“So?” I said.
“You’re the daughter of the colony leaders, she’s the daughter of the guy everyone knows is next in line on the colony council,” Enzo said. “It looks like you’re getting special treatment. If it was just you, people would get it. People know you’ve got that weird thing you have with the Obin—”
“It’s not weird,” I said.
Enzo looked at me blankly.
“Yeah, okay,” I said.
“People know you’ve got that thing with the Obin, so they wouldn’t think about it if it was just you,” Enzo said. “But the two of you is making people nervous. People wonder if you guys know something we don’t.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “Gretchen is my best friend. That’s why I asked her. Should I have asked someone else?”
“You could have,” Enzo said.
“Like who?” I said.
“Like me,” Enzo said. “You know, your boyfriend.”
“Yeah, because people wouldn’t talk about that,” I said.
“Maybe they would and maybe they wouldn’t,” Enzo said. “But at least I’d get to see you every once in a while.”
I didn’t have any good answer to that. So I just gave Enzo a kiss.
“Look, I’m not trying to make you feel bad or guilty or whatever,” Enzo said, when I was done. “But I would like to see more of you.”
“That statement can be interpreted in many different ways,” I said.
“Let’s start with the innocent ones,” Enzo said. “But we can go from there if you want.”
“And anyway, you see me every day,” rewinding the conversation just a little. “And we always spend time together at the hootenannies.”
“I don’t count doing schoolwork together as time together,” Enzo said. “And as much fun as it is to admire how you trained Hickory to imitate a sitar solo—”
“That’s Dickory,” I said. “Hickory does the drum sounds.”
Enzo gently put a finger to my lips. “As much fun as it is,” he repeated. “I’d rather have some time for just you and me.” He kissed me, which was pretty effective punctuation.
“How about now?” I said, after the kiss.
“Can’t,” Enzo said. “On my way home to babysit Maria and Katherina so my parents can have dinner with friends.”
“Waaah,” I said. “Kiss me, tell me you want to spend time together, leave me hanging. Nice.”
“But I have tomorrow afternoon free,” Enzo said. “Maybe then. After you’re done with your stabbing practice.”
“We already did stabbing,” I said. “Now we’re on to strangulation.”
Silence.
“Joke,” I said.
“I only have your word for that,” Enzo said.
“Cute.” I kissed him again. “See you tomorrow.”
The next day training went long. I skipped dinner to head to Enzo’s parents’ homestead. His mother said he’d waited around, and then headed over to Magdy’s. We didn’t talk to each other much the next day during school.
Evenings: study.
“We have reached an agreement with Jerry Bennett to allow you to use the information center in the evenings twice a week,” Hickory said.
I suddenly felt sorry for Jerry Bennett, who I had heard was more than a little terrified of Hickory and Dickory, and probably would have agreed to anything they asked just so long as they left him alone. I made a mental note to invite Bennett to the next hootenanny. There’s nothing to make an Obin look less threatening than to see one in front of a crowd, bobbing its neck back and forth and making like a tabla drum.
Hickory continued. “While you are there, you will study the Colonial Union files of other sentient species.”
“Why do you want us to learn about them?” Gretchen asked.
“To know how to fight them,” Hickory said. “And how to kill them.”
“There are hundreds of species in the Conclave,” I said. “Are we supposed to learn about each of them? That’s going to take more than two nights a week.”
“We will be focusing on species who are not members of the Conclave,” Hickory said.
Gretchen and I looked at each other. “But they’re not the ones planning to kill us,” Gretchen said.
“There are many trying to kill you,” Hickory said. “And some may be more motivated than others. For example, the Rraey. They recently lost a war with the Enesha, who took control of most of their colonies before they were themselves defeated by the Obin. The Rraey are no longer a direct threat to any established race or colony. But if they were to find you here, there is no doubt what they would do.”
I shuddered. Gretchen noticed. “You okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” I said, too quickly. “I’ve met the Rraey before.” Gretchen looked at me strangely but didn’t say anything after that.
“We have a list for you,” Hickory said. “Jerry Bennett has already prepared the files you have access to for each species. Take special note of the physiology of each race. This will be important in our instruction.”
“To learn how to fight them,” I said.