Page 23 of Legion

My heart stood still. Ember sat across from me, her eyes glowing a hard green in the shadows of the car. As I stiffened, the locks slammed into place with a loud click, and my sibling raised a black handgun and pointed it at my face.

PART II

The Wyrm Turns

DANTE

Last summer

“Ember, when did your parents die, and what was the cause of death?”

I could feel Ember’s impatience from the other side of the seat, in the way she reluctantly tore herself from the window, in the annoyed look she shot our escort, Mr. Ramsey. Even with my headphones on, I knew what she was thinking. She was dying to get out, practically bursting at the seams with eagerness.

“Ember, did you hear me? Answer the question, please.”

Ember sighed. “Joseph and Kate Hill were killed in a car accident when we were seven years old,” she said, sounding like she was reciting a line from a play. I suppressed a wince at how stiff and flat her voice was, but Mr. Ramsey didn’t seem to notice.

“Go on.”

“They were going to see a Broadway musical,West Side Story, and were struck by a drunk driver on the way home,” Ember continued in that same bored monotone. “My brother and I went to live with our grandparents, until Grandpa Bill developed lung cancer and could no longer take care of us.” She kept talking, but her gaze strayed out the window again, at the ocean just beyond the glass. I knew it was killing her, being this close, yet not able to touch it.

Hang in there, sis. We’re almost there.

“Dante.” Mr. Ramsey’s attention shifted to me, as I’d known it would. “What is your real objective while in Crescent Beach?”

I pulled the buds out of my ear and hit Pause on my iPhone to give the human my full attention. Ember might be so distracted that she could barely think, but I hadn’t forgotten the real reason we were here. “Observe and blend in,” I answered calmly. “Learn how to engage with humans, how tobehuman. Assimilate into their social structure and make them believe we are one of them.”

Ember rolled her eyes, mocking my perfect dedication as she usually did. I gave a small shrug. I didn’t mind; one of us had to keep us grounded.

The rest of the ride passed in silence, and we were soon pulling into a small subdivision of neat white villas and tidy yards. I watched the houses roll by, seeing the many humans walking, jogging or riding their bikes down the sidewalk. They looked so...carefree, I thought. Carefree and ignorant. Completely unaware that two dragons were watching them from the backseat of a car.

Ember was going to love it here.

We pulled into the driveway of one of the many villas along the road, and after a brief introduction to our guardians, Mr. Ramsey left, and our appointed “aunt” showed us to our rooms.

After closing the door, I set my suitcase on the bed and gazed around, taking everything in. This was it. Assimilation had officially begun. From here on out, everything I’d learned, all my training, would come into play. When Talon called for me at the end of the summer, I would be ready for whatever they required of me.

If I could keep my reckless, impulsive twin from doing anything crazy.

Easier said than done, Dante.

Quickly, I changed, then headed toward Ember’s room, knowing she would be leaving the house as soon as she could. I hadn’t even knocked on her door when it swung open and my twin slammed into me from the other side.

“Oof.” I staggered back, wincing. “Ow. Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to go check out the beach—” ...together. Where I can keep an eye on you, make sure you don’t Shift and fly off into the sunset, or lose your temper around a human and char them to ash...“—but it looks like you beat me to it.”

Ember grinned, that same wicked, defiant grin she’d challenged me with when we’d still competed with each other in everything. Not realizing she was always the favored one, and that I competed because winning was the only way I could make them see me. “Race you to the water,” she challenged.

“Come on, sis. We’re not in training any—” But she was already past me, flying down the stairs, and I scrambled to catch up.

Later, after dunking each other in the ocean and getting it out of our systems, Ember and I wandered down the beach, checking out our new home. Ember seemed especially fascinated by the surfers farther out in deep water, gliding down the waves on their colorful boards, and that was mildly concerning, knowing she would want to try it sometime. Swimming was one lesson we hadn’t gotten a lot of in the Mohave Desert. As we continued down the strip, Ember’s eyes were huge, looking at everything, but I was searching for something specific.

I found it a couple minutes later—a group of human teens, playing volleyball in the sand. I observed them carefully as we approached; most of them were attractive—for humans—athletic, obviously well-off.

Perfect.

I nudged Ember’s shoulder. “Come on,” I said, and began walking toward the group. She followed hesitantly, frowning.

“Um. What are we doing?”

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