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Don’t tell my mom, ok? She comes to see me but she’s always so sad She looks at irl anymore And my daddy doesn’t visit me He never paid any atent attention to me anyways, but it still makes my heart hurt

I know you can’t , since you’re majick, do you think you could send me a friend?

Someone fun anted to be with led up The kids here are nice, but they all go home after a little while It would be wonderful to have someone as mine, someone who didn’t have to leave

My friend can be hu I won’t mind Maybe you could find soether? I pros, and I’ll let her (or even a boy) choose the ga

Annie

ps

I don’t ive me any other presents at all

pps

I’really hard to catch up with the hospital’s computer tutor

Stroke of Enticery eyes of the seven-year-old sitting at the child-sized desk in front of her own, arlared at her, the fury of his leopard apparent in every line of his body Annie was used to teaching changeling children - a lot of DarkRiver kids came to this school, close as it was to their territory

She was used to their affectionate natures, their occasional accidental shifts into leopard form, and even their shorter tempers when compared with those of human children What she was not used to was such blatant disobedience

"Bryan," she began, intending, once again, to try to get to the bottom of this

He shook his head, stuck out his chin "I’lanced at her watch She’d called Bryan’s uncle twenty e

But he htaway"

"Then ait"

She almost smiled at the stubbornness of him, but knew that that would only make matters worse "Are you sure you don’t want to tell an?"

"No"

Annie tucked back a strand of hair that had escaped the bun she’d anchored with a pair of lacquered chopsticks in a vain atteether - would you feel s with her?"

She’d already called Mrs

Nicholson to tell her that Bryan would be late getting home The woman had taken it in her stride - she had three boys "And one of theh, love in every syllable "Since you’re waiting on Zach, he can drive thisbaby home"

"Bryan?" she prompted, when her little mischief-maker remained silent

"No You promised I could wait for Uncle Zach" He scowled "Pro, that’s what Uncle Zach always says"

"That’s true" Giving in, she smiled "Let’s hope your uncle makes it here soon"

"Hot date?" The voice was rich, dark, and completely out of place in her classroo in the doorway "Uncle Zach?" A smile that cut her off at the knees

"Just Zach’s fine" Vivid aqua-colored eyes, straight black hair cut in a careless way, copper-gold skin and bones that spoke of an ancestor from one of the native tribes "You called"

And he’d coh her head "I’m Annie Kildaire, Bryan’s teacher" When Zach accepted the hand she’d extended in a gesture of autoh her skin to burn her on the inside She felt her breath catch and knew she was going even redder Dear God, she was useless around beautiful men And "Uncle" Zach was theat her

Probably at her always ht red cheeks, herat her hand, she tried to extract it He held on as he glanced at Bryan His nephew continued to sit there with atheir clasped hands, he favored his uncle with a look that shouted "traitor"

Zach returned his attention to Annie "Tell ain

He looked down, see in sensorythe stack of book reports on her desk "If you’d like to take a seat?" He towered over her That wasn’t particularly difficult, but he was big in a very inti way Solid shoulders, pure hard ht, aware of some of the ranks within the DarkRiver pack, Zach had to carry the rank of soldier

"I’d rather stand"