Chapter 10

I was out with Mom and Dad shopping when something caught my eye—a white stuffed rabbit. I let go of their hands and stared at it, mesmerized.

"Caem, what's wrong?" my mom asked, breaking off her conversation with Dad. He noticed I'd stopped and turned back.

"Honey, don't let go of my hand. I don't want you to get lost," he said gently, ignoring her comment and reaching for me. I turned to look at them. My dad was smiling. His dark blue hair was braided back then, and his bright blue eyes seemed to shine against his umber skin. My mom, on the other hand, was scowling.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered as I took Dad's hand, avoiding her gaze.

"Do you want that toy?" Dad asked. I couldn't hide my excitement. He bought it for me, and I hugged it close the second it was in my arms. My first toy.

"Don't lag behind, or you'll worry your father again," Mom snapped.

I reached out to grab his hand again, but she took mine instead and squeezed—so hard it hurt.

The next morning, I woke up and found my plushie in the fireplace. Dad was at work, and Mom sat calmly in front of it, watching it burn.

"Oh, hi. I was just getting rid of some trash," she said casually, turning to look at me. When she noticed my tears, she smiled. "Oh, don't cry, sweetie. It's just a stupid toy."

That's when I woke up—back in my bed, beneath the white lace canopy. When Dad came home after that day, he and Mom fought. For hours. After that, he never bought me anything again.

What a horrible dream to have... Why would I remember that now?

There was a knock on my door.

"Snowe... are you okay? You were yelling." It was RJ's voice. I opened the door and saw both RJ and Zai, worry etched on their faces.

"I just had a nightmare... I'm okay," I said, trying to reassure them.

Zai reached out and ruffled my hair.

"You sure you're okay?"

RJ smacked his hand away. "Don't touch her."

Zai looked at RJ with a sharpness that sent chills down my spine—dark, cold, and unfamiliar. But a second later, he sighed, and the look vanished.

"My bad. Snowe, if you want to talk about it, call me," he said, walking off.

"Call you?" RJ repeated, following him, but Zai didn't respond.

I closed the door and sat on the bed. I should try to go home. If I stay here any longer, I'll never leave. I like it too much.

I typed the GPS coordinates into my phone and got dressed. Phones from my time weren't this fancy, but I had figured out most of the new features.

It was time.

Reluctantly, I texted Zai:

"Hey, could you give me a ride?"His reply came almost instantly, as if he'd been waiting.

"Sure. Send me the address."

Later, we met in the garage. Zai usually wore dark, elaborate clothes—but today he had on a black tank top that revealed the lightning marks etched down his arms, and neon pink sweatpants with bold lettering. His piercings were gone. It should've felt casual, but instead, my heart raced—like the first time I saw him.

There were four cars—white, silver, red, and black. He got into the black one. I quickly jumped into the passenger seat.

"Thanks for the ride," I said after clicking my seatbelt.

He didn't respond. His brow was furrowed, his expression grim. It felt strange—Zai, not smiling.

Forty-five minutes passed in silence.

Then he finally asked, "Are you coming back?"

The question hit me like a blow. Of course—he realized where we were going.

"Do you want me to?" I asked.

"What kind of stupid question is that?! Of course I want you to come back!" His voice cracked with frustration, though he never took his eyes off the road.

"Then I will. I'll come see you once I get my life sorted out."

I didn't want to leave... but I needed to know what happened while I was gone. And no matter how I tried to ignore it, I couldn't keep living with Afarions. Their culture was barbaric—rituals of blood sacrifice, slavery, punishments without trial, public executions. I had to reconnect with my people, find my own place.

"I'm not mad at you," Zai said softly. He took one hand off the wheel and placed it gently over mine. "I'm just going to miss you."

I looked down at our hands as he intertwined our fingers."I'm going to miss you too…" I whispered.

I didn't want to mean it. I didn't want to feel it. How could this person be an Afarion? It doesn't make sense at all.

When we pulled into the Identification Facility, Zai let go.

"Looks like this is where we say goodbye," he said, eyes fixed forward.

I wanted to say something. Anything. The right thing would be to thank him and walk away.

But all I wanted was to hug him. To kiss him. To tell him to wait for me.

"Bye," I said quickly, then rushed out of the car before I lost my nerve.

Inside, the receptionist asked me to show my true form.

I dropped the human glamour. Black strands of hair lightened to white, and my wings unfurled. It felt great to be able to let go.

"Take this number. We'll call you when they're ready to see you," she said.

I dismissed my wings and sat in the waiting room. Wings aren't part of our bodies. We summon them—something we learn young.

A man across the room caught my eye. After a few seconds, he got up and sat beside me.

"Is this your first time on Earth too?" he asked.

I nodded.

"All this legal crap is a nightmare, right? I drove five hours to get here. Can't even fly without a permit."

"Yeah..." I mumbled.

"I'm Poet. What's your name?"

"Snowe."

"Cute name. Did you pick it yourself? What was your name before transformation?"

I frowned. I hated that name. The one they gave me.

"Oh—sorry. Didn't mean to push. Hey, uh... do you have a partner?"

I stared at him.

"I know we just met, but we might not again, so... are you single?"

"I'm seeing someone." It was a lie.

"Oh." He stood and walked back to his seat.

A blonde woman sat down in his place.

"Men can be so pushy. Sorry about that," she said, patting my knee. "Maybe you'll have a better time talking to me?"

Just then, a loud voice called out:"Number 505! Snowe Stratus!"

I jumped to my feet.

The man calling me was tall and broad—built more like a wrestler than Zai, who was leaner and more agile.Why am I comparing him to Zai right now?

I slapped my cheeks lightly and followed him.

One wall of the room was mirrored glass. A two-way, no doubt.

"Where have you been?" he asked, sitting across from me.

"I..." Should I mention the time magic? "I don't remember. I'm drawing a blank for the past hundred years, honestly."

Hopefully that much was true enough to pass any detection magic.

"What's the last thing you do remember?"

My stomach turned. I didn't want to say it aloud.

"Qon Ark was imprisoned for your murder," he said solemnly.

My head snapped up.

"There were signs of a struggle. Your blood was found in his home. The royal family pushed hard to find you. They tracked your phone, found incriminating messages. He was given life instead of the death penalty, in hopes he'd confess your location someday."

Smoke... He really looked for me. He wanted justice. And here I was... letting my heart waver for an Afarion.

"I escaped," I said. "I don't remember what happened after that. But Qon... he assaulted me. He blackmailed me. He's not innocent."

"The evidence supports that," the man replied. "But there's more..."

He slid a tablet across the table. I recognized it as Infaniyan tech. An article filled the screen.

It was about my mother.

"A week after you vanished, your mother caught your father with another woman... and stabbed him over a hundred times. Then she used glass spears to pierce the woman's stomach. Looks like they fought back—both bodies were found dismembered."

I stared in disbelief.

"She confessed. No trial. Death penalty."

No amount of preparation could have made me ready for that.