David leaned his back against the door, breathing hard for a moment. Lyhra wriggled in his arms, settling himself more securely against David. Thunder cracked overhead again, and he jerked away from the door in response. Lyhra started too, and buried his face in David's shoulder again.

He hadn't been this frightened of a thunderstorm in years. Actually, he was pretty sure he'd never been this frightened of a thunderstorm. Except when he'd been a nothlit. He'd been afraid of everything as a nothlit.

A shiver passed through him and he focused his attentions on the house before his mind could go too far back. This wasn't a twin or a condo like the one he shared with Oba; this was a regular house like the ones he was used to living in. He was looking into a living room of sorts with a staircase that led up to the second floor along the left hand wall. There was a doorway almost in front of him that led further into the first floor. All in all, it looked a bit sparse in David's human opinion, but well lived in. The sheer size of the place was surprising. It was definitely bigger than it looked.

"Hey."

David turned his head and saw Kyr was standing in the doorway. Beside her was a girl who looked like she was about ten, halfway hidden by the older girl's hip. Her hair was a mass of red curls that was barely pulled back from her face. Of her tanned face, David could only see one, really wide, blue eye.

Wow, he thought. I guess Aelar come in all kinds. Like humans.

Kyr half turned to the girl using her as a barrier and said, "Morrin, this is David. David, this is Morrin. She's called Martha at school."

"Hey," David replied, suddenly shy himself.

"Rivnia's in the kitchen. Morrin, why don't you take Lyhra to the playroom?" Kyr asked. Without lifting it, Lyhra shook his head in David's shoulder. Before he could think about what he was doing, David tightened his arms around him.

"Sweetie, you're projecting on David," Kyr said to the six year old. "I know the storm makes you scared, but you're making David scared too."

Was that why the thunder was making him so nervous? Because Lyhra was nervous?

"It's ok," David said quietly. "I'll hang onto him. It's not that bad."

Kyr frowned, obviously worried, but she only said, "Come on. Rivnia's got ice cream."

David followed her through a dining room and into a kitchen. There was an elderly woman sitting at the island, stirring her ice cream in a coffee mug. She was thin, that senior citizen looking thin, with long salt and pepper hair that hung over one shoulder in a thick braid. There was a serene, aged look about her that made her seem harmless.

The feeling he got as he stood in the doorframe warned David that she was anything but. It was like a sudden weight had descended upon him and he knew without being told that Rivnia was checking him out. She was definitely a tsi, a very powerful one too, and as her mind invaded his, he felt absolutely paralyzed.

"Do you like chocolate or vanilla?" Rivnia asked, her voice lower and smoother than David was expecting. She also spoke in Aelar and David realized that they had all been talking in Aelar since he'd arrived, even himself.

"I'm sorry?" he asked. His brain had shut down.

Lyhra wriggled and David felt his arms let go. The boy slid down to the ground and reached for a doorknob that David hadn't seen to his right. He opened the door, revealing a staircase leading down into the basement. Morrin stepped around Kyr and took Lyhra's hand, pulling him down the stairs.

David's legs twitched as Lyhra pulled the door shut behind him. Where the hell were they going? The fear of the storm was gone, replaced by- what? Why did he feel like he didn't want Lyhra out of his sight?

Something made him look back at Rivnia. It wasn't a sound really, but something called his attention. The elder Aelar was looking directly at him, her eyes narrowed. As their gazes met, her chin lifted slightly. The pressure in his mind heightened.

Then it was gone. A split second later. David blinked and scratched his head, momentarily confused.

"Are you okay?"

David looked over at Kyr. The look on her face was completely baffled and almost scared. He could tell that she was completely in the dark about what had just happened. Whatever had just happened.

"Yea. Yea, I'm okay," David said. His lazy mind watched his hand reach out and touch her elbow. The touch seemed to relax her, but it also sent a chill up his spine. It was unlike him. All of this was unlike him. What the hell was going on?

"It's the influence of the onsha," Rivnia said quietly. Both of them looked at her. "Have a seat David."

David obeyed. Now that the pressure was gone, she was far less intimidating. And yet, she was still there in the back of his mind, just like Oba.

"I'm guessing vanilla," Rivnia said. Now there was a twinkle in her eye. "We also have hot fudge somewhere-"

"I'll get it, onii," said Kyr softly.

"And the sprinkles, dear," Rivnia added. "Has Kyr told you what type of Aelar she is yet?"

David frowned. "I assumed she was a psen. She likes to practice thought-speech with me."

"Kyr is a bit more special than that," Rivnia said with a smile. "As are everyone in this house. There are two more of us, but neither of them are here right now."

"An onsha?" David asked.

Rivnia's smile grew wider and she shook her head. "Not quite. Kyr and I what the Aelar call illilthyar." Kyr put a jar of hot fudge and a smaller jar of multicolored sprinkles on the counter, and slid into a seat between them. Rivnia took one her hands in both of her own.

"Illilthyar are born without the ability to properly develop our gifts," Rivnia explained softly. "The glands and the part of our brain responsible for our development and control are dysfunctional to the point where we require outside assistance to correct the problem."

"But you- you, Kyr, and Lyhra- you all have gifts," David said slowly.

"With proper guidance and treatment, we can develop our gifts, yes," Rivnia answered. "But it's complicated."

"So what's an onsha?" David asked, not sure he was properly understanding.

"It means 'one formed from many'," answered Kyr. "It's sort of like a pack or a hive of illilthyar."

"It is evolution's way of helping us cope with developmental issues," Rivnia said, taking over again. "When illilthyar develop their gifts, it can be an emotionally traumatizing process, as well as a physically painful one. The onsha greatly reduces the stress illilthyar go through when they enter their niih."

"Niih is what we call the process of developing our gifts. Onshas are like a support group, except you don't leave them and go back to your family afterward," Kyr clarified.

"Illilthyar in an onsha form deeper connections that normal Aelar," Rivnia went on. "It makes us gravitate towards each other. That is what you felt when you came in; the influence of the deep bonds of our onsha."

They both paused, as if allowing it to sink in. No wonder Kyr liked to practice her abilities with him, even though it should be natural to her by now. And it did seem to explain the feeling he'd gotten once he'd entered the house.

"And you're the… onsha leader?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Rivnia smiled. "The onii, yes. The strongest mind is always onii. It is a bit primitive, the onsha, especially in times of crisis. Illilthyar look to their onii for leadership, to solve conflicts and to protect. I have seen documentaries of animals on your planet that travel in groups like onsha, and in our most stressed, we are not much different from them. Wolves especially; during the attack on our planet, our onsha's behavior was very similar to a wolf pack's behavior. My onii led us to safety, and I remember us all sleeping in one lump until the danger had passed." Rivnia's eyes were suddenly far away, and a feeling of intense sadness passed over David.

"The onsha is one of the reasons I wanted to meet you, David. Both Kyr and Lyhra are forming bonds with you, as is natural for illilthyar. Especially Lyhra, his gifts are coming more smoothly and naturally to him than they did to Kyr, and at a younger age. He does not often realize what he is doing, and I wanted to make sure you understood what was happening."

"That's possible even though I'm human?" David asked.

"It seems so," said Rivnia. "There are times when you are with both Kyr and Lyhra that I can feel you as if you were one of mine. And you, David, are not exactly normal, are you?"

Well that was certainly true. David tried not to make a face.

"You never actually answered my question though. Do you prefer vanilla or chocolate?"

David blinked. "Erm, neither. I mean," he shook his head, "I'm just not really in the mood for ice cream. Thanks though."

"Why don't you two go down and play with Morrin and Lyhra? There's a TV and a DVD player if you would like to watch a movie," said Rivnia. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until another day to meet Yursin and Enner."

"Do you need help with anything, onii?" Kyr asked, pushing gently away from the counter.

"No dear, go on."

David got up from his chair and followed Kyr to the basement door and down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, he found himself in a finished basement, complete with a carpet, new walls, and a little play area. Morrin and Lyhra were playing with legos in the corner.

Kyr immediately went to a couch that was set up in front of a TV and a bookcase on the opposite wall and flopped down. David watched Lyhra and Morrin play for a moment, then went over and lowered himself on one of the couch's arms.

"So is Rivnia your grandmother or something?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, not of us in the onsha are related. Illilthyar can't have children. The genetic marker for being an illilthyar can run in families, but there are no Aelar directly descended from illilthyar ancestors. You can ask Oba about it if you want to know more," Kyr said.

"Oba? Is he an illilthyar?"

"No, but my mom told me that he had a lot of illilthyar relatives. I think his sister was an illilthyar too. He's a triplet you know."

"Really?"

"Yea. He's the oldest out of two boys and a girl. Multiple births like twins and triplets are really rare, and it increases the chance of one or all of the babies being an illilthyar. Ali and Soni's mom is really lucky because neither of them are. I guess it all got transferred to Lyhra."

David looked over at Lyhra, who had stopped playing and was looking at the ceiling. It took David a moment to realize why; the storm was still raging overhead. He'd somehow tuned out the thunder and the rain, but Lyhra obviously hadn't.

"Come on, let's watch Toy Story or something happy," Kyr said. As David slid down onto the couch, Lyhra got up from his legos. He ran to David and climbed up into his lap. Kyr put the DVD in and grabbed the remote, settling herself back down on the couch. Morrin curled herself up against the older girl's hip.

Then they watched movies until the storm was over.