"Probably nothing," Zero says, dismissive.
I force myself to keep moving. Slower now. Both hands on the railing. Testing each step before I put my weight on it.
I reach the bottom.
My legs are shaking. My hands are shaking. My vision is shaking. Everything fractures and reforms with each blink. Everything is shaking.
The dining room is to my left. I can see them through the corner of my eye. Shapes. Shadows. Brothers who aren't really brothers at all.
They're all clustered at one end of the long table. Atlas at the head of the table, commanding even while eating. Zero to his right, sprawled in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. Bane on his left, stiff and formal despite the casual setting.
Their territory. Their space.
I'm the intruder. The infection. The thing that doesn't belong.
They all look up when I appear in the foyer.
"Max," Atlas says.
I look up. He's watching me. Those gray eyes sharp. Assessing.
Even now—even when I can barely stand—he looks like he's analyzing me. Calculating. Trying to figure out if I'm worth the trouble.
His voice is clipped when he speaks. "Do you want to join us?"
The words sound like they cost him. Like he's forcing them out because it's what a good stepbrother would do. What Richard and Margot would expect.
Not because he wants me there.
I shake my head.
Big mistake.
The room spins. The brothers multiply. Two Atlases watching me with those calculating eyes. Two Zeros with matching smirks. Two Banes looking cold and untouchable.
I blink hard. Once. Twice.
They merge back into one.
Barely.
"I'm fine," I say.
My voice sounds like it's coming from underwater. Distant. Distorted. Like someone else is speaking through my mouth. Like I'm a puppet and the strings are fraying.
I turn toward the kitchen.
Focus. Just focus.
One foot in front of the other.
The floor moves beneath me. Shifts. Ripples like water. Like I'm walking on liquid instead of solid ground. Like I'm on a boat in rough water.
I take a step.
My knee buckles.
I sway and my knees hit the hardwood. The impact jolts up my thighs. My palms slap against the floor, catching myself.
