The lighthouse stood on a rocky cliff like a sentinel against the sky.Kai parked the car and stepped out. The wind hit him immediately...cold, sharp, carrying the scent of salt and seaweed. The ocean stretched before him, gray and endless. Waves crashed against the rocks below. Seagulls wheeled overhead, their cries sharp and distant.His mother stepped out beside him. She wrapped her coat around herself, her breath visible in the cold air."This is it," she said quietly.Kai nodded. He looked up at the lighthouse. It was old, abandoned, its white paint chipped and faded by decades of salt and storms. The light at the top was dark. The windows were boarded. The door hung crooked on its hinges.But there were signs of recent habitation. A path worn through the grass. A door that didn't quite close. A faint wisp of smoke rising from a chimney that should have been cold."She's here," Kai said quietly.He started walking.The door creaked open.Kai stepped inside. The interior was dark,

The Bluebird Inn smelled like mildew and old regrets.Kai stood in the center of the small motel room, his hands hanging loose at his sides, his eyes fixed on the man who had been hiding from him for months. Marcus Webb sat on the edge of the bed, his shoulders hunched, his hands clasped between his knees. He looked older than Kai remembered. More tired. More broken.Rose stood near the door, her arms crossed. Kai's mother sat in the only chair, her hands resting on her knees.The silence stretched between them.Marcus finally spoke. His voice was hoarse."I knew you'd come eventually. I just didn't know when."Kai's voice was flat. "You knew about the Ghost."Marcus flinched at the name. His hands tightened."Yes.""You knew he killed Elena. You knew he killed my father."Marcus looked down at his hands. "I knew."Kai stepped closer. "And you didn't tell me."Marcus looked up. His eyes were wet."I was trying to protect you."Kai shook his head slowly. "Everyone keeps saying that. Ev