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The conversation drifted to safer topics and Alex was left thinking about what she’d learned.

“How old are they?” she whispered to Jordan when everyone else was busy talking.

“Blake’s four years older than us and Johnny’s five years older,” he whispered back.

“How did they end up with such cool jobs, since they’re still so young?”

“Students who don’t qualify for Akarnae pick a specialisation to focus on when they’re fourteen. At eighteen they graduate and either get a job or continue studying elsewhere.”

Jordan paused to take another bite of food before he continued, “Both the ISDS and ChemTech—which is the research organisation that recruits Chemists to train them into Technos—usually require four more years of study before recruitment, but both Johnny and Blake were exceptions. Johnny’s so brilliant that he was hacking into secure TCD servers when he was thirteen, and Blake not only graduated at the top of his class in Languages, Politics, and Inter-Species Relations, but he also smashed through all the previous records when he took his exams.”

“Wow,” Alex said, impressed. “So they’re both really smart?”

“The whole family is,” Jordan said. “It’s ridiculous.”

Alex nodded as she recalled Bear’s amazing potential in Chemistry. She was about to comment on it but she remembered something else and instead asked, “What’s a Shadow Walker? And the other things Blake mentioned? I didn’t understand anything he—”

“Who wants dessert?”

Their attention was diverted when Gammy placed a steaming chocolate pudding on the table. Alex’s mouth watered at the sight and she looked up at Jordan.

“We’ll talk later,” he promised.

But later never came, since after dessert they were herded into the lounge room to uphold a Ronnigan family tradition. Every Kaldoras Eve the family sat together to share their memories of the year that was and talk about the things they were grateful for. When Alex’s turn came, she simply said, “I’m grateful to be here.”

Everyoneawwwwed, but when she looked at Jordan and Bear she knew they understood the ‘here’ that her words encompassed. When she’d first arrived in Medora, all she’d wanted was to find a way back home. But now, even while still missing her parents, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

And that scared her more than anything.

Twenty-Eight

Alex was woken at thecrack of dawn the next day to open presents with the family, and she was overwhelmed by the unexpected gifts she received.

Jordan and Bear had pooled together to get her a remote ComTCD so she could always stay in contact with them. The little holographic Device was a lustrous gold colour, and she immediately fell in love with it.

“But wait, there’s more,” Jordan said after she thanked them. “Part of it’s from Johnny, too. He’s added some special apps that haven’t even been released to the public yet! I’ll be borrowing this baby for sure!”

“Let her have it for at least five minutes, Jordan,” Johnny called from across the room.

Jordan grumbled a little, but he eventually surrendered the ComTCD to Alex, and she moved it out of his sight while she reached for her next gift. She gasped when she opened the box to find the dress she’d been helping Dorothy create over the past week.

“We wanted you to have something nice to wear to the Gala,” Dorothy said, handing her another box that she said was from William. Inside was a pair of shoes that matched the dress perfectly.

Alex looked quizzically at William who just smiled back and said, “Do I really look like the type of person who knows the difference between stilettos and wedges? No. I’m just the financier. But I wanted to get you something, even if I thought it was best for you if I didn’t choose them myself.”

She was touched by their generosity and thanked them both profusely before reaching for her next gift, which was from Gammy. Inside was a single sheet of paper with the title: TOP SECRET. Alex’s smile widened as she read the rest of the words and realised that it was the recipe for Gammy’s famous apple pie, secret sauce included. When Alex looked across the room and caught the older woman’s eyes, Gammy pressed a finger to her lips and winked.

“Open mine next, Lexie! Open mine!” Evie cried, shoving her gift into Alex’s face.

Inside was a small bunch of wildflowers glued to a hairclip. They were beautiful, and Alex immediately clipped them into her hair, causing the little girl to clap with happiness.

“You can keep them forever!” Evie exclaimed. She was so excited that Alex didn’t want to ruin the moment by telling her that the flowers would eventually die.

“She’s right,” Bear said. “She asked me to preserve them for you. They’re frozen in time, forever looking as fresh as the day they were picked.”

Alex looked at him in surprise. “More genius Chemistry stuff?”

He shrugged modestly. “Someone has to do it.”