Part One
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Castian woke up with a start. His room was still dark; none of the morning lights had kicked on, so it must be late. He flipped the alarm clock to face him. The blue light from its face made him blink hard in the darkness. 2:27AM. Why had he woken up? Straining, he listened for any sounds in the room. Silence.

He sat, peering through the layers of darkness and shadow. Something had woken him. He could feel it like an itch along his spine. Something was wrong. Slipping from beneath the sheets, he moved towards the door.

Cracking it open, he peered out. There was a small light on in the common room. Taff sat at the desk. Deric's desk. A cold pit formed inside his gut. The bastard was just sitting there, as if he belonged in the spot none of the others would even touch. It was an unspoken shrine. And now a murderer was pawing through it. Okay, so technically Deric had been a murder too. But that was just another thing to throw at Taff's already bloody feet. He knew who our parents were. Vellis had sounded almost wistful. Castian couldn't even let himself think about it. Dead in the fire, Taff had said, and dead in a Field meant you couldn't turn it back.

Taff shifted a paper on the desk, and folded up another, pocketing it. Then he stood. Castian jerked back as Taff turned away from the desk, shutting the door. It clicked softly in the silence. Castian froze, breath snagging hard inside his chest. Fingers of dread coiled against his throat, tightening it till he couldn't have breathed even if he wanted to. He stood motionless as Taff's soft footsteps moved across the floor. Closer, and closer. If he came in, Castian didn't know what he'd do. Knock him against the door and slit is lying, murdering throat. Nice fantasy at least. Castian didn't know how to keep the Warp pad running, or who Taff got food from. As tempting as killing him was, he was terrified of being locked in a Field. It would fail, just like his first.

The footfalls stopped near his door. Castian gripped the handle tight. The hammering of his pulse shook his body. He hadn't wanted to believe Vellis, even though he'd known he wouldn't lie about something like that. He'd wanted to think he was wrong. But Taff had been looking through Deric's desk. Anger turned his veins hot.

Taff's steps slowly receded again, and he heard him move down the stairs and out of earshot. Castian waited till his heart stopped thrashing against his chest, then opened the door. The common room was dark again, filled up with shadows.

Castian slipped from his room, leaving the door hanging open behind him. His bare feet moved silently over the hard woods floors.

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Sorry, it's a bit small, but that was the natural stop.... and the other half needs lots of editing....