Chapter 6

  The weekend couldn’t pass fast enough. When I dropped Taylor off Friday afternoon, she was quiet but gave me a lingering hug goodbye on the front porch. As I was heading home, I stopped by the library and asked if they needed any help over the holidays. I was lucky enough to run into my old supervisor, Mrs. Andreas, who was pleased to see me. I was still in the payroll system, so she reactivated me and told me she already had shifts for me to cover that weekend and the following Wednesday. She wanted me to check back with her on Wednesday, so she’d have time to contact staff members who’d been denied time off for the holidays due to staffing.

  “Why are you having so much trouble with staffing?” I asked her.

  She sighed. A short trim older woman with grey hair and eyes, she looked wearier than I’d ever seen her over the summer. “We hosted a travelling exhibition this fall concerning the Holocaust. It was initially well received in the community, but since then certain parties have let their displeasure be known. We’ve had some disreputable types hanging around, especially in the evenings, harassing the staff.” She paused. “Nothing overt, mind you, and nothing we can really take to the police. But if you prefer to avoid the situation, I will understand.”

  I shook my head. “Screw those guys, I need the money.”

  “Very well,” Mrs. Andreas said with a faint smile. “There are some revised security policies I’ll go over with you when you come in tomorrow. And thank you.”

  “Thank you,” I replied. At least I’d be too busy to brood this weekend. I wasn’t kidding about the money either. While I theoretically had enough to support my mac and cheese habit until next summer, I needed to get something for Taylor and Danny for Christmas. And maybe something small for Jared. He’d given me some good advice over the semester.

  After that, I made my way back to the Landry’s in time for dinner. The chore chart said I needed to retrieve the garbage cans, so I did while Jared helped Mrs. Landry finish prepping a large pot of chili. That done, I distributed the folded laundry to everyone’s rooms and emptied the hampers. I started a load and let one of the younger fosters know it was going. Since that was technically their job, they didn’t complain. I knew they were studying for a make-up exam they’d missed due to illness.

  I kind of zoned out through dinner and the wash-up after. I still wasn’t sure how I would explain some of the more bizarre elements of my past. Hell, mentally I was a couple or three years older than my apparent age. Though given my immaturity and crappy study habits I’m not sure if that even counts anymore.

  As I tried to fall asleep, I finally asked myself the right question. Did I trust Taylor enough to give me a fair hearing? Put that way, the answer was simple. I knew I could, so whatever happened, happened.

  O*O*O

  I slept as late as I was allowed on a weekend, which wasn’t very. So, I had plenty of time to shower and dress before I had to head over to the library. Mr. Landry asked where I was going with a suspicious look but seemed surprised when I said I was picking up a shift at the Brockton Bay Central Library. The weather outside was cold and overcast, but it still felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the building where I slept.

  I arrived early and Mrs. Andreas briefed me in on the new security measures. Basically, no one worked closing alone anymore, and no one went to the employee parking lot after dark by themselves. A speed dial entry for the Brockton Bay Police Department had been added to all the phones for situations that didn’t quite require 911.

  To my surprise, I wasn’t re-shelving anymore. I was working at the check-out desk with her. It soon became apparent why, because we were busy as hell. With the younger kids out on break and college students visiting home, a lot of people were looking for free reading material. Reshelving returned books now happened in the mornings and late evenings when it was slower.

  This suited me down to my toes, because I could immerse myself in the moment and stop worrying about Monday. By the time the rush ended, it was nearly ten p.m. We were closing soon, so Mrs. Andreas gathered all the employees up and made sure no one left until we were all ready to leave. The four of us all left via the side entrance toward the gated employee parking lot. On the corner, I could see a number of figures watching us. In the admittedly poor lighting, it looked like they were sporting Empire Eighty-Eight colors. I was scowling at them when Mrs. Andreas caught my attention.

  “Are you planning to walk home?” she asked incredulously.

  “Or take the bus if it’s running,” I replied.

  “After I told you about those thugs,” she added in a flat voice.

  I shrugged. “It’s not like I have a lot of options,” I said.

  “Get in,” she commanded briskly. When I hesitated, she added, “or I’ll take you off the schedule.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” I capitulated, walking around to the other side of her hatchback as the group approached. The engine caught immediately as I climbed in, and she sped out of the parking lot before they got too close. The automatic gate closed behind us.

  After we were a few blocks away, Mrs. Andreas asked where I lived.

  “You can just drop me here, I’ll be fine,” I said as the heater struggled to warm the frigid car.

  “Nonsense. I can’t believe you didn’t at least make arrangements to get picked up,” she said.

  “That’s not something my guardians would be up for,” I replied coolly.

  “I see. Well, as your manager and a responsible adult, I will be seeing that you make it home. So, the sooner I know where to take you, the sooner I can get home myself.”

  I sighed and gave in to the inevitable.

  When we pulled up in front of the Landry’s, I stopped before I exited. “Thanks for the ride.”

  She nodded. “I was glad to do so, Mr. Conner. Don’t be too proud to accept help that is freely given.”

  I took a deep breath. “Duly noted, Mrs. Andreas,” I said.

  O*O*O

  Sunday was a little awkward. Mrs. Andreas had always been very professional and business-like with me in the past. So, the unexpected favor was passing odd. But she was all business when I returned to work, even more so because two staffers had called out sick, so we were short-handed. But I was in earshot when she took one of those calls, and she was unexpectedly understanding. The group watching us leave last night was apparently larger than before, perhaps swelled by some of my classmates from Winslow, and that spooked one of the young women.

  Apparently, Mrs. Andreas did care about her employees but hid it behind a business-like fa?ade. That made a little more sense.

  Still, that left just the two of us on closing. Sunday evenings were usually not as busy at the library and the schedule reflected that. When nine o’clock rolled around, we quickly locked the doors and shut everything down. But when we left the side exit onto the small employee lot, I noticed the automatic gate had been forced open.

  “Hello, Miss Librarian,” a voice from the side called out, “Been wanting to talk to you.” Mrs. Andreas paled as I turned. Five guys stepped forward into view from the side of the building where they’d been waiting for us. There were enough skinheads and tattoos among them that I didn’t need the red and black patches on their jackets to identify their gang affiliation. But I did see one familiar face in the rear.

  “Hello Eric,” I called out loudly as I began to shrug out of my parka.

  “Eric? You know this guy? Is he one of us?” the owner of the first voice asked.

  “Conner?” Eric asked in surprise. “Shit. No, he ain’t. He goes to Winslow though.”

  I took off my parka and folded it, then tossed it to Mrs. Andreas, who was shrinking back toward the locked door. There was no way she could unlock it before they were all over us. She fumbled with the bundled fabric for a moment. My breath streamed out of my mouth as I stood warily in my shirtsleeves, hands balled into fists. I was only dimly aware of the frigid air surrounding us.

  “You looking to fight or freeze first?” the leader called out. He was well over six feet with a shaved head, wearing a leather jacket and biker boots. He pulled a chain out of his jacket, wrapping one end around his right hand.

  “The parka was a gift. I don’t want to get blood on it,” I said as I eased one foot forward, bracing myself.

  “Kirk,” Eric said quickly. “This dude’s crazy. He went after the whole track team for harassing his girlfriend-“

  “Get him!” Kirk ordered. They obediently charged, though Eric seemed a bit reluctant.

  I moved.

  I ducked as Kirk’s chain whizzed over my head. That left his midsection open, so I obliged him by burying my fist in his stomach. He staggered back, vomit erupting from his mouth. I side-stepped the knife from my left and took the high punch from the right on my shoulder. It rocked me pretty good, but I kept my footing as I backpedaled. My shoulder hurt, but it was functional.

  The knife was the priority as Eric and the last guy steadied Kirk. I lashed out a low kick at the leading ankle of the knife-wielder. It connected with a crack and buckled a little to the side. This gave me the distraction that I needed to grab the wrist of the knife-hand as he stumbled. He tried to pull back and cut me, but I instead dug my fingers into the tendons in his wrist.

  I saw stars as the right-hand guy’s next punch struck my head above the ear as I tried to move too late. Blinking, I pivoted my whole body to the right, hauling the knife-wielder off his feet and slammed him into the puncher. There was an explosive exhalation of breath, and I heard the telltale clatter of the knife hitting the pavement. I let go and stepped back again, trying to make sure I didn’t run into anything.

  My vision cleared and Kirk was still holding his stomach and heaving. My two attackers were a groaning heap on the ground. Eric looked like he’d seen a ghost, and the last guy was pulling a small-caliber pistol out of his waistband – but his hands were shaking so badly it was a wonder he hadn’t shot himself or dropped it.

  I glared at the guy with the pistol, making sure Mrs. Andreas wasn’t directly behind me. “Do you really want to escalate things?” I asked him. “Fire that gun and I will guarantee you leave in a body bag.” I was visualizing how to do it too. Kirk could be used as cover if I came in from my left side, his right. Five steps if I get a good launch. He gets one, maybe two shots off. His accuracy will be crap, even at this range.

  “Chuck,” Eric cut in. “It’s not worth it. Kirk, we were just supposed to send a message. I think they got the message, right Conner?”

  “I heard it loud and clear,” I said, eyes locked on Chuck as he tried to steady his grip on the cheap revolver. “Did you hear it, Boss?” I asked.

  “Yes, I heard the message,” Mrs. Andreas said, her voice quiet, but steady.

  “Kaiser didn’t want us to hurt anyone too bad the first time,” Kirk growled, glaring at me. “Count yourself lucky. Next time a sucker-punch won’t save you, race-traitor.”

  As the two guys on the ground groaned and started sorting themselves out, Mrs. Andreas cut around the whole melee and headed toward her car. Using the sound of her footsteps, I moved so I was always between her and the gangers. I was impressed that she kept it down to a brisk walk. I backed away as the car started and then dived in the open passenger door as she pulled up. She peeled out of the parking lot.

  As soon as we were out of sight, she immediately slowed down and let out the shuddering breath she had been holding. “Mr. Conner, with all due respect, what the hell was that?”

  I shrugged. “Aggressive negotiations?”

  “This is not a time to be flippant!” she snapped.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Andreas. I’m still winding down myself,” I admitted. “I wasn’t just going to let them do whatever they planned to do to you.”

  “While I appreciate the sentiment, the fact remains that I am an adult and your employer,” she said evenly. “My safety is not your personal responsibility.”

  “You also weren’t responsible for driving me home last night or tonight, yet here we are,” I said blandly.

  “The fact that remains is that you are a child, and as such are my responsibility. I will not have you… sacrificing… yourself on my behalf.” She seemed to pause and have difficulty continuing toward the end.

  “This isn’t about me, is it?”

  She was quiet for a long minute. “I suppose I had that coming,” she finally admitted. “I was married once. One evening as we were leaving a restaurant, we were accosted by a street criminal with a gun and forced into an alleyway. When he alluded to taking certain… liberties… with me, my Franklin grabbed for the gun. They struggled, and it went off. A day doesn’t go by when I wished he had not intervened and made me bury him.”

  I blinked. Holy hell, that was awful. I could start to see why she was so formal with everyone. She liked to keep that distance. “He was a brave man,” I ventured lamely.

  “I would trade that bravery for the rest of him a thousand times over,” she said firmly.

  “I don’t think he could have been the man you knew and not acted,” I hypothesized. “Just like I can’t be someone who would stand by and let that happen.”

  She pursed her lips. “Brave fools, but fools nonetheless.”

  That pretty much killed any conversation for a while until we were almost to the Landry’s. Mrs. Andreas stopped me as I was about to get out of the car.

  “Please do not mistake my upset for a lack of appreciation for your intervention,” she said after visibly gathering herself. “I will be taking steps to ensure that this is never to recur. I will contact city administrators to have a police vehicle stationed at the employee parking lot at closing time.”

  I nodded. “That would certainly help. Are you sure they will approve it? I keep hearing how tight the police budget is…”

  “If they do not agree,” she said, “then I will cash in my pension and move to some place safe. Like Detroit.”

  I looked at her in mounting horror. “My God, the library will fall to pieces if you leave.”

  “I suspect they are aware of that,” she agreed, “which allows me some leverage.”

  O*O*O

  I woke up a little later than normal for a weekday on Monday. Running a little later in the day was an option since we didn’t have school. So, I arrived at the Hebert’s just as Danny was preparing to leave for work. He greeted me warmly enough, but I thought I could still feel his eyes judging my intentions. I couldn’t really resent it. If, in some far-flung future, I had a daughter, I’d probably be much worse.

  We started warming up after he left. My right shoulder twinged a few times as I worked the stiffness out of the fading bruises. If Taylor noticed, she didn’t say anything. She seemed a little distracted. Finally, we started our run. The light was a bit better than we’ve dealt with lately, which was welcome. We were coming up on the shortest days of the year right before Christmas.

  There were a few more people than we’d been seeing lately, but they mainly ignored us. Which was good, because my situational awareness was crap today. This, despite the fight less than twelve hours ago. My rebellious brain was mulling over Taylor’s possible reactions to what I had to say. These ranged from the naively optimistic to the ridiculously disastrous. One thought that helped me settle myself was that at least I would know soon.

  So, I was wary, but resolute as we returned to the house and did our cooldown exercises in the living room. Taylor, still wearing that ridiculous balaclava, started to leave to take her shower, but I stopped her.

  “You realize a little sweaty hat hair isn’t going to send me screaming out of the house, right?” I asked in a teasing tone.

  Taylor sighed, then removed her glasses with one hand and pulled off the knitted headwear with the other. Her hair, once released from its messy bun, was indeed a sweaty tangled mess. She stared at me defiantly, as if daring me to tease her about it.

  Instead, I slowly reached up with my right hand and carded my fingers through the tangled hair above her left ear. I slowly lifted it away, letting it untangle without snarling or pulling. Her unfocused eyes widened a little and I wasn’t sure if her lower lip was trembling or not. Then she spun and practically ran up the stairs.

  Rhiyen 1, Taylor’s Low Self Esteem 0!

  When she came back down and told me the shower was free, Taylor had difficulty meeting my eyes. I just gave her a smile and headed up the stairs myself, holding my backpack.

  I was feeling a little smug about my well-executed compliment but soon sobered as I got under the lukewarm water. That might have been my last opportunity to do so if my revelations freaked her out. I scrubbed fiercely at my scalp, as if that would drive the negative thoughts from my mind. I’d already slept poorly worrying about what might happen. I needed to stop torturing myself, do it, and then pick up the pieces as best I could.

  When I came back down, Taylor had a plate of what smelled like tuna salad sandwiches and a couple of cokes on the coffee table. She was sitting on the couch, running a thumb along the seam on the knee of her jeans. Why was she nervous? Was she picking it up from me? In that case I needed to get a hold of myself.

  She had her math book on her lap when I sat down beside her. Not too close, but not too far either. “Before we get started,” I began, “I think there are some things we need to talk about.”

  Taylor blinked and swallowed, her eyes shiny behind the reflections of her glasses. “Oh-okay,” she said in an unsteady voice.

  “There are some things about myself that I haven’t been exactly honest about,” I continued.

  “I understand,” she said quickly, even as her face fell. “It’s not easy, even now. We can still be friends, at least?”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  Now she looked confused. “You’re not coming out?”

  I put my face in my hands. I didn’t know at this point whether to laugh or cry. “No, Taylor, I am not coming out.”

  “Then why all the talk about secrets?”

  I looked up. “I am trying to tell you things about myself that no one in the world knows. Because everything I’ve read tells me that relationships built on lies never go well.” At this point I was beyond caring that my face was bright red as well.

  “Relationships?” she asked in a small voice.

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  “Yes,” I said firmly. “And, uh, more than just the friendship we already have.” I paused. “If you are not interested, just say the word and we can avoid all this awkwardness.”

  There was a long pause as Taylor digested this. Had I misread everything?

  Then she swallowed. “I- I am,” she said, reaching out and taking my hand.

  A tension in my midsection that I hadn’t even noticed began to relax a little. “Okay, but you are allowed to change your mind. There’s some… weird… stuff.”

  Taylor didn’t say anything and just squeezed my hand.

  “I lied to the police and social services about having amnesia. You are familiar with alternate Earths, right?” I asked.

  “You mean like Earth-Aleph?” she replied, confused.

  “Kind of like that,” I answered. “I was found as a baby in the woods by my adopted father in 1982. I grew up in Glenridge, Missouri.”

  Taylor’s eyes widened in horror.

  “Don’t bother looking for it,” I continued, tearing off the Band-Aid. “There is no Glenridge, Missouri in this world. Likewise, there was no Brockton Bay in that world.” I paused. “If my memory serves,” I continued, “there was a city called Portsmouth in the same location in New Hampshire.”

  “Are you really twenty-eight years old?” she asked, her voice rising.

  “No!” I said quickly. “I died in the spring of 2000. I think. Next thing I knew, I woke up in the Bay and it’s 2010. I don’t know how I ended up here. Maybe my world runs on a different timeline. Maybe whatever brought me here took ten years to do it. I do know that I’m a little shorter than I remember being. And the doctors that examined me estimated my age to be sixteen at most.”

  It took Taylor a moment to digest all that. But when she did, she seemed to calm down a bit. “Why are you only telling me? And why only now?” she asked.

  “Because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself more than I already had,” I explained. “Then, I did some research once I got access to a library. The legal penalties for unregulated travel between earths are pretty draconian.”

  “Yeah,” Taylor agreed, “Especially after Professor Haywire almost started a war with Earth-Aleph. But it’s not like you created the situation, right?”

  I shrugged uncomfortably. Now we get into the weird part. “I also don’t like drawing attention to myself. Especially from the authorities. I never have. You see, my world never developed parahumans.”

  “None?” she asked, startled. “At all? Not even a few like Earth-Aleph?”

  “Not a single one. Not even a Scion,” I confirmed. “So, when I started doing some unusual things, my friends and I were worried I’d end up in a government lab somewhere.”

  Taylor swallowed. “What kind of unusual things?” she asked.

  “I’m faster and stronger than normal,” I replied. “Not like a cape – nowhere near those levels – but, for example, I got into a fight with some guys on the football team and trashed them. Heat and cold don’t really bother me. My senses, especially my sense of smell, are a lot sharper than normal. I started healing faster than normal as well.”

  Taylor leaned in, now totally focused on my words. “How did you discover all that?” she asked.

  “There were some disappearances around town, so over the summer I began keeping an eye out. Eventually I spotted some figures skulking around in the dark near my house. I chased after them-“

  Taylor cut me off. “You what?” she asked incredulously.

  “Hey, this was the Midwest in the late nineties. It was nothing like Brockton Bay,” I argued. “At least, until I got jumped.”

  I stopped myself. I was going into too much detail. If she wanted to know more later, that would be different. Better to cut to the chase. No matter how much it hurt.

  “To make a long story short, the guy behind the disappearances turned out to be something like a supervillain. On PHO, Sen Arashi would be a Master with aerokinetic powers as well. He’d create minions by changing people into beast-men that would serve him until dying or being wounded enough to jolt them out of it. I didn’t discover the latter until I’d already had to kill a lot of them. They were bigger and stronger, covered with fur and sharp claws. But I’d always heal up in a day or so if I didn’t lose too much blood and had enough to eat.”

  Taylor winced in sympathy. “So, all the disappearances were him recruiting?”

  I nodded, swallowing hard. The air seemed to get thicker, the more we spoke. “The bodies always turned to dust as well, so no proof for the authorities. And no closure for the families.”

  Taylor squeezed my hand. “Here, he’d get the Birdcage for sure. If not an outright kill order,” she whispered fiercely.

  I grimaced. “Easier said than done. My last memories come from him catching me and Karen near the lake.” I stopped to take a breath, feeling my face grow hot. “I tried to charge him when he used his cutting winds… but some went wide and… tore Karen to pieces,” I paused as I clamped my teeth together and inhaled through my nose. I could still hear her dying, falling to the ground in pieces. Wet pieces of meat thumping on the grass. I stared into Taylor’s horrified eyes. “I still don’t understand why she didn’t stay behind me!”

  The next thing I knew, Taylor was practically climbing into my lap and hugging my burning face to her chest. I’d like to pretend that hot tears weren’t leaking out from under my eyelids, but that would be a lie. I just wrapped my arms around her and held on. I’d never talked to anyone about that night before, and it hurt worse than I could imagine. What was happening to me?

  As the ache of regrets and recriminations ebbed, I remembered where I was, and they were replaced with the burn of shame. Taylor did not need to see me falling to pieces like this, dammit. I loosened my death grip and leaned back a little.

  If Taylor was sickened by my weakness, she was a better actress than I imagined. Her hands rested comfortably on my shoulders, thumbs rubbing little circles on my collarbones. “Was Karen your girlfriend?” she asked softly, no hint of accusation in her voice.

  “No,” I said in a defeated tone. “Maybe if I’d been less of an idiot. I think we were moving in that direction. But I was kind of a mercenary ass to her and Howard, at first.”

  “You? Mercenary?” Taylor asked curiously.

  I grimaced. “My nerds were two of the smartest kids in the school. They also got bullied mercilessly for it. I was failing and the principal had a grudge against me and my father, so I was headed for Juvie if I didn’t pass. So, I cut a deal with them. They help me study and I keep the mouth-breathers off their backs.”

  “And did you?” Taylor asked.

  I gave a pained, wistful smile. “Oh yeah. I had to knock some heads together, but it was worth it. But my ego wouldn’t let me accept that we’d become friends, so I insisted I was just honoring ‘The Deal’. But really, that all went out the window when we started investigating Sen Arashi.”

  Taylor shook her head. “I think they both knew it was a polite fiction by that point. I mean, you died trying to block that attack from hitting Karen.”

  “Well, not exactly,” I admitted. “When I realized she… was gone… my vision went red, and I started changing.”

  Taylor’s eyebrows went up. “Changing? How?”

  “I started getting scaly and sprouted two wings and a tail. Some kind of flying lizard.”

  “A flying lizard?” Taylor asked, shaking her head. “You mean, like a dragon?”

  “Yeah, a small one. Small-ish. No bigger than a car.”

  “Then what happened?” she asked, her hands squeezing my shoulders again.

  “I threw Sen Arashi around a little bit… then he turned into an Eastern dragon. A big one. Like a freight train with teeth. We both took to the air, with him chasing me. He was faster, but I was more maneuverable. I managed to tear out one of his eyes and make us both crash into the lake. I forced him to the bottom until he stopped moving. But I didn’t make it back to the surface either.”

  “And that’s how you died?” Taylor asked in a small voice.

  “My next memories are being hauled out of the bay last Summer,” I confirmed.

  “Can you do it again?”

  “Do what?”

  “Change. Here.”

  I shook my head. “I’d prefer not to. One, I’m not sure there is enough room. Two, I’m not sure how to initiate the change without being consumed with rage. And three, I have no idea how – or if I even can – change back.”

  Taylor looked disappointed but nodded. “Those are good reasons,” she agreed.

  I knew she wasn’t asking for proof, but this was such a bizarre story she had to have doubts. I know I would. “Let’s go to the kitchen,” I suggested. “I want to show you something.”

  After we got awkwardly disentangled, I led Taylor to the stove. I turned on one of the front burners and slowly lowered my bare hand into the flames. As I expected, they only felt warm and slightly ticklish. I glanced over at Taylor. Her mouth was hanging open. “I’ll never lie to you,” I promised quietly.

  O*O*O

  Taylor felt like her emotions had been tied to a runaway roller coaster, climbing, plummeting, and looping in ways she couldn’t control. She started the day brimming with a nervous excitement, anticipating the study session after their run. Then after teasing her about the balaclava, Rhiyen’s casual gesture, brushing his fingers through her sweaty hair had made her breathless, and warmth flooded her chest, her cheeks burning. She had pulled back, heart racing, embarrassment and attraction tangling in her mind like a storm. She was so flustered that she retreated to the bathroom to calm herself. The sensation lingered far longer than she liked to admit.

  She drowned the heated thoughts that his touch raised by taking a deliberately chilly shower. As she dried off, her thoughts returned to the brooding, far-off look that he’d worn through most of their morning run. A nagging anxiety twisted knots in her stomach. Something was bothering him, but she couldn’t figure out what. He had been quiet lately, more thoughtful, and sometimes she caught him staring off into space with an expression she could not quite read.

  A quiet fear took root that maybe he felt he couldn’t speak with her about it, because she was the source of the upset. She knew she wasn’t as interesting as someone else might be. The idea stung, but she couldn’t shake it—what if whatever was weighing on him included her? She didn’t want to push but hoped that he would eventually share it.

  Just when she thought she’d found her footing again, he dropped the bombshell that he had been keeping secrets. Her heart sank in unexpected disappointment. He was gay. She would be supportive, hoping they could stay friends, even if she wanted more than he could give her. Then surprise and the wings of fragile hope beat in her chest at the possibility of building a relationship with him. Why would he choose her?

  She didn’t doubt that he was telling the truth, but it was confusing. He was an accidental dimensional and time traveler from a place that didn’t have capes, yet he was practically one himself. It was just like Rhiyen to discover he had powers when chasing after shady people after dark. She wondered why he risked himself so easily. Didn’t he value his own health and safety? He was practically an amateur vigilante already.

  She hadn’t expected him to break down. Rhiyen always seemed so composed, so steady. But as he spoke, his voice cracked, his shoulders trembled, and he gripped his knees with tears streaking down his face. She hadn’t seen him so vulnerable before, and the weight of his grief at Karen’s death hit her like a wave. Her chest ached at his pain, her instincts driving her to pull him close and shield him from the world. Her heart twisted as he clung to her. He had comforted her after she found her mother’s soiled flute. She wished she could take some of his pain away. When she wasn’t sure what to do, she rubbed circles with her thumbs like her mother used to when she had a nightmare. It seemed to work, and he didn’t push her away. Returning the favor felt good after all he had done for her.

  But the roller coaster didn’t stop there. When he’d finally quieted, his quiet revelation that he wasn’t entirely human—he could change into a dragon—set her thoughts racing in a whole new direction. Burning curiosity coursed through her veins, clashing with disbelief and a thrill of wonder. She had a hundred questions but couldn’t find the words. What color was he? What did his scales feel like? Could he breathe fire?

  When he demonstrated he couldn’t be burned, it struck fully home how much he was confiding to her. He had shared his trigger event with her. She only knew one thing. She was determined to prove worthy of his trust.

  O*O*O

  When we returned from the kitchen, Taylor was quiet. When we sat down again, she took my right hand, which was only slightly warm now. As she held it, she ran her fingers along the skin, as if reassuring herself it was unmarred. After a moment, she asked, “Can you tell me about your friends?”

  I realized that I could now talk about all that happened in Glenridge, and the people that had become so important to me. Staying silent had weighed on me more than I realized, and now Taylor was offering a sympathetic ear.

  So, I told her about my adopted father, Harry-The-Hippy, about Karen and Howard, and even Tia, the young Hengeyokai girl Howard had accidentally freed from Sen Arashi’s control. I tried to keep it organized, and somewhat chronological, but it soon devolved into a rambling mess.

  She was patient throughout. She just held my hand and listened. I had no idea how much of a difference that could make. Eventually, the verbal torrent died down. I stared down at our joined hands, wondering at how relaxed and emptied I felt. I ran the pad of my thumb along the base of her thumb, feeling the smooth, cool skin under mine.

  “They sound like good people,” Taylor said into the silence that had fallen.

  “Better than I deserved,” I agreed.

  “It’s also easy to see why you hate bullies,” she added.

  I nodded. “I got bullied when I was younger and smaller by the upperclassmen whose parents hated Harry, so it’s been an ongoing thing,” I agreed. “A lot of the adults, especially at the school, were either na?ve or biased,” I said with a shrug. “Small town politics at its finest.”

  Taylor nodded without objecting. While I admired her resilience, she still learned from her experiences. Then she continued. “I suppose seeing what you did at Winslow must have been like waving a red flag in front of a bull.”

  “It was,” I agreed. “I know how much it wears on you. I never stopped hating the people that did it to me and mine.”

  Taylor frowned thoughtfully. “Rhiyen, to be honest, I have to wonder. Am I just a replacement in some way for Karen?”

  That question threw me a little, and I felt my eyebrows rise. I paused to gather my thoughts. “No, you’re not. You are a lot less naive about things. You never questioned why I kept my abilities secret. She eventually agreed, but i think she always thought I was kind of paranoid. I’m also a very different person now compared to when Karen and I first met. I was pretty much a completely self-centered asshole. Now, I’m just a partial asshole.”

  That got a snort of laughter from Taylor. “But I do sound a lot like how you describe her,” she reminded me, “Quiet. Bullied a lot.”

  “I thought about it for a moment and smiled. “Maybe I just have a type?”

  “A… type?”

  “Sweet. Sensitive. Intelligent. Introverts,” I listed off, looking her square in the eyes. The bullying campaign had ground her self-image into the dust, so I could see why would think this way. But Karen and I never had any conversations like this. Was Taylor the difference? Or was I just less of an asshole? Or was it both things at once? I did know that I didn’t see Taylor as a stand-in for anyone else – she was her own unique person that I really wanted to know better. Unwillingly, my thoughts drifted back to my breakdown earlier regarding Karen’s, and ultimately my, death. No one had ever held me like that, not in my conscious memory. I’d comforted Karen similarly about her brother’s death, but I wasn’t sure she could have done the same. I’ll never know. But Taylor was here and now, and she’d stepped up when I unexpectedly stumbled. No way could I forget that.

  So, when Taylor flushed at my words and hesitantly leaned in, I decided to meet her half-way. By some miracles we didn’t knock heads, crack teeth, or mash noses. Instead, our lips met in possibly the most awkward kiss in recorded history.

  And it was amazing. My entire focus narrowed onto the contact between our lips, and how good it felt to hold her.

  When our lips parted, Taylor leaned back, her eyes wide behind her glasses. “Um… I…”

  I gave her a gentle squeeze. “I think I get it now,” I agreed.

  “Get what?” Taylor asked.

  “The whole kissing thing,” I replied.

  “Yeah,” she agreed slowly. “That was my first kiss. Well, I mean, like boyfriend kiss. Was it your first?” she asked shyly. Her face was still flushed, but it seemed some of her awkwardness was fading.

  I nodded. “My first ever. I don’t think Elise ever kissed me before she took off when I was five. Harry was really laid back, but not super affectionate either.”

  Taylor’s expression fell. “Your mom abandoned you?” she asked in a stricken tone.

  I nodded. “I don’t think she was ever too maternal. That’s why it was nice hearing you talk about your mom. It hurts that she’s gone now, but you still have a lot of great memories to share.”

  Taylor nodded but still looked a little guilty.

  “Getting to hear about a real mother helped,” I continued. “Next time you visit her grave, would you mind if I came and introduced myself?” I asked.

  Taylor’s response was to lean in and hug me hard enough to make my shoulder twinge again. Totally worth it.

  O*O*O

  After that, it was hard to focus back on math and other subjects, but we did manage to make some progress. While holding hands was a little distracting, we were on vacation after all.

  Eventually, we gave it up as a bad job and ate sandwiches as we watched TV. Somehow, the hand Taylor wasn’t holding ended up draped across her shoulders as she leaned into my side. She said I was warm and that definitely met with her approval. Not that I was complaining either. The feel of her under my arm was both relaxing and electrifying at the same time.

  But, given how poorly I’d slept the night before, I shouldn’t have been shocked that I dozed off.

  My eyes snapped open when I heard a set of keys in the lock on the front door, presumably Danny’s. I took a very quick inventory of my body. Taylor was half-laying on my lap, and I was wrapped around her like a blanket. But no one’s hands were in unfortunate places, so I opted to wake Taylor with a gentle squeeze. Springing apart suddenly would only make us look worse than the truth.

  Danny didn’t say anything after he opened the door, but I could feel his eyes on us. I could also feel a brisk draft that made Taylor shiver and involuntarily try to burrow into me.

  “Taylor, Darlin’,” I murmured, “you need to wake up. Your dad’s home.”

  She stirred a little more, then went rigid and sat up so fast our skulls nearly collided. She blinked myopically as we separated, so I reached out and plucked her glasses off the coffee table and handed them to her.

  “Thanks,” she whispered as she put them on and faced her father. “Hi Dad,” she said nervously.

  “Just school stuff, huh?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “We fell asleep,” she admitted lamely.

  “That looked pretty cozy for just studying,” Danny observed coolly, causing Taylor to flush even harder.

  “That’s my bad,” I said quickly. “I asked if we could talk about some things first.”

  Danny turned to look at me. “Some… things? What kind of things?”

  I took a deep breath. “Like us having a more than a friendly relationship.”

  “I see. I thought you were pretty sure you two were just friends?” he asked.

  “Well, when you asked back in October if I found her attractive, I started thinking about it a lot and well, things developed,” I admitted.

  Danny blinked. “Wait, so you’re saying I put this thought in your head?” he asked incredulously.

  I shrugged. “Not so sure it wasn’t inevitable. Taylor’s the best person I know; I realized I want her in my life, and I want to be there for her as well. So, we’d like to see where this takes us,” I said in a rush. I wasn’t really prepared to wax rhapsodic about our hours-old relationship, but I didn’t want Danny getting the wrong idea here.

  Danny’s face was unreadable, but the way Taylor reached out and squeezed my hand in a death-grip was encouraging.

  “Okay,” he said after a moment. “I’m going to need some coffee for this conversation. Rhiyen, would you care to join me in the kitchen? Taylor, can you give us some privacy?”

  I got up and nodded, frowning. “I’ll join you, but I feel it’s only fair to say that I don’t keep secrets from Taylor.”

  Danny nodded at that. “I’m going to be frank, Taylor can join us, but you may regret that later.”

  “I probably will,” I admitted, “but I don’t want to start things off with her on the wrong foot.”

  As the coffee brewed, I looked out the window. It wasn’t fully dark, so it was a little early for dinner. I didn’t think Danny normally came home this early, but my own presence here today probably explained that. He totally wanted to catch us misbehaving and he did. Kind of.

  I glanced over at Taylor. She was sitting still, but I could see signs of nervousness in the set of her jaw.

  Danny asked, “Do you want some coffee?”

  “No thanks,” I said as Taylor shook her head. I got up and fetched a couple of glasses of ice water for us. We’d likely be talking a lot, and it would be nice to have something to do with our hands. Besides holding hands, which was nice, but distracting as hell.

  The kitchen slowly filled with the smell of fresh-brewed coffee. I like the smell well enough, the taste not so much. I hadn’t built up much of a tolerance to caffeine, so large amounts could make me wired or irritable. Something I absolutely did not need right now.

  Finally, Danny poured off a cup for himself and sat down.

  “First of all,” he began, “I want to make it clear that none of what I am about to say is meant to be taken personally.”

  I swallowed as a pit formed in my stomach. That was not a promising start at all.

  He glanced at Taylor. “There was a reason I want to have this talk privately, Rhiyen, but I respect you not wanting to keep secrets from Taylor. In most situations, that’s a good rule to follow.”

  “You’ve helped Taylor immensely with her situation at Winslow,” he continued. “And I will always appreciate that. But I also must consider the bigger picture. In two years, Taylor will be done with high school and hopefully looking at college and building a career. I don’t want to look back and realize that a short-term solution has become a long-term problem.”

  Clearly, Danny was not mincing words today.

  “I think,” Danny continued, “that you are a good person with many fine qualities, but I’m not sure you’re the best person for Taylor’s future. As you said yourself, you don’t have a safety net. Do you even plan to go to college?”

  Before I could even say anything, Taylor spoke up, “Rhiyen’s grades are overall as good as mine,” she said.

  “Almost as good,” I said with a smile.

  “Taylor,” Danny said. “Your mother and I set a lot of money aside for your college fund. Rhiyen’s going to have to get scholarships if he wants to go. You don’t play any sports, do you?”

  I shook my head. “And it’s not super likely I’ll manage an academic one,” I admitted.

  Danny nodded. “So, what do you plan to do after you graduate?” he asked.

  I admittedly hadn’t given it a lot of thought so far. Two and a half years is a long time off. But he was a concerned father. I remembered an idle thought I’d had after Chief Briggs’ house was burned down by Sen Arashi. “I was thinking about joining the fire department,” I said. I could handle the toughest parts of the job; the only concern was not outing myself by accident.

  Taylor looked at me in surprise, but after a moment nodded eagerly. “I think you’d be amazing at that,” she said.

  Danny looked equally surprised. “It’s honest work. I know quite a few people in the department. But it’s dangerous work, especially in Brockton Bay. Between the drug lab fires and tangling with the gangs, they leave a lot of widows behind.”

  Taylor huffed. “Every job in Brockton Bay is dangerous,” she said.

  Danny turned to his daughter. “Taylor, do you plan to have children someday?” he asked.

  Taylor shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know Dad. That’s something we’re going to have to figure out. A long time from now.” She looked over my way and I smiled at her. I halfway expected her to melt in embarrassment at the question, I liked what I was seeing here.

  “Fair enough,” Danny said, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Your work in the library is fine for a little extra money, but I know from dating Annette that they will only permanently hire on people with degrees in library science. Come out and pull a shift at the Union. If you can handle the work, we can hire you full-time over the summers. You can learn some real skills, bank real wages, and the work experience will look good on a resume wherever you go.”

  I frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t want a job just because I know you,” I said.

  Danny smiled and shook his head. “It’s not like that. The Dockworker’s Union is a multigenerational organization. If we didn’t hire the family of existing members, we’d be missing half our people.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, Taylor was nodding.

  “Okay,” I agreed. “I’m filling in a shift at the library on Wednesday, but I can come out tomorrow or Thursday.”

  “Tomorrow will be fine,” Danny said. He took another drink of his coffee, then continued, “Again, I hope you don’t take any of this personally.”

  “You’re just looking out for Taylor,” I agreed, though describing me as a long-term liability still stung.

  “I’m glad you understand,” Danny replied. “So, you can just meet me in the morning, and I’ll give you a ride to the office and start your paperwork. You’ll probably want to get a good night’s sleep though.”

  I may not be the most perceptive person in the world, but I can recognize a clear dismissal when I hear one. “Then I guess I’d better get going and let you eat dinner,” I said.

  Danny’s nod confirmed that I’d read the room correctly.

  As I was putting books in my backpack, I was acutely aware of Taylor coming up behind me.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, placing a hand on my back. “My dad was – “

  “Just being your dad,” I said as I turned to face her. I felt like if I said that one more time, I would have to break something. But I was determined not to put Taylor in the middle here. Maybe I should have agreed to keep the conversation private, but the idea still rankled. Then, I realized that I would have just been upset about his words and unable to tell Taylor why. Yeah, screw that noise.

  “He doesn’t know you,” Taylor insisted. “Not really, or he would never have said that. I’ll keep your confidences, but I don’t have to accept him putting you down, either.”

  I swallowed. I’m ashamed to admit I had an instant of panic when I thought she was about to tell Danny everything to convince him, but I should have known better. Her words, the insistence that she would have my back just as much as I’d had hers, left me with a warm glow inside. “Thank you,” I said in barely more than a whisper, “that means a lot to me.”

  “You mean a lot to me,” she whispered back.

  I smiled as I shouldered my backpack. I really wish her father wasn’t in the kitchen studiously ignoring us. Supposedly.

  I opened my mouth to say goodbye, but Taylor shook her head and nodded toward the front door. She opened the front door for me and followed me out onto the chilly porch. She immediately began shivering, so I wrapped her in a hug, trying to think warm thoughts.

  “I want you to come here after work and tell me how it went. Promise me?” she asked anxiously.

  “I promise,” I said, and she pulled me into a kiss. We weren’t much more practiced, but it was just as amazing. She shivered a little and I tightened the embrace as much as I dared. Finally, we separated, and she went back inside.

  I took off jogging. I had a bus to catch if I wanted to make it back to the Landry’s in time for dinner.