Current Impressions by Kelly Risser Page A

tongue. Childish, but I felt
better afterwards. I’d hung out with the teenagers long enough.
They were melodramatic and immature. Sheltered, like Ronac itself.
I felt bad for them. Would they ever get a taste of freedom?
    “Sure,” I told Kieran. “I’ll dance with
you.”
    For a moment he appeared genuinely surprised
that I agreed, but he quickly recovered. I left my shoes by the
table. Kieran led us to the middle of the room. The band slowed the
tempo. Around us, couples drew closer and swayed. He placed his
hands on my waist and pulled me close.
    “Kieran—”
    “Relax, Meara.”
    My hands were on his arms, but I moved them
up to his shoulders. If I looked straight ahead, I was staring at
his white dress shirt and striped tie. I turned my head to the side
and watched the couples around us. They seemed closer to my
father’s age than to mine.
    “Kieran?” I looked up at him. He was already
staring at me.
    “Hmm?”
    “How old does a Selkie have to be before
you’re considered an adult?”
    “Why do you ask?”
    “Arren and his friends.” I nodded toward
them. “They seemed to be my age, but they acted so much younger.
They’re really older than me, though, right?”
    Kieran sighed. “Yes and no. They are if you
measure in human years. They’re younger if you measure by
Selkie.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “You wouldn’t,” Kieran said, not unkindly.
He lifted my chin and forced me to look in his eyes. “Because
you’re trying to reason things as a human. We’re not human,
Meara.”
    I jerked my head back, and he dropped his
hand. “I don’t know how to think like a Selkie,” I persisted, “Why
do you know so much about humans, and those kids know so
little?”
    “I’m older—”
    “That’s all?”
    “You didn’t let me finish,” he scolded. “I’m
also more powerful. As are you.” When I rolled my eyes, he added,
“You are , whether you believe it or not. We can defend
ourselves against enemies. They cannot. They rely on us. Do you
understand?”
    His dark eyes bore into mine, and I did
understand. Suddenly, I understood with great clarity. “They can’t
do magic, can they?”
    “Not like us,” he admitted. “They can change
forms, of course. Some can do minor things, like visualize, but
most have no powers beyond Changing.”
    The burden of responsibility weighed on my
shoulders. Just as it was my father’s role, it was my job to
protect these people. Why hadn’t my dad told me? Why hadn’t Ula?
Why was Kieran the one looking at me with sympathy and
understanding?
    “It’s the same for me, Meara,” he said.
“When I return to our clan, I will take my father’s place. He is
old and ready to step down. I am the oldest, so the responsibility
falls to me.”
    A new song began. This one slower than the
last, if that was possible. Kieran tightened his hold and pulled me
closer. I gave in and wrapped my arms around his waist. It was more
comfortable than trying to put them on his incredibly high
shoulders. He was so tall. I rested my head against his chest and
soaked up his warmth. We could be friends. Our birthright made us
uniquely positioned to understand each other. I had so much to
learn, but he was teaching me more than anyone else was right now.
That mattered. It mattered a lot.
    “I think I’m done for the evening,” I said
when the song ended.
    “May I walk you back?” Kieran asked rather
formerly. “As friends, of course.”
    “I came with Ula…” I scanned the room once
again for her coppery curls. Where had she gone?
    “I saw her leave about an hour ago,” Kieran
said with a frown. “About the time I came, I suppose.”
    “She still cares for you.” The words slipped
out before I thought about them. Ula would be mad if she knew I
told him, but he had a right to know.
    “It’s been years,” he said.
    “Love doesn’t just go away,” I replied.
“Look at my parents.”
    His eyes grew distant and thoughtful.
Finally, he nodded. “Perhaps