I stood there in my invisible form, the world around me still cast in stark negatives. Despite this, the ship was barely visible in the distance, intensifying my sheer disappointment. This was supposed to be a good ending.

It felt like I was frozen in place for a while, my gaze fixed on the sky where the ship had long since vanished. In that moment, I was oblivious to everything around me. Could we have done anything differently to get Xynar to the ship faster? What happens now? Was there ever a real chance of success with all these agents swarming around us?

"We have to go." Xynar insisted, abruptly grabbing my hand and pulling me from my trance of disappointment. He swiftly led me out of the maze of tents, expertly navigating to avoid bumping into any agents. Careful to not draw suspicious attention, we moved silently in our invisible forms.

Through the same unattended gap in the fence, we quickly made our way out of the supposed temporary base. As soon as we were clear, I released Xynar's hand and caught my breath. Just as we did so, we became visible again - just in time.

We walked in silence, creating distance from the base and avoid accidentally drawing attention to ourselves. The silence was heavy, filled with mutual disbelief and disappointment that hung in the air like a dense fog.

The weight of our disappointment was almost too much to bear, pressing down on me with an intensity. Unable to go any further, I stopped abruptly and sat down on the sidewalk, my movements slow and heavy. Xynar quietly joined me, settling next to me with a soft sigh.

As we sat there, side by side, the stark reality of our situation began to truly sink in, the gravity of our failure weighing heavily on us.

"Wow." That was the only word I managed to utter, my voice barely a whisper. "That was... something."

Beside me, Xynar remained silent, his face an unreadable mask that hid his emotions. I glanced at him, searching for any sign of what he might be feeling, but he gave nothing away. His stoic demeanor made it even harder to gauge his state of mind or how deeply this setback had affected him.

"We have to go find it. I can still track it down," he stated, his voice calm but insistent.

"Track it down?" I replied, my voice tinged with uncertainty. "Xynar, I can't, I'm sorry..." The reality of the task was daunting. Who knows where they've taken the spaceship? It's likely far and heavily secured by now. Besides all that, I need to go home.

"But you said you'd help me." His voice wavered slightly, showing a crack in his usually composed demeanor.

"And I did. I did all I can, Xynar, you know that. It's out of my hands now..." I said, avoiding his gaze to escape the weight of his disappointed eyes.

"Amanda, you can't just—"

"I held up my end of the bargain. I helped. I can't do more... it will get me into trouble, Xynar. I was lucky enough not to be seen this time." My voice broke a little with the heavy sigh that followed. Guilt washed over me, yet there was a firm resolve behind my words; there really wasn't much more I could risk.

"I can turn us invisible again," he offered, desperation now clearly evident in his tone.

"It doesn't matter... I have to go. Xynar." Standing up from the pavement, I felt the weight of our failure more acutely than ever. The distance between what we had hoped to achieve and the stark reality was a chasm too wide to bridge. As I stepped away, the finality of the moment settled in, leaving a cold space where hope once lived.

The reality that we didn't recover the spaceship was crushing. But I'm just a teenager. I need to get back home, back to my life, back to my homework.

I slowly started to walk in the opposite direction from the base, away from Xynar. A part of me half-expected him to follow, but when I glanced back, I saw him still seated on the pavement, looking desolate in his isolation. There really wasn't more I could do. With a heavy heart, I continued walking until the familiar outlines of my neighborhood began to materialize in the distance.

It's crazy to think that all of this unfolded in just one day. As I reached my front door, a wave of relief washed over me. Instinctively, I reached under the mat to retrieve the key, knowing well that my parents weren't home yet.

Once inside, I made a beeline for my room, intent on taking a nap since there wasn't much else to do with the network still down. However, before I could even sink into the comfort of my bed, a knock at the door jolted me upright.

I was confused. Who would be knocking at this time? We barely ever get visitors, and the sound felt out of place in the quiet of my usually serene home. Part of me feared it was Xynar. It wouldn't surprise me if he had tracked me down all the way to my house.

With a mixture of fear and curiosity, I walked back to the front door. Before opening it, I paused, my hand hovering over the doorknob. "Who is it?" I called out, loud enough for the visitor to hear through the closed door.

"It's me, Amanda." The familiarity of the voice caught my breath - it was both confusing and overwhelmingly relieving.

"David?" My voice was a whisper, laden with disbelief. What was he doing here? Given the recent lack of communication between us, it was hard to believe he was actually on the other side of that door.

David, my supposed boyfriend, who has been increasingly distant as he navigated his own busy life in college and not giving me enough attention as last year. Now here he was, unexpectedly at my doorstep, bringing with him a swirl of emotions I wasn't sure I was ready to confront.

Snapping out of my daze, I opened the door. There he stood, looking just as he had the day I fell in love with him. His hazel green eyes sparkled with the same warmth I remembered, his brown hair neatly styled into a crisp fade. That smile, the one that could light up even my darkest days, spread across his face as he saw me.

Yet, despite the familiar affection in his gaze, the sight of him was jarring. After three months of what seemed like forced conversations that felt more obligatory than genuine. His sudden appearance now on such a weirdly eventful day, felt almost surreal. As he reached out for a hug which would be a gesture so natural in our past, I instinctively flinched away. His shock at my reaction faded into a look of pained understanding.

"Can I come in?" he asked, his voice was gentle, trying to smooth over the awkward moment.

"Uh, yeah." I chuckled lightly, sounding a bit nervous and somehow feeling a sting of guilt for recoiling from his touch. "Sure, come in."

He offered a small, somewhat strained smile and stepped inside. He knew my house as well as his own and without hesitation, he walked through to the living room and settled onto the couch as if it were any normal visit. I followed, taking a seat on the opposite couch, maintaining a physical distance that mirrored the emotional space that had grown between us.

I couldn't hide my confusion. "What are you doing here?" I blurted out, unable to hold back.

The way he just showed up made me suspect that we were drifting into a break-up, if we weren't already past that point. Three months of little to no communication seemed like a silent confirmation that our relationship was over.

"I'm just visiting my girlfriend." he said smoothly, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that seemed designed to gauge my reaction.

The words hung in the air, heavy with implications. His casual use of the term 'girlfriend' felt out of place, almost as if he was clinging to a connection that I was no longer sure existed. It was as if he was searching for signs of the affection that had once defined us.

"David, I'm not sure I understand..." I trailed off, my voice faltering as confusion and disbelief mingled within me.

"I know it seems strange that I just show up, especially after being so distant." David admitted. His voice laced with remorse, and he looked earnest and regretful which was hard to ignore. "I guess I became too engulfed in the college life I just... I don't know what happened." he explained, shaking his head with a rueful smile.

I wanted to say something, but he slightly raised a hand, stopping me mid-breath. "Please, just let me say this... " he asked softly with a gentle insistence that drew my eyes back to his. I nodded, letting him continue.

"I've made some mistakes... " he began again, his gaze steady on mine. But as he spoke, a flicker of movement caught my peripheral vision, drawing my attention away.

It was Xynar, nonchalantly leaning against the kitchen counter as if he belonged there.

My breath hitched and my eyes widened in shock at the sight of him. My heart started racing. What was he doing here? How did he even get inside?

"...and I miss us. I miss how things were between us... " David continued, his voice rich with emotion. "We've been through so much, and I don't want to lose what we have over a few rough months." His words, heartfelt and sincere, should have captured my full attention. Yet, I found myself glancing back and forth between him and Xynar, my mind racing to keep up with the surreal dual focus of my attention.

David deserved my attention as he shared his feelings, but the unexpected presence of Xynar made it impossible to focus solely on him. Each word David spoke was now underscored by a silent panic. If David turned and saw Xynar, everything would unravel. I had to act, and quickly.

I nodded faintly at David, offering him a strained smile to keep him talking, all while my mind worked frantically to devise a way to either hide Xynar or get David out of the house before he notices him.