But Maggie waited. She had incredible patience, but I sensed that part of it was stubbornness and a desire to test boundaries. Her head poked out from behind the chair just as Gemma turned toward the love seat. I watched as Maggie slowly came out of her hiding spot and charged at her sister.
Gemma let out a scream but Maggie covered her sister’s mouth with her hand.
Both girls collapsed on the floor, Gemma’s muffled squeals threatening to break through Maggie’s tiny fingers.
“Shh,” Maggie cooed.
Gemma managed to wrestle her mouth away from Maggie’s hand. “I hate you!” Her indignation faltered into a fit of giggles and Maggie quickly joined her.
As she helped her sister up from the floor Maggie said, “Gemma. You need to always expect the unexpected. You can’t go through life being scared all the time.” Even though Maggie was a mere nine years old, she spoke as if she’d lived lifetimes before. It was one of the things that drew me to her more than any other Prognatum I’d watched.
Maggie took a handkerchief and wiped her sister’s cheeks.
“A lady wouldn’t do that to her sister,” Gemma said, finally relaxing.
“I don’t want to be a lady,” Maggie stated firmly. “I want to see the world and not just make babies for the rest of my life.”
Gemma shook her head. “That’s what we are supposed to do. That’s what Mother does.”
Maggie’s indignation flowed through her and into me. I knew Maggie was born to follow through with her Prognatum duties, she just didn’t know it yet. It was rare for a Prognatum to want the Guard position but Maggie would be thrilled when her father revealed it to her at seventeen.
As Maggie reached down to help Gemma up from the floor she whispered, “It’s not for me.”
Gemma wrapped her sister in a tight hug. “I will love you either way, dear sister.”
Maggie rested her head against Gemma’s shoulder. “I love you too.”
I fell out of the memory just as quickly as I’d fallen in, my legs shaking.
Jackson caught me and wrapped his arms around me. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I leaned closer, enjoying the feeling of being protected, and looked up at him. “You didn’t. It was a nice memory. Thank you.”
Jackson gave me a quick nod. “You’re welcome. If you want any more I have plenty.” He smirked tapping a finger on the side of his head.
I stepped out of his grasp, afraid of how close we had been and how much I had liked it. “Maybe some other time.”
He sobered and put the owl back on my desk.
“It’s strange to feel my emotions through you.”
Jackson chuckled, a low rumble in his chest, a sound I heard so infrequently, yet the one that made my day complete when I heard it. “When you get your first Prognatum job, you’ll get used to it.”
“If,” I hedged.
“When,” he corrected.
I heard shuffling from the other room, indicating Calliope’s arrival to our bungalow.
“Let’s meet in the morning for training before the graduation?” Jackson said as we walked from the room into the main area.
“Sounds good.”
Jackson nodded at Calliope as we passed. She didn’t hide her scowl. Where she was stony with me, she detested Jackson. Mostly because of what he’d done to Cooper all those years ago; nearly destroying him so he could get his job back. But I was in no position to judge since I’d actually destroyed someone.
I waved to Jackson and watched as he disappeared out into the night. Turning back to the main room I saw Calliope’s eyes slide over mine and quickly flick toward my room. Smoothing her short black hair from her face, she narrowed her chocolate brown eyes at me before turning on her heel and retiring to her room.
Rolling my eyes I headed back to my room. I just didn’t have the energy for Calliope’s attitude tonight. Tomorrow was one day closer to proving my worth and I wouldn’t waste that worrying about fitting in with her. At least not yet.
The next morning, after a particularly intense training session, Jackson and I transported to Freedom High School. I didn’t know how I’d feel about going back. I hadn’t spent much time there, but it’s where I first met Ally, and Jackson officially, and where he’d shown me my traumatic last day as a human. I tore my eyes away from the concrete building straight onto other concrete things, such as the glares from the other Guard.
Our arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed. Several Guard stared, others made it a point to ignore us. Jackson and I were the black sheep of the team and I could imagine what they were thinking right now. Although I was glad I couldn’t. I counted at least two dozen Guard as we made our way to the football field where there were almost a hundred empty blue and gold painted chairs set up on the grass.
Jackson pointed to the last row of chairs. “Let’s set up back here.”
“You don’t have to protect me from them,” I said, looking into his hardened gaze.
He shrugged. “I’m not. These are the best seats in the house.”
I scanned the area, remembering the night before Ally’s birthday when the field teemed with Shadowed and we came close to losing. Only Cooper’s bravery had kept me and Ally’s body safe. He’d fought tooth and nail for us, yet I hadn’t had time to thank him. I thought I’d found a friend but I’m pretty sure there was a proximity factor involved in our friendship as we’d barely had a conversation since training started. Not that it wasn’t completely my fault for creating that gap…
“You okay?” Jackson asked cutting off my thoughts.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Nothing will happen,” he said softly, as he tilted his head indicating the rest of the Guard. “She is going to be safe, I think there are more Guard here than humans.”
I blinked a few times and turned away. Of course he was talking about Ally. I should have been thinking about her too.
Focus, I channeled Jackson’s constant reminder.
Families and friends of the graduates settled onto the bleachers on the far side of the field. I spotted Marie in the crowd, settling in her seat, smoothing her floral print dress across her lap. She adjusted her oversized white hat and looked up at Henry who held her matching purse as he sat down next to her. His hand moved to her lap, weaving his fingers in hers.
