Xing Yu followed the trail on foot, each step heavy with dread, but burning with hope.
Just like Jian must have, he thought grimly, his eyes never straying from the faint, shimmering droplets of gold that stained the pavement. The pattern was erratic, as if his mate had stumbled. Fallen. Pushed himself forward again, again, again.
The trail curved around corners, past lamp-posts and cracked sidewalks, finally leading him to the one place he hadn't expected—the school.
His breath caught.
He went back here? Why?
The droplets led around the empty courtyard. Then they turned… to the café just across from the school gates.
The small bell above the door jingled as Xing Yu burst in, chest heaving, eyes wild.
"Jian! Jian!" he called out desperately.
Every head in the cozy café turned to look at him—students, workers, people sipping their coffee in the warm quiet. Tv was loudly playing clips of the alien ship again and again.
They stared at him, startled. But Xing Yu didn't care.
