Bittersweet

By Tyffani Clark Kemp

Welcome to Mother Cora’s, where the offspring of the Kaveesh learn to coexist with humans.
One hundred and twenty years ago, the Kaveesh came to Earth to save it from a disease that gorged itself on anything in its wake. Buildings crumbled to dust, soil and plant life were consumed, and two-thirds of the Earth’s population perished.
The only thing the Kaveesh asked in return was to help save their dying race. Breeding programs began and the half-breeds were born.
Lirabel is a half-breed and an overachiever. Despite a few setbacks, she’s scheduled to graduate early from Mother Cora’s and become the Half-breed Ambassador to the Humans.
Enter Jonas. They were best friends until he broke her heart and disappeared five years ago. Now, he’s back, but Lirabel couldn’t care less. There are more important things to worry about...
Like finishing her last year of school and becoming ambassador. Or the half-bred students losing control of their Kaveesh strengths and being sent into quarantine. Or how the breeding programs that were supposed to have ended might still be up and running.
And somehow, Jonas’ bittersweet return is connected to it all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tyffani Clark Kemp
• Release date: Oct 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370481040

Tyffani Clark Kemp

Tyffani Clark Kemp might be the quietest person in the room, but that just means she’s probably the biggest freak too. She is a multi-genre author with a gift for the written word and a desire to help all Indies reach their full potential. In 2012, she and her best friend Kimberly Fudge started SideStreet Cookie Publishing for authors who want to remain independent, but don’t have the time or the knowledge to do it all themselves. From the age of eleven she dedicated her life to writing and making sure she was good at her craft. Now, she passes that knowledge on to others. Her friends would describe her as determined and giving. She may be quite, but she always has a story to tell.

Book preview

Strange eyes. All Cees can see are those strange eyes, but what it is about them she just doesn’t remember.

The food tray is delivered, but instead of eating it, Cees mushes everything together and uses it to paint on the wall. When they come for her they will wipe everything away. They don’t understand what she’s trying to tell them. They’re just too empty.

Empty, Cees whispers to herself. Empty. Empty. They don’t think she knows what she’s saying, but she knows more than they do.

The sad girl with the strange eyes is always watching Cees when she sleeps. Cees knows her but she can't remember. When Cees opens her eyes, her friend is gone, but her memories remain, so she paints her in shades of brown, never able to get her strange eyes just right.

No, Cees thinks. Not memories. The boy with eyes like stars doesn’t know her yet, so they can’t be memories.

The sad one knows, but Cees sees.

Cherry blossoms. A coin. Shiny! A shimmering pond. A dark shadow.

They will come. They will bow. Cees sees. The frigid one knows.

Cees smears her food on the wall. It won't be long now. More are coming. Cees will have new friends.

CHAPTER ONE

ka’Bree (kah’Bree): The strengths exhibited by half-bred Kaveesh upon their maturity cycle; sometimes referred to as ‘superpowers’.

The others were already waiting for her at the shrine. Lirabel tugged on her heavy veil and picked up her pace. The sun was high and hot and the last thing she needed the day before school started for the summer was to get sun poisoning. The radiation would soak into her skin and kill her slowly from the inside out. It would take a couple of hours for her to start feeling the effects, but it could be years before she’d actually die, depending on how much exposure she endured. Every Kaveesh had varying degrees of sensitivity to it. Hers was among the worst.

Lirabel walked carefully up the rough stone steps to the shrine. The wind blew soft pink cherry blossom petals all around her. They spiraled and floated on the breeze, chasing each other in a springtime dance of freedom she had never really known.

Two hundred years ago, a world-consuming disease spread across Tokyo and created a crater as it ate away at the earth, destroying everything in its path. But it didn’t stop at Japan. It spread from continent to continent, destroying cities and killing millions.

When they thought all was lost, the Kaveesh came with a cure for what was called Sekai no Hakai. Earth wasn’t the only planet to be ravaged by this strange disease. The Kaveesh found a way to combat it but not before their own world was destroyed and their race almost obliterated.

Despite the complete and utter destruction of Sekai, as it was often called, there were places that were immune. Holy places remained untouched, evidenced by the ancient shrine that stood in front of her. Churches and burial sites across the world still stood intact, now the oldest memorials to life before. As Lirabel drew nearer she saw her friends, Kimberly and Mirmir, waiting for her.

The twins didn’t come? Lirabel asked when she was still several yards away.

Kimberly, her half-sister, turned and shook her head. She stood in the shade and had her heavy black veil pulled back so her soft, dainty face could be seen. If the wind blew any harder the trees would part, and if the sun touched Kimberly’s perfect white skin her beauty would be a thing of the past. In her hand held a white lace parasol that would do nothing for the sun. It was closed and she leaned on it like a cane.

They aren’t into this kind of thing, Kimberly said. Her voice was sweet and chiming, but strong and confident. Of course, anyone as beautiful as she should be confident.

Lirabel and Kimberly shared a father, as many Kaveesh did, but they couldn’t have been more opposite. Kimberly was tall and slender, her hair snow white like her skin, but her eyes were a shock of color. Not quite blue and barely violet, they were pale and vibrant at the same time. Today she wore a soft grey dress of lacey fabric that dragged the ground. A silver chain around the crown of her head held her black veil in place.

Lirabel’s hair was dark auburn and her eyes were just as shockingly red. The two of them were about the same height, but where Kimberly was slender and trim, Lirabel was curved. Kimberly was from London and Lirabel America, so they hadn’t known of each other’s existence until Lirabel started school there in

Tokyo. Mother Cora’s School for the Kaveesh sat atop the crater created by Sekai no Hakai in the middle of Shibuya, giving life to the birthplace of so much death. It was often said that the Kaveesh had the touch of life. Lirabel wasn’t sure if that was true or if it just seemed that way because of what they had done for the human world. Still, wherever Kaveesh settled, life flourished.

They always come, Lirabel said, even though she knew that the twins had no desire to indulge in such trivialities. She stepped into the shade and lifted her veil, unclipping and replacing her veil chain so she could see her friends without having to stare at them through the cloth. Because they had to cover every inch of their skin when they went out during the day, Kaveesh used jewels and precious metals to accessorize a bit. Lirabel’s own veil was held in place by a black chain studded with red rubies. It was a gift from Mother Cora for her birthday last year. The chain was more elaborate than what she was used to, but it was beautiful, so she wore it to please The Mother.

Do you have a coin? Kimberly asked and fished in her coin purse with her grey-gloved fingers for one before she had a chance to answer.

Lirabel held up her own coin, a shiny one she’d been saving for this particular moment.

Your lucky coin? Kimberly’s eyes lit up.

Mirmir took a step forward out of the shadows. She had her veil rolled back too, but she wasn’t quite as brave as Kimberly so she hung back. Mir was on the shorter side. She had her long brown hair twisted neatly on top of her head so only some of it trailed over her shoulder, and she was quiet. So quiet that no one could ever really hear what she was saying, but Lirabel always knew somehow. They’d been roommates for the last two years, and they would be again this year.

Lirabel let the heavy coin drop into the palm of her hand and tossed it gently into the air. Suzanne and I picked it up when we were traveling. I saved it for my last year.

In keeping with Japanese tradition, every year before

school started, they came to the shrine to toss a coin to the deities and wish for good luck. So far it had worked, even though most Kaveesh didn’t believe in deities, heaven, or hell.

A cool breeze rustled Lirabel’s veil, sweeping under the fabric and across her skin. The hair along her arms and down her spine stood on end.

Let’s do this, she said as anxiety flooded her chest.

The three of them stepped up to the shrine. Lirabel squeezed her coin in the palm of her hand and closed her eyes.

Please don’t let this year be what I think it’s going to be.

She was surprised at how sincerely she made the wish. For someone who didn’t believe in deities, she hoped every year that her wishes would come true.

On three, Kimberly said. One. Two.

Three. Lirabel flicked her coin. The shiny silver orb sailed through the air, glinted off of a speck of sun, and landed on the shrine with a tink. She’d picked up the coin in Ireland because it reminded her of someone from her past whom she wished she could forget. Without knowing why, she’d kept it, but the first time they came to the shrine she vowed to herself that she would toss it away her last year at Mother Cora’s. Maybe something good could come from a reminder of something so bad.

To a good year, Kimberly said.

Lirabel stared after her coin. Her forward perception, something few knew she had, made sure she was aware that this year was going to change in unfathomable ways.

Are you coming? Kimberly asked. Lirabel turned to find both her and Mirmir halfway down the steps with their veils back in place to guard against the sun.

Laughter floated up to them. Several human schoolgirls came giggling up the steps to the shrine, silky dark hair glittering in the sun. When they saw Lirabel and her friends, they stopped in their tracks, skirting around them with their eyes down, afraid that if they made eye contact, the half-bred Kaveesh girls might suck their souls from their bodies or something equally as ridiculous.

"Mir wants to go to the cherry blossom festival before we

have to be at the school." Kimberly didn’t even try to keep her voice down, ensuring that the girls who were still within earshot would not be going to the festival.

Lirabel nodded and readjusted her veil clip, letting the fabric fall over her face once again. I’m coming.

In some ways, Lirabel’s veil was her security blanket. She’d started school a year later than the other students and they hadn’t been kind. Now she was a year ahead and that hadn’t done her any favors either. At least with the humans she knew where she stood and she had her veil to keep from having to make eye contact with them.

Casting one last glance at the shrine where her wishing coin lay amongst all of the others, Lirabel wasn’t surprised when the anxiety from earlier came back. This was going to be an illuminating year for all of them.

*****

Sitting in the park under the shade of a cherry tree with their veils covering their faces, Lirabel was sure the three of them looked completely out of place. There were no other Kaveesh around because few others liked to tempt fate and sit in the sun, especially on days like today when the weather was nice and there were so many humans around. For many years, the Kaveesh and humans had lived in harmony, but in the last fifty or so, things had become increasingly tense. They accused the Kaveesh of continuing breeding programs that were supposed to have ended once the Kaveesh reached a specified population. The Kaveesh were peaceful people. All they’d wanted was to replenish their race and find a new home, as they had done, but it seemed to Lirabel that their home no longer wanted them.

Who is that? Kimberly asked and spun her parasol.

Lirabel looked around until she spotted a suspicious Kaveesh across the park. It was a male. Instead of a veil he wore a hood that hung down his back and over his shoulders. The front protruded and hung down so his face was always in shadow and no sun would ever touch his skin. Males usually wore a decorative pin to one side or a chain around their neck. This Kaveesh wore neither. The fabric of the hood hung down one shoulder and pooled on the other side, making sure to cover his neck. It was a newer style, but otherwise plain.

Mirmir mumbled something softly.

I don’t know, Lirabel said for them both, but a chill ran over her skin, even though the day was warm, and small drops of sweat beaded down her spine. That can’t be good, she said to herself.

Mirmir mumbled again and shook her head. She was worried because there were humans staring at the Kaveesh man and they didn’t look friendly. Lirabel nodded in agreement. Despite all of the families and children in the park, there was an edge of animosity in the air. They were surrounding him, edging their way around until there was no way he’d get away without a fight.

Do you think they will try to bare his head? Kimberly asked.

It was no secret that the Kaveesh couldn’t be in the sun. That they might pull off his hood in such a public place was probable, but unthinkable.

Human attacks were becoming more and more common. Just three weeks ago a Kaveesh couple was found dead in a ravine in the states. Their veil and hood were found miles away days later. There were rumors of Kaveesh disappearing in Russia, China, and what was left of Australia, turning up days later mutilated and brainwashed. Some were even whispering of work camps.

It doesn’t look like he’s going to help himself, Kimberly whispered as they watched the humans draw closer.

Mir mumbled.

Maybe we should help him, Lirabel said, but they were across the park and she knew that neither Kimberly nor Mir’s ka’Bree could reach that far. Hers could, but she and her mother had agreed; no one could know or she’d disappear like the other students.

The Kaveesh had abilities or strengths called ka’Bree. Females had the power of coercion, or the ability to make anyone do anything they demanded. The males had what was referred to as obliteration. Simply by whispering their Kaveesh names they could make anyone forget anything they wished. For this reason, most males had two names: one that was given to them at birth and one that they used. Many of them struggled with identity issues through their teen and young adult years. It was while at Mother Cora’s that they began to learn who they were and what they were meant for.

Lirabel stood, hands loose by her sides. She called her ka’Bree and waited. It was like it had been waiting for her to call. It left her in a rush and the air filled with a heavy floral scent. The four humans stopped and fell to their knees. Lirabel froze and her heart leapt into her throat when they prostrated themselves and started speaking loudly in Japanese. She couldn’t tell what they were saying, but she was pretty sure they were telling him how god-like he was. She’d seen that trick before in another lifetime that she’d tossed away on a silver coin just a few hours ago.

We should leave, she said. We should get out of here now. Just to be safe.

Kimberly and Mir stood, and the three of them walked calmly from the park. When they made it to the street, Lirabel stopped.

I promised my mother that I would meet her at home before we went to the school.

Mir and Kimberly nodded and bid her farewell. As they disappeared, she ducked through an alley to go home the back way.

CHAPTER TWO

kem (kehm): the fabled use of another Kaveesh’s ka’Bree; stealing another Kaveesh’s ka’Bree.

The four human men who followed Jonas into the park had no idea what hit them as their knees met the grass. The variation of his ka’Bree gave him abilities other Kaveesh men didn’t have, and with his training he’d been able to cultivate it into something stronger. But this. This was something different. This was something that had only happened once and it wasn’t entirely his doing.

Jonas looked up, his eyes searching. Across the park, on the other side of a little lake occupied by ducks and tiny motorized boats, he saw one girl standing and staring in his direction, wearing a beautiful black lace dress and matching veil. There was no way he could tell who she was, but he would know her anywhere. Tiny red gems glittered in the leaf-shrouded sunlight. The veil chain was flashier than was her style, but he thought it suited her.

The two girls with her stood, brushed off their skirts, and followed her out of the park. Jonas watched their hasty retreat and was about to follow when someone brushed past him.

This is not how you stay inconspicuous, the woman said. Her name was Jee. She wore a baseball cap pulled down low over her eyes so she wouldn’t be recognized and walked past him a few feet. "You were given this assignment per your own request, but they will pull you and assign someone less attached if you don’t

behave."

There was a quiver of fear in her voice, but it wasn’t for him. She was human and she feared his kind.

"It was this or get beat up and dragged to a dark hole to die. Have you ever wondered why Kaveesh are being killed if we can fight back with our ka’Bree?"

Jee was silent as she tried to pretend they weren’t together.

We’ve been taught to fear our own abilities. We don’t protect ourselves for fear of giving our secrets away. We came here to save our race and now we’re being hunted and killed with no way to flee this time.

Jonas crossed his arms and leaned against a tree.

Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to come back here? she asked. Didn’t they kick you out once already?

Jonas shook his head. I’ve been a lot of places with the guard, but never here. They kept me as far away from Lira as possible.

Why would they need to do that? Jee asked

Jonas chewed the inside of his cheek and watched while the three girls made it to the street. One split off and went the opposite direction of the others.

She was in love with me.

Jee scoffed. I find it hard to believe that anyone in their right mind would be in love with you.

Jonas pushed away from the tree and said as he passed her, She knew me before the guard ruined me, babe. See you soon.

He jogged off in the same direction as the lone girl. He hadn’t seen her face and he probably wouldn’t. Still, the possibility made him pick up his pace until he’d nearly caught up to her. Jonas forced himself to slow down and stay out of sight as she doubled back around and peered across the park. He watched from the shadows as she pushed her veil up and over her head and he caught a small glimpse of her in profile. Lira was the same as she’d always been, but more grown up. Her piercing eyes gazed out over the park, but there was nothing there for her to see.

He almost went to her right then, but she turned and he

saw the frantic, fearful look in her eyes, and he stopped. He had no right to come and disrupt her life like this, but he needed to see her one more time. Just to make sure she was okay.

Lira left. Jonas stayed where he was for just a moment longer before he did the same.

*****

Jee was waiting when he got back to the barracks where they were stationed in the city. Jee and Nicholas were all that was left of his original unit.

The Silver Snake returns, said Nicholas. He glared at Jonas as he entered, dark eyes piercing. His hair was pulled back in a tight bun, but the hair didn’t soften his look. Not even when it hung loose.

Didn’t you miss me, Nicky Boy? Jonas said and settled onto his bunk comfortably.

Don’t call me that, Nicholas growled. His whole body flexed. Muscle rippled and tightened and his eyes darkened. Jonas thought he looked like a viper when he did that. Even the sides of his neck flared. There was no denying that he was a dangerous man.

Jonas shrugged. You used my nickname. I thought I’d use yours.

Well, I’m not calling you by your real name.

He chuckled. You don’t even know my real name. Jonas is my second name, but if you’d like, I can tell you my real name. All humor bled from Jonas’ body and he lay there, relaxed but just as lethal as the hulking man staring him down.

Enough, children, Jee said from across the room. Jonas is leaving tonight and he won’t be back, Nicholas. Just relax and wait it out.

Jonas was used to humans fearing him. He was used to not having many friends. Jee had never made any pretenses about how she felt about him, even though they worked so well together, but it did hurt when she spoke about him like that, especially in a room

where he had no other allies. He turned his gaze away from them both and forced a grin onto his face.

Yeah, Nicky Boy. I’m going back to my kind to incite terror and riots. No worries. His gaze flicked up to Jee, but she sat stoic and solid as stone.

No friends, he reminded himself. He was an alien, a military man, and a runaway. He’d told himself long ago that he could have no friends, no attachments, and coming here where Lira was, he knew better than to think she would welcome him with open arms. Still, he had to try for her sake and for his own.

Lifting his long, lean body off of the bed he made sure he had his phone and wallet and pulled his hood up over his head.

I’m going out one last time before I return to school. A rueful smile turned up the corner of his mouth. Drinks are on me.

Despite the grumbling, Nicholas and Jee followed him out.

CHAPTER THREE

ko’Desh (kō’DEHsh); enter, entrance, a place to enter; a door or archway; sometimes is used to signify a new beginning or returning to a place, literal or figurative, left long ago.

Spiraling onyx towers loomed against a bright blue April sky. The Kaveesh stone glittered luminescent in the sun, absorbing and refracting the light. In contrast, a wall of smooth white alabaster surrounded the castle. It was meant to keep humans out as much as to keep its students in. Mother Cora’s School for Kaveesh was known worldwide. Its deep red, ruby windows glinted in the late afternoon sunlight. They kept the poisonous rays of the sun from the Kaveesh while allowing light to filter through.

Lirabel looked up through her black mesh veil and the anxiety from earlier came rushing back to her. She squeezed her mother’s hand, but didn’t tell her the revelation she’d had at the shrine. She didn’t want to make her worry. Suzanne worried enough as it was.

One more year, Suzanne said and squeezed back.

Lirabel looked nothing like Suzanne with her severe, hawk-like features. Just like with Kimberly, Lirabel’s appearance was softer. Some said she looked like her father with her dark auburn hair, but she’d never met him, and if she looked like her father, who did Kimberly look like?

Lirabel nodded and smiled gently for her mother’s benefit. This is the last time you have to do this.

Suzanne had sacrificed so much to be here with her, but she wouldn’t leave Lirabel’s side, even though they both knew she would be fine on her own. Suzanne didn’t like being around so many Kaveesh. Most humans didn’t. The aura they gave off was said to be dark, but that could have simply been from the dark image they made; standing in a pink petal-strewn lane shrouded in black.

Let’s get it over with then, Lirabel said and heaved a sigh.

Lirabel traced her fingers over the translucent white stone of the front gates. Inside the courtyard, cherry trees blossomed in their full spring glory. It was Lirabel’s favorite time of year in Tokyo.

Before they came here from America, she and her mother had spent two months traveling to all of the places they’d always talked about seeing, but not even the repaired remains of Parliament or the still standing Stonehenge held a candle to this place. Though it wasn’t native to earth, Mother Cora’s school fit in strangely enough, in an earthy sort of way.

The sun beat down on them and Lirabel tugged on her veil, a habit that she’d acquired early in life. The fear of the sun was instilled in them from birth. She liked to be outside, but it came with a price and a thick piece of cloth.

Suzanne was far ahead of her, already climbing the stone steps to the towering front doors. Paned in red glass and onyx, they were closed so as not to let light through. Lirabel’s mother leaned on the doors to open them and waited just inside while Lirabel hurried to catch up. The front parlor was empty except for velvet-upholstered benches on either side, though no Kaveesh dared to sit there during the day.

Once the doors were closed, Lirabel took off her veil. She handed it to Suzanne and ran her fingers through her short pixy cut to make sure it lay right.

Muted male laughter rang up the corridor and into the parlor. It normally wouldn’t surprise her, but Lirabel’s heart stopped and she made a strangled sound in her throat. She knew that laugh like she knew her own. Opening the next set of heavy onyx doors, she ran out into the hall. She hadn’t heard that laugh in five years, but she would never forget it. Lirabel looked both ways, but there was no one there.

Did you hear that, Mother? she said and started down the corridor in the direction it had come from.

Suzanne shrugged. Sounded like trouble to me.

Lirabel looked at her mother’s face and furrowed brow, nervous eyes darting back and forth. She had heard it. It wasn’t all Lirabel’s imagination. Or maybe they were both ready to get out of this place and their minds were conjuring ghosts from the past. Even as she thought it, she knew it wasn’t true. What about the man in the park? But would he dare to come here? Would he bother?

Suzanne took Lirabel’s wrist and tugged her down the hall in the opposite direction, heels thumping against the cold, black stone floor as if to make a statement. We forge ahead. We don’t look back. Lirabel followed obediently, and though she listened for the laughter to come again, she didn’t hear it again.

At the end of the hall, a door opened to stairs that went up into an outer tower. Up there, the windows were clear for the human parents who would be observing the ceremonies during the day. Lira stood in the doorway, just out of reach of the edge of sunlight slipping brazenly past the threshold.

I’ll come by to get you once the ceremonies are over, she told Suzanne.

She nodded, looking considerably more relaxed now that she was going to be with other humans, and smiled. Congratulations, Lira. I’m proud of you.

Thank you, Mother, she said with a smile.

Lirabel made her way through the eerily quiet halls alone. She’d been here since she was fourteen, but the last three years had been anything but easy. She should have started at thirteen, and being a year behind had put her in a class of her own, so to speak, but it forced her to work harder than the others. Getting caught up had taken a lot of emotional and physical effort, but she’d worked until she was a year ahead of everyone else her age, just to prove that she could and to prove that she was undeniably Kaveesh. Today, she graduated into the work-study portion of her education. In some ways it was like college for humans, but it was an inherently different way of learning.

Lirabel! Kimberly’s sweet voice called from behind her.

She turned to find that her half-sister had changed into a gauzy white dress made of lace and what looked like feathers.

I saw your mother. Kimberly smiled and fell into step next to her. She looks well.

Thank you. She is.

It’s kind of exciting to be graduating together, isn’t it?

Lirabel nodded. Have you decided which areas you want to study this year?

Kimberly shook her head. I’m letting Mother Cora choose for me. I’m confident she’ll know what’s best.

Mother Cora, often referred to as The Mother of the Kaveesh, was head of the school and most Kaveesh activities outside its walls. No one remembered a ruler before her.

I chose water purification and early childhood development.

Kimberly smiled. You’ll be good at both of those. I should go. I need to meet with The Mother before commencement. I’ll see you later.

Lirabel nodded and found herself once again blessedly alone. She’d spent most of her time here buried in her studies and had few friends, but she hadn’t had time for many outside activities. Looking down, she realized her hands were trembling, but she wasn’t nervous that she could tell. Her mind kept going back to the laughter from earlier and the anxiety by the shrine. There would be no reason for him to be here, not now after all this time. Still, she knew what she’d heard, and she was far too levelheaded to hallucinate, unless she was having premonitions, which was just as absurd.

Trying to put the incident and her own nerves out of her mind, Lirabel found the changing rooms where she donned her burgundy graduation gown. The cowls on the back of Lirabel’s – to signify her graduating honors – were gold, silver, and black. She fingered the smooth material. Her mother never would have been able to afford sending her here if it wasn’t for Mother Cora’s insistence that they apply for the scholarship. As it was, keeping her grades high enough at the beginning was a struggle.

Lirabel went in search of the other students and found them gathered in the cafeteria. The room was abuzz with the excitement of graduation day and the anticipation of what the next year would bring. The incoming students were kept somewhere else. Across the room she spotted Mirmir sitting alone at a table against the wall with Zibith and Gibson, the twins. They were strange and hard to get along with, but she had known them since childhood.

Before Lirabel had a chance to get comfortable, Mother Cora stepped onto the balcony overlooking the room looking regal as always with her dark hair perfectly styled in a pompadour. She held herself as if she believed everyone was beneath her, though Lirabel was sure she didn’t really. The two of them had worked closely for the last three years to get Lirabel caught up, so she knew a side of The Mother that few others did. Next to her was Keevah, her closest assistant. For a Kaveesh she was plain, opting to wear muted and earthy colors next to The Mother and keeping her hair pulled back always. Keevah’s hawk-like gaze slid over the room. She and Lirabel had never really gotten close, despite her always being by Mother Cora’s side. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along they just didn’t care to try.

Graduates, Mother Cora said, her voice settling over the room like a heavy blanket, it is an honor to once again have the privilege of graduation before us. I am proud of each and every one of you. Her eyes settled on Lirabel for just a moment, before they swept away and over the other students. Please, line up at the door and follow me to the auditorium. Mother Cora descended the steps as her gaze landed once more on Lirabel, and she shivered. Sometimes she thought The Mother knew things about her that she’d worked very hard to keep private.

Lirabel fell into line with the other graduates. There was no rhyme or reason to their order, but it didn’t really matter. They would be called up to the stage one by one to get their certificates signifying that they’d finished their classes and been granted entrance to their work-study programs.

The line moved slowly into the auditorium. It was mostly empty, save the few Kaveesh parents. Humans weren’t allowed this deep into the school, though no one was really sure why. Mother Cora didn’t share her reasons with anyone.

Lirabel caught Kimberly’s gaze from several rows in front of her. A crease furrowed her brow and she mouthed something that Lirabel didn’t quite catch. She shook her head, but as Kimberly was about to repeat it, music began to play and a Japanese Kaveesh took the stage. He was tall and clad in leather with silver studs, his glossy black hair styled perfectly into a mess of spikes. For a moment, he seemed to stare right through her. Lirabel fought the urge to squirm under his scrutinizing gaze. As he lifted a microphone to his lips, he closed his dark eyes and began to sing the Japanese national anthem. His voice was like silk against her skin, instantly soothing nerves she hadn’t realized were frayed. Somewhere deep in her chest Lirabel felt something wake and stir.

There were some cases, as with the man on stage, where male Kaveesh could push their ka’Bree into words that weren’t their names. Sometimes it wasn’t voluntary. Lirabel was surprised that the man on stage was allowed to sing because many were not. She’d witnessed the heartbreak of a male Kaveesh who’d been forbidden to sing after he went through maturity and his ka’Bree had proven too strong.

The singer’s voice now swept through the room. Lirabel felt it against her skin like the warm caress from a loved one and it swelled inside her like a song she longed to sing. The others would

feel more of the effects than she would. She had an immunity to most male ka’Bree, though no one was sure why.

Next to her, a girl hung her head. Lirabel thought she might be asleep at first, but she sniffled and Lirabel realized she was crying. She wasn’t the only one. Soft snuffs echoed around the room. Lirabel tried to keep her eyes forward and trained on the singer. He was attractive, she realized. The way danger was attractive to an adrenaline junky. His eyes were closed, his head tipped back as he sang his patriotism from his heart.

When the anthem ended he stepped down, but not before lifting his eyes and piercing Lirabel with a hard, black-eyed stare. It only lasted a breath, but it was enough for her to wonder at the recognition in his eyes. But how would he know her?

He didn’t stay for the ceremony, despite the whispers and giggles of the other students. A group of Kaveesh guards surrounded him as he stepped from the stage and swept him from the room. Mother Cora got up and gave a speech that no one really heard, not after the effect that singer had on everyone. In Lirabel’s opinion, he might have over done it a bit.

As the first names were called, Lirabel shifted in her seat. She felt eyes on her, staring through her and calling to her. It could have been anyone and it could have been no one, but her discomfort forced her to turn around and look. Of course, there was no way to know who it was. The room wasn’t full, but it wasn’t empty.

Lirabel.

Turning around in time to catch a disapproving glare from Mother Cora, Lirabel went to the stage and waited for The Mother to list off her accomplishments.

Lirabel came to us a year late and graduates a year early. Because of her excellence and outstanding conduct in everything, she has been chosen for Half-Breed Ambassador.

Lirabel’s heart leapt into her throat. That couldn’t be right, could it? She’d never even expressed a desire to be ambassador. Where she should have felt elation at the honor, she only felt dismay as she realized how much extra work she would once again have to put in just to make the qualifications for ambassador on such short notice and without preparation. She looked to Mother Cora, her eyes wide, but