3. Drive

  (Sera)

  The entire week I argued with myself on whether to get Hellion something… It was a complicated matter, and more often than not, I avoided giving him gifts. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, even though we were well past that…

  The back and forth resulted in me deciding on something insignificant—if there was such a thing. I could’ve given him one of my socks and he would’ve been happy about it… But he couldn’t get the wrong impression that way, and I wouldn’t have to feel guilty for the third year in a row.

  Obviously I’d known him much longer, but back then I hadn’t had the money to afford gifts. I never mentioned that was the reason, but either way, Hellion thought nothing of it. After twelve years, he hadn’t come to expect anything from me—especially not anything big.

  “Oh, Sera, you’re still here?” Heidi’s sweet voice questioned as she swept into the kitchen, spotting me at my locker.

  “Yeah, I’m leaving now. I’ll be back on Tuesday.”

  “Have fun this weekend, and tell Zeyna happy birthday for me!”

  “Will do!” I waved as she went to Shay’s office.

  Unclipping my fanny pack, I stuffed it in my oversized purse and tossed the leftover cake in after it. With a quick shuffle through the bag, I found Hellion’s gift and shoved it in my back pocket.

  Hellion waited at the front, and I skipped to meet him. He pushed the doors open for me, grinning. “You seem to be in a better mood.”

  “It’s a wonder—not having a bowling ball in your stomach is quite the mood boost.”

  “It couldn’t possibly be that we’re officially on a long weekend—your favorite one at that?”

  “No, not at all.” I smiled, making my way through the parking lot. I paused beneath a streetlamp.

  “I parked at the end,” he said, leading the way.

  “Hellion.”

  He looked back, and I beckoned him over with a flick of my head. Stepping into the light, he watched me expectantly.

  Unable to meet his eyes, I said, “Uh, don’t think too much into it, but I got you something…”

  “Oh?” he purred, instantly intrigued.

  I smiled up at him. “It isn’t anything special, and I’m not even sure if you’ll like—”

  “Just give it to me.” His eyes sparkled under the golden lamplight. He held his hands out.

  “Close your eyes…”

  He did as told. I dug the silver pin out of my pocket and placed it in the center of his awaiting palm.

  “It’s tiny.”

  “Mhm, you can look now.”

  He opened his eyes and peered down at the tiny enamel shark. Maybe it was silly… but he used to love sharks when he was a kid. When we were ten or eleven, Zenzatsu had brought me and the twins to the aquarium. I’d never seen Hellion’s eyes get so big, as he ran along the glass windows following the predators.

  “It’s dumb…” I said before he could comment.

  I didn’t know him at all. I shouldn’t have gotten him anything. Now he just knew how much I didn’t know him.

  Why does it matter? It wasn’t like I needed him to like me. I shouldn’t have gotten him anything.

  “It’s not.” He grinned. “I love it. I already know where I’m going to put it.”

  My heart eased. “I’m glad you like it. Sorry I couldn’t get you more. You always give me so much.”

  “Because I never know what’s good enough. So I get so much. But sometimes less is more.” He held the pin up to me, and the sight of his face made my heart patter.

  I stepped out from the light, but he grabbed my hand. My lungs froze. I glanced back wearily.

  He hesitated. “I forgot… Thank you, Sera.”

  I nodded, and an inaudible “It’s nothing,” slipped out. “Let’s go, they’re waiting for us.”

  He followed me to the car. I didn’t give him the chance to open my door; I did it myself—then stuffed my bag between my legs and turned on the radio.

  I leaned back in my seat, right before he pulled out of the parking lot at the speed of light, as usual. I couldn’t even be pissed about it anymore because I expected it, but it wasn’t any less scary each time.

  Hellion dropped me off on the side of the building, and I got out. He followed. I didn’t know why; it was only going to take a few minutes for me to get my bag for the trip.

  We rode the elevator in silence, and when I was about to exit, Hellion grabbed my shoulder as an elderly woman rolled in with her walker. He held the doors open, and I patiently waited.

  The lady likely stopped to talk to him, because he took his sweet time following once I padded down the hall. I pushed into the dark apartment and attempted to flick on the lamp, then groaned. Zeyna!

  She’d turned off the power to conserve energy while we were away. But we were only leaving for a few days!

  Growling to myself, I stumbled around in the dark. With my hand thrown out in front of me, I slowly stepped closer to my bedroom.

  I made it into the hall when the door opened behind me, illuminating the space before going dark. “What are you doing?” Hellion asked in his attempts to turn on the lamp. He pulled at the chain three or four times before getting the picture, then he sighed and pried off his shoes.

  His hand slipped around my arm, and he pulled me down the hall to my bedroom.

  “Where’s your stuff?”

  I followed warily. “My bag is on the desk chair.” He left me at the door and grabbed the bag, his eyes adapted for the dark. “And my pillow.”

  He handed me the pillow before taking my arm again. “I had stuff in the fridge, and I need to water the plants before we go,” I told him.

  We traveled back to the living room, and I directed him on, well, everything. Where to find the necessary supplies, how much to water each plant, which ones needed ice cubes, which ones didn’t need to be watered.

  “I think that’s it. Just get the bag in the fridge.” He left me and I shuffled to the entry. “Wait, I wanted to change.”

  “You need help with that?” He snickered, making his way back to me.

  “Well… yeah… I can’t see the clothes.”

  He led me back to the room and stopped me in front of the closet. I stepped over to the dresser and pawed around for some sweats and a cropped top. I prodded everything but couldn’t quite tell the difference between fabrics.

  “What are you looking for?”

  I told him, and he pulled them free, slinging them over my arms.

  “Uh… sports bra…”

  He cooed, and I begrudgingly pulled the top drawer open. He handed me something, but it was not a sports bra. “Sports bra.”

  “That is a sports bra.” I could hear his smile.

  “Sports bras aren’t lace!”

  He chuckled and took it from me. “Who do you have that for anyway, Sera?”

  “Myself, because it’s cute. Not that I need to explain myself to you.”

  “No, of course not.” He handed me a soft cotton with elastic.

  “Okay, go now.”

  “You sure you don’t—”

  “Go!”

  “Fine!”

  His figure disappeared past the door, and I kicked it closed. I pulled off my clothes and unclipped my bra, feeling around for tags before hopping into the sweatpants. The bra and shirt were a bit difficult, as I’d cut away the tags because they always tickled my back and neck. But I could fix them rather simply once I returned to the light.

  “Your shirt is on inside out,” Hellion said while he led me back down the hall with a hand on my shoulder.

  I shrugged. He held the door open, holding all my stuff while I quickly laced up my sneakers. Sighing, I peeked down my shirt to find my bra was also inside out. I left it and locked the door.

  “One for three.”

  “Could’ve been three for three if you let me help you.”

  “Shhhhh!”

  He smirked, passing me the pillow. “I’ve seen your boobs before.”

  “What?” I yelled, and his impish tight-lipped smile spread as we stopped at the elevator. “When?”

  He didn’t answer. He was pulling my leg.

  “You didn’t.”

  “I have.”

  “When?”

  He stepped in.

  Answer!

  He didn’t.

  When we got down to the lobby, Hellion held the doors open for me, and I walked out into the cool end-of-spring air.

  “Hello?”

  Snorting, he put my things in the trunk while I got in the car. I eyed him. Then he closed the door and met my glare.

  “You didn’t, did you?”

  I swear he only wanted to annoy me because he just laughed again, starting the car.

  “Tell me!”

  Peering back, he checked his blind spot before he peeled off. My heart pushed against my spine. So annoying!

  “One summer.”

  “You’ll tell me one summer, or it was one summer?”

  His brows knit together. “It was one summer—after high school grad. That was one of the best days of my life.” He sighed blissfully, and I blushed. “You came over for a sleepover, and you and Zeyna were going swimming. It was when you were changing into your swimsuit. I guess you didn’t close the door all the way—” He glanced at me with a smug grin. “Did you want me to see, Sera?”

  “Eighteen-year-old Sera wants to poke your eyes out—Twenty-year-old Sera wants to poke your eyes out!”

  “Don’t I’m driving—”

  “When—”

  “And it’s my birthday.”

  I groaned. It was overused by now. “There are some things in this world I wish I just didn’t know.”

  He snickered softly. “There’s some things I never want to unsee.”

  ***

  Zeyna’s hyena cackle echoed from the dining room, by the sound of it. I shared a smirk with Hellion while I pried my sneakers off and padded down the hall to the cozy dining room. The sliding doors were pushed open, and the chandelier cast them in a sun-like glow.

  My grin spread when I noticed Zenzatsu at his usual spot at the far right of the table. His eyes grew once he saw me, and the chair clattered back into the buffet table behind him.

  “Sera Beebee!”

  Oh, he was drunk.

  “Zenzie Daddy!” I rushed to him, and he embraced me.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  He squished me into his chest, swaying back and forth. “You haven’t come in forever.”

  I laughed, breathing in his papery scent. “I came before the exams, remember?”

  “But that was like a month ago. I miss when you came for Sunday dinner. I miss Sunday dinner at all…”

  “That was only when I slept over,” I eked out while he still hugged me.

  Maybe if I didn’t cook dinner for Shawn almost every Sunday. Though probably not even then because going to the Kazix’sa’s family dinner said something—something I didn’t ever want to say: I was a part of the family. And I’d never be. No matter what. It put me a step closer to being with Hellion, and I didn’t need one more step. I loved Zenzatsu as a person, and I might have even loved him as my own dad if that could’ve ever been the case, but it wasn’t.

  Hellion passed us with a hidden smile, and I pulled away from his dad. “I’m pretty busy. I’m sure you know how it is, gotta pay those bills.”

  He chuckled. “You should come work for Shaozen; you’ll make way more than you do working for Shay. And you’ll get to spend more time with Zeph.”

  That’s exactly why I don’t want to work there. I don’t need Hellion being my boss. I already saw him enough.

  “I’m not one for office jobs. I like the hands-on approach, y’know?”

  He nodded. “If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.” He slung an arm around my shoulders and led me into the dining room.

  “How is it that my friends get appreciated more than I do by my own family? Am I, like, the black sheep or something?” Zeyna whined to the group.

  “Because Sera isn’t a pain in the ass,” Zenzatsu teased, and she rolled her eyes. Kayo laughed, downing his beer.

  Cards and chips were strewn across the table. A variety of snacks were pushed to one end and two emptied bottles of wine sat between Zeyna and Lina. Lina sat at the head of the table to the left, sipping her oversized glass. She lifted a hand in greeting.

  I took the seat between Lina and Kayo, and Hellion took the remaining seat at the head of the table. My voice chirped from his tab a few seconds after I pulled out my magi-tab and texted him: Looks like you’re driving. I blushed. They didn’t seem to notice the yoohoo sound while focused on their game of poker.

  Call shotgun, Hellion wrote back, smiling at me.

  I looked around the table and cleared my throat. “Shotgun!”

  Hellion snickered, hiding his face.

  “Bish, wait until we get out to the car,” Zeyna spat. “We haven’t even left yet. Hold your horses!”

  “I just wasn’t feeling well earlier since, you know, you forced me to eat a whole fuckin’ pizza.”

  She eyed me but muttered, “Fine… not like it’s my birthday anymore.”

  Lina checked her watch, then swallowed her last gulp of wine. “When are we going? It’s almost 12:30.” She looked around the table. “And who’s driving?”

  The three drunks and Zenzatsu touched the tips of their noses, and I followed suit. Hellion, who obviously had no choice, didn’t bother.

  “Wait! Don’t leave me!” Zenzatsu groaned. “Shaori might skin me alive later…”

  Zey’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Be a man and deal with it.”

  He raised an eyebrow. Everyone stood, gathering their things.

  “If I’m just a pile of flesh when you get back, don’t come crying to me.”

  “Don’t plan on it, Daddio,” Zeyna retorted. “Best believe I’m going to war with Mom if that ever happens.” She then went to rinse and recycle the wine and beer bottles.

  Hellion lingered to talk to his dad about work matters, and I followed Lina and Kayo down the hall to the entry.

  “Rough day at work?” I asked. She’d been drinking much more lately…

  “With parents like mine, every day is a rough day.”

  I nodded. “I feel ya.”

  She sucked in a breath and held my gaze, understanding on a deeper level. But she didn’t apologize, and I didn’t need her to. Everyone had their issues. Shawn was abusive, but he wasn’t strict. There were few things he cared about, and otherwise, I was free to do as I pleased.

  Lina’s parents, on the other hand, weren’t abusive—well, maybe she’d been slapped once or twice but not dozens of times like I had. They were strict in the way that she struggled to do anything without passing it by them first. She’d become quite the liar over the years. Every party had become a study session or a sleepover. I couldn’t count how many times Zeyna had to pretend to be Shaori and explain that we were indeed at home, in bed or studying.

  This time around, the cabin trip had been labeled as a Healing Arts Retreat. Zeyna went as far as creating a whole fake brochure for Lina’s parents. Every single time Zey lied and manipulated Ayumi Ayako, she got better and better, crafting the perfect lie—an unbreakable, unbeatable lie.

  We descended into the garage to choose from one of the many options of vehicles. Hellion’s Gezella X would be much too cramped to make the ten-hour drive to the cottage. So the options were between the SUV and the V Wagon. Zeyna hated both, but again, her hybrid was much too cramped.

  “Is it too much to dream for such a disposable income?” Kayo asked no one in particular.

  “Maybe change sports and you can think about it.”

  “Right? Try basketball or football—seems they have a monopoly on the high salaries,” Lina agreed and he snorted, shaking his head.

  “Maybe when my track days are over, I’ll think about it.”

  Zeyna skipped down the steps with Hellion. He grabbed a set of keys from the wall and unlocked the V Wagon. It was a tight squeeze to load the car, so he pulled out into the driveway. The garage opened on its own, startling me and Kayo.

  Zeyna threw open the back door, then tossed all their belongings in before slipping into the car. I stood by the Gezella waiting to get my things. Hellion opened his trunk but gestured for me to get in the wagon.

  While I made my way over, Zeyna eyed me before shouting, “Shotgun!”

  That was unacceptable, and she knew it. My wings, unlike theirs, didn’t allow me to sit in the back, not for a ten-hour drive; they’d come out a crinkled mess.

  “Too late, Sera!”

  “Try too early; I called it inside!”

  Hellion materialized behind us and dragged her away, nearly throwing her onto the grass.

  “Bastard,” she grinned menacingly, “stop getting involved.”

  “Try fighting someone in your weight class.”

  I sighed and ventured back to the Gezella to get my pillow before getting comfortable in the front seat.

  “What are they doing?” Lina asked, poking her head past me.

  “What do you think? What they’re always doing.”

  We watched as they wrestled in an attempt to trip or pin each other. I rolled down the window per Lina’s request, and she bellowed, “Hey! I’d like to actually make it to the cabin. Get your drunk ass in here, Zeyna!”

  With Zeyna distracted, Hellion ended up tripping her before stalking back to the car. He slid in beside me wordlessly and slammed the door, clicking on his belt.

  “Music?” he asked, as if he hadn’t just wasted valuable minutes fighting his sister.

  My brows knit together. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  He raised a brow, and it took him a moment to realize he still needed to pack our shit. I should’ve done it myself; it would’ve been faster. He hopped out and feigned a lunge at Zeyna as she passed, brushing herself off. She flinched and sneered at him. She slid into her usual seat, the left side window, so she could easily chat with me if need be.

  The trunk door slammed. Then Hellion was back, asking about the music again. I shrugged, so he turned it on at a low volume. The wagon didn’t have the same pick up as the Gezella, and when he tried to whip out of the driveway and onto the street, it didn’t have the same effect as usual.

  I shook my head. He’d get us into an accident one day. Crazy mother-effer.

  No more than a few minutes in, Lina laid her head on Zey’s shoulder, and Kayo rested his eyes too, leaning on a fist. Wide awake, Zeyna blinked at me, and I smiled. She wiggled her magi-tab, and I turned back to grab mine.

  Private | Zeyna

  Zeyna: How’s your stomach? Are you okay?

  Zeyna: Sorry, didn’t think it’d be that bad

  Sera: It’s fine now, I had to vomit though… Wasn’t fun

  Zeyna: I’ll make it up to you ;)

  Sera: Oh? How?

  Zeyna: Dunno

  Zeyna: On your birthday

  Sera: Sounds good

  Sera: Go big or go home

  Zeyna: You know it bb

  I grinned at her.

  Hellion glanced at me with lowered brows. “Are you talking without me?” His voice was louder than expected.

  I put my finger to my lips. “They’re trying to sleep,” I whispered, and he rolled his eyes.

  “We got some babies in the back—falling asleep the second we get in the car.” He looked at Zeyna through the mirror. “We were supposed to take turns driving. Why did you drink so much?”

  She shrugged with a half-smile. “Dad made me.” He shook his head in disbelief, returning his gaze to the road.

  I typed to her.

  Sera: Get some sleep Zey

  Zeyna: The least I can do is stay up if Zeph has to drive

  Sera: Don’t worry, I’ll stay up with him

  Zeyna: Oh? You want some alone time with Zeph? ;3

  Sera: I got a nap today

  Zeyna: Good swerve

  She shook her head with a smile and tucked her tab under her thigh, resting her head on the window. I turned back to the front and slipped my tablet into the compartment on the door.

  Hellion spared a quick glance. His shoulders eased, but his hands tightened against the wheel. Had he woken up early today? He stayed to talk to Zenzatsu about work matters, so he must’ve gone to work before meeting up with us at Dominion’s. But did he really work on his birthday? Talk about dedication.

  Zeyna could learn a thing or two from him. How was it they had opposite temperaments when it came to work and studies—or putting in effort in general?

  “Are you tired?” I asked softly.

  “No, I’m okay,” he hushed out with a couple of blinks.

  I asked him about his day, just to keep the fatigue away. He did work. He woke up early too. One of the machines at Shaozen’s factory needed a replacement part as soon as possible to meet the production deadlines, so he had to drive to the east-end to pick it up.

  He asked me about my day—the part he hadn’t been there for—but nothing particularly interesting had happened to me. Most of that time was me running around getting stuff for him and Zeyna.

  During the summer, I spent my mornings sleeping in, in order to catch up on the sleep I missed during the semesters. So he asked me about my dreams. I couldn’t remember, but I tried so I could keep up the conversation. Bits and pieces came to me. Playing tennis with a girl from my class, washing up in the locker room before heading to a dance lesson—

  “Do you want to take dance lessons?” he stopped me, knowing I didn’t dance for anything but fun—whenever we went to a club or party or just felt like dancing with the girls.

  I gave it some thought. It didn’t hurt to learn actual techniques, and as long as it wasn’t ballroom or something, it wouldn’t be intimate between us.

  “I guess it could be interesting.”

  He smiled. “Come to the studio with me and Kayo one day and we’ll teach you.”

  I blinked. “What? You and Kayo go to a studio?”

  “Yeah, he does the choreography and he teaches me. He works there, didn’t you know? He teaches the twelve and under classes.”

  I held in my laugh. “Why is he teaching you, then?”

  “It’s a good outlet and a decent workout when I don’t really feel like going to the gym.”

  “Hm. And I thought you couldn’t really dance.”

  His head whipped to me, then back to the road. “You thought I couldn’t dance?”

  I snickered softly so not to wake anyone. My smile grew out of control, and I covered it. “I thought Zey took all the good rhythm genes.” He pulled my hand away from my face. “You always chill at the bar instead of dancing with us.”

  “That’s because—” He cleared his throat. “The way you dance at the club… But you’ll see if you come to the studio.”

  The way I danced? I didn’t dance any particular way. I just moved my body however I felt called too: my hips swayed and my arms swished. Wasn’t that how everyone danced? I was most definitely not the sexiest dancer of the group. Most of the time, Lina had me flustered.

  “Okay…”

  I watched his eyes glow their happiness, then turned to look out my window at the rolling black expanse. A small smile came to my face too…

  ***

  I jerked awake and read the clock—6:56 AM. Hellion’s shoulders sagged while the others continued their blessed sleep. Zey snuggled against Lina, having found a pillow and blanket from the back. Kayo snored softly, a thin stream of drool collecting on his chin.

  Sitting up properly, I twitched my wings awake. Hellion’s own dark red-brown membranous wings flexed and flared and twitched, desperate to stretch.

  “Pull over.”

  He straightened and looked at me. “Why?”

  “I’ll drive.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Pull over, Hellion. I don’t mind driving. At least stretch for a bit. Your wings are going to spasm.”

  He didn’t argue and pulled onto the shoulder of the highway. I got out quietly with him. Rounding the car, he spread his arms through the air. Wings flared out at full length, he yawned and rubbed his eyes while I watched the sunrise over the dusty landscape and dried brush.

  He slumped on a post and shook himself awake, his hair wobbling. Groaning, he looked over the horizon.

  I smiled at him, and he smiled at me. “My turn.”

  “If you insist.”

  The sun was vibrant and alive, but he looked dead. I took a moment longer to watch the sun pass the horizon before returning to the car.

  I adjusted the seat slightly and listened carefully as he explained the directions to me. Simple enough—straight for many more hours, then get off at Gate 93. By then, someone would be up to direct me the rest of the way, or I could just give a shout. He said he wouldn’t sleep but nestled into my pillow and ended up passing out moments later.

  I didn’t have a car of my own, but he’d taught me how to drive when he got the Gezella last year. I was scared to death about damaging his brand-new baby, but for whatever reason, he had confidence in my ability to learn. Somehow. I showed little promise with my studies at Magia. But I ended up getting my license after he insisted for weeks.

  Driving the Gezella felt beyond different, but they both had their appeal. I enjoyed the sleeker, cozier feel of the sports car, but I liked the height of the V Wagon—and the safety of it as well. Though, I didn’t have the experience of knowing how safe it was. I only had an idea of how safe it might be. And if I had to drive all the important people in my life in one vehicle, I was glad it was this one.

  I drove on, the sun climbing with our journey forward. Hellion’s music played softly, and I recognized some songs from my own playlists. I sighed, glancing at the clock—10:39 AM. Someone should’ve been up by now, Lina especially. I didn’t know a time when she wasn’t up at 5:00 AM.

  Yawning, I flinched when Lina suddenly groaned. Zeyna followed suit, and the girls straightened groggily. I watched Zeyna slump back in her seat from the mirror. A cranky huff sounded, and she rubbed her eyes. She blearily looked to Kayo, who was passed the fuck out, mouth hanging open as his head rested in the crevice of the window.

  “Good morning…” I glimpsed the two in the mirror. Zeyna grumbled a greeting, making eye contact. “I’d ask if you wanna stop for breakfast, but we’re almost there—I think…”

  She looked around and nodded. “The exit is coming up soon.” Lina whined, her head falling onto Zey’s shoulder. “Aren’t you tired?”

  “Not really. I’ll probably need another nap when we get there, though.”

  “Same, to be honest. We’ll probably end up wasting a whole day sleeping.”

  She offered to drive the rest of the way, but I wasn’t too sure how much she drank last night and figured it’d be best if I finished the home stretch. With her direction, I slowed the wagon, took the exit ramp, then followed a long street lined with pines. Driving along the north coast, I took in the packed beaches before cutting back into the trees and turning down side streets.

  Zeyna pointed the cabin out to me, but as Hellion had said, it was no cabin. The wagon crawled up the pebbled drive to the modern chateau, hugged by lush pines and deep green grass. Two-story windows separated angular redwood-paneled walls. The sun beat down on the solar cells glinting on the flat roof, no doubt by Zeyna’s request. Having seen the exterior, I knew exactly what to expect of our time at the “cabin.”

  It was one of those places that had clean white walls, high ceilings, overwhelming natural light, sleek furnishings and ice-cold air conditioning. It was what glamping was to camping.

  I parked at the end of the driveway and raised an eyebrow at Zeyna. She raised an eyebrow at me.

  “What?”

  “No, nothing. Call the footmen, and tell them to unload our things,” I joked.

  She rolled her eyes. I don’t know why I expected a tiny old-fashioned cottage on the water with a half rotting dock and faded canoes. My bad, really.

  I jumped out of the wagon and took in the fresh air. At least it still has the pine scent. I didn’t know why I thought at least. I couldn’t complain about staying at such an upscale place, and actually preferred it.

  Zey climbed out, stretching and groaning. “Whose idea was it to leave that late? We didn’t even get the full road-trip experience.”

  “Yours.”

  “No, I’d remember if it was,” she lied, and I eyed her.

  Lina rounded the car, joining us, her face puffy from the wine last night. She slung an arm around me to keep herself up, then turned to take in the cabin.

  “Some cabin,” she mumbled to me, and I hummed my agreement. “Seems more extravagant than your regular house.”

  Now that she mentioned it, it did. The Kazix’sas’ home was humble compared to this.

  “What are we waiting for?” Zeyna knocked on Kayo’s window, and he jolted awake before realizing his surroundings. “Wakey wakey! We’re here!”