If there had ever been a day when Jenne felt part of Schemel’s family, it was today. Both he and Ashey, along with the Renna Dossi, stood before the gathered Gallant family in Tenrad’s home that evening. He had been here a few times and was quite used to them, though this was the first time he had been here when Tenrad himself was absent.

  What Jenne liked about the place was the warm, welcoming feel of Tenrad’s home. While most of the exterior was layered with stone, the semi-detached houses were mostly made of wood and glass. Facing a blackout, they had lanterns hanging on the posts of almost all their doors. Violet hexes illuminated the floors of the kitchen and the hallway that led to the washrooms.

  After settling into a guest room for each, Ophel, Tenrad’s wife, asked them to return for dinner in about half an hour. The Gallant family always ate together. She also promised that Tenrad would be home soon, accompanied by Helen.

  Left alone, Jenne took a good look around his dimly lit room. The mattress lay on the floor with a single window showing the hedge outside. Not much to see. He liked it.

  He lay on the mattress, listening to the sounds of feet clambering up and down the hallway. Voices would stop to whisper and giggle behind his door. An older voice scolded what might have been children for bothering Jenne so much. They called him Fury and asked if he would show them a trick. It had been so long since he'd slept with noise around. Back at his real home, the neighbours were seldom quiet.

  Jenne closed his eyes and relished the moment: clanking pans, rushed conversations, sizzling stew, and the like. What he would give for the mundane.

  A knock rattled the lean door. Without answering, it slid open. Ashey walked in, still in her funeral dress. The dim light of a phone screen illuminated her face. To be honest, he wanted to be left alone until tomorrow; he did not have the energy to talk. Ashey was growing closer to him every day, a habit bound to be exacerbated by today’s events.

  Without saying anything, she pressed her phone to his nose, making him lean back until he was flat on his back. She flopped beside him, setting herself up like the next puzzle piece.

  “Here,” she said. “I want you to read what I’ve written so far.”

  “For the family record?”

  “Yup.”

  “You have your whole life to write it down,” he said, taking her phone away. “Why the hurry?”

  “Just read.”

  After a brief skim, he was relieved to find that the passage wasn’t too long. Anytime he began to actually read it, Ashey would distract him by breathing on his neck. She had found a way to interloop her arm with his. He wished for those gardening tools the Dossi used to scrape off unwanted weeds from the nursery. He would have used one to scoop Ashey off him.

  “I met my father today. It turns out my grandma has been lying to me all along. When I first saw him, I thought he was kind of cute even though he was dressed funny. But he turned out to be a maniac and I never want to see him again.”

  She nodded as if to say she had indeed written this.

  “Ashey, can I ask you something?” he said. “Aren’t you bothered by knowing who your father is?”

  “Not really. If he cared about me, he would have been in my life a long time ago. I’m grateful for my grandma and Aunt Terry and you, I guess. I don’t need him.”

  “You added me to the list,” he said. “Ashey, that’s insulting to your grandma and your aunt, especially since you barely know me.”

  “What don’t I know about you?”

  He smiled at that. Jenne wanted to ask if she knew whether or not he had a brother, but that wouldn’t be fair to her. She was familiar with him as the boy called Jenne. Ashey understood almost everything about him as such.

  He continued reading.

  “My friends Hamis and Jenne saved my life again, and as always, I hated it. I don’t hate that they saved me. No, I’m really, really, really happy that they saved my life. It’s just that I don’t like being the one who’s always getting saved. It kind of makes me feel a bit useless.”

  Jenne dropped the phone on his chest and turned his head to meet hers. The tips of their noses brushed. She had the power to blend in with her environment when she was embarrassed.

  “I’m finding the tallest building I can jump off tomorrow, and you’ll have to swoop in and catch me at the last second,” he said. “We’ll call it even then.”

  “Don’t tease me.” She thumped him in the ribs.

  What had they been talking about before? He fumbled for her phone, remembering the essay she’d written. He stopped reading at once.

  Jenne shouted, “We can see you.”

  Giggles rattled the door. A group of children stumbled over each other as it slid open.

  “God,” Ashey squirmed. “Were you spying on us?”

  “You two are disgusting,” the oldest of them said. Jenne had forgotten how many daughters Tenrad had. When the others chimed in to berate Ashey and Jenne for being dirty, he did not bother arguing back. Ashey, on the other hand, was fighting a losing battle.

  “We were just lying on the bed,” Ashey muttered. “Look, my clothes are on. Nothing happened.”

  “We’re telling Father when he comes home.”

  “Get out,” Ashey snapped at them.

  “So you can kiss again?” one said, and they started making kissing noises in front of them. A pillow flew and smacked the oldest in the face. A woman’s voice barked from somewhere in the house, and they scrammed. At least, almost all of them.

  The tiniest of them stayed behind with a canvas nearly as large as she was. Jenne doubted she had learned how to talk yet, judging by the wrinkles on her kneecaps.

  “Hey, you.” Ashey snapped her fingers at her. “What are you still doing here? Follow your sisters.”

  “I wanted to show Jenne my painting.” She could talk—quite well, actually. “Mom says it’s okay.”

  “Jenne’s busy right now,” Ashey said. “Come back later, okay?”

  “I’ll take a look,” said Jenne, shocked but not surprised by Ashey’s behaviour. Expecting a cute drawing may have been wrong on Jenne’s part because the girl had painted a masterpiece. Even without enough light to see the fullness of the painting, he could tell this was no small feat. Ashey shut her mouth in awe, as had Jenne.

  He had heard about pointillism and seen samples in New Crest textbooks. This piece depicted Tenrad by a lakeside with three other girls, two elderly Gallants, Lady Ophel, and another woman whom Jenne did not know. Everyone was in fishing gear.

  “No way you did this,” said Ashey. “Who painted it?”

  The girl had the wild, curly hair Ursel had, with a red streak running through it. She did not strongly resemble Tenrad, aside from the violet eyes and semi-stout build.

  “This is impressive,” said Jenne. “Your family is huge.”

  “No, it’s not,” she giggled. “My father says it should be bigger.”

  “Bigger? I’ve heard him complain about how many mouths he has to feed.”

  “He complains about everything, but he enjoys things too. You just have to force him to do it.”

  “It must never be boring here.”

  “Jenne,” Ashey called, nudging him in the ribs. “She has to go. They’re probably looking for her.”

  The girl waited for permission from Jenne to speak, while keeping an eye on Ashey. Finding comfort in him, she asked, “Where is your family?”

  “She is sitting right next to me,” he said, smiling at Ashey.

  “Ashey is not your real family,” the girl said. “Where is your family? Your mother and father and sisters and brothers?”

  “I do have siblings, yes,” he said. “They live with my parents, and they are very happy to have me here. I pray for them all the time.”

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  “Okay, bye,” Ashey said, cutting the girl off. She took the canvas from Jenne and led the little girl out of the room. Closing the door behind her, she leaned on it and let out a sigh of relief. “I thought she’d never leave.”

  With her phone in his hand, he finished the last paragraph, seeing words but no meaning behind them. He gave her phone back, and she stood there, wondering whether he wanted her to stay or go.

  Headlights flashed through his room. A car pulled up outside, and Helen, Tenrad, and Ursel stepped out. Smoke oozed from their dusty, ripped-apart jackets. Helen’s hair stood on end, frizzed by lightning. She looked right through Jenne, brushed him aside, and went over to hug Ashey.

  “I’m so sorry, dear,” she said, kissing Ashey on the head.

  “Is Mom okay?” Ashey asked.

  “God, I don’t know where to begin.”

  Ursel slapped a hard hand on Jenne’s shoulder, chuckling with a glimmer in her eyes. “You’re one hell of a soldier,” she said. “But you should’ve seen me today. I killed a hundred men with my bare hands. Those Sexites sure do scream. Makes me want to get back to training as soon as I can. Man, where is Jay when you need him? Haven’t seen him, have you—”

  “Ursel,” Tenrad boomed. “Get inside and get changed.”

  “Sure, I’m going.” She shook her wild hair free, and debris sprinkled onto the ground. Ophel walked out of the house, saw Ursel, and gasped, horrified.

  “You told me you were on the rescue team!” Ophel yelled at Tenrad. “What is the meaning of this? Look at her!”

  “We were fine,” Tenrad grumbled. “Eden took care of Steffen. And I heard Jenne here helped fend off Pariston as well. There were no Gaverians from the other side in our way.”

  Ursel balanced herself on Jenne while she hobbled, kicking off her shoes. The stench forced Jenne to hold his breath. Noticing his sharp intake of air, Ursel tied her laces together and hung her boots around his neck. It was Ophel who finally got Ursel to behave, chasing her oldest daughter inside the house.

  All the children sprinted outside, overwhelming Tenrad with questions, hugs, and cries of “I missed you.” He peeled them off one at a time and asked them to behave. He would attend to them shortly after speaking to Jenne. It was a chore to get everyone back inside.

  Once everyone was gone, Tenrad groaned as he took a seat on the steps. Jenne followed suit, knowing this was going to be a long talk.

  “You haven’t changed out of your clothes yet,” he said. “I asked my wife to get you something to wear. Have you eaten? Has she given you a place to sleep?”

  “We came when she was under a lot of pressure,” Jenne said quickly. “And the blackouts aren’t helping.”

  Tenrad calmed down. “This week has been a real tragedy,” he said. “It is not fair for you to pay for the folly of our elders. I will try my best to make it up to you. From now on, until I make it legal, this will be your new home.”

  “What happens to Ashey?”

  “She and her grandmother will be staying with Mariel for the time being,” said Tenrad. “It looks increasingly unlikely that Ashamel will be reunited with her mother. Jenne, you may not understand now, but Schemel does not have your best interests at heart. This is a home, and you will find the people here to be loving and supportive. If you want to continue your training as a Gaverian, I will be there to train you. If you want to attend regular school, I will arrange for that. Do not, at any moment, think of yourself as a burden to us.”

  “I don’t know what to say, Ren Gallant.” He did, and it was bitter. There was nothing he wanted more than to climb up the hill, run back onto the street, and find Hanna. A sensation tingled in his neck. Jenne shut his eyes and seethed, rubbing his hand over the brand. He would never leave Ashey. Never.

  Aside from the cloud of morbidity hanging over their heads, dinner was pleasant. Ashey had not spoken a word since her grandmother’s arrival. Jenne was no better, and he longed to be alone in bed.

  Ursel lent him a large t-shirt and a pair of sleeping trousers. He lay down to sleep and thought back to the dinner he had just had: a large family of friendly faces, people who supported and cared about him. He could face the facts. God had answered his prayers and brought him home, after all.

  Someone knocked on his door. It opened, and Ashey walked in. Having burrowed from Ursel, she was also in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

  “Are you ready to have some fun?” she said, placing her hands together. “Tenrad took the girls out for a walk. I thought we could take a stroll on our own. Maybe we could dip into the pool for a while.”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Fine, we can do something else.” She joined him in bed, and they nestled together. His longing for sleep slipped away.

  He stood up from the bed, heading for the door. She followed him, making him stop.

  “I need some time alone. Please, don’t follow me.”

  She stopped, and he walked off, getting outside to catch some air. He dropped onto the stairs and frowned at the moon, which did nothing but stare back in confusion. The moon had done nothing to earn Jenne’s fury.

  Where would he have been by now had it not been for this silly setback? His family was in trouble, and he had to be stuck babysitting. He should get to Verimae for help. Tenrad’s house was not so far away from— the brand sizzled on his neck. He seethed. He formed his fist as hard as he could.

  Helen leaned on a wooden pillar, a glass in hand. She had changed out of her work clothes into a nightie. Her hair was done well, and she was back to her clean, scowling self.

  “What do you have to be vexed about?” she asked, licking her lips. “Ashey’s got you in a sour mood.”

  Jenne shuddered her off. He was not in the mood.

  “You’ve been doing this for half a year?” she said.

  “Try living with her for nearly fifteen years. Most don’t last longer than a month, so I’ll say you’ve done better than I expected.”

  The longer he stayed silent, the quicker she went away.

  “In preschool, she never shared the toys, always shoving the other children, biting and screaming… the same things she does today, basically. Point is, Ashey’s been troubled for a long time. She never made any meaningful friends growing up. There was Marla. She liked Ashey, up until they got into a fight over a boy. I can’t recall much—you know how girls are. They should’ve made up, but Ashey kept her vow and moved on to other people. Petty fights, jealous jabs, silly things. There was one who stayed around for very long, but I had to intervene and get him out of her life.”

  “Nicholas.”

  “Yes, he was quite a monster,” Helen said. “I never liked him. He set rules for Ashey and, when she broke them, he threatened her with abandonment. I blame him for the way she is now—scared to be alone. He was the one who made her aware of it. It was particularly horrifying when I caught her stripping in front of her phone earlier this year. That’s what made me get rid of him.”

  “How?”

  “I own half the land in this country,” she said. “Nicholas and his family couldn’t pay for their home anymore, so they moved and moved until I sent them across the sea.”

  “Wasn’t that a bit too much?”

  “I married a Sorel, love. I’ve been doing a bit too much all my life.”

  “I remember once when I spoke to Schemel, she told me to get her ascender friends. She paid for Hamis to spend time with her, but that didn’t last long. Long story short, it’s been kind of a mess until you showed up.”

  “Isn’t Ashey trying to be my friend just because Renna asked her to?”

  “At first. But she genuinely likes you now. You remind me of him, you know?”

  “Nicholas?”

  “God, no. My husband.” Helen sipped from her glass. “Ashel was kind to Schemel when no one else was. He had the same sentiments about everyone. Frennie convinced the nation that earthens were heathenistic beasts, but Ashel was stubborn. He made up his own mind and came to his own conclusions. You see something in Ashey that others don’t. You have Ashel’s patience.”

  “Oh.”

  “Ashamel is a mess, but you’ve made her better,” she said. “Listen now, and listen carefully. The day you leave her, she will be heartbroken, and it will be all your fault.”

  “I thought you were about to thank me.”

  “Thank you? For not taking advantage of my granddaughter?”

  “That’s not what I meant.” Why bother? “I’m not going to leave Ashey.”

  “And it’s not just because you can’t?” Helen cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, I know about your little spell.”

  “No,” Jenne lied. “I’m not leaving because I don’t want to.” She scoffed, taking a sip from her glass.

  Spending this long with Helen made him appreciate Ashey’s company. He got up and went back to his room. Jenne’s walk slowed to a halt. He thought back to the last time he’d snubbed Ashey—the day when she hit her head on the fountain. Jenne hurried to his room to find… no one. He skipped over to Ashey’s room. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed. A flat board lay on her lap, and on it was a piece of paper. Using the torch at the back of her phone, she wrote, stopping when she noticed someone had walked in on her.

  “I thought you had an accident,” he said.

  Ashey stuck a thumb in her mouth and said, “Papercut. It’s fine.”

  “What are you writing?”

  “It’s supposed to be a letter, but I didn’t want it to be in text. It feels more sophisticated this way.”

  “What for?”

  She considered answering before sealing her lips to focus. He got over to her bed when she pointed her pen at him, warning him not to get any closer. Ashey’s teeth were out, and she couldn’t help but giggle. With ease, he battered her hands away and snatched the paper, which she tried to grab back, but failed.

  There was nothing to read. Not that the paper was empty—there was nothing discernible on it. Cancellation after cancellation. Scribbles and ugly stick drawings. Blotches of tears. Jenne pretended to read,

  “This letter is a reflection of my heart. There is so much I want to say, and I’m struggling to tell you. I am scared that I will lose you, the only friend I care about. I don’t understand why the more I try to impress you, the more it looks like I’m pushing you away.

  “I can’t stand seeing you with other people because it makes me feel like they are better than me, and you’ll end up realising that I’m a loser compared to them. What I forget is that you don’t like me because of my gorgeous hair, or incredible make-up routine, or my baking skills, or good sense of humour. Maybe you like me because I’m me. No matter how cool a four-year-old's painting may be, you’ll choose my stick drawing all the time.”

  “That’s sweet, Jenne, but it’s not at all what I wanted to say.”

  Ashey tapped the mattress, and he sat facing her, clutching his letter.

  “What is it?” he asked. “What do you want to tell me?”

  “What’s your name?” she said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “What’s your real name, Jenne?”

  “Jeromy,” he said. “Jeromy Shepherd.”

  “Do you have brothers and sisters?”

  “I have an older brother. His name is Maselli. He was my first, and for a long time, my only friend. We are nothing alike though. Maselli liked to go places with Hanna, while I loved staying home with E… Ellie.”

  “Who is Ellie?”

  “Our cat.”

  “You never told me you had a cat?” she said. “How come I don’t have a cat?”

  “Because they’re crazy expensive, but mine was a stray, so it was okay.”

  “How about your mommy? What’s she like?”

  “Mari does everything for us,” he said. “She’s kind of like Victoria.”

  “Who is Victoria?”

  “Your Renna Dossi,” he said. “She’s been with you at the Sorel estate pretty much all your life.”

  “That’s her name?”

  “Yes. She’s just like my mom. But Mari can hold a grudge for a long time. I have, like, three aunties she doesn’t talk to anymore.”

  “Do you miss them?”

  “Blackwood? Of course not. Blackwood is not as great as you think. The whole place is dirty. You never go anywhere. No malls, no theatres.”

  She took a good, long look at him and said, “Liar.”

  “I’m not lying,” he said. “I’m never going back.”

  Ashey crept on her knees and put her hands on his cheeks. Before she could break down into tears, she embraced him around the neck, holding him for a very long time. She did cry, silently, making it hard for him to keep his own eyes dry.

  “Please come back,” she said. “Promise me you’ll come back.”

  “I will,” he promised.

  “As soon as you can.”

  “I promise.”

  As he raced down the streets, sprinting to the Ring, he barged into traffic—Tenrad, his wife, Ursel, and his many daughters. He had no excuse prepared. In a sudden display of light, he dashed across saucers, crafting them as he ran over their heads. Jenne landed on the tarred road and punched buttons on the dashboard. Anywhere. He could start from anywhere. The Ring warmed, and a portal opened. Tenrad and Ursel ran after him.