“Kalani!” I shouted. I could barely keep up with the whiplash of the conversation, and now she was literally running away from me.
“Come back!” she yelled. “I just want to be friends! I’ll name you Sand! Or Salt. Or… Salty! SALTY, COME BACK!”
She tripped, fell to her knees, and stayed there, wheezing with laughter. When I finally caught up, she was lying flat on her back in the sand, arms out, grinning at the stars.
“I don’t think Salty likes you,” I said.
“Oh, shut up,” she groaned.
I helped her up. She brushed sand off her dress and blinked at me.
“Kera… do you ever think… like what if this is all a dream?”
“I’d be pissed. This dream sucks.”
By the time we made it back to the hotel, we were both breathless and flushed. We fumbled our way up the stairs, gripping the railing too tightly, holding back giggles that kept bubbling up anyway.
“Shh,“ she whispered, even though she was the one who couldn’t stop talking.
“You shh,“ I whispered back, clutching her arm for balance.
We didn’t bother undressing. Just collapsed onto the same bed. My head spun when I closed my eyes, so I didn’t. Kalani was asleep beside me in seconds.
The window of our room faced the sea. Outside, the horizon was starting to bloom with color. The first strokes of dawn softened the sky, washing it in gold and lavender.
The boys didn’t come back that night. It was morning by the time a knock pulled us out of our half-sleep. I hadn’t really slept, just drifted through broken memories and jagged flashes of fear, tangled in sheets that felt too hot and heavy.
The knock came, and I sat up too fast. The world lurched sideways, still hazy from the night before. Beside me, Kalani stirred, blinking against the light, her hair a wild tangle across her face. I slid out of bed and made my way to the door.
Will stood there. Shirt wrinkled, hair a mess, eyes dark and hollowed out by something deeper than exhaustion. A bruise bloomed across his jaw, the kind that turned purple before it faded. Aran hovered behind him, dried blood crusted near his collarbone, hands shoved deep into his pockets, knuckles split and scabbed.
They didn’t speak.
Aran walked past me without a word and dropped onto the edge of the bed, rubbing both hands over his face like he was trying to scrub the night off. Will exhaled, low, strained, and collapsed onto the other mattress.
Kalani and I exchanged a glance, but none of us said anything. There were questions waiting, but they could wait. We let the boys sleep. We tried to sleep too. When we woke, it was already mid day. Morning bleeding into noon.
We found ourselves at the hotel restaurant, the four of us gathered around a small wooden table out on the terrace. The sun made everything feel sharper than it should, too many colors, and too much movement. I could barely think through the noise in my head. My stomach still turned at every scent, salt, oil, butter, jam, roasted meat drifting from the kitchen. I held my water glass in both hands, like maybe it would ground me. Like maybe it could keep the nausea at bay.
Kalani sat slumped beside me, her hair pulled into a half-fallen knot, strands sticking to her cheeks. Her eyes barely open, skin pale beneath the faded blush from last night. She tore off a piece of bread, soaked it in olive oil, and shoved it into her mouth like she hadn’t eaten in days.
“Gods,” she mumbled, chewing. “This is amazing.”
“You’re gonna make yourself sick,” I said, watching oil drip from her fingers.
She didn’t answer. Just groaned and reached for more. Across from us, Will clutched a mug of black coffee like it was the only thing keeping him awake. Aran hadn’t touched his food yet, which was really worrying and out of character for him. He just sat there, slowly spreading marmalade onto bread. I pushed my plate away. The food looked fine, but my body wouldn’t have it.
“So?” I asked, my voice hoarse. “Did you find her?”
Will didn’t look up. He wouldn’t speak either. But Aran did.
“Yes,” he said.Yes.
For a moment, the word didn’t land. I just stared at him, waiting for it to shift into something real. Something I could believe. It had all felt like chasing shadows, hope rising and falling with every lead, every whisper.
We’d found her. I’d braced so hard for disappointment that I didn’t know what to do with the success. Was it success?
“But, Kera… the place is massive,” Will said, finally meeting my eyes. “There are guards. And—”
