He looked out at the massive, shifting, whispering room. He looked down at me, standing fiercely at the base of the stairs, daring anyone to approach. He looked over to the third row, where Chloe was weeping quietly, her hands pressed over her mouth.
Then, Ethan closed his eyes. He adjusted his gentle hold on Lily, securing her against his heart. He took a deep, massive breath—a breath that seemed to pull all the oxygen, all the tension, all the history out of the room.
When he opened his eyes, they were blazing. He didn’t need their electricity. He projected his voice with a raw, earth-shattering power, fueled by eighteen years of silent struggle, that required absolutely no amplification.
Chapter 7: The Voice in the Void
“MY MOM TAUGHT ME WHAT STAYING LOOKS LIKE!”
Ethan’s voice exploded from his chest. It bounced off the high, acoustic rafters, hitting the back wall and reverberating over the crowd. The sheer, unadulterated force of his conviction silenced the mocking whispers instantly. The room froze. People physically leaned in, shocked into submission by the raw emotion tearing out of this boy’s throat.
