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Chapter 5.2
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Eason’s soft words came as a shock to her. She had expected a definition – she knew all the definitions for the different emotions. The Major had taught them to her, although they had never meant anything to her. Thinking of the Major brought a sharp memory to focus. Nyla gasped.
“What is it?” Eason asked.
Keeping her eyes squeezed shut, Nyla stepped back in time. “There’s a moment – I think I know what you’re talking about.
“Well, tell me about it,” Eason directed softly, his tone still light. Nyla could hear him move closer.
“I was younger, much younger. It must have been right after I joined the military. The Major had been gone for several days, and Sergeant Ryan had told me to stay in my tent until he returned. Early one morning, the Major walked back in, back before he was supposed to be. The moment my eyes landed on him, I felt like everything was right in the world again, as if the
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The tightness in her chest increased. Nyla didn’t know what it meant, but she wanted it to stop. It was hard to get a full breath of air.The obvious solution, the one that would make Eason and Mason feel better, was to just leave. But there were two problems with this plan: first, she had nowhere to go. She knew once she got out of the city and into the wild, she’d be fine, but getting there would be the issue. The second was Edmond had told her not to leave the house. The best she could do, then, was to stay up here in her room, out of their way.Around noon, Eason tapped on her door. “Can I come in?”“Yes.”What does he want with me?Eason stepped inside and surveyed her sitting on the grounds. “I came up here to check on you,” he said.Nyla nodded. “Thank you. I’m alright. I think Mason is the one that needs comforting at the moment.”Eason sighed. “S
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For the first time in her life, Nyla felt the urge to lie. She knew the ring diminished some of her power, but it didn’t drain as much as Edmond believed. Her body was still vastly stronger than a human’s. Confused by her own inclination, Nyla just nodded.“God, your hands are vile,” spat Mason, staring at Nyla’s burned fingers.Eason gave his sister a disgusted look. “Really Mason? What’s wrong with you?”The news anchor reappeared before them and caught everyone’s attention once more. They’d missed the end of Edmond’s speech. “Alet Academy has released a statement. It is as follows: ‘At Alet Academy, we support our government and military. Before her enrollment, the student in question was thoroughly vetted to ensure the safety of both students and faculty. We see no reason to question this process. She will remain enrolled until she turns eighteen. Any families wishing to withdraw t
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“Not to be rude,” Eason said, sounding like he was trying to be as rude as possible, “but what do you want, Sarah? You never do something like ‘help’ unless you can get a story or some gossip out of it. I won’t allow you to make the situation worse for Nyla.”Sarah snorted while rolling her eyes. “I don’t gossip, Eason. I share information. Everything I share is true. It’s clear you don’t understand how valuable such talents are. But I have no interest in doing that to Nyla. I want to help make things go smoothly for her.”“You know you can address her. She’s sitting right here and speaks perfectly fine, probably better than either of us,” Eason grumbled, irritated at being reprimanded.Taken aback, Sarah turned towards Nyla with eyes as the size of saucers. “I’m sorry Nyla, I wasn’t trying to ignore you.”“It’s okay,” Nyla s
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The door opened, startling her. “Oh, there you are. Come in, come in.” Edmond ushered her inside. His tone was perfectly pleasant, no hint of anger remaining. The sudden change in him made Nyla uneasy. “Sit,” he directed her to the chair in front of his desk. Nyla sat.Without preamble, he said, “You did well today, Nyla.”Nyla stared at Edmond stunned, forgetting that he expected a reply. After several moments she hastily said, “Thank you.”With a great sigh, he settled himself into his chair. A self-satisfied grin appeared on his lips. “I’ve leaked the events today to the media. Your lack of response when attacked has garnered intense sympathy. One of the students took pictures, and we’ve been able to retrieve them and slip them to the media as well. My campaign has recovered from the backlash of your introduction, and the MRP approval rating has gone through the roof. In fact, my entire campaig
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