At night.
Nathan and Zane sat on the floor of Nathan's bedroom, surrounded by open books and laptop screens. They had managed to finish half of their assignment.
The room was quiet, except for the hum of the computers and the sound of Eli's controller. Gabriel was lying on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.
Nael came to talk to Nathan and ask him to play with him. Just then he ended up playing with Eli and they made a lot of noise.
Then Eli stretched his body, stood up, and walked to the glass balcony doors. He pushed them open, and the cold air entered the room. He stared out into the darkness.
The forest at the edge of the property was a black wall against the night sky.
When he wanted to go back to the room, he stopped.
"I don't know what they are looking for out there," Eli said. He pointed toward the trees.
Nael walked over and stood next to him.
