But still ... "Let's hold off on that whole girlfriend thing for now. What if I'm slow and can't learn anything at all? Then I wouldn't be worthy of being your girlfriend, right?" Theodore thought it over for a beat. "You're right." He caught her hand and tugged her along toward his gym. "First, the test—then the role." Raven trailed after him. Relief slipped out of her chest in a long breath. For now at least, her innocence was safe. The days that followed brought quiet to Greenhaven Mountain. The earthquake and sudden fog had cut down almost half the population in the villas. Some had been crushed by the quake. Others had fallen in bloody fights. The ruins buried in the thick fog looked even more desolate. The survivors soon noticed that the fog was wrong. They stayed shut inside their homes, too afraid to step past their doors. Inside Villa 1, Cassian behaved as if he had opened the gates to a new paradise. He clung to Natalie every day, never letting her slip from his side. They had more than enough supplies. The villa's rooms and systems gave them everything they needed. Even with the fog outside, they never felt trapped. When they longed for sunlight, they stepped straight into the manor grounds. The storage space now allowed them six hours each day. It was plenty. After every meal, they walked together in the open fields. The pets ran at their heels. They drank more of the magic spring water, their little bodies growing stronger by the day. Elsewhere, Olivia, Harold, and Ghania managed a life that was calm and steady.When the quake did not return, they carried all their supplies into the villa. Olivia stayed upstairs. Ghania and her boy took the first floor and the basement. The temperature fell little by little until it rested at 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The suffocating heat had finally lifted. The air conditioner was no longer needed. They ran the filter only for short bursts, which saved their fuel. They lived in rhythm. But fear still pressed in. The endless fog loomed over them, and living on rations gave no sense of security. And there was Wilona. Her visits became a constant thorn. She often showed up with odd excuses, pressing to come inside. Olivia rarely came down from upstairs. Harold worked deep in the basement on his experiments. So it was always Ghania who shut the woman out. Life rolled on in silence. Until a month later, when new visitors climbed the mountainside. Walter sat half-asleep in the guard booth. His eyes snapped open when he caught sight of two shapes moving through the fog—one tall, one small. He straightened in his chair, his hand tightening around his weapon. The pair drew closer. A woman walked at the front with a young boy beside her. Both wore half-face gas masks, their mouths and noses hidden from view. The lines at the corners of the woman's eyes gave her age away. She looked close to forty. The boy was around seven or eight. His frame was thin, almost fragile, but his skin was pale and clean. The woman's clothes were loose, hanging heavy on her frame. With each step, the fabric swung. The boy's clothes were too tight, short at the wrists and ankles, as though he had outgrown them long ago.Walter studied them carefully through the booth's glass. A woman and child had little chance of surviving alone in this world. It was odd they'd come all the way here. Someone had to be protecting them. They could not have survived for so long otherwise. Also, gas masks were rare. Even he did not own one. Out in the fog, he had to wrap rags over his mouth and nose. A fast walk left him struggling to breathe. He peered past them, straining to see through the fog. No others appeared, but the fog was too thick to be sure. Caution gripped him. He clutched his knife and barked out, his voice booming through the booth. "What are you doing here?!" The woman stopped, the boy tight at her side. "I'm sorry, what did you say? I can't hear you through the glass." Couldn't hear him? Walter frowned. Impossible. He had heard her words clear as day. He repeated himself, still not opening the window. She bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry. I still can't hear you." Walter's face twisted. Was she mocking him? The glass was the same thickness on both sides. He heard her clearly, but she claimed she could not hear him? She was trying to trick him into opening the door. His guard shot higher. He kept his eyes locked on her, watching in silence. Then he leaned back in his chair, refusing to answer. The woman's voice rose, urgent now. "Hello? Hello?" Walter sank deeper into the chair, acting as though he could not hear. She would not get inside. Not without his hand on the gate.She wasn't one of the villa owners. She did not look like a friend of theirs either. The simplest choice was to let her stay outside in the fog.