Canteen. Lunch break. Thirsty. Hungry. But I didn't know which was more annoying—waiting for my food or the fact that I was now sitting at the same table as Zayden, Bryce, and Anton. Like… how did this even happen?
"Hey, there's still a seat here," Anton said as he pulled a chair to the side of the table. "We'll fit, promise. Kiera's on a diet anyway, right?"
I looked at him. "Excuse me?"
"Just kidding! Chill, madam. Look, you even got a turon." He looked at Bryce. "You should grab one too, bro. Zayden might beat you to it."
"Pass," Bryce said. "Different kind of hunger today. Emotional."
Zayden laughed. "Same, bro. But I gotta balance the carbs from turon with the protein in the kwek-kwek."
I paused. Looked at Zayden. Protein in kwek-kwek?
"Wait," Anton cut in, clearly curious. "You working out now, Zayd?"
"Nope. But I lifted weights at home earlier. Weight training."
Weight training?
I swallowed. Hold on.
Zayden shrugged. "I used to do it in the afternoons too. Used cans of powdered milk filled with sand."
Hold up.
Seriously—hold up.
"What is that," Anton asked, "childhood trauma or training montage?"
"Both," Zayden answered with a grin.
And that grin—the slight head tilt, the timing, the sarcasm with a hint of sincerity—it was so Ace.
I stared down at my turon. I wanted to ask him. Is your name really Zayden?
But I chose to focus on the food. And the water. And any possible distraction just so I wouldn't have to accept that maybe this was a multiverse glitch.
Bryce stayed quiet. But I could tell—he was reading the energy. The glances. The sudden silences.
We all ate like it was normal. But the air was awkward. Like there was something in the middle of the table no one wanted to be the first to mention.
"What do you usually do in the afternoon?" Anton asked Zayden.
"Hmm… either draw or go biking. Depends on my mood."
Okay, stop.
I inhaled sharply. Swallowed hard.
DRAWING?
That was Ace too. The secret sketchpad. The wall drawings in Dambayan. The random bike rides after the rain.
I looked at Zayden. I almost wanted to ask him if he knew a tree with letters tied to its branches.
But then he looked at me. "You okay, Kiera?"
I leaned back a little. "Huh? Yeah. Why?"
"You're looking at me like you need to poop," he said, laughing.
Anton chuckled. Bryce just shook his head.
"You don't like drawing?" Zayden asked, deadpan.
"No. I was just surprised. It's rare, I guess, for guys."
"What, only girls can sketch?"
"No. I just meant—"
"Guilty right away," Bryce cut in. "Interesting."
I looked at him. And it was like he was drawing questions in the air. Like: Wait, why are you so affected? Is there something we don't know? Who are you, Zayden?
But he stayed silent.
Anton took another bite of turon. "You know, sometimes I feel like we're in a sitcom. Like each of us has a plot twist."
"Yeah," Bryce replied. "But Kiera's the main character with a hidden backstory."
"Maybe it's a telenovela," Zayden added. "Could even be a lost twin storyline."
I laughed. Forcing it. But not because of the joke.
Because maybe… it wasn't a joke.