“Mr. Korba,” Kevin spoke first. “How is it that Theo was allowed to smoke if you knew he was an arsonist?”
Silas cleared his throat, and he tried to talk over the wind. “We managed it by allowing him to smoke, but he could only get his cigarettes lit by us. It was part of the deal after he asked.”
“He wasn’t allowed his own lighter?” Kevin asked.
“No,” Silas said. “We deliberately held onto those. His room was searched once a week, either by myself, my father, or, on occasion someone on my team would do a sweep. The times we’ve caught him with a lighter, we confiscated it and disallowed smoking for a week and he later stopped trying.”
“Silas...I mean...Mr. Korba,” began the girl at the end. She had a punk look, with short cropped hair and a tattoo peeking out through the collar of her suit. She was older, maybe in her forties. “So, do you think something specifically triggered his need to light fires?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Silas said. “I’d become aware later that he’d been using his cigarettes to burn his carpet, and then his own clothes. He would go out for walks, which we thought was okay, since our neighborhood is fairly quiet, without much in the way of gang activity. He was always back quickly, but now we’ve realized he had the ability to sneak out through one of the windows when he wanted it to look like he was still in his room. I honestly don’t know how long this went undetected. I’m ashamed to admit, that I haven’t been able to pay as much attention lately.”
“I want to say,” Kota said, stepping forward and speaking loud and clear as the wind picked up. “Silas has been extremely busy with not just our work, but has been asked repeatedly by other teams for his assistance. Because of his skillset, and his willingness to help, he’s been unavailable to his own family. He was under the assumption that things were normal at home, and as family lead, I’m responsible to make sure his family of origin is indeed okay while he’s away. I’ve failed on my part, and not all the blame should be put upon Silas.”
“I should remind everyone,” Dr. Roberts said, “that there is to be no penalty or reward for times when Silas was on jobs for other teams, and under such time as this particular team is undercover in a dangerous assignment as well. Dakota Lee and his team, according to these records, did what the Academy would have expected, but dire circumstances made it impossible to stay on top of Theo once the first church fire started. Every fire after, they were also dealing with additional issues regarding family and their current assignments.”
“I wish you’d called us earlier,” a man standing in the middle of the group said. He had round glasses, and a broad nose. “Really, I think this is more of a case of not calling for help when you really needed it. You should never be afraid to do that, considering the circumstances.”
“Our knowledge was lacking,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “When we discovered the fire, we started keeping tabs, but Theo being reported as being in the house at the times fires were reported threw us off. We didn’t realize until later he might have been a culprit all along, because he used his own cigarettes to light the slow-burning fuel in order to make sure he was home before the fire spread. It put him away from the scene of the crime.”
“So he was using his cigarettes?” Kevin asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “He confessed later to the police that he’d relight a new cigarette using an already lit one. He used cleaning chemicals he brought from the Korba’s bathrooms, his socks soaked it in.”
“So he had a few morals,” said the last of the group of five, a thin man with a wiry frame and hollow cheeks. “He’d burn down a church, but he wouldn’t steal a lighter from a store? Or borrow one from a neighborhood kid?”
“I think it was more of a twist of his mental state,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “I won’t presume to understand it, but the cigarette, to him, was the one thing he held onto that burned for him constantly. Like most arsonists who carry a fire print, they hang onto things that mean something. The church as one, linking his depression to the death of his mother. The cigarette was another, probably bitterness toward his current situation where he had to ask for something as simple as a lighter. The slow-burning fuel, perhaps something that was spilled in the original fire, that was another one. This wasn’t a case of malicious intent, but a distraught, depressed person reacting to feelings. We believe he had no ill intent toward persons. It was only when we confronted him that he lashed out.”
The kid looked right at North. “How are you?” he asked. “Are you still hurt?”
“I’ll be fine,” North said. “Thank you.”
“Let’s try to stay focused,” Dr. Roberts said. “Right now, what we need to consider is if Silas should require any additional support, or training, or if there needs to be an exchange of favors or money. Also, we have a need to consider the actions of the team as well, and if there’s anything that would be necessary to implement to improve things.”
“I’m aware the team has dramatically decreased in favors over the last few months,” said the man with the round glasses. He turned a concerned frown to Mr. Blackbourne, addressing him directly. “Is there need for additional support? Considering your current job, while I’ve been briefed on the situation, I understand your concentration might be essential at this point in your investigation, and these...family matters that keep popping up seem to put your team in danger.”
“We’ve been handling our own team’s families for years,” he said. “We’re familiar with how they work, and we’re still partially dealing with current adopted members and their families. But we won’t hesitate to call anyone in as needed, as proven the night of our latest success.”
“The girl,” the woman said. She pursed her lips and then remained quiet for a long moment. “I want to say Sue, but that’s not right.”
“Sang,” Kota said. “Sang Sorenson.”
“Yes. She’s in a good portion of your reports. I know she’s under closed adoption and that’s been approved.”
“She’s been an excellent help,” Mr. Blackbourne said.
“But,” Kota said quickly, “she’s also very vulnerable and in a very delicate situation that we’ve been handling. At this time, she is safe, though. There’s no need to bring in additional help.”
“Miss Sorenson is also under some stress,” Mr. Blackbourne said, his tone a bit louder than Kota’s. “I agree, and due to circumstances, most of what we require has fallen into place recently, especially with Theo being brought in. It relieves a lot of issues on our end.”
“And then there’s Volto,” the young Academy member said. “Shouldn’t we worry about him? Isn’t she the one he seems to be interested in?”
“I don’t know if it is interest in her in particular,” Kota said.
“But she’s the one he keeps talking to,” the kid said. He looked at Kevin. “Doesn’t that mean something?”
“It might,” Kevin said. He smiled at the kid. “You’re pretty smart. I think you make a good point.”
The kid beamed.
Kevin refocused on Mr. Blackbourne. “Considering the circumstances, that Volto has a particular interest in this girl, and the surrounding issues, I feel we need to bring her in for an introduction.”
Silas’s attention instantly swung to the others in his group. Kota clenched his fists and hid them behind his back. The others fidgeted and exchanged glances nervously.
Silas hadn’t been sure before, but now he realized: Sang wasn’t ready. If she came up to them now, she wouldn’t understand. They could sweep her up, take her under the care of a bird team in an instant with the promise of security, promising favors and all the things they all loved about the Academy.
“Unfortunately,” Mr. Blackbourne said, speaking for all of them, “Miss Sorenson isn’t ready for such an encounter. I agree, it should be soon, but right now a departure from the school would be a detriment to both her physical and mental safety. Her situation is complex. I wish I could expand upon this at this time, but I ha
ve to decline an introduction right now.”
“We can give you more time,” said the skinny man.
“Yes,” the woman said. “Why not bring her in December? We’ll all be there. It’d be a good introduction then and will give you time to prepare. Don’t you think that’s true, Mr. Lee?”
“I...” Kota said. Silas could almost feel the wheels turning in Kota, trying to figure out the words to say to delay this decision.
“I think it is important to the team that we become more aware of those working around them,” Kevin said. “You all are right. Silas was lucky to have caught up with his brother when he did, and to prevent something even worse from happening. Since she’s involved, and a lot of time is focused on her, maybe we should at least be made aware of the full story, and talk to her to evaluate where she is at. She should be here.”
“I agree,” Mr. Blackbourne said. He turned first to Kota, but then turned fully to address the team. “This New Year coming up, at the big event being held you-know-where, do you all feel we’ll be able to bring her along?”
There was a rustle of both wind the picking up around them, and the boys shuffling.
“I agree to it,” Luke said quickly, a smile on his face.
“I agree to it,” Victor said.
“I agree to it,” Silas said. He wanted to put in his agreement, hoping North will follow with the same, even if Silas knew North would probably disagree, at least a little. He always did.
“I’m not sure,” North said, “But I’ll agree to it for now with the understanding that circumstances might change...”
“I don’t want to agree,” Gabriel said, “but I will because maybe I’m biased. I’m just worried about the event. That’s a big step.”
“Do you think she could handle it?” Dr. Roberts asked.
“I guess,” Gabriel said. “I just know my first one was scary to me.”
The others chuckled. “Yeah!” the kid said. “Mine was, too. I hated it at first. But now I like going.”
“Okay,” Dr. Roberts said. “Provided her mental state at the time isn’t too distraught by outside influences, and we certainly hope you’ll call us if this is the case, will the team leaders agree to allow us a proper introduction?”
“I think we’re all in agreement,” Mr. Blackbourne said, checking in with Dr. Green and Nathan, who hadn’t responded yet. Both of them nodded. Mr. Blackbourne then turned to Kota. “And you?”
“I...,” Kota stopped, looked at the ground. “I agree.”
Silas was sorry to see him do that. He knew Kota really didn’t want Sang in the Academy, but what Kota didn’t realize was that Sang was already so involved, and she had confessed to him before about wanting to be part of the team.
Silas loved how her pretty little green eyes lit up the night they’d claimed a small victory over Mr. McCoy and Mr. Hendricks. The war wasn’t over, but they finally had a breakthrough, and she had been a part of it. Now, Silas felt she understood for sure what they did it for. Maybe it wasn’t a perfect success. Volto had interfered, but now even Silas was starting to wonder about Volto’s true intentions, because he had led them right to Mr. Hendricks. If it wasn’t for him, they may not have caught up with him.
Academy teams had followed Mr. McCoy. He’d gotten on the grounds with a false ID at the entrance in Kota’s car, claiming to be a parent dropping off a student. He’d driven in one of the male students, dropped him off, and proceeded to walk around, like some of the other parents, keeping an eye on the students.
How he had gotten in didn’t matter. They caught who they wanted.
Silas refocused on Dr. Roberts who was speaking now. “And what of Silas Korba? Let’s not forget why we’re here.”
“Well, Theo is being taken care of,” Kevin said. “I suppose under the circumstances, considering the extremity of the situation, Silas should determine if he should give up a favor or not. I don’t have a reason to suggest a specific number.”
Eyes turned on Silas. This was a critical moment. You had to be totally honest with your performance. The distraction of talking about Miss Sorenson had actually eased a lot of the guilt he’d had, and brought him back to reality.
Sang wouldn’t approve of being dishonest, jaded by guilt.
“I’ve got four favors,” he said. “I’ll give up two. One for slacking on paying attention to my own family, and being a reason for requiring others to join in. The other is for at the very end, when I probably should have called you all sooner. In waiting, I put at risk the Academy and those who were getting involved on the scene.”
“That sounds accurate and reasonable,” the skinny man said.
“I approve,” said the kid.
“I approve,” said the woman.
“I highly approve,” said the man with the glasses.
Kevin turned to Dr. Roberts. “Two favors sounds fair.” He turned to Silas. “But don’t be so hard on yourself. Wanting to take care of your own business is only natural, and something we all struggle with.”
“It’s why we’re in this together,” Dr. Roberts said. “So we don’t have to do it all on our own.” He nodded to the five and then turned to Mr. Blackbourne. “Is there anything else we need to talk about?”
“Not at this time,” Mr. Blackbourne said.
“Then this trial is over.” Dr. Roberts smiled, and gave a thumbs up to the team. “Great job guys. Thanks for coming in. Don’t forget about Miss Sorenson.”
“We won’t,” Kota said.
Silas agreed. As the Academy members started to disband, North and Silas lingered behind.
“Hey,” North said. “So you did decide to stay. I was sure you’d convinced yourself to tell them you should go home with Charlie.”
“Aren’t I home?” Silas said. He did a side glance, looking at his friend’s face. “Isn’t that what you were telling me?”
“I tried,” North said. “You didn’t agree with me then. What made you change your mind?”
“I don’t know,” Silas said. “Sang, I think. She needs me.”
North’s dark eyes lit up. “So she did get to you? Good.”
Silas snapped his head around, turning partially. “What? You told her?”
“Of course I did,” North said. “What was I going to do? Let you leave when you didn’t deserve it? You were being an ass.”
Silas grunted. He couldn’t deny that. Maybe part of it was that he was ashamed what trouble his own family had caused to his team and to the Academy. He didn’t want to believe he deserved a chance when he felt he was the one who had messed up.
He knew he had to work on that. Guilt was heavy to carry. Sometimes, you did have to let go.
“Sang does have a way of convincing me to do things,” Silas said. “You know, I asked her out.”
“She told me,” North said.
“I know you like her,” Silas said.
North nodded slightly. “I do.”
“I didn’t mean to...I mean I asked, she could have said no.”
“She wouldn’t have,” North said. “Actually, we should talk later about this. Mr. Blackbourne is going to want a meeting with all of us soon.”
“Why?”
“Because of Sang, and because of the introduction, and because if we don’t do something soon, we’ll lose her. It’s why Kota’s fighting this.”
Silas nodded. “I was worried about that, too, but we can’t deny an introduction. It’ll make it look worse.”
“We know,” North said. “Which is why we’ve got to pull ourselves together. We’ve got to come to an agreement.”
They were behind everyone else waiting out their turn to descend down into the building. Kevin was the last to leave, along with the kid. They must have arrived together, with Kevin driving him to where he was supposed to be now. When they were beyond the doors, Silas turned to North. “What agreement?” he asked.
North turned on Silas. “You know I love her.”
Silas stared at him, waiting him out. N
orth was always blunt with him, but somehow Silas had expected him to say more. When he didn’t continue, he let the information sink in. He’d worried this would happen, although he didn’t know North felt that strongly about her. “So you do have a problem with...”
“No,” North said. “I don’t. But I’ve got a feeling she...cares strongly for me, too.”
Silas sighed. Maybe Sang was too good to be true. She was a good girl, but the way she seemed to hesitate around him at times, it made him wonder if she really liked him.
He couldn’t deny how he felt though. When she wasn’t around, he thought normally, but the moment she was there, he was watching her. He was listening to her. He loved when she talked.
He loved those quiet moments with her, when they were alone, together. He opened up more with her than most of the members of his own team. He never had a problem talking with them, but he never talked much anyway.
Sang was different that way. She was quiet, too, a lot of the time, though he’d learned getting her alone, helped her open up more. She was finally being vocal among the group, joking and laughing with them.
Silas shook his head. “She said yes to me.”
“Could you...” North started to say and then stopped. “You know, I’m not the only one.”
Silas shook his head again. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“You and I need to talk,” North said. “But I want to run something by you right now. I want you to think about what just happened here.” He motioned to where the trial had been held. “Today, the Academy insisted we bring Sang in. This time, we can’t back down. We can’t hide her anymore.”
“I know,” Silas said. “It’s why we were worried before. But she likes our team. And if I’m dating her...well...”
“Not too long ago, Mr. Blackbourne and I visited a multi-dog team that had one bird,” North said.
Silas stood taller, pulling his hands from his pockets. That sounded like good news. “Yeah?”
“They all fell in love with her, and they share her now,” North said. “All the guys married her. They live happily ever after that way.”