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Malia

"What time are you on watch tomorrow?" I ask when Keahi stops in front of the gate.

"I’ll have to ask Wystan.

Sometime in the morning, I think.

When do you have to get up?"

"Ugh, in less than seven hours," I complain.

"Poor thing.

The next time you want to go out, we’ll try doing it on the night before our day off, how’s that sound? Until then, just try to look at the bright side of things.

Our schedules finally align so we can meet up as soon as we’re done with work. And hey, you love your job." He kisses me goodbye, and I get out of the car, mumbling an agreement under my breath. He watches me leave and only drives away once I’m inside the facility. Yes, that’s right, I have a key now. Flint probably felt bad about me not getting paid so this is something at least.

I set my alarm for 8 am tomorrow and fall asleep before my head hits my pillow.

For once, my dreams are good to me.

They show me Keahi’s smile and a future I could have with him.

I’m a teacher, a paid one, the two of us live together, and even Wystan has forgiven me.

It’s improbable but cute, nonetheless.

I curse my alarm for ripping me back to reality and get up in a foul mood.

It’s fine, I’ll see Keahi later.

I need to find a hobby or something because right now, the only thing I get up for in the morning is Keahi. That can’t be healthy.

Seeing Flint on my way to the training room, I stop to talk to him.

He seems to be in a better mood, so I’m hoping for some good news.

"Hi there.

Still no new disappearances?" I ask.

"Not a single one.

No sightings either.

Whoever was taking our guards got bored, I assume." Hearing the honest relief in his voice, I feel my lips tip slowly into a small smile. Did I think Flint was a raging jerk at first? Yeah. But it seems he really does care about Arcane and his people, so that’s something.

"What are we going to do about our missing people?" I demand.

Thinking back to all the reports I’ve been given, at least two dozen guards must be missing.

I know he wouldn’t let me go on a mission to look for them seeing as I’m too busy with teaching, but I’d still like to know how the search is coming along. The fact that not a single body has been found triggers a shit ton of anxiety within me, and I hate to think that they’re being held captive by some psychopaths.

To my surprise, Flint merely shrugs rather than provide me with more good news.

"What can we do? We have no clue who’s taken them, least of all if they’re still alive," he remarks, his tone sounding final.

It’s enough to set me off a bit.

"So, you’re abandoning them? Like you said, we don’t know who they’re with, so all sorts of things could be happening to them.

Your plan is to just let that happen?" Am I projecting? Yes.

This scenario hits a little too close to what happened to me when I was fifteen, and I’d be lying if I said I ever got over being abandoned by everyone I knew.

What if these guards are experiencing something similar? What if something even sicker is being done to them?

"We don’t have any leads, Malia, there’s nothing we can do.

Searching for them would be a waste of time and resources." My hackles rise.

"I’m sure that helps you looking in the mirror.

Seems just like Arcane, abandoning their people because they’re too scared to do anything else.

What are you going to tell their loved ones? You’re sorry but they were just collateral? They were taken on duties you sent them on. Most of them back when you were still keeping information from them. It’ll cause a riot."

"I get that this is an emotional topic for you, but I have to think about what’s best for everyone." An emotional topic? I want to fight him, so, so badly.

"Are you coming to training today?" I ask instead, my voice shaky from the effort not to yell.

"Yeah, I guess." To my satisfaction, Flint seems uneasy now.

That’ll have to be enough to keep me calm until I can beat his ass in front of everyone.

An emotional topic. unbelievable.