Page 37 of Origins

Her expression softened, and for a moment, she looked like she wasn’t sure what to say. As if on cue, the alarm on my phone went off, shattering the moment.

Panic raced through me as I fumbled with my phone. “Sorry, that’s my alarm for warm-ups,” I explained, my voice apologetic.

“Does that mean you have to go?” She sounded saddened by the idea, and unfortunately, she was right.

“I do… but find me later?” I asked, hopeful. “I want to talk more about this… Maybe you can spend the night?”

Callie smiled and nodded, and I fought the urge to give her a parting kiss. After all, that could wait until later.

Unfortunately, later never came.

Chapter 12

Sulien

Tuesday:No Callie.

Wednesday: No Callie, and Jack was back to hating me.

Today:No Callie, no Jack.

All of that was terrible, but the silence was the worst part. Callie wasn’t answering my texts or calls. Each day without her felt longer than the last, a relentless cycle of training, meetings, and dodging the media like my life depended on it. A sharp, unyielding loneliness punctuated each of these activities. I tried not to feel slighted, but it was hard not to. After all, she disappeared right after I told her I loved her. But Callie wasn’t the type to vanish without a word.

Every time my phone vibrated, I hoped to see her name—and every time, I was disappointed. That was until Thursday after training.

I was in the locker room, still naked except for the towel hastily wrapped around my waist, when she finally called. I nearly tripped over myself to answer.

“S-Sulien?” Hearing her voice should have been a relief, and to an extent, it was. But there was a weakness in her tone that overshadowed any comfort.

“Callie? Where the hell have you been? I’ve been worried—” I stopped short, realizing I was yelling. “Are you okay?”

“Mhm… Just hot and tired,” she breathed. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. I’ve been... busy.”

I pinned the phone between my shoulder and ear,fumbling with my locker. “Busy with what?”

“Sleeping, mostly.” Her laugh was hollow. “I was... I was in the hospital on Monday night—”

Her confession hit me like a brick. My phone slipped from my grasp, clattering to the floor. She’d been in the hospital, and I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there to hold her hand, to make sure she was okay.

“Callie, why didn’t you tell me?” I grabbed my jeans with one hand and the phone with the other.

A pause. The silence on the other end was agonizing.

“It was just the fever,” she admitted softly. “You have a lot on your plate. I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Callie, I’m your boyfriend. It’s my job to worry about you.”

A sad whimper came through the line, breaking my heart just a little more.

“Where are you? Can I come over?” My words rushed out as I pulled on a shirt.

“I’m at home… and I’d really like it if you came over.” Her voice shook. “Just be prepared. My dad wants to meet you.”

My heart clenched at the thought. Meeting her father was terrifying enough, but knowing her father was WindWeaver—one of the most powerful heroes around and my father's biggest rival—was a whole different level of nightmare. But if it meant seeing Callie, it was worth it.

***

When I arrived at Callie’s house, I hoped for a moment to collect myself before heading in. But the second my tires hit her driveway, WindWeaver appeared in the entryway. The wind seemed to gather around him, causing his long silver hair to wave around him.

---