Visions and Frustrations

OLLIE "Going after nightwalkers, confronting threats directly, anything that involves actually fighting," I said. "You guys can use your abilities to gather information, come up with plans, identify weaknesses—all the smart stuff you're good at. But then the adult wolves do the physical part where people might get hurt." I saw my parents considering this, saw the wheels turning as they evaluated the proposal. It wasn't perfect—there was still risk involved in Riley and Lake using their abilities—but it was better than either extreme of "pretend you're normal kids" or "be child soldiers." "That could work," Mom said slowly. "As long as there are strict boundaries about what counts as helping versus what counts as direct danger." "And as long as you promise—actually promise—to tell us before you do anything that might be risky," Dad added, his gaze fixed on Riley and Lake. "No more surprises. No more building secret light prisons or capturing nightwalkers without backup. Complete transpa