By the time I finished hauling all the wood to the other cabin, I was surprised I hadn't worn deep ruts into the path between the two. My arms were tired and my chest scratched up, but it was done. The storage cabin was empty.

I grinned at the empty space. I had done all this work voluntarily, and it felt good. I discovered I liked helping nice people.

I decided to take a branch and swipe all the cobwebs away. I was reaching into a far upper corner when a deep voice said, "This is great work, Remi. I'm very impressed."

I turned and found Galen in the open doorway, inspecting what I'd done.

He smiled at me. "I have to admit, I was half-expecting to find you up that tree again."

"You didn't tell anyone I was an Aberration," I said, still curious why he hadn't.

"Gifted," he corrected. "And no. It should be our choice to reveal or not reveal ourselves."

Again, so not like any of the tribes at all. I cast a doubtful eye at him. "The people here don't fear Aber—the Gifted?"

He inhaled deeply, his face taking on a contemplative look. "Fear is a natural reaction to things we don't understand. But we Forestfolk try not to let it cloud our judgment."

I nodded and looked down at the branch in my hands. What was I supposed to do now? I'd never encountered people like this.

"What would you like to do now?"

My head jerked up at Galen's surprising question. Not only did he echo my own thoughts, no one had really asked me such a thing before. I was always ordered around.

"You really think I did a good job here?" I felt like I was fishing for compliments, but more than that, I needed to hear that someone appreciated what I'd done. Even if it was small.

"I really do." He stepped farther inside. "This place was crawling with vermin. Now it looks like someone could live here. Really good job."

Really good job. Pride bloomed in my chest. I wanted to do more. "I'd like to help with other things."

Galen nodded with approval. "You're a good lad. You've met Goben, right?"

I remembered the little green-eyed boy by the fire. "Yes."

"His father is a carpenter working on a new project. Go see what help he needs tomorrow morning. His name is Barrigan."

I grinned, collected my things, and headed back to my tree.

***

In the morning, I stretched out the kinks in my neck. A tree wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but I felt safe up there.

Once again, I carried my possessions wrapped in the piece of hide. I wouldn't risk losing what little I had. If I had to run away for any reason, I wouldn't be empty-handed like last time.

Galen had told me where Goben's parents lived, and I found them pretty easily. A red-haired man hammered something with a mallet. I assumed that was Barrigan. Goben, who had matching red hair, sat nearby, hammering a pinecone with a rock. A red-haired woman paced back and forth in front of their cabin, fretting over a crying, red-haired baby in her arms.

I'd never seen so much orange hair before.

"I think Sember is developing another fever," said the woman in a worried voice.

I slowed my walk, not wanting to interrupt the family. This part of the path was partially hidden by trees, so I watched and waited.

Barrigan set down his mallet and went to touch the baby's face. "She does feel very hot."

"I don't know what we're doing wrong. Her coloring looks normal, and Ruba says she couldn't find anything wrong with her the last time this happened."

Worry lines creased the man's forehead. "I wonder if..." He shook his head.

"What is it?"

"Well, Goben is..." His eyes darted to his son, and he lowered his voice. "You know. We found out yesterday. So I wonder if... Sember might be too?"

"Gifted?" The woman's eyebrows shot up, as if the thought hadn't even occurred to her. "But how? Neither of us have any gifts."

Barrigan shrugged. "I don't know. But if Goben cannot be burned, then we have to be open to the possibility that Sember is Gifted too. I mean, we have no other explanations. Ruba says our daughter is healthy."

I stared on in fascination. I'd never witnessed an Aberration being discovered before, and now I'd seen two.

Must be stressful for parents when a kid can do strange and wondrous things. You know what my superpower is? Voting! :D