CHAPTER 56: ALONE

Thud.

It’s been two days, and Liam still hasn’t found Aldriana.

Thud. Thud.

He hasn’t even found Meg Lambert, let alone Aldriana. Ms. Lambert has suddenly disappeared. He believes Stille is hiding her, but the man isn’t saying anything.

Thud. Thud. Whump!

Liam hits the punching bag in frustration.

The reporters are still chasing him. The city’s mining officers are chasing him too, pushing him to hand over the mining rights. Even though he has said that he wasn’t the one who cleared the dungeon, since no one seems to be able to find Aldriana, they’ve all shifted their attention to him—the last person to see her.

Whump! Whump! Whump!

The punching bag shakes violently.

He catches it with his wrapped hands, resting his forehead against the bag as he breathes fast.

He doesn’t know what to do, and he hates the feeling.

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"Mother, I’ll be fine. It’s just a therapy session. I’m old enough to go by myself, really." Theo is trying to convince Leila to let him go alone, a feat that proves to be difficult, since Leila is very reluctant to let him go by himself.

Today, Leila cannot accompany him anyway. She has a meeting that cannot be rescheduled.

Sam cannot take him either. He and Arthur are meeting with the city council about the azure dungeon. It’s still open, and no one has come forward to claim the mining rights. It’s starting to stir a lot of greedy hearts. The city has grown restless. The beach walk businesses have taken a huge hit; no one dares to visit anymore.

Even though everyone knows it’s a cleared dungeon, visiting the beach walk to relax is a different matter. The presence of an eight by sixteen meters stone arch feels out of place ominous.

The entrance is guarded by the DEU to prevent thieves, but they don’t want to guard it much longer if they don’t get anything out of it.

"I can call Dr. Leighton and reschedule your session," Leila insists.

"Mother, let’s not do that." Theo finally puts his foot down. "Today is the last session. I don’t want to delay it. I don’t like going there. I feel fine already, and I only go because it’s part of the follow-up process after my hospitalization."

He continues firmly, "Do you think I need to keep seeing a psychiatrist? Do you think I have PTSD? That’s what Dr. Leighton was afraid of, isn’t it?"

Theo sighs when Leila doesn’t say anything. "I’ve been very open and tried to answer all of your questions, Mother. Do I really have to live under surveillance like this for the rest of my life? It’s been almost two months since I woke up."

Leila’s breath hitches. Theo hates doing this, but he hates being monitored all the time even more. He feels like a prisoner. He’s already a prisoner in Thea’s body, and now his every move is being monitored and tracked. At first, he could understand the family’s fear, but now he feels those fears are no longer valid.

Theo continues. He doesn’t want to stop and give Leila room to respond; he wants her to feel the same suffocation he’s been feeling. It’s not fair—Leila is concerned for her daughter, but he is not

her daughter.

"And it’s not my fault that no one can go with me. Why am I the one who has to suffer? We each have our own life. Let me live mine."

Leila finally smiles bitterly. "I have been monitoring you very closely, haven’t I?" She sighs. "I’m sorry, Thea. I forgot to look at it from your point of view. And you’re right. You’ve been nothing but cooperative."

She sighs again. "Okay. You can go alone."

Theo lights up. "Really?"

Leila chuckles. "Yes, really. Go before I change my mind. But remember to keep your phone with you at all times. And your watch – wait, Julian still has your watch. It’s okay. You’re wearing the bracelet. I’m sure – "

Leila stops when she sees Theo looking at her, amused.

She takes a deep breath. "Okay! Got it! Now go!"

Theo smiles and gives Leila a small hug before leaving.

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Theo is standing in front of Dr. Leighton’s office. His last therapy session has just finished. He wasn’t lying to Leila when he said he doesn’t like going there. Dr. Leighton has been treating him like an experiment, and she doesn’t really bother to hide it.

When she tried to schedule the next appointment, Theo flat-out refused. He knows Dr. Leighton can contact Leila and go over his head, but Theo will not be going down without a fight. He’ll pull Arthur and Julian into his corner. He doesn’t care anymore. He doesn’t like Dr. Leighton. Period.

He sighs, trying to curb his excitement that he doesn’t need to come here anymore. He holds his smile while walking toward the parking space. He texts Leila that his session has finished and he’s heading home soon.

Theo knows his limit. Today is literally his first day out alone. Even though he wants to celebrate it, he doesn’t want to push it. It must be difficult for Leila to concentrate on her meeting.

He walks at a steady, relaxed pace, passing a small flower shop, and stops. Should I buy some for Leila? As a peace offering. He already shifts toward the flower shop.

When he enters, his sense of smell is immediately attacked by the scent of flowers. He takes a deep breath with closed eyes. Very fragrant. Leila will love these.

"Can I help you?" a shop assistant approaches him with a friendly smile.

Theo smiles back and nods. "Yes, I want to buy some flowers."

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He steps out of the flower shop with a bouquet of white roses in his hands. He stops and smells them again. I like their fragrance. Never knew flowers could smell this nice.

He starts to walk again when he feels someone following him. He silently wraps himself with his shield, a habit he’s now developed to prevent any detector, and spreads his senses. He’s right; someone is following him.

Theo walks a bit slower, trying to make it subtle, like a young woman too busy admiring her bouquet to watch where she’s going.

He shifts his destination, deciding to cross the street so he can use the glass windows of the shops to confirm who’s behind him.

He stops at the crossing with the other pedestrians. Some glance at him, drawn by his white hair.

The walking sign turns green. Theo crosses, his eyes fixed on the glass windows across the street. He sends his senses forward, trying to see better.

He spots a young man wearing a baseball cap that obscures his face. He’s taller than Theo, almost as tall as Julian, with a build similar to Liam’s. He wears a black polo shirt with white stripes on the sleeves. Both his hands are in his jeans pockets.

He’s not walking directly behind Theo, but a few steps back, trying hard to look inconspicuous.

Theo smirks. Want to follow me? You’re too young, boy.