We meandered slowly back to the housing area in a daze of contrition and a slowly rising fervor of forced friendship. There might not be much we could do before midmorning the next day, but we could at least learn more about the others in our year—I could understand their logic, but a single speech wasn’t enough for me to completely throw aside my reservations.

I kept to the back of the group, keeping an eye on the others’ dynamics as I tried to work through my options. There wasn’t the slimmest chance that I was going to open myself up to the hazards and traps that came with real friendship, much less the vulnerability of letting anyone know everything about me. Nor was painting on a sickly sweet persona; I had already ruined that option even if I could have kept myself from choking on the words as soon as I started. But perhaps there could be a balance struck, so that I appeared to be giving more than I was. For starters, I could bite my tongue more and perhaps share some of info about whisper women I knew even if they should have already learned it themselves. Then I would be seen as useful without sharing anything about myself.

And there was something like the deal I had struck with Crest to consider: watch each other’s backs and be polite, but no deep questions or complicated feelings necessary. If it meant advancing toward my goal of becoming one of the goddess’s chosen, it might be worth implementing even though it did increase the opportunity for someone to sneak in and get dangerously close, like Fellen had. I would just have to be vigilant in maintaining the boundaries while acing every other aspect of training, so that I was too useful to get rid of.

It was also important to note that it was unlikely that all of us would make it through training—as long as I picked who to open up the thin line of connection to well, I could avoid having to open it up to the whole group. I could retain control that way—protect myself—while also disproving Jin’s assumptions about my capabilities.

Some of the others seemed to be in a similar mindset. The three girls who arrived together were in a tight clump near the front of the group, and the two who had all over each other in the eating area rebuffed any attempt to speak to the younger, sullen girl. Interestingly, they almost seemed liked guards; though, if they were, they had been severely lax in their duties the day before. Breck, the girl missing two fingers, was also keeping to herself on the other side of the group.

In contrast, Wren and Andhi were drawing the others to them like moths to a flame through sheer charismatic friendliness and approachability though some were pulled in more slowly than others. I had difficulty trusting how much trust they easily put in others and part of me wondered if it hurt to smile as much as they did. Even after the tongue lashing we received, Wren already seemed to bouncing back as she comforted Dera and Andhi was trying to downplay my earlier reaction to her as Ulo and Nii were caught up on the morning’s strategy meeting. Regardless, it didn’t escape my notice that I got more dark looks as the others who hadn’t been there also overheard the story.

Before that would have been oddly comforting as I decreased my chances of anyone wanting to get too close. Now it was another obstacle that I would have to overcome if I did, unwillingly, take on the absurdity our mentor had strongly advised.

I understood strength in numbers, but was taking it to such an extreme of knowing those around me intimately really necessary? Rawley had done just fine on her own as a lone huntress. More than fine.

We stopped on the path just short of the housing area, where Jin had given her introductory speech the day before. When Andhi pushed ahead and blocked our way to make her announcement it felt like the scene was unintentional parody of the first. It was still gloomy in the middle of the stand of trees, but some sunlight did filter through, and she had nothing of our new mentor’s commanding presence.

“We should at least introduce ourselves and our blessings! Maybe do a demonstration? That would be a step in the right direction for us to get to know each other.”

I had to fight not to roll my eyes, but while she might not have Jin’s presence, Andhi’s words did bring the icy sting of Jin’s rebuke squarely into focus. Were we really so weak that we couldn’t even introduce ourselves to each other? Did we want to maintain the lack of communication she had criticized us for?

Andhi gestured to the stage area. “We could do it there.”

One by one we filtered past her. I had no desire to reveal the truth of my blessing nor a good way to show not dying, but it couldn’t hurt to see what the others offered. I sat on the last step on the opposite side from Breck while the rest filled in the tiers below us. Andhi took her place at the center of the stage looking a little sheepish.

“Well, I guess since it was my idea I should go first.”

A chorus of agreement answered her as we all nodded or made noises of approval. Andhi nodded back, drew in a deep breath, and began. For a moment it seemed like all she was doing was concentrating, but then the sunlight reflected off the tips of her fingers before four inch long ice talons erupted from her finger tips on both hands. From what I could tell, the talons covered her fingers up to the first knuckle and she didn’t seem bothered by the cold they must have produced. Andhi looked up at us and grinned, moving her hands so we couldn’t miss the weapons they had become. Someone tossed an errant twig at her and she sliced it into several different pieces in midair.

Andhi willed the talons away and they melted, dampening her hands and sleeves, but she took it in stride. “I’m Andhi. Who’s next?”

Her gaze fell on Wren who was acting as her co-conspirator in this ordeal of brittle, forced friendship. Wren took her place as Andhi settled onto the tier closest to the stage. I watched as Wren introduced herself and Chirp before they proceeded to do a little routine that seemed very familiar to both of them and geared toward little kids. Still, even I couldn’t stop the idiotic pang of jealousy when Chirp bopped his beak against Wren’s nose despite the fact that I was currently in the middle of planning precautions to stop me from getting that close to her or anyone else.

I squashed that pang as quick as it came.

Chirp was a bird—I refused to fall so low that I could become jealous of an animal. Nor did I have time to waste getting mixed up with a girl.

Dera was pressured into sharing next by Wren. She fidgeted with her hair for a moment before switching to fumble with a pouch tied to her belt. Interestingly, she pulled several pieces of bone out of the pouch. Then she lifted the hand holding the bone shards, palm up, before hesitating to say her name.

“D-Dera.”

I leaned forward as the bone shards liquefied and shifted before settling into a finely made spearhead.

Dera quickly tucked it back into her bone pouch, looking embarrassed. “I’m not too good with details yet.”

Loclen called out, “Can you make other things?”

“As long as I have enough material. H-having more familiarity with the object helps too.” Dera glanced around before quickly resuming her seat before anyone else spoke up.

I eyed her. That would have to be a blessing I kept my eye on. If what she said was true, then its versatility alone could make her a good asset and help her stand out during training. No else immediately got up to fill the stage though there was some nervous shifting. Andhi twisted around before her eye caught on Prevna. “Why don’t you go?”

Prevna shrugged. “I don’t feel like poisoning anyone today.” I felt her gaze rest on me a moment longer than everyone else as she looked around the group. “It isn’t pleasant. I’m Prevna, by the way.”

Grumbles followed her announcement. Apparently, the idea of Picker’s daughter having a poisoning power was seen as both ironic and unwelcome. I was no stranger to the way her expression shuttered closed as she heard the dissatisfaction around her. It wasn’t quite enough for me to forgive her for outing me earlier, but it did make me want to shut them all up.

The two guard girls beat me to it. Prominent Nose stood and walked onto the stage with her friend as she smirked. The other girl looked put-upon but she followed Prominent Nose all the same. She raised a hand once they stood apart from each other on the stage. “Ento.” She gestured to Prominent Nose. “That’s Idra.”

Idra’s smirk widened. “And we’re going to show you something more impressive than any Picker is capable of.”

I kept my eyes peeled, ready for anything—

Hands flicked, something glowed, and then sparks flew in between them. Ento and Idra turned back to us. “See?”

Nii scoffed. “See what? All you did was make a few sparks.”

Idra dismissed her as they moved back to sit on either side of the sullen girl. “Not our fault if you’re too weak to see what we did.”

Short bone needles flew just as she sat down; pinning her to the bench by her pants and tunic. A few more millimeters to the side and they would have struck flesh.

Nii pulled back the hand that had thrown the last needle, still glaring. “Those are results you can see. Don’t brag if you don’t have anything to show for it.”

Idra pulled out a needle rolled her eyes. “You missed.”

Nii’s hand went to her belt where more needles waited to be thrown. “I can hit your eye if you want me to.”

Andhi broke in, not without a little desperation. “What’s your name?”

Nii spared her a look and let her hand fall away from her belt. “It’s Sanii but you can call me ‘Nii’.”

“Good.” Then again with a little more vigor, “Good!” Andhi cast around for someone else to share their blessing. “Who’s next?”

Nii sat down with a muttered insult that I could hear from even where I sat. “Pompous calf.”

Idra tensed, looking ready to start a fight, but the sullen girl placed a hand on her knee. “I’ll share.” She held a hand out to Idra. “Needles, please.”

Idra’s muttered curse didn’t reach my ears, but she did pull out the remaining needles and hand them over. The sullen girl returned them to a mildly surprised Nii before taking her place center stage.

“You may call me Juniper. I can summon fresh water.”

She cupped her hands together and, true to her word, after a moment water began to well up between them until only the water’s surface tension kept it from spilling over her fingers. Juniper took another moment to take in the range of expressions aimed at her—from not impressed to wide eyed—before nodding and letting the water splash down near her feet.

However, she didn’t return to her seat after that. Instead she took over the role of event director. “Why don’t you share next?”

Breck returned her stare, still bored and unbothered. “Can’t wrangle what isn’t here.”

“Name?”

“Breck.”

Juniper seemed satisfied with that as she moved on to me. “And you?”

My teeth ground together. I didn’t want to share but given the way things were going I would be the odd one out if I refused which wouldn’t help my standing with our mentor or the group. The others didn’t seem too worried about others knowing what they could do, but they had also probably grown up with their tribe knowing their blessing and none of their blessings were as divisive as mine was bound to be. If I shared the full truth than I would likely be regulated to the outskirts, regardless of my standing beforehand. So, I shared the partial truth I had given before.

“Gimley. I’m resilient.”

Her eyes narrowed at my vague response. “Can you show us?”

“No.”

She nodded and moved on, which was how the impromptu meeting came to a quick and orderly end. I learned that the girl who had first spotted Jin was named Ulo. She claimed to be able to breath underwater, but Juniper looked distasteful when she volunteered to prove it by sticking her face in the other girl’s summoned water. Juniper turned her offer down and no one was willing to make the hike to the bathing area to watch her prove her ability there, either. Loclen revealed that she had a shrouding ability that made her invisible in the gloom of the Seedling Palace. I could tell I wasn’t the only one who added her to a mental list of people to pay attention to. After the meeting ended, everyone either split into their housing groups to get to know each other better or retreated to spend time alone. Unable to open myself up to inspection so soon after the meeting, I was one of the few that left to be alone.