After spying on the military officials, Rael slipped back into the orphanage's background.
News of children dying in the junkyard shook the city, yet no report mentioned the lost orphans.
The police questioned the orphans, but none betrayed Rael.
A funeral for the neighborhood children approached, yet their parents' prejudice barred Rael from attending.
He watched from a distance.
Every orphan attended the service for their fallen friends.
The days that followed passed quietly.
Everyone tried to return to normal, and Rael rarely used his powers.
Each day he spent an hour forging siblings for Farve, slowly raising a small army of autonoms to guard the orphanage.
The rest of his time he used to rest and refine his plans.
For that reason he had not yet met Alexandra von Karmesinthal.
He guessed she would demand his next move or enroll him in a regular school.
A week later, on a warm afternoon, Rael gathered his closest companions in his private virtual reality room.
