pte

icles. To her surprise, Jacob, carrying the mostly unea

he candles?"

sure how they could be, but decided to let the matt

front passenger's seat. "And I have no doubt she will spend the entire drive back to town tryi

tree important?

ike that. Anabelle thinks everything has to have some sort of meanin

cake, " Abraham said as Ca

ide the tree line. He was off to the side where there were fewer cars and no one

riving, " Ja

ham insisted. "I'd pu

ould

ive car

is mouth, no doubt to comm

in the woods,

ll, not wanting Enki to know she spotted him, since he was clearly trying not to be seen. She watched Abraham's eyes narrow and saw h

tilted to the left, " Cassie told them. They a

itted. Jacob likew

er my gift, "

started the car and backed out of

away from scanning the woods a little more reluctantly than Abraham.

trated on the road as he dr

s super sneaky invisibility and not just wh

ssie knew she and everyone else could see Enki and those like him. There were other times when even though he spoke and at times lectured at length, he thought

eaky mode. She thought the others could see through that as well, but that didn't seem to be the case. She frowned wondering if Enki could sneak up on the others or if they would get the same feeling she did when she couldn't see them. When Enki pulled h

s to the road. "It looks like, which means

ving her hair raising early warning system, actually seeing what

hat way, at least I won't wonder

an see them, " Jacob added. Cassie nodded. Keeping

if he isn't in the extra invis

they have to deliberately hide from you

ly help, " Abraham

" Jacob

visible since you took the blockers aw

e unnoticed by the bulk of the people around her. She thought of Kelly and her animosity because she thought Cassi

her to start noticing me again, " Cassie

the blockers back on you when we get back to the house. We'll make them strong

uld remain the same, even if it was being ignored by her classmates. There were

your training, "

ain

ut you will need to learn to control your abilities. You'll need to practice the things we can all

n't certain how she felt about extra abilities, about being one of the strange things. She looked at her hands wond

h some innate ability, but you need to actually learn to paint. You won't b

ure how accurate his statement was, but she was somewhat relieved to think that her abilities might not be all that dramatic. Havin

er matches, ' she thought. She wondered how the new training woul

ach me to make myself in

we need to see what natural abili

most like you,

dfather's hands tighten on the wheel, gripping it until his knuckles bl

n. "Are abilities not inherited

on the wheel. "I suppose that is

ing to have to tell

ust ancient history I never real

owned. "Just being factually accurate, " Jacob added. "And if we don't tell her,

ike Oliver?"

actually know. It doesn't stop him from claiming he knows and explaining

ually explain anythi

voiding things haven't we? It becomes habit after a

ooked older, harder. It wasn't that he gained more wrinkles or gray hair, it was just a sense of...ancientness wafting off hi

ressing down on her and making Cassie want to rub her ears. "We wandered, each behaving as was our nature. Each seeking our

ut. His eyes looked forward, but Cassie do

ke Enki?" Cassi

ans, " Ja

ace, the edges of them surrounded by the blue-white flame seen in the hottest fires. The sight wasn't scary, but she wasn't certain how to deal with it. She loo

but it was clear they were something different from the other animals. They could think and learn, change and grow. We befriended them, helped them, tormented them, pla

over and smiled at her. "I did not say we were better than Enki an

really make us good and them bad, " Jacob add

h it, as though it was hidden. The book was in Latin and she was slowly translating it, reading the stories claiming to be the oldest tales. T

the Walkers came to be. The book called them 'those who walk the paths'.

inged with amusement. "I think Abr

few pieces she had of this puzzle starting to fit t

when you can figure them out on your own, " Abraham said,

some of our skills. They were stronger at first, but as time passed and they mated with other humans, their blood... thinned and they lost many of those skills. They retained the ability to walk the pa

killed for their abilities. We helped when we could, sometimes. Eventually they

be how you were born,

ecause they came to

rs whose ancestors were my children lived side by side with those who were descended from Jacob, and Anabelle and the others like us. Some

blood their children got f

ended from both me and Jacob, and Annabelle, and Devo

keeping records, " Jacob added. "Their records told them that we weren't like the others, something the strongest

ating us, " Abraham adde

ne mentioned the genocide that killed the Walkers, but

e time of the Purge, the fact that we were different was a footnote in their history a

r and we were grouped with those to be eliminated, excised back to the place of our origin." Jacob laughed. There was

n they tried to banis

job, then when they left, opened the gate and came back, " Abraham told her

like you, but I'm not a Walker becaus

ned is that at some point a strong Walker decided to have children with another strong Walker. Those children grew up and again looke

d grandparents were strong leaders within the Walker communities. We think that she might have been strong enough to be very much like those first Walkers. If she

le holding her form, " Jacob sa

He sounded surprised. "T

r had the same problem, which is why they were put together. It was thought that they would

her?" Cass

arranged I believ

ange shape. Abraham turned the car into her driveway.

roblem holding fo

urned off the engine. "To make you look like everyone else. Altho

g?" Cass

you can control i

something else?" Cassie asked. She looked up and shifte

ve me any other details. In fact I'm certain he felt bad about

g the blood lines you will more than likely be related to one or more of us, which may give you some abilities. A

mbered their story or amusing themselves with the humans around them. Cassie real