Page 26 of Dark Awakening: New World

"That sounds intense."

"It is," Lusha agreed, "but it's necessary to ensure that only those who are truly prepared and knowledgeable can become licensed attorneys. Once I pass the exam, they are also going to check my background, which I will need the clan to fabricate for me, and if I pass all that and a test on professional responsibility, I will be eligible to be admitted to the bar."

"Good luck. That sounds like one hell of an undertaking."

Lusha shrugged and took another swig of her beer. "I know how to study, and my English has gotten much better since I got here and was forced to speak it exclusively. If the clan will help with fabricating a background for me, I can do it."

"I admire your tenacity." Marina squeezed a lime into the salsa and added salt. "Do you really think that you'll ever be able to practice law here?"

Lusha sighed. "It will probably take years before Kian will be comfortable letting us come and go as we please."

The mention of years brought Marina's thoughts crashing back to the elephant in the room—the vast lifespan difference between her and Peter. She felt the familiar weight of that reality settling in her chest.

"You should reconsider seducing an immortal. It's not really fair to them if they fall in love with a human. The children I will bear to Peter, if we get so lucky, will be human, and he will have to watch not only me die but our children as well."

"What about you? What's the downside for you, if there is any? From here, it seems that you can only benefit from being with him."

And here she thought that Lusha was a smart woman. "The downside for me is that I will get old while Peter will stay young. Do you really think that he will want to stay with an old woman when in fifty years' time he'll look exactly like he does now, and I'll look like a prune?"

"You might age slower than you would otherwise."

Marina rolled her eyes. "Fine, so in a hundred years, I will look like a prune, and he will still look exactly like he does now. It will still happen."

"Have you talked to Peter about this?" Lusha asked.

Marina nodded. "He says that he will take whatever years I can give him. He wants to be with me for as long as we have. He wants us to take it one day at a time and not think about the future. Sometimes I manage to do that, and sometimes I can't."

Lusha's eyes sparked with determination. "Peter is right, Marina. We are living in a world of gods and immortals, and their doctors are working on unraveling the secret to their immortality. One day, they will figure it out, and we will be the first ones they will test it on because we are here, and we are willing to be their test bunnies."

16

PETER

The mailroom was a bustling place, with clan members, Kra-ell, and Kalugal's people all coming and going throughout the day. Seeing the three groups interacting in such a mundane setting was actually reassuring. They might not be one cohesive community, but they were cordial to each other as they collected their packages.

Kian was convinced that the theft and sabotage were symptoms of a deeper problem and that the lack of meaningful integration between the groups was a ticking bomb that, if not addressed, could trigger a real conflict. But what if they were not dealing with a global issue afflicting the community? What if this was all the doings of one troubled individual?

"You know." Peter shifted his gaze to Kagra. "Maybe we're looking at this all wrong. All of that malicious mischief might be the actions of one unhappy individual. Maybe it's an attempt to get attention or vent frustration."

Kagra turned to him, her eyebrows raised. "That's an interesting theory. What makes you say that?"

Peter shrugged. "Look at what was taken—small items mostly, nothing of real value. It's like whoever's doing this wants to shake things up."

"If it were only the thefts, I might have agreed with you, but the sabotage is dangerous. Light seen at night might draw attention to the village, and none of the three groups wants that to happen."

"None of the sane people want that, but teenagers often don't think rationally, and sometimes adults don't use their brains properly either. Still, I agree with you that it's most likely the teenagers."

Kagra stopped the replay and leaned back in the chair. "So, we both think it's the teenagers, and you think it is a cry for attention?"

"People do crazy shit to be noticed, and many times it's not positive."

Kagra was silent for a long moment, considering his words. "It's a dangerous game to play just to get attention. If it's one of ours, they will be flogged."

Peter winced. "Yeah, we have the same brutal way of dealing with unruly immortal teenagers, but the difference is that ours heal in hours while yours heal in days. So, yours is a more severe punishment in a sense."

"We are tougher people, and our tempers run hotter. We need to be stricter to control our youth." Kagra smiled coldly. "I've gotten flogged and beaten by Jade even before we were captured by Igor, and I was her favorite, the one she chose as her second." Kagra took a long breath. "She's not nearly as strict with Drova, and she's doing the girl a disservice. She's much too strong-willed, and given who her father was, letting her run wild is dangerous."

Drova was Igor's daughter, and Igor was an incredibly strong compeller. If Drova had inherited his power, she could cause much more trouble than stealing from the mailroom or sabotaging window shutters.

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