Part IV

In Plain Sight

Chapter 1 — The First Day of School

  On a park bench somewhere in British Columbia, a god and his erstwhile lover were having an argument.

  "You don't think they deserve to know?"

  "That just seems dangerous without any real benefit. I'm trying to keep everything going, and how am I going to do that if we're still dealing with people?"

  "We're just supposed to cut off contact with the whole world?"

  "It's safer for us both. We talked about this. Trust me, I know what I'm doing. This is why we put everything in place."

  "This isn't something covered by the rules. We could still keep in contact with them."

  "That sort of information is dangerous."

  "I thought you were totally in favor of freedom of information."

  "Freedom of information and actually informing people are completely different things. You wouldn't advocate we reveal state military strategy to a foreign power, would you? After the fact, maybe—but when we're facing real danger, we have to weigh our ideals against the needs of the present. Any information that could lead to the immediate death of people for no real benefit has a time and place to be released. This definitely isn't it."

  "Seems like a strawman. We're not a military."

  "Is it so different? I'm not invincible. His death should have made that obvious. We're like a foreign state, or at least foreign actors inside their state. If they came for us, it could only end two ways. Either I'd be forced to hurt them, or they'd take us. You know they'll be trying to find us, and there's only so much I can do to protect you."

  "Don't make this about me."

  "It's about all of us. Information will leak out, like it always does. But it'll be mixed and confused. People will leap on it before they understand what it is they're seeing. Everyone will just think about it from their own perspective. The internet gave us some amazing things, but it amplifies information without regard to its accuracy. We'll be at a dangerous crossroad where the truth may not actually win out without authority. Authority comes from reputation and charisma, and the Awakened have neither. As far as the world's concerned, all of them are complete nobodies."

  "They're also presumed dead. Coming back from the dead is authority."

  "No, it's suspicion. Unless they're prepared to reveal everything, they can't explain what happened to them in that town. Nothing will ever add up without factoring in magic, something none of us can explain. I agree with their decision. Going into hiding is much safer than getting arrested and sent into a black box."

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  "So they go public. Go wide with the story, so wide nobody can stamp it out."

  "They don't have enough people willing to back them up. A few people claiming something this insane can't make that large of a splash before they'd be found and shut down. They'd need access, which they don't have. If they just post it on the internet themselves, they'll be assumed fake, because again—they have no authority. If they go public, they're dead."

  "When did you get so pessimistic?"

  "When my entire world exploded around me."

  "Don't be melodramatic."

  "I'm being realistic. It literally exploded, don't forget that. And it was all for nothing. All that work we did, all the laws we put in place. They're back to square one."

  "It wasn't for nothing. The laws still stand."

  "I wish I could see things the way you do. I wish I believed that."

  "We chose the rules. Now we have to live with them."

  "But what if I could change them? The rules are flawed, because we're flawed. We were human. We couldn't account for every scenario. What if I stepped in? I could have saved some of them. Maybe all of them. It didn't have to be this way."

  "We agreed."

  "I know. But—"

  "I love you, but you need to stop second-guessing this. It's for the best. They'll figure it out eventually, one way or another. That's what humans do."

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  Lily fussed over every inch of her, making terse noises of disapproval. Natalie fidgeted in place while Lily cleaned up her face.

  She sighed. "You look dreadful. How on earth did you get this dirty in half an hour?"

  "Percy wanted to show me something out in the woods."

  Lily frowned. "You know the rules." She glanced at the clock. "We don't have time for this. We should have left five minutes past. The bus will arrive shortly. Gather your things."

  Natalie reluctantly took off her boots and dug her shoes out of the closet. Her battered old pink backpack hung at the back at the closet, but she couldn't take that. That was her kid backpack. Natalie wasn't a kid anymore.

  She strapped on her new pack, green as the small forest near their home. Percy fluttered over to sit on her shoulder, rubbing his head against her ear. He wanted to come, but she knew that wouldn't be allowed. No way she could get away with bringing a hawk with her.

   she said. Percy fluttered back to his perch by the rear window, eyeing her with disappointment.

  "What was that, dear?" Lily asked, coming back into the room with a packed lunch.

  "I'm just talking to Percy."

  Lily glanced at the hawk. "How is he?"

  "He's sad he can't come along." Before Lily could say anything, Natalie shook her head. Her hair swung around in front of her face, reminding her what they'd changed (or let grow out, in this case). The little things that helped her look different than old photos anyone might dig up. I kinda miss having short hair though. It's so much easier to take care of. "I know, I know. It's not safe."

  "It's Kenni's day out. I'll be here after I drop you off," said Lily. "I can keep him company if he wants."

   Natalie asked. Percy's head tilted slightly to the side.

  If hawks could sigh, Natalie would have sworn he did.

  "He's happy to have you around."

  "Shouldn't you two be leaving?" asked Kendra, entering the front room with her steaming mug of tea in hand.

  "Yes," Lily answered irritably. "Do you have everything?"

  "Just a sec."

  Natalie reached out with her mind and plucked up her purse by the strap, neatly pulling it off the coat rack and into the air. It swung wide as it flew across the room, nearly clipping Lily before it landed on Natalie's shoulder. She took the sack lunch Lily had prepared and dropped it inside, where it joined a multitude of objects buried inside. At a glance, she saw her gemstone collection, the tuft of Gwen's hair, her mother's locket and her father's old drumsticks on top, and plenty more underneath.

  Lily frowned again, which was quickly becoming her default expression around Natalie. "You really should put your lunch in your backpack. How are you going to take it out in front of everyone?"

  "I don't want it to get squished," said Natalie. "Everything in here stays perfect."

  Kendra sighed. "It'll be fine, Lily. She knows not to withdraw it in public."

  Natalie walked to the door and pulled it open, letting the bright sunlight and the sudden harsh sounds of the city assault their senses. When the house was sealed, it was perfectly quiet, but once a door was open there was no stopping it without giving themselves away.

  "So are we going or what?"