HER SAFTY
1035 Words
(Season 1)
CHAPTER 12
Zach paced the living room.
Waiting.
The second RHINE stepped out of Liora’s room, both he and Ryan were on their feet.
“*Is she okay now?*” Ryan asked.
“*She’s sleeping,*” Rhine said softly.
Zach caught the hesitation in her voice. His eyes narrowed.
“*What is it?*”
Rhine sighed. She knew that look. There was no escaping Zach when he went serious-mode.
“*Emm... did you guys know that... she ran away from home?*”
Both Zach and Ryan froze.
“*Ran away?*” Ryan echoed.
They’d never pushed her about family. She never talked about it, so they let it be.
“*No, we didn’t,*” Zach said. “*We thought it was better not to pressure her.*”
Rhine nodded. “*Well... she did. She said her stepmom wants something from her. Something only Liora can give. That’s why she ran.*”
Silence.
“*What does that have to do with tonight?*” Zach asked.
“*I think the woman at the party was her stepmom,*” Rhine said. “*Mrs. Brown. Liora saw her and panicked.*”
“*Did you know who her stepmother is?*” Zach pressed.
“*Mrs. Brown!!!*”
*KAI* walked in mid-sentence. Hair messed up. Shirt torn. Looked like he’d gone 10 rounds.
They all stared.
“*What happened to you?*” Zach asked.
Kai dropped onto the couch with an exhausted groan.
“*Kalen. That’s what happened. I barely got out with my head.*”
“*Is he okay?*” Ryan asked immediately, worried.
Kai rolled his eyes. “*Who do you think he is? He’s KALEN VEX, Ryan.*”
“*He’s not superhuman, Kai!*” Ryan snapped. “*He gets hurt too!*”
“*Where is he?*” Zach cut in, voice low and serious.
“*You don’t want to see him right now, brother,*” Kai said.
Rhine nodded in agreement. She could feel how close Zach was to blowing.
“*All of this happened because of him,*” Zach said, jaw tight. He rarely lost it like this.
“*Zach, that’s not fair,*” Ryan said. “*Kalen was dealing with his own stuff. And Liora running into Mrs. Brown... that was going to happen eventually. No one could’ve stopped it.*”
“*Maybe,*” Zach said. “*But it wouldn’t have gone this bad if he’d been with her.*”
Now her name was all over the news. “Girl attacks guardian.”
And it happened way too fast.
He exhaled and turned to Ryan.
“*Call Zod. Kill the story before the next news cycle. And Ryan — Liora can’t know about Mrs. Brown being in the hospital. I’ll handle that.*”
He walked out, leaving the room quiet.
Rhine sat there, thinking about how Liora had looked tonight. Scared. Shaking. Holding on like the world would end if she let go.
“*She’s been through a lot,*” Rhine thought. “*And she’s holding so much in.*”
She made a mental note to stay close. Someone had to look out for her.
Once Ryan left, Rhine turned to Kai. He had his eyes closed, leaning back.
“*You know it’s rude to stare, young lady,*” he said without opening them, voice deeper than usual.
Rhine jumped. “*I... need to talk to you about something important.*”
“*Shoot.*”
“*Promise you won’t freak out.*”
Kai peeked one eye open. “*Depends. Are my brothers involved?*”
“*They’re all a handful,*” Rhine said. “*Ryan overreacts, Zach is unpredictable, and Kalen— don’t get me started.*”
Kai huffed a laugh. “*Okay, point made. What is it?*”
Rhine took a breath.
“*It’s about Liora.*”
Kai’s whole body went still. Eyes opened. Serious.
And just like that, the room got cold.
“*What is wrong with Liora? Is she okay?*” Kai asked, sitting up straight now. All the sarcasm gone.
Rhine rolled her eyes.
_How could I forget how dramatic Kai is?_
One second he’s joking, next second it’s like the world is ending.
“*She’s fine. She’s sleeping,*” Rhine said. “*Physically, she’s okay.*”
Kai frowned. “*But?*”
“*But...*” Rhine hesitated. She picked at her nails. “*Tonight wasn’t just about seeing Mrs. Brown, Kai.*”
Kai leaned forward. “*Then what?*”
Rhine sighed. “*When I went into her room earlier, she wasn’t just scared. She was... somewhere else.*”
She looked up at him. “*She was gripping my hand so tight and she kept whispering ‘don’t let her take me back. Please don’t let her take me back.’ Over and over.*”
Kai’s jaw clenched.
“*And it’s not the first time,*” Rhine continued quietly. “*Ryan told me what happened the night she woke up here. How she thrashed and cried. Tonight was the same energy, just worse.*”
“*So what are you saying?*” Kai asked.
“*I’m saying someone hurt her. Bad.*” Rhine’s voice dropped. “*I don’t know the details. I don’t want to. But whatever Mrs. Brown wants from her... Liora thinks her life depends on running.*”
Kai ran a hand through his hair. “*And Zach wants to bury the news.*”
“Yes,” Rhine said. “And I agree with him. If this hits the internet, Mrs. Brown will use it. She’ll say Liora is unstable. That she’s dangerous. And people will believe it.”
Kai stood up and started pacing. Just like Zach did 20 minutes ago.
He stopped at the window. Stared out at nothing.
"We won't let that happen," he said. His hand clenched so hard his knuckles went white.
"She's safe here. With us. And if Mrs. Brown wants to try and take her back, she's going to have to go through all four of us first."
Rhine nodded. "Good. Because I have a feeling this isn't over."
Outside, Zach was on the phone with Zod. Inside, Ryan was already deleting articles.
And upstairs, Liora slept. Fitfully. Whispering in her dreams.
The war had started. And none of them were going to lose it.
TBC
- Writer
