Dark Light of Mine by John Corwin Page B

felt as though something had possessed her then, the way dreams usually operated.  Except it had seemed frighteningly real.
    The bedroom door cracked open and Leia poked in her head.  Elyssa hardly ever called her mother anymore.  In fact, she'd been trained to call her parents by their first names for years now.  Family ties would earn her no leeway in training or any other aspect of Templar business.  If anything, having a commander who was also your father made things worse.  Ryland's training, from the way he told it, was a cakewalk compared to the things she'd had to endure.  But it didn't anger her or make her love her parents any less.  If anything, it increased her respect for their standards.
    "What's going on in here?" Leia asked, stepping inside, the black soft-soled boots she wore making little sound.  The silver ends of two short swords protruded diagonally from sheaths across her back, and the tight black Templar night camouflage she wore pressed tight against her curves.
    "Nothing."  Elyssa turned her back to her mother and stared out the window.
    The door clicked shut.  "I can't believe you're being so unreasonable about that—that thing.  What part of your lessons don't you remember?  Maybe we should send you back to your history teacher and have him fill in the blanks again."
    "I remember everything, Mother .  But I'm smart enough to realize not every individual is a clone of every other of their kind."  She turned to face her.  "How many dhampyrs have we arrested or put down over the years?  I haven't even been on active duty that long and I can list three of them."
    "That's different and you know it."
    "Different?  Tell me how."
    "A tiny minority broke the law.  Some are serving time at Lazaro while the others resisted and paid with their lives."
    "And what makes them different from spawn?  I don't remember ever apprehending a spawn.  The last time one of them broke Covenant, they turned themselves in."
    "Because their house made them do it."
    "You can't accept it, can you?  Whatever harm spawn did to Thomas is no reason to hate the entire race.  Especially not Justin.  He's not even full spawn."
    "Don't be foolish, girl."
    Elyssa bristled, fists clenched and eyes narrowed.
    "That's right.  You're being a stupid girl, Elyssa.  Thomas and I have talked and decided you're of no use to us in a normal school any longer.  You're to be reassigned to boarding school with others of your kind."
    "You're sending me to Westbury?"  It was the only supernatural school close enough to be a candidate.
    She nodded.  "We wanted you to adapt to a normal human way of life so you'd blend in better should we need you to go undercover once you achieved the Cho'kai.  Instead, you let yourself be fooled by spawn and seem so brainwashed we see no way you'll be able to take the trials this year."
    Elyssa felt her bottom lip drop in disbelief.  "You know I'm ready.  Give me the trials right now and I'll prove it to you."
    "Oh, you have plenty to prove, girl ."  Leia shook her head.  "You could have been the youngest to pass the Cho'kai and the first female in decades to move up to full guardian status."
    "Gee, I don't know who's more disappointed.  Me or Commander Borathen.  All he cares about is that he trained me.  I'm not his daughter, I'm an achievement.  Just like Jack and Michael before me."  Elyssa jerked open her closet doors so hard, the hinges squealed.  She grabbed her night camo, stripped, and slid it on.  The clingy material felt cool against her clammy skin.  She had to get out of there.  Had to find Justin.
    "What do you think you're doing?  We made it very clear you're suspended from duty until we decide what to do with you."
    "You can take your duty and shove it."
    "That's no way to speak to your mother!  You will show me respect."
    "Well you're not showing respect for choices I've made or even my opinion, so I don't see how you deserve any respect from me."  She sucked