Sophia demanded silence as they ran through the shadows. Kane and Adeline traded glances when they could. Mostly, they scanned for threats and kept their ears trained on the sirens, which stayed distant.

Closer was the sound of thunder. Whatever dystopian regime kept Everest clean couldn’t tidy up its weather. As the trio traveled across a network of abandoned highways, the humid air buckled under a sudden, ferocious rain, forcing them beneath an overpass.

“Perfect,” said Sophia, yanking down her hat. “Kane, stay here with her. I’ll go secure our transport. Wait for my signal.” Before Kane could protest, she ran into the downpour.

Adeline stopped Kane from following.

“Don’t. You know better.”

Kane glared at her. “Do I?”

“Clearly not, but let’s pretend you give a shit about my life, too, for a second.”

Dirty streams of rainwater carved their way between Adeline and Kane. This was the girl from school. The one who had everyone, teachers included, scared out of their minds. It was too much for Kane, and his anxiety flared to fury like kindling.

“Do you always have to be such a bitch?” Kane sneered. “Like, do you get bitch royalties or something? Is your bitch-craft a tax write-off?”

Adeline shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if you hate me. You’re going to work with us if you want to save your sister.”

Kane laughed. “Oh, because you guys did such a great job with Helena?”

“Winning takes teamwork, but so does failure, Kane. We failed as a team.”

Kane laughed harder. “What team are you talking about, Adeline? The one that lied to me? Hurt me? Hid from me?”

“Saved you!” Adeline yelled back. “Salvaged you! Protected you! And here we are again, in another fucking nightmare. For you. For her. And you’re still acting like a child.”

Adeline stalked off through the rain. Kane groaned, his exhaustion dousing his smoldering grudge. Before, when they had summoned the doors, he had felt that elusive comradery with the Others. Adeline had inspired it, again. They could have left him to save Sophia alone, but they were all here. Except Dean. Kane had done a good job driving him off, already. He couldn’t afford to do the same to Adeline. He knew she was right.

Kane found her huddled against a cracked pillar, soaking wet. Seeing him, she wiped at her cheeks and started pulling sections of her hair into a side braid.

“I’m sorry,” Kane offered. She ignored it.

Kane tried again. “Don’t worry, you still look pretty.”

Adeline’s laugh was frosty “That’s what you think I care about? Looking pretty? Spare me, Kane, seriously. Pretty is the last thing I care about, but you wouldn’t know that, would you? No, because you’re too busy reducing everything I’ve done this past month to pettiness and spite. Fuck pretty.”

Kane’s mouth fell open.