Back in the day, I started this story called The Gifted. It had begun as a Fearless fan fiction story (and by the way, I wouldn’t be able to imagine Blake Lively as Gaia Moore, just sayin), but then my interest waned. Once I formed an interest in the show Alias, I had reimagined the story including characters from that series. I wrote a few chapters before I realized that I wanted to make this into a novel with my original characters.

This scene is interesting because it introduces Irina Derevko as being alive–and with a connection to Kane, no doubt.

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She found him sitting on a rock and facing the setting sun as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world—or a train wreck he couldn’t tear his eyes from. His black hair was unbound this time, giving him a slight vulnerability amid his inherent strength and power. The long silken strands fluttered in the light breeze, and even as some hair got into his face, he didn’t move, didn’t blink. As Sydney inched closer to him, she wondered if perhaps he had fallen asleep with his eyes open. She had seen it happen before when Carmen forced her, Francie, and Will to watch Major Payne one night.

She was so startled when he spoke and she nearly lost control of her bladder.

When Kane, without moving, flicked dark eyes in her direction, she swallowed a gasp. He hadn’t been unusually cruel to her and her fellow Gifted Nine mates so far—Felice, Aurora, Angelia, and Bennett hadn’t been either, thankfully—but he didn’t look like he would take too kindly to her showing weakness either. Steeling her courage, she spoke.

“Kane-sensei,” she began, “I am sorry to bother you but I…I would like to know what really happened to my mother.”

A humming moment passed, and Sydney was sure that he was eyes-open unconscious when he pursed his lips.

“Sit down, Sydney,” he said softly.

Quietly Sydney went to sit beside him on another rock.

“I can only tell you so much,” Kane explained. “There are many things that I do not know about your mother.” He paused for a moment then and turned his head as if he were going to look at her sidelong but didn’t completely finish the movement and ended up looking in her general direction. “And there are things that I know…but cannot tell you.”

She was so close. She could sense it, like it were a building on the distant, hazy horizon. And Kane’s last statement only served to intensify the fury that she had kept buried inside of her for years, the grief that had made her feel awkward in the face of others who had a full parental unit. It was if he had something to do with her mother’s death, like he had delivered the killing blow.

She almost jumped to her feet quickly…but he placed a hand on her thigh, restraining her. It was then that he looked into her eyes. He was not shocked by the emotions swirling in her brown eyes, only resigned by them.

“I’ll say it again. Sit down, Sydney.” His voice was even with an edge sharper than Celie’s razor.

Swallowing her fury, Sydney slowly lowered herself beside him. Her fists were clenched at her side as she waited for him to speak again. She braced herself for some earth-shattering revelation.

“I met your mother over a decade ago,” Kane started.