Jude felt a cold sensation travel through him.
"Why?"
"Because you were not brought here."
"Then how did I get here?"
The man leaned forward.
"You were built here."
The words seemed to drain the air from the room.
Layla stepped closer to Jude.
"That's impossible."
The man looked at her.
"Is it?"
"Jude is a person."
"Yes."
"He has memories."
"Yes."
"He has feelings."
"Yes."
"Then what are you saying?"
The man looked at Jude.
"I'm saying that something can be made and still become real."
The woman with the wooden box closed her eyes.
"Don't do this."
The man ignored her.
"Your body was not made from wood or stone. Your memories were not written on paper. But the first house gathered the things that made the first Keeper who he was, and it made another life from them."
Jude stared at him.
"Another life?"
"You."
A silence followed.
The four children moved closer together.
The first Sol looked down at his wooden bird.
The second touched his pendant.
