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  One young woman raised her hand. “Didn’t you break bones against him?”

  Cam shook her head. “No, he caught me against his flesh form, jumped and twisted, letting physics do the work of stopping our bodies, rolling us to a stop.”

  “What happened on your first day at the base?”

  Cam grinned. “I ate everything and had to go and replace it so the guys could eat breakfast. My type of Gift is a direct exchange of calories for energy.”

  The girls were scandalized. More hands came up. Cam pointed to one.

  “You ate everything?”

  “Everything that my alien sensibilities could identify as food. I woke up and felt hollow. To answer your question, if I have use my Gift, I still eat three times what the male Guardians do.” She struck a pose. “Crime fighting—it’s how I keep my figure.”

  The teachers laughed.

  An older girl put her hand up, and the conversation turned to regeneration as well as top speeds.

  They talked about how fast she could move with her engaging in a few demonstrations by zipping over, putting happy faces on their note tablets and returning to the front of the assembly.

  When the question finally came, it wasn’t from one of the older girls; it was from a ten-year-old with dark-grey eyes in the front row.

  “Why did the Gift choose an alien when there was an entire world of eager citizens to choose from?”

  Cam knew that it was coming, but it still was hard to answer.

  “My best guess is that Namkor saw something in me that it wanted to add to the Guardian team.”

  Another hand went up. “Was it because you were Mordem’s lover?”

  Cam was used to the frank nature of the Namkor by now, but her Terran sensibilities still winced.

  “Perhaps that is what Namkor was after. Giving me the Gift so that Mordem would have a companion. Namkor isn’t talking, so we are stuck guessing. All I know is that I am content to devote myself to Namkor’s citizens, including Mordem.” She smiled.

  Some of the older girls sighed wistfully.

  “Yes, in case you have not met him, he really is that nice in person.”

  Smiles and laughter spread through the room, and she settled in for the other questions about how fast she could run and for how long.

  Mordem was sitting on the riot runner she had flown to the school, and he held out an energy drink. “Here you go, sweetie. I am fairly sure you did a few demonstrations.”

  She took the drink and gulped it down. “Thank you, but the girls made me a few dozen cupcakes and wanted to see me eat them. I am actually pretty good right now.”

  He took the empty bottle and stowed it before pulling her between his thighs and looping his arms around her waist. “So, Taliak has asked us over for dinner. I think he wants to propose to you.”

  She blushed and drummed her fingers on his shoulders. “It isn’t funny.”

  In one year, the governor had floated three proposals of marriage her way. She had politely declined each one.

  “Well, there is one way to avoid it.” He looked at her with a serious expression. “Marry me.”

  She jerked in surprise, but he was holding her tight. “What?”

  “Marry me. We are exceedingly compatible, you are going to be here as a Guardian for the next decade, and even if you retire, you will still be Gifted and belong to Namkor, so why not belong with me.”

  She blinked and smiled. “So, when you say compatible, you mean...”

  “Love. I am in love with you, for you, you make me laugh and keep me on my toes. Every moment of every day, I watch to see if you will elicit my laughter or irritation; I am never sure what is coming. You are my best friend and my lover. Why would I not want to be with you for the rest of my days?”

  She kissed him, rocking him back against the runner. “You have used all the words I have had in mind for months, but I am still not up on Namkor social practices. I am pretty sure that sex at the public fountain at two in the morning is still illegal.”

  He rubbed his nose against hers. “Not if I keep one foot on dry land.”

  She chuckled and nodded. “So, if that was an offer, I say yes.”

  He leaned back. “The proposal or the fountain, because right now, I can manage both.”

  She laughed brightly and kissed him, still grinning.

  “So... yes?”

  “Yes.”

  It wasn’t what she had envisioned for her future, what she expected, but in every way, it got better every day.

  Author’s Note

  I do love the superheroes, and I have always been a fan of their origin stories. Quick means that there are only 2 books left in the Terran Times Second Wave. The end of one series will be the start of another.

  This summer—when the Terrans are on their well-deserved break—prepare to Brace for Humanity.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  About the Author

  Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

  An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.