Finn Lennoy-January 2121
The map Edmund provided is crumpled in my lap, its edges worn thin from the number of times I've traced the route. I keep one hand on the steering wheel, eyes flicking constantly from the snow-dusted road ahead to the rearview mirror, tracking the subtle shifts in the car's atmosphere.
"We're almost there" I call out.
Preparing for this trip was an exercise in strategic exhaustion, mostly because Noah and Kai disagreed with every single detail.
Noah dug his heels in immediately, fiercely refusing Edmund's offer for a forced break until he could unravel exactly what is happening to Kai.
Kai, on the other hand, fought against coming because his own mind terrifies him, he's convinced he is a liability, a ticking clock that will put the rest of us in danger.
Even Ethan has been vibrating with quiet anxiety, his shoulders tight with worry about the safety of the others left behind at the school.
But Edmund is a calculating man. He managed to smooth over the cracks, pull the right levers, and force us all into this car.
"It's a shame Monica and Gerald couldn't come" Ethan says from the back seat.
"No, it's no," Kai grunts. He leans heavily against the passenger window, eyes shut tight, his posture guarded.
"You don't mean that." Ethan reaches over, nudging him gently in the back to force him to look up.
"Monica is too loud," Kai counters, though the bite in his voice lacks any real venom. "And Gerald most likely wouldn't come without her."
Watching Kai through the rearview, I note the slight relaxation in his jaw. He has lightened up a little over the last few days.
The terrifying episodes of him mentally disappearing into his own head haven't breached the surface lately, and everyone has been keeping a eye on him.
Honestly, he's starting to get bored of being coddled, which is a healthy sign.
"Why didn't they want to come anyways?" I ask.
Kai lets his head thud back against the glass. "They both said that just being at Trinity is a break to them compared to the facility."
I suppose they aren't wrong. Trinity probably feels like a fortress to them.
Besides, knowing those two are staying behind offers some comfort, it means the school isn't left undefended, which eases most of our minds.
My eyes drift from the mirror to the passenger seat.
Noah.
He is practically pressed against his own window, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his mouth set in a stubborn pout as he watches the endless wall of pine trees blur past.
Without breaking my gaze from the road, I reach across the center console. My hand finds his leg, giving his knee a firm, grounding squeeze.
Noah huffs loudly, a sharp intake of air through his nose, and flinches away just enough to break the contact. "Will you stop that?"
"You can't still be annoyed that you weren't allowed to bring your laptop" I say, a faint trace of amusement tugging at the corner of my mouth.
"It is my laptop to bring, not Dr Edmunds" he complains before he twist his entire body further toward the door, giving me the cold shoulder.
I glance from Noah's rigid back to Kai's identical, moody slump in the seat directly behind him. The symmetry is ridiculous. Sitting there in the exact same position, they look less like grown adults and more like two exhausted kids who have been dragged away from their toys.
Despite the permanent knot of alertness in my chest, a small, genuine laugh escapes me.
"What's so funny?" Noah turns his head just enough to glare at me, his sharp eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"You both look like kids who were told they weren't allowed ice cream" I say.
Noah's glare deepens, but behind me, the tension breaks completely as Ethan lets out a bright, clean laugh.
"Why are you laughing?" Kai mutters, shifting uncomfortably.
"It really does feel like a family trip" Ethan says softly.
In the mirror, I catch the sudden, faint flush of colour on Kai's cheeks before he looks away. I keep my mouth shut, hiding a smile, and focus back on driving the car through the increasingly thick patches of packed snow.
As we clear the final ridge and the arrival point comes into view, the breath catches cleanly in my throat.
I slow the car down. My eyes immediately begin scanning the perimeter out of pure habit, but the sheer scale of the landscape slows my racing thoughts.
"Wow" Ethan breathes, leaning over my shoulder to get a better look.
It is stunning. Four old, abandoned wooden buildings sit on the edge of a massive, solid sheet of an ice covered lake. A heavy blanket of white snow covers the entire expanse, flanked by miles of endless, silent forest. It feels like looking at a postcard.
Even Noah and Kai forget to be moody for a second, their heads turning toward the glass to take in the view.
I pull the car up beside one of the buildings and cut the engine.
We all spill out into the open air, and the immediate, biting sting of the cold hits my face like a slap. But it feels incredibly fresh.
I stand by the driver's door, taking a deep, freezing breath that burns my lungs, my eyes already tracing the layout of the cabins and the distance to the treeline. But for the first time in a long time, the vigilance doesn't feel like a heavy burden.
Ethan is the first to break the heavy silence, a bright, breathless laugh escaping him as he suddenly bolts towards the frozen lake.
"Come on!" He turns around to wave at us, a massive smile splitting his face.
Beside me, Kai steps forward automatically. It's a purely instinctive reaction, built into his very core at this point, keep Ethan safe.
But the moment his boots crunch into the snow, he freezes. His gaze drops, staring down at the thick, separate metal cuffs wrapped individually around each of his wrists.
Noah catches the hesitation instantly. He steps into Kai's space, reaching out to wrap his fingers around one of Kai's wrists, lifting it to study the device closely.
"Thomas's handiwork is very impressive," Noah muses, his tone shifting into that familiar, analytical rhythm I know so well. "I was surprised how quickly he managed to create these."
Kai stands perfectly still, a quiet, tense shadow, watching as Noah drops that hand and lifts the other one to examine it.
"Are we sure these are just as strong as the cuffs?" Kai asks, his voice laced with a raw, underlying doubt.
Noah responds with a reassuring pat directly against the metal device before letting go of Kai's hand entirely.
"Yes, these are just as strong, without the restraint," Noah nods, completely confident in his assessment. "There is nothing to be worried about."
But as Kai looks back down at his hands, I can still read the lingering scepticism in his eyes.
He has been brutally stubborn about this. He had flat out refused to take the original cuffs off, even going so far as trying to lock himself back in his cell to sleep. It took an earful from nearly everyone at the school to finally get him out, but he only agreed to stay in his and Ethan's bedroom, but only on the condition that the cuffs stayed firmly on.
It was painful to watch. For two days, I'd quietly observed him struggling with basic day to day movements, deliberately avoiding the other because he couldn't bear them seeing him like that.
Ethan had tried everything to persuade him otherwise, but Kai wouldn't budge.
Then, Thomas arrived with a solution. He claimed he had some spare material left over from the equipment he'd stolen from the facility, and he'd crafted these individual metal wrist devices.
They suppressed Kai's powers just as effectively, but finally gave him his hands back.
"Hey, look!" Ethan's shout echoes from the edge of the lake "The ice is so thick!"
He's already stepped out onto the frozen surface, his arms windmilling slightly as he loses his balance, trying desperately not to fall.
A flash of pure worry crosses Kai's face. The anxiety about the cuffs instantly evaporates from his mind as he breaks into a hurried jog towards the shoreline.
"Are you sure that's safe?" he calls out.
"Yeah, look at this" Ethan smiles, entirely carefree. To prove his point, he takes a small hop to demonstrate the strength of the ice.
But the moment his boots come back down, his feet slip out from under him. He hits the ice with a dull thud, landing right on his bum.
Kai doesn't even hesitate. He walks straight out onto the slippery surface to reach him, bending down to help Ethan back to his feet. But as he pulls, Ethan's legs clumsily slide forward, sweeping directly beneath Kai.
In a chaotic blur of limbs, Kai's feet are knocked completely from under him, and he crashes down, landing squarely on top of Ethan.
Right beside me, Noah bursts out laughing.
The sound is sudden, sharp, and entirely genuine. I turn my head to look at him, tracking the way the harsh tension in his face completely dissolves, replaced by raw amusement.
Seeing him like this, the tightly wound knot in my own chest loosens just a fraction. I can't help but let out a laugh of my own, the sound low and warm in the freezing air.
It has been a long time since I've heard Noah laugh like that. Looking at the easy curve of his mouth, I feel a quiet, familiar ache in my chest, but mostly, I'm just glad to see it again.
"Shall we go look inside?" Noah asks.