Moreno's room wasn't what I was expecting. The walls were a soft tan. There were records of rock albums on the wall behind his bed. A turntable sat in the corner, ready to play a Metallica album.

Lego Star Wars ships hung from his ceiling by thick wires. His desk had several complete AT-ATs and an unfinished model of The Ghost.

What really caught me off guard, though, was a small collection of books on a shelf. I spotted mostly Brandon Sanderson novels in the fantasy collection.

"You like Cosmere?" I asked.

Moreno rubbed his neck. "Gia was always trying to get me to read. After I read Mistborn, I was completely sold."

I smiled. "Figures that's your favorite."

Moreno crossed his arms. "Then what's your favorite, Miss Cosmere?"

I paused. I loved all of Brandon Sanderson's books. Picking a favorite was difficult, but I knew my answer.

"Warbreaker," I said.

I knew it wasn't as popular as others. Still, even after five years of being a Sanderson fan and reading all my books, it held the top spot in my heart.

"For having such a cool name, that one was weird," Moreno said. "But I can see it. Favorite Cosmere character?"

I bit my lip. "I made fun of you for Mistborn, but I like Vin."

He laughed. "I see that too. You're both full of surprises."

His copy of Mistborn was well-worn. I could see the creases on the spine. I drew my gaze away from the books, and they shifted to a set of picture frames on the wall beside the shelf.

I took a step closer to get a better look at the photographs. There were three in all.

The first was of Moreno as a young boy standing beside another boy with dark curly hair and brown eyes. They wore baseball jerseys and beamed from ear to ear beside their parents.

Moreno's father's hair was longer than in my vision, and he held a proud hand on his son's shoulder. The woman beside him looked a lot like Carisma, only older. Her wavy dark hair was pulled into a messy bun full of flyaways. Her stomach was showing slightly, and her laughing eyes chased the camera.

The second photograph was Alana, Carisma, and Moreno. It couldn't have been more than a year old since Carisma looked almost the same. Alana and Moreno wore crisp halfant uniforms and stared at the camera proudly.

The third photograph, though, seemed to be a class. I spotted younger versions of Gayle and Tres in the ranks beside three people I didn't recognize. The younger Alana had hair that nearly reached her waist. On the other hand, Moreno's hair barely curled around his ears.

"We took that the day we started training," Moreno said. "I was fourteen and so nervous. I'd heard so much about our other classmates and their big-wig relatives. Alana and I were determined to prove our worth against the legacies."

"The legacies," I said. "People like Tres and Gayle, right?"

He nodded. "Our class was special. We had the brother-sister duo Ashton and Tres from the Sims family and Ezra Meager, the son of the commander of Snowdon. Gayle's mother's family goes back, too. Then there was Todd, the grandson of former Redwood commander Drake Pennal. Alana and I didn't think we had a chance."

"But look at you now," I said. "The two of you run this compound."

"It took us a while to make something of ourselves," he said. "Todd was amazing at training. He pushed all of us to our limits to beat his scores."

"But you beat him," I said. "You're the lieutenant at Redwood."

Moreno winced. "I'm the lieutenant at Redwood because Todd is dead. He was always better. Even than Alana. There was an accident, and Todd drowned in the wave simulator. He never finished training."

I gasped. I'd forgotten he'd mentioned a classmate dying when he was teaching me how to fly. Looking at the photograph again, I found the boy that Moreno was staring at. I could only assume that was Todd.

The boy was tall and muscular. His eyes were blue and surrounded by dark shadows like he hadn't slept. His hair was inky black like he'd freshly dyed it, making his pale skin look almost waxen.

That wasn't what bothered me, though. Todd looked miserable, trapped in the photograph between a smirking dark-skinned boy and a bored-looking Gayle. Something about his eyes gave me serious deja vu.

"He looks sad," I said.

"He was quiet," Moreno said. "Only spoke when spoken to. It was eerie. There were theories his grandfather was hard on him. There wasn't much Doc could do. And Todd was the best fighter I've ever seen. Sometimes, I still catch Alana going over old footage of his fights, trying to dissect his style."

"You said he died in an accident?" I asked.

I wasn't sure why I wanted to know more. It just seemed strange that someone as decorated and skilled as Moreno described would die in the training pool.

"It was late at night," he said. "From what Cato could decipher, Todd was training late in the tide simulator. His sister Maygan, who's Carisma's age, came to watch, but she slipped into the pool. Todd was able to get her to the side of the pool, but the simulator pulled him out. He saved his sister, but he couldn't save himself."

It was awful. Waves and tides were dangerous forces, even if they were artificial. The strongest swimmers were at mercy to water. He'd saved his sister, but he'd lost himself.

"That's..." My tongue felt stuck to the roof of my mouth.

Moreno wrapped an arm around me. "I've lost a lot of people, my mom, Enrique, Todd... it doesn't get easier. Still, I've learned to cherish what I have in the moment. I don't want to lose what I have."

I leaned into him. There was equal power in his words and his arms. Here he was with every reason to fall apart, and he was stronger for it.

He had his sister. Carisma needed a parent, and for all intents and purposes, Moreno had stepped into that role.

"You won't lose this," I said. "But is Carisma safe here? What happens if the giants attack the compound directly, wanting me?"

Moreno stiffened and pulled me tighter. "I won't let that happen. You're safe here."

"Gia could keep Carisma safe at Half Circle," I said. "Then if we get attacked..."

"We aren't going to be attacked," Moreno's hand cupped cheek. "You're safe here."

I scooted away from him as a chill went down my spine. "You don't know that. I was kidnapped, Moreno. We didn't think that was possible either."

"We got you back," he said, closing the gap between us. "You're safe, Terri. I swear that won't happen again."

He didn't know that. Even I didn't know that, and I could see the future.

"I don't want to endanger anyone," I said. "Especially not your sister. She's so young, and it would help her to be around other kids."

"Did Alana put you up to this?" Moreno frowned. "Because this sounds an awful lot like one of her speeches from Doc."

"I know you're her family," I said. "But even I left home to protect myself and my family. Carisma is in danger at Redwood as long as I'm here."

"My sister is happy here," Moreno said. "And I can protect her. Alana and I trained for this."

He was so confident. In his eyes, no one could protect his sister better than him. He couldn't give her up because someone else being responsible for her wellbeing wouldn't protect her like he would.

I bit my lip. "I'm not denying that, Moreno, but you need to consider that keeping me here puts your sister in more danger than ever."

He winced. "I won't lose anything else, and I won't make concessions for what I care about, Terri. My sister is safe here. No one can get into this compound. That's why I was adamant you came here instead of sitting around at your dad's place. It's impenetrable. Drake Pennal might have practically beat his grandson Todd into the mold of a perfect soldier, but when he was the Commander here for thirty years, he made this place a fortress."

I looked back at the picture on Moreno's wall. Todd hadn't been safe. He'd saved his sister from drowning in a compound, but he couldn't protect himself. There he was, scared and begging for someone to save him.

"Are you sure Todd's death was an accident?" I asked.

Moreno shifted uncomfortably. "No one knows for sure. The adults kept it hushed up at the time, but I think they suspected Drake."

My eyes went wide. "Do you think he killed his grandson?"

"I've never been sure," Moreno said. "Doc banned Drake from the training complex at Half Circle because he would come by and berate Todd."

I gasped. "That's horrible."

"He was a vile and unpleasant man raising his deceased daughter's children," Moreno said. "I asked Gia once why he was so heartless, and she said he was always obsessed with perfection but developed more dangerous tendencies after his wife left him. The adults also said the shock of losing Todd gave Drake Pennal a heart attack. Alana doesn't believe that. She's always thought somebody killed Drake for what he did to his grandson."

Alana didn't strike me as a conspiracy theorist. I wondered what evidence she had collected. If she was still watching footage of Todd fighting, maybe she wasn't over what had happened.

"What about Todd's sister?" I asked.

"She's under Gia's wing at Half Circle," Moreno said. "She's another casualty of our way of life. Not everyone has parents or parents who can keep them. May's pretty shy, but she gets along with my sister."

"Carisma wouldn't be alone if she went to Half Circle," I said. "She could be with May."

Moreno's eyes darkened. "You're still on about this?"

"They're going to come after me again," I said. "This place won't be safe much longer. Why do you think I've been training?"

"Maybe I was under the impression that you found something you were good at or wanted to spend time with me," he sounded hurt. "Whatever, though... it doesn't matter. You should go to bed. I have another patrol."

He pointed his head at the door. My cheeks heated as I realized exactly what I'd done. I'd pushed too hard, and he was throwing me out. He thought I liked him, and here I was, pushing Doc's agenda and challenging the only thing he wanted in the world.

"I'm sorry," I stammered.

But it was too late to apologize. Moreno's mask had slipped into place, and he wouldn't look me in the eye.

There was nothing I could do. I slipped out of Moreno's room to leave him to brood. I'd seen the future, but maybe I'd just messed it all up. Perhaps now he wouldn't care about me anymore.

I'd been wondering if I could change the future. Still, this wasn't what I wanted to change. Not if it meant hurting Moreno.

I so badly needed guidance. There was Victor, who could give me advice about my powers, but that wouldn't fix what I'd ruined in the present. There was no way, after all, to change the things already done.

Hey Friends!!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a lot of fun with it and showing off Moreno's room and hobbies. Let me know what you think. Until next time!!!