Looking for a Story

The sword falls to the ground, and the sound echoes through the lair. "How can it be?" His voice is tight and can barely be heard over the clatter.  She stands tall, her hair like oil hanging at her waist. She’s in a deep red dress he's never seen before, her smile is darker, more sinister and the most genuine he's ever seen. "Oh My Lord, I've always known it was you.” Her laugh fills the lair. *** Gavin lies in bed, his muscles and joints ache; Celestial Tear gave him a workout last night. He hated that, as Wunderkind, he couldn't catch her. She wreaked havoc on his city, and he feels powerless to stop it.  A knock comes at his door, "Gary! Mama sent me to come get you!" he groans. Of course, his mother would send William to wake him. He buries his head in the pillow. "If you don't let me in, I'm gonna come jump on your bed!"  Why his parents decided they needed a second child fifteen years later was beyond him. Remembering the bruises he couldn’t let his little brother see, he rolls out of bed, stuffs pillows under his blankets and moves to the closet, dressing quickly in his matching family attire. Dread fills him as he remembers what today is.  He hears William burst into his room and starts jumping on the bed, laughing like a seven-year-old already overloaded on sugar, and the day's festivities hadn't even started yet. His brother is so hyper that he hasn't even noticed Gavin isn't in bed. He slowly moves towards the bed and scoops up his brother, "I got you!"  "Hey!" William laughs, and Gavin tosses him into the pile of pillows and blankets. They playfully roughhouse for a few minutes, "You win! You win!" William yells, and Gavin helps him stand near the bed. "Let me take a look at you." Gavin adjusts William's outfit, “You look like a lord, Lord William." Gavin ruffles his hair. "Father will be proud of you."  The boys leave Gavin’s quarters and find their mother in the dining room, instructing the staff. She pauses, giving William a welcoming smile, but there is little warmth in her eyes for Gavin, "Well, at least you came down presentable. Nothing can go wrong today-"  Gavin hides his grimace with a softer voice, “Mother, I know. I will fulfill my duty." For a brief moment, he sees her sympathetic smile, which disappears quickly.  The sound of the wheels of their father's chair silences them all. Seeing his father bound to a chair, his guilt ate at him. Every day, he is reminded: if he’d been faster, stronger, bolder, he would not have failed. His father would be able to look him in the eyes.  Both sons wait for their father to take his place at the head of the table. His father rolls in front of them and looks them up and down. "You both have done well. Today is very important for our family." His firm gaze lands on Gavin, "Today is the salvation of our family. It symbolizes reclaiming our place as one of the great houses in this city!" He rolls to his place, and everyone takes their seat.  His mother takes his father's hand. "It took a great deal of promises to secure this agreement. Nothing can go wrong today. We will host a grand gala to announce the engment-." “I get to attend this one, don't I, Father?" Williams interrupts eagerly, not fully grasping the weight of this day, but his father smiles at his young son, something he never did for his oldest. "You do, as long as you behave well.' William beams at his father. Seeing the bond between his father and brother, Gavin wonders, has he ever looked at his father like that?  The family eats with reminders of what today holds and some polite conversation. As the staff begins to clean and the family prepares to meet their important guests. Gavin, despite his exhaustion and pain, helps his mother move and rearrange the meeting room.  Soon it's midmorning, and word rushes through the house, "The Duke is here." Gavin tries to calm his beating heart. William stands next to him, looking at the seven-year-old boy reminds him, why he was doing this. This marriage would bring his family back to their standing; his brother would have his choice of wife or freedom.  He feels his heart slow, just in time, his parents walk in with the Duke, Duchess and their daughter, "And now my sons, this young Lord is William."  William steps forward and bows politely, "Mother, Father, Ladies, Lord."  "Join your governess in the garden, son.'' His mother kneels to look him in the eye, and maybe after lunch, you and your brother can impress our guests with your playing." William nods and rushes out of the garden.  "And this is Gavin, my oldest, and he is eager to meet your daughter, Lady Raven.” Lady Raven steps forward, and Gavin gets a good look at her. Her black hair is up in a tight knot; she wears a dress that matches her mother's, auburn orange, a sharp contrast to the bright blue of his outfit. Is that a sign of what is to come? "Lady Raven, it is a privilege to have you here today." he takes her hand and kisses it.  "Thank you for hosting us today." Her smile is tight, maybe like him, she dreaded this day too.  "I know our parents have taken care of everything and our engagement will begin today, but I had this made for you." He hands her a small box. She slowly opens the box, 'Oh! My! Mother, look at this!" Lady Raven and her mother look at the ring, which he has had his friend, who is both a gem maker and capable of wielding magic, make a swirling stone of both their family colours and set it in a gold band. "It's beautiful, thank you, Lorbnd Gavin. I regret I have no gift for you."  Gavin tries to hide his shock; it wasn't customary for a bride to bring gifts for the groom. Especially when his family was arguably lower than hers, since his father's accident. Her father seems equally as shocked by her statement and shoots her a look. Maybe he and Lady Raven had more in common than he thought. "Thank you, Lord Gavin, your gift is most generous. I'm sure the celebration will be grand tonight." The man almost looks proud of him; could he and his father-in-law have more in common than he does with his own father?  "We are looking forward to hosting the Grand Gala to celebrate. First, the staff has prepared lunch." His mother leads them to the dining room, and the next few hours are full of polite conversation, and Gavin has to admit, Lady Raven is lovely, both in appearance and mind. He could see them being very good friends, maybe finding a true love match. After sharing talents and being impressed by Lady Raven's poetic skills, the families parted ways to get ready for the gala.  At the gala, his father's voice echoed through the hall, "As many of you know, for years my wife and I opened our galas with the first dance. After my accident, my eldest son took my place. Tonight, I pass the tradition on to my son and his betrothed, Lady Raven, Daughter of the duke." The crowd cheers.  Gavin hears comments that the Lord has got his status back. Gavin ignored them and focused on Lady Raven. "You are a lovely dancer, my lady."  She blushes," Well, I'd hope so. My mother's only has had me in lessons since I could walk." She giggles, and oh, did Gavin love the sound; he wanted to hear it all the time. They danced the night away, and he couldn't have complained if he tried. *** Celestial Tear raced through the city, leaping from building to building with such ease that the villagers thought she could fly. Wonderkind follows her from below; she always finds it funny that he acts like a traditional knight. In fairness, his magical sword did lend to that. "Celestial! Can't we put an end to this? He calls up to her.  "Ha! And rot in prison for the rest of my days? No, thank you! I will continue to uproot the rich in this land and ruin the lives of those whom they believe are beneath them.” She sneers.  How could he claim to be the hero when he only helped the rich? She’s a hero among the villagers. As much as she enjoys the battle of wits, she has to wrap this up quickly; she has a wedding to attend tomorrow.  "You harm the villagers by harming their landowners!" He calls out.  That is the last straw. She prepares a small blast and hits one of the small upscale boutiques. She loves the rush of the magic leaving her hand. The boutique makes a small explosion, the blast giving her just enough time to escape. The next morning dawns bright and clear, “What a glorious day to get married.” Raven hums as she and her maids get ready for the day.  "Won't Lord Gavin be surprised tonight when he sees how long your hair is?" One of the girls chuckles as she pins it up with pearl bead pins.  "I suppose he might." Ravens face tings pink.  The wedding is soulless, but as romantic as a marriage between strangers can be. They say their vows, drink bitter wine from a shared cup, and as the day went on, dealt with comments about their wedding night from upperclassmen who were barely more than strangers.  She had to admit seeing her father-in-law in that chair did make her feel a bit guilty, but then he hadn't changed after that; her marriage to his son had proved it. But maybe Gavin was different. Would he help her change the tides? Would he see the lower classes differently? Would he help her cause?  That night in the candlelight of their quarters, Gavin slowly pulls the pins out of her hair, and it cascades down her back, "Beautiful." His voice catches in his throat. She slowly and somewhat clumsily undoes his shirt. She stops. He has bruises, bruises that would match the kind Wonderkind should have? Had she been fighting him for the last five years?  She steps back. He looks at her and raises an eyebrow, "What's wro-" he looks down. "Oh, those." He pulls the shirt back around himself. "Tavern brawl from the night out with the boys." He shrugs.  How often had he, like her, gotten too comfortable lying? What kind of marriage would that be?  Over the next few months of their marriage, Raven realizes her hope had been ill-placed. Gavin proved far worse than her father; he insists on being called Lord by everyone, even her. He spoke down to her, as if she isn’t the daughter of a duke. It is to her benefit that he is her rival, for he could not demand answers for her disappearances without revealing his. What made matters worse for her is that he seemed determined to have her fall in love with him.  He did every­thing but listen to her. When she brings up her ideas for sponsoring schools for girls or providing aid for the food programs in the village, he scoffs, "Wife, we have better use of our funds than throwing it away for those who choose to live in squalor.” Oh, that made her blood boil. How dare he speak to her or anyone else in such a way? She plays his dotting wife during the day, and at night she targets his favourite taverns, shops and anything else she can think of. After a year, she decides it's time to lay the trap. *** Wunderkind stares at the map Celestial Tear dropped. Does she want a truce? Is it on purpose? Regardless, if it meant defeating her in any way, it would be worth the risk.  A few days later, he stands at the door of the lair. He slowly enters, and its halls are too quiet, like she’s expecting him. He rounds the corner and sees her. Celestial Tear, but she's not in her costume. His sword clatters to the ground, "No! It can't be.” Her laugh echoes through to the lair," Oh my dear Wonderkind, shocked to learn your little wife is the villain you've been fighting for years? Shocked to learn the woman who has spent the last year begging you to change and not focus on the rich is the villain you can't stop?" Her words stung like venom.  He'd never feared powers before. "You know, I might have loved you, given this up for you. " She let the ring he bought her fall and roll to his feet, as if it meant nothing. "But you see, you will always be at the beck and call of the rich, and I will always stand for the people."  He watches her load up a blast, "Don't worry, I won't kill you, but when you wake up, you won't remember your sword, Wonderkind, or Celestial Tear. You'll just be Lord Gavin, married to Lady Raven. The rest is up to you." "Wait! Wait!” The blast is all-consuming, and he has to shut his eyes. When he opens them again, he and Lady Raven are in their shared bed, the sun warming the room. He shakes her awake., "Raven, I just had the strangest dream." She rolls over and allows him to pull her close, running her hands through his hair. His heart rate slows, “Tell me everything, husband.” Her voice is like honey, and it chases away the lingering unease from the dream. He melts around her, and he can't help but notice her smile and eyes, brighter than they have in months. Maybe love was in the air after all.

Nora the Owl smiled as she placed the crockpot full of hot chocolate on the table. She looked over the table and did her mental checklist. Coffee, check. Hot chocolate, check. Cups, check., Napkin, check. All that was missing was the tray of goodies. But it was Bernard the Raccoon’s week to bring them, which meant they were in for a real treat. No one made desserts as good as Bernard’s wife, Beatrice. Nora looked around the little room where she ran the book club. She hadn’t made many changes to the room over the years she’d worked at the library. She liked it the way it was, a nice hardwood floor and soft blue coloured walls. She always sets out six chairs, four for her regulars and two just in case, you never know who might want to join.  She walked back to her desk and grabbed two extra copies of the book for the fall and winter months, “Through the Puddles.” It had been Violet the Skunk’s idea, and everyone but Bernard had agreed to it.  “Hello, Nora!” Abigail the Squirrel smiled as she walked in. As a mother of four, Abigail was almost always early. Book club was her one escape, she often joked. “Hi, Abby. You're 10 minutes early. I’m not quite set up.” “Oh, that’s okay, Nora. I’ll just go look at some kids' books. Tommy wanted some new ones anyway.” Nora nodded, and she went back to the book club room to finish setting up.  Eight minutes later, Violet and Jenna the Rabbit walked in. Violet was the newest addition to their club. She had just finished her schooling to become a teacher and had moved back home this summer, and got a job at their local elementary school. Jenna, an empty nester who had once had a full nest when Nora started this book club, had been attending book club since day one and was one of Nora’s closest friends.  “Welcome, please grab a drink, Bernard should be here soon with our goodies.” “Here I am. No need to get impatient.” Bernard muttered as he walked in with a tray of snickerdoodles. He set them on the table, grabbed his coffee and sat down.  “Not even going to enjoy a snickerdoodle?” Abby teased, walking in with a stack of kids' books. “Bah, Beatrice is on my case about watching my health. No goodies for me.” Bernard sulked as he took a sip of coffee. “We won’t tell her,” Jenna winked at Bernard, handing him a cookie. Bernard offered a small smile before accepting the cookie.  Nora waited until everyone had found their seats. “I assume everyone read the intro, Jump Together?” Everyone nodded. “Excellent, well, let’s jump in, shall we?” Nora giggled at her own pun, while a few others, namely Bernard, rolled their eyes. “Oh, I just loved it so much!” Violet exclaimed while jumping in her seat. “It was the perfect intro. I loved how the author used a short story to explain what the book was about!” “Yes, it was rather unusual, but I do feel it fit what the author was trying to convey what her book is about,” Jenna added. “Too whimsical if you ask me,” Bernard jumped in. “ You need  a book full of substance, not whimsy la-dee-da nonsense.” Nora suppressed the eye roll she felt coming on. “I still say we needed a good, solid historical book. One that gets you thinking and reflecting.”  “No one is forcing you to be here, Bernard,” Jenna spoke gently, “if you don’t like the book, you can go home.” “You know I can’t leave. Beatrice has her quilting circle tonight, and my critiques of the quilts aren’t appreciated.” “Are they really critiques? Or are they more like judgmental comments?” Violet levelled a glare at Bernard. Bernard glared right back, but said nothing in defence.  Nora smiled at the antics of the oldest and youngest before cutting in.“Perhaps a perspective shift is in order. Bernard, you say there is no thinking and reflecting in this book, but perhaps that’s what it’s all about? Reflecting on childhood wonder and excitement, and thinking about how we can recapture it. Isn’t that what this intro was all about? Taking a break from the worries of life and picking up a childhood hobby?” “I say it was a nice break from the mental load I carry,” Abby sighed, “Being a mom, always having to look out for my kids, helping them with homework, laundry, cooking. I just don’t have time for myself. I personally love the idea of trying to recapture some of the whimsiness of childhood.” “I agree with Abby,” Violet cut in. “Life is always about moving to the next thing: go to school, find a job, make money, get married, raise kids. There’s not a lot of time for fun. Maybe what the world needs is for all of us to find our inner child and let them out every once and a while.” “Bah, back in my day, we worked hard to provide, even as kids! There was no whimsy to be had.” “Then perhaps,  this book is your chance to find whimsy now.” Jenna gently suggested to Bernard. “Wouldn’t it be fun to not worry about everything and just kick back and enjoy a fun short story every now and then? I believe the author's intent was for all of us to release our inner child.  I did that this week! I pulled out my old paints and started painting again.” “Oh! That’s wonderful, Jenna!”  “Yes, it is, Abby. I think this book is what we all need right now.” “What a wonderful sentiment, Jenna.” Nora pulled the group back in. “Does anyone else have thoughts on the intro?” Nora listened as the group carried on for another hour before ending the meeting. “Alright for next time, let’s read the first two short stories in the Romance Section.” “ROMANCE! No one told me we would be reading romance stories! What have you ladies pulled me into?” Bernard huffed and glared at them. “Bernard, did you actually do any research on this book like I suggested before we picked it?” Nora asked. Bernard huffed and sank further into his seat. “I’ll take that as a no. For next week, have “He Swore He Wouldn’t and Unwanted Invite” read.” Nora grinned as the group ended and everyone packed up.  “Have a good week, Nora!” Violet smiled as she left, along with Abby. “Need any help with clean up?” Bernard asked as he covered the leftover snickerdoodles. “Oh, no, thank you, Bernard. I think I’ve got it covered, but I do hope you can enjoy some of the stories in the book.” Bernard offered her a nod as he headed out.  “I’ll see you Thursday for paint night. I decided to join the program!” Jenna hugged Nora. “I look forward to it!” Nora locked the door and waved goodbye to Jenna. She had a good feeling about this book. Whose the writer? My sister Emily Morris! On top of being my little sister, she is also a mama to two very adorable tiny tornadoes. She loves reading and writing in her spare time.

Willow has never seen a sky full of stars. As a designated day guard, she simply wasn't built for it. As the sun sets and the sky fades from blue to pink, her eyes get heavy and, as if on autopilot, she returns to her sleep pod. She simply can't fight it. She'd seen many try to, but no one could. Some are built for the day, others for the night. And rarely shall the two interact. Those who are built for the night live in a dome that protects their sleep. It is temperature-controlled and soundproof, and light is kept to a minimum.  Willow has heard stories about the past, when those who were built for the night were forced to do life during the day. She couldn't imagine being forced to fight her desire to sleep at night…though she does wish that she could see the night sky or even meet a night guard. If she lived closer to the dome, she would have a chance at dusk and dawn; their worlds should overlap.  She's heard rumours of a café where the two worlds collide. Now that she is a verified day guard, she could request any station she wanted. Her parents, who are also built for the day, want her to stay close to home. She could stay with them, under their watchful eyes. If she is honest, that’s the last thing she wants. Willow’s ready for freedom.  She requests a post near the dome. On her first day off, she searches for the café and, as the sun starts to dip behind the dome, she finds it! At the end of this little dead-end road that she swears she'd walked down already, as if it came out of nowhere, there it was. The Sleepy Morning Café - what a fitting name.  She walks in.  "Good evening." A boy in a dark uniform smiles at her. "Would you like to try a Calming Tea Latte?"  "Do you have a lavender honey blend?” She scans the menu, which shows a perfect blend of morning pick-me-ups and evening wind-down drinks.  "Oh yes, we have a delightful lavender tea and a homemade lavender syrup for your coffee in the morning, IF you need a pick-me-up." He starts making her drink.  "Oh, and can I have a cookie too? I love a sweet treat before bed." Willow taps her wrist and pays for her drink and pastry.  The young man hands her a cup and a small bag. “If you're staying, the tables on the side that face the wall are for those who do not want to be bothered. In the center, it means you're open to talking with strangers."  "Oh! How fun!" Willow takes a seat in the center and enjoys her tea latte. It is perfect! She'll have to be careful not to spend her whole paycheque here.  She opens up her book and reads. After a few pages, she hears, "Excuse me, are you reading Velcomes Challenger?" Willow looks up and sees a man dressed in a uniform that looks like hers, only in cooler tones, with a moon pin. "Yes, yes, it is. This is my second read through. Have you?" She puts her bookmark in and closes her book, inviting him to sit.  "Yes, it's one of my favourites.” He takes a seat. "I'm Theo.” "Willow," she smiles. "Night Guard, I assume?"  "Correct, Day Guard?"  She nods.  "You must be new. Oh, I bet you took Vivian's spot. She got married a few weeks ago. Best of luck to her husband, if you know what I mean. The few times I ran into her, I left wishing I hadn't." He chuckles.  "Oh no, I hope I'm better than that." His laugh and smile are contagious, and Willow laughs along.  "I’m not looking for a way out of this conversation, so you're winning so far.” He winks. “What are you drinking? It smells oddly floral."  "Oh yes! It's a lavender tea and honey latte."  He makes a face.  "Let me guess, you drink your coffee black, maybe a flavoured creamer on holidays if you're really in the holiday mood." She raises an eyebrow.  "How-how did you do that?" He shakes his head. "Guilty as charged." "I used to work at a coffee shop in high school," she shrugs and fights a yawn. Theo looks at his wrist. "Ah, it is almost that time." His face falters a bit. "Not sure if the day guards work the same, but the night guards have four nights on, three nights off. I'm just coming off my three days off. I normally start and end my work days with a visit to this shop. So if you'd like to run into me again…" He slides an ID number across the table. "I just finished my orientation here, so I don't have my official schedule yet. Once I get it, I'll let you know." She adds his ID number to her contacts and sends him a message with a bunch of suns.  "Cute," he chuckles.  Willow bids Theo farewell. As she heads back to her sleep pod, she looks to the sky, sunset colour flooding her view. "I'd hoped I could see stars from here." Willow sighs to herself and makes her way to her sleep pod. *** It takes two weeks before she and Theo run into each other at Sleepy Morning Café. But they have messaged several times. They arrive at the same time.  "Theo!" "Willow!" They exclaim simultaneously.  They both laugh, and Theo opens the door. "After you."  Willow orders a lavender latte with honey, and Theo orders a cup of chamomile tea. "I'm glad our day off and on line up so that we can see each other," Willow says, as they sit down.  "Yeah, it's nice to have someone to talk to in the morning ." Theo bites into his muffin. Willow eats her breakfast sandwich. “Yeah, I'm making friends in my unit, but this is nice. And learning about how the night guards work is really helpful.” "And I like knowing a day guard is looking out for me." Theo winks.  Willow blushes. "You can't just keep saying stuff like that." "You make it easy," he smirks.  Willow smiles, then it falters.  "Hey, what's wrong? Does it bother you? I'll stop."  "No, no. It's not that. It's just - we just met, and sure, it's fun to flirt, but is there a point? We can't do anything, can we?"  "Hey, I wouldn't flirt with you if I didn't want to keep getting to know you.” He drops the playful nature. "I'm aware of the risks, but you interest me, and I wanna keep learning about you." "Oh." Willow looks down. "I would like that. You interest me too." "Alright then, let's keep meeting like this." Theo gives her a charming smile.  Weeks turn into months, and slowly that interest grows to feelings. "How would a relationship even work?" Willow asks over their drinks of lavender honey latte and black coffee.  "I'm sure we can't be the only ones who were built for the day and night who have fallen for each other." Theo hums. "It's not like we can't keep meeting like this. We could even meet each other's families if we time it right."  "You make it sound so easy." She fiddles with her cup. "Maybe it is. People used to make it work all the time."  "Is there something from the day you've always wanted to see?" Willow looks out the window, their time together dwindling. Theo gives her a look. "Ah, change of topic. But I’ve always wondered what a bright blue sky full of clouds looks like. Oh! and a rainbow - always wondered about those."  "And I've never seen the stars.” Willow smiles. "So if you promise to tell me about the stars, I promise to tell you about the blue skies and rainbows."

All the women of my craft night have arrived, and I am waiting for Ellie, a friend of mine from an old job, who I have been begging to join us for years now. I’m thrilled she finally agreed to join us. Jess is also late, but she called ahead and she’s bringing coffee for everyone. I see Ellie pull up, I rush to the door, and throw it open, “OH MY GOSH YOU CAME!” I pull her into a hug. I feel her stiffen as everyone looks at us, but I say nothing. I grab her hand and take her around to meet everyone, I introduce her to everyone, once we’ve done a lap around the room, I see that she is holding a colouring book, I didn’t know she coloured, “I see you have coloured penicles, so you can sit with Jess at the table, she's an amazing artist. She works with charcoal. But she’s running late, so set up there and she’ll join you when she gets here.” Ellie makes a slight face at the name Jess, and I feel like I should remember why, but I brush that thought aside. She takes a seat and opens her colouring book. I take a seat and get into my diamond art. We chat about our days and update each other on workplace drama. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ellie start to relax. I feel good about inviting her. Suddenly, the door opens, and Jess burst in, "The coffee shop line was crazy, ladies! But I got everyone’s favourite!” Everyone grabs their coffee, and Jess heads to Ellie at the table. I’m sure they’ll be fast friends, and I look back at my diamond art. "Oh! You must be Marcy's friend from her old job. I’m so sorry I didn’t know you were coming, and Marcy didn’t give me your coffee ord- It's you!" I hear Jess stammer. “It's me," Ellie's voice is tight like she’s uncomfortable. Did they know each other? “I swear I had no idea you and John moved here, Ellie. My boyfriend, I have one of those now. I met him after you got married. He got a job in the city, so I followed him. I promise!” Jess’s voice is frantic, oh my gosh, Jess is the Jessica that Ellie's mother-in-law was obsessed with! How did I not figure this out? “I’ll go, you can stay, I don’t want to kic-” Jess starts. Ellie stops her, "Please, I believe you. I promise I do. But I can't do this right now.” She quickly gathers up her colouring book and pencils, "Marcy, I'll call you in the morning.” She races out of my house. We all just stare awkwardly at each other before silently going back to our crafting. No one asks for the story, I play some music in the background, and I slip upstairs to call Ellie. She picks up after one ring, “Marcy, I'm not coming back, you can't make me." I wince, she’s not wrong, I have tried to convince her to come back to events in the past, "Look, I know that Jessica isn't to blame and she probably wants to talk, but I can't right now. We just started healing our relationship with his mother. I'm not ready to face the cause of the fracture." "Girl, I respect that. I wish I had connected the dots between both of y'all's stories before inviting you. Maybe we can find another club for you to join, or maybe you and Jess can talk it out, and you can join us!” I know it’s a long shot, but hey, a girl can dream. “Honestly, the library has a video game club. John and I have been thinking about joining. So I'm not sure crafting is for me anyway. But I'll think about it.” I sigh, "Whatever you say, Ellie. Will you still be up for our walk on Wednesday?" “Of course, Marcy. I'll see you then.” She hangs up the phone, and as I walk downstairs, I hear the chatter of my friends pick back up.

I grip the steering wheel of the car until my knuckles are white. Why had I let Marcy talk me into joining her craft club? I glance at the colouring book and the cheap set of coloured pencils I picked up at the dollar store on my way here. It had been years since I’d coloured, and maybe it was a lame craft, but I didn’t want to learn a new craft in front of strangers. Letting out a slow breath, I leave my car and turn to face the house. Marcy waves at me from the window. I wave back. I’d met her at my first job here in the city, and when I left that job, she kept in touch, changing us from work friends to real-life friends. She’s been on my case for months to join this craft club. She seems to think I am too much of a homebody and need more friends. It’s not my fault that my cat and husband are the perfect amount of companionship, and that I would rather play my farming sim than deal with people after a day of work. When I get to the door, before I can even knock, she throws open the door, “OH MY GOSH YOU CAME!” She pulls me into a hug. I try not to stiffen as everyone turns to look at us. She grabs my hand and drags me around to meet everyone. “As Marcy guides me into the living room she gestures to a room full of people, she rattles off names and I try to pay attention, I notice some knitting, crocheting, something with needle and thread, someone has a diamond art on a TV tray and then at the table someone has a drawing set up. “I see you have coloured penicles, so you can sit with Jess at the table, she's an amazing artist. She works with charcoal. But she’s running late, so set up there and she’ll join you when she gets here.” The name Jess triggers a memory I'd rather forget; my husband's ex is named Jessica, and my mother-in-law was determined she was the only one for her son. She dragged that other woman to several of our engagement events. I think the only reason she didn't show up at our wedding is because my husband threatened to uninvite his mother if she didn't drop the issue. So even though Jessica was out of our lives now, I couldn't help but feel like I was forever in her shadow. I wasn't even sure if I blamed the woman; she always seemed uncomfortable at the events my mother-in-law dragged her to. We moved away from his home after our wedding, giving some much-needed space from his mother and the ex-girlfriend. I shake my head and take a seat, and open my colouring book, looking for a picture to colour. As I flip through the book, I settle on a picture that reminds me of my cat. Over the next half an hour, I listen to these women share stories from their day, and update each other on work place drama. It’s nice to list to everyone chat, I feel myself start to relax, maybe I could join this group. Suddenly, the door opens, and I don’t look up right away as I am focused on the shading in a picture. "The coffee shop line was crazy, ladies! But I got everyone’s favourite!” I freeze, that voice no, it can't be. I hear the women share their thanks, "Oh! You must be Marcy's friend from her old job. I’m so sorry I didn’t know you were coming and Marcy didn’t give me your coffee ord-" I look up to see if my guess is correct and she stops, “It's you!" She stammers. “It's me," I say awkwardly. “I swear I had no idea you and John moved here, Ellie. My boyfriend, I have one of those now. I meant him after you got married. He got a job in the city, so I followed him. I promise!” Her voice is frantic. “I’ll go, you can stay, I don’t want to kic-” I held up my hand, "Please, I believe you. I promise I do. But I can't do this right now.” I quickly gather up my colouring book and pencils, "Marcy, I'll call you in the morning.” I quickly race out of there. As soon as I'm in my car I call John. “Hey, Gorgeous? Why are you calling me? Aren't you at Marcy's crafting thing?” He sounds worried. I start driving, "I was! But you'll never guess who's a member?” "You better tell me then.” He teases, trying to lighten the mood, "It's not the manager who made your life miserable at the old job, is it?” "No, that might have been easier to deal with.” I let out a sigh, and I turned to take the road toward the ice cream. "Then who could it be?” He asks, clearly on the edge of his seat. “Jessica." I say flatly. “As in my ex Jessic? As in the women, my mother is for whatever reason obsessed with Jessica?” His disbelief is not well hidden. “Yes! She even still does charcoal drawing. And get this, Marcy even thought we'd be great friends!" I pull into the ice cream shop parking lot. “Well, you do both have great taste in men." He chuckles. “Shut up." I laugh, “I stopped at the ice cream shop, you want anything?" “If you want your own, I'll get a strawberry blast, but if you wanna share whatever chocolate explosion you're gonna want is fine with me." I can hear his smile. “I’ll see you soon, Gorgeous." The line goes dead. I head into the ice cream shop and order our two dishes. Just as I sit back down in the car, Marcy calls. “Marcy, I'm not coming back, you can't make me." I take a breath that was sharper than I intended, "Look, I know that Jessica isn't to blame and she probably wants to talk, but I can't right now. We just started healing our relationship with his mother. I'm not ready to face the cause of the fracture." "Girl, I respect that. I wish I had connected the dots between both of y'all's stories before inviting you. Maybe we can find another club for you to join, or maybe you and Jess can talk it out, and you can join us!” as if it could be that easy. “Honestly, the library has a video game club. John and I have been thinking about joining. So I'm not sure crafting is for me anyway. But I'll think about it.” I hear her sigh on the other end of the line, "Whatever you say, Ellie. Will you still be up for our walk on Wednesday?" “Of course, Marcy. I'll see you then.” I hang up the phone and drive home to my cat, husband, the only company I need for tonight.

Ulrich wraps his arms around my waist, “You're wearing the dress I love." He whispers, and I giggle like we hadn't been married for 15 years. “Well, we're hosting your yearly friends gathering, so I figured I should dress to impress." I shoo him off so I can finish my makeup. “Yes, my friends should be here shortly." His smile doesn't reach his eyes, but he leaves before I can push. I join him downstairs as the doorbell rings. "Crimson Drake! How lovely to see you again.” I reach out my hand. He, in dramatic fashion, kisses my hand, “Lady Ravenshade! You look ravishing as always. Lord Ravenshade.” He nods. “My dear, I would like to show Crimson our newest investment, do you mind manning the door for a moment?" He gestures to The Music Room. “Of course, dear, I'll be just fine.” I watch the two of them head off, and I cannot help but wonder why all of his friends call us Lord and Lady. Surely we've been friends long enough for them to use our names. I don't have long to dwell on it before the doorbell rings again. I open the door and am greeted by the ladies of the event, “Saffron Bloom, Indigo West, Jade Glass! Lovely to see you all again! You must join me in The Tea Salon later, I've been working on a tea blend I think you'll just love!" “Why don't you just take the ladies now, my dear? I will wait for our last guests." Ulrich kisses my cheek before sending me off. I lead the ladies to The Tea Salon. I listen as they share stories about the last year and the different adventures they've had. Maybe being a housewife wasn't the path I should have taken. Soon, I mix up the tea blend, and we test Saffron’s ability to guess the herbs I used. After the teacups are empty, I lead them to The Conservatory Ballroom. “I’ll stay behind for a moment. The botanist in me needs to check out your collection.” Saffron waves us off with a smile. I breathe in the fresh air. I love all the trees and plants we had planted, and the hanging lanterns, it had such a whimsy to it. It has originally been an open courtyard at the center of the Manner, you can see it from every room, and most rooms have access to it, and it leads to The Garden Gallery. “Lady Ravenshade, I see The Rosewood Library has acquired a new painting. I must go see it for myself." Indigo walks through the library door. "Oh yes, please do!” I watch her go, and then Jade touches my shoulder. “Lady Ravenshade, this would be a great space to have a class. I would totally give you a deal.” Jade starts rattling on, she is so much younger than everyone else here, I don't know how she got included in this dinner a few years ago. She keeps talking when suddenly, "Love! Where are my note cards? They aren't in my coat.” He hollers from the main entrance to the ballroom. "In your office, my love.” I holler back, giggling, looking at Jade, "He'd be lost without me." Her face has gone white. "I think I'll go check out your Garden Gallery.” She quickly moves on. I know it's not a good look for a hostess to be alone, so I decided to head to the library to talk to Indigo. When suddenly I hear Jade's voice, it sounds like she tripped or hurt herself on something in the Garden. Before I can head in the direction, the lights go out. "A power outage? It's not even storming out.” I hear a door open behind me, but those are off limits to the guests. "Who's there?” I call out. "Elodie.” The voice is soft and gentle, not one I immediately recognized. “You and all of this was supposed to be mine. His father practically adopted me, promised me the Manner because Ulrich was useless. But then he discovered I was in love with you!" Alabaster, where did he come from? He gets closer, towering over me. “What are you saying!?" I back up, running into one of the decorative displays, and I hear something clanking to the ground. I'm out of space to run, “Ulrich! I scream. He throws crumpled papers at me. “So he stole from you, and then figured out how to take Father's business right under him and won it all! And I was left with NOTHING!" He grabs me, and I feel something sharp near the top of my shoulder. Something clinks against the ground. I scream in pain, and my body feels warm. “No! No! No! It wasn’t supposed to be you! It was supposed to be him.” I hear Alabaster cry out. I fight to stay, I fall to the ground. “They can’t find you here… He’ll know it was me. The window…” I struggle to stay awake, but keep fading out, I am pushed through a window, the house is so dark, he climbs the stairs, and sets me on the bedroom floor. “This could have been ours.” Then the world goes dark. The memory fades, and I stand in The Conservatory Ballroom. I wonder if I can… I try to pick up the papers, to my surprise, I can, maybe it’s because no one is around. Regardless, I read it’s a love letter, telling me his plan and his devotion to me and how I would grow to love him… I shudder at the thought. But he couldn’t have used the spade, I knocked it over, so what did… then something caught my eye in one of the plants. I approach the letter opener… “So it was, Alabaster Finch in The Conservatory Ballroom with Antique Letter Opener.” I’d done it, I solved my own murder, and somehow I felt hollow. I move back to The South Wing Study, I look through files and notebooks and learn all the lies my husband kept from me. I’d loved a man who never existed. The version of him I knew was a mask. I feel the rage fill me. I watch in the foyer as the group solves the murder and Alabaster is hauled off. Ulrich holds a funeral, playing the man I knew him to be. People speak highly of me, and even buy the story of an unseen medical condition. Ulrich has me buried in his family's lot. Ulrich lays flowers on my grave, “Oh my love, light of my life, I will spend my days mourning you.” I wish I believed him. My tombstone reads, “Loving and Faithful Wife Elodie Ravenshade”. And I hate it. My life was more than the liar I was married to. I hate that my last name will always be tied to him, I hate that my stuck in his favourite dress. “I solved my own murder, shouldn’t that get me some say in what happens next?!” I shout to no one in particular. “You're right, it should. Especially when you were never meant to die.” Someone who looks like a ghost, but he had an aura of authority about him, “Greetings, I am The Guide, I have come to guide you away from here. But seeing how cruel life has been to you, let me grant you some agency.” His smile is warm. “Can I please wear my sunset orange dress? Instead of this black one,” he nods and with a snap of his fingers, my dress changes, and I feel more like me. “Thank you!” I float and spin, feeling freer. “You have another request.” He speaks gently. “Can we change the name on my tombstone to what it was before?” I gesture around me, “All of this.” “And what is that?” He says with a hint of a smile. “Elodie Dawn. My name is Elodie Dawn.” I say as a light glows around me. He waves his hand, and my name changes on the tombstone, “Elodie Dawn, you are ready to cross the river, let me guide you there.” He offers me a hand and we set off.

A scream echoes through the dark halls of Ravenshade Manor. The lights flicker back to life, letting darkness hide no longer. Lord Ravenshade calls for his dinner guests to come to the foyer. Crimson Drake, Saffron Bloom, Jade Glass, Indigo West, Dr. Mauve, and Alabaster Finch make their way to the foyer. “Where is Lady Ravenshade?” None of the guests react, each one looking at the other, “Where is my wife?” he asks again, this time more desperate, still no one moves. Rage fills Lord Ravenshapes' mind, “I swear if one of you killed my darling sweet Elodie, I will destroy you!” “How do we know you didn’t kill her yourself and wanted to add it to your list of blackmail! We all know you have dirt on us, and this dinner is just another way to keep us quiet.” Saffron Bloom shouts at the man who kept her on edge for years, threatening to expose her more deadly botanical interests. “How do I know you didn’t kill her when you meant to kill me?” Lord Ravenshade stares down the group that he has squeezed more money out of than he ever thought possible. Crimson Drake, with the charisma of the stage performer he is, approaches Lord Ravenshade, “Awfully convenient to have a power outage with all your enemies in the house, maybe you planned this…” Lord Ravenshade hits the security button, “There, no one gets in or out till the police arrive, if we can solve her murder before they arrive.” He pauses pulling a vanilla folder out of his breast pocket, I won’t give this to the police, see none of you have proof I’m blackmailing you, and who are the police going to believe, the grief stricken husband who discovered all his friends had underhanded dealings, or the people who they just got handed enough evidence for to lock away for years.” He stands tall, “Now get to work.” *** The last thing I remember hearing is my own scream, feeling a sharp pain and the world going dark, then I awoke in my bedroom, looking over my own body, had I know I was going to die today, I would not worn the black party dress that Ulrich loves so much, I would have worn my sunset orange one. Wait- Why am I dead? And why am I in our bedroom? I was helping Ulrich host his yearly dinner party with his friends. I wouldn’t have come to the bedroom, not with guests around. Suddenly, Ulrich bursts in and runs to my lifeless body, “Elodie, my love! I found you!” He tries to bring me back, but I fear it’s too late. “I’m so sorry this is all my fault! One of them did this to get to me! I just know it, I will make them pay.” His tears fell, and I can’t remember the last time I saw him cry. I float next to him and rest a hand on his shoulder, “Oh, Ulrich, we were supposed to gro-” I stop and back away, “Wait, are you saying one of your friends killed me on purpose? But why!” He doesn’t react to my voice, “Right, I guess I’m a ghost, no more talking with the human world.” I float back and forth, trying to think of what to do. That’s when I notice the bars on the window, he’s activated the security system, which means everyone must be downstairs. I float through the floor and find my guests arguing in the foyer. “All of us had plans to rid ourselves of the blackmailer, right?” Dr. Mauve leans against the wall as if this isn’t a surprise, who, if I remember right, Ulrich was investing in his newest experiment. Who is this blackmailer they speak of? “Well, duh, he’s so totally harshing the mellow of our business.” Jade Glass tosses a crystal in the air one-handed, while the other hand stays in her pocket. Ulrich gave her a business loan for her studio. “So, who killed Lady Ravenshade? And why, it’s not like she knew what he was up to.” Alabaster Finch looks at his old pocket watch, Alabaster is Ulrich’s oldest friend. I met them in college, they were practically brothers. Wait, is my husband the blackmailer? “Do we really buy that naive housewife act, though? There's no way she’s that oblivious.” Crimson Drake, who adjusts his suit, brushing off dirt or maybe dust. He used to be a magician. Ulrich said he was helping him with some legal trouble, but I’m starting to wonder how much of my husband's stories were true. “And killing the wife only makes our lives harder - So out with it, whoever it was!” Indigo West, a world-renowned critic, shouts from the center of the room, the group starts arguing all at once, and I have a hard time hearing and keeping their stories straight. “Enough with the arguing!” Saffron Bloom yells at everyone. “We aren’t going to get anywhere with this! One at a time, where were you when the power went out, and where was the last place you saw the lady? Crimson, you were the first one here, so you start.” I try to think about how the night played out, but my memory is fuzzy. I hover as they have a much quieter conversation and try to place the night back in order. Crimson sighs, “Lady Ravenshade greeted me at the door, Lord Ravenshade showed me to The Music Room, showing his newest investment, a grand piano, asked me to play a few notes for him, and I must admit I got lost in the music and only stopped playing when the power went out.” I do remember hearing music, but I don’t recall being in The Music Room. “I showed up next, along with Jade, Indigo, Lady Ravenshade took us to The Tea Salon, said she had a new blend of tea we just had to try, being the botanist, I couldn’t wait to see what I could identify. After we had the tea, Lady Ravenshade, Jade and Indigo left, heading out to The Conservatory Ballroom. I planned on joining them but had a tea I wanted to mix up first.” Saffron explains. I did remember showing off the tea blend I wanted Saffron's opinion on it. “Once we were in The Conservatory Ballroom, I caught sight of a new painting in The Rosewood Library. So I excused myself to get a closer look. I saw Alabaster leaving the library as I came in the other door.” Indigo looks over at Alabaster. That’s right, I intended to get her opinion of that painting. Jade, however, starts talking, “I was trying to convince Lady Ravenshade to let me host a class, but well, then Lord Ravenshade interrupted, asking his wife where he left his-” She pauses, “I don’t remember what he said, but whatever it was, she giggled and hollard back at him something about the study, and he shot me a look so I dropped the subject of a class and headed to The Garden Gallery. I’m not sure where she went after that. The power went out pretty quickly.” I do remember Ulrich interrupting us, but I can’t remember why. “I arrived next.” Mauve starts, “Well, Alabaster was pretty much on my heels; he barely said hello to our gracious host. He beelined straight for The Rosewood Library. I listened to Crimson’s piano playing with Lord Ravenshade for a moment, but then he seemed to grow bored with the music, so he led me to The Garden Gallery. he seemed quite pleased with the work Lady Ravenshade had gotten done on it this year. He made small talk, then looked at his pocket watch and realized how close dinner was and that he didn’t have his speech, so he took off. Oh, and I do remember seeing Jade enter the garden. ” His speech! He’d asked me where his note cards were. “Guess that just leaves me, I was on a mission to find some documents that proved his father left part of the family business to me, so first I check The Rosewood Library, when I couldn’t find any proof, I headed to The South Wing Study, where Ulrich would have found me when he was looking for his speach. But the power went out, so I just hid behind a chair till he left.” Alabaster rubs the back of his neck. Why would Ulrich's father share the business with him… “So wait. If everyone is telling the truth, that means she was in The Conservatory Ballroom alone.” Saffron states, “Someone has to be lying…” Once again, they start arguing, only this time they all fan out, determined to figure out who did it and how. I sit in the quiet, shocked by all I’ve learned, I glance at a portrait of us in the entryway, “You lied to me. Our entire life together is built on a lie!” I didn’t know ghosts could cry, but tears burn in my eyes. “I will solve my own murder!” I take off, starting in The Music Room, I look around, trying to take in anything out of the ordinary. Crimson and Mauve talk near the piano, “There is one thing I remember from the backout, I swear I heard something fall near the window, but nothing looks out of place.” Crimson shakes his head, “Such a shame about the Lady, she was the only good thing about that son of a gun.” “I’ll cheers to that.” Mauve shares his flask with Crimson. I go closer to the window, “Maybe nothing looks out of place to you.” The windows are open and they look out onto The Conservatory Ballroom, explaining why I could hear Crimson's music. I take in the beauty of the trees and hanging lanterns that make up the space, then remember why I am here. I lower myself to the windowsill, nothing looks off at first, but then I see it, a small piece of black fabric. My dress, had I crawled through the window? But why? On the floor near the window, there is a bow to the violin, only the bar is broken in half - my hand goes to my neck, had someone- I shake my head, “Can’t think like that now. I need more.” I move to the The Tea Salon, I worked so hard to make this old sun room a nice place to visit, I make sure to collect dried herbs for tea so people can mix their own blend, on one of the glass tables sit my favourite mug - it’s full of tea, I give the tea a sniff, and scrunch my nose at the smell, it’s unlike any tea I’ve ever made, then Saffron words replay in my mind, I planned on joining them but had a tea i wanted to mix up first. She poisoned the tea, and if Ulrich had walked in and seen my mug with tea in it, he would have stolen a sip or two, then brought it to me- Based on the smell, he wouldn’t have made it to The Conservatory Ballroom. I move on to The Garden Gallery, I can’t bring myself to get to the ballroom just yet. Jade and Saffron stand there talking, “There’s just one thing I don’t get about Alabaster story…” Jade leads against one of the statues. “Yeah, what’s that?” Saffron raises an eyebrow. “He came to the foyer the wrong way to be in the office. The office is off the library, and he came in through the Ballroom doors. Do you think he went through the library and came in the ballroom door just so he didn’t get caught?” Jade shrugs, “It just seems like a lot of work when he could have come out of the library door.” Jade makes a good point, maybe Alabaster was hiding something. I look around the garden, I see the broken pot. I should have cleaned that up before guests arrived. It broke in a storm a few weeks ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to toss it. I look at the pieces again, one is missing. I watch Jade shuffle something behind a statue while Saffron rattles on. I get a closer look, it’s the broken pot… and there's blood on it! Had Jade been the one? Her one hand hasn’t left her pocket. If I could get a look at it, what would I see? I race to the library, ignoring that feeling growing in my heart. The Rosewood Library is my favourite space. Indigo and Alabaster stand looking at the painting, “He got this one from me; his wife wanted more unique art for the library, so I got him this very convincing fake.” Indigo shakes her head, “She deserved the real deal.” “She did.” Alabaster glances back at the office, “Hey, where is the other raven?” He points to the shelf. “The Raven?” Indigo looks over at the shelf. “Elodie had cast-iron bookends that were ravens. And one is missing.” It feels strange to hear my first name out of his mouth, but why did it feel like I heard it recently?” I move around the library looking for my missing bookend. I find it on my little desk, one of my notebooks is out, and pages are torn out, but thier near the back, and one of my pens is shattered by I assume the bookend. Who was writing, and why? I slip into The South Wing Study, this was Ulrich's space, other than the fresh flowers I brought him every week, his office was one of the few rooms I didn’t touch. I walk to his desk, his letter opener is missing; it was a gift from his father when we got married, and it never leaves his office. Maybe Alabaster moved it, he seems to think he is owed something from Ulrich's father. I look around, I ver go past his desk, this is his space after all. In the corner of his office, I find a trap door. “I didn’t know this was here.” I float through the door and follow the path, and at the end, I float through into The Conservatory Ballroom. When I start looking around, I notice that none of the decorations look out of place, except the Decorative Garden Spade we got done up for our wedding, which seems to have been knocked out of its flower pot. And there are a few crumbled balls of paper rolling slightly, I kneel to pick one up and notice a pool of blood. Suddenly, my memory comes in waves, I cry in pain as everything starts spinning. Can you solve the mystery? Join us on June 6th to see if you got it right! Comment your guesses below!

Affinity hides within the walls of her hideout. Hoping everyone stays away. She feels out of control, like her powers may explode any moment. She can't let that happen again. She did so much damage last time. She'd thought being able to hold others' emotions would be a great help, an asset to the superhero team. But everyone wants you to hold their dark emotions. And they never want them back, they get heavy to hold after a while, and emotions will eventually demand to be felt. Affinity is feeling everything today, and she is spent. As she gets older, the more unfair it seems to her that she can't control when she takes people's emotions. "It hardly seems right that the other heroes can give me their bad emotions in battle, and I can't give them up." She squeezes her hands into fists and looks, feels her nails dig into her palm. "I need a release and I need it now." She closes her eyes and tries an exercise that her therapist told her to try. She pictures a grave road and imagines herself running. She tries to feel the wind, the burning in her legs and arms, her lungs desperate for air. She imagines the dirt road ending at a lake. She pictures herself diving into the water, the cold water shocking her system and claiming her, and for a fleeting moment, it worked. As she opens her eyes, she is met by a cloud of dark emotions. Affinity feels so small, tears burn in her eyes. "I can't do this anymore.” She watches as the dark cloud gets closer and gets ready to engulf her. She is out of fight, and maybe it will be better than this. She closes her eyes, maybe she’ll become the villain, and they’ll know what it’s like to carry their own emotions. "Affinity?" The voice sounds familiar, but she's too exhausted to open her eyes. "Affinity!" The voice is shrill and gets closer. A hand is placed on her shoulder, "Affinity?" the voice was softer now. "Can you hear me? It's me, Cinder Light. Your best friend!” Cinder Light tries to make it sound like she was joking, “We were supposed to go to the meeting together, remember? When you weren't on time, I assumed you got caught up in something. But then, you no-showed, which is very unlike you. And sorry, I kinda fried your control panel to get into your to get in here. Tho you didn't answer when I called, and I assumed something was wrong. So it’s really your fault.” She chuckles, then her tone drops, “I thought maybe something had malfunctioned, or you were hurt, but then I came in and saw you like this.” Affinity forces her eyes open and feels her body tighten, tense as if she might snap. She can't move. The darkness is getting closer. How can Cinder not see it? “Affinity? What are you looking at so intensely?” Cinder stands up between her and the black cloud. Affinity watches her face where the black cloud should be, “There's nothing there. Are you strategizing? Is this how you get rid of the negative emotions? Because I've always wondered how you do that. You just seem to take them all the time. I assumed you had some sort of way of getting rid of them.” Cinder sits down facing her, taking her hands and hers, the warmth from Cinder's hands. Slowly brings Affinity back to reality. She blinks. Still stiff. Not able to move, not able to talk. “Are you having a bad day again?” Cinder asks quietly. “You're supposed to call me when those happen. You know that I can't help you if I don't know?” Cinder waits for an answer, when Affinity barely moves, “You can't talk yet.” Affinity blinks twice. They're signed for no. “Okay, I'll ask you, yes, or no questions that until you find your voice, okay?” Cinder gets comfortable. Affinity blinks once. “Are you getting rid of the bad emotions you take for people?” Two blinks. “Okay – Can you? Get rid of them, that is, I don't think I've ever asked you that before.” She blinks twice again. “You can't?! What do you do with them?!” Her voice echoes through the hideouts. Affinity stares at her. “Right. Sorry, yes or no questions. You just hold on to them?” Cinder's voice is tense. One blink. “That would be so much to carry. Why have you never told me this?” Her voice echoes again. Affinity stares at her again, willing her voice to return. “Alright, um, did you try to tell me before?” Two blanks. “Were you afraid I couldn't handle it?” One blink? “Affinity.” Cinder's voice is soft. She pulls her friend into a hug. Using her powers to warm them both. “I'm your friend. Both inside and outside of costume. You could tell me. Don’t you have control over when you take our emotions? Cuz, couldn't you just take less?” “I can't control it. It just happens. Affinity's voice is soft, barely above a whisper. “I didn't know how to tell the team I didn't want to let them down. Everyone appreciates not dealing with their fears or their disappointments – the more negative sides of being a hero. And I thought I could learn to control it, but nobody ever wants to take them back. I think you have to willingly take it.” “Do you take my emotions?” Cinder asked softly. “Not on purpose. But yeah. Both inside out outside of the costume.” “Is that why you started seeing a counsellor?” Cinder moves to sit beside her instead of across. “Yeah. It’s why I started working out – running helps. But running burns, and it got to the point where I couldn’t outrun the feeling anymore. I tried drawing, painting, blasting music, and dancing. I tried all of that. None of it worked. Just got to be too much about to be so dark. I didn't know how to get rid of it.” Affinity shugs as if this is a normal thing. “Your glass bottle can only hold so much Affinity,” Cinder says with a smile. “Glass bottle?” Affinity tilts her head. “Yeah, my mom taught me when I was a kid that there's only so much you can shove into a glass bottle before it shatters. Every time your glass bottle shatters, the new one is a little bit smaller. Until eventually everything will set you off. I had quite a temper when I was a kid. Remember?” Affinity laughs, feeling lighter. “I do remember. I thought it got better because I was taking on more of your emotions against my will, I might add. People feeling their own feelings is important. I don't always mean to carry it for others, but sometimes I can't help it.” She holds out her hands. “Is that how you talk about it with your counsellor?” Cinder asks gently. “Yeah, I mean, I don't tell the superhero bit. But I talk about how I have a hard time letting other people carry their own emotions, and that I take them on. And I don't know how to just let people feel.” “So what was happening when I walked in? Something to do with all this?” Cinder takes her hand, and Affinity leans on her shoulder. “I’m not sure, to be honest. There was a big black cloud. I thought it was going to consume me alive, and I wasn't sure what would happen on the other end, but I was too tired. So tired.” Affinity's eyes feel heavy, and she fights off the sleep, trying to claim her. “Maybe you need to take a break from the hero a bit.” Cinder offers. “But I love helping the victims. I love giving the victims the ability to stand up for themselves, and their feelings don’t linger; it's like when they win. I don't hang on to that. It's the other Heroes that are the problem. Those who don't want to deal with the negative sides of being a hero. Even you do it sometimes. Everybody talks to me because I'm Affinity and I can handle everybody's emotions. I can take it and I’ll listen and I’ll take it for them.” She lets out a heavy sigh, “But I'm exhausted of holding everyone's emotions and nobody wanting to hear mine.” “Affinity – I would have listened to you.” Cinder leans her head on Affinity’s. “I know, but you have so much going on in your own life. How would you have space for mine?” Affinity starts drawing on Cinder's knee like she did when they were teens. “Girl! We're superheroes and best friends in and out of costume. It's my job to take care of you. Just because I have a lot going on in my life doesn't mean I don't have room on my plate for a little bit of yours, too.” Affinity looks at her best friend, “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept this from you.” “Just don't do it again. Okay? I can't have my best friend turning over to the dark side because everybody else couldn't learn to deal with their own emotions. We should bring this up with the team leader. He needs to know that your power isn’t fully under control, and he can get the team to understand they can’t just unload on you.” Affinity thinks, “Maybe he can get a counsellor to visit Headquarters while we are in costume so everyone could talk freely about their struggles.” “Yeah! That would be great, maybe we can learn some more coupling mechanisms. I remember when you brought up the blinking system when your attacks took away your voice. Wait! Those attacks have been this whole dark emotion thing; you just didn't include that?! “I didn't think I had to.” Affinity chuckles. “I thought you knew. I thought you understood with the whole hero thing. How hard was it?” “I mean yea I understood that, but I thought you were okay… Being a hero is hard, sure, but I didn't realize you were carrying the entire City's negative emotions on your back!” Cinder lets out an exasperated sigh. “Not the entire cities. Just our teams.” Affinity corrects. “That's not any better.” Cinder laughs. “Come on, we're gonna go. We're gonna get out of the our superhero costumes. We're gonna go get some ice cream, and then tomorrow morning you're talking to our leader. I will come with you, and we are getting a better system in place because it is not your job to carry our team's emotions on your back. The team needs to know that you are not as in control of your powers as everyone thinks you are. This is not your job. And together, we're going to make sure that you get the help you need. No matter what.” Cinder stands up, holding out her hand. Affinity takes her hand, “Thanks for finding me, Cinder.” “Hey, what else are best friends for? If not to help, if not, to save you from yourself.” Cinder helps Affinity up. And together the two young women leave, dressed as regular civilians, heading for the ice cream shop. And for a little while, Affinity forgot all about the Dark Cloud that's sitting just beneath the surface.

The only word for all this was chaos. Not that Faith couldn't handle a little mayhem—she'd been working at this shop since high school. But she'd never seen it like this before. People filed out the door. Sure, it was the start of PSL season, but it had never been THIS bad before. Faith blamed the chain coffee shop that opened last summer down the street for the reason everyone wanted her little coffee shop’s take on the classic. Finally, the rush of high school girls and middle-aged moms died down an older woman with salt and pepper hair slowly made her way to the front of the shop. “My, that was a rush, I waited in my car for 20 minutes rather than waiting in that ridiculous line.” she chuckles. “Yes, it's the first day of pumpkin spice latte season. And everyone wants a taste." Faith shrugs. “Well, if it makes people wait in a line that long, I will happily pass on such things." She smiles, “Can I please just have simple black coffee? With cream and sugar are the side, I find that with the different blends, I never know if I need more cream or sugar.” Faith let out a sigh of relief, a simple coffee order. "Absolutely, are you staying in?” The lady nods, "Find a seat and I'll bring you your coffee.” Faith puts together a coffee tray and finds the lady sitting warm in the sun. “You picked a perfect spot to enjoy the last few days of summer." “Thank you, my dear, I hope you get a break soon, you look like that rush knocked the wind out of you." Faith looks down at her watch, " Oh my, I missed my break." She pondered how close to the end of her shift it was, if a break was even worth it at this point. “I know that face, take your break, even if it's just a short one. No job is worth wasting away at." The woman smiles. “I could use an Iced Caramel Latte… I'll make one for myself and go soak in the sun for a few minutes." Faith nods and heads back to the bar. “Sounds like a sugar bomb of a drink,” the woman chuckles, “But everyone deserves a treat." Stepping outside with her cool drink in hand, she soaked in the warmth of the sun, knowing the cool breeze of fall was on its way. “That lady was right, I did need this.” When Faith returned inside, the woman was bringing her tray to the front, "Oh! Someone could have picked that up for you.” Faith rushed over. “Oh, don't worry about me, dear, I don't mind.” She smiles and hands her a ten-dollar bill. "Oh, I couldn't.” Faith tries to refuse. The woman shrugs and drops it in the top jar. And walks away. "I know she comes in all the time, but for the life of me, I can't remember her name.” “Oh! That's Mrs. J. She used to teach me piano." Hallie, one of the high school students, called from the back. “She comes in once a week, I usually try to serve her. So you've probably never interacted with her.” Faith nodded thoughtfully, “Well, with you in school soon, I'll make sure she gets great service." When school started, Faith wondered if Mrs. J would charge her schedule to see Hallie. But she kept coming in the middle of the afternoon. She got to be so predictable that Faith often had her coffee ready and waiting. "You're too kind to me." Mrs. J would shake her head and smile when Faith met her at her favourite spot. “Just giving wonderful service to one of our regulars." Faith winks. “Say, Hallie mentioned you used to teach piano, so you still take students?" "Not as often as I used to buy, but I don't mind helping a student now and then.” Mrs. J leans forward, “Have you played before?” Faith looks down, "I used to, all the time. My mom taught me, but we had a fight, and I refused to play piano after that, and I tried to play the other day, and it's like my brain forgot.” Mrs. J reached out and took her hand, "I bet a piano player is still inside of you.” Her eyes were soft. "Did you and your mother recover from your fight?” Faith crosses her arms, "For the most part, yeah, we aren't like friends, but I talk to her once a week. But I found playing piano harder than I imagined it to be.” Mrs. J smiles, “I think I can make space in my oh so busy retirement schedule to teach you.” "Thank you, Mrs. J I miss playing." Faith turns to go back to the counter. "I'm always willing to help a student find her muse again. And I doubt it will take that long.” Mrs. H had been correct once the two of them started playing piano; Faith's muscle memory kicked in, and she found the love of music again. But one day, while they’d been practicing a song that Faith's mother had wanted her to learn, and Faith had never been able to get it as a child, and now as a young woman, she was having the same issue. She banged in the keys. "I'm never gonna learn this dumb song!” “Hey," Mrs. J's voice was gentle, “take a breath, it's just a song. No one here is gonna be upset with you." Faith lets out a long, slow sigh. "My mom wanted me to play this song for my grandmother's birthday one year, and she was so upset when I couldn't learn the song.” “Did you stop playing then?” Mrs. J turned and gave her all of her attention. “No, I played for a few years after that, but this song hung over my head.” She fiddled with her hands. “So why learn it now? You've learned other songs that you play beautifully. Why does this song matter now?” Mrs. H left the piano bench and brought two cups of tea.. “Grandma's birthday is this month, and every year I think about trying to learn it.” I thought maybe this year would be the year. Faith drinks the tea and feels the warmth calm her. “Well, not every song is meant for everyone to play. Maybe this song isn't for you to play. And that doesn't make you a failure.” Mrs. H keeps a steady, calm voice. "Are you sure? It always felt like this song was going to haunt me." Faith blinks back tears. “I'm more than sure, why don't you pick a song you'd like to play for your grandma, and we'll learn that one instead? Rewrite the memory.” Mr. H points to the stack of music books she owns. So Faith picked out a new song, and they worked until Faith could play it from memory. Mrs. H had been old enough to be Faith's mother, but between a coffee shop counter and a piano bench, they're very good friends.

Nothing had prepared her for the silence and the darkness of the end of the world. But she'd made a vow, a promise to stand guard until there was nothing left. The explosion had been weeks ago, maybe months. The time had blurred. This Library held all of the knowledge of the Great Land. She'd been chosen to be its guard. Not only did she make sure that those who came looking got the information and found what they needed, she made sure those who shouldn't have it didn't get it. The children called her The Librarian, the adults - the Gaurd of Knowledge. She has done her job well. But then, that day, the explosion, it shook the library to its core. Books fell everywhere, and the world had gone so dark. Birds stopped singing, children stopped playing. Her little border town slowly quited, had people looking for loved ones or out of desperation fled to to larger towns, and villages to see if they could find something. Maybe they'd tried to get to the Capitol? Or where they all in hiding like her? Surely, it was protected. Deborah wasn't so sure. The other guard's messanger birds that had been sending messages back and forth, had stopped coming back. Deborah was starting to think that the birds had become prey for the monstrous beasts that now roamed in the dark. Her own bird had not come back. She was isolated. No one dared darken the doors of the library. Not now. Surely, she couldn't blame them. The answers they were searching for could not be found here. They were in a territory unknown. She hoped and prayed for the sun to break through the darkness, but it seemed as though the explosion had sent the sun out of the sky. One morning, out of pure desperation, or at least what had become her morning, she climbed the highest tower in the library, to open shutters. Hoping that the air was no longer thick with ash. With great effort she pushed them open, and was greeted by the smell of smoke, and a thick fog, but the air felt palatable, so she drank in the fresher air. Then she noticed it: a faint glow piercing through ash-filled fog, it was the sun! She knew it in her heart, she felt its warmth. Maybe the world wasn't ending? But the world she knew had certainly ended. Over the next few days, the sun’s light grew stronger, and as she climbed the tower daily, Deborah saw a world that she did not recognize. Anywhere that wasn't covered in ash had claw marks. There was red staining throughout the streets, she shuddered to think what had happened to those who braved the streets in the darkness. Had they tried to come to her library? It was one of the most secure buildings this close to the border. She'd sounded the alarm, telling them to seek refuge here. But they hadn't come. Maybe they couldn't. Maybe they were afraid. Had the king been behind this? That was almost heresy to say. The King wasn't a good man. Not unlike the prince, she’d met the royal family once. The king had eyes like stone, as if he had no love left in them. His son, however, had eyes like pools that never ended, as if he had a lifetime of love yet to find. She was sure the prince had been a good man, a kind man. If the royal family was still alive, where were they? They’d made visits during war times. Surely, if they were okay, they would have sent out at least the royal hunters to slay those horrid beasts. The royal bird had not come either. Isolated and alone, she wasn't sure anyone was left in the village. She wasn't sure at all. She'd lit the lamp as frequently as she dared. Trying to alert people there was a safe haven here. But no one came. Even with the sun's return, people did not leave their homes. The sun seemed to keep the beasts at bay, but when night fell, she heard the beasts rattling at the door. Leading her to believe no one else was left in the village and now they where trying to get to her. She'd sworn a vow, a promise to never leave the live to leave the library unguarded. It's what she'd been born to do; her father and his father had been gaurds. Just like his mother and her mother and so on, and so on. Her family had been the Libaray guard for generations, hardly ever leaving the walls of the library. Had it not been for the explosion, another guard would have been arriving shortly to allow her time to enter society and find love, to produce an heir to continue to guard the library doors. Maybe that is why the loneliness had been eating away at her. She knew was running out of time. How much longer could she stay? The food reserves were dwindling. And without the other villagers. There was no way she could survive here on her own. She knew she had to leave. Even if it went against everything she knew. She would be entering a world she knew nothing about, and she wasn't convinced the book she'd spent her life reading had enough knowledge to save her. She put the library in as good of a lockdown as she could. She had debated burning them to the ground to protect the knowledge, but if her world sureved, people would need those books. Saying a prayer that the beasts would not destroy the books, she went down to the basement, deep into the tunnels. One of her previous generations had created supply bags in case they ever had to flee during a war. Deborah grabbed a bag and an ill-fitting set of leather armor. As the sun rose, she exited out the secret exit of the library into the Lost Woods. Unsure of what she'd find or how she'd get by. But she didn't have much choice. She had to try.