Kitty patted the ground next to her. She didn't mind looking up to talk to people, since it happened all the time. But experience told her that if she could get Alec to sit, it would help him ground himself a little and calm down.

"Yeah, he is, for dozens of things," Kitty agreed evenly as she scooted a little to give him some more space. "But no amount of telling him is going to change that. We can try, but he's going to make those mistakes the same as everyone else. You can't protect him from life, Alec. It's just going to happen to him."