"This could be interesting," I said. "I've never patrolled with Nefilims before."

Jonathan looked surprised to hear it. In fact, when there were more Prophets around, it was customary for them to collaborate with Nefilims against the Creatures.

"Atticus never wanted me to," I explained. "I'm not very good with my powers... yet. He used to tell me we shouldn't bother, as I would either injure myself or slow him down."

"Why hasn't he asked you to skip this one then?"

"I don't know for sure," I replied. "But it has something to do with Minx Morris, and how he thinks having a Prophet along will help us save the world. Atticus can't say aloud that he thinks I'm useless, because he pretty much bragged about my powers to Minx when they got to know each other."

"I didn't brag," Atticus overheard us. "And, brother, would you please kindly refrain from putting words into my mouth, such as that I think you're useless? I just thought you didn't want to help out, before."

I felt myself blushing. I had had to exaggerate, because I hadn't told Jonathan that I wasn't a proper Prophet yet, and by the looks of it, Atticus hadn't told Minx Morris either.

"I always want to help out," I said, trying to rein in my anger. "Even if I was just a human, I would always want to be able to lend a hand to my brother, or to those less fortunate than me."

"Are there even people like that?" Aurora teased me.

"Hell," I pondered. "There must be."

"Roman," Atticus simply said. "Don't swear. I thought you would get rid of that nasty habit."

"While it's true that I can't hold my own against the Creatures," I continued. "And I cannot use my powers in this instance, I am a good healer. I just wish my knives were any good with them."

Jonathan stole a glance at the knife I was carrying with me.

"So," he coughed. "You'd use them, if Prophets could own blessed weapons?"

"Yes. I mean, I'd use pretty much anything. I would become skilled in other weapons, if the need arose. But throwing knives is my thing — a bit like resurrection is yours."

I savored the disgusted look on Atticus' face. He knew sometimes I said stuff just to get on his nerves.

"Look out," Jonathan warned the group. "I see the Creatures in the distance, and there's quite a lot of them for us to take on."

When I saw which boys they were attacking, I commented, "Sorry, but I'm sitting this one out."

"You talk big, but it's not like you could do anything else," Atticus huffed.

At the same time, Aurora asked me, "Is this because of my drawing?"

"No," I smiled at her. "Don't worry about the drawing. Sure, I could have been in a corner doing cool and powerful stuff, but it wasn't the point of the plan..."

"Cool and powerful stuff?" Jonathan asked me, wide-eyed. "You don't know the name of any of your techniques, do you?"

"Of course I do," I said. "I already told you what I can do. I just want to be able to talk about my powers in a detached and mysterious way."

Aurora laughed, kind of spoiling the whole point of my reply.

Minx and Atticus, in the meantime, had already started attacking the Faduas.

Since I really wasn't planning to do anything, I took my time to study them. I had already seen them in pictures, but I didn't patrol with Nefilims, which meant I'd never seen Creatures up close.

I could understand why Nefilims seemed triggered by the memory of their first encounter with one, apart from the death part, of course.

Faduas looked terrifying, and, out of the three types, they were eligible to be the cute ones.

They were plants shaped like humanoids, which could only move within a close range, thankfully, due to the fact that their roots were in the shape of a sort of umbilical cord attached to the ground.

This meant the boys could have gotten away, but I noticed they were in the Creatures' tight grip.

"A simple blow won't keep them down while the others attack us," Jonathan called out to the rest of the Nefilims. "We need to cut the cord and get rid of them one by one."

I tried not to look at how graceful they all looked with their wings spread, tried to remember the life of pain and sacrifice they lived. I couldn't help but remember Jonathan's tasteless joke, and I noticed how his wingspan was indeed kind of impressive. Figures, he was probably the kind of guy who wouldn't have even mentioned it otherwise.

"Hey," one of the boys called out Atticus, who was flying above them with his golden wings. "Stop acting like a cherub, and help us out!"

I cringed. The boy was the main reason why I didn't want to get involved, and I hoped he wouldn't recognize my brother, or add anything else.

But Jonathan cut the cord of that Fadua before I could think to myself whether Prophets could make wishes come true. Probably not their own, anyway.

Aurora had already gotten rid of another Fadua, freeing another of the boys. Minx was dealing with the rest, and Atticus hurried down to help him.

It took the Nefilims a while to finish them off, since there were so many.

I tried not to look in his direction, but Skandar Damaschin got to me anyway.

"I really hoped you would be here," he said, surprising me.

Of course, he was only telling me that because his friends had already gone ahead, and there was nobody who could hear us.

"Somehow I don't think so," I commented.

"Well," he grinned. "We're near the woods. Let's meet up there. Rumor has it you have joined a group, and you even might get out of Solima to get things done. Maybe you'd like to... revisit the past, so to speak."

"My friends are coming back," I replied. "How come I already know you won't have the guts to say it in front of them?"

"Because you're really pathetic," Skandar replied. "You always carry those stupid knives around, but you'd never even thought of attacking me. You're not so clever."

"Roman," Jonathan suddenly stopped me. "Why is your knife near the throat of one of the guys we just saved?"

"He suggested a fight," I muttered. I didn't want Jonathan to meet Skandar. I wished he could just go away.

"We go way back," Skandar said. "But it's been harder to meet up ever since he got kicked out of school. I don't live in the slums."

"Besides," he added, with a glint of malice in his voice. "Who's this? Your boyfriend?"

I almost wished I could say yes. Maybe that would have made Skandar jealous. But it would have probably just driven him particularly mad.

"How stupid of me," Skandar added, sensing my indecision. "Like he'd ever date you."

Jonathan looked at us quizzically.

"Is there a problem, Roman?" he asked me.

"Oh trust me," Skandar said slyly. "You'll know when there's a problem. When he gets all rigid, and stares into space, or when he passes out unexpectedly... And these are just the problems related to his powers. He's got tons of others."

"Seems to me like you've spent an awful amount of time with him," Jonathan noticed, and I remembered when he told me he liked trying to understand people behind their masks. I could have buried my head in the sand, had it been there.

"We went to school together," I quickly tried to salvage the situation. "Like he said."

Something in Jonathan's eyes cleared.

"Hey," Atticus came to my rescue. "We're on official Nefilims duty. If you have something to say to our Prophet, don't make it personal."

"And, if you really have to make it personal," he ruined the effect a heartbeat later. "Please, don't make it public."

Skandar laughed. "I see your brother is always around to save the situation," he told me.

Aurora shook her head, disgusted. My brother went away, and she followed him. Minx Morris was with them, but Jonathan stayed behind with me.

"I understand if you didn't want to say it in front of everyone," he told me. "But I sense there is more than what you both said between the two of you."

"Maybe you were the one I didn't want to know," I replied dryly. "Have you ever thought of that?"

"Why?"

"Well, because it's embarrassing."

"Do you like him?" he asked me. I figured I could tell him. Maybe it was the way he'd asked it, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Well, it wasn't illegal, at least.

"I did," I admitted. "For a while. Or at least, I think I did. He'd always given me a hard time at school, so I guess I was more flattered than anything else when he told me his feelings. But then, it turned out he was playing a joke on me. An elaborate one at that, since he made sure my father found out, and gave me hell about it."

"That's awful," Jonathan commented, and he seemed to mean it, not to say it out of pity. "Was he always mean to you?"

"I don't know," I suddenly felt very tired. "You see, I often forget stuff that's happened to me. For example, this morning, I wanted to tell you and Aurora something, but it slipped my mind, and it hasn't come back since."

"I thought this was only supposed to happen until your powers kicked in," Jonathan frowned.

"How would you feel," I bit my lip. "If I admitted my powers haven't shown up yet? I'm pretty sure I'm a Prophet," I added hastily. "The amnesia thing checks out, at least."

Jonathan pretended not to look too shocked. He almost succeeded, but he was wincing a bit.

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I don't know why you keep assuming I should tell you anything," I replied, colder than I'd wanted. "Besides, for some reason, Minx Morris believes he needs a Prophet. And my brother hasn't said anything about it yet."

"It must be hard," Jonathan commented. "Not being able to recall certain things."

"It used to drive me crazy," I admitted. "Especially regarding my childhood — I remember so little of it. But I'm getting used to it now. The problem is, I sometimes have to trust other people to tell me whether something has happened or not. And I don't especially like relying on other people."

"I don't think Atticus or Aurora would lie to you," he suggested. "But maybe other people, like Skandar, would. I see your point."

I didn't say anything about Atticus and Aurora. For some reason, I wasn't sure I could trust them completely. Perhaps it was my paranoia talking, so I didn't say it aloud.

"I know it probably doesn't mean anything to you," Jonathan smiled. "But if you ever feel the need to ask me what happened in a certain situation, you can be assured I'd never lie to you."

"Why?"

Jonathan looked hurt that I'd even asked. But it wasn't personal. I was just curious.

"Well," he seemed to try to find the right words. "Because you're my friend, and it would be wrong, and I honestly think it's pretty harsh that you have to go through that."

"I can't believe Skandar still dares to talk to you after everything that's happened," Jonathan added.

"Atticus said I should forgive him," I shrugged. "He says people sometimes don't understand how much hurt an action can cause. Besides, he wasn't impressed that Dad got mad at me. He gets mad at him all the time, and for foolish reasons."

"I don't really get it," Jonathan bit his lip. I couldn't help but notice he didn't do it the way I did it. He almost chewed on the lower lip, while I always bit and drew blood.

"I'll bring it up during dinner," he said finally.

"If you think it changes anything..." I shrugged. "I don't think it will, and I'd rather not be lectured on the topic again."

I was starting to see why Jonathan had wanted to befriend me. It was the same reason why he was such a good Nefilim, and he got arrested for political reasons.

He liked to fight battles. Maybe they didn't even have to be his own.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you," I tried to pass it as a joke. "You took it too seriously."

Jonathan shook his head. "I'm just sorry I couldn't sense it before. I couldn't understand why he was mean to you."

That almost made me want to laugh. Nobody had ever said that to me. Even those who weren't downright mean to me usually never stood up for me. I was considered a freak in Old Solima, and the surroundings.

"When my powers start kicking in... I'm not so sure I want my memories back," I admitted.

Jonathan didn't say anything, but his teal eyes got darker.

"When you'll be a Prophet, it won't matter anymore," he commented. He didn't sound so sure — I almost had the feeling he was thinking of a different boy, one with a different past, and a different future.

"Roman told me a bit about Skandar," Jonathan offered his insight during dinner. "Maybe we shouldn't have saved him — not everybody who gets killed survives to become a Nefilim, maybe that would have got the King's attention on our rising problem."

"Perhaps, but it would be against our duty," Aurora reminded him, mildly scandalized by the proposition.

"It's not like it's not Roman's fault, too," Atticus replied. "Why would he bring up the past? And I always taught him that to argue, it takes two."

I gave Atticus the stink eye. I doubted he could really think so —- he and I were the living proof that sometimes you get hurt by people you hadn't provoked.

"If any of you has any problem with a fellow citizen," Minx said, since I wasn't joining the conversation. "Aurora is right. We can't let it stand in the way of our duty."

"It's not my duty," I replied. "Maybe next time I'll really use one of my knives."

"Roman!" Atticus scolded me. "Can't you take anything seriously?"

"I do," I replied. "I think Jonathan and I are going to be friends. He isn't as judgemental as the rest of you."

"I sure hope none of them is," Jonathan mumbled. "Perhaps you were right — I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Let's switch topics," Atticus said. "I would like to remind you all that we don't need to get the King's attention. Don't be so hard on the King, Jonathan. He's still mourning the loss of his family during the fire that destroyed the palace."

"It was twenty years ago!" Jonathan complained. "Look, I'm not saying the man shouldn't mourn. But he should also rule at the same time."

"Seventeen years, give or take," Atticus corrected him, flaunting his prowess for gossip and mathematics. "And he's lost his son and his one-year-old grandson in the tragedy."

"Not to mention the baby's mother," Aurora added. "And about a hundred members of the Court."

The Court was the political system of Nefilims. Technically, they still worked with the King, but they could make their own decisions.

"Yeah, the Court," I said. "Since you're a Nefilim, Jonathan, perhaps you should hope for a newspaper title that puts the blame on them."

"I just want to make a change," Jonathan replied. "And there are certain changes that only the King can make, or so Athanasios told me. And my friends aren't Nefilims, so they aren't really affected by the Court."

"Speaking of your friends," Minx Morris said. "If you want to tell them not to expect you at your meetings anytime soon, write them a letter. For obvious reasons, they can't join our mission."

"Well," I pointed out. "I'm not a Nefilim either, and, at least, they're actually interested in saving the world."

"You're a Prophet," Minx said, his voice final. "Which means that you're important even if you don't think you are."

I wondered when Atticus was going to tell him I wasn't a Prophet yet. Maybe I'd never be. Maybe there was something wrong with me.

But no, Atticus must have had his reasons to think I was about to grow into my role. I was probably still feeling annoyed from meeting Skandar earlier. I decided to go to bed early.

"Roman!" Jonathan woke me up. I looked around. It was still the middle of the night.

"Don't ever touch me again," I warned him. "Especially when I just woke up. I might not recognize you, and decide to stab you."

"Can you stop threatening me for a second?"

"I'm not saying it just to be mean. I don't want to stab you, unless I absolutely have to."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "No," he said. "Apparently, you can't."

"Why did you wake me up?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised you were sleeping. I sleep in the room next to yours, and I could hear you screaming."

"Yeah, it's because of the nightmares. Ironically, I can never remember them once I've woken up. I've had them ever since I was very young, and I'm pretty sure the whole house heard me, not just you."

"I guess I just wanted to know if you're okay," Jonathan mumbled. "But you always act so superior every time I ask you something like that."

"Even if I wasn't okay, I probably wouldn't tell you."

"That's what I feared," he explained. "See, I want to be your friend, but that includes stuff like you telling me if something is wrong."

"Why would you even want to be my friend?" I was incredibly puzzled.

"I just figured I'd probably need a friend to make it through our project," he said. "And I'm not particularly interested in befriending anyone else."

I could tell there was something else, but I didn't press.

"When I had nightmares, when I was little," Jonathan added. "Athanasios used to make me sleep outside, in the manor garden. He said the cold would teach me a lesson."

"And what about the Creatures?"

"They could probably teach me a lesson, too," Jonathan smiled, evading my real question.

"You don't have to do this," I said. "You don't have to tell me something bad that has happened to you 'cause you feel sorry about what went down between Skandar and me."

"That's not what I'm doing," Jonathan explained. "I was about to say... It wasn't that bad to sleep outside. It gave me time to appreciate the stars, and to memorize their patterns. In a way, it might have even been the reason why I'm passionate about science."

"So," he suddenly got shy. "I guess I just wanted to say that, whenever you're not sleeping well, chances are I'm awake too, and looking at the stars outside. You're welcome to come along."

"You mean now?"

"Sure, if that's what you want," he said, a little surprised.

The moonlight hit Jonathan's light brown hair in a way that made it seem blonder. When he noticed I was staring, I went back to gaze at the stars.

"Just for the record," I said. "I'm not naive. What happened with Skandar was unfortunate. I shouldn't have fooled around with someone like him in the first place. I was feeling alone, and I let it get the best of me. It wouldn't have happened before, and it won't happen again."

"I'm glad you don't plan to go out with someone who treats you like crap again," Jonathan approved.

"I meant to say, I'm never letting my guard down again."

"I know."

"Could you please stop beating yourself up?" he added then. "It wasn't your fault. And if you try to add anything, I'll shut you up by telling you the names of all the stars."

"Inviting," I teased him. "Is there anything you don't know how to do?"

"That's it. Now I'm really going to do it."

While Jonathan was busy showing off, I fell asleep. And even though the nightmares were still pretty bad, I tried not to scream.

I woke up too soon with my usual headache. Jonathan had gone back inside. I could understand — it would be awkward if people caught us laying together, even if we'd only slept.

"What are you doing outside?" Minx asked. "Rise and shine! Aurora is already busy battling a bunch of Creatures she found patrolling. She asked for backup, though. There were even more than expected."