The night was cold, but it didn’t stop us from walking on the empty sidewalk while eating ice cream like it was summer. After everything, after the chaos of missing Allison, the unexpected guest, the loud laughs, the too-many secrets we were just... breathing.
I looked to my right. Zeyon was holding his vanilla cone like it was fragile art, while Elisse kept teasing him.
“Careful, bakery boy,” she said, raising her brows. “That cone’s got more dignity than your love life.”
Zeyon rolled his eyes. “Don’t start, Elisse. I’m still recovering from the Jessa misunderstanding.”
“Oh please, that’s not even the highlight anymore,” she shot back, laughing.
Allison walked ahead of us, arms stretched like she was flying. “I feel like I’m gonna disappear,” she said out of nowhere.
“What?” I asked, my brows furrowing.
“I mean... tonight is too peaceful,” she said. “That usually means something’s gonna go horribly wrong.”
Everyone went quiet for two seconds.
Then Elisse burst out, “Why would you jinx it?! Now we’re gonna get kidnapped by aliens or something!”
“Or fall off a rooftop dramatically,” I added.
Zeyon sighed. “Don’t give the universe ideas.”
...
We made it back to the house. Silence followed us inside. Something felt off, but we didn’t say it out loud.
Then someone knocked.
A knock. At 10:43 PM.
I exchanged looks with Zeyon.
Another knock. More firm this time.
“Okay, nope, I’m not opening that,” Elisse whispered, hiding behind the curtain.
Allison peeked out through the window.
“It’s a boy,” she whispered. “Tall. Pale. Eyes like—”
“Knives,” Zeyon finished, his voice tightening.
Allison turned slowly to him. “You know him.”
Zeyon didn’t respond.
Elisse stood straight. “Okay, hold up. This just turned into a thriller movie.”
Zeyon opened the door.
The boy stepped in like he owned the air.
“I was wondering when you’d show up,” the boy said.
Allison’s face went pale.
“Who are you?” I asked, stepping forward.
He looked at me like I was a lamp post. Then back at Allison.
“We need to talk,” he said.
“In front of everyone,” Allison said firmly. “No secrets anymore.”
He looked annoyed but nodded.
“Name’s Halden,” he finally said. “And I’ve been looking for Allison for years.”
Everyone gasped.
“Oh my gosh,” Elisse said. “Are you her long-lost brother, or a secret agent, or her ex who turned into a vampire?!”
“I’m—” Halden started.
“Wait,” Zeyon said. “Don’t answer that. We’re going up the rooftop.”
“What?” we all said.
“I mean it,” Zeyon said. “If this is gonna turn into chaos, I want fresh air and stars while we listen.”
...
The rooftop was quiet. Cold wind passed by as we sat in a circle.
Zeyon stared at Halden. “Start talking.”
Halden sighed. “Allison’s not who you think she is.”
“I’m not hiding anymore,” Allison said. “Tell them the truth.”
Halden looked surprised but nodded. “Allison... used to be part of a program. Something experimental. A group of gifted teens who were trained in survival, memory, silence.”
“Like spies?” Elisse asked, eyes wide.
“Not exactly,” Halden replied. “More like shadows. They weren’t allowed to have real identities. But Allison escaped. And they’ve been trying to bring her back ever since.”
I blinked. “What...?”
“She’s not dangerous,” Halden added quickly. “She just ran away. She wanted a life. A name. A family.”
Silence filled the rooftop.
Zeyon clenched his fists. “So you’re saying someone’s still looking for her?”
“Yes,” Halden said. “And it’s not just me.”
“Are you gonna take her back?” I asked.
Halden looked at Allison. “That’s up to her now.”
Allison looked at each one of us.
Elisse.
Me.
Zeyon.
“I’m not going back,” she said. “I finally have something here that feels real.”
Then she looked at Zeyon, her voice softening. “Even if everything was fake before... this isn’t.”
Zeyon reached out and grabbed her hand.
“I’ll fight anyone who tries to take you,” he whispered.
We stayed on the rooftop for hours.
Laughing.
Crying.
Telling secrets.
It felt like the end of something... and the start of something else.
Before we went back down, Elisse whispered, “Halden’s still kinda hot though.”
Allison smacked her lightly.
And Zeyon glared.
“Relax,” Elisse said. “Just saying. For plot purposes.”
We all laughed.
But none of us noticed...
Someone else was watching.
From another rooftop.
In the dark.
And they were holding a photo.
Of Allison.
With a red X over it.