited until I was on the brink of death before he allowed a guard to retrieve me.”

River’s mouth fell slack. A look of pure disgust dripped from her expression as she crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her chin higher. Our gazes met in understanding.

“I was thirteen. My powers had only manifested a week prior.” I leaned back in the cherry-oak chair, propping my forearms on the rests.

“That piece of shit really knows no bounds, does he?” she asked, venom lacing her tone. “My parents,” she started, remaining stiff in her seat. “They were tough. They pushed me and my brother to the extreme, but it came from a place of love—of belief in our abilities. They knew we needed to be prepared for the world. To be able to survive no matter the situation,” River explained. Her gaze went distant. “But your father,” she said, scathing. “He’s just fucking evil. A heartless piece of shit. And I hope he dies a very slow and gruesome death.”

I offered a half smile and held her gaze in solidarity.

I didn’t want her sympathy, and she didn’t give it. Like me, she wasn’t one for showing emotions or opening up about painful experiences. We didn’t have to. Some wounds shone on our exterior like armor. They spoke for themselves.

Chapter 43

Cotton

The guards escorted the Kinetic woman with earthy green hair from the metal table in the interrogation room. Obviously, she hadn’t been lying; the thermal signature in her chest and other areas would’ve lit up bright red if she had been.

I wasn’t sure how much longer I could pull this off. Every day for the past month, King Forest had me interrogating everyone who’d ever come into contact with Princess Gray, hoping to catch the culprits responsible for aiding in her escape.

When the king questioned me about being seen with her down in the training room, I’d made out that I had been apprehending her to bring her in but she’d overtaken me and fled. It went against everything inside me to lie like that, but it was the only way to protect Scarlett and Hazel. Because Gray and I had never been close, he bought it. But his sights had been set on Hazel and Scarlett since Gray’s disappearance, and I’d been running a very risky game in interfering with the investigation.

The chair scraped against the concrete floor as I pushed away from the table, rising to hand over my report of the most recent interrogation. It said the same as all the others: no connection with the princess.

I couldn’t ignore the lead weight in my stomach telling me that King Forest was running out of patience.

Thankfully, the king decided to do away with cameras after Devolution Day. We had plenty of Kinetics with the capabilities to run them, but the king said it was a waste of our energy to do so. Instead, he relied on our magic to keep a tight grip on the King’s Palace.

I needed to check on Scarlett, my oldest and dearest friend and the one person who had stayed by my side when I stopped speaking. She knew something traumatic had happened but never pressured me to tell her. I’ll forever love the shit out of her for that.

The King’s Palace was quiet today, which was odd. Usually, people were busy milling about or rushing to get to one place or another. For it to be calm felt eerie. Ominous. I popped my neck as I straightened my suit jacket, a nervous habit.

I knocked on her door, shoving my hands in my pockets. Glancing over my shoulder, a pair of eyes burned into my back, watching and waiting. Or perhaps I was just being paranoid.

After a beat, the door swung open. Scarlett stood with her ruby hair pulled up in a messy bun. She scanned the hallway, clearly feeling the same foreboding as I was. I stepped inside, and she pulled me into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her tall frame, relieved to see her alive and well.