Jonny answered, plainly pulled from sleep. His bleached hair was disheveled, his eyes squinting at the hall light. They widened as he recognized who was at his door.
Dusty pushed the door opened and flipped on the light. Jonny sat on his bed stiffly. His eyes were dark and warm like Bianca's, his frame just over six feet and still lanky, though he showed signs of starting to fill out.
"I've been good," he whispered.
"Good," Dusty said, sitting on the bed opposite him. "How you feeling?"
"B can heal anything. Am I in trouble?"
"You probably should be," he replied. "I'm still trying to figure out what the fuck to do with you."
"Toni said he thinks I have some of the um, Natural ability."
"What's your talent?"
"He thinks its weaponry or something. I can master any weapon without really trying," Jonny said, a touch of pride in his voice.
"Not bad."
"Is B okay?" the youth asked in a hushed tone.
"You mean, after you sold her out to Talon?" Dusty replied. A look of anguish crossed Jonny's face. "She's fine. You'll probably have some explaining to do to her, though."
"I never, ever meant for her to get hurt. Can I see her?"
"Soon. Did anyone ask you about Talon?"
"I spoke to a few people. I don't remember much, though. It's like I was in this weird dream. Everything's fuzzy."
"I'm going to have someone else talk to you today," Dusty said. "We'll put you in the Naturals training program. Welcome to your new life."
"Is B a Natural, too?"
"She is."
"Who's her assigned Guardian?" Jonny asked.
"I am."
Jonny hesitated then looked up finally. "She's a good cook, but she's afraid of spiders, and she always loses things. Don't give her your only set of keys to anything. Or the remotes. She'll lose those, too. She's always happy-- I've never seen her upset. It's annoying sometimes. Just please … be nice to her. I'm a screw-up, but she isn't. She doesn't deserve what I put her through. I gotta make it up to her somehow."
His last words were whispered, his face red. Dusty gazed at him, sensing how much he loved his sister and how hurt he was by his own actions. He understood what it was to lose a sister and hoped the stupid kid before him never went through that pain.
"I'll take care of her, Jonny," he promised. "Get your shit straight and keep it straight. Go see Sofi in the library."
"Yes, sir, I will."
Dusty rose and returned to the main house in time for the intel briefing, expecting another nonstop day. The skies opened once again as he reached the house, and thunder boomed in the distance.