Seth walks our bedroom. He sits at the foot of the bed with his shoulders tight, eyes fixed on nothing.
I move closer, keeping my voice low. “They’re adjusting.”
He doesn’t look at me right away. His jaw ticks once.
“Elise isn’t there yet,” he mutters. “Ryan’s easier. I think he wants to like me. He just doesn’t know how.”
“They’re both just… processing, but they’re watching you.”
He lets out a breath that sounds like it scrapes his throat on the way out.
“And you’re doing better than you think,” I add. “You’ve been patient. You’ve been honest. You’re a good brother.”
His mouth twists, like the words taste wrong. “Last time I was a brother, I taught him how to sharpen a knife and lie without blinking.”
“Luke made his own choices. He was only ten months younger than you. You couldn’t have changed him, even if you’d tried.”
Seth’s fingers flex at his sides.
“I was on the same path.”
“But you made different decisions. You never wanted to be like him.”
He finally looks at me, and his eyes are tired in a way that never fully goes away.
“No matter how much you taught him,” I continue, “and no matter how much you warned him, he was still the one who picked the worst version of himself.”
Seth stares at me like he is trying to push the guilt out through his skin.
“You’ve chosen to be better,” I add. “Elise and Ryan might not get it yet, but I see it. They’re starting to. Give it more time.”
He doesn’t answer, but his expression shifts. It softens slightly, like he isn’t fighting it as hard as he was.
Before I can say anything else, the door opens.
Travis steps in, already holding the tablet in his hand. His expression is off, tight in a way that makes my stomach drop before he even speaks.
“There’s another one. Another Live feed.”
Seth’s head turns immediately. Mine follows a second later.
Travis walks straight over and puts the tablet into my hands.
The screen flickers once.
And then his face fills it.
John.
He smiles like he is looking at something he already owns.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my favorite niece.”
I don’t say a word. My grip tightens around the edges of the tablet until my fingers start to ache.
“You’ve really outdone yourself this time,” John eyes move slightly, like he is taking in more than just me. “The Vosses. The Talberts. You and Seth did what the Collective needed. You cut out the rot that was making us weak.”
Seth steps in behind me, close enough that I feel the heat of him at my back. He doesn’t touch me. He just watches.
