SUN
Summer and I sit by the pool. Neither of us plans to swim. Stripping down in a place where Rocco’s soldiers, and he himself, could be watching?
Not happening. I’m staring at the water anyway.
The pool looks amazing. I’d love to get in, relax, float a little…
But there’s nothing relaxing about this place.
This isn’t a spa. It’s survival.
Summer is quiet. He’s always quiet, but today he’s locked up tighter than a bank vault.
The beta carrying a tray approaches. The staff doesn’t give a shit that I’m only eighteen. They serve us wine and cocktails like it’s nothing.
I guess if they think it’s fine for their boss to rape me, then what’s a little alcohol?
Still, I don't touch it. I don't want to let my guard down when I'm outside, where the soldiers can see me.
I sip juice and stare at the water, letting my thoughts drift in random, pointless directions… Until Summer speaks.
"There might be a way," he says. "A way for you to tell Anzo about my power."
I freeze.
His words yank me out of my fog like a slap to the puss.
"What do you mean?"
"If we pick a day, one specific day when you tell him, and then, the next day, I disappear. He would believe I got scared and ran."
I just stare at him. None of this makes sense.
"What are you talking about? What about your family? Wouldn’t the Ferros go after them?"
"There might be… a door opening for me. A chance. I have reasons to believe my parents would be safe, since… there is somebody who can handle it. And if you give Anzo that piece of knowledge, prove you did your job, as he expected, maybe that door will open for you, too."
"That’s… sudden. Tell me what’s going on? Where do you get the idea your parents may be safe?" I mutter and lean forward, suddenly shivering in spite of the heat.
"I trust you, Sun," he says, carefully choosing every word. "You’re a good guy. I know you’re not the kind of person who would walk over corpses to reach your goal."
I keep staring at him, stunned. Even I wouldn’t give myself that much credit. I hope he’s not wrong about me.
"Come with me," Summer says, and suddenly stands.
I nearly jump, he moves so fast. "Summer, nothing about this adds up!"
"But it will," he cuts in. "Maybe it’s time to stop with all the secrets. Maybe it’s time we put our cards on the table."
As we walk deeper into the garden, I see him glance toward Ragnar, who’s trimming trees about twenty yards away. Then Summer makes a small, subtle hand gesture, just enough to call him over.
Still completely lost, I follow. Ragnar joins us a moment later, pale and tense.
We slip between the bushes. Summer heads straight for the gazebo.
Yeah. That gazebo.
The one where Ragnar and I hook up all the time. My mouth goes dry. I just hope Summer’s nose doesn’t pick up the smell of cum on the floor. I let him lead me anyway. My heart is pounding fast, drowning out every other sound.
A moment later, the three of us are standing inside.
Ragnar looks like a coiled spring, ready to snap. I have rarely seen him so tense.
Summer turns to me, face serious. "I want to introduce someone to you. This is my older brother, Ragnar."
Silence.
Then even more silence.
Saying I’m shocked doesn’t even begin to cover what I’m feeling.
I just stand there, frozen, waiting for something to make sense. But nothing fits together, except for one thing.
Ragnar isn’t here by chance.
Fuck. I was right.
And… he’s a soldier. I remember that from reading the sparse info on the Truth Only I Know blog. Knew it. A guy like this wouldn’t be pruning roses for a sadistic mafioso just for the hell of it!
So, he came here to save Summer. He’s undercover. A plant.
Ragnar’s face stays tight. His eyes shift between me and Summer, but before he can speak, his younger brother continues,
"You might think it’s crazy, Raggi, me telling Sun this. But I believe we can all get out of this if we work together. I have a plan."
Ragnar grits his teeth. He seems focused, distant, and formal, like a dedicated soldier on a mission. And maybe he is.
Summer takes a deep breath.
"Sun already knows about my powers!"
"What are you doing, Summer?!" Ragnar snaps. His voice is tense, angry, unlike anything I’ve heard from him before. "I'm still working on ensuring the safety of our parents! If Anzo makes a move now, they’ll be the first to die. I need more time, maybe even two weeks!"
He sounds sharp. Frustration barely held back. I blink, staring at him. And that’s when it hits me like a whip.
He thinks I’m going to run straight to Anzo and spill everything: now, right this very moment.
The second he realized I knew the truth about them, he assumed I’d turn them in.
My voice cracks.
"I wouldn’t do that, Ragnar." I struggle to breathe. "I’m not a monster!"
"Sun, your situation is difficult, I wouldn’t even blame—"
Tears slip down my face before I can stop them.
"Maybe I don’t deserve your trust," I whisper, "but you could at least pretend you think I’m better than that…"
Ragnar’s face is still tight, his jaw clenched.
"I’m sorry, Sun, but you know damn well what Anzo plans to do! Rocco will rape your dad in front of you. You’ll have a choice: us, or your dad. Now Summer gave you everything you need to cut a deal with Anzo. It’s not about trust, no one can be expected to make that kind of sacrifice!"
Summer lifts a hand. "Stop it! Both of you!"
But I can’t. The tears just start pouring down, and the pain cuts so deep I feel like I’m folding in half. I sink down onto the bench and press my hands to my face.
I don’t know why, but something inside me cracks. I’ve fought so hard to hold onto my humanity in this hellhole… And so somebody else still saw that humanity in me, but now…
I’m anointed as the one who will betray Ragnar and Summer. That’s all I am for him? A traitor in the making.
Summer steps toward me and rests his hand on my shoulder.
"Sun! Ignore him! I do trust you. I trusted you from the second day I met you, when Anzo had you hanging on that damn hook. I told you part of the truth about myself. I risked everything."
He’s right. Summer did trust me. It’s Ragnar who doesn’t. But it’s his trust I care about the most. Have I started to feel something for him I clearly shouldn’t? And this is getting ripped apart right now?
Ragnar’s face is unreadable as he says,
"Sun, I’m a soldier before anything else. And soldiers don’t share crucial intel with outsiders."
Summer turns toward him.
"Ragnar, I get that. But I’m not a soldier. And I chose to trust Sun. Moon told me there’s a path to happiness for all of us. I believe that if we work together, we’ll find it!"
"Summer, I’ll say it again. Our parents still aren’t safe. If we run now, Ferros will follow!"
"But we don’t have to run right now, do we?
Sun won’t tell Anzo about you. We have almost three weeks before Anzo demands that Sun reveals what my power really is.
That gives you time. Then Sun can say to Anzo whatever the hell he wants to hear.
Only then, the next day or a few days later, we run.
There’s a chance Anzo will let Sun go in exchange. And if our parents are safe, we flee."
Ragnar snorts, steps toward Summer, and grabs him by the shoulders like he’s about to shake him.
"That’s your plan? You seriously believe Anzo will let Sun go? And why do you think he wants to know the truth about you so badly? Moon already hinted at it! He wants to use your power for his twisted mafia war! He won’t just let you run away!"
"Ragnar, I can stop him—" Summer tries to interrupt, but Ragnar shakes him, gently, yet firmly, and keeps going.
"If Anzo figures out what you’re really capable of, he won’t stop!
I’ve seen it. What the military can do to break minds of militants!
He’ll make you comply. You're too valuable for him. He won’t need a single soldier anymore.
You alone could wipe out a whole damn army, they wouldn’t stand a chance against you! "
I stare at Ragnar. The words don’t want to register. He is so… matter of fact. Cold. Logical. So… soldier-y.
"This plan isn’t solid, Summer. Too many variables. Even if we run away, Sun won’t be safe. Anzo won't free him, he will take it all out on him… Loosing such a weapon as you? He will be in a very bad mood, for sure!"
I stand up, my whole body tense.
"You don’t have to worry about me, Ragnar. Focus on saving your parents and Summer, that’s why you’re here, soldier! Don’t waste your energy worrying about what Anzo will do to me." The bitterness is leaking into my voice, seeping into every word, tears too, but now they’re angry.
I lift my chin.
"But I’ll say this so you can sleep soundly at night: I won’t run to Anzo now. I won’t say a word about either of you. You’ll have the time you need to save your family." My mouth twists into something sour. "And don’t pretend, don’t fake like you care what happens to me after you’re gone."
These words just pour out of me. I can’t stop them. It’s like something’s broken loose, overflowing. I’m speaking from hurt now, from heartbreak. He’s here for Summer, not me—I'm a danger. That’s it.
I turn to leave the gazebo, I can’t stand being around them anymore, but Summer suddenly spins and grabs my hand.
"Sun, either we all get out of here, or none of us do!"
"You’re a sweetheart, Summer. And I appreciate you caring. But you’ve got your parents to protect. I’ve got a big family. Anzo will kill them all, one by one. I don’t have the option to leave."
I pull my hand free from Summer’s grip.
"You two figure out a plan. Get out of here as fast as you can. I wish you the best."
"It’s not that simple, Sun! Do you remember what I told you about Moon’s power?"
I sigh impatiently, barely holding myself together, avoiding looking at Ragnar.
Summer closes his eyes and takes a breath.
"I talked to Moon on the phone, not long before he disappeared. He said: ‘Very dark days are coming. But the only path that leads to your happiness is the one where you follow the Sun.’ I asked him what the hell that even meant, and he repeated: ‘Follow the Sun, up to the moment you’ll be sure you don’t have to anymore. ’ "
"I don’t understand any of this," I manage to choke out.
"I think I have to stay close to you," Summer whispers. "Wherever you go."
Then Ragnar cuts in with a grim voice.
"This is insane, Summer. You can't trust Moon’s powers. He used to take drugs, hallucinogens! His visions were never clear, future paths fluctuating. He was wrong so many times!"
Summer shakes his head. "I don’t know. But he made me promise. And I intend to follow what he said."
Ragnar exhales sharply, frustrated.
"We don’t even know what happened to Moon. How good of a fortune-teller was he, if he didn’t save himself from Anzo? Or you, from being trapped here, raped and beaten?"
I have enough. I’m so tired, my head hurts. I lift my chin and say in a flat, detached voice.
"Rocco might have taken Moon for himself. He’s been collecting all of Anzo’s exes. I’m on that list too."
Summer and Ragnar fall silent.
"Well. Sorry to bring the bad news. But good luck to both of you, I hope you’ll save him too," I add, now avoiding eye contact with either of them.
"And you’re right, Ragnar. Yep, I admit it! You win, your assessment is correct, soldier. I can break. I can’t predict what Anzo will do to me or my dad. So, here we are. You’d better start packing, and be ready in two or three weeks."
"Sun!"
Ragnar's voice cuts the silence.
Still, I keep my eyes fixed on the ground, I simply can't meet his gaze, but he steps toward me.
"I didn't pretend I care."
Ragnar reaches his hand and tries to take mine, but I jerk away.
"Don't touch me!" I growl.
With a face like a mask, I turn away from him and walk off without looking at them. There’s no way to describe what’s going on inside me, just a crushing sense of isolation and hopelessness.
Part of me still wants to believe there’s a chance, a path leading toward something good. But the logical part sees only the dark roads ahead. And they feel a lot more real.