Maybe I would like this guy. I thought as I got dressed. Today I had black leather pants and a lavender crop top, and boots. Knock knock. “Come in ”I said. It was my mother of course. Her eyes scanned me instantly. The outfit. The hair. Every detail.
Always checking. Always judging. “Better,” she said. I raised an eyebrow. “Better?” She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. “You look more… natural,” she said. I crossed my arms slightly. “That’s new.” A small smile appeared on her lips. “Today requires a different approach.” My stomach tightened. “Because of the guy?” I asked. She didn’t deny it.“He will be here soon,” she said. Soon. I wasn’t sure if I was ready. Or if I even had a choice.
I sat at the counter in the kitchen. Willow, our chef is my best friends when I am at home. “But like what if I like this guy?” I asked and took a bite of my apple. Willow didn’t answer right away. She just kept cutting something, slow and precise. “Do you?” she asked finally. I hesitated. “I don’t even know him,” I admitted. She nodded slightly. “Then that’s not really the question, is it?” I frowned. “What do you mean?” Willow looked at me properly now. “You’re asking if it would be easier if you liked him,” she said. I went quiet. Because she was right. I looked down at the apple in my hand. “Yeah,” I said softly. Willow leaned slightly against the counter. “Liking someone isn’t supposed to feel like a solution,” she said. I swallowed. “Then what is it supposed to feel like?” Willow gave a small, almost sad smile. “Like a choice.”
“XARA!” Storm shouted. “HE IS HERE!” Shoot. “Got to go” I mumbled. Willow nodded. “Come back later” I nodded quickly and hurried out of the kitchen. The closer I got to the main hall, the quieter everything felt. Like the house itself was waiting. Voices echoed faintly ahead. My parents. Someone else. I slowed down just before turning the corner. This is it. I straightened my shoulders and stepped forward. I stood in the middle of my parents. Storm in front of mother. Fearrow and Dusk on each side of our parents. It didn’t feel like a family. It felt like a display. I kept my hands at my sides, trying not to fidget. This is insane. Footsteps echoed from the hallway ahead. My heart started beating faster. Don’t mess this up. Don’t say the wrong thing. I lifted my gaze. The door opened. And in stepped Thunder Nyx. I froze for a second. Of course I knew him. Same classes. Same halls. He was taller than I remembered. Broad shoulders, calm posture. Dark clothes that fit him effortlessly. And somehow… he didn’t look nervous. His eyes met mine. Recognition flashed instantly. “Xara?” he said, a small, surprised smile forming. I blinked. “Thunder?” Behind me, I could feel my parents reacting. “You know each other?” my mother asked, her voice carefully neutral. Thunder nodded slightly. “We’ve had classes together.” I let out a small breath I didn’t realize I was holding. This was… better than a stranger. “That simplifies things,” my father said. My stomach tightened again. Nothing ever simplified. Thunder stepped a little closer, his voice lower now. “Didn’t expect to see you like this,” he said quietly. I huffed softly. “Trust me, I didn’t expect this either.” For a brief moment—it almost felt normal. “Let’s sit,” my father said. It wasn’t a suggestion. We moved to the seating area. I sat beside Thunder, aware of every small movement. Every glance. My father remained standing for a moment, watching us. Then he sat down across from Thunder. “Thunder Nyx,” he said. “I’ve heard your name.” Thunder nodded politely. “Sir.” Silence. The kind that wasn’t empty. The kind that waited. “Tell me,” my father continued, “what are your intentions with my daughter?” My heart skipped. Thunder didn’t answer immediately. He glanced at me for just a second—like he was checking if I was okay. Then he looked back at my father. “I don’t have any intentions,” he said calmly. “Not yet.” My mother’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Not yet?” she repeated. Thunder stayed calm. “I think that’s something that should be… mutual.” The room went still again. I felt a small spark of relief. He wasn’t just agreeing. My father leaned back slightly, studying him. “Mutual,” he said. A pause. “And what do you believe makes you suitable?” There it was. The real question. Thunder didn’t flinch. “I don’t think that’s for me to decide alone,” he said. I glanced at him, surprised. He was careful. But honest. And somehow… that made this even more dangerous. “And what about you, Xara?” The voice was softer. I looked up. Thunder’s mother was watching me now, her expression calm, almost kind. Almost. “You’ve been very quiet,” she continued. I straightened slightly. “I didn’t realize I was being evaluated.” A small smile touched her lips. “Everyone is, dear.” That didn’t make me feel better. “Tell me,” she said gently, “what do you want?” The question hit harder than I expected. I hesitated. Because I knew what I was supposed to say. But that wasn’t the same thing. “I want…” I started, then stopped. The room felt too still. Too focused. I glanced at Thunder. He didn’t say anything. But he didn’t look away either. “I want to choose,” I said finally. Silence followed. Not shocked this time. Careful. “Choose what?” Thunder asked. Dusk tapped my foot with hers. A warning. I met her eyes. She looked at me and then at Thunder. “I chose you, I chose Thunder ”I said. Silence followed. But this time… it felt different. Not tense. Final. Then—my mother smiled. Not the controlled one. A real one. “That’s wonderful,” she said softly. My father nodded once, satisfied. “A wise decision,” he added. Across from us, Thunder’s mother visibly relaxed. “This is exactly what we hoped for,” she said warmly. Thunder’s father gave a small approving nod. The tension in the room disappeared almost instantly. Like it had never been there. Storm grinned. “I knew it!” Fearow leaned back in his chair, smirking slightly. “Well, that was easy.” Dusk didn’t say anything. But I felt her glance at me. I forced a small smile. This is what they wanted. This is what I gave them. I looked at Thunder. For a moment, everything felt… calm. Too calm. And somewhere deep down, I couldn’t tell if I had just solved everything— or made it worse.
Later that day, I found myself alone in the hallway. The house was quieter now. Too quiet. Like it was waiting for something else to happen. “Xara.” I turned around. Thunder stood a few steps away. No family behind him. No audience. Just him. “Hey,” I said carefully. He nodded slightly, then hesitated. “Did you mean it?” he asked. I frowned. “Mean what?” “What you said earlier,” he replied. “That you chose me.” Silence settled between us. I opened my mouth… then closed it again. Because I wasn’t sure anymore. Not because I lied. Because I didn’t know why I said it. “It was easier,” I admitted quietly. Thunder looked at me for a moment. Not judging. Just… understanding. “That’s not a bad reason,” he said. I let out a small breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “It kind of is,” I said. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Maybe,” he said. “But I think we’re all just trying to survive this.” I looked at him properly then. Without the table. Without the families. Without the rules. Just him. And something in my chest shifted slightly. Not loud. Not clear. Just enough to notice. Storm came running. “Sis!” he shouted. “X-Avier, Roesy and Silver want to hang” He stopped in front of me. “Okay” I said. “Thanks for telling me Storm” He smiled. Obviously proud of himself. I looked at Thunder. “Want to join?” I asked. He shrugged. “Sure” I nodded and started walking, and he fell into step beside me. It felt strange. Not uncomfortable. Just… new. Like I was suddenly aware of every step I took. And of him being there beside me. We found them outside near the edge of the compound. Roesy sat on the low wall, swinging her legs. Silver leaned against the railing, arms crossed. And X-Avier—He was pacing slightly, like he had too much energy and nowhere to put it. “Took you long enough,” Roesy called out with a grin. “I had things to do,” I replied, rolling my eyes slightly. Then they noticed. Thunder. The shift was instant. Silver straightened. Roesy’s grin faded into curiosity. X-Avier stopped pacing. Completely. “Oh,” he said. Not angry. Not surprised. Just… oh. I stepped forward slightly. “This is Thunder,” I said. “We had classes together.” Thunder gave a small nod. “Hey.” “Right,” Roesy said slowly, clearly trying to read the situation. “Classes.” Silver glanced between me and Thunder. “That’s new.” I crossed my arms slightly. “Yeah, well… things change.” Silence. Then X-Avier stepped forward. His eyes moved from me to Thunder. “So you’re the guy,” he said. Thunder didn’t react much. “I guess.” The air tightened. I exhaled sharply. “Can we not do this?” Roesy immediately perked up. “Do what? This is interesting.” “Roesy,” I warned. She held up her hands. “Okay, okay.” Silver smirked slightly. “So… we’re just going to ignore the fact that everything changed overnight?” I looked away. “Pretty much.” Another pause. Then—Thunder spoke. “Or,” he said calmly, “we don’t ignore it… but we don’t make it weird either.” That caught everyone off guard. Even me. X-Avier let out a short breath. “Fair enough,” he said. And just like that— the tension didn’t disappear… but it shifted.
“So what do you guys do out here?” Thunder asked and kicked a rock. “Nothing much ”I said. Silver snorted softly. “That’s one way to put it.” Roesy grinned. “We avoid being watched. That’s our main hobby.” Thunder raised an eyebrow slightly. “Sounds exciting.” “Oh, it is,” X-Avier said dryly. “If you like pretending you’re free.” That made Thunder glance at him. “And you?” Thunder asked. X-Avier shrugged. “I like knowing where the cameras don’t reach.” A small silence followed that. Thunder looked around the area more carefully now. Like he was seeing it differently. “So this,” he said slowly, “is your version of getting away.” “As close as we get,” I replied. He nodded once. “I like it,” he said. I glanced at him. “You just got here.” A faint smile appeared on his face. “Yeah,” he said. “But it already feels more real than inside.”
We walked around a bit. “SHIT!” I hissed and hid behind Thunder. “Xara?” Thunder asked. “My father is over there ”I said. “Whit my mother and two gaurds!” Thunder didn’t turn immediately. “Don’t move too fast,” he said quietly. That surprised me. He sounded calm. Too calm. “We need to leave,” Silver muttered under his breath. “Too late,” X-Avier said quietly. My father’s voice carried across the space. Not loud. But clear enough. “Xara.” I froze. No one spoke. Not Roesy. Not Silver. Not even X-Avier. I slowly stepped out from behind Thunder. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would give me away. My mother stood beside him, perfectly composed. Two guards just behind them. Watching. Always watching. “Come here,” my father said. Not loud. Not angry. Worse. I hesitated for half a second. Then I walked forward. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. But no one moved. No one said anything. I stopped a few steps in front of him. He looked past me briefly. At the others. “You may go,” he said. It wasn’t a suggestion. For a second, no one reacted. Then—Silver turned. Roesy followed. X-Avier hesitated… then stepped back. Thunder didn’t move immediately. I felt it. That tiny pause. “Now,” my father added. Thunder’s jaw tightened slightly. Then he stepped away too. And just like that—I was alone. My father looked at me for a long moment. Not angry. Just… thinking. “Thunder Nyx,” he said finally. I swallowed. “Yes?” He nodded once. “He seems… suitable.” That caught me off guard. I blinked. “What?” My mother stepped slightly closer, her voice calm. “We approve,” she said. Approve. Like it was a decision already made. My father continued, “You may spend time with him.” A small spark of relief flickered in my chest— then died just as quickly. “However,” he added. There it was. “You will not go this far from the compound again without permission.” My stomach tightened. “You were seen today,” he continued. “That is not acceptable.” I looked down slightly. “Yes, sir.” A pause. “Do you understand?” I nodded. “Yes.” He studied me for another second. Then— “Good.” Just like that, it was over. But it didn’t feel like freedom. It felt like a longer leash.