«Hey, Banshee!» she heard someone calling her. She put down the crate she was carrying on her shoulder and turned towards the voice. The Irishwoman waved in Irissa's direction.

«Hey, lassie... what are you doing at the docks?» she asked, sitting on the crate.

«Well, the Academy's closed.» she said, with a sad smile. «How are you? River told me you were hurt... in the battle.»

«Heh. Nothing worse than me usual barfights, don't worry.» Banshee moved a hand in the air to dismiss the subject. «Nothing some magic, alcohol, and sleep couldn't cure.»

«I... they told me. I wanted to say that I'm sorry.» the girl looked away from her, in shame. Banshee frowned.

«Sorry fer what?»

«I really wanted to help you, I did. But... I don't know, somehow when I'm really under a lot of pressure I kind of snap, I think, and I can't remember anything of what I do. And I know I lose control, and can hurt people...»

«River...» it was hurtful just saying his name. «... did tell us something 'bout yer problem.»

«He told you I am...» she felt her words blocked.

«An anomaly, aye. Don't worry, we're used to them. Vopros's one.» Banshee replied, with a casual tone.

«Vopros is? But he's in your Coven and they're not... experimenting on him, are they?» Irissa's eyes had gone wider, as she slid a little closer to Banshee. The woman shook her head.

«They were, but the Chief...» that hurt even more than River. «... he discovered it in some hidden paperwork only a bureaucrat mouse like him could ever uncover, and he demanded to be given the responsibility of having him on our Coven.»

«He did?» Irissa was shocked. «He seems such a harsh man.»

«Oh, he is. But there's a heart o' gold under that – don't ever tell anyone I said that – plus, he had some favors to call in so, he got him. But anomalies follow very different destinies in the Order, depending on what they are, I won't lie to you.»

«But as you say, even if they discovered I am an anomaly if River asked to take care of me...»

«Oh, no lassie.» Banshee felt terrible when she had to crush Irissa's hope. «No person in his right mind would let River take responsibility for anything. The guy's sweet, but I wouldn't entrust him with an egg.»

Irissa suddenly darkened, again. Her blue eyes got lost over the dock's wet pavement, in the terrible far smell of fish. Banshee didn't disturb her thoughts.

«Hey, listen.» after a silence she really deemed too long, Banshee stood up. «Why don't you let me put this where it belongs and then we get the hell out of Dodge?»

Irissa, instinctively, stood up herself, blinking.

«To where?»

«Well, since the Academy's closed, what do ye think we get to me place and we do some studying by ourselves? I really need a tutor, and ye've still got better grades than me.»

Banshee smiled, picking up the crate with minimum effort, and starting to walk, as Irissa smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

«Thank you.» the girl said, clearly understanding more than she would show.

«Don't mention it. Mages oughta stick together. We're not so much we could afford to bicker more than a healthy amount. Especially with those freaks unleashed on us.»

«We're not much? I heard there are five Headquarters in the world and so many smaller locations who gather mages around.» Irissa replied, following Banshee like a puppy.

«Five hundred thousand mages in the whole world. More o' less.» she replied, tossing the crate on others, and taking a deep, satisfied breath as she felt her muscles pulsating for the effort. «We're less than thrice the population o' me city, and me city isn't a megalopolis, ye know? That's why I hate when we pitch one against the other for stupid shit.» Banshee shrugged, recovered her leather jacket from the personnel barrack, starting to walk with Irissa towards the bus stop. It was eerie. They were talking about people who had the power to do wonders. While walking from a dock to a public transportation, like perfectly human people.

They had been three blissful days. The Chief hadn't asked them to do anything, on the contrary, he had all but disappeared in the background. Vopros had closed himself in his cellar, coming out just for lunch and dinner.

Chico had relished the time off from the Order's business. He had completely disappeared from Casa Pollos and concentrated all his time and efforts in his Church. He had finally helped Carlos proceed with his studies, and he was ever so decided that he needed to help him develop magic.

He had slipped him a book he had taken from the Order's Library about Elysials, just to test his comprehension abilities, and he had reacted quite well.

«Palero, all of this is very interesting. Are there really three Nations on the Other Side?» the child asked, with eyes as large as stars.

«Sì, chiquito.» Chico smiled. «Three great nations: the Regime, the Senate and the Feud. They are governed by the strongest Elysials that get to the Other Side and take the power.»

«And what do the other Elysials do?»

«It depends. Many of them simply linger, living the shadow of the lives they've lived. Many have houses, and simply enjoy being with their loved ones. Others fight and scheme for power.» Chico explained. The boy looked at the book again, with such a natural hunger for knowledge Chico felt tears in his eyes.

«So, you still live after you die?» Carlos seemed pretty interested in the notion, and Chico perfectly knew why. The boy wasn't a stranger to death. Of his eight brothers, they were now six.

«You usually do. Some souls go to Pandaemonium and become demons. Some go to Empyreum and become Angels. Some are particularly wicked and twisted, and they end up in the Fairy Court. Finally, those who have led grey lives, end up in the great gray planes of the Elysium, and keep their memories and their looks, to endure forever in the great grey beyond.»

Carlos drunk up the story as if it was everything he had always wanted to know. If anyone in the Order knew Chico was doing something like this, they would have thrown him in a place way darker than Losertown. But Carlos needed to believe there was something more, something better, something lighter than the barrio and the grimy light passing through the skyscrapers.

«Palero, I don't want to become a demon.» he said, serious as a priest. Chico smiled, lightly.

«You become a demon if you indulge too much in the things of life. If you always dices sì to everything you want to do, then you end up in Pandaemonium, where the demons feed of the power of self-indulgence. On the other hand, if you spend your life denying yourself the things you want, you rise to Empyreum, where the Angels feed of self-denial.»

«So, to become an Elysial...»

«You just live your life with balance, mi hijo. If you believe in your strengths and you endure your weaknesses, you'll get to be in the grey planes, forever.»

Chico knew what was going on in the young kid's brain right now. Something similar to what had been going around his, when first his master in the Order had told him the same tale when he was around Carlos's age. He still remembered the smell of blood and candles, the dim light covering the world in shadows. The coma, and the appearance of Soballende in his tired and scared mind, explaining to him that, now, he had changed his life forever. That he was a mage, and that everything the fairytales said and warned him against, not only was true: it was his life, now.

He let Carlos go on reading. Chico caressed his head and took some steps in the distance, with a thousand thoughts in his head.

The kid had no future there. There were no happy tales of surprise scholarships for him, no miracles waiting to happen and take him away from a life of odd jobs. He was simply too poor and unexceptional to aim for anything else than a low-toned life.

But if his magic could have kindled...

It was an opportunity all the Enforcer kids had. If only he could get Carlos into the program, he would have made a wonderful mage.

Or, there always was the second option.

Horrible, life-scarring psychological trauma.

Chico took out his phone. The kid was peacefully reading the giant book, with a bowl of cookies and a big glass of milk.

The Mexican browsed the numbers on his mobile until he found the one. Gerardo, Carlos's older brother, the only other person, apart from Chico, who had ever cared about him.

Gerardo was 19 and worked in construction sites. He often brought money to his little brother and was putting away some to help him go to a decent High School. Gerardo, the kid nobody had saved, but who had decided he would have saved his brothers and sisters.

Gerardo, whom Carlos loved more than anyone else in the world. Tales were filled with such worthy sacrifices in the name of the greater good.

Chico dialed Gerardo's number.

«Hey!»

Chico almost dropped his phone. He blinked in disbelief.

On the church's door, past it, since it was way smaller than him, the giant shape of River was smiling so brightly it seemed to light up the entire warehouse.

«Nice digs, Chico.» River walked towards him, his hands in his jeans' pockets. «Never taken you for a monk.»

«I'm a Pale... you know what? Nevermind. How did you find me, and why are you here?» he asked, defensive.

«Oh, I asked Mariposa. She always knows everything, dear good girl.» River's smirk spoke volumes about the situation where the information was shared. «She cased your asses badly, you know. I'd be worried if she knew where I lived and I had pissed her off. You're lucky that after the werepeople's attack she's been sucked into the war effort.»

«River, why are you in my church spurting nonsense?» Chico sighed, with no will whatsoever of thinking about the werepeople. Especially one wereperson.

«Oh, yes. I need a favor. I need to speak with Banshee, but apparently, now she hates my guts. So, if you'd be so kind as to invite me to your home and come with me, and just be there? Just so she doesn't shoot me immediately¸ you know? Then, I'll take it from there.» he asked, peaceful as a baby.

«Listen, if this is an effort to bang her...»

«What? Oh, no.» River laughed. «No, this is serious. In fact, I'd very much like to speak with you and the strange Russian guy as well.»

Chico became serious all of a sudden, pondered the situation, and then beckoned him to follow him.

River looked surprised but smiled and followed. Chico made sure that Carlos had snacks and something to eat for dinner, that he knew where to find him and changed back in his usual clothes. Then, they put River's bike in the back of his pickup and sped towards Casa Pollos, in a general awkward silence.