That was the very nature of existence. Life was all about giving and taking — dying and being reborn again. Flowers and even trees could not grow if the soil surrounding their roots wasn't fertile, made so by the decaying organic matter of other creatures and plants. But of course Reid was oblivious to this perspective. To Kit, he'd always seemed like a half-picture kind of guy.

"I would read them all," Kit answered with some humor. Though the pressure at his temples hadn't receded, the other boy's presence was a viable distraction for the moment, and so was this talk about practicing against idiots. Only a few months at the most had passed since they'd last seen each other at the detention center where they'd spent a year together, where many days they'd passed the time with martial arts and other physical activity. But Kit hadn't found himself in too many conflicts since then.

After that vision, however, and the subsequent feeling like his life was hanging on the line, he felt that itch return. A desire to fight that had a life all its own and even found its way into his voice when he responded next by tapping the arm Reid had draped over his shoulder.

"Is that what this is? Some half-baked attempt at challenging me?"