but until then, my only mission is finding Cindy and taking care of Alia. The rest of the damn world can wait.”
“I knew you’d come around,” said Terry. Then she nudged me on the arm with her left stump and asked in mock-surprise, “But could this possibly be Adrian Howell believing in choices?”
“Call it what you will,” I replied, unamused. “Personally, I don’t see it as a choice. There’s not much point in trying to be neutral if no one else is.”
“That’s why it’s called a war, Adrian.”
Laila Brown had died in that war. So had Ralph Henderson, and Terry’s brother, Gabriel. Maybe Terry and I would too. But the Angels’ monopoly on master controllers couldn’t be allowed to continue. There would be no peace as long as Randal Divine lived.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked.
Terry shook her head and smiled wryly. “For now, we do what we’re both worst at. We wait.”
Over the next few days, most of us found our place in what we hoped would only be a temporary home. But not everyone.
Steven refused to help with any of the chores, so the laundry crew refused to wash his clothes. Terry didn’t force Steven to help around the house, knowing that none of the others wanted to share his disagreeable company anyway. We all liked the councilman’s son best when he was sulking in his room. Scott even suggested that we deliver Steven’s meals there so he wouldn’t have to eat with us, but I drew the line there. “Steven shouldn’t feel like we’re pushing him away,” I argued. I agreed with Terry in that Steven was not evil at heart. We all just dealt with our pain in different ways.
Max was as hollow as ever, but James took good care of him, staying close by his side and making sure he ate enough at mealtimes. The sisters, Felicity and Susan, who were sixteen and twelve respectively, often sat with James and Max at the dining table, and I could believe that, given enough time, they were all going to be alright.
I didn’t know much of how things were in Scott’s room with Daniel and Walter, but the three seemed to get along. Unlike Terry, Scott was almost always calm and relaxed, but nevertheless a natural leader. I was glad that our eldest son was so dependable.
Terry’s roommate, Rachael Adams, was a little on the quiet side compared to the other teenage girls, but she was kind to everyone and helped around the house a lot. She also kept her promise to be Alia’s outdoor escort. Rachael’s power as a psionic hider wasn’t nearly strong enough yet for her to give individual hiding protection, so she always walked with Alia to and from Patrick’s house, keeping Alia right beside her. Alia liked it better that way too since she hated going outside by herself.
My sister spent much of her waking hours sticking close to me in the house, but nevertheless made friends with the older girls, and also frequently visited Patrick down the street. Whenever she returned from her visits, in addition to updates on baby Laila (who was in perfect health), Alia gave me snippets of information about the Guardians living in Walnut Lane. About half were psionic, and most had pretty normal lives. Patrick’s temporary guardians, neither of whom were psionic, worked as doctors at a large hospital.
Several days into our stay, Merlin announced that Walnut Lane had made contact with Teddy’s aunt, who had escaped New Haven unharmed, and the following day, we bid Teddy goodbye. It was a brief, happy occasion that brought some hope to the rest of us, but after he left, I’m sure everyone wondered if any more would follow. Teddy hadn’t been told yet, but his parents and sister were presumed dead or converted.
Still, Teddy had been the lucky one. July dragged on, and no one else got a ticket home. It looked like we really were going to be here for the long haul.
Despite Mrs. Harding’s demand not to draw attention to ourselves, we weren’t actually restricted to the house. As long as we were
“I knew you’d come around,” said Terry. Then she nudged me on the arm with her left stump and asked in mock-surprise, “But could this possibly be Adrian Howell believing in choices?”
“Call it what you will,” I replied, unamused. “Personally, I don’t see it as a choice. There’s not much point in trying to be neutral if no one else is.”
“That’s why it’s called a war, Adrian.”
Laila Brown had died in that war. So had Ralph Henderson, and Terry’s brother, Gabriel. Maybe Terry and I would too. But the Angels’ monopoly on master controllers couldn’t be allowed to continue. There would be no peace as long as Randal Divine lived.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked.
Terry shook her head and smiled wryly. “For now, we do what we’re both worst at. We wait.”
Over the next few days, most of us found our place in what we hoped would only be a temporary home. But not everyone.
Steven refused to help with any of the chores, so the laundry crew refused to wash his clothes. Terry didn’t force Steven to help around the house, knowing that none of the others wanted to share his disagreeable company anyway. We all liked the councilman’s son best when he was sulking in his room. Scott even suggested that we deliver Steven’s meals there so he wouldn’t have to eat with us, but I drew the line there. “Steven shouldn’t feel like we’re pushing him away,” I argued. I agreed with Terry in that Steven was not evil at heart. We all just dealt with our pain in different ways.
Max was as hollow as ever, but James took good care of him, staying close by his side and making sure he ate enough at mealtimes. The sisters, Felicity and Susan, who were sixteen and twelve respectively, often sat with James and Max at the dining table, and I could believe that, given enough time, they were all going to be alright.
I didn’t know much of how things were in Scott’s room with Daniel and Walter, but the three seemed to get along. Unlike Terry, Scott was almost always calm and relaxed, but nevertheless a natural leader. I was glad that our eldest son was so dependable.
Terry’s roommate, Rachael Adams, was a little on the quiet side compared to the other teenage girls, but she was kind to everyone and helped around the house a lot. She also kept her promise to be Alia’s outdoor escort. Rachael’s power as a psionic hider wasn’t nearly strong enough yet for her to give individual hiding protection, so she always walked with Alia to and from Patrick’s house, keeping Alia right beside her. Alia liked it better that way too since she hated going outside by herself.
My sister spent much of her waking hours sticking close to me in the house, but nevertheless made friends with the older girls, and also frequently visited Patrick down the street. Whenever she returned from her visits, in addition to updates on baby Laila (who was in perfect health), Alia gave me snippets of information about the Guardians living in Walnut Lane. About half were psionic, and most had pretty normal lives. Patrick’s temporary guardians, neither of whom were psionic, worked as doctors at a large hospital.
Several days into our stay, Merlin announced that Walnut Lane had made contact with Teddy’s aunt, who had escaped New Haven unharmed, and the following day, we bid Teddy goodbye. It was a brief, happy occasion that brought some hope to the rest of us, but after he left, I’m sure everyone wondered if any more would follow. Teddy hadn’t been told yet, but his parents and sister were presumed dead or converted.
Still, Teddy had been the lucky one. July dragged on, and no one else got a ticket home. It looked like we really were going to be here for the long haul.
Despite Mrs. Harding’s demand not to draw attention to ourselves, we weren’t actually restricted to the house. As long as we were
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