The words thudded into her with the weight of a canon ball. If she weren't so chilled, she might have staggered backward from their force.

Aleck's uncle stepped forward, the formality dropping from his expression. "Aleck—"

Aleck whirled around. "Don't you dare take a step closer or I'll give you a taste of my knight training."

The man clenched his jaw—whether in frustration or pain, she couldn't tell. "This was all a mistake, Aleck."

"By a Reaper's Scythe, it was mistake." Aleck's expression darkened. "You were all too happy to abandon me with strangers. You don't even deserve to be related to my father. He was a good man."

The man's throat bobbed, and he nodded. "You're right. He was a good man, the kind of man I aspire to be."

Grief dragged Aleck's gaze to the ground and held it there.

"Aleck, listen to me—"

"No." His voice was soft yet held the authority of a general. Aleck glanced up. "You listen to me. Do you know what happened to me, simply because you didn't care enough to take me into your home?"

The man pressed his lips together until they whitened and remained silent.

"I was thrown into the streets. I begged for food, I starved, I was whipped, and I was beaten."

The man bowed his head, his expression hidden. "Aleck, you're right. I should have come for you sooner—or at least ensured the character of your caregivers before I left." He glanced up, a delicate hope in his eyes. "But I'm here now."

Aleck's expression dulled. "You're here too late. You should have been there for me when I needed you." He sniffed sharply, hinting he was on the brink of tears.

His uncle winced in sympathy and began to approach him. "Aleck—"

And then Aleck turned and darted up the steps.

Carissa's heart lurched. He was going to run away. She twisted away from Elon.

"Carissa, don't!"

But she was done listening to Elon. He'd said Aleck wouldn't run away. He'd said Aleck would like it. He'd said she should trust him.

Carissa lunged towards Aleck. He wasn't going to run away. Not if she had a say in it. She snatched the back of his shirt, jerking him to a halt. "Aleck, wait—"

Aleck snarled, throwing his fist at her.

Just before he hit her face, her dress collar dug into her neck as she was yanked backwards. Elon pulled her back against his chest, his arms curling around her waist.

She slumped against him, her legs trembling beneath her. Aleck had tried to hit her. But perhaps in his panicked state, he hadn't realized it was her.

Although his fiery glare in her direction said otherwise. "And you. You betrayed me, Carissa. I thought you were the one person in this world I could trust completely." A smile twisted across his lips. "I won't make that mistake again. Don't ever try to touch me again and don't look for me." His eyes glinted with a silent threat. "I don't want to see you again."

He disappeared down the hallway.

Carissa staggered out of Elon's arms and raced down the hallway after him. "Aleck, no! Wait!" Aleck was the only family she had—ever since she'd left Zonah. He'd left her once. If he left again— Her heart crumpled. What if he didn't come back? What if he was hurt?

Aleck swerved around a corner, and Carissa followed him. But her slippers didn't have the same traction as his boots, and she skidded into the wall. Her head knocked against it, and she gritted her teeth against the pain as she pushed off of it and kept sprinting.

She caught sight of Aleck darted around another corner, but in a few minutes, she'd lost sight of him entirely. He was gone. She sank against the wall, sobs threatening to strangle her breath. She had to calm down and think. Where would Aleck go? Would he try and leave the palace or hide somewhere?

Footsteps slowed in front of her, and she glanced up. Elon.

"Elon. You're faster... You can... chase him," she said between gasps.

He sank down to his haunches in front of her. "I can't, Carissa. It's his choice."

Anger trembled through her, and she forced herself to her feet. She couldn't understand his thinking. When he did interfere, he often made things harder. When he didn't, he allowed things to become even worse. Why couldn't he interfere to stop bad things from happening? Why let bad things happen both when he interfered and when he didn't? But arguing with him would've been a waste of good air. Air that she could use to find Aleck.

She stood. Her skin felt hot and tight, her lungs shriveled. She pushed herself into a sprint. Though she pumped her legs, she felt slower, each inch she gained painful. "Aleck!" Her voice tore through the halls.

No answer.

She slowed at an intersection and turned right. If he were trying to leave the palace, she had to catch him before then. Servants stared as she ran past them before politely averting their gazes.

Elon sped up, matching her pace with ease. "Carissa."

She forced herself to move faster. She wasn't in the mood to talk with him. Her chemise chafed her sweat-dampened legs, and she inhaled sharply. Her chest was on fire, begging for more air.

"Carissa, stop."

Her legs were moving slower as her body grew heavier. She forced her breath through gritted teeth and tried to resume a faster pace, even as sweat suffocated her skin and her lungs threatened to implode.

The heat seemed to constrict around her torso and fill her head. When she began to sway and her legs threatened to buckle, she slowed her pace. She'd only intended to lose a little speed, but her body seemed of a different mind, and she stumbled to a halt, slapping on sweaty palm against the wall for support.

Even as she scolded herself for not caring about Aleck enough to keep running, she couldn't summon the will to move. Heat raged beneath her skin, making the contents of her stomach froth and burble and churn. Elon tugged her to a window before unlatching it and opening it wide.

Just in time for her to lean over the edge and pour the remains of her breakfast over the side, leaving a murky streak down the palace wall. Once she finished heaving, she gulped down another lungful of air.

Lovely. Just lovely.

Elon pressed a hand to her shoulder, and she sank to the ground. She swiped a hand over her forehead, and it came away gleaming in sweat.

Aleck. She couldn't let him leave.

Carissa began to stand, but Elon tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Just rest, Carissa."

She shook her head but was too exhausted and dizzy to further protest. It took an eternity, but finally the fire in her lungs and skin seeped into the icy marble, and the nausea left with it.

Where could Aleck have gone? The city was miles away from the palace. Her heartbeat hiccupped at the thought. She pressed a hand to her cooling cheek, where Aleck would have hit her had Elon not pulled her away. But surely Aleck didn't mean it. He had felt distraught. And betrayed. And now he was alone.

Carissa closed her eyes. "You said he wouldn't run away."

"I said he'd run if we forewarned him."

"But he ran anyway. How is this the better future, Elon? How?" Her last question creaked from her lips as pain bore down on her chest.

"You'll see."

Her laughter rasped past her lips. "Let me guess: I should trust you? Even though you've lied?"

Elon drew a sharp breath and fell silent for a moment. "How did I lie?"

She opened her eyes, her gaze piercing his. "You said he would like it."

"No, I said he will like it."

"What's the difference?" She folded her knees against her chest, draping her clammy forearms across the tops. "And now I've lost him." Her anger slipped past her like waters past one's fingers, leaving her empty and dry. "Was I going to lose him either way, then? Why didn't you at least let me say goodbye?"

His shoulders lifted in a shrug. "I can't tell you, Carissa. Not now."

"Then how can I find him? How can I be with him again?"

Elon leaned forward, his gaze seeking hers. "It's best you leave this to me, Carissa."

"I did leave it to you. You didn't even let me know what would happen, and now you refuse to tell me why."

He bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"So you regret the path you've chosen?"

He shook his head, his lips pressed in a thin smile. "With my Foresight, I'm afraid I don't have the luxury of regret. I just... I wish this future could have happened without causing you pain." He lumbered to his feet before offering her his hand.

Perhaps Elon was just a pawn to the whims of this 'ideal future,' but the least he could have done was talked to her about it. After all, relationships were all about communication, and he seemed quite content to leave her in the dark.

She stared at his hand, the pads thick and calloused, the nails short and clean. Elon wouldn't help her find Aleck, but perhaps she didn't need to his help. Carissa began to stand on her own but stopped. There was no need to be petty or rude, after all. She simply wouldn't rely on his aid anymore.

She allowed him to help her to her feet.

Even after she was standing, he didn't release her hand, as if he was savoring her touch after being denied it for the past two days. "I love you."

But did he? The question weighed heavily on her, pinning her tongue to the floor of her mouth. In the end, the answer really didn't matter. Her decision would remain the same:

If Elon wouldn't help her, she'd have to help herself.