“Why are you defending her? She’s not who she says she is.”

I held my ground, bit my tongue. What he was saying wasn’t news to me. The simple thing about the situation was I didn’t care about her true identity.

“Why does that matter now? Look at what’s happened and tell me that a new name matters.” I said.

He shook his head—always the stubborn one. The weariness in his eyes bordered on paranoia. “It should matter, especially now.”

I stood in front of her and tried to shield her. She was only a child, an exceptional one, but to claim that she created that wasteland was a long shot.

“No. Not now, not anymore. This is the end, Cal, embrace it.”