I close the curtain instead of leaving it open, finding more solace in turning back to Ash than in soaking in my home state. Just a month ago a trip to Hartford would have been exciting; it would have meant shopping with Em or going to the antiques stores hunting for old knives with my dad. Have I really changed that much? While preparing to leave the Academy I wondered the same thing, only the answer seemed to be that I was stronger, smarter, and more discerning. Now I just feel like I don’t know who I am.

“I’ll order us some breakfast,” Ash says as he examines my expression. When I don’t answer right away, he adds, “Don’t give it too much thought; it takes everyone a little time to adjust after being at the Academy.”

I nod, grateful that he understands. “It’s like I weirdly got used to living a medieval life. Instead of feeling like I came home, I feel like I time-traveled.”

“I used to feel similarly when I was young and our parents took Layla and me to Europe to introduce us to Strategia contacts or to shadow them on a simple mission,” he says. “The busy streets in Paris, for instance, were in such stark contrast to our estate that it felt a bit like whiplash.”

I pause; while he’s relating to my current experience, he’s also describing a childhood that couldn’t be more different than my own. “Your estate?”

Now he pauses, potentially coming to the same conclusion I just did. “Similar to the Academy in structure, but smaller,” he explains. “Every Family has one. They’re hidden in plain sight, not tucked away in the forest like our school is, but a non-Strategia would never recognize them for what they are.”

I stare at him like he just told me the sky is green instead of blue. “Hang on a second. You grew up in a castle?”

“More of a manor house, but yes,” he says.

“Please tell me you had electricity,” I say with feeling, my face poised for shock.

Ash looks amused by my reaction, and the way his face lights up makes my knees weak. I’ve dated a fair number of guys, but none of them gave me that stomach-flipping, word-fumbling, drunken feeling that Ash does.

“Yes, we had electricity,” he says, his eyes bright, “but we also know how to exist without it. Our parents claimed that Strategia have been effective for thousands of years without modern gadgets, and that reliance on technology would weaken our abilities.”

“I thought Layla said that every Family has Strategia technology experts,” I say, getting a glimpse into how much I don’t know about the larger Strategia world.

“We do,” Ash says, “but they are only used sparingly. The point is that if we didn’t have them we would still be able to complete our missions.”