Page 60 of Fade With Me

Zeke jerked away, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, of course,” he muttered, a sarcastic edge coloring his words.

Izzy waved him off, his expression turning serious. “I heard you were looking for Sadalia Valtor.” His voice grew quieter, a hint of exhaustion creeping in. “Word’s been spreading. Took me ages to find this realm. Hidden so well, it might as well have been buried under a mountain of magic.” He let out a frustrated breath. “I knew you’d come looking for her. And, as usual, I was right. I felt you the second I found my way in.”

I hesitated before stepping out from behind the wall. The moment Izzy saw me, his eyes locked on mine, frozen in stunned silence. Time seemed to stretch, andhe didn’t move, his gaze unblinking. Then, his voice dropped to a hushed murmur: “You found her…”

Without warning, he snapped out of his stupor and bounded toward me, closing the distance in seconds. Before I could react, he scooped me into a bear hug, lifting me off the ground as if I weighed nothing.

“Bryn!” he shouted, his face alight with joy.

After what felt like an eternity of being held so tightly, he stopped swaying, my legs dangling in the air like feathers. “Why aren’t you hugging me back?” he asked, his voice warm, tinged with puzzlement, as if he couldn’t understand why I wasn’t returning his embrace.

From behind him, I heard Zeke’s dry tone. “The ring, idiot. She can’t remember you.”

Izzy’s face fell, his gaze softening as he glanced at me, apologetic. “Oh—right. This is probably really awkward, huh?”

I nodded, letting out a small laugh. “Yeah, a little.”

With a sheepish smile, he gently set me down, his hands lingering on my shoulders for a brief moment before giving them a soft tap. He stepped back, his eyes crinkling with a mix of embarrassment and concern. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Then, almost immediately, he added, “I don’t know about you, but I really needed that hug,” his grin returning in full force.

Zeke closed his eyes and shook his head, his expression one of amusement tinged with exasperation. “You’ll have to excuse him,” he said, turning to me. “He has no sense of manners.” His gaze shifted to Izzy, who was now standing uncomfortably close. “Or personal space.”

I couldn’t look away. “You guys look…exactly alike.” The surrealness of it settled in. “It’s so strange.”

They really did look like twins. Same height, same build, and those eyes, identical in hue, glowing with an almost otherworldly cyan light. But Zeke was so much darker, like he’d stolen all the melanin in the womb. Zeke’s hair was dark and slightly longer, always swept back, while Izzy’s was cropped short and nearly white-blond. Their styles were different too: Zeke was almost always in a suit, impeccably put together, while Izzy had a more laid-back vibe in jeans and a plain T-shirt, simple but somehow effortlessly cool.

Izzy clutched his chest in mock horror. “No way!” A mischievous glint danced in his eyes. “I’mclearlythe better-looking one,” he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at my lips, unable to hide my amusement. “Oh good. You’re both dramatic,” I said, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed.

At that, they both burst into laughter, their identical faces lighting up with mirrored grins.

“Memories or not, you never change,” Izzy said, chuckling.

Zeke filled Izzy in on everything that had happened since he found me. Izzy picked up the basics quickly, but needed more context about what had happened since his brother’s arrival.

As they talked, Izzy’s gaze flicked to me, his expression caught between shock and something softer beneath it.

“I can’t believe you’re really here.” His voice came out quiet, like he was still convincing himself it was real.

He glanced at Zeke, the weight in his eyes dragging his features into something more somber.

“I’d never have admitted it to him, but I started to think it was hopeless,” he murmured, the truth hanging between us like fog.

His shoulders sagged, and his voice dropped even lower. “Especially after he couldn’t reach you in your dreams anymore.”

But the sadness didn’t last. Izzy’s face brightened almost instantly, his grin widening as he bounced on his heels.

“But look at us now!” he exclaimed, the words tumbling out with excitement. “One big, happy family.”

Before I could react, Izzy lunged forward, throwing an arm around each of us in a nearly crushing hug. Then, as if nothing had happened, he strode into the kitchen, yanked open the fridge, and started digging through it.

“What do you guys have to eat around here? I’m starving,” he called, casual as ever.

Zeke shrugged and shot me an apologetic look before following Izzy into the kitchen. “I have to head out early tomorrow to get our new passports and identities,” he said, voice turning serious. “I need you to stay here with her while I’m gone. Just in case.”

Izzy nodded absently, distracted as he peeled open a string cheese. “Yeah, sure,” he muttered, biting into it and grimacing. “Ugh. Food in this realm is awful.” He chewed for a moment, then shot Zeke a mischievous grin. “So, do I get a new identity, too? You know, something cool?” he added playfully, unfazed by the bite he was still working through.

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