Back in the present…
"You wanted the origin of percenters, right? You've got it. Are you happy?"
Erykah's voice trembled, raw with emotion as she stood beneath the gray sky, her eyes fixed on the weather-worn stone that marked her brother's resting place. Her breath fogged the cold air, coming out in uneven bursts. She gripped the lapels of her coat so tightly her knuckles turned white, the fabric wrinkling beneath her trembling fingers. The wind stirred around her, brushing strands of hair across her tear-streaked face, sticking to her cheeks like the grief that clung to her soul.
Edward stood a few feet away, shoulders tense, face caught in the soft tug between sympathy and disbelief. "I… I didn't know it involved your brother. I'm sorry for what happened to him, I truly am."
