Page 28 of Hidden Echoes

Zane chuckles, a rare, genuine sound that makes me pause. He hardly ever looks this at ease. But right now—sitting across from me, watching me discover food heaven—he does.

“I told you you’d like it,” he says, and for the first time in what feels like forever, there’s a flicker of lightness in his voice.

“Okay, but you didn’t explain that it was going to be a party in my mouth,” I protest, taking another eager bite. “This isn’t food. It’s art.”

His chuckle deepens, shaking his head slightly. “You’re so dramatic.”

“It’s a superpower,” I declare, grinning.

He just shakes his head again, but he’s still smirking as he eats.

After a few more blissful bites, I push my chair back. “I’m going to the bathroom,” I announce.

Zane immediately looks up, his gaze flickering with something unreadable, like he’s debating whether or not I can be trusted to go alone.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassure him, rolling my eyes. “I’m a quick learner.”

I know he's probably still thinking about last time—the wholefood incidentwhere I nearly killed someone. But, seriously, that was like two days ago! It's in the past now, right? I mean, we’ve moved on, haven’t we? At least I have.

He doesn’t argue, though, so I head toward the hallway leading to the restrooms.

That’s when I hear it.

A commotion outside. Raised voices.

“You think you can steal from us and just walk away, kid?”

I freeze. Peering through the window, I see a group of men surrounding a small boy—no older than ten. One of them, a burly man with a cruel sneer, looms over him. He reminds me of One. Same black hair. Same dirty, hollow stare.

I haven’t seen One in years. I don’t even know what he looks like now.

The man pulls a gun from his pocket, along with his equally armed lackeys.

“You messed with my business, kid.”

The boy stays silent, eyes empty.

The man scoffs, then grabs something from the ground—

A small puppy.

The boy’s blank expression crumbles. Tears well in his eyes.

“I’ll kill your dog,” the man sneers. “Then we’ll see if you learn to mind your own damn business.”

A sharp, burning rage ignites in my chest.

I step forward.

“Wow,” I say, voice dripping with sarcasm. “All this firepower just to handle a kid? Impressive.”

The man’s head snaps toward me, dark eyes narrowing.

“Stay out of this, bitch. Go back to whatever brothel you crawled out of.”

I feign offense. “Oh? That’s how you talk to women?” I tilt my head. “You should apologize. And let the boy and the dog go.”

The man laughs like I just told the funniest joke in the world.

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