This chapter was the inspiration that created the new plot for the rewrite of Forever on my Mind. The name of the last chapter provoked the new name for that story, Once a Hero. Just thought I'd bring that up. Now, let's get on with it.

Close Call

Kai

It was hard to say what I was thinking when we stepped foot on Cyclonia. I had gone from knowing almost nothing about the battle going on beyond Atmosia, to being fully submerged in the world itself. Nothing was hidden from me. It… It seemed a little too forward, however. Everything was so upfront, yet the Storm Hawks couldn't just scope things out themselves?

Was… was it all a front?

We flew directly past the Condor. That's right, we flew right past if and Ace didn't even flinch. That was another problem that worried me. If he knew about the Condor being there, wouldn't he have attacked? Did it mean my cover was blown?

That was another factor leading me to believe it was a front. If my cover had already been blown, either by Elle or self-discovered by the Dark Ace himself, none of what I was learning was the truth. I took everything with a grain of salt—taking my findings back to Aerrow, if anything seemed odd I would know none of it was true.

Dark Ace put his arm around my back, clutching onto my arm, as he lead me around Cyclonia. Several weak-looking Talons were roaming around and it seemed like the further we walked down the bridges, the more Talons I discovered. In fact it seemed like there were more than enough Talons here to support battles for years to come, no matter how many deaths came up. Why were they still recruiting at the academy? Was that a front as well? Did the Talons in training even graduate? I sighed.

The head Talon dragged me around Cyclonia all day.

I learned shit.

They had their own crystals, ones that were mined from their mines. Of course, we had those crystals, too, but these were somehow different. I met a nice young Talon named Ben, who coincidentally acted as if he didn't want to be there. Not having the slightest second away from Dark Ace to even use the bathroom, I didn't have the opportunity to tell him he could escape from the hell of Cyclonia and join a Sky Knight Squadron.

I shook my head.

No matter how much I wanted to meet her, I learned Cyclonis was held up in a restricted area. No matter how safe I seemed, no matter how much of a Talon I had convinced them I was… I wasn't allowed to see Cyclonis. I finally gave up when I saw the sun beginning to set. I was tired, I was hungry, and I wanted to go home… wherever home was.

The wind picked up, but it didn't seem to get any colder. Cyclonia was sure a strange place—in the right conditions at the right time, red lightning would strike the skies with or without rain clouds, even though it looked like all of the surrounding clouds were going to burst out in pouring rain.

And the moment I was able to get away I bolted for the best view on Cyclonia—that wasn't restricted. I took a seat on a cliff, or the land's edge. I pulled my shoes off, moved my feet out from under me, and dangled them over the sudden disappearance of land, feeling the sudden clouds tickle my bare feet. I watched as a spectacular—seemingly unnatural—occurrence took place before me; red lightning struck the skies. As afraid as I was of thunder storms and lightning, this was somehow intriguing to watch.

And before I knew it, I was no longer alone.

"You don't have much longer until I have to take you back." Minutes of uneasy silence separated his next words. "I'm quite surprised, Zaria. You've surpassed my expectations…" The fact that he'd called me Zaria and not Everett was proof enough that he respected me more. "I'm sure… you'll graduate the Talon academy quickly."

"Is it worth it?" I asked. When he didn't respond, confused, I continued. "You said so yourself—the Academy won't teach me anything. I feel rather forced to stay in…" I was forced to join, but that was a different story. "What will the Academy teach me that I don't already know?"

He looked away. "Discipline. However, I think that's a lost cause in your place. Without proper documentation of graduation, you can't set foot on Cyclonia or carry the title of Talon."

Even if I was in the Academy with intent to become a talon, I would've lost sight of my original goal. "I guess I don't see the point of being in the academy anymore. You told me it wouldn't teach me anything truly useful…"

Seeing a flaw in the Cyclonian logic, he paused, thinking of a subject change. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

I glanced over my shoulder, kicking my feet through the clouds. I looked back down at my feet and smiled. "I got bored listening to you brag."

Dark Ace growled. "I wasn't bragging, I was just—"

"Save it, pretty boy, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Bragging won't change my opinion about you."

"Which is…?" he asked curiously, taking a stand only a few feet behind me.

I hummed, glancing at my shoes. "You're definitely a shoot first, think later kind of person. You're definitely protective of your pride, and I don't mean for the reputation of your Talon squadron. You're very, very egotistical. You can't stand to lose a battle, and losing to someone younger and supposedly weaker is worse than death in your eyes. Only just recently you'd lost your first battle, eh?" I laughed quietly. "To none other than Aerrow of the Storm Hawks."

"Who exactly told you that load of bull?" he muttered, taking a seat next to me on the cliff.

I wanted to mention that I got the information directly from the victor himself, however… "That isn't a factor in my opinion of you…," I smiled. "To me, no matter what you do from here, you're still an egotistical, vain, intolerable man with no remorse for anything he does." Though when I had said anything I had been exaggerating, I'd soon find that was nothing short of the honest-to-God truth.

"You're quite… judgmental for being so young… How old are you?"

How old am I? I tried to remember if anyone had asked, what I had told anyone, or even what I'd put on my application. Remembering the boys had said I looked twenty, I went off of that. "Twenty… one…," I said, unsure.

He narrowed his gaze, watching me closely. "Are you not sure?" he laughed.

I looked away. I had to be careful what I said and how I said it—he could read me perfectly. I shook my head. "Just uneasy." I quickly tried to read his appearance and clear my thoughts of suspicion. Though that was easily done, I was still curious about his past. What made him turn on his team?

What force would push anyone to betray their friends? Who would ever willingly travel into that hell-hole called the Wastelands?

"You're lying."

I sighed. "Look—"

"If there's something you want to ask, just do it already."

Is that what he thought was wrong? Guess I'll have to think of something. Hm… Like the child I was, I asked him without thinking it over, "Have you ever been in love?" I smiled, continuing to kick my feet through the air.

His eyes widened. By that point, we both knew the question was inappropriate and struck a raw nerve.

"So you were…"

"I-I don't think this is an appropriate question," he stuttered.

"You told me to ask, so I did! Answer it and I won't bother you anymore—answer it and you can get me the hell out of your hair and back to the academy."

He sighed. Given a bargain he couldn't ignore, he made sure to keep his story short and sweet—and extremely vague. "When I was younger, yes. She left me, though."

I think I almost pitied him, considering my actions thereafter. "Have you ever loved again?" I asked, saddened.

"There wasn't much time between then and—"

"The betrayal?"

He nodded. "I don't have the opportunity nor the time for a relationship of any kind."

I smiled mischievously. "Ever used that to your advantage?"

"How so?"

"Ever thought to toy with emotions to get ahead?"

His expression fell flat. I could tell he'd taken the idea into consideration. However, he'd run into a bit of a road block: "You do know there aren't many fools left in this world, don't you? How many women would actually dare to travel the skies in this mess? If they're not already trapped in Cyclonia, they're grounded for fear of their own lives. I don't blame them—makes them an easier target in a takeover. I suppose… if you believe that it must make you a fool, yourself." His red eyes shifted toward me.

An uneasy wave filled the air once more. The light dimmed more with every passing moment.

"…How dark does this place get at night?"

"Absolutely no visibility without a lantern or other light source."

I cringed. "You should take me back, then, before it gets too dark."

"No," he demanded. "We're not leaving yet."

Afraid of what he had in mind, knowing he wanted me gone from square one, I inched away from him. Moving my hand in the wrong place, a rock gave way and I slipped. I knew exactly where I was going—over the edge and into the clouds. I closed my eyes and let out a held breath. I always knew my clumsiness would be my downfall…

Suddenly, Ace gripped my arm at the last moment. Struggling to keep a hold of me, he readjusted himself and stood on his knees and one hand. "Damn it, are you seriously that stupid? I have half a mind to let go of you and let you die!"

My eyes saddened as I looked away from my savior. "I-I'm sorry… I didn't… mean to…"

He sighed, using all of his strength to pull me back up. Once every inch of me was back on the land, I laid there unmoving. Afraid I would fall off again, I didn't want to stand without help. Dark Ace leaned back and laid down as well, gazing at the stars. In the last few moments of light, we laid there in silence.

I rolled over on my side toward him. "How are we going to get back?" I asked, noting the lack of lanterns, or any kind of light within reach.

Unable to see his movements, I went off of sound.

"We can't." For once I could actually be sure he was telling the truth. However, I couldn't read the motive behind it.

I reached out, searching for his face. Running my fingers over his features, I could tell the man was smiling. "Damn, the one time I'm paying attention I can't see your smile." His smile slowly faded and my mind grew blank. The silence was growing awkward and I knew I had to say something. "…So, we're stuck here until morning?" With my hand still nearby his head—though not entirely touching it anymore—I could feel him nod.

"It doesn't get cold here at night." He read my mind. He rolled over onto his back, less vulnerable now.

I sighed. I laid there for quite some time in silence, fading into a state of unconsciousness. Half awake and irrational, I decided to test my luck. "Why did you save me…?"

The man rolled back over onto his side. "It would look bad if a trainee disappeared on my watch. Even worse since you're a woman."

I closed my eyes, furrowing my brow. "…You're lying…"

Quiet, I could tell he was weighing the odds. "I… I don't know." His tone quickly changed to that pride-saving, egotistical demeanor. "I shouldn't have. You know way too much about me…"

"Is that really such a bad thing?"

He rested his hand on the side of my face. I opened my eyes sharply as red lightning struck the skies. I could see a soft look in his eyes—the only time he'd ever let his guard down around me—but it was only for a split second that the lightning gave us light. "If I instinctively saved you, there must be some reason to keep you alive."

I almost felt bad that the reason was to seemingly betray him when rejoining the Storm Hawks. I owed him my life… I couldn't get out of that. What would I do…?