to sit with at lunch."
"Through no fault of yours, I'm guessing. You're probably doing everything you can to keep them away from you."
She didn't respond.
Will sighed. "I knew it. Ari, we've talked about this. You need friends."
"I can't have friends, Will. You know that. Not with… this life."
"I think this life you lead should come second. But hey, that way of thinking is what got me in here in the first place," Will said, and Ari could picture him grinning. She missed him so much it hurt. Will was always grinning.
"How are things in rebel country?" she asked, a teasing lilt to her voice as the corners of her mouth turned up in a rare smile.
"Oh, just peachy. Are you coming by any time soon? I am having a serious craving for junk food. Anything not home grown," he said with a groan.
Ari laughed. "I'll bring pizza, but I don't know when it will be. Things have been pretty tame on the war front." She glanced up to make sure no one was around to hear her. The night was quiet, and the only people in sight were several yards away. She leaned against the wall, adjusting her phone on her shoulder and digging her bare toes into the cool grass.
"You know Richard won't let that last. I bet he’s out inciting the masses as we speak. A tame war is not a profitable war." There was a whole lot of bitterness in his voice.
Will was her big brother. Before she was born, everyone had thought he was the Prodigy — he was so powerful. She came along when he was ten, and that was the end of that thinking. After she was born, it was obvious to everyone what he was supposed to be — the Prodigy's Guard. Ari had never understood why, if the Prodigy was so powerful, did she need a Guard?
Whatever the reason, Will began training immediately, but before his seventeenth birthday, when Ari was six and starting to come into her powers, he had walked away. He said he’d had enough of the war and he didn't believe in it anymore. Of course, there were rumors that he was angry and jealous of his little sister. But Ari knew it wasn’t true. There were whole colonies of Carules and Edrens who had walked away from the war, living together. He left to join them. But because he was so powerful, the ruling class of Edren society known as the Family and headed by her grandfather feared him and what he could do. They had waited a couple of years, drawing forget spells on Ari's forehead daily, until she couldn't even remember she had a brother.
And then they had sent her to kill him.
"Hello? Ari!" Will called into the phone.
"Oh! Sorry. I'm here. Just daydreaming." Ari snapped back to the present. Cricket noises assaulted her. Crickets had always creeped her out. Strange little bugs that made a lot of noise but would never show themselves.
"So tell me all about school. And these friends of yours. I need to know the details. Oh, and Ward’s wife Ember had her baby. Did I tell you that? She was not happy that she had to do it here without any western medicine to help her through it. But she did it. And the baby is so cute. Not that I would say that, because I'm a big tough manly guy. But I've heard."
Ari chuckled. Will was the only person in the world who knew the real her. He was the only one who could make her laugh, and the only one who would never hurt her. “And how is Dani?” Ari asked, mischief in her voice.
“Same as always. She wants us to take some steps forward and I don’t have time.” Will sighed. Dani was Will’s sometimes-girlfriend. Or at least, they would both like her to be, but with the war, Will had to focus on Ari. So he put Dani on the back burner.
"Will, it's late," Ari said several minutes of easy banter later. "I have to finish my homework and head to bed."
"It's Friday night, Ari," he pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. But I've got a headache." Ari clapped a hand over her mouth.
"What? Why didn't you tell me? How bad is this one?" She could hear alarm running through his voice.
"It's not my normal headache. I…
"Through no fault of yours, I'm guessing. You're probably doing everything you can to keep them away from you."
She didn't respond.
Will sighed. "I knew it. Ari, we've talked about this. You need friends."
"I can't have friends, Will. You know that. Not with… this life."
"I think this life you lead should come second. But hey, that way of thinking is what got me in here in the first place," Will said, and Ari could picture him grinning. She missed him so much it hurt. Will was always grinning.
"How are things in rebel country?" she asked, a teasing lilt to her voice as the corners of her mouth turned up in a rare smile.
"Oh, just peachy. Are you coming by any time soon? I am having a serious craving for junk food. Anything not home grown," he said with a groan.
Ari laughed. "I'll bring pizza, but I don't know when it will be. Things have been pretty tame on the war front." She glanced up to make sure no one was around to hear her. The night was quiet, and the only people in sight were several yards away. She leaned against the wall, adjusting her phone on her shoulder and digging her bare toes into the cool grass.
"You know Richard won't let that last. I bet he’s out inciting the masses as we speak. A tame war is not a profitable war." There was a whole lot of bitterness in his voice.
Will was her big brother. Before she was born, everyone had thought he was the Prodigy — he was so powerful. She came along when he was ten, and that was the end of that thinking. After she was born, it was obvious to everyone what he was supposed to be — the Prodigy's Guard. Ari had never understood why, if the Prodigy was so powerful, did she need a Guard?
Whatever the reason, Will began training immediately, but before his seventeenth birthday, when Ari was six and starting to come into her powers, he had walked away. He said he’d had enough of the war and he didn't believe in it anymore. Of course, there were rumors that he was angry and jealous of his little sister. But Ari knew it wasn’t true. There were whole colonies of Carules and Edrens who had walked away from the war, living together. He left to join them. But because he was so powerful, the ruling class of Edren society known as the Family and headed by her grandfather feared him and what he could do. They had waited a couple of years, drawing forget spells on Ari's forehead daily, until she couldn't even remember she had a brother.
And then they had sent her to kill him.
"Hello? Ari!" Will called into the phone.
"Oh! Sorry. I'm here. Just daydreaming." Ari snapped back to the present. Cricket noises assaulted her. Crickets had always creeped her out. Strange little bugs that made a lot of noise but would never show themselves.
"So tell me all about school. And these friends of yours. I need to know the details. Oh, and Ward’s wife Ember had her baby. Did I tell you that? She was not happy that she had to do it here without any western medicine to help her through it. But she did it. And the baby is so cute. Not that I would say that, because I'm a big tough manly guy. But I've heard."
Ari chuckled. Will was the only person in the world who knew the real her. He was the only one who could make her laugh, and the only one who would never hurt her. “And how is Dani?” Ari asked, mischief in her voice.
“Same as always. She wants us to take some steps forward and I don’t have time.” Will sighed. Dani was Will’s sometimes-girlfriend. Or at least, they would both like her to be, but with the war, Will had to focus on Ari. So he put Dani on the back burner.
"Will, it's late," Ari said several minutes of easy banter later. "I have to finish my homework and head to bed."
"It's Friday night, Ari," he pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. But I've got a headache." Ari clapped a hand over her mouth.
"What? Why didn't you tell me? How bad is this one?" She could hear alarm running through his voice.
"It's not my normal headache. I…
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