2:00 PM

The scent of crushed petals surrounded her. Alya had her arms full of flowers, wild blooms in reds, purples, and sunbursts of gold. Strangers from the festival had pressed them into her hands during the dance.

She clutched them now, grinning as she and Jayden settled at a table in the outdoor corner of a rustic restaurant, the festival still in full swing just beyond the stairs.

"What are you going to do with all of those?" Jayden asked.

"I don't know, honestly!" she said, laughing. She looked up and caught him staring.

"What?" she asked, suddenly aware of his gaze.

"You're glowing."

Her cheeks flushed. She opened her mouth to respond, then shut it again, helpless. She looked like a fish struggling to breathe air.

She was still fumbling for words when a man in his mid-fifties appeared beside their table, in an apron.

"Hello there! I'm Bato. Welcome to my Bato's Tasty Restaurant."

Alya exhaled in relief. She had no idea how to take compliments, let alone return them.

"Hi," Jayden greeted.

"What would you and your lovely lady be having?" Bato asked, handing them a menu.

Worse. Alya ducked down, trying to bury her face in the flowers.

Jayden noticed and chuckled. "Well, Bato, me and milady find your restaurant charming."

Alya shot him a death glare. He burst into laughter.

Bato, oblivious, smiled politely.

"What will the lady have?" Jayden asked in a mock bow.

Alya tossed a flower at him.

Their order was placed. As Bato turned to leave, Jayden spoke up again.

"Bato, where can we find a computer with an internet connection?"

"Right upstairs, but they're shut for the festivities."

"Oh, shoot."

"No worries. You can use mine in the back. It's old and rusty, but it still finds the internet. My son set it up for me."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

Alya looked down at the armload of flowers. "I can't exactly walk around with these..." she said wistfully.

"I've got a solution." Jayden stood and waved over a small boy who'd been selling flowers nearby. When the boy came running, Jayden handed him the entire bouquet.

"Go make some more money," he said.

The boy beamed, shouted a thank-you, and dashed off.

Alya couldn't help but stare as he ran a hand through his long hair in that easy, signature way of his.

Somehow, in just a few hours, he had become something no one had ever been to her.

A friend.

And when he looked at her and smiled, her heart skipped a beat.

No, not just a friend. Jayden was becoming something more than that.

He was becoming a lifeline.

"Here you go," Bato said, returning with two plates balanced on a tray and placed them on the table with practiced grace.

Jayden started walking back to his seat but froze midway, clutching his chest as if something had suddenly struck him from within.

"Jayden?" Alya's voice rose with concern. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head sharply, dragging his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, brushing it off and continuing toward his seat like nothing had happened.

But Alya wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," he said with a forced grin. "Probably just a little dizzy from all that dancing. I'm healthy as a horse."

Then he added, with a small shrug

"Well... for now, I guess."

Alya shot him a look, and he raised both hands in mock surrender, a lopsided grin spread across his face.

After their meal, Bato led them to the back, into a small room with an old desktop resting on a worn table.

"You sure you want me near that thing?" Alya asked, eyeing it warily.

"I'll handle it," Jayden said. "We don't want to shut down the whole building."

"Just sit down already."

And so, they began searching.

She pulled out the locket and showed him the inscription "Sapphire L." etched in fine script.

Jayden typed the name into the search bar.

They searched for over an hour. Dozens of hits came up, but none looked remotely like the woman in Alya's locket.

Alya clenched her fists as her frustration built.

She sat behind Jayden, keeping what she thought was a safe distance from the computer, far enough that it shouldn't react to her. But as her irritation deepened, a strange current built up inside her, rising like a wave she just couldn't stop.

Without warning, the computer blinked erratically.

Jayden leaned backwards. "Uh, Alya?" He said, eyes narrowing slightly. "Is that you?"

She stood abruptly. "I think so."

She moved further away, but it was too late. The monitor began to spark violently. Before she could react again, Jayden sprang from his chair and shielded her with his arms.

The computer exploded with a sharp crack and a puff of smoke.

"You okay?" he asked, looking her over.

She nodded, acutely aware of their proximity. She felt her heart take on a new rhythm as every part he held sizzled with mild static.

Jayden felt it too.

His hand, almost of its own accord, rose to her jaw. He brushed his fingers gently against her skin. His gaze dropped to her full, pale lips that were slightly trembling, and he couldn't look away.

"Alya, I need to tell you something..." he began.

But her gaze shifted past him, to the doorway.

"Bato."

He stood frozen, staring at the smoking computer and the two of them.

"Bato..." Jayden started, stepping forward. "I'll pay for the damage. It's my..."

"You're special," Bato said.

Jayden froze, his eyes snapping to Alya in silent alarm, as if to say, we've been caught.

Alya stood still, dread creeping over her. It was over. Her fleeting moment of peace, gone. Once again, her cursed abilities had betrayed her, stripped her of freedom, and stained another safe place.

Bato took a step forward, but Jayden blocked him instinctively.

Alya stared at Jayden's back. Who is this boy who guarded her? she thought. Had her mother sent him?

"I knew you were special the moment I laid eyes on you," Bato said softly. "My daughter was... like you."

Alya's heart skipped.

"Your daughter?"

Bato nodded, fighting tears. "She died."

Alya's throat tightened.

"What happened?" she asked, gently leading him to a chair.

"She was a healer. Just twelve, and already touching people and pulling sickness from their bones. She didn't have silver hair though. She looked ordinary. I tried to keep her hidden, but she... she believed she was meant to save the world."

He reached under his table and retrieved a photo. A girl with long brown hair and kind blue eyes stared back at them.

"Fifteen years ago, there was an outbreak. She healed everyone, but the cost was too much."

Alya's eyes stung. "I'm so sorry."

Bato shook his head. "I believe she lives in every life she saved."

He rose, walked to a bag hanging on the wall, and pulled out a crumpled slip of paper.

"Go to this address, ask for the priestess. She can help you."

Alya and Jayden's eyes grew huge like saucers.

"Thank you, Bato," Alya whispered, wrapping her arms around him. He held her tightly, letting out the tears he'd been holding in.

"Be careful," he warned. "The place is crawling with thugs."

"We will," Jayden said.

Just before they left, Bato pulled Jayden aside.

"You're different too," he said.

Jayden didn't argue. He just nodded.

"Not like Alya. Not like my daughter, but not normal. Does she know?" Bato asked.

Jayden didn't answer.

"You should tell her. The way you look at each other... You owe her the truth."

Jayden nodded slowly, the weight of dread pressing deep into his chest.

He looked back toward Alya, who was waiting with her hand on the doorknob.

He'd tell her.