<span style="font-family:Calligraffitti"><span style="font-size: 26px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffffff">Chapter Sixteen - Shared Talents</span></span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffffff"><i>The Next Morning</i></span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ffcc">Alexi had forced himself awake an hour before his first lessons were to begin, dragging himself weakly into the shower. The cool water served to wake him up, and also gave him time to think on what had happened the night before. The extent to which their connection had opened was gone, resuming its previous faint presence in his mind. But why. Why had it become so much clearer, and why had it returned to it’s natural state? Previously their connection had remained stable, unchanging. This… this was an advancement in their research. A strong one, and one that had hope for many of their theories. <br/>
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Skipping breakfast, having not enough time to eat, he met their instructor in the study, orange in hand. Deciding to be nice, he covered for his sister, informing the man that Ayla had been taken by Lucian for some specialized training, and might be gone most of the day, before settling into the rhythm of his usual routine, knowing they’d have to wake up eventually. He pitied the maid who dealt with their bedroom, however.</span>