Page 50 of Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal
“Isn’t it the other way around?” asked Tenma.
Kimiko was glad that Isla’s answering laugh held no trace of mockery.
The girl hooked her arm through Tenma’s and, loud enough for everyone to hear, announced, “Our family isownedby a feline Kith. If Reaver Armstrong has a Kith companion, it’s because the Kith chose him,notthe other way around.”
Only a few minutes passed before a light rap announced the arrival of a reaver and an Amaranthine at the door. The reaver was tall and blond, with anaww, shuckssmile that made him look like the leading man in an American movie. His dark teal tunic designated him a battler, and the faint creases at the corners of his blue eyes suggested a genial sort of maturity. Kimiko guessed him to be about the same age as her father.
His Amaranthine companion—easily recognized as a wolf by the light brown tail flicking against the ragged cuffs of his jeans—strolled to the long row of windows and stood gazing out, as if he found the classroom claustrophobic. Leaning to one side, Kimiko managed a glimpse of the crest on his armband, and her heart gave a glad leap. Elderbough!
Kimiko studied his profile. While there was a certain resemblance, she knew this wasn’t Adoona-soh’s eldest son, the heir. But she wasn’t familiar with the younger sons. Actually, this denim-clad wolf could just as easily be a grandson. Except she could feel his power like a low vibration—intense, impatient, irritated.
Yellow eyes locked with hers, as if he’d felt her gaze.
She surreptitiously offered him welcome and peace.
Thick brows lifted. His response was offhanded, but he wearily begged pardon, signaling distraction and directing her attention back to his partner in the simplest of terms.Pay attention. This is important.
After a brief consultation, Ms. Reeves raised her voice. “We’re honored to have Christopher Armstrong with us today. Hanoo, if you’ll unlatch the double-door, his Kith partner will also be joining us.”
Hanoo, Yoota, and Ploom all leapt up, hurrying with the catches on the second classroom door, which usually remained shut. Their excitement made little sense until the Kith—an enormous black wolf—eased through the door.
Reaver Armstrong said something in English, then switched to Japanese with a broad American accent. “Cove is a wolf of the Nightspangle pack.”
Ms. Reeves directed her three tail-wagging students to close up the doors and return to their seats, then yielded the floor to Reaver Armstrong.
“I apologize for the clumsiness of my words and for not having time to introduce ourselves properly. My name is Christopher Armstrong, and you are welcome to call me Chris. My Kith partner is Cove. And my other friend is Boonmar-fen Elderbough. Please, don’t mind. He will move through the room while I am talking. Learning faces and scents. Okay?”
Kimiko glanced at Suuzu, whose expression had clouded considerably. Whatever it was, he knew. And it wasn’t good. Akira seemed to be picking up on his best friend’s mood. He’d moved his chair around and sat right beside Suuzu.
“I’m what the media usually calls a Kith handler,” continued Chris. “But that’s a misrepresentation. A misnomer.”
He had clearly learned Japanese but didn’t often use it, because he kept dropping English words into his sentences, then backing up to translate himself.
Isla raised her hand. “Would you like me to serve as translator?”
Chris shifted into a pleading posture. “That would be a big help, little lady.”
Now that he wasn’t working so hard to find the right words, the battler relaxed and included more nuances of posture, making it clear that he’d lived most of his life among wolves. Kimiko wondered if he belonged to the same enclave as Hanoo, Yoota, and Ploom.
“Cove has been my companion since I was twelve, and he was my grandmother’s companion before me. I have seven siblings—three full, two half, and two step. The family joke is that I was both the runt and the pick of the litter.”
Kimiko shook her head in wonderment. If this strapping blond man was the smallest in his family, his siblings must rival the Amaranthine in size.
“I’m enclave born and was raised to work in tandem with a Kith companion as a tracker. The role has been considered largely traditional for centuries, like many of the battler sub-classifications. But since the Emergence, both battlers and trackers are in high demand to work with law enforcement and criminal investigation. Or in the private sector as body guards, security guards, and even travel guides.”
He spoke at length about the jobs available to reavers who aimed for battler classification and opportunities for humans in those same fields. Meanwhile, Boonmar-fen glided unobtrusively through the room. Those who spared him a glance had their attention firmly directed back to the front. More than once, he signaled for the students to listen to Chris.
Kimiko was impressed by Isla’s poise. She and Chris quickly developed a pattern, taking turns speaking. Her polish not only put Reaver Armstrong at ease, it kept everyone in the classroom connected. Couldn’t Ms. Reeves have done the same? But a glance in their homeroom teacher’s direction made Kimiko sure that the idea hadn’t occurred to her. Her attention was turned inward, and her downcast face was pinched and pale.
A knock preceded Sentinel Skybellow into the room, and Ms. Reeves leapt to her feet. She thanked and excused Isla, and Boonmar-fen returned to the front of the room.
This was it.
Ms. Reeves thanked Chris and encouraged young reavers interested in Kith-based careers or any of the battler specializations to speak up. “And now Sentinel needs to make an announcement.”
Their head of security didn’t drag it out any further. “Last night, during the height of the Star Festival, one of our students—Minami Li from Class 2-A—failed to return to the dormitories. Further investigation by experienced trackers has led to the regrettable conclusion that she was taken.”
A murmur of dismay rippled through the room.
