“If you like,” she said and looked up at him. “I know what you are doing.”
“Tempt you to a private location so that I can take advantage of you?”
She laughed immediately, but it died away quicker than it should have, “No, well...I really like that, too, don’t get me wrong...but I mean…” She sighed, “Thanks, for comforting me, Smoke. You are truly the best man I have ever met.”
He kissed the top of her head, “Now, Lena. We both know that man is your brother, but,” he said quickly to prevent her objection, “I don’t mind taking second to him. He is also a good man.”
“No, it’s you, my heart,” she said quietly. Then she wrapped him in her power and showed him.
Smoke, who had left his family behind for a Human wife, a sacrifice only the Kin truly understood, sat on a hill a hundred miles from the edge of the civilized world and felt like the luckiest man in creation.
-----------
“You are in my 408 class, right?” The woman asked, frowning down at the paper Mercy had given her.
“Yes, professor, and 410.”
“Doctor Everett.”
“Doctor Everett, sorry.”
“And why would I want to sign this?”
“I need your signature to enroll in your class for next fall, because I don’t meet the requirements, but I would really like to take it. You signed a similar form last semester so that I could take the two I have now.”
“You are not a member of my cluster group. What is your major?”
“Kin Studies, ma’am,” Mercy said, feeling her stomach sink.
“Kin Studies? Why are you taking pre med classes?”
“I am very interested in your field of study.”
“Why would I allow a Kin Studies major to take the seat of a student who needs my class to graduate so they can become a doctor?”
Mercy swallowed, “This will be my only opportunity to learn from one of the most respected, widely published researchers in the field. My family can’t afford more than the standard tuition, so I wouldn’t be able to go on to medical school...I am very interested in the topic…”
“Why?” She looked at the clock and put the request on her desk; she pulled two envelopes, some books and bundled papers from various stacks around the small office and started placing them in her tote.
“Human powers…”
“Energy field manipulation,” the woman prompted. She rolled her eyes and mumbled, “Powers, good heavens, what century are we in? Might as well say magic.”
“I’m sorry, energy field manipulation is something so new and exciting, but also a mystery, since the numbers of people born…”
“Manifestation rates.”
“The manifestation rates are higher than at any recorded time in history, and seem to be increasing, according to the paper you published last spring…”
“I know what I wrote in my own paper…” She checked the petition, “Korine?”
“Karin, Doctor Everett.”
The woman sighed and, after a slight hesitation, leaned over and signed the paper. “All right, although I doubt your humanities background will help you with the science and math required to keep up in this course. I want you to get the texts for the prerequisites you should have taken and read them over the summer. Also, do not expect any help from me or my assistants. That is for serious students, only. I’m not spending any time catching you up on things you were supposed to have learned before you even walked in the door. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you Doctor Everett.”
“You’re welcome. I have a class, so you need to leave.”
“Thank you again,” Mercy said, backing out of the room and automatically bowing. She caught herself in the middle of it and straightened up quickly, looking to see if the woman had noticed the polite Kin mannerism. The professor, however, was concentrating on maneuvering her tote around the desk, irritably complaining about cheap wheels and the absolute futility of buying products from a certain region of the continent.
Mercy quickly turned and strode down the hallway. Since she had waited so long just to get in to see Doctor Everett, she only had fifteen minutes to get to her next class and review for the quiz the professor had threatened them with. So far, she had been able to pass all her courses with better than average grades, but she had worked hard for each one; she was constantly pushing herself to study when she was tired, organize her time so that she wasn’t rushing, and clear her mind so that she could focus on what she needed to learn.
All these things she had learned to do in the last few years, from her father, Scythe, Smoke, and the other Kin living with them. Even though they weren’t her family, the Kin felt obligated to assist her when they could. It was strange, but, even though she went from going to school nearly all day in the city to working with tutors for half as many hours, she had entered a time of feverish, intense study that turned out to be far more effective than what she had done before. Before their move to the country, she was a girl who went to school. After a very short adjustment period, she became a serious student. And, after a year of that level of academic training, she was easily as accomplished as any of the honor students from her old life that used to blow her out of the water with no problem.
She ran into the door at the end of the hallway when a light push wasn't enough to make it swing open. She hadn’t slowed down on her way out because she didn’t expect it to remain closed, so a small squeak escaped her when her body crashed into it. It wasn't until she jiggled the handle and gave it a little shove that it swung open. On her way out, she noticed that a cup had been thrown down and become jammed under the door. She yanked on it until it came free and stepped out into the sunlight, shading her eyes from its sudden glare. She slipped to the side, easing past a surprised pair of young men who were just coming up the stairs, “Excuse me,” she said automatically, lifting up her hand, palm outward.
“Hey, wait a minute,” one called after her, but she didn’t even turn around. Here, in this life that she could only loosely call hers, she wasn’t free to be polite, or have close friends, or even consider a relationship, although that hardly interested her. Every contact was a risk, a line back to her. Scythe had taught her some of the ways that he tracked people down; he had shown her that the more connections someone had, with people, with businesses, with systems like schools or other organizations, the more likely it was that someone looking would come across one, and follow it back to their target. So she focused on her objectives and kept to herself as much as possible, with the exception of one study partner in each class to help her out if she needed it. She had found that if she was busy enough, she could avoid the loneliness. During the day, anyway.
She followed the path into a little covered walkway that spanned two of the older buildings on campus. Three fourths of the way down it, she heard them. She turned her head and looked back. The same men from the science building were just stepping into the shade.
Seeing that they had been spotted, they waved, trying to get her attention. “Hey, can we talk to you a minute?” one yelled.
She said firmly, turning away again and increasing her pace, “I’m late. And I’m not interested.”
“You don’t even know…”
The door closed behind her. She didn’t stop until she had made it to her classroom. She threw the cup away and hurried to her seat. Watching the door, she pulled out her books, study guide and notes. When she didn’t see them appear, she held up her notes so that she could see movement by the door in her peripheral vision, and began reviewing.
No connections, positive, neutral or negative, but especially negative. That was the rule.
After class, she made sure to leave in a group of classmates and checked to see if either one of the men was hovering outside, waiting for her. It was unlikely, but she had been taught to be sure. Seeing that no one was around, she headed over to the dorms to drop off her things and eat before her last class of the day.
Chapter 4
Scythe’s father crouched down next to Scythe at the low table where he was busily working. He watched him make another adjustment to the model train in front of him and then asked, “How is it coming along, son?”
“Look at this.” Scythe picked up the engine, flipped it over and pushed a small metal tab slightly to the right until it made contact with two wires. The wheels started moving and when Scythe put the train back down on the table, it sluggishly moved forward. The small motor immediately began making a high pitched sound and the train slowed to a crawl and then stopped.
“That’s pretty impressive, Scythe. Where did you get the motor?”
“It’s not impressive, it’s a disaster,” Scythe grumped, picking up the engine and flicking the metal tab. The motor stopped with an appreciative sigh. He laid it down next to the book he had been referring to on the table, Practical Electronics. “I need a better motor than this one, but the space is too small to fit a bigger one and I would need a stronger battery to power anything larger and there is definitely not room for that. Besides, a larger motor and battery would just be heavier, anyway...”
“It’s not even a motorized toy, son. It is a big enough accomplishment just getting it to run, don’t you think?”
“No.”
“Of course not,” he chuckled. “Again, you obtained the motor from…?”
Scythe hunched forward guiltily. “Your toothbrush.”
“Ah. I was wondering about that. It did feel a little lighter this morning. And then there was the matter of the broken casing that was taped back together…”
“It still works. Just wiggle your hand.”
Scythe, who was standing across the table from them smiled at the way his father laughed heartily at his son’s response and informative demonstration.
A host of voices from the party pushed their way into the small study from the family room, making it difficult to hear the soothing music that danced quietly throughout the room. Occasionally, people would glance in as they walked by, but they hurried on their way once they saw what was inside.
“Wouldn’t you like to spend time with the family? It isn’t healthy for you to stay in here alone, son. I want you to come play with your cousins. Some of them came from as far as the Capital. We won’t see them again until the New Year.”
Scythe shrugged. “They don’t like me.”
“You are family. They love you. That is the Kin way.”
“Is it?” Scythe pushed away the train and turned his whole body until he was facing his father fully. “I don’t think it is.” He wasn’t defying the man. He didn’t speak in anger or with disappointment. As he had done with the train, he was trying to show his father what he knew.
The man frowned. He took his son’s arms gently but firmly in his hands and said with conviction, “It is the Kin way, and, more importantly, it is our way.” He stared at his son, refusing to back down on his words, until the boy finally nodded reluctantly. He stood and held out his hand. “Come, make an effort...even if no one else does.”
Scythe took his father’s hand and gripped it tightly. He stood up and walked with him to the door.
The man said proudly, “That’s my boy. Face it straight on, son.”
Scythe nodded and stared into the room full of family. He knew them all, but few of them knew him. His face was smooth and watchful, but his heart was beating madly. His free hand had curled into a soft fist at his side.
“I can’t stay here, because it will make it worse, right?”
“That’s right. The Kin do not play alone, not when the home is filled with family.”
“Okay.” He saw one of his cousins that wasn’t as bad as the others and stepped into the room, letting go of his father’s hand.
Your father was a good man.
Yes.
I like him. Show me more.
-----------
Mercy stepped out of her room, automatically checking the corridor before pulling the door closed behind her. She reached up and grabbed the bagel that was sticking out of her mouth, pulling on it slightly with her teeth and chewing on the large piece she bit off. She loved bagels; they were one of the handful of foods that could only be guaranteed to be of an acceptable quality if they were found in the city, so she made a habit of making a habit of them when she was at school.
Aside from being delicious, especially with a big spoonful of peanut butter spread between the toasted halves, it gave her the boost she needed after another early morning vision had sapped her strength. This one was centered on a girl from her school, and it was particularly disturbing. In it, the girl was running, either away or toward something, and she was in a panic. Those types of visions always left Mercy with a sick feeling, because she never knew if she should be doing something about them. It wasn’t like her life was flexible enough for her to go running around on the off chance the future she had seen was something both real and dangerous somehow. She knew what she was supposed to do, which was nothing, per her 'leave no footprints' mandate, but that didn’t make her feel any better about it. In fact, it kind of made her feel worse.
On some days, when she was particularly thoughtful, like she had been for a while after taking her first philosophy course, she wondered if it was even right to intervene when she believed negative things might happen. After all, some of the most terrible things that had happened to her had ended up having profound and definitely positive effects on her life. The terrorist attack that caused the death of an old family friend had brought Scythe into their lives again, the persecution of powered Humans by the Kin had forced them to find a better life in hiding than the one they had experienced being free, and she had discovered how strong she could be only after Cord pushed her into the type of corner she never would have been exposed to in her safe life in the city. She had come to realize that she was in some ways indebted to Cord, for helping her find her own self confidence and the drive to strengthen herself. It messed with her mind, to think that interfering with people’s destinies could actually rob them of the benefits that sometimes came from tragedies, so she tried not thinking about it. She was only about thirty-two percent successful.
As she turned onto the landing just above the first floor, she stopped and then descended slowly toward the man who was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, leaning up against the wall with his legs stretched across the step.
“Reese,” she said, drawing out the name and enjoying the way it made his eyes and mouth droop simultaneously. “You’re up early. Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping through your first class?”
“I thought I’d put in a cameo. I’m pretty sure the professor has gone off his heart medication by now, so it’s time for me to show up and liven things up a bit again.”
“But, Reeeesse,” she stopped on the step just above him and nudged his leg with her foot. “You might pass if you show up.”
He stood up, smooth and quick, reminding her of someone else, except that person wouldn’t have rudely stood so close to her. A step below her, he was tall enough, or she was short enough, that it put them face to face.
“You know, I’m not really worried about it, one way or the other. I’m just a babysitter, anyway. And, stop calling me that.”
She felt his breath on her face, but wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of backing up.
Instead she moved in a little, crowding him, and whispering, “Oh, that’s right, you prefer names a little more kickass, right?”
She knew right away that she had gone too far, because he didn’t do his normal thing: shrug it off and pretend nothing mattered. No cute comeback, no middle finger, just a tightening around the eyes and lips, and the all over stillness that meant he was deciding if it was worth it or not to take it to the next level.
She already knew she didn’t want to go there today, not with class in twenty minutes and another quiz to review for, so she lifted her hands in an easy surrender and slid past him, opening the door for him so that she wouldn�
�t have to give him her back. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I admit, that was bitchy. I know...I already said I would try to not be such a...what?...oh, yeah...harpy while we are at school, but you just bring that out in me.”
Cord eased back into his skin and went ahead of her, giving her the eyebrow that let her know how smug he was that she had backed down. She rolled her eyes at him. He could be such a baby.
Her mom and dad had taken turns chaperoning her to school for her first few semesters, which had been great, since they didn’t have much else to do in the city but cook and be available if anything went wrong; she had really eaten well in those days. Since there had not been even the hint of a bump in the road in all the time she had been attending school, they had agreed to let Cord’s first solo assignment be to take their place. She had been as surprised as he had been, and not a little perturbed, since they didn’t get along well, and her parents’ cooking was really exceptional.
So far they hadn’t had any problems and he seemed to be behaving himself, so she guessed it was working out okay. Although she wouldn’t admit it to him, she was ultimately glad to not be that far from home by herself; she still preferred his irritating presence to being by herself.
“So why the morning visit?” she asked when it was clear he was going to walk with her instead of go to his class, which was in the opposite direction.
“No reason, just doing my job,” he said.
“Ah, okay, whatever.” He hadn’t walked with her once since the first week of term, but he apparently wasn’t in the mood to explain. She probably shouldn’t have provoked him.
She ignored the three young women they passed who were sitting at a table having their morning coffee fix and making no attempt to hide their stares: appreciative ones for him and mean spirited ones for her. She glanced over at Cord and caught him winking at one of them.
Halfblood Legacy Page 7
