“I don’t.” He glances at me. “Not really. Just orientation. And Mark Theory—we’re in the same class.”
“But you’re here.”
“Yeah.” He doesn’t elaborate. Doesn’t explain why he’s burning bridges with his friends to chase a girl he barely knows. He doesn’t have to. I can see it in the set of his jaw, the way his hands keep curling into fists.
He doesn’t understand it either. But he’s here anyway.
I know the feeling.
The others are already there when we arrive. No one’s standing still—pacing, checking phones, watching the paths. The tension is visible from twenty feet away.
No Nova.
Locke sees Trey first. His whole body goes rigid. He stops pacing. His hands curl into fists at his sides.
“What the fuck is he doing here?”
Rane’s head snaps up. Kyron’s eyes narrow. Beckett doesn’t move, but I feel his attention shift.
“Give it a rest.” I step between them before anyone can move. “He’s looking for Nova too.”
“And we’re supposed to just trust that?” Locke’s voice is flat. Dangerous. He hasn’t taken his eyes off Trey.
“Silas and Harrick got to her this morning,” I say. “Whatever they said, it was bad enough that she ran. Trey saw the aftermath.”
“Convenient.” Kyron’s voice is cool. “He just happened to be there.”
“I told Silas to stay the fuck away from her.” Trey’s jaw tightens. “He told me if I walked away, I could kiss my internship goodbye. His father set the whole thing up.”
“And you walked anyway,” Beckett says quietly.
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
Locke hasn’t relaxed. “That doesn’t mean we trust you.”
“I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m asking you to let me help find her.”
No one responds to that. Kyron shifts his weight, eyes narrowing.
“What else do you know? About Silas.”
Trey exhales. “Harrick’s been his usual self. But Silas… he’s been different since Nova showed up.”
“Different how?”
“Interested. Not in a normal way. He watches her. Asks questions about her. At first I thought it was just—” He shakes his head. “I don’t know what I thought. But then I heard him on the phone.”
Suddenly everyone is paying attention.
“When?” I ask.
“Three days ago. It was late. I was coming back from the training center and he was outside our building, talking to someone. I only caught pieces of it, but…” He looks at me. “He was talking about Nova. About her mark. The one she doesn’t have.”
“What did he say exactly?” Kyron’s voice has gone sharp.
“Something about verification. About the system flagging her as an anomaly. And then he said ‘father.’” Trey’s jaw tightens. “That’s when I knew who he was talking to.”
“His father’s high up in the Nightmare Order,” Kyron says quietly. “Security oversight. If anyone’s going to care about an unmarked anomaly, it’s them.” He pauses. “Which means Silas probably knows things the rest of us don’t.”
