5:47 PM.
Cade's phone buzzed.
Ash: Tonight. Back alley. Old textile building.
Cade stared at it longer than necessary.
Typed: What time.
Deleted.
Typed: Why.
Deleted.
Typed: K.
Sent.
He didn't like how small that looked.
6:12 PM.
Lira was at the table. Homework open. Pencil moving fast.
Lira: "You're going out."
Cade: "Yeah."
Lira: "With Ash."
Cade: "Yeah."
She didn't look up.
Lira: "Dinner?"
Cade: "Not hungry."
Lira: "You said that yesterday."
Cade: "Still not."
Her pencil stopped.
Just a beat.
Lira: "There's rice in the fridge."
Cade: "Okay."
Lira: "From three days ago."
Cade: "It's fine."
Lira: "It's probably bad."
Cade: "I'll eat it anyway."
Silence.
He waited for something else. A fight. A sharper line.
Nothing came.
That was worse.
7:23 PM.
Old textile building.
Broken windows. Air smelled like dust and something metallic.
Same graffiti as before.
Kallas was good once.
Someone had written WEAK under it this time.
Ash was there. Ren. Jun. Min. Two others.
Ash: "You came."
Cade: "You asked."
Ash watched him a second too long.
Ash: "Wasn't sure."
Cade didn't answer.
8:03 PM.
They showed up.
Five of them.
The one in front had a thick scar over his eyebrow.
Scar: "Didn't think you'd show."
Ash stepped forward.
Ash: "We're here."
Scar: "You're on our ground."
Ash: "It's not yours."
Scar smiled without humor.
Scar: "It is now."
Silence stretched thin.
Cade's right hand started shaking.
He pressed it against his thigh.
Stop.
It didn't.
---
8:07 PM.
Someone swung.
Jun went down first.
Then everything broke.
Cade saw a fist coming and didn't move fast enough. It caught his cheek. Dull impact. Heat spreading.
He hit the ground.
For half a second he stayed there.
Get up.
He was already moving.
Another swing. He blocked wrong. Pain shot up his arm.
Someone grabbed his jacket. Pulled him off balance.
Too loud. Too many feet. Breathing everywhere.
And then—
It shifted.
Not slower.
Clearer.
The guy in front of him leaned back slightly.
Weight on rear leg.
Left hook.
Cade ducked before the thought finished.
The guy's ribs opened.
Hit.
He did.
The sound was ugly.
The guy folded.
Knee up. Face.
Impact. Something cracked. Not sure what.
Another one rushed in wide.
Sloppy.
Cade stepped inside. Elbow. Jaw.
The guy dropped like someone unplugged him.
Hands grabbed from behind.
Arms locked around his chest.
Can't breathe.
Head back.
He felt cartilage give.
Grip loosened.
Turn. Punch.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four—
Ash's voice cut through.
"Cade. Stop."
He didn't realize he was still swinging.
The guy on the ground wasn't fighting anymore.
Blood between his fingers.
Cade blinked.
His knuckles were split open.
His nose was running.
He wiped it.
Red.
8:14 PM.
The Jackals backed off.
Scar stared at him.
Not angry.
Measuring.
Scar: "The hell are you."
Cade didn't answer.
Scar stepped back.
Walked away.
Not running.
But not slow either.
8:31 PM.
Ren looked different now.
Jun too.
Min had finally stopped pretending not to care.
Ren: "Where'd you learn that."
Cade didn't answer.
Ash: "He's just like that."
Ren: "Like what."
Ash hesitated.
Ash: "Quiet."
Pause.
Ash: "Until he isn't."
Ren looked at Cade like he'd just recalculated something.
Ren: "Name."
Cade: "Cade."
Ren nodded once.
As if filing it somewhere.
9:47 PM.
Bathroom light too bright.
Cade looked at himself.
Swollen cheek. Dried blood under his nose. Skin split over knuckles.
He turned on the tap.
Water hit his hands.
Pink.
He kept washing.
Pink.
Lighter.
Clear.
His hands were shaking.
Both now.
He gripped the sink.
"Stop."
They didn't.
11:23 PM.
In bed.
Ceiling dark.
He tried to remember what he ate.
Coffee.
That was it.
He tried to remember the day.
Tuesday.
No. Wednesday.
He couldn't place it.
It slipped.
It shouldn't slip.
It's just a day.
He closed his eyes.
His hands were still trembling against his chest.