Catching Up

The next town called Torrine was only a thirty-minute drive away. While Andrew and Luke spent this time in silence—Andrew uninterested in talking to the boy, and Luke too intimidated to speak—Ethan and Rose used this rare moment alone to catch up.

"How are you feeling?" Ethan asked, glancing at Rose. He'd noticed she'd been unusually quiet the past few days. It was understandable, given everything she'd experienced, but he worried she might not be processing it all and could be eating herself up over it.

If Rose could hear his thoughts, she'd surely shake her head at her brother's unnecessary concerns.

After losing him and experiencing countless hardships during the seven years she had lived through the apocalypse, the once-naive young girl had transformed into a more taciturn, somewhat bitter person. Now it was challenging for her to return to her former self, so Ethan, who knew her best, of course noticed her changes. But she couldn't very well explain her rebirth to him, could she?

"I'm fine," she answered.

Seeing his skeptical gaze, she added, "No, really, I'm all good."

"That's good," he relented. "But if there is anything you`d like to talk about, you can always come to me, alright?"

"Sure," she gave him a reassuring smile.

Rose hesitated, clearly feeling Ethan's concern. Should she tell him about the first portal and the ability that she had gained? Would that lift some of his worries and make him trust her more?

In her past life she had hidden her dreadful experience, as well as the ability. She had been afraid that something might happen to her, as many ability users were first detained by the government and later they were the target of elimination for stronger ability users. Thus, she had simply kept it to herself, using it when necessary.

It was better to just tell him, right?

But before she could formulate her thoughts, Ethan spoke up, sharing their plans for the coming weeks. "Andrew and I discussed this before we left," he began. "Given the current situation, we think it's wise to stock up on supplies and train ourselves. By training, we mean improving our physical fitness and learning survival skills. It's better to be prepared, even if we never need these skills. What do you think?"

Ethan often found himself at odds with Rose when he treated her like a child. To avoid conflict and gain her understanding, he wanted to keep her informed of their plans.

He glanced at Rose, watching her contemplate his words.

"That makes sense," she agreed slowly. But it won't be enough...

"Then who is gonna train us?" she asked. As far as she knew neither her brother nor Andrew possessed such skills at this point in time.

"Andrew is taking care of it. He said he would arrange someone. We will start tomorrow."

"Alright," she nodded, inwardly impressed by her brother's and Andrew's thorough planning. Although she had picked up some survival skills in her previous life, she had never received formal training. This would give them a significant edge in the months ahead.

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. He had expected Rose to be more resistant to the idea, but today she was surprisingly receptive. Encouraged by her openness, Ethan decided to broach another topic he hoped she'd agree to. "There's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you," he said, his gaze flickering towards her. "I'd like you to activate the GPS tracker on your phone and link it to ours, so we can always check your location." While he kept his eyes on the road, he waited patiently for her reply.

Rose considered her brother's request. While she understood his concern, a part of her bristled at the idea of constant surveillance. Yet, considering the uncertain future, she recognized the proposal's practicality. Unwilling to acquiesce too readily, Rose saw an opportunity. She could use this chance to set up a system that would benefit them all in the long run.

"Alright," she conceded with a small nod. "But only under one condition."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, curious. "And what's that?"

Rose met his gaze, her expression serious. "Everyone in our group needs to do the same. It's only fair that we all share our locations with each other, not just me."

Ethan considered this for a moment, then nodded. "That's reasonable. I'll talk to Andrew about it when we get back."

Both were content with the outcome of their conversation and continued their drive in comfortable silence. Rose decided against revealing her ability to Ethan at this moment, preferring to wait for a more opportune time in the coming days.

She knew she should inform him before they encountered the next portal. Grateful for the portal app's existence, Rose remained vigilant, watching for any nearby portal openings. If one appeared, she planned to take her brother there to help him gain an ability. She'd bring Luke along for protection, reasoning it was only fair he assist Ethan in acquiring an ability, given that Luke had inadvertently claimed the one originally intended for him.

Whatever happened to the Kepler family afterwards wasn't her concern. Though she quite liked Luke, she couldn't say the same for his other family members. Well, maybe Aunt Betty—at least she had been impartial. Still, it wasn't enough to assume responsibility for their survival during the apocalypse. They would maintain a relationship of give and take until their paths inevitably diverged.

Rose just hoped that her brother and Andrew would view it the same way.