“Oren, huh?” I murmur under my breath. I tilt my head, letting the name roll around in my mind. It isn’t one I’d ever heard of, but for some reason I like it.
It’s unique, and beautiful, and fitting.
And then the trophies. Dozens of them, and unsurprisingly almost all gold. Engraved with titles like “Debating Champion, National finals”, “Winner: UK Maths Challenge, gold award”
I let out a quiet laugh, shaking my head. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? He’s not just talented; he’s completelyexcessive. You’d have to be completely out of your mind to get this many awards and participate in that many events, to win this much in only eighteen years. This lot would makeanyoneinsecure if they ever walked past.
I guess that’s the point.
Then I notice the photos. Kai holding up a football trophy, his jersey streaked with mud, his teammates crowding around him. He’s smiling—or at least, he’s trying to. Ironically, this is one test that he fails. So young, and so artificial. Seems he’s almost always been this way, and it makes me wonder what happened to him.
There’s one of him shaking hands with what looks like a headmaster, and there’s a framed certificate in the background. His suit is immaculate, his smile polite. But that’s all it is.
You’d think he’d be happier to get such a prestigious award.
In the middle of it all is a picture of Kai, younger this time, maybe around thirteen. He’s sitting at a table surrounded by very familiar faces. At the front, it’s Kai and Christian. Behind them are Liam and Will, their expressions serious despite the faint curve of their smiles. There’s an older-looking photo too. Kai is younger here, maybe nine or ten, surrounded by a different group. Two blonde girls sit beside him, both smiling brightly at the camera. One of the blondes sits closer to Kai, her arm brushing his. She’s grinning widely, her face tilted toward him.
And then I see her.
A little girl I can only assume is Wren, with wild dark curls and big, expressive grey eyes. She’s clutching a tiny trophy in one hand, her grin so wide it practically lights up the photo. She looks like Kai, except for the eyes of course. But she’s also softer—her features rounder, her hair darker, her smile effortless in a way his never seems to be. Another photo shows her at a piano, her small hands resting on the keys while Kai sits beside her, guiding her fingers. His face is different in this one, his expression almost… gentle.
My gaze flicks to another boy in the photos, one I recognize. Sothisis Elliot?
Is he the boy that I met on the bench that day?
He’s grinning in most of them, his arm slung casually around Kai’s shoulders, who is on his knees next to him. He doesn’t look much like Kai at first glance, with his hazel eyes and lighter blond hair. But the more I look, the more similarities I spot.
It’s in the jawline. In the tense smile they both share, and the shape of the eyes.
I touch the edge of one of the frames, feeling the cool metal under my fingertips.
“Adeline.” Kai’s voice cuts through the quiet. I glance up to see him standing a few steps ahead.
“Sorry,” I say quickly, pulling my hand back. How long have I been staring?
He eyes the stand silently.. For a moment, I think he’s going to say something, but then he just turns away.
“We’re not stopping for a tour,” he says over his shoulder, already walking again.
“Right,” I mumble, trailing after him.
He turns abruptly, stopping at a doorway that I hadn’t noticed before. When he opens it, I see stairs leading down. A lot of stairs.
“What… is this?” I ask hesitantly, peering into the dimly lit space.
Kai doesn’t answer, just gestures for me to go ahead. I take one cautious step forward, glancing back at him. He’s standing there with his cold expression, but in the faint light, he looks… slightly terrifying. Or maybe he always has been, and I’m just not noticing again.
“You’re not about to kill me and bury me in a basement, are you?”
“If I were,” he says, “do you think I’d tell you first?”
My mouth opens, then closes again. Fair point.
But my heart races anyway. I mean, seriously? Hisbasement? He couldn’t have taken me to his room or —
No.
I shut down the thought as quickly as it came.
