But I needed him.
And that need was stronger than my contempt.
“Jack,” I said, forcing softness into my voice.
He spun, eyes wild. “You again? What do you want from me? Why are you here?”
I took a careful step forward.
He threw one leg over the windowsill.
Then the other.
He perched on the edge now, his body half in, half out—teetering between life and death.
“I felt the truth in your words,” I said, tightly. “Your dissertation—it wasn’t nonsense. It was brave. You stood in a room full of wolves and spoke about something the world is too afraid to believe.”
His face twisted, jaw tightening, but he didn’t move.
“You dared to speak the unspeakable,” I went on. “And I admire you for that.”
Still, he didn’t look at me. His eyes darted downward. His fingers tightened.
“I know what you’re thinking, that no one understands. That no one believes. But think about this—the skeptics? They were the same fools who once believed the world was flat. We’re not like them, Jack. You and I—we’re forward thinkers. Weseewhat others fear.”
I took another step. Close now.
His eyes flicked to mine. For a second, something flickered in them.
Hope?
Doubt?
I wasn’t sure.
Then his gaze darted back to the void below.
My words clung to the back of my throat like lead, each one a carefully placed trap, sweetened with false sincerity. I just needed him to trust me. To want me. Toneedme. Once I had what I camefor—the truth about the daggers—I could kill him without hesitation.
“Your theory on time travel,” I said softly, taking a step closer, “it’s brilliant, Jack. It’s exactly what I’ve been waiting for. I’ve wished I’d meet someone who shared my beliefs my whole life.”
His brow furrowed, eyes flickering with a wary confusion. “You… believe me? Is time travel possible?”
“Of course I do,” I said, opening my arms as if welcoming him home. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. Grab your things—we’ll go to my place.”
Something shifted in his expression—something raw and vulnerable—a flicker of light in the dark.
“I even have a roommate,” I continued, my tone brightening. “Moon Lee. Or just Lee, for short. He’s obsessed with time travel, too. You two will get along great. We can all discuss your theories, really dig into it together.”
I took another step, my voice threading with anticipation. “What do you say?”
Jack blinked, glancing down at his legs dangling over the windowsill as if only now realizing the danger he’d been in. His voice came out in a daze. “Someone… believes in me?”
He scrambled back just as I lunged forward, catching him before he slipped on the stone floor.
I steadied him, brushing invisible dust from his shirt like a gentle caretaker. “There you go. You made the right choice. People will doubt you. That’s their nature. A lot of people don’t like me, either.”
Jack flushed. “I find that hard to believe.”
