The school bell rang. Ravyn walked out of the school and into the evening.
He had barely cleared the main gates when Luna caught up to him, matching his aggressive pace.
"Grantham! Wait up." she said. "Where have you been all day? Are you okay?" her voice tinged with uneasy concern.
"Yeah." Ravyn didn't slow down.
She fell into step beside him and the silence between them was tight and heavy.
Luna cleared her throat. "You know one day, soon... we're going to have to kill someone. Because if we don't, we will be the ones getting killed."
"Can we not do this today, please?" Ravyn interrupted, his voice flat.
Luna pulled on his sleeve, forcing him to stop in the middle of the sidewalk. "If not today, then when, Ravyn? We're running out of time!"
Ravyn snapped. He turned on her, his eyes blazing.
"Has it ever crossed your mind..." he asked, his voice low. "that one day you'll have to kill your brother?"
Luna froze.
"You think everything through, Luna..." Ravyn pressed, his breathing heavy. "But did you ever think that one through? Your brother hates you so much he'll never join forces with us. The only way either of you can become a Participant is if you kill each other."
"I..." Luna started, the word catching in her throat.
"Yeah. Think that through..." Ravyn said. "Before you start talking about killing other people."
He turned and walked away, leaving Luna standing motionless on the sidewalk, grappling with a truth she had clearly ignored.
By the time Ravyn reached his neighborhood, the sky had already gone to bruised twilight.
The front door of his house was unlocked.
"I'm home." he called out, his voice instantly softening.
Two small figures darted out from the narrow hallway, Amira and Lea. They hit him in a rush, tiny arms wrapping around his waist.
"Ravyn! You're back!"
"Where were you yesterday?" Lea, the youngest, asked, her face pressed against his jacket.
Ravyn hugged them tightly. "I had a late night study session. A really long one."
"It was so quiet without you." Amira whispered.
He pulled back slightly, kneeling down to their height. "Where's Mom?"
Lea's face crumpled slightly. "She went out. Probably went to drink again."
Amira added with weary honesty. "She'll come back and scream at you again."
"I hate Mom when she's drunk." Lea said, her voice small.
"Hey. Hate is a strong word, princess." Ravyn gently held her head between his hands.
"Listen guys..." he said. "I promise the both of you that I am going to fix this, everything. One day, it will all end and we'll go live in a mansion somewhere nice."
Lea's eyes went wide. "A castle! And I'm gonna be a princess!"
Ravyn smiled. "You already are a princess."
He kissed her forehead. "Now you two go do your homework. And I'll start cooking."
The girls scrambled off, smiling. Ravyn stood in the quiet hallway for some time. Then he walked to the small kitchen.