Page 89 of Raven

“No.” I shake my head, practicing my patience again. “If someone is forcing you to do something you don’t want, but you can’t say it, and you see me around, you say, ‘snake,’ and that’s how I know that something bad is up.”

“An’ you do the same?”

“Sure. If I want to warn you.”

“Like a secret code?” He grins.

“Like a secret code.”

When the kid tucks the knife into his pocket—proudly, as if he got another treasure—he lifts his chin and narrows his eyes, scanning the ocean.

“Like a superhero,” he murmurs under his breath.

I wish those were around.

He’s deep in his thoughts. I like that. I hope Ayana teaches him more than just an abundance of things.

“Rave?”

He always calls people by name, even when the attention is already on him. That’s a good thing. Dale Carnegie would’ve been proud.

He looks dead serious when he asks, “If you had any superpower, what wou’ tha’ be?”

I smile, but he doesn’t. Children have this amazing habit of being awkwardly straightforward in their curiosity. When they don’t yet learn that it can get them in trouble, embarrass others, or create hostility or put them in danger.

What do I tell the kid?

Shakespeare said that even the best are molded out of their faults. Well, some of us are molded by our demons. We often run from the demons of our past, sometimes, our entire lives. Some of us hide from them, wear disguises, hoping they don’t find us. They always do. The rest of us try to accomplish great things and prove that we can fight them. We build walls, gather armies, and rise to the top so the demons can never catch up and drag us back.

That’s the truth about the demons of the past. They can make us stronger. They create cowards, but often make kings. Sometimes ruthless. Sometimes admirable.

So that’s the deal. Monsters chase you? Make a deal with them. Skeletons in the closet? Make friends with them. Ghosts of the past won’t leave you alone? Talk to them. There’s only so far you can run. Monsters in us feed on fear. When you understand them, you accept them, and they eventually get bored. Occasionally, they leave to chase someone else.

I want to tell Sonny that if I were to pick a superpower, I wish I could slay the demons of the past. Silly, I know. He wouldn’t understand what those are. He didn’t have demons. I hope not. He had a shitty childhood.

But I don’t say anything. Instead, I ask, “What would be yours?”

A little smile forms on his lips. He looks at me awkwardly. “I wish I could make food out of air.”

It’s an invisible punch in my gut.

I showed him the videos from the port of his friends taking the packages we sent. He grinned and laughed, and I felt like shit that Ayana could’ve done so much more but simmers in its own wealth.

“Can I come to town when they send the next package?” Sonny asks.

“No.”

His chin falls to his chest. “Bu’ I wanna see ‘em.”

“You want what?”

His eyes snap to mine. I cock a brow.

“I want to see them,” he says sharply, punctuating every word. “Garrick. I haven’t seen him long time.”

“It’s still a no. It’s for your safety, Sonny. Things are not good in Port Mrei. Not good at all. We will figure something out when everything calms down.”

“They can come here then?”

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