Page 76 of Inside the Sun

I’m going to lose my mind in here.

Eventually, I unfreeze, curse out loud, and storm off.

I return to my room feeling defeated. Frustrated. Angry. Furious!

What a comfort:paths that lead to happiness. But for whom?

I seriously doubt Summer’s brother sawmypath in any of his visions. I’m just some random guy who happened to catch Anzo’s eye. It’s not like Moon and I even know each other. He disappeared from here nine months ago.

Maybe Summer’s future looks promising, but what about mine? I couldn’t possibly be included in that big cosmic fucking plan.

And… how much can you really trust those kinds of abilities anyway? My dad always claimed that Snow, my own brother, gets these glimpses too. Not often, but once in a while he’d have a feeling about something. I never paid much attention to it, though I admit that whatever he predicted seemed to happenexactly as he said. But was it luck? A correct guess based on probability? Who knows.

So yeah, I’m still neck-deep in shit, and my weird talk with Summer doesn’t make me feel better. Quite the opposite.

All I feel is lingering resentment. With all that power, and Summer’s doing nothing. Letting himself be used, locked up, tortured. In the name of some imaginary future paths? Ugh!

When I glance out the window, the garden outside is already dark. Soft glowing orbs light up the grounds as they do every night, so pretty.

I throw myself down on the bed and punch the pillows a few times, rolling around like a caged animal. Definitely, I’m coming apart at the seams.

I have to do something—anything—to take my mind off this nightmare.

I shut my eyes, desperate to escape the spinning chaos in my head.

After a moment, as I start to calm down a little, something nudges at the edge of my mind. Maybe I could even call it a subtle flow of energy, delicate and shimmering… Soft. Subtle. Like someone gently steering me toward a thought, whispering one word into my ear.

The gardener.

Why? That guy doesn’t matter!

Why is he eclipsing my mind now, while I’m stressed and desperate?

He’s careful, probably scared to death at the thought of even talking to Anzo’s fucktoy. So why am I thinking about this rando? He can’t help me.

But…

He could be a distraction, that’s for sure. So little, yet so much. An alternate way to escape my situation.

I recall today’s events with some hesitation. I mean, no denying it, he’s hot.

Big enough to be a purple alpha, though when I looked at his biceps, bare and pretty impressive, there's only the gyrfalcon tattoo on his skin. I didn’t see the signature purple line that all alphas of this kind have on their limbs.

Also, I’m pretty sure he wears colored contacts. I have a good eye for that, used to wear different lenses myself at parties just for fun. His are navy blue, low-key, nothing flashy. But the most unusual thing about him? His hair, peeking out from under his cap.

I’ve never seen a color like that on a real person. Either he used some next-level dye or… hell, I don’t know. But his hair is silver. Not the gray people call ‘silver’—no. I mean actually silver, like Christmas tinsel or the inside of a candy wrapper. I keep wondering if it’s a trick or the real deal.

Rare hair colors show up from time to time in the ABO population, some folks are born with blue, green, or even pink, due to our alien blood admixture. My own brother, Storm, has deep purplish-red hair. But this? I’ve never seen anything so unnatural.

I sigh and stretch out further on the bed.

Damn it. That actually helped. Like magic, those scattered thoughts about the gardener help me unwind. Maybe even improve my mood a little. For a brief moment, I’m not thinking about Anzo. Or the mafia. Or rape. Or electricity.

Thanks, gardener, whoever you are.

A moment later, I drift into sleep.

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