[Kit offered no resistance as the front of his shirt was seized. He found himself bending slightly at the waist and toward Vincent, whose meted violent gesture was simply not returned. Instead, Kit offered only his rapt attention, but when only one word was uttered between them, he was left to draw his own conclusions.

He was only sixteen, but he was much too old to be cowed by scare tactics, especially those that sounded a good deal like the beginning of an ultimatum.

Live or...

He didn't wait to find out what came next, instead posing his own question.]

Have you heard of Cicuta maculata?

[He stared down at the smaller boy, the same infuriatingly calm expression on his face despite the itch to throw down growing inside.]

Also called water hemlock, it's said to be one of the most toxic plants native to North America and is often confused for edible parsnips and celery. A lethal mistake, to be sure, as its toxins provoke painful convulsions and aches, nausea, and death. For those unfortunate enough to survive ingesting it, the prognosis is grim: a body wracked with lifelong tremors and a mind wiped clean from memory loss.

[Suddenly his free hand shot outward and, with surprising strength, he planted his bare palm against Vincent's chest and shoved him back towards the railing.]

Do you see how dangerous it can be to make erroneous assumptions?