Chapter Fifteen: The Bench Reunion
It was just after 8:00 p.m. when Alora arrived at the bench.
The wind curled around her coat. The sky was bruised with the fading dusk, and Brambleton Park was nearly empty. The same bench where she once huddled, hopeless and invisible, now sat at the center of her redemption story — and possibly, its unraveling.
She sat, fingers twisting together in her lap, her nerves strung tight.
Minutes passed. Her breath fogged in front of her.
Then footsteps approached.
She turned.
Reina.
Older. Harder. But still… her.
Same sharp cheekbones. Same long fingers shoved in the pocket of a frayed hoodie. Same guarded fire in her eyes.
Neither of them spoke.
Then Reina sat beside her. Not close — but not distant, either.
Alora broke the silence.
"You came."
"I said I would."
"I watched the video."
Reina turned, her voice flat. "Good. Then you know I meant every word."
Alora nodded. "I didn't come here to defend myself. I came to say… I was wrong. I forgot you. And forgetting you wasn't just careless — it was cruel."
Reina's lip twitched, but she said nothing.
"I kept surviving," Alora whispered. "And every time I climbed, I told myself looking back would slow me down. But I should have looked back. I should have reached back."
"You didn't just forget me," Reina said finally. "You left me with nothing. I watched you become this goddess online — speaking at conferences, on magazine covers — and I thought, 'Wow… she made it.' But not once did you mention me. Not once."
"I didn't know where you were," Alora said, her voice cracking. "I looked for you."
"You didn't try hard enough."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Reina sighed and looked away. "The flash drive… I didn't make it for the internet. Someone paid me. I was broke. Angry. Bitter. I thought — screw it, let them burn her down. She left me. Let her pay."
Alora's breath caught. "Who?"
Reina looked around, then leaned in, whispering.
"Someone from inside your team."
"What?"
"I don't know who — but they came to me. Sent messages anonymously. They gave me old footage. Old blog drafts. Passwords you never even gave me. They said they'd pay if I exposed you. I just… added my voice to it."
Alora reeled. "So they're still watching."
Reina nodded. "And they want more. Your entire foundation. Your reputation. Your silence."
A beat of thunder rolled in the distance, low and grim.
Alora sat back. Her heart thumped violently in her chest.
"I can't believe this," she whispered. "I trusted everyone."
Reina looked at her now — really looked.
"I don't hate you anymore," she said. "But I needed you to hurt like I did."
"And now?"
"I want peace. But I don't know if we'll get it until you know who's behind this."
Alora clenched her jaw. "Then we find them. Together."
Reina smiled faintly. "That's the Alora I remember."
---
Suddenly, headlights flashed across the park.
A black SUV. Tinted windows. No plates.
Reina stiffened. "You followed anyone here?"
"No."
The passenger door opened. A figure stepped out, face masked, holding something in their hand — metallic, glinting under the park lights.
Elijah.
He emerged from the shadows, calling out, "Alora! Get down!"
She froze.
The masked figure raised their hand —
A loud crack rang out.
Glass shattered. Screams.
Elijah tackled Alora behind the bench. Reina dove the other way.
Tires screeched. The SUV sped off into the night.
Silence returned — shattered and sharp.
Alora lay on the ground, chest heaving, her ears ringing.
Elijah hovered above her, eyes wide. "You okay? You hit?"
"No," she gasped. "What… was that?"
"A warning," he said grimly. "They're done playing games."
---
Later That Night
The police arrived. Statements taken. No prints. No plate numbers.
Reina disappeared again — not out of fear, but instinct. She would reach out when she was ready.
Alora sat in her apartment, blanket draped around her shoulders. Elijah paced the floor, restless.
"I should've stayed close," he muttered.
"You got there just in time," she whispered.
He stopped pacing, turning to her. "I don't care what this is. I don't care if we're being watched. I'm not walking away."
Alora looked up at him, eyes red, soul unraveling.
"I'm tired, Eli. Tired of fighting. Tired of rebuilding from rubble."
He knelt before her, gently cupping her face.
"Then let me be your strength," he whispered. "Let me fight with you."
She leaned in, their foreheads touching. "We find them. We finish this. And when it's over…"
"We rebuild. Together."