Chapter 4: The Rain and the Reveal

The mission shifted into a night interdiction. An hour in, the sky opened up. It was a monsoon-level deluge. We scrambled into a small cave opening.

The water was relentless. It washed over my face, over my neck. I felt the heavy foundation beginning to melt, the tan pigment running down my neck in muddy streaks. I tried to use my scarf to cover myself, but it was soaked through.

"Ramírez, you’re bleeding," Jax said.

"I'm not," I said.

"Then what's that?" Thorne stepped forward and grabbed the scarf away from my face.

The makeup was gone. The stark, snowy-white patches of vitiligo on my jaw and neck were visible to everyone. The silence was louder than the thunder outside.

"The Witch really is a freak," Thorne breathed. "Look at her."

I looked at James. He was standing three feet away. He didn't look shocked. He walked toward me and took his thumb, wiping away a remaining streak of makeup on my cheek.

"You're a soldier, Ramírez," he said, his eyes locked on mine. "And I don't care if your skin is purple, green, or spotted."

He turned to the men. "If I hear the word 'Witch' or 'freak' again, that soldier will be walking back to Titan alone. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir," the room echoed.

James turned back to me. For a split second, the "Ice King" melted. His eyes searched mine, and I saw the fear and the admiration he’d been hiding. Then, he blinked, and it was gone. "Fix your gear, Specialist. We move when the rain stops."

He walked to the mouth of the cave, standing guard, pretending to the world that he felt absolutely nothing.