"I understand," Winkler agreed.
"If you get any information on the Ir'Indicti thing, I expect to be informed."
"I'll let you know." Winkler ended the call.
"I realize this feels like a punch in the face," Aedan sat behind his desk and gazed at Ashe. Ashe had followed his father into his father's new study, which was upstairs and overlooked the boat slip between the two rows of houses.
Ashe folded arms across his chest and refused to say anything. "Son," Aedan went on, "this is something you have to learn to live with. You have something special and you're hunted because of it. I have no idea what those creatures would do to you if they find you, but I don't believe it's anything good. This has to remain a secret. You have no idea how much compulsion Nathan and I placed in the beginning, to make the community forget. Now only Marcus, Denise and the Rocklins know, and that's at the Grand Master's discretion. If he told Winkler tomorrow that Marcus and his Second don't need to know, then we'd have to remove those memories as well."
"Marcus was in the military," Ashe turned his head, refusing to look at his father. Everything was turning sour. In the books that lined shelves inside Ashe's new bedroom, the hero might be allowed a bit of satisfaction in a job well done and executed almost flawlessly, in order to save the girl. Now, the girl thought someone else had saved her and Ashe couldn't talk to his best friend about what bothered him. Not only did Sali not remember that Ashe had saved Wynn, he didn't know any longer that Ashe could turn to mist or mindspeak. Ashe might as well be on a tiny, forgotten island in the ocean somewhere. He couldn't even talk to the seagulls on his imaginary island. Too many sharp ears surrounded him.
"I know Marcus was in the military. And I know you're smart enough to figure that out. Don't let that secret get away, Ashe. You're getting a little taste of what it's like to be vampire. We've kept secrets from the moment we woke as vampires."
"And how long ago was that, Dad?" Ashe stood and walked to the window overlooking the boat channel below. "You won't tell me, will you? I don't need to know. I know I can mist and haul an almost-grown unicorn filly out of harm's way, but I sure can't know how old my dad is. Can I? Are we done with the talk, Dad? Are we?" Ashe, angrier than he'd ever been, snapped at his father.
"Son, I won't place compulsion, because that would destroy our trust. You have to stop this, and stop it now. As of this moment, I'm grounding you until your birthday on Sunday. Sali doesn't come over, I take your cell phone and you're confined to the house and the yard." Aedan's eyes were red and Ashe had glimpsed the tips of sharp fangs. His father was almost as angry as Ashe. Right then, Ashe didn't care. Pulling the cell phone from his pocket, he slapped it onto his father's desk and stalked out.
"I'm grounding him for three days, until his birthday," Aedan sighed. He'd found Adele in the kitchen later, attempting to explain how things hadn't gone very well when he'd talked to Ashe. Ashe's bedroom door had slammed shortly after he'd left his father's office. "I hope that's enough time for him to cool off and see sense."
"This is awful. He feels something for Wynn, I think, and now she not only thinks somebody else got her out of that place, but Sali stepped right in and is getting Wynn's attention." Adele didn't often disagree with Aedan over Ashe's punishments, but she understood a little of what her son was feeling right then. "It would be different if Sharon's egg had been used. We know now that wasn't the case. Ashe can date Wynn if he wants."
"Adele," Aedan rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "That's not the only thing we have to be concerned about. We have to impress upon that child that he is vulnerable. He needs the protection the community can provide. And he can mist faster than anything I've ever heard of. The Council's misters take a couple of minutes to do it, so it's a weapon of stealth, mostly. They're always busy. The last time I saw Henri and Gervais they looked exhausted, and vampires don't normally get that way. Same with the mindspeakers. Anthony, Robert and Albert are constantly in demand."
"Will he be able to go to college? Do the things he might want to do with his life? Will he?" That question had bothered Adele of late. Was destiny herding her child into a life of complete concealment? At least she could open a business and run it as human, without fear that anyone would hunt her for the most part. Ashe deserved that anonymity. He deserved the right to go to college and work at something he enjoyed instead of slinking in the shadows. Even vampires appeared human when they walked among mortals.
"I don't know. Certainly he can take courses online."
"But that's not the same. I loved going to college, Aedan. I had friends among the humans and we had fun. Ashe won't get that, will he?"
"I doubt it," Aedan winced uncomfortably. Adele studied her husband's face, afraid to voice her concern. It wasn't time, yet. Ashe would turn sixteen on Sunday. He had two years, she hoped. Perhaps a few beyond that. What happened then might determine many things in Adele's (and Ashe's) future.
"I guess I won't be taking Ashe on that shopping trip, then, since you grounded him," Adele walked away from Aedan. "I have no idea what he wants for his birthday, and don't tell me that Wynn, her parents and Mr. Winkler don't owe him, Aedan. A lot of people do." The front door slammed behind Adele Evans, leaving Aedan in the kitchen cursing softly.
"Dori, Ashe has been grounded. He won't be doing anything until Sunday." Adele had decided to walk around the neighborhood. Dori, sitting on her front porch, had gotten up to talk with Adele as she wandered past.
"Cori will be here on Friday," Dori said. "She knows Marco is here, and she wants to see Ashe, too."
"She won't see Ashe until Sunday, Dori. Nobody will."
"Mom said she'd take us to the beach on Saturday," Dori was still trying to get around Ashe's punishment.
"Dori, don't ask. Ashe got in trouble and now he's being punished."
"All right." Dori trotted back to her yard, leaving Adele to walk alone again.
Ashe heard the phone ring, and then listened while his father answered it. He'd heard the front door slam moments earlier and was learning now which parent had left the house. "Sali, Ashe has been grounded until Sunday. You may not call or visit until then," Aedan said. The phone was hung up seconds later.
Ashe sighed as he unpacked his suitcase, tossing dirty clothes into his hamper and putting the rest in drawers or hanging it inside his new walk-in closet. He'd gotten the second-largest bedroom, which had its own bath and a small walk-in closet inside it. Nothing needed to be cleaned yet and he had nothing new to read. Sighing, Ashe pulled his battered copy of The Fellowship of the Ring off the shelf and flopped onto his bed to read it again.