me. I may as well entertain myself.”
“You’re not supposed to be talking or daydreaming. This is an exercise in getting to know your body Grace.”
I couldn’t help myself. I tried to be good. I tried so hard, but it slipped out. “I know my body pretty well thanks. I get to know it fairly intimately on a regular basis.”
I heard a choking sound but kept my eyes down. I could be brazen, but it was easier when I didn’t have to see the looks afterward. I forced myself not to blush and sped up a little.
“I wasn’t talking about masturbation, Grace.”
Great, now my face was on fire.
“You need to become familiar with how your muscles work,” he continued patiently. “Once you know your limitations, you can work on pushing yourself harder. Your muscles haven’t been used in, well who knows how long and the sooner we get you ready for training, the better. Things aren’t right in the Land of Oz and if Diana didn’t stress how shorthanded we are at the moment, she should have. You got much longer out here in the world than most do.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, curious.
“Which part?”
I deepened my voice and parroted his words. “You got much longer out here in the world – yada yada yada.”
“Oh. Well, Guardians only breed when planes start shifting. It’s a signal for a – well a big change. Diana did it a little out of order and then decided that you would be different. She sent you off to foster with the hope that you would be given the opportunity to grow outside of the chaos we constantly live in.
“She hoped that you would develop your strengths and weaknesses without the pressure that we all face. Most Hunters are recalled at sixteen to start the physical and magical training that we all receive.”
“How long does training last?”
“We never stop training Grace. I’m nearly two thousand years old and I still train.”
I gaped at him. “You’re almost two thousand years old? You don’t look a day over 30. Don’t you age?”
“I can shift to look older, but my true form will never appear older than this. This is what my maturity looks like.”
Uncertainty filled my voice as a new worry hit me. “I am a terrible mother.” I stated with vehemence. “I can’t believe that I didn’t think about it before this. Is this going to happen to Dylan too? Is he never going to get old? Is someone going to come and snatch him before his junior year in high school to tell him he’s gotta fight the monsters?”
I’d stopped in my tracks at this point and could see him wince as my voice was getting louder. He walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. Looking into my eyes, he squeezed once and said, “No, Dylan won’t have to make that choice. He should grow old, have children and die a happy old man.”
“Will I live to be as old as you?” I gazed into his eyes, searching for the truth.
“Yes.” He nodded.
“I’m going to outlive my son?” I couldn’t bear the thought of living in a world without my child. I hadn’t considered this when I had accepted Diana’s offer. I put my hands on my hips and started pacing trying to work this out in my head.
“I don’t understand. He is my child - shouldn’t he be as long lived?”
“Grace, every Hero gets a choice. Their Hunter parent activates the DNA that changes the structure of their bodies, making them less human and more otherworldly. Persephone Saw that Dylan wouldn’t have to choose. That should put your mind at rest.”
A small, sad smile formed on my lips. “I don’t know how I’ll live without him in this world.” I said.
“You will have his children and their children to remind you. The pain of losing him will lessen over time. I promise.”
“Who is Persephone and how does she know this?” Forgive me for being skeptical, but this was my son we were talking about.
“She is another child of Alancea and her power is seeing into the future. She’s one of the reasons we
“You’re not supposed to be talking or daydreaming. This is an exercise in getting to know your body Grace.”
I couldn’t help myself. I tried to be good. I tried so hard, but it slipped out. “I know my body pretty well thanks. I get to know it fairly intimately on a regular basis.”
I heard a choking sound but kept my eyes down. I could be brazen, but it was easier when I didn’t have to see the looks afterward. I forced myself not to blush and sped up a little.
“I wasn’t talking about masturbation, Grace.”
Great, now my face was on fire.
“You need to become familiar with how your muscles work,” he continued patiently. “Once you know your limitations, you can work on pushing yourself harder. Your muscles haven’t been used in, well who knows how long and the sooner we get you ready for training, the better. Things aren’t right in the Land of Oz and if Diana didn’t stress how shorthanded we are at the moment, she should have. You got much longer out here in the world than most do.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, curious.
“Which part?”
I deepened my voice and parroted his words. “You got much longer out here in the world – yada yada yada.”
“Oh. Well, Guardians only breed when planes start shifting. It’s a signal for a – well a big change. Diana did it a little out of order and then decided that you would be different. She sent you off to foster with the hope that you would be given the opportunity to grow outside of the chaos we constantly live in.
“She hoped that you would develop your strengths and weaknesses without the pressure that we all face. Most Hunters are recalled at sixteen to start the physical and magical training that we all receive.”
“How long does training last?”
“We never stop training Grace. I’m nearly two thousand years old and I still train.”
I gaped at him. “You’re almost two thousand years old? You don’t look a day over 30. Don’t you age?”
“I can shift to look older, but my true form will never appear older than this. This is what my maturity looks like.”
Uncertainty filled my voice as a new worry hit me. “I am a terrible mother.” I stated with vehemence. “I can’t believe that I didn’t think about it before this. Is this going to happen to Dylan too? Is he never going to get old? Is someone going to come and snatch him before his junior year in high school to tell him he’s gotta fight the monsters?”
I’d stopped in my tracks at this point and could see him wince as my voice was getting louder. He walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. Looking into my eyes, he squeezed once and said, “No, Dylan won’t have to make that choice. He should grow old, have children and die a happy old man.”
“Will I live to be as old as you?” I gazed into his eyes, searching for the truth.
“Yes.” He nodded.
“I’m going to outlive my son?” I couldn’t bear the thought of living in a world without my child. I hadn’t considered this when I had accepted Diana’s offer. I put my hands on my hips and started pacing trying to work this out in my head.
“I don’t understand. He is my child - shouldn’t he be as long lived?”
“Grace, every Hero gets a choice. Their Hunter parent activates the DNA that changes the structure of their bodies, making them less human and more otherworldly. Persephone Saw that Dylan wouldn’t have to choose. That should put your mind at rest.”
A small, sad smile formed on my lips. “I don’t know how I’ll live without him in this world.” I said.
“You will have his children and their children to remind you. The pain of losing him will lessen over time. I promise.”
“Who is Persephone and how does she know this?” Forgive me for being skeptical, but this was my son we were talking about.
“She is another child of Alancea and her power is seeing into the future. She’s one of the reasons we
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