Robb's Chapter, Page Eleven

PREVIOUS PAGE

“It is,” Crimson said, “Which is why you’re going to have to come with us to get the real test done. Alright?”

“Plus,” Fuchsia said, “It’s not rare for a new member to exhibit characteristics of both. After training, you’ll find which way you lean.”

“Oh,” Robb said, “I guess that is what this is. Because. I doubt I could do much saving.”

“The Thalassic Pyreweaver is humble,” Fuchsia said, “How cute.” She giggled.

“Come on,” Crimson said.

Crimson walked off in the direction of the side entrance. Fuchsia followed. Robb looked at the water in the fountain and then went after them.

Robb figured he should have been more weirded out by everything they’d done with the handshakes.

Their touch had seemed so natural, though. Like he’d felt it before.

Crimson led them down an alley. He unlocked the door of a silver convertible and hopped into the driver’s seat. Fuchsia opened the door for Robb like a genteel woman, and waited for him to climb into the back. Classic rock started playing from the car’s speakers when Crimson turned on the engine. But Crimson turned it off with a sneer. Fuchsia protested with a sigh.

“Should I close my eyes or something?” Robb asked, “So I don’t know how we get to wherever we’re going?”

“We’re just going to the Grey Center,” Crimson said, “So it don’t matter. Everyone knows about it. They just don’t always know who uses it.”

“And to what ends,” Fuchsia said, giggling again.

Crimson drove quickly, like they were being followed or chased, weaving through traffic and between lanes. As they sped through a stoplight, a cop car behind them threw on its lights and pulled out to give chase. Fuchsia turned around and stuck out her tongue, and when Robb looked, he saw the car skidding on a patch of ice. It plowed into a parked truck. And there it stayed.

They ended up where the Grey Center was; on the Northwest end of Uptown, just before the fancier half of the suburbs started. The Grey Center was a tall building, which seemed to be made of granite. The left half was painted red, and the right half was blue, and the strip down the center was grey. The paint was peeling on both sides, and there were patches of grey to be seen underneath that made one think about graves.

Crimson turned off the engine and hopped out. Fuchsia hopped out too. Robb figured it was only fair if he did the same. Fuchsia turned to look, and pointed at the edge of the car that Robb was just about to place his hand on. It was slick with water, and he almost slipped as he vaulted out.

“Ha ha,” Robb said.

“I know,” she said, “It was funny!”

“You’re going to get someone killed doing that,” Robb said.

“She already has,” Crimson said, without turning around. He was almost to the front doors.

“Twice,” Fuchsia said, “Although it was fair both times! They were trying to kill me.”

“Who were they?” Robb asked.

Crimson reached the front doors and opened it, gesturing for Robb and Fuchsia to enter.

“One of them was a Bricklayer initiate,” Fuchsia said, walking in, “Who wasn’t familiar with what we can do.” She entered, and Robb followed.

The room was roman in architecture; pillars and marble. At the center was a fountain of water with torches lit around it. There were some thirty or forty kids in there, at the edge of the fountain the way the kids at the mall were, except they were doing things with the water and fire. Some of them were spinning circles of each through the air. Others were combining the two elements to create steam. The younger ones were hardly doing anything more than playing. All of them seemed to enjoy it. A few of them were even starting play fights. They were small squabbles, and no one ended up with anything more than a singed eyebrow or wet clothes, as far as Robb could tell. He was smiling before he realized it.

“Tell him about the second one you got,” Crimson said to Fuchsia, “I doubt he’ll believe it.”

“I don’t really understand,” Robb said, “A Bricklayer initiate?”

“The Bricklayers are letting non-Layers join now,” Fuchsia said, “To bolster their numbers. But there’s almost no Bricklayers anymore who can still play mind games like they used to.”

“Oh,” Robb said.

“Anyway,” Fuchsia said, “Because Crimson asked, I suppose I will tell you. The second person I killed wasn’t a person at all! It was a shade!”

NEXT PAGE