that. I, um, I feel a bit lost at the moment.”
“What’s bothering you?” Devon tilted his head toward her.
“How long do you have? We’d be here for hours if I tried to answer that question.” Rae tried to joke, but it came out sounding sarcastic. She cleared her throat and switched to a more serious tone. “I want to know what everyone knows about me. I’m obviously missing something here. What’s so important about my past that makes everyone so quiet and makes me feel like a freak show?”
Devon ran his fingers through his short, dark hair. “I’m not sure I can answer you correctly. I only know what I’ve heard. Maybe Lanford’s a better person to talk to.”
I can’t take this crap anymore. I need to know now. Rae looked directly at him. “Can you tell me what you’ve heard? I spoke with Lanford last night, but I want someone my age explaining it in normal words.”
Devon took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He paused a few moments. “Everyone knows who you are because of your past. You’re the girl who survived the fire. To your hometown and the rest of the un-inked world, you were the little miracle girl who somehow walked out of the flames unharmed.” He swallowed. “Nobody knows exactly what happened that day. If you don’t remember…” He gave her a questioning look. Rae shook her head, not ready to share something so personal. “You do know both your parents were gifted, right?”
“Lanford said that last night. He also said people with the gift don’t usually marry other gifted people. What’s the big deal?”
“It’s like some unwritten code or rule. I’m not one hundred percent sure why. No one really talks about it.” He shrugged. “It just isn’t done. I do remember your parents being the example often brought up if someone asked. I’ve also heard if two people with ink have children, it could possibly screw the gift up or change it. I’m not talking about making a unique ink. I’m talking about something darker…dangerous.”
Rae straightened. “So the school’s worried I might become some kind of monster because of my parents?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Devon put his hands up in a defensive, placating gesture. “Like I said, I don’t know much about this. I just meant it can change the form of the gift. I don’t know of any scientific studies or anything done on children from two inked parents. There aren’t a lot of…you…them.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Our society keeps our ink hidden from the rest of the world, even the ones we love.”
Impossible. How could you keep this from someone you really care about? “So what gifts did my parents have that might go haywire on me?” Rae couldn’t believe something bad was going to happen to her. She’d lost her parents; what could be worse than that?
“You honestly don’t remember anything about them?”
Rae sighed. “I remember stuff. Most of it’s bits and pieces, like a dream from a long time ago. Or I see a photo my Uncle Argyle has and then I can remember the day the picture was taken.” She shuddered, still able to vividly recall the stink of burning. “The fire happened about ten years ago, and I was only six.”
“What do you remember about your mom?”
“My mom?” Rae smiled. A warm sense of longing filled her chest. She was glad Devon asked about her. Rae didn’t spend enough time thinking about her mom nowadays. “I remember her as the sweetest person in the entire world. She doted on me, always protective and loving.” Rae closed her eyes, trying to snatch a feeling or memory from her brain. “Whenever we were together, I felt warm, like it was always bright with her around.” I can feel that heat inside of me, just thinking about her. She blinked and watched Devon.
He smiled. “Your mother’s ink was the sun, so that might explain it.”
“The sun?” Rae pictured a sun with squiggly lines coming out of it.
“What’s bothering you?” Devon tilted his head toward her.
“How long do you have? We’d be here for hours if I tried to answer that question.” Rae tried to joke, but it came out sounding sarcastic. She cleared her throat and switched to a more serious tone. “I want to know what everyone knows about me. I’m obviously missing something here. What’s so important about my past that makes everyone so quiet and makes me feel like a freak show?”
Devon ran his fingers through his short, dark hair. “I’m not sure I can answer you correctly. I only know what I’ve heard. Maybe Lanford’s a better person to talk to.”
I can’t take this crap anymore. I need to know now. Rae looked directly at him. “Can you tell me what you’ve heard? I spoke with Lanford last night, but I want someone my age explaining it in normal words.”
Devon took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He paused a few moments. “Everyone knows who you are because of your past. You’re the girl who survived the fire. To your hometown and the rest of the un-inked world, you were the little miracle girl who somehow walked out of the flames unharmed.” He swallowed. “Nobody knows exactly what happened that day. If you don’t remember…” He gave her a questioning look. Rae shook her head, not ready to share something so personal. “You do know both your parents were gifted, right?”
“Lanford said that last night. He also said people with the gift don’t usually marry other gifted people. What’s the big deal?”
“It’s like some unwritten code or rule. I’m not one hundred percent sure why. No one really talks about it.” He shrugged. “It just isn’t done. I do remember your parents being the example often brought up if someone asked. I’ve also heard if two people with ink have children, it could possibly screw the gift up or change it. I’m not talking about making a unique ink. I’m talking about something darker…dangerous.”
Rae straightened. “So the school’s worried I might become some kind of monster because of my parents?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Devon put his hands up in a defensive, placating gesture. “Like I said, I don’t know much about this. I just meant it can change the form of the gift. I don’t know of any scientific studies or anything done on children from two inked parents. There aren’t a lot of…you…them.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Our society keeps our ink hidden from the rest of the world, even the ones we love.”
Impossible. How could you keep this from someone you really care about? “So what gifts did my parents have that might go haywire on me?” Rae couldn’t believe something bad was going to happen to her. She’d lost her parents; what could be worse than that?
“You honestly don’t remember anything about them?”
Rae sighed. “I remember stuff. Most of it’s bits and pieces, like a dream from a long time ago. Or I see a photo my Uncle Argyle has and then I can remember the day the picture was taken.” She shuddered, still able to vividly recall the stink of burning. “The fire happened about ten years ago, and I was only six.”
“What do you remember about your mom?”
“My mom?” Rae smiled. A warm sense of longing filled her chest. She was glad Devon asked about her. Rae didn’t spend enough time thinking about her mom nowadays. “I remember her as the sweetest person in the entire world. She doted on me, always protective and loving.” Rae closed her eyes, trying to snatch a feeling or memory from her brain. “Whenever we were together, I felt warm, like it was always bright with her around.” I can feel that heat inside of me, just thinking about her. She blinked and watched Devon.
He smiled. “Your mother’s ink was the sun, so that might explain it.”
“The sun?” Rae pictured a sun with squiggly lines coming out of it.
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