Making the Grade (Omnia Online Series Book 2) by Christopher Booth Page B

little experience dealing with any one of the race except the strange bounty hunter Tredido.
    “Well, yeah, you can find stuff on the net, if you know how to look.”  Drake took this to mean that she’d hacked into some system to find more information than was on the data-net news feeds.
    “Why would you be so interested in me, that you’d risk getting caught snooping where you didn’t belong.” asked Drake.
    “Hey, you could hardly call it snooping or hacking if they use such poor security.  And I didn’t hurt anyone.  It’s just that real hero’s are rare, and you’re real.  I just couldn’t resist trying to find out more about you.  Like where did you come from before you crash landed on Hassan anyway?”
    Drake didn’t want to explain to what he was sure was an NPC, that he’d just started playing this game at the time.  So he gave a vague answer and switch to the verbal offensive.
    “My background isn’t something I like to talk about, and certainly not something I would discuss with a child I don’t even know.  But accessing non-public information is hacking, no matter the justification, so you should try to be more careful about who you let know,” said Drake.
    “I’m not a child, I’m 13 years old, and that’s old enough in Karurian society for a girl to be able to take care of herself!  And my name is Sul-Fiona Windloom!” the young lady insisted.
    Drake found the girl to be amusing but tried to keep a straight face.  What was it about young teenagers insisting that they can take care of themselves, then before you knew it they’d be asking for help.
    “So why did you come looking for me?  I don’t consider what happened back six weeks ago to be heroism, any ordinary man would have stepped up to help those people,” said Drake.
    “I knew it!  I was right, you are a hero… And I need your help.  Can you find my mom and bring her back to me?” the young girl asked, suddenly going from enthusiasm and determination to tear-filled eyes.
    One of the features Drake liked about the Avian race, besides their song like voices were their large expressive eyes.  She had those eyes, and they were filled with tears, and their hurt went straight to Drake's heart.
    It didn’t help that the young girl's request reminded him of how he felt when he lost his mother.  He’d blamed himself for her death for a long time after.  She was driving to pick him up from football practice when her car was broadsided.  He kept telling himself that if he’d just walked home, she would still be alive.  It didn’t help when his dad started drinking and held Kevin to blamed too.
    He remembered the pain, it was like emotional shards of broken glass filled his stomach at the time, and no amount of crying could ease the hurt.
    He could see that same pain in this younglings eyes, the big expressive eyes, that should be forbidden by law.
    Damn, he was trapped.
    “Tell me what happened.”

Chapter 5 – Earning His Wings
     
    Drake was late getting to his psionic training class with Allacia.
    Sul-Fiona filled him in on how her mother, a research biologist studying the local fauna, had gone into the forest like she had on so many other days, and hadn’t returned, this was about three days ago.  There had been a search around the area where she did most of her sampling and used to observe the local wildlife.  There had been no sign to be found, and after a few days, the search had been called off.
    Sul-Fiona’s father was sure that his wife had died, and had gone into a deep depression, leaving Fiona to take care of herself.  Drake learned from the girl that Karura mated for life and rarely did one outlive the death of its mate by long.  Her father had stopped eating, and Fiona was certain that she would lose him too if she could not find her mother.
    This is why Fiona had come to the city looking for help.  Coming to the Guild Hall was her last hope and not much of one since she could offer no