Finn Lennoy - July 2114
A recount from 2098 to 2114
The first time I noticed the twins, we were nine, in primary school. Same school, different classes. I had transferred when my father moved to the area, so I was still getting used to the rhythms of the new place.
Kai and Noah stood out immediately, though not in the same way. Kai was quiet, dark-haired, blending into the background with a subtle confidence that didn't demand attention. Noah, on the other hand, was bright, animated, almost magnetic. His white hair caught the light in a way that made it impossible to look away, and every time our paths crossed, I found myself noticing him.
We never really spoke at school. Our paths didn't cross, and the only time I saw them was at lunch. Always together, always surrounded. Other kids gravitated toward them, fascinated, like they were observing something rare.
One stormy day, the lights in the school flickered out, and we were sent to the hall. I was sitting with friends, idly shuffling a deck of cards the teachers had given out, when a voice interrupted me.
"Uhm… that's an interesting strategy."
I turned. Noah Langford, studying the cards in my hands. I glanced back at my cards, then at him.
"Erm… do you want to play?" I asked.
He nodded and sat down. I scanned the room briefly. When one twin appeared, the other usually wasn't far behind, but Kai was absent, sick, apparently.
We started the game. Noah won, and then he won again, and again. The others around us were clearly impressed, murmuring questions.
"Wow, Noah! What's your secret? Why are you so good?"
He glanced up, calm, collected, and said, "It's just a matter of counting, calculations and strategising." Then he smiled.
Something shifted. A small, imperceptible click in my chest.
______________________
It's another year before I see the twins again.
I'm sparring at the studio when Instructor Owen walks in with a kid trailing behind him. I recognise him right away, those dark, distant eyes. Kai.
He looks nervous to be here, like he's stepped into the wrong place and isn't sure how to get out.
"Finn, my lad. Come here a sec," Owen calls out.
I drop my gloves and jog over.
"Finn, this is Kai. Kai, Finn. Great. Now you know each other, you're sparring partners."
Classic Owen. Straight to the point, never too serious. That's what I like about him. He's the opposite of my dad, who only ever talks about rules, order, and "contributing to society." Owen's freer. Real.
I hold out my hand. "Nice to meet you."
Kai hesitates for half a second before shaking it. "You too."
So he does speak.
I grin. "Here's to being training buddies."
That makes him smile. The same shape as his brother's, but it doesn't hit quite the same way…
We train together for months after that day and got along well. Kai's quiet, but he's got a dry sense of humour. He doesn't let my teasing slide and gives it right back when he can. Over time, we become friends.
One afternoon, he shows up to training with someone else in tow. White hair, but the same black eyes. Noah. He looks out of place in the worn-down studio, clutching a book like it's armour.
Kai waves me over. "Hey, Finn, this is my brother. Noah."
Noah nods politely. Odd. He's so much more confident at school. Maybe he feels safer there.
"Yeah, we've met before," I say, smiling. Noah just blinks, looking a little puzzled. Guess that card game didn't leave the same impression on him as it did on me…
Kai and I start sparring. At first, I could knock him on his ass without trying. Lately, though, it's getting harder. He's improving fast. When we're done, Owen pulls him aside to give pointers, leaving me to cool down.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Noah sitting in the corner, reading. Not paying attention to anything around him. I wander over and sit beside him on the floor. He doesn't even look up.
I fake a cough.
Finally, he lowers the book just enough for his eyes to meet mine.
"What are you reading?" I ask.
"It's about gene splicing," he says simply.
The words go straight over my head. "Oh. Interesting."
Silence stretches.
Then he surprises me. "Do you enjoy fighting?"
"Uh… yeah," I say. "Been training for years."
"What are you training for?"
That one throws me. "The military. To follow in my dad's footsteps."
He studies me for a moment, thoughtful. Then he asks, "Is that something you want to do?"
A lump catches in my throat. "I think so," I manage.
He tilts his head slightly, like he's already seen through me. "You know," he says, "you don't have to be your father's prodigy. You can make your own choices. Your own life."
And for the first time, it feels like someone actually understands me.
_____________________
After that day, I decided to stick close to Noah. I'm not sure why… maybe it was curiosity, or maybe I just liked being around him. I started talking to the twins more at school, spending lunch with them whenever I could.
When Kai wasn't around, though, it felt different. Noah had this way of pulling my attention without even trying. I'd catch myself watching him a little too long, feeling… protective, I guess.
When we started secondary school, I was lucky enough to have a few classes with them. One afternoon, I was waiting outside Noah's math class so we could walk to geography together. Students started spilling out, but he never appeared. Minutes passed, and something in my gut told me something was wrong.
I pushed the classroom door open.
Noah was on the floor, one kid gripping him by the collar of his shirt and tie, fist raised. A bruise was already forming on Noah's cheek, and he looked like he was trying not to cry.
Something in me snapped.
Before I could think, I tackled the boy to the ground and started hitting him. Once. Twice. Again. The sound of my fists meeting skin drowned everything else out. Blood smeared across my knuckles, and for a moment, I didn't even feel human, just heat and noise and rage.
"FINN, STOP!"
Noah's voice cut through everything.
My hand froze mid-swing. I blinked down at the kid beneath me, crying, bleeding, terrified and felt the weight of what I'd done.
I stood up and crossed over to Noah. He was still sitting on the floor, looking up at me. His eyes were sad but calm… no fear, no judgment. Just Noah.
I noticed the dark mark spreading across his cheek. Kai is going to be mad.
Without thinking, I reached out cupping his face and brushed my fingers against it. He flinched, and I pulled my hand back immediately.
"Come on," I said quietly, forcing a small smile. "We've got class."
He nodded, got to his feet, and followed me out.
___________________
As time went on, my feelings for Noah grew. I'm still not sure what kind of feelings they were, just that there was something there. The closer I got to the twins, the more I learned about their family. Noah, the favoured heir. Kai, the forgotten one. But none of that changed how I saw them. To me, they were just Noah and Kai…
I was fast asleep when my phone rang.
The red digits on my alarm clock read 11:35 p.m. Who calls at this hour?
I reached for my phone on the nightstand.
Noah Langford.
Maybe another late-night theory dump. He had this habit of calling when an idea struck him. Rambling about gene patterns or equations until he tired himself out. I never minded. His voice was steady, almost soothing.
"It's late, Noah," I joked as I answered.
But the voice on the other end wasn't his.
"Mr. Lennoy?"
I froze. That wasn't Noah.
"Who is this?" I demanded.
"It's Joseph. Joseph Langford."
My stomach dropped. The twins' father never called me. And why on Noahs phone?
"Noah's been in a serious accident," he said, his tone clipped, factual. "I need a favour. Go to the hospital and watch over his condition until I arrive. There's something I need to handle first."
An accident? What does he mean?
For a moment, I couldn't speak. Then… "Okay… yeah. I'll head there now."
I threw on a hoodie, joggers, trainers, whatever was closest and ran out the door. My chest was tight the whole way there. He has to be okay. He has to be. Kai wouldn't let anything happen to him.
At the hospital, they guided me to a private room. Noah Langford, the plaque read.
The rhythmic beeping of monitors filled the air. Noah lay motionless in the bed. He was covered in bruises, cuts, and dried blood tangled in his hair. His breathing was steady but shallow. He looked fragile in a way I'd never seen before.
Seeing him like that broke something in me.
I sat beside him and took his hand. "Come on, Noah… wake up," I whispered.
Hours passed. I didn't move. Couldn't. The room stayed quiet except for the machines. Where was Kai? Where was their father? Anger started to bubble under my ribs.
Then Noah stirred.
I shot to my feet and leaned over him.
"Noah. Are you awake?"
He blinked groggily, eyes half-open. "Where… am I?"
"You're in the hospital."
He looked around, disoriented. Then, suddenly…
"Where's Kai?"
I was expecting that question. "I…I don't know," I said honestly.
That woke him fully. He yanked the IV from his arm and tried to sit up.
"Noah, stop! You need to calm down. Tell me what happened."
"He's in danger. I need to find him!"
Before I could reply, the door opened.
Dr. Langford stepped in, composed as ever, hands clasped behind his back like this was a meeting, not a hospital room.
"Father," Noah said, his voice trembling, "what's going on? Where's Kai?"
Dr. Langford met his gaze, unblinking. "Kai is dead."
Just like that. No emotion. No hesitation.
The words didn't make sense. Dead? No. Not Kai.
My throat went dry. I stumble back into the chair and just sit there, staring.
Noah looked like the air had been ripped out of him. His face crumpled, and he clutched his chest as if trying to hold himself together. Tears ran freely down his cheeks.
"You're lying," he whispered, then louder "You're lying!"
"I came to deliver the facts," Langford said coolly. "Now that I've checked on your condition, I have work to return to."
And then he turned and left. Just like that.
Noah's cries filled the room. Raw, broken, helpless.
I didn't think. I just moved.
I wrapped my arms around him, and he gripped me back, clinging to me like I was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.
He cried for what felt like forever. And all I could do was hold him.
My heart felt like it was breaking under the weight of Noah's pain.
When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse, shaking, but steady with something darker underneath.
"I'll make them pay," he whispered. "I swear."
I didn't fully understand what he meant. But I knew one thing for certain…
I wasn't going to leave him. Not now. Not ever.