Free Cracks in Reality (Seams in Reality Book 2) by Alex Siegel Page B

if the BPI had asked sorcerers to care for the orphans, but that was impractical. Sorcerers liked to be near seams, and the foster home was very far from any seam. It was a matter of safety. A kid with talent but no training could get himself into a lot of trouble if he had access to a source of power.
    Blake went into the house. Toys littered the carpeted floor, and he had to step carefully. A television was showing an annoying cartoon at excessive volume.
    A man in a black T-shirt entered the room. His beefy arms and straight posture indicated he was also likely to be a BPI agent.
    "Hello?" he said. "Who are you?"
    Blake walked over and controlled the man's mind just like the woman.
    "Stay still," Blake said.
    He wandered deeper into the house. The loud noise made it very easy to find the children. Two boys and two girls were having a violent pillow fight in a bedroom. Blake guessed they were between six and ten years old. A much younger toddler stood at the doorway and was watching the fight.
    All of them exuded black energy. One day, they would be sorcerers, but right now, they were just kids with very active imaginations.
    Blake spotted a familiar face.
    "Phillip!" Blake said. "Just the boy I was hoping to see."
    The pillow fight stopped, and the kids turned to him.
    Phillip had straight brown hair and brown eyes. Freckles dotted his very pale skin. Some of his baby teeth had fallen out, and adult teeth were pushing in unevenly. He would need braces. He was wearing a child's sweat suit with a big red "N" logo on the chest. Blake could tell from his energy that Phillip had the most talent of any of the kids.
    My new apprentice, Blake thought. He pointed at Phillip. "We're going on a trip."
    "We are?" Phillip said. "Who are you?"
    Blake pursed his lips. Now was not the time for formal introductions. He used some light mind-control to make sure Phillip didn't cause trouble. Blake returned to the front room where the two adults were still standing in place.
    "I'm taking Phillip out of here," Blake said. "Pack his things. Get him ready to go."
    With the help of the BPI agents and a little more mind-control, Blake quietly removed Phillip from the house. The kid was bundled up in heavy winter gear as they walked out the door. Blake carried his small suitcase.
    Before Blake left, he told the agents, "You never saw me. If anybody asks, Phillip is still living here. Your reports to headquarters will contain nothing alarming."
    The man and the woman nodded dumbly.
    "Oh, one other thing," Blake said. "Does the BPI make you take blood tests?"
    "Twice a week," the man said.
    "How does that work exactly?"
    "We draw samples, pack them in ice, and ship them overnight to headquarters for analysis."
    "From now on," Blake said, "draw another person's blood. Yours will test positive for sorcery, and I can't have that. Pay a homeless person to let you take his blood, but label it with your names. The BPI must not know I was here. Create the impression everything is normal."
    Blake took Phillip to the car, a black BMW luxury sedan. Blake placed the suitcase into the spacious trunk alongside his own. The old man and the boy climbed into the warm interior.
    "Go to Lincoln," Blake said.
    The driver nodded, started the car, and drove off.
    Phillip sat quietly with a contented smile, but only because Blake was suppressing the boy's natural anxiety about riding with a stranger. Controlling a sorcerer, even a very young one, was a different experience than controlling a normal person. An untalented mind had no defenses. Blake could barge in and have his way with minimal effort. Phillip was instinctively pushing back, forcing Blake into a psychic wrestling match.
    "I should introduce myself. I'm Blake. We're both sorcerers, and you'll be my apprentice."
    "What's an apprentice?" Phillip said in an innocent voice.
    "It means I'll be your teacher. You'll learn everything you need to know from me, and you'll also help me achieve my goals. Sometimes two