They would find a group to travel with, he decided, not looking forward to the boy's reaction. The teenager expected them to head straight to Ohio, to his mother. Kenn sighed, automatically blocking his thoughts even though Charlie was snoring softly. He had never seen anything…different from the boy, but he was always careful. In a few years, the teenager would be the same age his mother had been when they'd met, and her gifts had been strong then. Angela had denied him access, but this sullen child wouldn't be that strong.
Not that Charlie had any idea what was coming. Talk of magic was forbidden in their house, even the book and movie kind. Kenn had been very careful from the very beginning - just in case the power ran in every generation. There was still a chance to control it, and his role of step-father was driven by that thought. It was part of why he had insisted Charlie become a cadet. More time to create a bond, it also gave Angela time to heal before the boy saw it.
Despite his easy touch, Kenn and the teenager weren't exactly comfortable with each other, but Charlie knew who was in charge and they were able to work as a team. It also helped that they both liked to win the annual father-son events hosted at different bases each year. They'd been in Arizona this time, at Ft. Defiance for the contests, and they'd cleaned up, winning over half the competitions.
Though they had different last names, Kenn had never let anyone assume he wasn't the child's biological parent. They were both tall and stocky, with the same high-n-tight and bright blue eyes, though the regulation haircuts were a bit too long now. Dressed alike, there was definitely a resemblance. They even had the same way of staring directly at someone while listening or talking, not looking away. When they averted their eyes, they were lying.
He wouldn't say anything to the boy yet, Kenn decided. He wasn't ready to tell him his mom was likely dead, and they weren't going back to find out.
Leaning uncomfortably against the drafty wall, third-year cadet Charles White had fallen asleep while cleaning the gunk from under his nails. He was dreaming of his mother.
She was telling him how to handle Kenn, but more importantly, she insisted she would find him, no matter where they went. They were over 1200 miles apart, but his mom was special, different. She could do things that most people could only dream of, and though no one else knew…so could he.