The next morning, Nate went to the office earlier than usual. A lot had happened, and there was much to come, and he hated being in the dark, hoping Fatim found the answers they needed desperately. Even though the Havocs didn't initially know about the Enterers, they must have figured it out by now. How much that might change their plans for Earth was yet to be determined. It wasn't something he wanted to leave on chance. That was one reason for his decision to bring Waheeb into the folds.

"You're here," Nate said and stopped pacing, relieved to see Fatim.

"Weren't you expecting me? Am I early?" She gave him a confused look.

"No, I just have a lot on my mind," he sighed, "Please, let's take a seat and tell me everything you have discovered."

"I thought you wanted to include Waheeb in this discussion." The way she said it, she appeared to dislike the idea.

"Fatim, I don't think I can wait another second. Please tell me everything you have learned, and we will explain it to Waheeb later." Nate wasn't usually impatient, but this situation had him on edge.

"Oh-kay?" She had made it sound like a question, and Nate tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, gesturing for her to continue, which she did. "After talking to you and failing to learn anything new from Waheeb, I met with Zaroon by chance. It's the strangest thing. You asked me to find out about the troublemakers, and I was heading to our base—"

"Fatim, please get to the point," Nate interrupted, wondering when she developed a knack for storytelling. It was unlike her. She was always reserved and respectful around him. Even though she had a crush on him, she acknowledged him as her senior. Today, she was treating him as an annoying big brother.

"A little patience, Nate," she muttered, "I'm telling you how I met Zaroon."

"And where would you meet him? No one has heard from him in years. I thought he might have died or something." Maybe he should have let her complete her story.

She smiled mysteriously and said, "Nops, he's very much alive. I knew that, of course. He is retired and doesn't want anyone to bother him."

"Retired?" Nate looked amused and returned her smile.

"Oh, you know what I mean. He says he is too old for the world, whatever that means. The point is he doesn't interact with anyone anymore. I helped him go off-grid."

"You never told me," Nate was baffled, seeing a different side to her. And considering how long they had known each other, it was shocking.

"Is that hurt I hear in your voice, dear old friend?" She teased, another first for her. "Come on, Nate, you might have been our king back home, but we live in a democratic world now. I don't need to tell you everything."

"I don't mean as your king but as your friend and senior," he explained. "You always tell me everything."

"If that's what you believe," she sighed, "you're even more naive than I thought."

Wow, the things you learned when a woman no longer had a crush on you. Nate stared at her for a long moment but then burst into laughter. Seeing her comfortable and in a teasing mood made him realize she must have liked Waheeb more than she let on.

Ignoring his laugh, she said, "Anyway, you chose the human world. You know there are many Enterers who have chosen to live outside of the human world. There's much that has been going on, and I do my best to balance both worlds, but I can't tell you everything. It's ridiculous if you think that's even possible. There will always be things you won't be informed about. I don't know what else to say."

"Alright, I admit it. I haven't been as attentive to the comings and goings of our people as you," Nate said, "I don't mean to question how you do things, but Fatim, Zaroon went off-grid. He doesn't want to be found by us. Don't you see how that's strange in itself? I mean, a lot of us are hiding from humans that much is true, but he hid from his people. Why?"

"It's not that big of a deal. I don't think even he knows his exact age. That's how old he is. He has lived for over a thousand years. He's weary, tired, and needs some peace. I've made sure he found it. That's all. There are no hidden agendas here. So, don't start seeing any."

"I get it," Nate conceded, "I assumed I was being told everything going on with our people. I talk to the Controllers daily. Wait for a second. You mean to say that even they don't know?"

"As I said, no one does. Not even me. After I helped him, I haven't kept tabs on him. Last I saw him he was living in Birir Valley, but that was a few decades ago."

"Where the hell is that?" Nate had never heard of the place before.

"You aren't supposed to know. It's somewhere in the Himalayas," she laughed at his shock. "You know, the earth is indeed a beautiful planet, and there still exists places untouched by time. Let's say it's one of those places." She shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Is that wistfulness I detect?"

"One day," she paused, sighed, and said, "I'm going to do exactly what Zaroon did. Sometimes, the world becomes too much for me to handle." She sounded sad.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Nate said, "Okay, but let's do that in a few hundred years. And not a second before that." Sometimes, Fatim appeared like a child trying to make her way in the dark. But mostly, he feared she was living beyond her years, and her light was quickly fading away. It was one of the reasons he wanted her to meet with Waheeb. Even though his friend was often anxious and liked to stay in his head, he had an uncanny brightness that only others could see.

Fatime interrupted his line of thought. "Don't worry, I don't plan to do it anytime soon." She smiled, and it didn't reach her eyes.

"I don't even remember what we were talking about." Nate changed the subject.

"You got sidetracked with your interrogation," she looked at him pointedly.

"Sorry about that. I don't know why I assumed we have no secrets between us."

"Don't do that, please. You are acting like a child right now. You have created an entire life here. And your best friend is human. You have made your bed, and now you don't get to complain."

"Why do you dislike humans so much?" He peered at her curiously. To some extent, he understood her feelings. But her hatred toward mankind felt excessive to him.

"I don't hate humans. And I don't know why you think that. It's not even a dislike, Nate. If I'm honest, it's fear." She whispered, "I'm afraid of them."

They often talked about her feelings about humans, but she had never mentioned fear. No wonder Nate was shocked at the revelation. "They behave just like us in so many ways. What is it that scares you so much?"

"The fact that this is their planet and we are trespassing. And that we're outnumbered." She sighed and said, "And the fact that I feel guilty for calling Earth our home."

"Oh, Fatim, sweetheart," Nate was saddened by her confession. "I had no idea you felt this way. Don't you think we've earned the right to call it our home after all this time?"

"I don't know. Sometimes," she shook her head, "No, most times, I feel like an outsider. I hate this feeling."

"Then you're more human than you think." Nate smiled in understanding. "I regret that I never insisted for you to live like one. If I knew, I would've pushed you to live like me, among humans and with humans. You can learn so much from them."

"I don't know if I can, though. You know how much I hate the unknown. Our world had its ways. And I've been clinging to them like a woman drowning. I don't want to let go. Not now, and not ever."

"And that's my fault. I should've been the king my people needed—you needed," he said regretfully, meaning every word. "When this is over, I'll make sure no one feels as you do. We've lived on this planet for centuries now. This is as much our home as it is to humans. I accepted it long ago, but I never realized you didn't. I'm sorry for being so blind."

"Nah, it's okay. You've always been our rock. I don't blame you, and you shouldn't blame yourself."

That's when they heard a knock interrupting their conversation, which had taken an unexpected turn.