Page 90 of Interion

Lunch unfolded in silence, and I couldn't help but feel sad about the return of our old dynamic. I avoided forcing Zion to talk since he no longer seemed as comfortable as before. Still, I was tempted to ask about the photo on the sideboard, or about his shadow power, or anything that might chase away that treacherous silence. But the questions stayed trapped in my mind, and as much as I wanted to say something, I couldn't speak. I was afraid of being pushed away.

When we finally finished, we cleaned up the kitchen and looked at each other, not knowing what to say. I supposed we didn't need to say anything—he'd always preferred silence to my questions. So I turned around, trying not to show my insecurity. I climbed the stairs and closed the bedroom door, relieved to escape the awkward situation.

Since I couldn't stay still and felt claustrophobic after three days cooped up inside, I put on my workout clothes and arranged my hair in a Dutch braid that started at my hairline and continued to the top of my head, where it became a high ponytail. In Drutes, women wore two braids like this, but doing that around here would be frowned upon—a custom of the enemy. So I'd adapted by wearing just one.

I put on my sneakers and headed downstairs excitedly, putting my earbuds in.

“Where are you going?” I jumped, nearly dropping the earbuds. I looked around and saw Zion leaning against the kitchen doorway, which was a surprise.

“For a walk. My body feels sluggish—I need to move around a bit.”

“Alone? You haven't recovered yet, and tomorrow is the sonar exam. You should rest.”

“I know, but it'll be a quick walk. I just want to get some fresh air.” “And avoid sitting at home stewing in the horrible silence between us,” I wanted to add, but I kept quiet. I walked toward the door but stopped, hesitant. “Do you want to come with me?”

“I do.”

“So, see you later...” I paused abruptly and raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Wait, you want to come with me?”

A mischievous smile spread across his lips, and I immediately dreaded what he was thinking.

“Remember our conversation about training?”

I narrowed my eyes, wary of where this was heading.

“I remember, but I still don’t have an answer.”

Actually, I wanted to avoid talking about it. I was determined not to have any difficult conversations with him.

“I’m not going to demand an answer. I just want to show you where we’ll be training. Want to see it?”

He seemed excited, barely able to contain himself, as if this were an invitation to something fun.

“Is it very far from here?”

“Depends on your point of view. For you, yes. For me, no.”

Excitement surged through me, a thrill I hadn’t felt in a long time. If it was that far, maybe it was outside the median walls—and I was dying to see what lay beyond.

“Alright! Let’s go see this place of yours.”

The moment I spoke, Kiara came bounding down the stairs, her tail whipping back and forth. She stopped at the door and gave us a pleading look.

“Does somebody want to come along too?” I asked, reaching over to scratch her head. Zion stared at her as if some silent conversation were passing between them. Then he gave in.

“You already know where to go,” he said, opening the door for her. “I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes.”

She just nodded and hurried out the door, racing down the street, her enormous form galloping across the asphalt. Then she unfurled the white wings folded against the sides of her torso—each one stretching a meter when extended. With a single powerful thrust, Kiara launched into the sky and shot toward the clouds, where curious eyes couldn’t bother her. I stared open-mouthed at the monstrous creature disappearing into the blue horizon. I’d only witnessed her spreading her wings a handful of times, and I was still amazed by her form and strength. Sometimes I forgot there was a little monster living at home who could take down ten men with ease.

Zion disappeared somewhere behind me and returned a while later, dressed in his black training clothes. Unfortunately, the gloves were back, and I was already starting to suspect he wore them out of fear of touching me directly.

“Shall we?”

He extended a gloved hand toward me. I smiled to break the tension, then placed my hands in his.

“Let’s go.”

Without warning, he swept me up and shadow-walked us through.