Teagen left for a dungeon clearing somewhere on the East Coast only hours after Brandon’s ridiculous outburst, so it was several days before I could talk to her. When she got back though, I was a little shocked to see that when she said she “wouldn’t bother” the kid, she actually meant that she was going to treat him as if he were invisible. 

I’d noticed in the past that Teagen had no problem cutting people out of her life if she deemed them unnecessary. I assumed it had something to do with growing up in foster care and losing her parents when she was young… but I’d never seen her completely ignore someone like this. The kid seemed to think that if he apologized I would forgive him, but he couldn’t get a word in edge-wise before Teagen left him in the dust. 

The brat deserves it, of course, but… my thoughts trailed off as I silently watched Teagen leave the training room and even go so far as to erect a mana wall in the doorway to keep the kid from following after her. I couldn’t keep a snort of amusement from escaping me when the kid smacked his nose against the wall and let out a curse before stomping back into the training room. The pale gold mana immediately dissolved once he’d left and I felt a frown tug my lips down. 

Maybe I should arrange for a sparring match between them. I mulled over the idea with a wicked grin as I imagined Teagen fighting against the hothead with her full strength and absolutely demolishing his misplaced sense of pride. My smile slowly faded though since it seemed like Teagen wanted nothing to do with the ungrateful brat and forcing her to face him might make her more annoyed than anything. 

Deciding that it was probably better to ask her before making my own plans, I quickly finished up my training for the day and went to find my stray kitty. 

Teagen wasn’t in her room nor was she answering my calls. Even so, it didn’t take me long to find her on the roof of the apartment building. She was sitting on the edge of the building with her legs dangling in the air, her arms crossed over the lower bar of the safety handrail, and her chin resting on her arms as she stared at the night view of the city silently. 

Lightening the gravity around me a bit so that my joints wouldn’t complain, I sat down next to my lonely kitty. Teagen glanced over at me and gave me a quiet smile before slowly turning her gaze back to the city lights. I’d never seen her look despondent before and as the silence stretched on I reached over and smacked her back hard enough to make her cough lightly. 

“What’s eatin’ at you, kiddo?” I asked gruffly, wondering whether I really should disappear that jerk who’d taken advantage of my sweet niece and then got angry at her for being more talented than him. 

“Nothing much,” Teagen responded after a slight pause, shrugging her shoulders and giving me an awkward smile. “I’m just tired from traveling so much.” 

“Don’t give me excuses, kiddo,” I scolded her with a scowl. “At this point, you’ve got more mana than blood in your body. I’ve seen you run for hours at a time without getting winded, so try again. What’s really wrong?” 

Teagen let out a long, low sigh that eventually turned into a sad chuckle. She looked over at me and I was genuinely shocked at the depth of emotion that was hiding behind her eyes. 

Since I first met Teagen as a malnourished little eleven-year-old I’d watched her grow through the eyes of a proud parent. As she grew though I was often struck with how her physical appearance seemed to fluctuate day to day. There was her hair that was a deep auburn when indoors but could be fiery red in the sun or nearly black in dim lighting. Her hazel eyes also seemed to change color with not just the lightning but also what color she was wearing that day going from bright green to a dark brown (one time I could’ve sworn her eyes looked yellow). And then there was her uncanny maturity that made people often forget that the kid wasn’t even sixteen yet. She was an enigma wrapped in the body of a child and now it seemed like she was also hiding layers of heavy emotions behind her changeable features. 

“I’m sorry, Aunty Gail,” she breathed out as she turned away to look out over the city again. “I just… I can’t find them.” 

I blinked, waiting for her to elaborate, but apparently, the kid thought I was a mind reader since she remained silent. 

“Find who?” I prompted her with both my words and a gentle poke to her side. She flinched and gave me a half-smile at my attempt to tickle her but her lips quickly turned back down into a frown. 

“My best friend,” she replied with what sounded like longing in her voice. 

I blinked, not having heard about a best friend that she was missing. Feeling like I was on an unsteady surface I tried to convey my concern for her without letting on just how confused I was. 

“You have a best friend?” I asked, although in hindsight that was probably an insensitive question. Teagen shook her head though, sending her dark hair swishing across her shoulders and making me even more confused. 

“No, I don’t. That’s the problem. I’m supposed to have a best friend, Aunty. But no matter how far I travel or how many people I meet, I can’t find them.” 

Once again I found myself blinking mutely as I realized that she hadn’t been talking about an old friend she’d lost, but a friend that she wanted to have. I rubbed my neck awkwardly, wondering if I was qualified to give her advice about making friends. I’d had friends growing up of course and on occasion, I met up with a biker group that I relaxed with on days off. Yet as an adult, I was completely satisfied with keeping my own company and I didn’t really care about having deep connections to anyone but my family. And even they annoyed me more often than not. 

Since I couldn’t think of anything wise to say I let out a disgusted snort and folded my arms grumpily. “Well, what am I, then? Chopped liver?” 

I wasn’t actually so petty to complain that my pseudo-niece didn’t think of me as a friend, but I was relieved when Teagen blinked and a radiant smile crossed her sad face. She laughed and reached over to thread her hands through my folded arms and rested her head on my shoulder cutely. 

“Aw, you know I love you, Aunty Gail,” she wheedled while blinking her big eyes up at me pleadingly. I couldn’t hold back a chuckle and unfolded my arms so I could give her little nose a tweak. She laughed along with me and when she scooted over to settle more comfortably against my side I reached down and patted her knee tenderly. 

“I’m sorry you haven’t had any luck finding a friend, Teagen,” I acknowledged softly, allowing myself to be serious for a moment and actually use her name instead of a nickname. 

She glanced up at me and I could see a mixture of both surprise and resignation in her eyes. I continued to pat her knee and jerked my chin out towards the city. 

“You know, I don’t know how many millions or billions of people there are out in the world, but I’m sure there’s someone out there wishing they had a friend just as much as you are.” Teagen’s eyes didn’t leave my face as I stared out at the cityscape and tried to find the words to comfort my young niece. “I can’t tell you when you’ll find the person that you click with. But you’re too special of a girl to be lonely for long.” 

Teagen slowly blinked her big eyes and I thought I saw a teasing smirk beginning to grow in the corner of her lips. But it soon vanished and she too looked out over the city, keeping her cheek resting on my shoulder. 

“Until you find that best friend you want though, you’ve got lots of people who care about you. There’s me, my team, Yesenia, that grump of a doctor, even Mr. High Cheekbones has got a soft spot for you.” 

Teagen chuckled at my nickname for the training facility director and I was relieved to see some of the sadness beginning to fade from her young face. I reached out and gently stroked her head. 

We stayed up there for a long time enjoying the warm night air and watching the lights of the city glimmer brightly. I wasn’t sure if anything I said actually helped Teagen feel better, but I was once again reminded of how much I loved this kid. I hoped that she would find the friend she was wishing for soon.