The journey back to the human city was marked by a heavy silence in our car. Christian, Ethan, Marcus, Jeremy, and I were all present, but the usual banter was absent, replaced by the grim weight of the decision we had made. Each mile brought us closer to the impossible task: breaking Krista's heart, and by extension, our own. My father's threat echoed in my mind, a constant, chilling reminder that their lives, her life, depended on our performance.
School felt alien. The familiar hallways, usually a place of quiet routine, now felt like a stage for a performance I dreaded. My stomach churned, a feeling more unsettling than any battle I'd ever faced. We went through the motions of our morning classes, each minute a slow march towards the inevitable.
Finally, the bell rang for lunch. The campus buzzed with students, a stark contrast to the internal turmoil raging within me. I headed towards our usual spot, the library, knowing Krista often went there first thing. The ache in my chest intensified with every step.
The library was still largely empty when I arrived, just a few early birds. I sat at our usual table, picking up the nearest book – something on ancient human architecture, I think. My eyes scanned the words, but my mind was a whirlwind of dread and rehearsal. How would I do this? How could I look at her and pretend she meant nothing? How could I be the monster she would soon believe me to be?
I didn't have to wait long. Through the large glass walls of the library, I saw her enter the main hall. My breath hitched. She looked... beautiful. More so than I remembered, even after only a few weeks apart. Her hair caught the light, and there was a subtle change in her, a strength in her posture I hadn't seen before, even amidst the familiar anxiety that now seemed to cling to her. I hadn't realized how much I truly missed her until that precise moment. A raw, desperate longing shot through me, making the resolve I had forged feel fragile, almost impossible to maintain.
But then, she saw us. Her eyes, wide and luminous, met mine across the expanse of the library. A tentative smile, hesitant but genuine, bloomed on her face, the kind that used to make my world shift on its axis. My heart clenched, twisting painfully. I saw her hand lift, a small wave. And then, I forced myself to remember my father's eyes, his cold promise of devastation.
I straightened, my expression deliberately hardening. I broke eye contact first, turning my head slightly. Christian, Ethan, Marcus, and Jeremy were already moving, their faces set in the practiced masks we had discussed. We began to walk, slowly, deliberately, not towards her, but past her.
Every fiber of my being screamed to stop, to go to her, to explain everything, to pull her into my arms and never let go. But I couldn't. Her life, their lives, depended on my unwavering cruelty. I heard her small gasp, felt the shift in the air as her hope withered. The world seemed to narrow to the sound of our footsteps, the agonizing silence between us.
We walked past her, without a word. Without a glance back. It was done. Just like that, the barrier was erected, cold and unyielding. We were back to being strangers. The weight of her hurt, palpable even without looking, settled deep in my bones, a heavier burden than any threat my father could impose on me directly. This was the cost of protecting her, and it was excruciating.