What was that…? Iván wondered.
But like an ember flaring into flames, the feeling returned—intense. It was as if his body was sounding an alarm, warning him of some unseen danger.
One glance was all it took.
There was no mistaking them—those same red eyes he had seen the day before were staring straight at him from the depths of the woods."
Rowan, noticing his odd behavior, called out to him.
"Iván…?"
But Iván didn't respond. It was as if all his senses—sight, smell, hearing—had locked onto that one point, shutting everything else out.
But then—
"Iván!"
A sudden, piercing shot blasted through his senses, ringing in his ears like someone had just cranked the world's loudest speaker beside him.
"What the hell?! Why would you scream in my ear?" Iván snapped, looking at Rowan, who was just a few inches away.
"What are you talking about? No one screamed," CJ said, giving him a strange look.
What? He could've sworn someone had screamed in his ear. Am I really going crazy?
With that question lingering in his mind, he turned his eyes back toward the window and the tree line.
But there was nothing.
Am I really going insane?
"Yeah, Iván, I didn't yell in your ear. Are you sure you—"
Rowan paused, his expression tightening as if he were thinking hard about something.
"Hey, Iván… this might sound like a weird question, but—you just turned 14, right?"
"No, I turned 14 almost a year ago. I'll be 15 next month."
"Oh really now…" Rowan muttered, almost to himself. "You don't say."
Rowan glanced at CJ, and that look was all she needed to know exactly what he was thinking.
Then, they both turned to Iván, staring at him like he was some rare animal in a zoo. Meanwhile, Olivia sat quietly, sipping her school milk.
"Iván, when did you first start feeling that pressure in your chest?" Rowan asked.
"Um… today was the first time," Iván replied. "Why? Do you think it means something?"
"No reason," Rowan said quickly, brushing it off.
RING!!
The school bell echoed through the cafeteria.
Well, would you look at that? Time for class. See you guys," Rowan said, standing up and giving the group a wave goodbye.
"Yeah, see ya," Iván replied, casting one last glance at the cafeteria windows before heading off to his next class.
For the rest of the school day, nothing out of the ordinary happened to me. So, I guess it's safe to say I'm sane… and not crazy.
And the way Rowan spoke… it was like he knew something—like he was hiding something.
But he'd put it on hold for now—his sister was waiting.
Pulling out of the school parking lot, he cranked up the volume, singing along and tapping his fingers to the beat on the steering wheel.
"Yo," Iván said, rolling down the window as he pulled up the car beside his sister.
"Took you long enough," Sofia huffed, arms crossed. She'd been waiting for nearly twenty minutes.
"Yeah? Well, get used to it. Now hop in—let's go get some ice cream."
"You're the best brother ever," she said with a bright smile climbing in.
"I know," Iván replied, grabbing a pair of sunglasses from the center tray and sliding them on. "Let's roll."
Sofía gave him a side-eye and a curious hum. "Where'd you even get those?"
"The gas station," he said proudly. "They've been waiting for the day you'd finally admit I'm cool enough to wear them."
"I will retract what I said earlier, you're the worst" she said.
"Can't take it back now—you already said it," he said with a grin as they drove off.
…
"So, sis, how was your first day?" Iván asked, glancing over as they sat in the warm afternoon sun, savoring the cones he'd just bought.
"Boring… but there was this boy."
"What boy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His brotherly instincts kicked in immediately. "It better not be some kind of crush—I'll strangle the kid and bury him where no one will ever find the body."
"No, it's not like that," she said. "And if I ever do like a boy, I'm never telling you—especially after that comment."
He gasped. "What? I'm your brother! I'm just doing my due diligence to protect my little sister."
"Yeah? And for every girl you bring home, I'll show them all your baby photos."
"You wouldn't…"
"Bring a girl home and watch me," she said with a smug grin.
"Okay, I won't kill any of your future boyfriends—" he coughed, "Wait a minute, you're only ten. Why am I even worried? So, tell me, what happened to this boy?"
"He kept bugging me, so I did what Dad taught me to do when boys won't leave me alone—I punched him right in the face."
"And it was a clean hit too! You should've seen him—he cried like a little girl."
"You didn't get in trouble, did you?" Iván asked.
"Nope. The boy was too embarrassed to tell the teacher a girl hit him." She said.
"Right… still, you shouldn't go around punching kids in the face. I know Dad told you that, but he was mostly joking. There are consequences to our actions, okay?"
Sofia looked up at her brother, her eyes welling up until tears began to fall.
"I-I know, but I…" she started, her voice trembling.
"Hey, don't cry on me now," Iván said gently, pulling her into a hug. "Dad wouldn't want us to."
"Okay…," she whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Can we go home?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
Climbing back into the car, only one thing came to mind.
"Hey," he said softly, glancing over at her. "Once we pick up Mom, how about we build a blanket fort at home and watch some movies?"
Her face lit up just a bit. "Yeah… and I want snacks."
"Snacks it is," he smiled. "Let's make it a good night."
It took a few hours, but my sister and I managed to build the fort—just like the old days.
It stood tall and proud.
"The castle has been forged, Your Highness!" Iván declared, dropping to one knee.
"Yes, my loyal knight! Together, we have done the impossible—we've built the strongest fort in all the land! All hail the Kingdom of Vasilios!" his sister shouted proudly.
"All hail the Kingdom of Vasilios!" Iván repeated.
Just then, a burst of laughter echoed through the room.
"Oh my goodness, you two are so adorable! Hold still—I need to take a picture!"