“But I feel my beauty is becoming my identity—something no one can look past.”
Jade leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Then you must give them a reason to look past it,” she said, smiling. “You are very bewitching, my dear. It will have to be something big.”
The next morning, after Rex joined Alina and Jade in their room for breakfast, Baylor poked his head in and announced they must all complete a wilderness survival course before traveling to Jaden.
“Lance’s orders,” he emphasized. “But Jade, you’re permitted to observe the exercise portion since you’re recovering from surgery.”
“Do we have to do this?” Rex complained. Alina knew how much he wanted to get to Jaden and see Camden.
Baylor glared at him. “You have no idea how dangerous it is out there.”
An hour later they met in the basement of their building, in a large gym surrounded by mats, climbable walls, and shooting ranges. Baylor, dressed in electric blue sweats and white running shoes, was already running laps. He ordered them to follow.
Alina sprinted off gracefully and enjoyed the exhilaration of being good at something. She’d hated to run in Pria, where kids made fun of her. Now she knew why. Rex looked angry as he ran with arms flailing, his face twisted into a grimace. When he passed Jade on the bench, she smothered her laughter with a towel.
They spent the morning learning first-aid skills and shooting poisonous darts similar to the quills from the killing stones. Baylor explained how the darts killed creatures and humans instantly, and as there was no antidote, they must handle the guns with care. This did little to help Rex, who became too nervous to shoot straight. Jade fared slightly better. Alina hit every target dead in the center, and Rex kept calling her a show-off.
They took a break for lunch, and as they sat on a mat eating, Baylor walked to a woman on the other side of the gym and kissed her on the lips. A young girl hugged him, and the three of them chatted lively, their voices echoing across the room. Baylor glanced in their direction, then made a discreet but accurate impression of Rex running. The woman and girl broke into laughter. Rex was so hungry he didn’t notice.
“Do you think that’s Baylor’s wife?” Jade asked, which got Rex’s attention. He stopped chewing and looked at them.
“And maybe the girl is his daughter,” Alina said. “She looks about my age.”
Jade nodded. “Come, let’s go introduce ourselves.”
They polished off their lunch, stood up and started across the gym. Baylor walked to meet them halfway.
He introduced them to Janet, his wife, a handsome woman with smooth, dark skin. Her jet-black hair was pulled into a spiky bun, and her exercise clothes flattered her fit, muscular body. Their daughter, Trinee, was a year younger than Alina. She had clusters of blemishes on her cheeks and full lips above her bright teeth.
Trinee smiled at Alina. “My father says you’re doing great—you’ve mastered the course and it’s only been a few hours.”
“Well, it’s easy when you’re—like me.” Alina didn’t know if she should speak about her immortality. But Trinee already knew.
She leaned in to whisper to her. “Don’t worry, I know about you, and I’m not jealous. My dad said being immortal isn’t as great as it seems. Is it true you can’t sleep, or enjoy food?”
“Kind of,” Alina admitted. “Food tastes good, but I have no hunger to satisfy, so it’s not the same. And I don’t sleep at all. I miss that.”
Trinee grinned. “Come with me for the afternoon. Dad says training is pointless for you. I’ll take you around town and introduce you to my friends.”
Alina hesitated. She longed for friends, but the thought of being around people frightened her. “I don’t know—”
“What’s wrong?”
She didn’t want to admit her fears but felt she could be honest with Trinee. “I’m not very good at making friends. It’s not that I don’t want them, I just don’t know what to say around people.”
Trinee smiled warmly. “No problem. How about you and I hang out?”
Alina beamed, close to tears. She hadn’t had a friend since Pierce. Unless she could count Zaiden. “That would be great.”
Trinee told Baylor of their plans and Alina laughed as Rex moaned, with a twinkle in his eye, about the unfairness of her getting the afternoon off. The girls left the gym chatting and giggling as if they were longtime friends rather than new acquaintances.
Alina was curious about everything in Stormport, while Trinee wanted to hear about Pria. They took turns sharing experiences, first Trinee explaining what the school, boys, and families were like, then Alina doing the same.
“You don’t have families?” Trinee gasped when Alina told her.
She shook her head.
“But—who takes care of you? And when you need to talk, who do you go to?”
“Most people go to their guardians. They’re called caretakers. Some have great relationships with them, others don’t. I couldn’t talk much to Jade. She was under surveillance, you see, although I didn’t know at the time.”
Trinee shrugged. “I suppose it’s no different here. Not the surveillance part, but the mix of good relationships and bad. Not every family is as close as mine.”
This surprised Alina. “Really?”
“Yeah. They treat their pets better than their family members, sometimes.”
“Now that sounds a lot like Pria.”
“Yes. I’m lucky my parents are happy together. Mom worries about Dad, though. His job is demanding, and he has to travel to Jaden a lot, which is very dangerous. She frets the whole time he’s gone.”
Alina’s eyes softened. “I’d love
