Maya's POV
Derek was gone by sunset.
She watched from the tower as he packed supplies. A backpack. Some food. Water bottles. He moved like a ghost. Like someone who had already died but his body hadn't figured it out yet.
He paused at the gate and looked back at the tower once. Maya didn't wave. She just stood there and watched her brother disappear into the Crimson Wastes.
Before he left, he had written her a letter. It was sitting on her desk when she returned to her quarters. Multiple pages. His handwriting shaky. Words apologizing profusely. Promises that he would make it right somehow. Begging for forgiveness.
Maya read the first line.
Dear Maya, I'm sorry for everything. I know I can't fix what I've broken but I need you to know—
She stopped reading.
She walked to the fire pit and burned the letter without finishing it. The pages curled and blackened and became ash. Like they had never existed at all.
That night, she was numb.
