Chapter 15 The Pulse Between Worlds
Zara’s POV
The knock echoed again, sharper this time. Mira’s gaze darted to me, then to Kai, whose breath had turned shallow.
“Now,” she mouthed.
"Where to?" I whispered back.
She tapped her wristband, and a portion of the wall shimmered faintly before parting open like liquid glass. Behind it lay a small, dark enclosure and no bigger than a wardrobe. I was astonished.
“Go,” she whispered.
“It’s scent-sealed.
"Voss won’t smell you there.”
She said to Kai. Kai hesitated only a heartbeat before slipping inside. His eyes caught mine just before the panel closed, and something wordless passed between us, something like a promise maybe, or a prayer.
The door chimed once more, and Mira smoothed her hair like she’d just come out of a lecture hall while I walked into the bathroom. I poured water on my face to make my act more believable.
“Coming!” she called out, her tone light, almost rehearsed.
With a flick of her finger, the door slid open. Dr. Voss stood there with all sharp lines and authority. Her coat gleamed under the corridor’s sterile light, eyes as calculating as ever.
I came out of the bathroom with a towel squishing around my face.
"Good day Dr. Voss." I greeted.
“Mira. Zara.” Her tone carried no warmth, only precision.
“I heard some irregular frequencies coming from this unit.”
Mira chuckled softly, the sound almost too calm.
“That must have been my heat shield modulator, ma’am.
"I mentioned earlier I was recalibrating it.
"It can cause temporary interference.”
Voss seemed to believe the story. She began to sniff around and my heart lurched in my throat. Surely, she wouldn't be able to smell Kai's scent right? Mira had sounded so believable.
Voss’s eyes narrowed slightly before turning toward me.
“And you, Zara.
“You look… pale. Are you feeling well?”
I forced a small smile, my hands clenched beneath the desk.
“Just fatigue, Dr. Voss.
"The last simulation drained me more than I expected.”
"Ohh! That's too bad." She stated.
Her gaze lingered a moment longer, probing, as though peeling through my skin for secrets. Then she smiled. It was the kind of smile that could slice glass.
She brought out her iPad to tap on something.
What if she was trying to reach Kai?
“Rest is crucial,” she said finally returning the iPad to her bag.
“We need you in perfect condition for what’s ahead.”
"So.... Work on not getting tired too quickly and I suppose everything will be fine by then."
Something in her tone got blood pumping through me so quickly.
What was ahead? Why did I have to work on my fatigue?
She turned to leave the room, the same way she had come.
"Mira!" She called as she stepped out of the room.
The room door was still open slightly so I could see Mira from where I stood.
"Yes, Dr. Voss" She responded calmly.
"Continue your reports. Regularly. I expect consistency, Mira.”
“Of course, Dr. Voss,” Mira said with an obedient nod.
"You know what will happen if you begin to laugh at your work."She had said threatening her.
I couldn't perceive fear in Mira as she gave a small smile.
Voss gave a brief approving glance before leaving the dorm. Mira followed her, murmuring something about calibration logs. The door hissed shut behind them, and the silence that followed was deafening.
I exhaled so hard I thought my lungs might collapse. My hands trembled slightly as I turned back to the wall.
“Mira?” I whispered first, just to be sure.
No answer.
I approached the panel and tapped the edge the same way she had. The shimmering veil parted quietly, revealing Kai.
He stepped out, shoulders tense, eyes dark. The air around him carried warmth, that strange, charged kind that made my pulse stutter.
“Is she gone?” he asked.
I nodded.
“For now.”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“She was close. Too close.”
“Yeah,” I said, swallowing hard.
“I almost pissed on my pants.”
He looked at me then, really looked, and despite everything, the danger, the confusion, the half-truths hanging around us, he gave me a bug smile.
And just like that, the tension cracked.
I laughed quietly, covering my face with my palms.
“We could’ve been caught, Kai.”
“But we weren’t.” He stepped closer.
“Because you handled it perfectly.”
The way he spoke made my insides become a mushy mess. The way he looked at me now, it wasn't the kind of affection one would call a mistake. It burned silently, like gravity pushing, pulling me towards him.
“Don’t flatter me,” I said softly.
He tilted his head.
“I don’t flatter. I tell the truth.”
The air between us pulsed, too slow and heavy. His hand brushed a stray strand of my hair, letting it fall through his fingers.
His touch was light, reverent, almost questioning.
I didn’t move away.
For a while, we just stood there, listening to the hum of the air vents and the distant rhythm of footsteps fading through the hallways. The academy always felt alive, but tonight it was different, like the building itself was watching us.
We both sat on my bed together. I leaned into him, head resting on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close enough to hear his heartbeat.
“Hopefully, one day everything will be good." I murmured.
“Hopefully," he echoed.
The lights flickered once, a subtle glitch, like the academy was reacting to something. But neither of us moved. For that small moment, it felt like the chaos outside didn’t exist.
Only the rhythm of two people who shouldn’t have found each other but somehow did.
The door opened again making us jerk from each other. Mira’s voice broke the spell.
“She’s gone,” she said, stepping in.
“And she’s suspicious. We’ll need to be more careful from now on.”
She dropped her tech gloves on the table, then paused when she saw us.
Her eyes softened slightly.
“You two holding up?”
“Barely,” Kai replied.
She nodded, then turned toward her screens again. The holographic codes resumed their dance across the glass.
As I sat up, something on the display caught my attention, a faint line of glowing red text pulsing between the data streams.
“Wait,” I said, pointing.
“What’s that?”
Mira frowned.
“That?”
The words flickered once, then stabilized. Three words, coded but clear.
HARVEST COMMAND ACTIVATED.
The room went silent.