***(Kai's POV)***

I tuck the bathrobe I borrowed from Cole tighter around my form. It was a long night, and needless to say, I didn't sleep much.

Right now, I'm perched on Skylor's balcony overlooking her immense backyard. I don't know why her dad thought it was a good idea to make the inground pool into some kind of viewing party, but this balcony does give a nice view of the sunrise.

I hear soft feet in the hallway, and my skin prickles. Whoever's out there is elemental – I can feel it.

Skylor?

I don't know that I can be around her much longer. She's a glass saint – a beautiful giver so delicate she'll break with the slightest touch.

~Music Cue~

I hate that I'm worried about her right now. She's obviously a wreck, and I'm not supposed to fix that.

Yet to see her so vulnerable and compassionate with her girls last night...that rekindled something in me I haven't let myself feel in a long time. She was an emotional mess the rest of the evening, but her bond to those girls was immutable.

And about her being an emotional mess...I feel like I need to get to the bottom of that. Skylor's always been so cool and collected. She's been the sane one out of both of us. What's happened in the past two years that's changed her so much?

"Hello," says a soft voice from behind me.

I jump in my seat, whipping my head around. "I – I, uh, didn't...realize you were there."

It's a girl of around...fourteen, maybe? She has curly dark hair that falls to her shoulders and haunting brown eyes. And I don't mean Skylor's kind of 'haunting', or that beauty that makes you wonder what's beneath it all – I mean legitimately haunting brown eyes. This girl has been through a rough patch.

"May I join you?" she asks quietly, her eyes flitting to the chair beside me.

I clear my throat and nod. "Um...yeah. Sure."

"Thank you. I wanted to be the first of us girls to meet you." She carefully sits down in the chair beside me and tucks her legs under herself.

I muster my social graces and smile at her. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Cassandra," she says wistfully, gazing into the distance. "Everyone calls me Cassie."

Cassie...Cassie...

My eyes widen. "You're the elemental – the one Skylor mentioned last night. The one who knows the future and all that." No wonder I recognized an elemental signature just a few moments ago.

"Yes," she replies, smiling slightly. "And you're Skylor's judgmental ex-fiancé with no regard for the lives of others."

I almost don't catch the words for how calmly and gently she says them, but when I realize what she told me...

Well, shots fired.

I cough. "Um...yep, I'm her ex."

"I saw the way you looked at Skylor last night." She stares up into the sky as though it holds all the answers to her questions.

"I...uh, have no idea what you mean," I swallow. "We completely avoided all eye contact. Yep – that's exactly how it went." I rub my palms over my robe and think of a convenient excuse to leave.

She giggles beside me – a sweet, girly sound that somehow has an air of maturity to it. "You're funny."

"I...am?" I ask.

"Yeah." She releases a peaceful breath. "You're not the only one who knows what it's like to lose it all."

"Huh?" I ask, turning my head toward her.

"You're not the only one who knows what it's like to lose it all," she repeats herself matter-of-factly. "Skylor does, too."

I furrow my forehead. "I really don't understand why you're telling – "

"So you'll quit excusing how you act around others." She allows her gaze to fall to the ground. "You can go if you want."

"I...um..." I scratch the back of my head. "Okay. I'm kind of hungry, so I guess I'll leave in search of some breakfast." I rise from my chair and start for the balcony door, then turn back toward her. "Do you want me to grab you anything to eat? Like an apple or...something?" She looks like she could use a triple-fattening hamburger.

"No," she answers, still not looking at me. "No, I'll be fine. Saturday is pancake morning."

I nod as though I should know this. "Oh, right. Um...well, see you...around."

"Don't look too far for what you're searching for." She lifts a fragile-looking hand in a weak wave. "See you on Monday, Kai."

"Uh...Monday?" I ask. "First of all, today's only Saturday. Second...I don't think I'll be here Monday, kiddo. Skylor doesn't exactly want me around."

She emits a sound that passes for a chuckle. "You'll be here Monday. You'll be here tomorrow, too, but I won't see you then."

"Oh. Um, bye." And I hightail it out of there.

That girl is...odd.

And weirdly enough, I pity her. She's so mature for her age – I wonder what happened to make her that way. I'm sure that has to do with why she's so quiet and observant. Maybe it's why she looks so sickly, too? Though I'm sure I can attribute her ill appearance to her weight.

I stalk down the hall and toward the winding staircase. If she insists on waiting for pancakes, I guess I'll have to go ahead and make some for her. Not like I have anything better to do while the sun rises and I wait for Skylor and Cole to send me off.

I feel along the dark walls, trying to find my way to the kitchen. I've walked through Skylor's house – physically and in my mind – hundreds of times, but the place is so huge that it's impossible to navigate in the dark. I mean, I could just use a flame for light, but I really don't want to set Skylor's place on fire and face even more of her wrath.

I'm surprised Skylor doesn't use the power of sound to sonar her way through the halls at –

Mmph!

I collide with a female form, and instinctively my hands reach out to grab the girl's shoulders and keep her from falling. When my palms grasp her, however, my elemental power stirs within.

Skye.

"Kai?" her voice frowns. "What – why are you snooping around my house?"

"I'm not – whatever." I stifle an eyeroll. "I couldn't sleep. I was just trying to find my way to the kitchen."

"Oh." She lets out a breath. "Sorry, I always forget to turn on the lights when I get up in the morning. The girls usually stay in bed for a few more hours." She wiggles out of my grip.

"Oh, really?" So we're on friendly terms now? This girl is a mystery to me.

"Yeah." She creates a flame in the palm of her hand and pushes past me. "And just so you know, you were going the wrong way if you wanted to find the kitchen."

"I considered using my powers to light my way," I try, nodding toward her hand. "However, I figured you'd probably hate me forever if I made fire inside the house. Well, more than you already do hate me."

"I don't hate you, Kai," she sighs, leading me down the winding hallway.

"Oh?" I ask. "I'm legitimately confused here. See, by the way you treated me last night –,"

"I was stressed," Skylor cuts in, her tone curt. "I was very stressed, and I...I'm, uh, sorry that you had to face the fallout of that." I can feel the warmth of her blush from a foot away.

I raise an eyebrow. "Who are you, and what have you done with my ex?"

"Sounds like a nice title for a playboy's autobiography." Skylor stops short to turn on the kitchen lights.

A bark of a laugh escapes my throat at her unpremeditated humor. "What was that?"

"And that's a good title for Jay's autobiography." She saunters into the kitchen with that self-assured stride she's always had.

Apparently, she is more collected than she was last night.

I trail after her, clearing my throat. "So, all joking aside...I'm leaving after breakfast, right?" I'm seriously wondering what Cassie meant by saying I'd be around on Monday.

"Um...yeah. Why would you even ask that?" Skylor asks flatly, pausing as she grabs cereal from her pantry.

I cross my arms in front of my chest, rocking back on my heels. "I was just wondering because I was talking with Cassie earlier, and she said I would be here for a few days. I didn't know if she'd overheard something."

"I'm sorry?" Skylor asks, pivoting toward me.

I inhale sharply between my two front teeth as I see her face.

Gosh, how is it that she looks better every time I see her? Even though she's not wearing a bit of makeup and has a blemish on her cheek, her natural beauty somehow shines brighter than ever and –

Snap out of it, Kai. You're staring.

I cough. "Uh...I talked with Cassie earlier, and she said I was sticking around for a little while. I wasn't sure if –,"

"Shizzle," she hisses, slamming her box of cereal on the counter.

"Huh?"

She narrows her eyes up at me. "As I said last night, I don't curse around the girls."

"Not what I meant," I say, shaking my head. "I was asking why you were upset about what Cassie said."

"Because I don't want you around," she scoffs, grabbing her cereal off the counter.

I blink at her change in demeanor. "Uh...I thought we were good. You just said you'd send me away after breakfast." Eesh, she's a bundle of nerves.

"First of all, that doesn't mean we're good." She emphasizes her words with little finger-quotes. "Second of all, Cassie's always right when she predicts the future." She massages the bridge of her nose.

I shrug. "Just send me away, Skylor. It's not a big deal." I slide past her and grab a bowl out of its proper cabinet, surprised that Skye hasn't rearranged her kitchen since last I was here.

"You don't get it," Skylor bites out, gripping the counter like a lifeline. "When Cassie says she sees the future, she sees the future. She knows exactly what's going to happen."

"Like...does she know everything?" I frown.

"No," she replies. "Not everything. That'd be way too much knowledge for her to process. But it's like she can look at a person and know exactly what's going to happen to them in their lifetime. It's taken the past year to train her how to control her powers. She used to be completely unable to go out in public – she'd see too many futures at once and end up having a breakdown from all the information." Skylor runs a hand through her hair. "Why can't I just escape you?"

"Why do you need to escape me?" I ask, taking her cereal box and pouring her a bowl of generic fruit-flavored crisps. I place the bowl beside her and gesture toward it, walking to the fridge to get the milk. "It's not like I'm trying to trap you, Skye."

"All we ever do is argue, Kai. You being around is a trap." She stares down at the cereal I gave her. "What's this?"

"Breakfast." I bring over her gallon of milk, dump some in her bowl, and then raise the whole container to my lips.

"Kai!" she exclaims, trying to grab the gallon from my hands.

I raise it up higher so she can't reach it, feeling some great sense of triumph at irritating her. Oh, how I've missed this.

"Kai Smith, I have fourteen girls and already use up three jugs of milk a day. I don't need you leaving your mark on one of them!" She grabs my arm and tries to pull it down toward her.

I try not to laugh as I swallow my drink and lower the gallon back to her level. Her face is all annoyance.

"Really?" she asks.

I shrug. "You told me off. I got you to stop." I swipe my wrist over my upper lip to relieve myself of my milk mustache.

She narrows her eyes. "Quit flirting with me."

"I'm not flirting with you. And at least I'm not threatening to kick you out of my life," I counter.

"My house, my rules," Skylor snaps. "I have fourteen girls who need to realize that just because a guy flirts with them doesn't mean he's a good person."

I roll my eyes. "Sounds like they're not allowed to be reasonably hospitable to people, either." I snatch the pancake mix out of the pantry above her and scan over the directions on the back.

"You're not just anyone, Kai," Skye sighs, swallowing a spoonful of cereal.

"Then what am I?" I ask, propping one hip against the counter and staring down at her. "Because at this point, Skylor, I really don't know. You either act like we're friends or sworn enemies, and it's annoying the heck out of me."

She blinks and casts a flustered look at the ground. "I...well, what do you think you are?"

"The gorgeous ex you don't know whether to flee from or throw yourself at?" I turn toward the cabinets behind us and begin collecting all the necessary supplies for Cassie's pancakes.

Skylor sputters behind me. "You don't seriously think I would consider falling for you again, right? Please tell me you're not that delusional."

"No, Skylor. You're the delusional one for acting like I'd somehow be interested in you after you've continually dragged my ego through the dirt in the past twenty-four hours."

"Somebody had to do it," she defends herself.

"Well, I'm glad it was you," I smile. "Because at least that means any romantic notions I had at the party last night are long gone." And with that, I pour myself into making an underweight teenage girl the most fattening and delicious pancakes ever flipped.

***(Skylor's POV)***

The only thing breaking the silence between me and Kai are the sounds of whisks and cracked eggshells and a preheated oven. He's making pancakes, and I'm...pretending I'm not affected by his presence.

Oh, gosh, but I am. He makes everything inside burn.

How could I ever have thought we'd make a good couple? He's too interested in himself for us to be compatible. I guess back in the day, I wanted so desperately to think he loved others, too. And at one time, he was willing to risk it all for his team, his sister, and me.

Just not anymore.

Footsteps and a loud yawn sound from down the hall, thankfully breaking the lack of conversation between Kai and me. I glance toward the doorway to see that it's Jay.

"Pancakes?" he asks hopefully, jerking his head in Kai's direction.

My ex snorts. "Get your own, Walker. These are for Cassie." He flips two onto a paper plate.

My forehead furrows. "For...Cassie?" Like, you know who that is?

"She said Saturday was pancake morning, but she looked like she needed to eat sooner rather than later." He wags his spatula at Jay. "Wait for yours to come later. Since it's pancake morning, I'm sure there'll be plenty of breakfast to come."

"It's not pancake morning," I cut in, confused. "Are you sure you heard her right?"

He nods. "Yep. She said it was pancake morning, and if anyone needs to eat, it's her."

"She makes herself sick when she experiences the grief others will eventually face in their futures," I mutter, chewing my bottom lip. "As a result, she doesn't eat much. I just don't know why she'd say it's pancake morning if –,"

"Cass," Kai calls, waving toward the doorway.

Cass?

Cassie pokes her head in. "Hi, Kai."

First-name basis?

"I know you said you could wait until later," he says sheepishly, "but...uh...here." He awkwardly extends a plate of pancakes in her direction.

A smile blooms across her slight features. "I knew you'd come through. Thank you." She crosses the room toward my ex.

Knew...he'd come through?

I'm left wondering what the relationship is between these two. It's as though they know each other. Kai told me he'd talked to Cassie earlier, but...they just seem friendlier than I assumed they'd be.

Kai carefully hands her the plate. "Give me just a sec, and I'll get you syrup and butter." He strides toward the fridge as though he's found some incredible purpose in serving a fourteen-year-old 'nobody' her breakfast.

I can't help but stare.

I clear my throat and look away from him. "Cassie, why did you tell Kai it was pancake morning? That's tomorrow."

"It is pancake morning," she smiles, looking down at her stack of pancakes. "Kai made them for me, didn't he?"

I open and close my mouth.

She knew he'd come through.

She saw in her future that Kai would make her breakfast.

Clever.

"You're going to need more syrup than that if you're eating my brother's cooking," Nya says, strolling inside the kitchen. She nods her head toward Kai as he carefully squeezes the syrup bottle above Cassie's pancakes.

"Don't listen to her," Kai waves her off. "These are the best pancakes I think I have ever made."

"He's just covering up embarrassment," Nya smiles in a reminiscent way. "How did you sleep, Kai?"

He looks up for a moment, surprise written across his features. "I'm sorry?"

"I asked how you slept." Nya crosses to the stove and grabs the remaining pancake, tearing off a piece and stuffing it in her mouth.

She winces as she tastes it, and I can't help the slightest of chuckles. She's right: Kai's cooking has never been perfect. Superior to Cole's? Yes. Edible? Yes. Good? No.

He hitches a shoulder. "Fine, I guess."

Nya nods, staring at the floor as though it has the answers as to how to convince her brother that she's not an emotionally abusive little girl.

"Thank you," Cassie says softly. She gives Kai a gentle smile before wandering out of the kitchen.

She typically feels awkward around others given her powers, so she prefers to eat and spend her time alone.

The fact that she's taken a liking to Kai, though, is...intriguing. Can't she see that he really doesn't care too much for anyone here?

Except her, maybe. After all, here he is playing chef for her when he hardly knows her.

There's some part of the story here I don't know about.

"So...no pancakes?" Jay asks, raising his eyebrows.