I’ve been careful to avoid Petrus all day. His display this morning could put all four of us at risk. Leo, Isabella, and I all agreed to steer clear of him. Petrus planned to tell his supervisor, Nicolaus, that he had fallen ill, and no so-called normal person would follow up beyond that. If any of us were seen tending to him or appearing overly concerned, we’d be putting a target on our back.
Standing at the edge of the lake, I take a deep breath, letting the air fill my lungs as I looked up at the bright blue sky. I’ve always thought it amazing that our sky looks exactly the same as the pictures of how the sky looked on Earth— when Earth was still alive, that is. Of course I know the science, that the sky gets its color from the particles in the atmosphere and the refle...

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