Ventus stepped through the portal. As soon as his booted feet hit the wooden floor, he looked around. He had used this entrance many times, but he knew he could never be too careful. He was wearing his pristine white robes, as he did whenever he visited the school in an official visit as today was going to be.

Once he knew the building was empty, he turned and peered back towards the portal. The ripple between worlds was opened a few inches above the floor. It was only a few feet wide and twice as tall. Within that opening stood four people: two teenagers, a man and a woman, with trees visible behind them. The man offered a charming smile, full of bright white teeth. The woman leaned down and kissed the girl, then the boy on the cheek, and offered words of encouragement. They had recovered from their experience, yet the ragged looks on their faces remained. Ventus knew it had been the lack of sleep. He sighed, frustrated at his own helplessness. They had experienced more than any sixteen year old should.

The kids took deep breaths, then stepped through the portal. They were wearing new clothing and had more within the backpacks on their shoulders. Jon was average height and thin, with dark, short hair. His eyes were light brown, and his skin was a few shades darker than hers. Ann was much shorter. Her hair was as dark as his and nearly as short. Her eyes were a near match as well. They were both Chinese and had lived there their entire lives. This was going to be a drastic change for them both.

Once they were through, they looked back and waved to the others. The man pointed to Ventus and said, in English, “Kemuri wanted me to remind you to update us if anything changes.”

Ventus nodded. “Same.”

The man returned the nod, then gestured to the kids. “You two behave yourselves.”

Jon gave a small chuckle. “You should talk, Diamond.”

The man laughed.

The woman leaned down to look at both children. “If either of you need me, you know how to reach me.”The man laughed.

The woman leaned down to look at both children. “If either of you need me, you know how to reach me.”

They both nodded. “Thank you.”

She winked at them, then stood. “Be careful,” she said to Ventus.

“You too, Temperance.”

The portal began to shrink as he spoke. Within seconds, it was closed, and a plain white wall behind was visible.

“Where are we?” Ann asked in Mandarin.

Ventus smiled. “We are in a building in the town near our destination.” His accent was so slight, it was nearly imperceptible.

They were standing in an empty room. The floors were hardwood. The walls were white and baron of all decorations. The sole door was a few feet to the north.

“Why do you think this is where we should be, Master Ventus?” Jon asked.

“You did well training with Hsu Pang,” Ventus said. “I believe you can do much to help the children here.”

Jon lowered his eyes. “We didn’t do much for those at Temple.”

Ventus stepped over and gently raised the boy’s chin. “You saw things no one should see. You witnessed the danger, and you still ran through the school to gather others who were just as scared as you. You saved them all. I will not allow you to believe differently.”

Jon had tears in his eyes, but nodded. He glanced over at Ann, who wore a mask of agreement. Inside, she was screaming.

Ventus led them through the door, down a corridor, and through another door that led them outside.

There was a van parked at the curb in front of the building they had just exited. Someone they didn’t recognize was in the driver’s seat of the van. The most remarkable thing about him was that nothing was remarkable. He looked like every white man they had ever met.

The sky was filled with overcast clouds of dark gray. It was still warm, but a cool wind gave them both a chill.

Ventus opened the side door. Ann tossed her pack into the back of the van, then climbed in. Jon followed suit. Ventus closed the door and got into the passenger side of the van. The moment the door closed, the driver put the van into gear and pulled away from the curb.

Jon and Ann looked out their respective windows. They could see the mountains in the distance. Stores and shops lined the small street they were on for a few more minutes before houses replaced them. They watched the spaces between houses grow until they looked at farms full of animals. Several turns later they were looking at woods on either side of the road and a pang of homesickness shot through them both.

Jon looked through the trees to see a deer in the distance raise her head at their passing before returning to the grass beneath her.

The street became an incline minutes later. Both kids looked up the mountain they were approaching and exhaled. They knew it was going to be a long drive. They turned to each other and resigned themselves to another life of isolation.

The van suddenly turned from the pavement to a dirt road. They turned and looked out through the windshield.

The road was narrow, with barely enough room for the van to pass through without striking the encroaching branches from the nearby trees.

Within minutes, they approached an opening in the trees and pulled to the side, then came to a stop. Ventus looked back at them and smiled. “We are here.”

“Already?” Jon asked.

Ventus smiled. “Yes. You are much closer to town here than you were before. While they have strict rules about when students may go out, it is not nearly as strict as before.”

Jon and Ann eyed one another and shared a nervous exhalation.

Ventus chuckled and opened his door. “Let’s go.”

Jon grabbed his bag and stepped out of the van. Ann followed, then closed the door. They stepped back from the van, expecting it to leave. To their surprise, the driver got out as well and started walking to the north.

“He’s not returning to town?” Ann asked Ventus, gesturing toward his back as he retreated.

Ventus shook his head. “He is their driver.” He chuckled at their confused expressions. “This place is not like Temple. You will find the rules are quite different.”

“Why?” Jon asked. “Aren’t they concerned about an attack?”

Ventus nodded. “Yes, they are. However, they know they are not in any immediate danger.” He sighed. “No one here is near the level Hsu Pang is.” He refused to use the past tense in regards to Hsu Pang. He knew he must still be alive.

“He struggled with us,” Ann pointed out. “How could he be at such an elite level and struggle to defeat us?”

“He wasn’t struggling with us at the end,” Jon pointed out. “Once he started taking his training seriously, we barely hit him.”

“I guess.” Ann lowered her eyes. “Then why did he leave us?”

Ventus did not have an answer to that. He was still struggling to comprehend how the boy had vanished the way he did. He took a deep breath and attempted a smile. “I wish I knew.”

“He thought he was helping us,” Jon insisted, though there was clear doubt in his voice.

“By running away?” Ann asked.

Jon gestured to Ventus. “He said this place isn’t as concerned about an attack because no one Hsu’s caliber is here. If he left Temple, there wouldn’t be anyone there either.”

Ann nodded. “Yes. That has to be it.” She turned to Ventus. “What do you think, Master Ventus?”

Ventus nodded. “I have no doubts he did whatever he could to protect the entire school.” He turned and gestured in the direction the driver had gone. “Come. Let’s get you two settled in.” A smiled creased his lips after he turned and took a step toward the school. And to see a friendly face, he thought.

The kids nodded and followed.

The walk was short. Less than fifty feet away, the trees gave way to a wall. The wall was not as tall as Temple’s walls, but it was close. The gate in the center of the wall was made of strong, dense wood. There were two small shelters on either side of the gate. The door of the shelter on their right opened, and a man stepped out. He was tall and lanky. He was of Chinese descent, though he had been born in England. His eyes were light brown, and his hair was longer than they remembered. He turned to see the kids and a large smile creased his lips wide enough to reveal white teeth.

“Andre!” Ann yelled, as she rushed to him. She reached him in moments and wrapped her arms around his stomach.

He chuckled and put his arms around her shoulders. “Hey kiddo,” he said in English. He glanced over to see Jon walking toward him, smiling. He moved one hand from Ann’s back and extended it to Jon.

Jon traded grips with him. “We wondered what happened to you.”

Ann sniffled, then stepped back from Andre and punched him in the stomach. “You worried us!”

Andre grunted from the blow and stepped back, though he couldn’t stop the laugh. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t allowed to say anything.”

“What are you doing here?” Jon asked.

Andre had been one of the Gatekeepers, as the kids had called them. He was a guard that was stationed at the walls of their old school and was charged with preventing any unwelcome intruders from getting within the school. Though they spent most of their time preventing the kids from sneaking out. He had been the one to teach them English. Over a year ago, he had vanished, and no one would tell them where he went. All they were told by Master Tunshu was that he was in good health.

“They were having security issues here,” Andre began. He was speaking to them in English, with a slight British accent. “Master Tunshu asked if I could help.”

“What kind of issues?” Jon asked.

Andre gave him a charming smile. “Kids sneaking out at all hours of the night.”

Jon and Ann laughed. It was the first time Ventus had heard the sound since the attack.

“You couldn’t stop us,” Jon began. “What makes you think you could stop the kids here?”

Andre laughed. “Hey, I caught you kids several times.”

“And didn’t catch us more often,” Ann returned.

Andre’s smile widened. “So, you think.” He pointed at them both. “You have no idea how often we knew you were out and just let you be.”

Jon and Ann eyed him suspiciously. “Really?”

Andre smiled. “You two, Han, and Colleen liked to sneak out every Tuesday night for two months, because there was a show at the park. Eleven at night, if I remember correctly.”

Jon’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. Ann just stared at him.

Andre nodded, satisfied with himself. “Thought so.” He sobered when he saw their reaction. The confession triggered memories in the young ones, and he knew it. “I’m very sorry about the others.”

“We are, too,” Ann said.

“If I had been there…” Andre began.

“You would have died as well,” Ventus interrupted. “We have been through this, Andre.”

Andre nodded. “I know.” He took a deep breath. “You two know you may not speak of Temple or anything that happened?”

Jon and Ann nodded. “Ventus told us before we came here,” Ann said. “Though I don’t understand why.”

“Very few people knew about Temple,” Ventus began. “Few know about this school. Very, very few know about both.”

“Are there more?” Jon asked.

Ventus simply smiled. “We need to maintain that secrecy.”

Jon sighed. “Didn’t think you’d tell us.”

“So,” Andre cleared his throat, “let’s get you two settled in.” He turned and gestured to the gates. “Welcome to the Chapel.” As he finished the announcement, the gate opened.

Ann and Jon looked at one another. “Chapel?”

Andre smiled. “In truth, they had converted an old trade school property into this school. However, that left it open to regulations and such. They offer a religious school certain freedoms. We still have people checking up on the safety of the children, and we have no arguments about that. We don’t want them thinking we are a cult.”

Ann scoffed.

The four of them walked through the open gate and onto a wide cement path, with a large building at the end. Buildings stood on the other side of the path, several feet from the gate, creating a large foyer-like area upon entering. The wall on the left turned away just before the building.

Andre pointed to that building. “That is the gym. The building beyond that is the pool.” He walked deeper into the grounds.

“You have a pool?” Ann asked with excitement in her voice.

Andre chuckled. “Yes. They want the students to swim all year round. And winters here aren’t exactly fun.”

“Way to ruin it for me,” Ann complained.

“Sorry,” Andre replied with a smile. “The building on your right is the instructors’ quarters.” He gestured towards it. “The building at the end is the school.”

“One floor?” Jon asked.

Andre nodded. “Yeah. They worked with the building they had.” He gestured to the left. “Beyond the gym is the football field.”

“You play that here?” Jon asked.

Andre chuckled. “Different kind of football.”

“Oh,” Jon said with a sigh. “Yes.”

“It’s a fun game. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

They walked deep enough to pass the buildings. Andre pointed to the distant buildings near the far corner of the wall.

“Boys’ dorms are nearest the corner. Girls’ dorm is closer to us.”

Jon nodded, then glanced around. Many of the kids that lived at the Chapel were in classes or otherwise occupied. The kids that were outside turned and whispered as they walked past.

“Master Ventus,” a few students greeted as he neared them.

Ventus smiled widely and replied to each greeter by name.

They entered the school through the main doors at the end of the cement path. The corner of the school on their right came out towards them several feet before they reached the door. Blinds covered the windows.

The school looked as they had expected. There were doors on both sides of the hall. Many of the rooms had a few students in them, with a teacher standing at the front of the room.

“The classes should be near what you were working on,” Andre said. “Maybe a little behind,” he amended.

Jon turned and looked into a room with an open door. He stepped inside and stared. The room was a typical classroom, with a blackboard, desks, teacher’s desk, etc. However, there was something about the blackboard and desk that sent his mind adrift.

He heard a loud sound of impact, then a strange sound of what sounded like rain hitting metal. His mind’s eye slowly moved closer to the closed door. He heard sounds he couldn’t distinguish before he heard someone scream, “You bastard!” The anger in the voice stopped him cold. He hesitated. He neared the door and debated on what to do. Suddenly, the wall beside the door exploded, and a man came flying through it. Jon turned and ran across the hall, diving through the open doorway and sliding behind the wall. He heard sounds of impact and cries of pain and anger.

He didn’t know how long he stayed cowering with his back against the wall, but it felt like an eternity. Eventually, the sounds grew distant and further away. He gathered whatever courage he had left and crept toward the open doorway. He peered out into the hall and his eyes widened. A creature that could not be real was near the end of the hall. A man, presumably the one who had crashed through the wall toward him, ducked an attack of a swinging tail and backed up the stairs.

Jon just stared for several silent moments before he gathered more courage and stepped into the room the man had been in. He froze. He looked around at the destruction throughout the room. The blackboard was in pieces all over the floor. There was blood on the floor in several places. His eyes moved around, and his breath caught. He stared at the little one lying on the floor, glassy eyes staring at the ceiling. Tears gathered in his eyes as he knelt beside him. “Justin.” His voice was a whisper. The tears were falling as he closed the eyes of the boy. He looked deeper into the room and saw the girl. Her body was folded in an impossible way. He openly wept and shook as he tried to move her, to make her more comfortable. He knew it was a pointless gesture, but he refused to leave her like that. When she was lying nicely on her back, he closed her eyes and bent down to kiss her head. “I’m sorry, Shuya.” He looked around and the last of his nerves shattered. He fell back to the floor and began to openly weep.

“Jon?”

The voice caught his attention, and he jumped, moving away from the hand that touched his shoulder. He looked at Andre pulling his hand back through blurry eyes. He instantly realized that tears had filled his eyes. He hurriedly wiped them away. “Hey. Sorry.” He tried to hide his reaction, but his voice cracked as he spoke.

Andre looked at him with sympathy. “Are you okay?”

Ann stared at him, empathy rushing through her.

Jon nodded. “Yeah. I’m good.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Ventus asked him. “Perhaps I can call Temperance.”

“I’m fine!” Jon insisted. He took a deep breath with a long exhalation. “I’m sorry, Master Ventus.” He bowed his head. “Please forgive me.”

“It’s quite all right.” Ventus returned the bow. “These are trying times.”

“Still no excuse,” Jon said.

Ann stopped listening. She had not seen what Jon had, but she had seen things he had not.

That morning, she had been in a classroom, trying to catch up on some work she had been slacking on. The room was at the front of the school and with windows that offered a clear view of the gate, though she had barely paid attention to it. The sound changed that. The wooden gate had erupted as though explosives had gone off behind it. The noise was deafening. She had looked out the window and watched these… things enter their school. Tales of the creatures that were trying to destroy their world raced through her head. Fear took over, and she stood there, leaning towards the window, eyes fixated on the creatures fighting with and murdering her instructors.

The horrors got worse as she watched one of her dear friends drop to the ground, blood pouring from his body. A scream of, “Run!” caught her attention, as it had many of those around her. The fear had become unequivocal terror. The only thing her body could do was to move across the room and under the desk of the teacher. She curled her knees up to her chest and rocked back and forth for an eternity before she heard voices. It was a voice making a sad attempt at Mandarin, butchering the pronunciation of their safe word.

Cautiously, she moved from under the desk and towards the door. Seconds later, she saw a large man in the doorway. He was beaten so badly; she did not understand how he was standing.

“Let’s go!” he said to her, in a firm, hurried voice. “We don’t have time.”

There were a few other children with him.

The man had already moved past the open door she stood in, calling out the word.

“Ann?” a familiar voice called.

“Jon.” She hurried to him to share a brief embrace. “What’s going on?” she asked as she stepped back.

He had tears in his eyes as he shook his head. “Diyu.”

The memory faded and Ann returned to the present. She shook her head and fought back the terror that threatened to return. Ventus was still speaking with Jon.

A few kids walked by and stared at them. They quickly leaned closer and whispered amongst themselves. Ann looked over at Andre, who was watching her. She shied away from the scrutiny but steeled herself. “Why are they whispering about us? We aren’t the first Asian people here.”

“No, you are not,” Andre answered. He was proof of that argument. “You are, however, the first new students we have had in some time. They are curious what your stories are.” He eyed her. “You have worked out stories, yes?”

“Yes,” Ann answered.

“And you’re going to keep your skills watered down?”

“At first, yes,” Jon answered.

Andre smiled. “Good.”

Ann exhaled. “I don’t want to face the kids here.”

Andre chuckled. “You faced the nightmares you faced, but high school kids worry you?” He hesitated. “Is it because they’re white? Because that would make sense.”

Ann scoffed contemptuously and ignored his joke. “We didn’t face anything. We hid.”

“You still survived,” Andre replied. “Besides, from what I hear, you didn’t just hide. You saved a bunch of others as well.”

That was true. She had gone upstairs with Jon, where they ran in opposite directions, searching for others who had hid like they had. They found several of their fellow students and got them back to those who got them out of there.

“You saw what those things were capable of, and you faced that fear to save others.” Andre leaned down to meet her eyes. Normally, others leaning down to her just reminded her how small she was. This time, however, there was something comforting in it. “You are a very brave kid. You both are.” He offered a genuine smile.

Ann let out a long, exasperated breath. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Andre put his arm around her. “So, don’t bother fighting it.”

Ann let out a brief, genuine laugh. “We missed you.”

Andre kissed her head. “I’ve missed you too, kiddo.”

An hour later, both Jon and Ann were settled into their rooms. An hour after that, they held an assembly in the center of the school. What had been a courtyard was converted into an enclosed auditorium for plays, movie nights, or announcements. The students gathered for the announcement of Jon and Ann joining their ranks. Both children were nervous in such a spotlight, though they tried to make the best of it.

Several kids in their grade approached them after and introduced themselves. There were a few other kids from China, though they had come to the United States as babies. The rest of the kids had been born in the country, though their ancestry was from all over the world, much like the United States was as a whole.

By the end of the day, they had already made a few friends. They were hesitant to share their stories, expressing nothing more than they had lost their families. They could speak proper English, thanks to lessons from Andre years prior, but they had accents stronger than they would have liked, which caused additional intrigue in their history. Though, that was not all that created curiosity.

The following day, Jon and Ann were standing by themselves, exchanging reports of how things had gone when kids they had met the night before approached them.

“Hey Michelle,” Ann greeted the girl. “Adam.”

“Why are you two here?” Michelle asked, straight away. She was short, though not as short as Ann. Her skin was a light shade of brown. Her eyes were dark brown. Her hair was black and in several braids that fell behind her back. “You can’t fight.”

“Wait till training starts,” Ann said, defensively. “We’ll show you how well we fight.”

“This school exists to train us for the tournament,” Michelle began, ignoring her. “Granted none of us are good enough for a chance to compete, but we could.” She pointed to them both. “You two have renounced your eligibility.”

Jon and Ann looked at one another. “What do you mean?” Jon asked.

“You haven’t renounced yourselves?” Adam asked.

“No, we haven’t,” Ann added.

Michelle tilted her head and eyed them, her dark eyes glistening. “Curious.” She looked at Adam. “I think they are telling the truth.”

“What’s she going on about?” Jon demanded, stepping forward.

Adam smiled. “Relax, friend.” He stepped between Jon and Michelle, just in case. “Shelly can see people’s auras. And she said yours have a certain shade to it that signifies you’re ineligible to compete in the tournament. We assumed you renounced yourselves, since your aura looks like the one person we know who has. She wanted to ask you when you were alone why that was.”

Jon and Ann eyed one another. “You can renounce yourself?”

Adam smiled. “Of course.”

“Well, we haven’t.” Ann exhaled.

“Hmm,” Michelle breathed. “Curious.” She turned and walked away without another word.

“Does she think we are here to cause trouble?” Jon asked Adam.

Adam laughed and shook his head. “No. She just has this need to understand things. And you two confound her.”

“When they found us, after we… lost everyone, they realized that we had some ability when it came to fighting,” Jon explained. “They thought we could help everyone here. And maybe give us a chance at a better life along the way.”

Adam smiled at him. “I think they may be right.”

“You’re very defensive of her,” Ann said, gesturing towards Michelle, who was speaking to another student.

Adam nodded. “She’s my sister.”

Ann raised her eyebrows. Michelle had light brown skin, but it looked nearly black compared to Adam’s pale white skin. He was much taller and bulkier than her as well, with blue eyes and dark blonde hair.

Adam chuckled. “It’s a long story. I’d love to share it,” he smiled at them, “when you’re ready to share yours.”

Jon smiled. “Give us time.”

“Of course.” Adam nodded. “See you two around.” He turned away, to walk towards Michelle.

Jon exhaled and eyed them. “I hope that’s not going to be a problem.”

As the weeks passed, the intrigue of new students faded, and they both settled into their new routines. Michelle and Adam became friends with them, though Michelle had repeatedly asked them why their auras were wrong.

The Chapel was so different from Temple, it was difficult to remember how life had been. The training regimen was similar with sparring, but there were no random attacks on one another. The nightmares continued, but lessened as time went on.

One night, as the snow was falling, Andre knocked on Jon’s door. Jon opened it and smiled at him.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Andre asked.

“Not at all. Just finishing up some homework,” Jon answered. “What’s going on?”

Andre smiled. “A unique situation. Can I borrow you for a few minutes?”

“Of course.” Jon turned to his roommate and said something, then grabbed his jacket from the small closet and followed Andre through the corridor and outside.

There was a small fire pit in the middle of the grass, with stone surrounding it. The kids had gathered the night before to hang out by the fire and tell stories. Jon and Ann met gazes when Paul had brought out chocolate and marshmallows. Flashbacks of giving Victoria slack for not bringing s’mores with her like she was supposed to, raced through their minds. It was the first night they had listened to Hsu complaining about life being boring. They fought to push those memories away and enjoy themselves.

This night, only Ann stood by the fire. She had her hands extended towards it, warming them. She turned and gave Andre a confused expression. “This is why you’re making me freeze my ass off out here?”

Andre smiled and gestured for Jon to join Ann. He did. “No,” Andre said as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. “This is.” He held up an envelope.

“What is that?” Jon asked.

“A letter. For you two,” Andre explained. “It’s sealed. No one else has seen it, not even me. And it must stay that way. You both read it, then burn it.” He gestured toward the fire with the envelope. “Is that clear?”

Jon and Ann eyed one another, then Andre. “What’s this about, Andre?”

“Is that clear?” Andre repeated.

“Yes.” Jon answered.

“Read it, then burn it,” Andre said again. “And tell no one what’s in it. Not even me.” He extended the envelope.

Jon took it, though the confusion was clear on his face.

“I’ll walk you back to your rooms afterwards,” Andre announced. He turned and walked back toward the dorm buildings, far out of earshot.

Jon eyed the envelope, then looked at Ann. “What do you think?”

“I have no idea.” Ann looked around. No one else was out. It was over an hour after curfew, after all. “My curiosity is piqued, though.”

“Mine too.” Jon exhaled and could see his breath in front of him. He slid a finger under the flap of the envelope and broke the wax seal, then opened it. He pulled a single sheet of folded paper from it. He unfolded it to see Mandarin words carefully written. “Here goes nothing.” The two leaned closer to the fire. 

Jon read the first few words aloud and his breath caught. Ann covered her mouth with her hand and tears welled in her eyes. “My god.”

Jon cleared his throat, then steeled himself and read the letter in its entirety:

To Jon and Ann,

I am so sorry about our school, our home. I swear to you, on my life, I left to protect you all. If I had known we were too late, I never would have abandoned you. It is something I will live with for the rest of my life. It will be the fuel I need to fulfill my destiny. Live the lives you deserve, while I do everything in my power to make them pay for what they did.

Love,

your friend,

Hsu Pang

Jon held the letter in a shaking hand. Ann sniffled. He turned to see tears in her eyes. He stepped over and wrapped his arms around her.

“He didn’t abandon us,” Ann whispered.

“No, he didn’t.” Jon smiled. “We were right.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I miss him, Jon. I miss them all.”

“I do, too.” Jon kissed her forehead.

They stayed like that for several minutes, silently weeping for their friends, yet somehow feeling a sense of peace knowing Hsu had tried to protect them.

Jon caught movement in the distance and saw Michelle standing near the gym, watching them closely. She tilted her head again, before she turned and walked away. He cleared his throat and Ann stepped back from him, looking up at him. She looked at the letter and smiled. “Thank you, Hsu.”

Jon smiled at her. He folded the letter and put it back into the envelope, then lowered the flap. He noticed a strange symbol within the wax, then shrugged and tossed it into the fire. “Make them pay, my friend. Make them pay.”

They watched the fire consume the letter within the envelope, with small smiles on their faces. They had always known what their friend was capable of. Perhaps now he had the proper motivation.

They looked up from the fire when Andre reached them. “Remember what I said,” Andre reminded them.

They both nodded. “We will,” Ann said.

“Michelle keeps asking about us,” Jon said. “She said our auras are off.”

Andre nodded. “I have spoken with her.”

“Does she know the truth?”

Andre shook his head. “She can’t.”

“Andre, they have a right to know about the other schools and that ours was destroyed.”

“I agree,” Andre said. “But it’s not my decision.” He exhaled. “Now, let’s get you back to your rooms. You have work to do tomorrow.”

Jon and Ann held hands as they walked back toward the dorms. There was nothing romantic in the gesture, just the reassuring comfort that they were not alone. They gave each other a squeeze before their hands parted and they moved to their separate dorms. They both looked forward to finding the best life they could.