Alexei felt like he was being watched—like there was someone judging him, waiting for him to do something wrong. But he just assumed it was Milo’s friends; after all, even after they’d gotten ice cream and the three of them moved to a different table than the cousins, they were still staring at him. They probably saw Alexei as a threat of some sort, someone who was going to reveal their true actions. They seemed to be waiting for the moment where he messed up, or where they could tell Milo his intuition was wrong. And that also must have been why Milo was so confident, as if he didn’t sense anything. Even if he did, he knew it was just his friends, and Alexei had the feeling that they were almost always like that.

  He tried to distract himself with happier thoughts, though. Once they’d all chosen what they wanted and went to their table, the two of them had started talking about what had been happening in their lives recently. It was almost surprising how much Milo didn’t know; how he hadn’t realized his youngest sister had joined the church choir, that Alexei’s oldest brother was moving away soon to learn under skilled Life magic users. But Milo didn’t really seem to be especially distraught by it all. Yes, he was clearly a bit disappointed that he’d missed it—but it didn’t look like he regretted it, either. And even though Alexei gave him plenty of moments to talk about what he’d been doing, Milo stayed relatively quiet about his own life. The most he mentioned was, vaguely, how he met his friends… though that story amounted to “they all ran into each other and seemed to have been tied together since.”

  The sun had already set by the time they finished and the owner of the shop had come to tell them it was time for them to go. Alexei felt a certain rush of excitement when he realized that Milo walked over to his friends not to join them, but to tell them goodbye, before going back to Alexei.

  “You’re coming home with me?” Alexei prompted. He didn’t want to sound too hopeful—what was he, twelve?—but the idea needed to be confirmed. “I’m pretty sure they’ve already eaten, but our parents should still be up, and you can talk to them, too. They’d love to hear how you’re doing from you rather than me.”

  Milo smirked. “Of course we’re walking together. And”—his smile faltered a moment when he paused, but he quickly regained it—“I’ll talk to my parents, too. I don’t doubt they’re worried. But just enough to let them know I’m okay and I can take care of myself.”

  There seemed to be a big, unspoken maybe in there somewhere. Maybe he’d talk to his parents. Maybe he’d assure them.

  Maybe he’d stay any longer than it took for Alexei to go to sleep, so he could sneak back out again and practically act like nothing today had happened.

  They talked more on their way home, mostly about their shared past this time. But it didn’t necessarily feel like a good thing. No, it seemed more like an acceptance of what was gone, and a departure into something that would make it impossible to regain those moments. Perhaps that was something that had already been happening and this was just the confirmation of what they both already knew was the end. Alexei didn’t want to believe that, though. He didn’t want to believe that Milo lied.

  Even if it would’ve been far from the first time he simply said whatever kept others happy or him from getting in trouble.

  Alexei just told himself he’d have to wait and see. They were quiet as soon as they entered the house—they didn’t want to wake any of their younger family members—and talked with their parents for a little while. As much as they tried to hide it, it was clear they had the same suspicions he did about Milo’s true intentions. Still, they all eventually went to their rooms.

  And he ignored the fact that sometime around midnight, he heard the window in his room open and the sound of someone dropping into the bushes below.

  …

  A sudden, harsh knock on the front door woke him up. He must not have been the only one, either, because it was hardly a moment later his aunt shouted, tired and annoyed, “Coming! You don’t need to kick the door down!”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Alexei was one of the several individuals who poked their heads out of their rooms to see what all of the commotion was about. He was, however, the only one to actually step out and wander over to the front door.

  The man on the other side was tall and wore priest robes. While he had a smile, it was only threatening; his eyes held a fake spark to them. He held a suspiciously large stack of papers, though Alexei wasn’t able to tell what they were for.

  “Go on and make it quick,” Alexei’s aunt remarked. “I’ve got twelve kids to feed and groceries that need done by noon. I don’t have all day and I’m sure you don’t, either. Do you want to come inside? Or are you just going to stand there?”

  The man—or, more likely, priest—nodded and thanked her as he walked in. She guided him to the living room—the cleanest room in the house, honestly, since they made sure to keep it tidy for guests—and gestured for her to sit down. This was also when she noticed Alexei standing there, because she glanced at him and asked, “Lex, how long have you been standing there? Eh, it doesn’t matter. Get the man something to drink. And tell those nosy siblings and cousins of yours to either come out of hiding or go back to bed.”

  At that remark, there was the sound of several doors creaking closed. Turns out no one was brave enough to meet this sudden guest.

  “Of course, Auntie.” Alexei gave her a kind smile, then went into the kitchen. As had been drilled into him when he was little, he opened up the cupboard beside the pantry. Everyone called this the Guest Cupboard, filled with the ceramic cups, plates, and bowls reserved only for non-family.

  He took out a cup, quickly washed it out—the Guest Cupboard tended to accumulate dust—then filled it up with clean, cool water. Were his grandparents supervising him, they would have insisted he put on tea instead. But he had a feeling no one really wanted their visitor to stay long enough to have some.

  When Alexei came out and went back to the living room, the man was showing some papers to his aunt.

  “These are drawings from witnesses of several crimes. I was led to believe you might recognize them.”

  His aunt huffed. “Not unless you tell me what crime they committed.”

  “Mischief, petty theft… blasphemy.”

  “So? Are they hurting anyone? No? Then let them be. They’re kids. They’re dumb. Better to let them grow out of it.”

  “I don’t believe you’re quite taking this seriously.”

  “You think? You come to my house unannounced, then start trying to intimidate me. I see no reason to listen to you unless you give me a good—and I mean a truly, undeniably good—reason not to.”

  He shoved forward one of the pictures. Alexei—too scared to move beyond the archway—could tell it was of a very, very familiar face. “You’re the mother of this boy, aren’t you?”

  Alexei’s aunt stayed silent, her expression blank.

  “One Milo Collins has been showing up in all sorts of contexts lately, and none of them good. Surely, you know a bit about this, don’t you, ma’am?” The man’s voice rose as he boldly declared, “Or do you know nothing about your heretical son?”

  She was silent for a moment, then, “He’s just a kid, and one always getting into trouble, at that. I’m almost certain this is just a misunderstanding.”

  “Well, as much as I’d like not to trouble you, ma’am… I think you should understand exactly why I’m here. Yesterday, valuable documents went missing from my office. They held accounts of heretics and those related to them—individuals who, by Orestis’s laws, must be punished for what they’ve done. And now, all the incriminating evidence is gone. It also just so happened that these kids—including your son—were the ones to do it. This desires justice, you see. Punishment.”

  “Just do it without the evidence,” she muttered. “Seems like something shady men like you do anyway.”

  “Failure to cooperate will lead to much worse consequences than I believe you want to pay. I’m afraid I might have to declare you harborers and allies of heretics. You do know what the cost of that is, right..?”

  Alexei couldn’t think. All he knew was that he wanted to protect Milo—protect his family. And, perhaps, what he said after he stepped into the living room wasn’t a lie. “I did it. I was the one who stole the documents. If anyone should be held responsible for it, it’s me.”