Teorin had almost dozed off on the couch when something jabbed his arm. He jerked up, blinking fast. His heart thudded—once, twice—before he caught up with reality. Just Lev poking him. He scrubbed a hand down his face, trying to shake off the exhaustion.

  After they got back from the warehouse, he’d allowed Lev to sit next to him, their arms lightly touching, while he scanned news reports and anything else they could think of. It wasn’t exactly thrilling. Given how little sleep Teorin had gotten lately… the poke was a jarring wakeup call.

  Teorin groaned. “This had better be good.”

  Lev let out a huff of amusement, and for a second, it threw Teorin how easily Lev could slip back into normal after what Teorin had seen. But maybe that was the point. The mask was practiced.

  “Sorry to interrupt your nap,” Lev said, voice softer than usual. “I would’ve let you sleep—you look like you’re about to fall over—but… you’ve got a hit.”

  Teorin glanced down at the blinking datapad in his lap. One of his search parameters on Isi had finally triggered. Hopefully, it was useful. Last time, it had just been a forum thread about surviving Rafinin relatives.

  Teorin scrambled off the couch and over to the console by the other wall. Lev followed behind. He tapped the console, and the message “Restricted” appeared on the screen.

  Lev huffed in frustration.

  “Just give me a second,” Teorin said. It looked like the alert was for the camera feed for one of the university buildings. Given what had happened at the university the other night, getting permission should be easy enough.

  Teorin typed out a quick message for the university liaison and hit send. The console chirped, and the screen displayed “Permission Requested” in dull white text.

  “Now we wait,” Teorin muttered.

  “Wow, thrilling spy work,” Lev said. “Do we stare at the screen more intensely to make it go faster?”

  Teorin gave him a sidelong glance. “That’s classified.”

  Lev smirked, but Teorin didn’t return it. He glanced at Lev, then back at the screen. With Isi on the move, things could get dangerous fast, and there were things he needed to understand before that happened. “Can I ask you a question?” Teorin said, his voice lower now.

  Lev tilted his head. “That’s an ominous opening, but sure.”

  “Is there anything else that I should know about you? I get that it’s personal, but also… if we had been making plans, and I hadn’t known about… everything, that could have been really bad. If I’d sent you off alone, if you had gotten captured, I would have had no idea that I was hurting you. I need to know, Lev. Because that’s the sort of call that I might have to make.”

  Lev flinched. “I guess that’s a valid worry.” He went quiet for a few seconds, then added, “There’s nothing else that would affect the mission. Just the ticking clock for touch.”

  Teorin raised an eyebrow. “So, that means there is something else?”

  Lev just narrowed his eyes. “No more soul barring today. I’m all out of emotional openness, thank you. Not unless you want me prying into your life.”

  Teorin raised his hands in surrender. “Fair enough. I do have one more question. This one you don’t have to answer, but I am curious. What you said before about not telling people about the touch stuff, about how people would twist it. What did you mean by that? Since that’s your reason for secrecy… it just feels like I should understand.”

  Lev let out a long breath and pulled at a thread on his sleeve. “If it got out… they’d throw labels at me: unstable, broken, co-dependent, sex addict. Liking touch is one thing, but the way I need it? They’d say I’m in love with Kara or something equally stupid. Maybe I shouldn’t care, but I do. I don’t want to be dissected that way by people who think they know me because they read a headline. I’ve lived my whole life under the public microscope. I know how it would go. Fame. So fun.”

  “I mean, some people would probably get it, right?” Teorin asked.

  Lev grimaced, looking up at the ceiling. “Yeah, some would, but the others? Even the normal stuff would get twisted. Every victory hug? Suddenly I’m taking advantage of my teammates. Every move I make would have some deeper, darker meaning. And dating? Ugh. They’d say I was just using whoever I broke up with for regulation.”

  Teorin raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like a softer version of what people already say.”

  Lev blinked. “Right. Well… I guess it’s different because right now, none of it’s true. It’s all just gossip, but if people knew, it would be real… and sort of true.”

  Teorin stared at him, and Lev backpedaled. “Not in a bad way! Just…” He swallowed. “Touch does regulate me, so yeah, cuddling with dates helps. And… they don’t exactly know what it means for me. What I’m getting out of it. So if you want to hate me for that, go ahead.”

  “Right. How dare you hug those girls,” Teorin said dryly. “They’d probably be horrified to learn you enjoyed it more than you let on.”

  Lev shot him a glare.

  Teorin rolled his eyes. “Come on. Are you seriously asking me to believe all their motives were completely pure, but yours weren’t? You’re literally one of the most famous people in the world. None of them were angling for a cover shot?”

  Lev blushed and looked down, picking at a thread on his sleeve.

  “I can see how the secret getting out would generate some nasty rumors, though,” Teorin admitted.

  Lev nodded, biting his lip before saying softly, “Yeah, but those people with ‘pure motives’? That’s actually what scares me most. If everyone knew, people would try to ‘help’ without really understanding it. Fans would think they were doing me a favor by grabbing me, think it’s what I need. When really… it usually just makes it worse. They aren’t familiar. It helps for a second, then throws my system out of whack.”

  Teorin winced. That… yeah. He could see that happening, but also, “So, why did my hug help?”

  “Because I was really dysregulated.” Lev tapped his fingers along the table. “At some point, my system decides any touch is better than nothing. Technically, it always helps me tell what’s real. It’s just… emotionally irritating? It’s hard to describe.”

  Lev’s lips twitched into a wry grin. “Strangers are sort of like eating raw kale or something. Technically healthy, but tastes gross and doesn’t give you much energy. Also, it depends a little on my mood, which makes the misunderstanding worse.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Teorin was silent for a few moments. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but fame seems to cause you a lot of problems, so why do sports?”

  Lev let out another tired laugh. Then he just shrugged. “Because I love it. Sports are where I feel the most like me, and it’s not all bad things. In sports, touch is normal. No one thinks twice about a high five or an arm around someone. It’s built-in regulation without the awkwardness.” He leaned back slightly. “And after a couple weeks, my body stops flagging my team as unfamiliar. They’re just... safe background noise. It’s nice.” Lev was silent for a moment. “Besides, I’m one of two Kinetic Memorans. People will always be intrigued. Maybe less if I quit, but I’m never going to vanish.”

  Teorin studied him, something tugging in his chest. Safe background noise. Lev made it sound so simple.

  “That’s… actually kind of smart,” Teorin said finally. “Not just about the sports thing. About making your needs invisible so no one asks the wrong questions.” He paused, then added, quieter, “Doesn’t seem very fair, though.”

  Lev gave him a crooked grin. “Fair? What’s that?”

  Teorin snorted. “Something you’re apparently allergic to.”

  Lev chuckled, but Teorin caught the shadow still in his eyes. “I have a lot of allergies, principally dogs and cats, but staring at boring console screens might be a new, recently discovered one. See what I’m suffering for you?”

  “You’re ridiculous, you know that, right?”

  Lev just grinned and playfully nudged Teorin with his foot.

  Teorin blinked. Lev had done that with Kara. Teorin wasn’t sure whether to be unsettled or honored. Also, animals? If Lev needed touch… “Are the allergies why you don’t have a pet? Seems like it would solve a lot of problems. They’re cuddly, right?”

  Lev hesitated. “It does help. Just… not all the way. They’re kind of like you. I get a couple of hours, but no reset. Still don’t know why.”

  Teorin tilted his head. “Still seems like that would help.”

  Lev closed his eyes. “Yeah. I—” He flinched at something unseen, then rubbed his side. “I had a dog as a kid, but when he died…”

  Lev shuddered. “I was thirteen. It messed me up for months. Maybe someday I’ll try again, but I’m gone so often I’d just feel guilty.” He let out a short huff that was almost a laugh. “And, you know, the allergies. My respiratory system and fur are not friends.” His voice dipped softer at the end, like he’d already said more than he meant to.

  Teorin shifted in the chair, fingers tightening briefly on the armrest. What was he supposed to say to that?

  “Teorin?” Lev said, voice incredibly soft, almost tentative.

  Teorin blinked. “Yeah?”

  “My… Jeron said he told my mother I checked into a facility.”

  Teorin’s jaw tightened. He gave a slow nod.

  Lev bit his lip. “I know he’s important to you. But can you see now why that would panic her?” He took a deep breath. “She knows I need her if Kara’s gone. I wouldn’t shut her out. Even if I’m completely lost in memories, I…”

  Lev swallowed hard. “I call for her. That’s the opposite of refusing to see her. So, she won’t—”

  “She won’t believe it,” Teorin finished.

  Lev nodded sharply. “She’ll panic. Go public. Do anything to figure out where I am. If I could just talk to her—” He broke off, jaw tightening.

  “Do you want her here?” Teorin asked quietly.

  “No!” Lev snapped. He took a deep breath, calming himself. “No. I don’t want her dragged into this. Not yet. I just want her to know I’m not—” He swallowed. “I’m okay.”

  Teorin let out a long breath. “Okay. Then we figure out what to tell her. It might be safer for Kara if she stays dead publicly.”

  Lev stared at him like he’d just said something unforgivable.

  “Right now, only one clan is hunting her. Let’s not make it two,” Teorin said, rushing to clarify.

  Lev looked dubious. “You don’t think we could protect her?”

  “We protect her better with information than with soldiers,” he said, meeting Lev’s gaze.

  Lev’s fingers tapped along the console. “Fine. But I’m not lying to my mother about that. I’ll tell her it has to stay between us. She can keep a secret,” Lev finished sharply.

  Teorin couldn’t exactly argue with that. Fortunately, he didn’t have to decide what to say next because the console chirped.

  Lev glanced at the flashing screen. “Something real this time?”

  “They just gave me full access to the video feeds,” Teorin said as he tapped the console, and the screen in front of them opened to a video stream, displaying a red-headed woman walking down a hallway.

  “Hair’s not exactly right for Isi,” Lev muttered as the video came into focus. Teorin could see why Lev was confused. The girl on the screen did look like Isi, at least her face did, but her coloring was all wrong. Red hair, skin lighter than Lev’s.

  “It’s her,” Teorin said as Isi disappeared into some classroom. “She’s just changing her whole complexion with luminance. It’s a quick and simple disguise.”

  “Makes sense,” Lev said. “This looks familiar. Where is she?”

  Teorin checked the video metadata. “Campus tower. I asked Jeron to pull some strings to monitor these feeds in case someone circled back to look for the rest of those pages.”

  Lev gave him an impressed look. “Well, looks like it paid off.”

  A few seconds later, Isi reappeared from the classroom heading back the way that she’d come. What had she been looking for in that specific classroom? “Why not change her face too?” Lev asked.

  Teorin shrugged. “Changing your face shape takes a lot more concentration. She’s probably just avoiding casual recognition, not cameras. We’re not supposed to have access to these anyway.”

  “Still, holding that illusion subconsciously? She’s good.”

  “Isi is very good,” Teorin murmured as the camera feed sharpened; she’d entered a burstproof zone with better surveillance. They watched her pause at a wall display, scanning it. Hair and skin tone were simple tricks for a Luminar. Maintaining them while multitasking wasn’t.

  Isi clicked through the sign, clearly searching for something. After a few swipes, she seemed to find it and headed to the elevator.

  Well, they’d found Isi. Now what?

  Lev echoed the thought. “So, do we head back to Kalin Bay?”

  Teorin shook his head. “By the time we get there, she’ll be gone. The real question is why she’s at the tower. If it’s for the pages, they’re here. And if that’s what she’s after, why not go to the roof instead of a random classroom?”

  “Maybe she forgot something there?” Lev offered.

  “Maybe,” Teorin said. Isi hadn’t been inside long, too short for a full search.

  “Maybe she already checked the roof. Are there cameras up there?”

  “No.” It was one of the reasons that Jeron had wanted to meet up there.

  On the screen, the elevator doors opened. Isi stepped out but didn’t head for the exit. She wandered through an office section, then left.

  “Any idea what she’s doing?” Teorin asked.

  Lev shook his head. “No, but if she’s after the pages, how hard would it be to figure out where we went?”

  “There were a lot of people out that night,” Teorin said with a shrug. “We weren’t subtle. It’d take work, but this outpost isn’t exactly hidden. If she’s looking for us, she’ll find us eventually.”

  Teorin pulled up a map of the whole area. “She could come to us.”

  Lev raised an eyebrow. “We’re in a fortified Novem facility. Wouldn’t she send someone else?”

  “Maybe,” Teorin said. “But a full-on assault would draw attention. If they don’t even know the pages are still here, sending in someone covertly makes more sense. And Isi’s perfect for that.”

  “So, what are we supposed to do? Just sit here?”

  Teorin clenched his jaw. Isi was so close, and they were stuck. He hated being a bystander. Lev probably hated it more.

  “No,” Teorin said. “We come up with a plan. Maybe we bargain with her?”

  “With what?” Lev asked. “Do you have anything other than those pages that she would even want? Because somehow, I don’t think that she would take anything less.”

  Lev was probably right. Besides, how were they supposed to contact her? Teorin couldn’t exactly call her up. He sighed. “Then we set a trap. Use the pages as bait.”

  “It’s going to have to be a pretty enticing trap,” Lev said. “Isi doesn’t seem careless.”

  “Agreed. But first, we need to keep eyes on her.”

  “How?”

  Teorin smiled. “Novem still has people in Kalin Bay cleaning up. I’ll have them watch for her—quietly.” He scanned the personnel list. “Five agents. That should be enough. Maybe they can even make our trail a little easier to follow… without tipping her off.”

  “Seems reasonable,” Lev said. “And what do we do?”

  Teorin stared at the screen, weighing the possibilities. They could actually pull this off.

  “We plan and gather some equipment,” Teorin said. He turned back to Lev. “If I can find a stun rifle and some heat-sensing goggles, do you think you could, say, hit her with a stun dart from one of the warehouse rooftops?”

  Lev’s grin was slow and dangerous. “From the roof? I could hit her earring.”

  Teorin raised an eyebrow. The confidence in Lev’s voice sounded less like bravado and more like him just… being himself again, which, weirdly, was reassuring. “I probably didn’t need that much detail,” Teorin said dryly.

  “You asked.”

  Teorin rolled his eyes, but then grinned back.

  “This is all assuming she’s alone,” Lev said, tracing the edge of the console.

  Teorin huffed. “We’ll workshop it.”

  For once, he wasn’t waiting. He was making the next move.

  [Lev] Here's my rent. Looks like it's about family too.