“And what if we fail? Do you want us to leave our people to die? Just like that?”

  “You didn’t seem to care when uted and killed them to suit our needs. Why care now?”

  “We both know that was a mistake, sister. A mistake that cost us dearly.”

  “I know that better than anyone alive, Geron… Now, now just pray this works, because if we fail, it’ll be the end of everything.”

  ~ Nikra and Geron, ages ago.

  Leo awoke with a gasp, s out of his body as he instinctively rolled to the side. “Bloody hell,” he groaned, his back meeting the hard wooden floor of his bedroom.

  Disentangling himself from the fallen covers, Leo climbed to his feet, rubbing his shoulder where yet another bruise robably already f. Another day, another fall, Leo scowled. Stupid dreams.

  Oh, how Leo hated those dreams. They crashed into his life with the force of a sledgehammer and refused to leave for almost two weeks now. Unlike any other dream, Leo could remember them all perfectly, the versatioween two siblings, the bloodshed their battle caused, and then of course the damned crimson fsh.

  For some reason, Leo’s body always decided to wake up right after the fsh and to use some kind of fight-or-flight respoo somehow dodge the light. And that was how Leo nded on the floor every m, no matter what he did. At this point, he thought of just sleeping on the ground, at least until the dreams went away.

  Like that’s gonna happen. Not with my luck, Leo shrowing on a new shirt and sants before leaving his small bedroom. It only took a few steps through the house’s only corridor to arrive at the way te living room.

  “Dreams aside, I really o this pce,” Leo grimaced as his eyes sed the various clothes and dirty dishes scattered across every surface of the mostly bare room. Hell, he could barely see his couch… What I say, it’s been a long week.

  For the record, maybe Leo shouldn’t have listeo his sister wheold him to bee a bloody reporter just because he wao have some impa the world. As much as he loved his job, sometimes it just became too much. A point that roven even further by the fact that Leo’s clock almost screamed at him that it was already an hour past noon.

  “At least it’s Friday and my ory is finished. No more all-nighters,” Leo grumbled, his eyes dartiween the arch leading to the kit and the mess around him. Mom and Lily would kill me if they saw this, but… breakfast or rather dinner first, ing ter.

  “This got to be some kind of a joke…” Leo muttered as he scrolled through a web forum that his foster sister sent him a few days after their phone call st week. Just like Lily said, he certainly wasn’t the only one who suddenly began to experience weird dreams. Hell, some of those people even mao perfectly describe parts of Leo’s dreams.

  I swear if it’s another pandemic, I’m gonna kill somebody… He scowled, running a hand through his short, bck hair.

  As much as the journalist within Leo wao figure out this shit alohe rational part of his mind khat there was not much he could do in this situation. If it indeed was yet another pandemic, then there were people out there that were much better suited to iigate it. Leo was no stist.

  But what if it’s something pletely different, Leo mused as he closed his ptop and leaned ba his chair. Sometimes he really hated Lily for putting her spiracy theories in his head. One had to wonder where she even got some of her ideas.

  “Bloody woman,” Leo muttered even as his lips formed a small smile at the thought of his sister. As his eyes closed, he almost jumped when the phone oable began to vibrate.

  Gring at the small device, Leo groaned when he read who the offender was. “Speak of the devil and she shall appear,” he murmured dryly and put the phoo his ear, “Lily?”

  “What’s up, little brother!” Leo winced as his sister’s all too cheery and defioo loud voice came from the speaker.

  “I’m older, Lily,” Leo rolled his eyes, his voice as dry as the desert. Really, sometimes he wondered how this was the woman who mao help him recover from the darkest period of his life. “Any particur reason you called me?”

  “Aww, ’t I just call to talk with my favorite brother?”

  Leo shook his head. Lily just loved to step on nd mines with every sentence she said.

  “Yes you , but I hope you don’t mielling Nick that I’m your favorite. I’m sure he will be delighted,” Leo smirked, his teasing side rearing its head.

  “You’re mean, you know that right?” Came the instant response, and Leo’s smirk widened even more.

  She huffed into the microphone, “Anyway, what are your pns for the weekend? Any parties?” She gasped, “Maybe a date?”

  Not this again, Leo almost groaned as he stood up from the lone dining table in his living room. He still had to get ready for his daily run.

  Entering the corridor, Leo answered slowly, “Lily, you know me well enough to know that I don’t care about partying or dating. I have better things to do.”

  A loud groan echoed from the other side, “Oh, e on! You’re like, twenty-five years old, and you live like some old hermit!" she promptly ignored Leo’s shout of denial and tinued, “Have some fun, live a little! I mean fuck, if it wasn’t for your family or work, then you'd practically never leave the house!”

  “We both know that’s not true,” Leo scowled, approag one of the wardrobes in his bedroom.

  “Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but my point still stands. Add to that your new dreams and I'm getting seriously worried about you, Leo." Lily said, her voice as soft as fresh snow.

  Of course, she had t this up, Leo sighed and sat on his soft bed, running shorts and shirt in hand.

  “I’m fine Lily, I really am,” he almost whispered, lying down on his covers. “While the presence of the dreams is quite discerting, there is not much we do about them. We just have to wait for people smarter than us to figure out what is going on.”

  Lily just sighed i, “I hate it when you’re right… Now, are you ready for tomorrow?"

  Sitting up, Leo blinked in fusion.

  "Tomorrow?" His eyebrow rose. Was he fetting something?

  "Yes, tomorrow," Lily repeated slowly. "You know, the tourhat takes p London? The same one I remind you about every time we speak." Her voice was full deadpan by the time she finished speaking.

  Right, Leo almost facepalmed. How could he fet? His sister, Lily Hale, athlete extraordinaire — her words, not his — had advao the regional finals that would take p London. Tomorrow.

  Fuck.

  “Yeah, I'll be there, no problem." He spoke up instantly as the realization hit him. "I already fihe story for Monday, so I have the rest of the weekend off.” God forbid he even thought about missing the event. Lily’s rants were legendary, and Leo had gohrough enough of them already to st a lifetime.

  “Good,” She replied, and Leo could feel her smugness even through the phone. “Once I destroy my oppos, we even have a victory party. In fact, we might even find you a nice girl," She said cheerfully. "What do ya think?”

  Again, really? Leo groaned as he ged into his running clothes. His sister was really on a roll today. Though her stant shots at his love life were getting quite old tely. He expected more from his little sister. Well, not really…

  “You're that fident you'll win eh? Be careful, or that ego will eat you,” Leo shot back, ign Lily’s teasing. That was the best way to deal with her. That or mentioning her own very successful dates that Lily just loved to rant about. To her brother no less.

  Fight fire with fire as they say.

  Thankfully Leo’s usual method worked perfectly as a loud gasp came from the speaker, “You wound me, Leo! I will have you know that I trained hard, and with my siblings watg, there's no ce I will lose.”

  Shaking his head, Leo, now dressed properly, put on his headphones and slipped out of his room, “I believe in you. You mao vince me to bee a journalist so there is no ce that some puny tour will stop you from being the best.”

  “That’s right and don’t you fet it,” Lily beamed, her attitude pulling a smile onto Leo’s face as he approached the entrance door at the end of the corridor. “Oh, I almost fot,” she suddenly chirped, “Nicky is ing too. It has been a while since we three had some fun together.”

  Leo's hand froze as it reached for the door handle.

  Niing to London? Alone? No way, Lily had to be joking. After all, Nick’s lovely wife barely let the man out of her sight. Not for the first time, Leo wondered how those two even worked together.

  Though someone once said that opposites attract each other.

  “Lily,” Leo said very slowly as he stepped into the scorg sun and locked the door to his white bungalow. “How the hell will Nick mao get away from Ava for aire day and drive to London? You know how she is with him.”

  Silence fell upon the line as Leo sed the neighborhood and waited for the miraculous expnation.

  Living oskirts of the city really had its advantages. Barely any cars drove here during such te hours and Leo could t the houses here on the fingers of his both hands. Really for su old street, it was incredible that so few people decided to settle here. Hell, even more surprising was the fact that the lush clearings and rge forests around here didn't suffer any casualties from a humalement so close by.

  As for Leo, he just soaked imosphere of this peaceful area. Away from nosy people that always mao find a way to bother him each time he released a ory. Here Leo could go on a run, work outside or just take a nap in the backyard without arying to waste his time.

  “You know, I have no clue,” Lily chuckled sheepishly, bringing Leo out of his musing. “I was too excited to ask.”

  You don’t say, Leo shook his head, stepping on the sidewalk. Why did his sister have to be su airhead from time to time?

  “Hey, maybe they came to some accord. Who knows, maybe he found something to bribe her with?” Lily spoke up with a giggle before Leo could say anything.

  “Bribe? Yeah, with what? Being back before ten?” Leo shough he really wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.

  “Maybe,” Lily tihrough her giggles, “They are weird like that.”

  Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Leo ignored his giggling sister and the elderly woman sitting in the garden in front of a house he just passed. A woman that was waving right at him.

  Like hell, I’m stopping so Gibson interrogate me. Thinking quickly, Leo waved bad poi his headphones with the other hand. Now for the kill.

  “You know what, Lily?” Leo spoke again, raising his voice so even Mrs. Gibson could hear him. “We will just get the answer out of him tomorrow. Nick could never keep as from us… That man is hopeless.”

  “Ouch! Why are you screaming? Do you wao go deaf?” Lily almost screeched.

  Like you are oo talk, Leo rolled his eyes, finally getting past Gibson’s house. “Stop being dramatic. I was just dodging Mrs. Gibson, you know how she gets, especially with me.”

  Leo easily imagined Lily's face sg in a grimace, they both had been in simir situations before. “Ohh, all fiven then… Anyway, as you finally left your cave, you tell me if it’s so bloody hot in Wolford too. Fod’s sake, we're in the middle of November and it’s almost thirty degrees outside.”

  “Don’t eve me started on the fug weather,” Leo grumbled, trudging forward as the forest grew closer and closer.

  “Last week every forecast was screaming about rain and heavy wind. For once I was happy that I had to stay home and work from dawn to dusk. Then Monday es and what happens?” He scowled. “Twenty-five degrees, no clouds in sight and not even the lightest breeze. I swear if the weather goes to shit tomorrow, I’m starting an inquisition against every forecast studio.”

  Lily’s giggles once again filled Leo’s ears. “Damn, you must have been holding this back for a while now, huh?”

  Leo’s shoulders slumped. “Four days,” he muttered, stopping where the sidewalk ended and the dirt track leading into the forest began. “I’m just gd that I got it out before Edward’s visit.”

  Lily hummed, “ht, he is visiting you today… Are you ready? If I remember correctly, he couldn’t e during the st few weeks.”

  Leo sighed, leaning against the bark of the ree, “There is nothing to be ready for, Lily. We’ve been trying to mend our retionship for over two years now and at this point those meetings are like a chore, nothing to be scared of.”

  “I wish you tried at least a bit harder. He is still your biological father after all,” Lily said after a moment, the cheerfulness all gone from her tone.

  I will try once he does too, Leo scowled, though he didn’t voice his thoughts. He was a grown-ass adult, not a five-year-old kid. Besides, he already had this argument with both Lily and his therapist in the past. It robably the only matter they never mao truly solve.

  “That he is,” Leo murmured instead. “It’s just hard, you know. Every time I see him, I remember the day whehio shit. And well, even though I’m all about letting your past go, when it es to Edward, I just ’t... Pretty hypocritie, eh?”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Lily answered quietly after a long pause. “No one is perfed as long as you try, it will be enough. Just don’t push him away, we both know that the man really regrets his as.”

  Leo snorted, “Look at you, giving good advice.”

  “Oh, shush,” Lily huffed. “Besides, remember whht you out of your broody phase.”

  “Whatever,” Was Leo’s mature response. His sister exploded in ughter over the line while Leo just stood there scowling. “Ye, ye, ugh it up. We’ll see who ughs st when I tell Nick who is your favorite tomorrow.”

  “Oi!” Came the instant response even though Leo could hear the traces of ughter in Lily’s voice.

  “Anyway,” Leo interjected before Lily could go on another rant, “Got anything else to say? I really want to finish my run before Edward arrives.”

  “hat’s it from me. Just remember to at least try, okay?”

  Leo heaved a sigh, “I will, I promise I will. See you tomorrow then.”

  “See ya, little brother!” She shouted cheerily before the li silent.

  Shaking his head with silent ughter, Leo took out his phone and put on his favorite pylist on low volume. The soft tunes and the singing of birds alut his mind at ease throughout his runs. He definitely o rex a bit before this evening.

  Leo took a deep breath and stepped into the embrace of Nature, foing the past as his shoes trampled upon the dirty track faster and faster. Edward might be a problem of the past and future, but here and now, far away from civilization, only the present and the road ahead of Leo mattered.