Alec watched as Jesse gathered her things into the bag he had purchased, a frown creasing his brow. Something she had said a few days ago was still bothering him. As he had lay holding her, she asked about why he had left so suddenly. The truth was, he hadn’t known about being sent to study until the day he was told he was leaving. Their goodbye had been shorter than he had wanted, but she sensed more behind her question.
It had been difficult to keep his answers vague. If she didn’t remember what he was to their family, he felt no need to shame himself by telling her. Not that he could announce his position. He could never tell anyone he was a familiar, the words just wouldn’t come.
His schooling had consisted of three parts. The everyday military officer training school, the segregated
