Chapter 282: Slowly Building Trust

XENOIS

"Riley and Lake have been forced into situations where they had to develop these skills," I explained gently, kneeling beside Ollie's chair.

"That's not something to be jealous of, buddy. That's trauma. That's survival. You get to be a normal kid because we can protect you. They didn't have that choice."

"But I want to be useful," Ollie insisted, tears spilling over now. "I don't want to just hide while everyone else fights. I want to help protect people too."

Riley was watching this exchange with that unnerving focus, his expression difficult to read. Then he spoke, his voice softer than I'd heard it....