Kai's Point of View
The sunlight filtering through my dorm window feels too bright, stabbing at my eyes as I roll out of bed. Every muscle still aches, my body reminding me of the stitches along my side, but it is not the pain that is keeping me awake. It is the restless fire inside me.
I drag a shirt over my head, grab my bag, and force myself out the door. The halls are quiet, almost too quiet for how loud my thoughts are.
I cannot shake the image of Octavia’s hands pressed against my wound, steady even though she was trembling. Or the way her eyes softened when she promised I would be okay. That memory keeps looping, burning deeper every time.
But then, in the cafeteria, I had seen her with Rafael. Him leaning in, her listening. Them sharing breakfast together. Like it was nothing.
