slip he added, “Even if we are no longer in service, they would never be lost to me. We are a cohesive unit, bound by blood, and nothing will ever change that.”
A wave of hushed and tense silence swept over the table. Even Sara looked a little unnerved by the quiet menace in his voice.
“You were out of line, Brandon,” the Admiral growled with a dark frown at his son. “I explained this to you two days ago. Special Force 01 is still considered an active force in our military. They’re only on sabbatical for two years, until officially old enough to actively serve.”
Rys appreciated the support to his cover story, but his gut instinct said that the father’s reprimand would only make matters worse. Brandon already resented Rys’s presence here. Having his father come down on him in front of the intruder, as well as the rest of the family, would not help matters. “I’m still confused why that troubles you so much, sir.” As hoped, his statement drew the Admiral’s attention back to him. “I’ve already been serving for eight years, isn’t my age a rather redundant issue at this point?”
“No, it is not,” Sara declared firmly, daring anyone to have a different opinion. “You should have the chance to live like a normal teenager, Arystair.”
Rys held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not arguing against it, I assure you. I just think all of this concern is unnecessary.”
“You’ll understand our reasoning and concern, Arystair, in about two years.” The Admiral shook his head, dismissing the matter, before the subject could really get rolling. “Now, let’s see if we can get onto more appealing topics. We’ve already enrolled you in classes at our local high school. The original plan called for you to start tomorrow, but you need civvies first. Sara will take you shopping instead, and you can begin high school the day after tomorrow. Brandon goes to the same school, so he can show you around.”
Rys mentally wrote off any help from the sulking teenager. “Yes, sir!”
Bloch groaned. “Arystair, that wasn’t an order.”
Rys out and out grinned. “Habit, sir. Do Cecilia and Cynthia go to high school as well?” He figured they did, as they looked to be about fifteen or so.
“Yes, we do,” the twins responded in perfect unison.
Rys blinked. That was definitely going to take some getting used to.
“They’re a grade below you, so you won’t have many classes with them, if any,” Sara explained.
Hmmm. Rys eyed his two new sisters thoughtfully. They were both yards beyond pretty and sweet to boot. Would he need to keep an eye out for them? They did have an older brother already, and supposedly that task should fall to him. Then again…Brandon didn’t strike him as the kind to bother sticking his neck out for anyone. I think I better take that duty on my own assignment sheet.
The twins started to describe what the high school was like, in dual sentences, and what daily hassles he needed to be warned about. Rys listened attentively, consumed three plates of Shepard’s Pie during the briefing, and got a clearer understanding of family dynamics.
He even managed to draw Ashley out of her shell briefly by asking what she was reading. It was a book he’d never heard of, but it amused him to discover that it was military fiction. He confessed himself to be a closet bookworm; there were hundreds of books downloaded on his laptop. He and Ashley had a pretty animated discussion, talking about favorite authors and books for a while, before a rude comment from Brandon shut her up.
The more that Rys was exposed to the hulking teenage boy, the more he disliked him. Brandon seemed incapable of letting anyone else enjoy themselves. Rys found him to be small, petty and vindictive. His parents were always quick to correct him, but their reprimands seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Sara showed him to his room after dinner. It was far more spacious than he could have imagined. Fourth Colony was a
A wave of hushed and tense silence swept over the table. Even Sara looked a little unnerved by the quiet menace in his voice.
“You were out of line, Brandon,” the Admiral growled with a dark frown at his son. “I explained this to you two days ago. Special Force 01 is still considered an active force in our military. They’re only on sabbatical for two years, until officially old enough to actively serve.”
Rys appreciated the support to his cover story, but his gut instinct said that the father’s reprimand would only make matters worse. Brandon already resented Rys’s presence here. Having his father come down on him in front of the intruder, as well as the rest of the family, would not help matters. “I’m still confused why that troubles you so much, sir.” As hoped, his statement drew the Admiral’s attention back to him. “I’ve already been serving for eight years, isn’t my age a rather redundant issue at this point?”
“No, it is not,” Sara declared firmly, daring anyone to have a different opinion. “You should have the chance to live like a normal teenager, Arystair.”
Rys held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not arguing against it, I assure you. I just think all of this concern is unnecessary.”
“You’ll understand our reasoning and concern, Arystair, in about two years.” The Admiral shook his head, dismissing the matter, before the subject could really get rolling. “Now, let’s see if we can get onto more appealing topics. We’ve already enrolled you in classes at our local high school. The original plan called for you to start tomorrow, but you need civvies first. Sara will take you shopping instead, and you can begin high school the day after tomorrow. Brandon goes to the same school, so he can show you around.”
Rys mentally wrote off any help from the sulking teenager. “Yes, sir!”
Bloch groaned. “Arystair, that wasn’t an order.”
Rys out and out grinned. “Habit, sir. Do Cecilia and Cynthia go to high school as well?” He figured they did, as they looked to be about fifteen or so.
“Yes, we do,” the twins responded in perfect unison.
Rys blinked. That was definitely going to take some getting used to.
“They’re a grade below you, so you won’t have many classes with them, if any,” Sara explained.
Hmmm. Rys eyed his two new sisters thoughtfully. They were both yards beyond pretty and sweet to boot. Would he need to keep an eye out for them? They did have an older brother already, and supposedly that task should fall to him. Then again…Brandon didn’t strike him as the kind to bother sticking his neck out for anyone. I think I better take that duty on my own assignment sheet.
The twins started to describe what the high school was like, in dual sentences, and what daily hassles he needed to be warned about. Rys listened attentively, consumed three plates of Shepard’s Pie during the briefing, and got a clearer understanding of family dynamics.
He even managed to draw Ashley out of her shell briefly by asking what she was reading. It was a book he’d never heard of, but it amused him to discover that it was military fiction. He confessed himself to be a closet bookworm; there were hundreds of books downloaded on his laptop. He and Ashley had a pretty animated discussion, talking about favorite authors and books for a while, before a rude comment from Brandon shut her up.
The more that Rys was exposed to the hulking teenage boy, the more he disliked him. Brandon seemed incapable of letting anyone else enjoy themselves. Rys found him to be small, petty and vindictive. His parents were always quick to correct him, but their reprimands seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Sara showed him to his room after dinner. It was far more spacious than he could have imagined. Fourth Colony was a
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