< Fitz POV >

"Come downstairs, Fitz! Your friends are here!" my mom calls, her melodic voice echoing through Everglen like it always does- way too cheerfully for how I feel.

All I want is to stay in my room. Alone. I tell everyone I'm practicing my telepathy, but really, what's the point? It's not like I'm the best telepath anymore. It's not like I even have a cognate that actually wants to be my partner.

Still, I force myself up, pulling on the same fake smile I've worn for weeks now. Mask on. Goldenboy mode: activated.

I head downstairs, feet dragging, only to freeze at the bottom step.

There they are.

Biana and Dex. Tam and Rayni. And then-
Keefe.
Holding hands with... Sophie.

My smile cracks for a second, like glass under pressure, but I cover it up with a shout.
"Who wants to play BaseQuest?"

It works. Everyone cheers.

We split into teams, but it doesn't take long for me to notice the problem. There's an odd number of players.

My stomach drops.

"We don't have equal teams," Biana says softly, avoiding eye contact. "So... someone'll have to sit out each round. Sorry- who wants to volunteer?"

No one speaks.

Then slowly- almost too slowly- everyone turns to look at me.

Except Biana.
Except Sophie.

I shrug, feigning nonchalance, and let out an exaggerated yawn. "Ohh wow, I had such a long night. I think I'll sit this one out, heh."

I stroll over to the old swing under the tree and drop onto it like I don't care. Like this isn't the hundredth time I've been sidelined.

And then it hits.
The familiar, simmering rage.

In the past few months, I've lost everything.
My girlfriend.
My best friend.
My place in the group.
My title, my recognition, my worth.

Once, I was the Goldenboy- the youngest to manifest, the strongest telepath, the pride of the Vacker family. Now?

I'm just... the extra. The one who got left behind.

By Sophie.

By Keefe.

By everyone.

And we were cognates. COGNATES.

The fury builds, curling like smoke in my chest until it forms into one singular, pulsing thought:

STEAL. SOPHIE. BACK.

Steal Sophie back. Steal Sophie back. Steal Sophie back.
It becomes a rhythm. A chant. A scream only I can hear.

At first, I try to push it away. I know what it would mean- how messy, how wrong, how painful it could get.

But then again, what do I have to lose?
When you have nothing left, even the bad choices start to look like opportunities.

So I make up my mind.
I will steal her back.

And for the rest of the day, I throw myself into BaseQuest with everything I have left.
(Which, honestly, isn't much.)

But it's enough.
For now.