Aurora's University is a prestigious school where students must excel on three exams. Surprisingly, Tim was able to do so. He must've studied constantly, especially given the disadvantage.

With a hood and a hat, Avery kept his head down, not wanting to be spotted. He used 2A to find Tim's exact room number and the building he resided in. The only issue is that he had a roommate. Preferably, the roommate wasn't there since this needed to be a one-on-one conversation, and any leaks could lead to potential issues.

Regardless, Avery brushed it off as a problem for later.

The dormitory itself was vast, with clean, smooth walls that seemed polished daily. Windows were located in each room so students could see the outside; some were shaded, others were not.

Avery rattled the door to the four-story dormitory. Locked. He tsked and leaned against the wall, waiting for someone else to open it. He adjusted his hat low so no one would notice his face. Attracting a crowd was the last thing he needed.

Luckily, the door opened with a small group of girls exiting. Avery quickly caught the door and slipped through. The halls were bright, with LED lights running along the edges of the ceilings like veins.

He climbed one flight of stairs and walked down the hall, head down and refraining from eye contact with people passing by, before reaching Tim's room. The door itself had a biometric finger scanner for the room's rightful owner.

Avery knocked on the door twice and waited. He heard rustling from the other side. Avery rolled his shoulders and stood tall, waiting for the door to swing open.

It wasn't long until it did.

An orange-haired man poked his head through the door. "Uh—hello?" He asked.

"Is Tim here?" Avery asked, still concealing most of his face.

"Class…? Can I help you?" He seemed annoyed and didn't want to be bothered.

"When will he come back?"

"I don't know. In an hour, maybe?"

Avery didn't like that answer. He could wait around for an hour, but he needed a quiet place to communicate with Tim. His roommate was in the way.

Avery pulled the door open with force and pushed the orange–haired man inside. He fell and quickly scooted backwards with panic written all over his face. Avery promptly closed the door behind him and revealed himself.

"I'm not here to cause a scene," he said.

The orange–haired guy swallowed, pointing his shaky finger at Avery. "You're… The Chancellor's kid."

"More labels," he muttered under his breath. "Listen. I need to talk to Tim. It's urgent and I need to speak with him in a private, enclosed area. Go out for a few hours, get some fresh air, and don't speak of my presence to anyone. You wouldn't want any trouble, right?"

Avery hated the idea of threatening to use his connections to bend people to his will. Everything about this was morally wrong. He didn't want to put fear in the man's eyes, but he didn't know what else to do.

He nodded and asked for permission to grab his bag before leaving. Avery nodded and waited for the man to quickly grab his belongings before darting out of the dorm.

The dorm itself was smooth and bright, mostly white with soft blue and green lights. Two beds were built directly into the walls with white sheets. Lighting was embedded in the ceiling and the floor, and two tables were placed on the side near the beds as a small study space. The walls had touchscreen panels for integrated technology and temperature control.

Avery sat at the edge of the narrow bunk, staring at the faint green glow tracing through the floor. He leaned back, eyes on the ceiling light, waiting for Tim.

***

An hour later, after messing around on his phone and 2A, a soft whir came from the door. Avery's muscles tensed, and his hands brushed his face.

The door opened, and Tim stepped inside. He was still in his academy uniform, slacks and a buttoned-up green shirt and yellow tie. With his headphones on, he bopped his head with his lips, mimicking lyrics.

Tim raised his head, his lips stopped. Slowly, he removed his headphones and blinked rapidly. His face grew cold, his eyes shocked as though he'd seen a ghost.

"Avery…?" He said softly, uncertain if his eyes were deceiving him.

Avery imagined what he would say to Tim for a while. He hadn't seen him since the incident in the outside world. Truthfully, he never thought he would see his half–brother ever again.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Tim… it's been a while."

Tim backed up, almost as though he was afraid and looking for an exit. "You—what are you—I haven't seen you since—" He struggled to append his sentences together.

This was no surprise to Avery. He figured Tim would have a hard time believing reality.

"Tim, we need to talk."

He shook his head. "No… you hurt me. You… put a bullet in my leg." The word raised his voice. "You abandoned me. Again."

"I know, I know. Just hear me out. I swear everything—"

"How are you in Ionia?" Tim asked. "You shot me, then disappeared. You—"

Avery stood and stepped forward with ease. "It's a long story."

"Don't come any closer." Tim's voice was sharp enough to slice a rock. "You shot me, Avery. You left me there. You didn't look back once."

Avery winced. "You think I don't remember? Every night, Tim, the guilt consumes me. Every night I see your face. I relive that terrible day when the rain didn't stop. I didn't want to do any of this."

"Then why?" Tim's voice cracked. "Why would you do that to me?"

"I was ordered to. That was the only way for me to survive."

Tim let out a bitter chuckle. "Survive? Oh, yes, you need to survive! Not me! Not the guy who was shot, but the man who pulled the trigger needed to survive!"

Avery shook his head, remaining calm. "It's a lot more complicated than you think."

"Hey, Avery, save the bullshit. You've lost my trust. Anything you say out of that mouth is an utter lie. I don't need any of those lies shoved down my ears.

"Tim—I—"

"Save it," Tim said with assertiveness. "I don't want to know."

"I came here to warn you about Roger."

Tim froze. The name hit him hard like a blow to the head. "Roger?"

"He's in custody. They're going to interrogate him. Any slip-up and indication that he may be an outsider, then he's done for."

"Lies. How do you know he's in custody? He could've escaped. How do you even know he was in trouble to begin with?" He shook his head and smiled. "You're lying. Bluffing. You want me to be weak for your own gain. Isn't that what you did in the outside world?"

Avery ignored Tim's remark about the events in the outside world. Tim had every right to be enraged by it, but Avery had to get his point across before the conversation swayed in a different direction.

"I saw him with my own eyes."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Avery rubbed his forehead, trying to remain strong. "Because I want to save your friend. I also wanted to make sure my brother is ok."

"Your brother?" Tim repeated with a bitter smile. "Why come to me if you want to check on your brother?"

"I'm your brother, Tim. Your half–brother." Avery said.

Tim's face went blank. "What?"

"Our mother," Avery continued. "She… she used to live here, in Ionia. Before SCAR exiled her." His voice trembled heavily with guilt. "She was taking antidepressants for herself. They didn't kill her, but they sent her outside. And that's where she met your father."

"You're lying."

"I wish I were," Avery said. "Kajo, my father, was still here in Ionia. She was torn between both worlds. You were born out there, Tim. I was born here."

Tim stepped back again, shaking his head. "That doesn't make sense. You're saying my mom, my mom was—"

"She's my mother too," Avery said. "We share her blood. If you went to the House with Answers, that lady there is our mother."

Tim's voice cracked. "You can't just show up here and dump this on me! After what you did?" His fists clenched at his sides. "You nearly killed me! And now you're saying we're brothers?!"

Avery took a breath. "She gave birth to you in the outside world after her exile. SCAR found out and put her in her own location, protected by a SCAR unit. That way, no one can contact her."

Tim's eyes went wide. "I was told my mother died during childbirth…" he said in a soft voice.

"No," Avery said, shaking his head.

Tim's face paled. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you deserve to know the truth," Avery said. "Because it's part of who you are."

"This is insane," he muttered, heart racing.

Avery broke it down further for Tim to understand. Avery mentioned that he has a high status because he's the Chancellor's son. He dove deep into Archon's regime, Kajo's attempts to help the people, and SCAR authorization. He further discussed the family tree, how they were related to each other, and how his mother ended up in the situation she's in. Surprisingly, Tim listened without talking back or snapping "liar" at Avery.

After Avery explained everything without leaving a grain of detail out, Tim looked at his hands and mumbled to himself. Avery asked him to speak up, but Tim refused, calling it a stupid idea.

"Hey, so, I'm a mixed breed?" Tim asked.

"First of its kind." Avery exhaled all the air out of his body. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. I care for you, Tim. I really do. It's good that you're thriving here."

Tim nodded his head with a calm smile. "I'm fine, ya. But what about Roger? You said SCAR has him in custody. Do you really think you can free him?"

"I'll try my best," Avery said with a stern face, ensuring Tim noticed the seriousness.

Tim itched his back shoulder and whipped out his phone with the other hand. He suggested calling Jill to inform her of the situation.

Avery remained silent, thinking about the logistics. If he were to call her, that would be another person to contact and loop into the situation. In the short time he knew Jill, it was apparent she sincerely cared about Tim, Roger, and the other one. There's no telling what she would do.

On the other hand, looping her in would get everyone on the same page in case there are issues in the future.

Avery tsked and allowed Tim to contact Jill. He nodded and held the phone to his ear.

The concern for Avery was that he couldn't let anything happen to Tim. There were ways he could get Roger off the hook, but if Ridley caught any suspension, then there was more to this than the surface, and it would be rough to clear Roger's name.

Best-case scenario: Roger walks freely without any issue.

Worst-case scenario: Roger gets severely punished, and Tim is exposed as an outsider.

Avery dug his face in his palms, hoping for the best.

That's all he could do since everything was up to Roger and the investigation.

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