"Let's go," Fyr said impatiently.
The blankets shifted as the lu-ong spawn slithered under the hem of Elena's shirt, hitching a ride. He wound up her back to her shoulder and then down her right arm where he curled around her bicep.
"Don't worry, Elena. I’m here," Uncle Jin said.
Fyr gave Elena a suspicious look. "Why are you smiling?"
Elena hopped down from the bed. "Just happy to be alive, I guess."
"And that's how you're going to stay," Uncle Jin exclaimed.
The makings of another smile tugged at Elena's lips before she controlled her expression. It wouldn't do to seem too happy in the current situation. Fyr might actually start to think that she'd lost her mind.
Fyr shook his head, striding out of the room with a disgusted mutter.
"What a rude bastard," Uncle Jin grumbled. "Don't worry, Elena. You could take him if you had to."
I know, Uncle Jin, Elena answered silently, hurrying to catch up.
"You don't like me," Elena called at Fyr's back.
"I barely know you."
Elena walked beside Fyr, her hands clasped behind her. "Is it because of the other children? Are you afraid my presence means bad things for them?"
Aunt Kira used to always say that Aunt Selene had the best poker-face she'd ever seen. To most, she was inscrutable.
It made her hard to read and led some to believe she was incapable of emotion.
That wasn't the case. Elena's aunt felt deeply. Sometimes too much so. She was just better at hiding her feelings.
As a result, Elena had gotten good at reading the micro expressions of others.
It was why she noticed the faint flex of Fyr's forearms. The way the muscles in his back and shoulders tightened before he forced them to relax.
"What would you know about that?" he asked.
Elena lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. "Just a little."
Fyr stopped to face her. "You pulled your last blow."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Is this a game to you?"
Elena scowled. "Of course not."
What kind of person would dare play with life-and-death stakes?
Fyr resumed walking. "You certainly act like it."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Fyr said dismissively. "You're right, new girl. Your presence here threatens our survival. For you to live, one of us must die. Stop trying to be friends with us. If you want to survive, you'll have to do it on your own."
Fyr didn't say anything else after that, ignoring every attempt by Elena to strike up a conversation. Even when they reached the crèche, he remained stubbornly silent, disappearing into his room and leaving her standing alone in the common area.
"He has a point," Uncle Jin said softly. "These children don't have the luxury of caring about others when they can barely keep themselves alive."
