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“Look Lo, there’s a beautiful lake over there. Oh, I’m so jealous you’re going to be here for six weeks. You’re going to have so much fun,” Ada gushed.

Lo sat in the back seat, rolling his eyes.

Against his will, his parents had taken him to the summer camp with Meco seated beside him.

There was an heir of sadness his brother possessed that infected him.

They were never separated. They did everything together and knowing they would have to go six weeks without each other made Lo nauseous.

“This looks lame,” Meco complained. “Lo don’t wanna be here.”

“We already talked about this,” Dax reminded him. “These six weeks are going to fly by and when he’s done, Lo is going to thank us for making him go.”

“No, I’m not,” he retorted.

Ada turned around, giving him a stern expression. “Stop being so negative. You’re going to have a blast and you…” She cut her eyes at Meco. “…stop instigating. Everybody’s going to be fine.”

Dax parked and was the first one to get out the car. Lo, Meco, and Ada followed suit and went to the trunk to retrieve his suitcase. Right away, a Caucasian man with blond hair and green eyes approached them.

“Hello and welcome to The Genius Society. I’m Liam.” He extended his hand, and Dax shook it. “Who will be joining us?”

Ada placed her hands on Lo’s shoulder. “My son, Kylo, is. Say hi, baby.”

“What’s up?” he stated begrudgingly.

“Oh, I know that face.” Liam beamed. “This is the only face we see when it’s drop-off day, but I can guarantee when it’s pick-up day, the children are filled with smiles.”

“See, Lo, you’re going to be so happy when we pick you up,” Ada teased.

He shrugged her hands off his shoulders and stepped aside. He was beyond annoyed with his parents, who acted as if this would be a good opportunity for him.

“Kylo, there are so many things you’re going to learn here,” Liam raved. “Allow me to take you guys on a tour.”

The family followed Liam around the campus where there was a lake, a laboratory, and a recreation center. There were small cabins surrounding the main building that they would be sleeping in.

“This will be your cabin, Kylo. You’re going to share with Julian, who’s a great kid as well.”

Lo plopped down on the bed, looking around the cabin that housed two twin-sized beds, two desks, and two drawers.

“I’ll let you all say your goodbyes.” Liam glanced at his watch. “Kylo, once you’re done, you can come over to the main building where we’ll be having lunch.”

Lo didn’t bother giving him confirmation as he exited the room. Dax looked at him with his hands inside his pockets.

“Son, don’t be so down. I’ll be here in six weeks to get you.”

“I don’t wanna stay,” Lo tried once again to change his mind.

“Boy, you ain’t gon’ be gone that long,” Ada fussed, waving her hand dismissively. “Stop acting like we’re sending you away for good.”

“Ada,” Dax warned. “You're not making it any better.”

She pursed her lips and nodded. “Mama’s sorry, Lo. I just really want this for you, baby. Just do this for us, and I swear we won’t make you participate in anything else you don’t wanna do.”

Lo didn’t care about what Ada said. He wanted out now but judging by the looks on his parents’ faces, that wouldn’t happen.

“I’ll do all the chores at the house if you let Lo come back home,” Meco offered.

Ada scoffed. “Boy, your lazy ass don’t even do the one you’re supposed to do.”

“I’ll start right now. Just let Lo come home.”

Dax walked over to Meco and rubbed his head. “This is a great opportunity for him. He’ll be home before he know it.”

Lo felt like crying but didn’t want to give his parents the satisfaction of knowing they’d hurt him. Maybe he was being a spoiled brat in this moment, but he didn’t care. There were many places he’d rather be than some weak-ass summer camp.

“Come give us a hug,” Ada requested.

Begrudgingly, Lo got up from the bed and gave her a side hug.

He did the same with Dax and turned to Meco.

They had a special handshake they had been doing since they were five.

It cemented their twinship and brotherhood.

They usually did it when they parted ways for class but knowing he wouldn’t see his brother for six weeks really dampened his already fucked-up mood.

“Call me tonight.”

Lo nodded and watched him walk to the door.

“Bye, baby,” Ada said as Dax rubbed the top of his head.

Once the door was closed, Lo’s rage intensified, and when his roommate walked inside, he became vexed.

“Hey, I’m Julian. What’s your name?” the white boy said, extending his hand.

Lo looked at his hand and slapped it away. “My name is stay the fuck outta my way.”

Julian’s head reared as his eyes widened. Lo laid back on the bed and positioned his hands behind his head. He would make this experience as gloomy as possible since he was sent here against his will.

Lo jumped out of his slumber, feeling sweat coat his body. His limbs shook slightly as he tried to make out where he was.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.”

Bria’s soft tone caressed his ears as she wrapped her arms around him. Her touch provided him with so much comfort at the moment. It was soothing and helped Lo relaxed.

“It’s okay, you’re okay.”

Bria didn’t know it, but Lo needed to hear that.

His nightmares were becoming so vivid that he still smelled the scent of the summer camp.

It was an aroma of old wood and pine trees.

Lo hated parts of his life. There were moments he wished he could erase from his psyche because they were too painful to think about.

For years, he had been okay not reliving what happened to him.

Now, he was being harrowed almost every night.

“Did you have a bad dream?” Bria whispered to him.

How could Lo answer her? He couldn’t tell her what it was about because then he would have to explain his past to her.

Explaining his past would mean exposing a part of himself that had been tainted by the evils of the world.

No, Lo couldn’t do it. He wasn’t ready and didn’t think he would ever be able to tell Bria how he had been ruined before he had a chance to become a man.

“I’m good,” he assured, knowing that was a lie.

He would never be well again. Lo was spoiled goods. He had been tainted by the dark side and instead of fighting it, he embraced it.

“Are you sure? You’re shaking.”

Lo pushed out a deep breath and gently escaped the comfort of Bria’s arms. Ambling into the ensuite, he shut the door and sat on the edge of the bathtub.

Rubbing his eyes, he hoped to at least get enough sleep to fuel his day.

Lo thought about praying but he hadn’t done that in years.

It hadn’t helped him during his crisis, so he saw no need to start now.

Fuck, I need to get my mind right…

The problem with that was Lo didn’t know how.

There was no ridding himself of this. It would always be a part of him, and Lo couldn’t fathom having to carry this baggage through his existence.

He took a moment for himself before going back in the room.

Getting in bed, Bria laid close to him, making his overactive nerves settle.

“Are you going to be able to go back to sleep?”

“Probably not.”

“Do you want me to stay up with you?”

Even though he couldn’t see her, Lo looked her way. “Nah, you don’t got to.”

“I will. We can talk or just be silent. Whatever you wanna do.”

Lo thought her gesture was sweet, but he couldn’t help but tease her.

“You always wanna talk.”

“Well, we still don't know a lot about each other. I enjoy talking to you even though you don't give me much.”

He smirked at her dig. Lo had never been a talker. Not even when he was with his parents. He preferred being inside his head where it was safer. There were no judgements against him there. No one called him weirdos or demon spawn.

“What do you wanna know?” He tried his luck, hoping Bria didn’t make him regret opening up.

“Everything.” She turned on her side, resting her hand on his bare chest. Her touch was everything he didn’t know he needed. It soothed his nerves when he was in distress. She could calm a hurricane with just a touch from her fingertips.

“What scares you? Why are you so reserved? Why are you so mean? What makes you happy? Do you see yourself falling in love with me? Things like that. I really wanna get in your head.”

He rubbed his aching eyes, trying to decipher what he wanted to answer and the ones he didn’t want to elaborate on.

“I already told you what scares me earlier.”

Silence proceeded until she replied, “You were being serious when you said me?”

“Yeah.”

Lo assumed she would have a rebuttal, but she said nothing. Ever since he had exposed her infidelity, he noticed Bria had been avoiding him. Even after he expressed that he’d extended forgiveness to her, she still placed distance between them.

“Listen, Lo,” she uttered, “I shouldn’t have done what I did.

I’m really not that kind of person. I just felt so unfulfilled with you.

So ignored. You're not an easy person to be married to. And please don't confuse this with me blaming you. I’m just telling you that I require a certain kind of love and affection. A part of me think you won’t measure up to the man I’ve created in my head.

I just hope we can come to an agreement, and you can forgive me completely. ”

Lo was terrified of falling in love with Bria.

His heart couldn’t take another betrayal.

It hadn’t recovered from the last one. Love had never been an emotion that he encountered.

In fact, he ran away from it because he knew it wouldn’t suit him.

Watching Meco fall in love with Kaylona changed his mind about the sentiment.

Their love story was so organic. She didn’t chase him for money, and Meco didn’t pursue her with any ill intentions.

Their bond had been authentic. Witnessing how happy his brother was made him play with the idea of finding his person.