The ESU ballroom, was lively, glowing under the strings of fairy lights and a rotating disco ball that threw lights of various colors across the polished floor. The Winter Formal was in full swing, as slow R&B ballads mixing with pop hits, filled the air, coupled with laughter from the students rising over the beat, and couples swaying or posing for photos against the backdrop of fake snowflakes and blue velvet curtains.Nathan arrived holding Rhea’s hand.She wore a deep blue gown that shimmered like the night sky, with the stars spotting it. It was sleeveless, fitted through the bodice, a flowing skirt with a subtle slit that revealed her silver heels. Her hair was swept up in a soft chignon bun, with a a few hair tendrils framing her face. She had no heavy makeup on. Yet, her radiance, confidence, and quiet poise was enough to have heads turned the moment they stepped through the double doors.Whispers rippled outward in the hall like water. “Is that Rhea... She looks unreal.”“Wh

Nathan pushed open the front door of the townhouse just before 2 a.m. The hallway light was on, low enough and warm enough, just the way Charity always left it when someone was out late. His shoes squeaked faintly on the polished floor as he walked. He had spent the last three hours walking the streets around the school, calling Rhea’s number over and over, with each unanswered ring twisting the knife deeper into his soul.Voicemail, over and over again.He stood in the foyer, his phone still clutched in his hand, breathing hard, with the warmth propelling from his mouth into the cold night air in the form of smoke. The house felt too quiet, as he stood there alone. Charity appeared at the top of the stairs, a robe tied tight around her, her gray hair loose around her shoulders. She looked down at him with tired, knowing eyes.“She’s here,” the old woman said quietly.Nathan’s head snapped up. “She came home about an hour ago, and then locked herself in her room. She wouldn’t talk t

Rhea sat curled on the living room couch, knees tucked under one of her oversized hoodies, with the television volume low but still manageably audible. The screen showed the grand opening of the new Project Kickstart office in Brooklyn. Nathan stood at the podium, in his charcoal suit, with no tie, and his voice calm and clear as he spoke about purpose, second chances, and the kids who had already started changing their lives by coming to project Kickstart.She watched him as he spoke, with an almost pensive look to her. She watched the way his shoulders relaxed when he talked about Mia’s app, coupled with the quiet pride in his eyes when he mentioned Marcus going back to school, the way he kept glancing toward the side of the stage, as if making sure all the volunteers were still there, standing with him, as though they'd disappear any moment from then.But then her mind drifted back to the ballroom, to the frozen frame on the big screen that showed Amelia’s hands on Nathan’s face,

Rhea stood just outside the hospital room door, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if that could hold her together, and stop her from breaking apart as she was feeling like a terrible demon in her was about to break apart.The doctor had gently asked everyone to step out so Nathan could rest. “He’s stable,” the doctor said, holding his stethoscope to Nathan's chest, “but he needs quiet now.” The words should have brought relief, instead they only made the guilt heavier in her chest heavier. She felt as though staying in there with him made his condition worse, and that the only reason Nathan was in the room in the first place was because of her.She leaned against the wall, with her eyes stinging, tears about to fall down on her cheeks.This is my fault, she thought. If she hadn’t run from the dance things might have been different. If she hadn’t believed the clip without giving him a chance to explain, If she had stayed and trusted him, perhaps all of this wouldn't hav

The private hospital room on the top floor of Brooklyn Methodist was almost quiet. It would have almost been mistaken for a mortuary or some necropolis of some sort if not for the steady beep of the heart monitor that gave some sort of announcement to Nathan that he was still alive, and not some undead being that thought he was alive. Nathan sat propped up against the pillows, with his left shoulder still heavily bandaged, and a dull throb pulsing through his body with every breath he managed to take. The painkillers kept the edge off, but the reality of what had happened still felt raw. Even though he felt no pain in his physical body, the memory of it all still playing in his mind was enough to still cause him equivalent pain.Jude Fuller stood by the window with arms crossed over his chest, staring out at the Brooklyn skyline. David Brune sat in the chair beside the bed, with his usual tablet still in hand, reviewing the latest security briefing.Nathan broke the silence first. “W