The small town center is bustling with bodies when we get down there, not all of them are newcomers. There are a lot of people volunteering to help move groups and families into houses, everyone coming together to welcome more Gifted into the Sanctuary and into the relative safety we have found here. My heart clenches in my chest as I watch families being reunited, people calling out to siblings or aunties and uncles, even some Bonded Groups coming back together now that the vetting process has been completed and we’re able to move more people in.
Gabe walks with my hand in his, smiling and chatting to people happily, like the little social butterfly he's always been. Atlas scoffs at him from my other side. His arm is tight around my shoulder as we work our way through to the center where the rest of our Bonded Group is waiting for us, minus Nox, who is still on his research binge.
I make a mental note to grab him some lunch and take it up to him later.
Gabe only releases my hand when we reach the others, and he moves forward to hug a man that I assume is his uncle.
The man has a kind-sounding voice and seems to be genuinely happy to have his arms full of his nephew. “Have you gotten taller, Gabriel? I didn't think that was possible! You were already a beast of a boy when I last saw you.”
When Gabe pulls back, he slaps at his uncle’s shoulder with a grin. “No, Jeremy, just wider, thanks to a city needing to be built. I'm definitely glad to have some more experienced hands on deck.”
Jeremy nods and jerks his head at the two teenage boys behind him. “We're here, and we're ready. We're glad to be out of harm's way. Things were getting pretty bad out there.”
Gabe frowns a little and nods, slapping his shoulder again. “Sorry it took so long. I’m glad you're all here safe now. I can see that you've already met North and Gryphon. Let me introduce you to Oli, my Bonded, and Atlas, the last of our Bonded Group. Nox is busy with his books.”
I step forward and reach out my hand to shake Jeremy’s, his grasp firm but friendly, dropping away the moment that I release his hand, and he smiles warmly at me.
This is probably the closest I’ll come to meeting Gabe’s parents, so I do my best to sound friendly and not at all like a monstrous Soul Render here to destroy the Gifted Community for shits and giggles. “It's good to finally meet you. I'm glad to hear that Gabriel finally has someone keeping him in line.”
Gryphon scoffs a little, smiling warmly enough at Jeremy that it tells me a lot about the man's character. Gryphon is the harshest judge, especially when it involves someone in the Bonded Group. “I’m not sure Oli keeps him out of trouble, it’s more that she finds herself in it enough to keep the rest of us distracted and busy.”
My jaw drops playfully, and I shoot Jeremy a mock scandalized look. “I would never throw myself into trouble. It's not my fault it's attracted to me.”
Atlas smirks and presses a kiss into my temple. “Who wouldn't be?”
I bump him gently with my hip, happy to be standing around flirting with them all as though we’re just a normal Bonded Group. Jeremy looks warmly at us all, not concerned with the rumors of who, and what, we are.
He gestures at the teenage boys standing slightly awkwardly behind him. “These are my sons, Arlo and Ezra. Their moms are already at the house we've been assigned. They wanted to get my little girl settled before the crowd got too overwhelming for her; she gets overstimulated pretty easily.”
Gabe nods and helps direct Jeremy through the crowd, the rest of us trailing behind him. I let my hand slip into North's as the councilman smile stays fixed on his mouth.
He greets everybody politely as we walk through the Gifted, those who had been here for months all greet him back just as warmly, but the newcomers seem a little nervous around him. It creeps down my spine like an irritating itch, but I have to remind myself that the rumors about the Dravens are extensive, and most of these people will have nothing but those stories to go on. It's natural for them to be a little hesitant about a man who has been portrayed by everybody in his community to be nothing more than a mindless monster with shadow nightmares that are poised and ready to rip them apart at a moment's notice.
None of them know the North Draven who has spent his entire life breaking his own back to support his community, who has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into this city, if not billions, for no reason other than his own integrity and morals. None of them know all of the things he sacrificed for them, because he’s not just a good person, he’s the best of the best.
“If you keep giving me those eyes in public, we're going to disgrace ourselves, Bonded.”
North’s words don't stop me from staring at him in adoration. If anything, they make it worse. He’s still smiling and greeting everyone around us, but there’s a warmth in him, a relaxed sort of ease that says how happy he is within himself.
It bleeds out and soaks into me as well until I feel almost giddy around him.
We break away from the town center and the concentration of bodies as we walk towards the unfinished section of the town, the next development that North and Gabe have been working on. Gabe starts pointing out to Jeremy and his cousins all of the work that he has been doing, the areas that need more supplies, and the various stages of incompletion. There's at least twenty houses that are at the lock-up stage at a standstill while they wait for the right skilled workers to be able to go in there and complete things such as plumbing and electricity. There's forty more houses that are waiting for the glaziers to finish putting in the windows and fourteen more that are still having walls and roofs put up.
“Is this enough to house the Bonded Groups that are here?” Jeremy asks as he looks around, and North nods.
“If we are able to put two Bonded Groups in each house, then yes. Long term, we would like everybody to have their own residence if they want to.”
Jeremy nods and looks further out. “How much land do you have here?”
North follows his gaze and his fingers flex in mine a little. “The entire valley and a significant portion around it. We’re hoping to be able to move another wave of Gifted in in the next month or so as well, so as much as you can get done as quickly and as safely as possible is what we're aiming for here, because Gabe is going to be pulled away for other work soon.”
Jeremy glances at his nephew and then back to North. “Other work that's more important than this?”
He's not questioning him exactly, more like he’s trying to get a read of the situation, and Gabe leaves it to North to decide how much we are willing to say.
But my Bonded always has an answer for everything.
“I’m sure you've already heard about the differences our Bonded Group has to others. It’s safer if we're all together, and we can't just run and hide from the Resistance forever. The best way to keep people safe is to stop them from being hunted in the first place, so we would appreciate all of your help in getting these houses finished for the people taking refuge here, but we are also going to be on the offensive.”
Jeremy nods, squaring himself up and rolling his shoulders back as though he's preparing himself for a fight, but he's busy looking at the buildings. The war he is preparing to wage is the one that he is most skilled in.