It had been close to midnight when Kari had finally mindlinked Evan, only long enough to tell him she was fine and staying in her sister’s room before slamming the connection shut. Still, he was grateful she had relented enough to tell him. He’d been trying to convince himself to leave her alone, but the stress of not knowing if she was alright had eaten at him all day.
Reassured she was at least with Mia, he had forced himself to try and sleep, only to be dragged under by another round of nightmares. He didn’t finally pass out until nearly dawn, so when he opened his eyes again, the sun was already climbing. He threw himself out of bed, forgoing a shower and breakfast, and jogged straight to the training field.
The emptiness hit him first. Too few bodies, too much quiet. His gut tighten
