“After a while,” Sean said. He caught his sister’s eye. “Work hard on your art first. Once you get really good at it, your instructor will recommend moving you up to Magical Warrior Training.”
“But what is that, exactly? Mr. Today asked us all if we would do it.”
“It’s a class where you learn to defend yourself and to fight, using magical weapons of art. Like—”
“Maybe Quill won’t want to fight us,” Meghan said.
Sean laughed, although not unkindly. “Oh, yes. I’m sure they will. They’ve been gearing up for a fight for fifty years! Why do you think they put their so-called best people in the Quillitary?”
“Hmm,” Meghan said thoughtfully.
Alex, who had been listening all this time as he moved the pencil on the paper, said, “How do you fight with art?” He sketched awkwardly and drew a house like the one he’d drawn in the mud back in Quill.
Sean smiled, pointing to the drawing. “Good work so far, Alex. As for fighting with art, you’ll find out soon enough. It’ll be great! You’ll learn all sorts of amazing things. I’ll let your instructors tell you more, though. Hey,” he said abruptly, looking more closely at Alex’s scribbling. “Seriously, that’s not bad. Here, let me show you how to do shading. Lighten up with your grip a little.” He tapped Alex’s pencil, and a second pencil fell out of the first, so they each had one.
“I can’t wait for Magical Warrior Training,” Meghan said, more to herself than anyone else. Her eyes shone with excitement.
As Alex and Sean worked, Alex’s tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, Meghan slipped away from the table and went up to the blackboard. “Hello, Earl,” she said.
“Hello again.”
“I’m wondering if you could, you know, gently—I mean, nice and gently if you would—summon Lani to come down here? She was supposed to be here by now.”
“Lani. Hmm. The human girl, right?”
“Um, yes …” Aren’t all girls human here? Meghan wondered.
“Yes, I’ll send her down for you.”
“Thank you, Earl.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Hey, Earl?”
“Yes, Ms. Ranger.” He sounded bored.
“Is there anything I can get for you?”
The eyes on the blackboard blinked in silence, and the lips parted slightly. Earl’s voice softened. “No, thank you.”
A moment later Lani emerged wide-eyed from the tube and laughed when she saw Meghan. “That didn’t feel like anything at all,” she said.
“Come on—we’re getting the scoop on all sorts of things from my brother.” Meghan linked her arm in Lani’s, and they ran over to the table, where Alex and Sean were conversing in serious tones. The sketch pad was closed, and the pencil rested on top of it.
When the girls approached, Sean looked up. “Another friend? I’m Sean Ranger,” he said, rather importantly. “Who might you be?”
“Lani. Lani Haluki.” Lani and Meghan sat down.
Sean’s eyes narrowed yet again. “Haluki?”
“Yes.” Lani looked Sean in the eye.
“The senior governor’s daughter?” Sean asked incredulously.
Lani’s glance didn’t waver, and when she finally answered, her voice was quiet and firm. “Not anymore.”
The four sat in grim silence.
“You look young to be eliminated,” Sean said after a while.
“I’m twelve.”
“And why …?”
“Because I was influencing other children. Telling the stories in my head. Making my father look bad, I suppose. He couldn’t wait to be rid of me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why?” Lani said. “I’m here, aren’t I?” Her blue eyes flashed. A million thoughts raced through her head, like how her relation ship with her father had once seemed special, and why she had been so abruptly Purged before her thirteenth year. But she didn’t voice her thoughts. They hurt too much.
Sean smiled kindly. “I see. I’m guessing Artimé will be quite lucky to have your talent.”
Lani softened a little and blocked out the stinging thoughts. “I’m sure it will,” she said.
Alex laughed. “You’ve certainly landed on both feet already.” His voice was filled with admiration. “Have you learned the way things work yet?”
“No, I took a nap. Can somebody tell me how that tube thing works? Where are we, exactly? There aren’t any doors.”
Alex and Meghan looked up and scanned the room, surprised. “Weird,” Alex said. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Neither had I,” said Meghan.
“Good observation,” Sean said. “The lounge isn’t attached to the mansion. It’s not actually a physical building. What I mean is, you can’t see it from the outside. It doesn’t take up any space. Most of Artimé is like that. Remember the small, desolate plot of land when you first came through the gate? All of Artimé is contained in that tiny area of cement and weeds and the gray, broken-down building. Yet Artimé stretches on for miles. Many years ago Marcus had just a small world hidden here behind the gates of Quill, but as more and more Unwanteds came through, he expanded as necessary and created a few artistic instructors to help him teach the children. Now it’s almost as if the world runs on its own. Though certainly,” he added, “it would disappear without a mage like him in control of it.”