The Half-Giant's Guide to Seeing the Future

The Day I Met The Twins

Alana's strike team assembled quickly. They were all halfants who'd come to Snowdon from Redwood. I recognized their names from the doors at the compound. Cullen and Gayle's parents, Houston and Clara, talked in hushed tones. Felix Lopez twirled his gun and paced back and forth. His wife, Brynne, leaned against the outer wall of the compound. Arlie and Dalia had left with Carisma, going through the portal to Wales to take her to the hospital.

An older halfant who looked closer to Bryan's age was messing with his wrist unit. Moreno told me his name was Yergen Horton, and he'd served at Redwood since he was a teenager. Bryan had assigned Ezra to go with us too and Ashton munched on a protein bar so she could fly back to Pacifica with us.

"Who else are we waiting for?" I asked.

"The twins," Moreno said.

"Twins?" I asked.

"Khan and Spart Metters," Moreno said. "They're the only set of half-giant twins born since your great-aunts Doc and Alastra. They're pretty cool. Khan is a genealogist and linguistic specialist studying under Yergen, while Spart has been studying medicine under Dalia. Usually we don't assign twins to the same compound, but it was necessary because of their specializations."

Two young men in their twenties walked out of the compound, followed by Alana. For a moment, I thought I was seeing double. The men both had golden brown skin and buzzed hair. They wore identical gear, and they even walked the same. The only difference was one wore round sunglasses, and the other had a gold piercing in his ear.

"They're different," Moreno said. "But when one learns a skill, the other knows it. Spart is the one with the sunglasses and Khan always wears that earing and he's dating Arlie."

I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep them straight. I would do my best, though. Being a twin certainly couldn't be easy, especially when giant twins were so powerful. It would be nice not to have to learn every skill in life.

"Moreno," they said together. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Moreno said. "You guys are doing it again."

The twins looked at each other and laughed. Alana shot a glare at them, but that didn't stop their joy. Khan stopped laughing first and looked me up and down.

"This must be Miss Oakeley," he said. "She really does have the magic eyes."

"Must be strange to see the future," Spart said. "But honestly, we're used to the strange side of giant magic."

Khan winked and drew his shades down his nose. Spart rolled his eyes at his brother and set his metal wings loose from the pack on his back. Alana walked straight past them with her nose scrunched up. She looked like she meant business.

"We're flying to Pacifica," she said. "It's a long flight and we aren't stopping. If you get tried please tell me and we can use harnesses. We all need to get there in one piece."

"We've all made the flight before," Yergen said.

"That's not true," Alana said. "This is Terri's first flight to Pacifica. Not to mention she fell out of the sky on her last flight."

"I'll take her," Moreno said.

Alana crossed her arms. "Absolutely not. You already made the flight to Snowdon today. If we weren't desperate, the five of us would be sleeping before we flew again."

She was right. Between Ezra, Ashton, Moreno, her, and myself, we were far from well rested. A long flight would tank us all. Still, there wasn't a choice. We needed to get to Pacifica. We couldn't let my mother's army overwhelm it.

"I'll take her," Yergen said. "And if the four of you need a break, I'm sure we can sort something out."

Alana nodded as if it was settled. I wasn't crazy about being strapped to a complete stranger for a long flight, but I knew Moreno couldn't carry me the entire way. He'd barely gotten the minimum sleep the past few days he needed for clearance.