Chapter 173
- Becky -
Josh stood near the barrier, staring down at the water, as if it had personally offended him.
I knew that stance.
Arms crossed. Shoulder tight. Jaw locked.
He was spiraling.
And when Josh spirals, he doesn't fall inward.
He burns outward.
I walked beside him.
"You're going to start a fight if you keep thinking that loud," I said.
"I'm not thinking loud."
"Oh, but you are."
He didn't look at me. The cyan flame flickered around his fingers, small but restless.
I followed his gaze down to District One. The water wasn't violent. It wasn't chaotic.
It was patient.
Evan walked over to talk quietly with Duke and James. He was calm. Measured. Like he hadn't just split a shark in half or nearly drowned twelve hours ago.
Josh noticed too.
"That's what drives me insane about him," he vented.
"What?" I asked.
"It's like he just switches it off."
I crossed my arms. "No. He buries it."
Josh finally looked at me.
"That's not any better."
"I didn't say that it was."
Silence stretched between us.
Then Josh really spoke his mind. "That line he used."
"When someone can't stand, you stand in front of them?"
I felt empathy for him as something tightened in my chest.
I had heard them say that their father used to say this to them.
Josh huffed out a humorless laugh.
"You know he always makes it sound heroic." He said, spinning a rock into the canal of District One.
I watched Evan in the distance. Controlled posture, straight spine. Always ready yet still resolved. I thought that opening up to Kaysi would change him, but maybe I am missing something.
"But it wasn't," Josh continued. "Not really."
"No, it wasn't. We know who and what your father did."
Josh leaned forward against the railing.
"He stood in front of us," Josh said, voice lower now. "But he also decided when we were allowed to stand at all."
There it was.
The real wound.
"You're not anything like him," I said immediately.
Josh's flame flared.
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do."
"You didn't grow up in that house. I—I did some pretty awful things to all of you."
"No," I snapped, stepping in front of him so he had to look at me. "But I see you. I see you have grown past the boy in that house."
"Do you think you're becoming him or turning back to your old ways? "Why, because you got angry?" I continued. "Because you want control when things are falling apart around you? That's called fear, Josh. Not evil."
His jaw tightened.
"I was scared."
I softened just a little.
"I know you were; I saw it."
He looked back toward Evan.
"When I saw that shark, and he wasn't there..." His voice dipped. "I thought we were about to watch someone die because he needed to handle something on his own—alone—again.
This wasn't about jealousy or pride; it was about the fear of losing Evan again.
"You missed him," I said.
"I'm tired of his deciding by himself."
"And I am sure he's tired of carrying it all by himself," I replied.
Josh scoffed. "His ego loves to carry it."
"No. He thinks he has to. I know you missed him and worried even before now. When you were kids, and your dad kicked you out, you had to live with Rosa, the nurse. This whole thing stems from the lost time your father took away from you as brothers."
"I don't know—maybe."
Behind us, I heard Kaysi approaching slowly. Her breathing was shallow.
She stopped a few steps away, listening.
Josh dragged his hand down his face.
"I don't ever want to be like our father," he finished.
Kaysi spoke quietly. "He wasn't evil every second of your lives."
Josh stiffened slightly, brows raised.
I watched both brothers carefully now.
Kaysi stepped closer as if her ribs were not clearly killing her, but of course, she ignored it.
"When someone can't stand," she repeated softly, "you stand in front of them.
Josh's eyes flicked toward Evan.
"What if standing in front means deciding for them?" Josh asked.
Evan finally stepped forward.
"It doesn't," he said evenly.
Josh's posture immediately shifted—defensive.
"Oh yeah? Because you've been deciding alone a lot lately."
"Sometimes I don't know what path to choose."
"So you gamble by yourself?"
"I move fast, and it keeps everyone else out of the way."
"That's not the same as moving together. We are stronger in numbers, Evan."
The air tightened.
And I let it... Sometimes they need to say what's on their chest. But not too far. Blow off the pressure in a controlled release.
"You both sound exactly like him right now," I cut in sharply.
That hit.
Josh blinked.
Evan stiffened.
"Arguing about who stands in front while the waters rise behind you?" I continued. "Congratulations. Very one brand."
Josh shot me a look. "Whose side are you on?"
"Whichever one grows up first!"
Kaysi almost smiled despite herself.
Evan exhaled.
Josh pouted.
"The man back there," Evan said quietly. "The one with the broken ankle."
Josh looked away again.
"He stood there ready to take the hit; he didn't try to run from it."
Josh swallowed.
"When he saw the shark and saw us kids, he was ready to absorb it." He continued. "Something I could never see our father doing."
Josh stared at the water.
"I don't know if even I could do that."
"Yes, you could," I said. "I have seen you put yourself in danger many times for us."
He looked at me.
"You'd do it without thinking," I added. "That's why you're terrified of becoming him. Because you think you're controlling people against their will. But you're not; you want to protect them."
He cleared his throat.
Evan stepped beside Josh.
"If it comes down to it," Josh muttered. "I'm not letting you take that lead alone."
Evan didn't hesitate this time.
"I don't know how to ask for help sometimes because I was alone, and now I choose this path because I can't see you hurt."
"You don't have to choose to be alone now; we get hurt with or without you. That will come anyway—as I said, we are stronger together."
Josh gave him a serious look.
Not of dominance or rivalry but of shared weight.
Just as we finished, the water level shifted once more.
Something large displaced the current far out in District One.
Josh saw it first. "Tell me that's debris.
"It's not," Evan answered.
The surface bulged once... then stilled.
Engineers shouted as evacuation alarms started back up again.
A voice over the loudspeakers came through.
"Stay calm, everyone, this is your governor. We will be sealing the doors to District One to contain the waters while repairs are made. We have experienced some system errors during recent maintenance, but nothing to be alarmed about; we have everything under control, and things will be back to normal shortly. We have secured stations while you wait. Thank you for your time."
We watched as the doors closed, red lights flashing.
"Is he trapping his workers down there, with whatever is in those waters?"
"Hopefully, they are trained for this situation; Mary said this happened before and was fixed in a few hours," Josh said.
I wasn't too sure about this; I had a gut feeling, and so did Kaysi with her dream.
I stood there looking at the two of them—
Sons of a man who never showed them love without control. I hate to admit it, but the next test of what this place leads us to may not be about sharks.
I may be the one they use to stand alone or the one who would stand in front.
I don't think Shell City will give them time to make those choices.