“No alcohol,” I said loudly.
He popped back up, holding two bottles of soda. “Chill out, lady. You sound like a prison guard.”
Eve caught the bottle he tossed her way. All three kids had on their jackets. I felt fine, but Niko might have been leaking off a little heat. He sometimes did that on the sly as a courtesy. Niko had the heart of a warrior and the soul of a saint.
The twins moseyed to the back of the train where Shepherd was sleeping. Adam leaned over and cupped his hands on the glass to look out.
I twisted back around in my seat and tapped my hand on the table to get Niko’s attention. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
Carol looked lonesome sitting all by herself on the long couch across from us. She rested against the leather backing on the left and hugged her knees to her chest.
I plopped down on the other side and mirrored her position. “Is this your first time on a train?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Me too. I used to dream about hopping on a train and traveling.”
“What’s wrong with him?” she asked quietly, tipping her head toward Niko.
“He’s shy.”
“I mean, he never looks at anyone. It’s creepy.”
“Niko’s blind, that’s all. He’s a nice guy once you get to know him.”
She looked over at him again. “But he’s got swords.”
“And he knows how to use them. Never underestimate someone’s abilities. People underestimate me all the time, and it never works out in their favor.”
“What’s his Breed?”
“Mage.”
She twisted her lips and studied me. “And you’re the same?”
“Yep.”
“What’s it like? I mean, I’ve never talked to a Mage before.”
I had no clue how to answer her question. “It’s a little scary. You have all these powers you didn’t have before, and someone has to teach you how to use them. Everywhere you go, you have to worry about someone juicing your light.”
She played with a wave of her hair. “Oh. I kinda thought it would be awesome to be a Mage without having to be someone’s Learner.”
That was food for thought. When these kids got older, they could sleep with a Mage and become one without the hassle of having a Creator. Would they share the same mark? Would the Mageri allow them to exist without a Ghuardian to watch over them? So many questions. “You would still need someone to teach you all the basics. There’s a lot to learn, and training isn’t easy. I went five years without knowing how to flash.”
“So then why did you choose it?”
“I didn’t.”
Her eyes lowered. “Oh.” After a long pause, she looked up again. There was so much innocence in her eyes. “I think it would be cool to be a Shifter. I like the idea of transforming into something powerful and amazing. To be able to run fast and live free.”
“You know, it’s not a bad thing being human,” I offered. “Sometimes immortality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“But I’ll never really be free,” she said glumly. “Not as long as I’m marked. I’m always gonna have to hide.”
“Do all the kids in your orphanage feel that way?”
“I ain’t friends with a lot of them, so I don’t know. Adam and Eve don’t want to be Breed, not after being locked up their whole lives. The least the Relics could have done is let us go outside on field trips once in a while. I’ve lived my whole life looking out a window.” She shivered and blew heat into her hands.
