Page 66 of Mistaken Magic

Brackenleaned over his knees to get a little closer. "Youaren't the only foundling,Rain.Liamspends a lot of time combing through the records of foster kids.Hisjob here allows him to work as the primary case worker forPlainsboro, which gives him access to all of this district."

"Yeah,Liammentioned he's been looking for fae in the foster system,"Isaid. "Whatabout the parents, though?"

Brackenmade a noise likeIwas missing the point. "Alot of fae are taken by theWildHunt.Theirpart-fae children end up in the foster system.Thenthere's the ones fromFaerie."

"KidsfromFaerie, you mean?"

Henodded. "Mostrefugees now are kids.Longago, if a fae wanted to protect their child, they would steal a human infant and replace it with the fae baby.Thefoster system makes that pointless.Justleave a kid somewhere, call for help, and presto, the police handle the rest.It'seasier to slip a kid out than an adult, so if a parent has to choose..."

"Huh, which is whyLiamthought my record mattered."Ibobbed my head, thinking about that. "So, fae kids kinda bounce around a lot once they're in human foster homes, huh?"

"Ironmakes us grumpy.Mostof your homes have a lot of it.We'renot always easy to deal with."

"Idunno,"Icountered. "Ikinda think you're easier than most of the humansI'vemet in my life."

Theman actually laughed at that. "Whichis why you definitely belong here."Thenhe leaned back again and sighed. "So, the girls were all reprimanded.They'rerestricted from after-hours activities, confined to their dorms for the next weekwhen not in school, and their parents or guardians have been called.Twowere sent home for a week.GiselleandElyssa.Tagsays you planted yourself right overAspenand took the iron from their hands?"

"Theyhad keychains,"Iexplained. "Normal, regular things you can buy in any gas station.I'veheld a million of them, so it wasn't that big of a deal."

"WastoAspen," he countered. "Keirsaid he could feel the itch of it from fifty yards away."

Igestured up. "Butthe building doesn't bother you?"

"Notmuch iron," he assured me. "Thiswhole place was built with brick, stone, mortar, aluminum, and some bronze.Oh, there's iron in here.It'simpossible to avoid it all, but the original refugees tried to limit it as much as possible.Ifan alternative could be used, then it was."

Inodded to showI'dheard, butIwas less interested in the building than the jesters. "So, what happens when they try it again?Youknow those girls won't like the fact they got in trouble."

"Theywon't," he agreed. "Iwant to say you should come tell a teacher, butIthink we're both realists, right?"

"Yeah,"Imumbled.

"ButLiamsaid you're worried about getting into trouble.Hemade it clear you have a history of standing up for yourself, even when it means you might pay the price.So, let us talk like fae, not teacher to student, hm?"

"Ok?"

Iturned a little more, then hugged my knees.Iwasn't quite sure what he meant by that, butIwas more than willing to listen.Brackenhad been fair to me so far, and the fact he was cute made me not mind talking to him.Ijust wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Thereare times when being fae makes us very, very weak.Thereare times when being fae makes us very strong.Thesame is true for humans, which you demonstrated today.Aspenis a powerful young lady.Shecould level this school if she wanted to.However, a keychain brought her to her knees."

"Yeah,"Igrumbled, hating that.

"So, if you are defending another student,Iwill give you my word you will not be expelled fromSilverOaks.Anyother student, but it needs to be for a valid reason.Youcan't scald a fae with iron because they bumped someone in the halls.Likefor like,Rain.Canyou agree to that?"

"Ican,"Isaid.

Henodded slowly, as if thinking. "ThenIwant you to start training against multiple opponents in my classes.Tagsaid she's going to start teaching you various metals.Shewants you to be able to identify the harmful ones at a glance."Helooked over and smiled. "Youimpressed a few teachers today, so you know.Thatdoesn't mean we'll go easy on you.Infact, it means we all intend to push you - because you have potential.Ourschool is not like what you're used to.Here, we're teaching you how to fit into a fae community while blending with human society.Youcould be very useful inanyfae community that will take you, andI'msure a few would love to."

"WhatifIwant to stay here?"Iasked. "BelikeLiam, you know?Helpfind foster kids who had a hard time.Maybesome humans who've dreamed of finding out they're a fairy princess or something?"

"Ora guardian for the fae," he suggested. "Thereare always jobs atSilverOaks.Ican't make promises about anything else, but if you become a part of this community, we willrelyon you."

"Ijust like it here,"Iadmitted. "It'slike, for the first time in my life, you're all willing to listen to me.I'mnot always assumed to be belligerent or difficult because things go wrong."

Hemurmured to himself, looking over at the large tree that was the centerpiece of the atrium's garden. "I'mgoing to tell you something, andLiamwouldn't approve, butIthink you need to know."Hepaused, then finally looked over. "Weneed warriors.AgainsttheHunt, against the possibility of the gates reopening, and against the pain of so much iron all around us.That'swhy we offer combat courses here.Thefae weren't meant to live onEarth, but we don't have any other option now.Wewill either have to expose ourselves or we'll be burned alive by the civilization that's taking over the remaining open spaces.Weneed warriors,Rain, and you have the heart for it."

"ButIdon't know anything,"Ireminded him.

"Ican teach you," he swore. "Youaren't like most of the humans we see here.You'remore like the fae in some ways, and yet you grab iron without flinching.Liamchecked your parents, and there's no chance of fae ancestry, yet you're..."

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