by Natalie Erin
“Vera died when she and Wyntier got separated. She was so weak, she couldn’t take it,” Cicada snapped. “And Vivienna probably isn’t even your sister. You look completely different, and she acts nothing like you. The drug thing is just stupid. Humans are extinct, and have been for years.”
“You just don’t get it, do you?” Professor Rose was obviously not impartial to the argument. She swept out from behind her desk, towering over Cicada. “Wyntier is not a good person! In any way! He’s cruel and spiteful! He’s manipulating all of us!”
“Professor...” Cicada gasped.
“His ideas have nothing to do with what’s good for Nesting’s Haven! He only wants what’s best for himself!” Rose cried, shaking her fist. “I went to school with him, and watched as he broke the heart of a very good friend of mine! He tore her apart from the inside out, and no one has seen her since. She made herself vanish.”
“What was her name, Professor?” Cameliyon asked, curious.
“Luciana Morris,” Professor Rose said, her voice quivering. “Ask anyone and they’ll say they don’t remember her, but I do. I always have, because I’m just like her.”
Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the door. Professor Rose seemed only slightly irritated by the frightening noise. “Who’s there?” she called coldly.
“Rosenia Morris, you are under arrest!” a strong, male voice called. “Open the door this instant!”
“Come in and get me!” Professor Rose yelled back, her teeth locked in a growl. “I dare you!”
The door came flying inward with a loud thud, and several students screamed. Two guards, clothed in suits of armor, stepped inward, gripping swords tightly at their sides.
“There is no use resisting us, Ms. Morris,” the first guard said. “I suggest you come quietly.”
“Oh, but there is,” she cooed softly. Rose let out a cackling laugh before she sprinted towards the window, crashing out of it. The guards rushed out the door, to capture Rose in the grounds below. Soran ran to the window, looking down. The classroom was on the third story of the castle, but Rose’s body wasn’t sprawled and broken on the ground from the fall. Instead, she was nowhere to be found.
Ana and Maekrel stood together in the small flower bed that decorated the outside of their home, on the outskirts of Nesting’s Haven. Ana backed up to get a good view of the collection, smiling her approval at the multicolored flowers that decorated the bed.
Maekrel walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her thin waist. “I think you did wonderful,” he whispered.
“We did wonderful,” Ana corrected him. “You helped me quite a bit on this project, Maekrel.”
“I guess I did, didn’t I?” He kissed her cheek gently. “But you did most of the work.”
“You got me there.” Ana turned to face him, his arms still locked around her waist. “But thank you for all you did do.” She smiled and kissed him softly.
“At least I’m good at something, right?” Maekrel’s happy expression fell, to be replaced with one of sadness and disappointment.
Ana hugged him tightly. “Maekrel, quit blaming yourself. We hoped, but we knew it would never happen.”
“I know,” he said. “But I knew you wanted a child, but when you’re with me, you can’t...”
“Hush,” Ana said, kissing him again. “We’re together. That’s the end of it.”
There was a shadow from above, casting a darkness upon the two lovers. Ana pulled away from Maekrel to gaze up at the sunny sky. A large black dragon was descending quickly, with two riders on his back. “What in the world...” she said, shielding her eyes as the dragon landed beside her home.
It was her brother. Keota leapt off the dragon, helping off a white-haired woman, who was heavily pregnant. “Hi Ana. Can I stay here?” he asked immediately, without any sort of explanation.
Ana put her hands on her hips. “Keota? What are you doing here? Who is this woman? And why is she pregnant?”
“I didn’t do it,” Keota said instantly. The dragon transformed into a squirrel, skittering into the woman’s arms.
“Then who did?” Ana asked. “Keota, what’s going on? Where’s Kia and Kennu? Where’s Ionan?”
“It’s a rather long story, Ana,” Luciana said softly. “One we’d rather not retell.”
“How do you know me?” Ana looked her up and down, utterly confused. “I’ve never seen you before in my life.”
“Luciana?” Maekrel said, stepping forward and narrowing his eyes. “By the Creator. It is you. I haven’t seen you in years. Where did you find her, Keota?”
“She found me.” Keota responded absently. “But anyway, we’re together now.”
“Together?” Ana exclaimed. “What exactly is going on?”
“Me and Kia fell out of love. We had a final argument, and I left. Ionan refused to come with me.” Keota shrugged.
“So you ditch your family and come here?” Ana asked. “What the hell is wrong with you? Keota, you’re still married!”
“Kia and I have been having problems for a while now, Ana. Just drop it,” he told her harshly.
“He thought you’d be able to house us for a while. We have nowhere else to go,” Luciana said softly.
Despite her irritation, Ana sighed. “You three can stay here as long as you would like. We have plenty of space for you all.”
“Thank you, Ana. You have no idea how much this means to me, and him as well.” Luciana smiled and shook Keota’s arm. “Come on, Keota. Don’t you think you should say thank you?”
“Thanks,” he mumbled, picking at a loose string on his pants.
Ana couldn’t take it any longer. She grabbed Keota by the side of his sleeve and pulled him to the other side of the house, not bothering to cast a glance at the others. “I need to talk to my brother. Alone.”
When they had gotten out of earshot, Ana whipped Keota around and said, “Is this for real? Keota, what are you thinking? Are you really with Luciana?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged once again, appearing rather passive. “We kissed, so I suppose we are. I’m not completely sure.”
“This is crazy. You’re not thinking straight.”
“I’m thinking more clearly than I ever have been, Ana. Don’t try to tell me otherwise,” he said.
“I severely doubt that. Keota, Luciana’s pregnant, and the baby isn’t yours. I know you’ve loved Luciana for years, but are you really willing to be a father to her child when he or she comes along?”
“I don’t know. I’m not ready for another kid,” he said listlessly.
“I can obviously see that, as you left Kennu behind so easily,” Ana snapped. “Keota, Kennu doesn’t have a lot of time left. You should be at home, spending time with him.”
“The Verinian is no longer my home,” Keota replied sharply. “I left all that behind. Kennu has a lot of people around to help him. I’m no longer needed. I’m sure he doesn’t miss me.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say, and that’s saying something,” Ana said in mock awe. “Keota, traveling with Luciana is probably giving her the wrong idea. If you don’t want to be in a relationship with her, you should probably tell her.”
Keota shook his head. “You don’t understand. It’s not like that. She’ll never love anybody like she loves her Changer, Rex. He’s the only thing she needs. Luce comes and goes, uses you when she needs you to be there, and then runs away before she can return the favor. I don’t hold it against her, because it’s who she is. But she needs me right now, so I’m not going to abandon her.”
“So you left your family instead.”
“Ana, stop trying to convince me to go back home. I won’t. Nobody wants me there. Not even Ionan.”
Ana stood openmouthed, gazing at her brother in disbelief. “Whatever,” she said, throwing her hands up. “You can stay here. I just hope you change your mind.”
Soran was the only one still in the entrance hall that afternoon. Everyone e
lse had gone outside to enjoy the sun, but Soran still had a large amount of homework to get done. The light poured in through the large, open window next to his table. A breeze blew by, ruffling the papers in front of him slightly.
“Soran. Pst! Soran!” A soft female voice traveled in from outside, echoing through the window.
He looked up from his paper. “Professor Rose?” he asked.
The tiny professor peeked her head inside. “I’m not a professor anymore, Soran. Just call me Rose.”
“What are you doing here Profess...I mean, uh...Rose?” he whispered.
“I need your help,” she responded. “I need somewhere to go, where no one will look for me or try to turn me in.”
“You want somewhere to hide? I’m not the best person to ask.” He put his quill down on the table and looked at her strangely.
“You must know someone in Nesting’s Haven, and if not, I know you have family in the Lands. You have to help me, Soran. You’re the only one who I can trust,” she begged.
“I’m not sure if I know anyone who would be willing to help,” he said sadly. “My family is really far away.”
“Just think about it, alright? If you remember a name, let me know. I’ll be around somewhere.” She ducked under the window to go.
“Wait!” he shouted, an idea coming to him. “You can stay with my Aunt Ana. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
“Your...Aunt Ana?” she asked.
“Yeah. Ana Morimoti.” Soran smiled. “She’s about your age. You must know her.”
“I remember Ana. But how are you related to her?” Rose asked.
“My mom’s sister, Kia, is married to Ana’s brother Keota,” Soran explained.
“Where does she live?”
“I’ll take you to her, tonight.”
“Alright. I’ll meet you beneath the palm trees out front, by the gate. I’ll be wearing a hooded cloak so no one recognizes me.”
“Okay. We’ll be there.”
It took Soran twenty minutes to find his friends and tell him where he was going. When he had discovered Zorna, the two met Rose under the designated palm trees and set out immediately, hiding under the cover of twilight. Zorna glowed as a phoenix on Soran’s shoulder, looking this way and that for any sign of trouble. When they arrived, a golden haired man answered the door.
“Hi, Maekrel. Is Ana there?” Soran asked.
“Hi, Soran. Ana’s inside,” the man answered. For some reason, he seemed rather irritated. The teens and Rose pushed past him and ran into the house. Maekrel raised a finger to protest them barging in, but then let his hand drop in a defeated manner.
“Ana, there’s a bunch of teenagers looking for you!” Maekrel called, his voice a deep growl.
“What?” Ana appeared around the corner and her eyes grew wide as she saw Soran charging down her hallway. “Oh, no.”
“Aunt Ana!” Soran smiled. “I’m so glad we found you!”
“Soran?” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”
“They came to help me find somewhere to hide.” Rose said, pulling off her hood. “Hello there, Ana.”
Ana’s eyes widened in shock, a smile of joy spreading across her face. “Rosenia!” Ana threw her arms around the other women and hugged her close. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”
“Yes, I know.” Rose laughed and pulled away. “I’ve been teaching at the school recently. Until they found out I was against Wyntier, of course.” Rose scowled.
“Wyntier?” Ana gulped. “Let’s not talk about him.”
“KEOTA, WOULD YOU STOP BOUNCING THE DUMB BALL ALREADY!” A sharp, female voice screamed from the other room, and Zorna curiously peered around the corner.
“Uncle Keota’s here?” Soran said, and his face paled. “Something’s happened, hasn’t it? Kennu’s finally...”
“Kennu is fine, Soran. Keota is here for his own reasons,” Ana said, putting her hands on her hips.
“Why should I stop bouncing the ball?” Keota’s voice floated out to them in the hallway, rather sounding like a small child’s.
“Because it’s annoying the heck out of me,” the female voice responded. “If you don’t stop, I’ll take it from you.”
“Whatever,” Keota responded. The sound of a ball bouncing off the wall echoed down the hallway.
“THAT’S IT! IT’S MINE NOW!” the strange voice yelled.
“Give that back, Luce! It’s mine,” Keota whined.
“You’re acting like a baby! Stop bouncing the dumb ball! I’m going to hold onto it until you decide to act normal!”
“Fine!”
“Is that...is that Luciana?” Rose asked, looking to Ana with an astounded expression.
“It most certainly is,” Ana replied, grinning. “It looks like her arrival here wasn’t such a coincidence after all.”
Beaming, Rose practically danced into the other room, Soran and Zorna following. “Hey, little sister! Come give me a hug!”
Luciana stood up cumbersomely from the counter, holding her large belly. She appeared astonished to see the other Accompany standing in front of her. “Rose!” Luciana flung herself at her sister.
“Hey there, Lucy.” Rose hugged the pale woman close to her, as tightly as she could with the Accompany’s round stomach. “When did you decide to have a baby?”
“I didn’t want to have a baby. Please, don’t ask,” Luciana said in a pained voice.
“Then I won’t,” Rose said, kissing Luciana’s cheek. “I’ve missed you, sister.”
“And I’ve missed you.” Luciana leaned against the older woman happily. “Why did you leave after everything happened?”
“I had to leave. I couldn’t watch you fade away. It was tearing me apart, so I simply got out of there,” Rose replied, a quiver to her voice. “I should have been there, but I wasn’t. I’ll never leave you again.”
“It’s okay.” Luciana looked into her sister’s eyes. “I know you never meant to”
Rose let a small tear fall down her cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“You are forgiven.” Luciana told her. The Accompany looked at her sister’s shoulders, and then around her feet. “Where’s Senica?”
Rose looked down at the floor. “Senica is gone. The Council took her a few weeks ago, and I haven’t been able to find her since.”
“I’m so sorry, Rose.” Luciana wiped a tear from her sister’s cheek. “I know what it’s like to lose a Changer.”
The two smiled, glad to have each other back. While the sisters had their tearful reunion, Keota jerked his chair back and stomped outside, slamming the door behind him.
“What’s wrong with him?” Zorna asked, ruffling his black feathers.
“If I knew, I’d tell you,” Ana said. “I suppose Rose is looking for a place to stay, otherwise, you wouldn’t have come.”
“Yes,” Soran said. “Could you hide her, just for a little while?”
Ana sighed. “This puts me and Maekrel at risk. But I’ll do anything to help a friend, especially my best friend from when I was in school. Yes, I suppose she can stay, too.”
Soran and Zorna glanced at each other. They knew Ana and Maekrel were already under watch from the Council, because Maekrel had once been Ana’s Changer before Wyntier had mutated him into a human by use of some strange drug. The only reason the Council still permitted them to live together was because of their old bond. If the Council found out she and Maekrel were in a romantic relationship, or worse, were housing fugitives, there’s no telling what would happen. Soran had overheard Ionan warn Maekrel a very long time ago about facing the Trials of Separation if the two of them were found out, but such barbaric acts were outlawed long ago. He doubted the Council would bring it back just for Ana and Maekrel.
There was a loud BANG outside as Keota ripped a limb off a flowery tree. Soran looked out the window and saw that the tropical plant was practically ripped in two, for no good reason other than Keota had lost his temper.
“What are we going to do wi
th him?” Luciana asked Ana, looking out the window at her best friend.
“I don’t know. He’s been such a wreck ever since he left Kia,” Ana responded.
“Wait. He left Kia?” Soran gaped.
Ana nodded solemnly. “And Ionan.”
Outside, Maekrel was currently trying to wrestle with Keota, to restrain him from ruining anymore of the yard. It was something he was failing at miserably.
“We could make him get a job,” Rose suggested. “It would make him useful, and keep his mind off of his family.”
“I like that idea. It would get him out of our hair,” Ana mumbled.
“He looks horrible,” Soran commented.
“At least he’s not like I was,” Luciana told him. “Just be glad he hasn’t tried writing Ionan’s name in blood.”
Rose sighed sadly. “Come here, little sister.” Rose wrapped up the albino girl in her long arms. “It’s not your fault that you reacted like that. Everyone is different. You just got violent.”
“No. More than violent.” Luciana looked down. “I became cruel and murderous.”
Soran thought chillingly of Cameliyon. He had just met Luciana, and he wasn’t sure what had happened to her, but whatever it was, he didn’t want the same to happen to his friend. What would Cameliyon do if she lost it completely? He didn’t want to think about it.
The door went flying open, with Keota standing in its stead. Apparently, he’d heard the last thing Luciana had said. He strode up to the Accompany and took her firmly by her shoulders. “Keota...” Luciana said.
“No! Listen to me, Luce! None of that was your fault!” Keota yelled at her. “It was those freaks who made fun of you, and the stupid Council who took you away from Rex! What you did in Azazael wasn’t your fault, and none of this is your fault!”
“But it is!” Luciana pulled away and stood in front of him. “If I hadn’t showed up, you and Kia never would’ve been fighting like that. I broke you up.”