(A new year begins. And so does something else—a decision neither of them saw coming.)
Late January
Snow blanketed the campus like forgiveness.
Everything looked softer in the cold. Even the jagged edges of memory dulled beneath gray skies and thick coats.
The new semester began quietly.
Kade and Viera had slipped into a rhythm—an unspoken language of side-glances, ankle nudges under desks, the occasional ambush tickle attack after lunch.
They were healing.
Together.
But healing doesn't erase danger.
It just makes you slower to see the next one coming.
Kade (First Day of the New Semester)
Third period. Literature.
New teacher.
Tall. Late 30s. Sharp suit.
Name: Mr. Delan.
Clean-cut. Smiling.
The kind of man people instinctively trust.
He taught like he was telling secrets.
Voice low, eyes magnetic.
The class was enthralled.
Viera was cautious.
Kade?
Kade listened.
And Mr. Delan noticed him.
Immediately.
"You're a quiet one," Delan said after class, as Kade gathered his things.
Kade froze. Blinked. "Me?"
"You've got smart eyes. The kind that see more than you say."
Kade half-smiled, unsure. "I guess."
Delan leaned in slightly. Lowered his voice. "Sometimes that's a burden, isn't it? Seeing more?"
Kade blinked again. His grip on his notebook tightened.
"…I should get to lunch."
"Of course. Just know I see you."
Something in his tone made Kade's stomach twist.
He didn't tell Viera.
Not because he didn't trust her.
But because it felt… small.
Weird. Sure. But harmless.
He'd survived so much worse.
Until the note.
Friday Afternoon
Tucked in his locker.
A blank envelope again.
Inside:
"Some of us don't heal. We just learn to hide the cracks."
– D.
He stared at it for a long time.
This wasn't a threat.
This was interest.
Viera (That Night)
He was quieter than usual.
Ticklish still, sure.
They wrestled on his floor like usual.
But there was something behind his smile now.
And she noticed.
She always did.
"You good?" she asked as he rested his head on her lap, watching the ceiling.
"Yeah. Just… new teacher's a little intense."
"Delan?"
"Yeah."
Her fingers paused in his hair.
"What kind of intense?"
He hesitated. "The looking-at-you-too-long kind."
Silence.
Then:
"Kade."
"I'm fine."
"You're never fine when you say it like that."
That night, Viera stayed awake long after Kade fell asleep beside her.
She was already searching. Already digging.
Mr. Delan had no social media.
No professional history pre-dating two years ago.
No college alumni records.
It didn't make sense.
Nothing should be that clean.
She kept digging.
The Incident (One Week Later)
Kade didn't show up to fourth period.
Viera got the call from his little sister.
He hadn't come home.
The police didn't take it seriously at first.
"Maybe he ran away."
She almost broke the cop's jaw.
No.
Not Kade.
Not when they'd finally made it this far.
It was 19 hours before they found him.
Half-conscious.
Tied to a rusted chair in the basement of an abandoned faculty home behind the old track field.
Kade (Memory – Fragmented)
It hadn't made sense.
Delan had offered to review his writing after class. Said he saw potential.
Kade agreed.
He didn't realize they weren't alone in the building until it was too late.
The world spun.
Something in the tea.
Chloroform?
He didn't know.
All he remembered clearly was the man's voice, close to his ear:
"You remind me of myself when I was your age. Too soft. Too breakable. That's why I need to fix you."
When they found Kade, his wrists were raw from struggling.
There were shallow cuts along his ribs.
His lip was split.
He hadn't eaten.
He'd been cold for hours.
The look in his eyes wasn't fear.
It was emptiness.
That was worse.
Viera (At the Hospital)
She sat beside his bed.
Again.
Except this time, she wasn't scared.
She was furious.
She'd told herself she was done burning things down.
She'd lied.
Kade woke up slowly.
Eyes red.
Voice hoarse.
"…Vi?"
She leaned close. Took his hand.
"I'm here."
"I didn't tell you," he whispered. "I should've—"
"No. No. This wasn't your fault."
"But—"
"You didn't invite this. You didn't ask for this. He saw something beautiful and tried to break it."
She brushed back his hair.
"He failed."
Later That Night
Kade turned to her slowly.
Lying in the hospital bed. Tubes out now. IV running slow.
"I thought I was done breaking."
She kissed his knuckles.
"You're not broken."
"…I don't know how to feel."
"That's okay."
He looked at her. Really looked.
"Don't do anything crazy."
"No promises."
"Vi—"
"Kade," she whispered, "I already know where he lives."
End of Chapter 16
Next: Chapter 17 – The Ones Who Hunt Softness