Sin stayed behind, leaning against a wall while Koa sat on a bench waiting for Tamara to show up. Koa was holding the money and the trinkets he got from one of ECB’s headquarters. Namely, a scrambler that made her undetectable by machines used to locate rogue Echos. A dimension ring that allowed her to carry stuff with her wherever she went (extremely expensive and hard to attain for Echoes and common humans alike) and three healing patches. Even more expensive and harder to attain. They worked both on Echoes and common humans but for a common human to use it, they had to be severely injured or else it could have the reversed desired effect. 

Sin was the first to spot her. Her hair was unbraided, and in waves over her shoulder. Her skin was paler than usual though it was hard to tell because her skin was a bit dark. But Sin knew the signs of malnutrition. Tamara was coming from behind, Koa had yet to see her. He was wearing a hoodie, so she probably couldn’t tell who he was. 

Perhaps on instinct, Koa stood up and turned around. His eyes met Tamara, Sin couldn’t tell who was more stunned.

Tamara took a step forward and Koa walked around the bench. They walked up to each other and paused. Tamara said something and Koa’s head turned to where Sin was standing before quickly snapping back when Tamara wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him for a hug.

Sin sighed. He had seen enough.

Two hours later, Koa turned up at the ice cream shop Sin was staying at. He pulled up a chair and sat down, the largest smile on his face.

“I take it, it went well?” Sin was just finishing up his third ice cream cone. Just the cone. He bought one ball and then three more cones. 

“She was surprised but pleased. She invited us for lunch tomorrow.” 

“Us?” he asked, pausing with a napkin in his hand.

He nodded. “Yeah, she saw you heading off.” 

Setting the napkin down, he scrambled for time before he had to speak again. “Oh. But isn’t that dangerous?” 

“Not as much with the scrambler.”

Then he remembered. “We have class tomorrow.” 

Koa shrugged. “So?”

‘That fool…’

“Skipping class again? Your mom will kill you,” he said half-jokingly. 

Koa hummed, a sly smile dancing on his lips. “Somehow I think she will find you spying on half-naked girls worse.” 

He gritted his teeth. “I wasn’t spying, I was—“ 

“You were shoved there by that Roan guy?” He finished off, raising his eyebrows. 

Sin froze. “You know?”

“I always knew.” 

“You never said anything.”

He always bought—or seemed to buy whatever lies Sin had to say. The times he pressed for more looked like casual curiosity and not suspicion. 

“Because you didn’t want me to.” 

And that was that. They didn’t speak about it anymore, instead planning how to sneak out of school before lunch.

[…]

There was an easier exit in the Moon Campus, one that would allow them to slip past the school and their bodyguards. Sin, having been there more was the guide and the lookout. After the third period, Koa made up something about taking Sin to the infirmary and said goodbye to his friends. 

“Get better, Sin!” They all said with genuine smiles. What a strange sight…

While Koa was getting their bags, Sin was making headway to the Moon Campus.

He glanced momentarily at the dome where the Echo Academy was. In a way, even the ones who made it back were isolated. 

Sin fell forward, his face nearly meeting the ground but he rolled away in time. He groaned, looking back to see a stretched out leg that belonged to none other than Roan. 

‘Just what I needed.’

“How come you left me all alone, Claire?” That was his idea of comedy, calling him by a female name. 

‘Anyone hears laughs? No? That’s because no one is laughing.’

Roan towered over him at 1.78m with a face that could belong to someone older than fifteen, it was ridiculous really. Who needed that many muscles at that age? Roan was the guy who went toe with toe with a D Rank Echo. A common human coming on top of such a fight was unheard of. Of course certain factors such as whether or not the Echo had been the combatant type and also their experience and skill had to be considered but still. A reputation like that was enough to drill fear into whoever crossed his path. Echo or not.

He was alone, without Lackey 1, 2 and 4. Lackey 3 became an Echo last month and hadn’t been back. That was when he was at his worst though. He seemed to somewhat hold back with an audience but alone, he was free to be the monster that he was. 

“Would love to stay and chat but I uh Professor Riddley is waiting for me.”

“We don’t have a Professor Riddley.” Roan leaned back against the wall, hands in his pocket.

‘Right.’

“He’s… from the Star Campus.”

“You looking down on me?”

Though the Moon Campus’ curriculum  clearly needed an upgrade regarding basic comprehension skills. 

“No… I would not dare.” 

‘What can I say so he lets me leave? I mean I could just run… but when has that ever gone well for me? Plus running is so cowardly, I don’t mind being one but I mind people knowing I am.’ 

“Stand up.”

An idea struck him at the last instant. “Uh, I can’t. I hurt my leg.” 

‘So just leave me be. Mission accomplished… ’

Roan raised a doubting eyebrow. “Which one?” 

Sin pointed to his left leg, adding a not too exaggerated pained look. Roan sighed, pushing his body forward.

Then he raised his leg and stomped on his left knee. A hiss escaped Sin’s mouth before he could mute his pain. Sin held back the tears from spilling, biting on his lip to keep from screaming. 

Roan watched him with indifference as if he hadn’t just shattered a person’s knee. 

That was not the worst injury he received from Roan to date but at least in others Roan had been a contributing factor such as a simple push over the stairs but that was something else entirely. Was he always capable of it or had Roan snapped? 

No… those eyes. They had a maturity to them. Roan was simply hiding his true darker colors. It wasn’t good fun anymore for him, he wanted to hurt people because it felt—because it almost made him feel something. 

“Be seeing you Claire.” 

He walked away, no lingering, no hurried steps. Sin waited until he was gone before he pulled himself up. 

Koa Everton was his best friend. 

His one and only friend. 

Sin would never willingly hurt his friend and Koa was someone who hurt when those he cared for hurt, in that vein, Sin could never be hurt around Koa. 

So he swallowed his pain, he corrected his walk and he waited by the exit and smiled when Koa arrived with their bags.