Sighing into her hand, Adalare paused in her scrubbing, sitting up from her awkward position on the floor. Her heavy linen blue dress was damp at the knees and hem where she was kneeling in the freshly cleaned floor. Untying her mousy brown hair from it's cerulean bandanna, she cracked her back, looking around the hall where she and her 'charge' were working. It was a relatively unused lecture hall, though a professor had reserved it for the coming week, hence the cleaning fit. I'm just glad things aren't too busy this weeks for staff and students; less to do for them means less to do for us.

Glancing at the young girl again, Adalare grinned and stood, moving to inspect her work. Wendy was a spitfire, so unlike the brunette had been at the same age. Where Wendy threw tantrums and refused to work, Adalare had gone meekly into service, certain that she was merely a late bloomer. However, six years locked in Brunnhold had convinced her otherwise, and it was coming time Wendy learned it too.

"Wendy, how are you doing? I think you need to scrub that area again, you can still see the grimy streaks." Adalare knelt in the water, gently placing her hand overtop the girl's. "I though I told you how to properly scrub. Let me show you again." Wendy, you're brighter than I have any hope of being. Let's just get this over with and move along. She smiled encouragingly at the child, hoping that this was one of the good days.

Small hands clutched at a dirty sponge and ran it back and forth across the same spot without really seeing it. Wendy Tiebold moved her muscles automatically, but her mind was elsewhere. She'd gotten a beating just yesterday-- nothing like the ones she'd gotten when she was ten, but bad enough that she favored her right side on this day. Stupid. I hate this place. I hate the people in this place. Her hands clutched at the sponge more tightly and she dipped it in the sudsy water they used to clean floors. It was icy, and her fingers felt stiff as she dipped them into the water.

Wendy glared at the ground in helpless anger. She was always angry these days. She rarely spoke to anyone else unless it was to snap, or scream at them. She got into fights often and refused to 'bond' with her fellow passives. Fellow passives, she sneered internally, Puh-leeze. I shouldn't be here. My parents... But she had long since given up hope that her parents would rescue her.



Like the streaks on your stupid face? Wendy thought quite rudely, freezing as the other passive stood behind her. Deep hatred ran through her body, and the stiffness in her fingers that came from the cold seemed to spread to her shoulders.

"It's fine." Wendy snapped, glancing down at her work. It was far from fine. It wasn't even fine's second cousin. Adalare was probably trying to be nice again, but Adalare was a pushover and Wendy took advantage of that as much as she could.



"Those stupid pigs won't even notice." The 12 year old hissed. She didn't know where she'd heard the term 'pigs' (probably from the cooks, who tended to be more vocal about their opinions when they took to tasting some of the wine that the galdori were served), but she liked the way it rolled off her mouth. And it would shock Adalare. That was always a plus. The intense dislike she felt for the girl only grew when she turned around and looked into her face.

"You know it's true! Why do you bother working hard for them. They took what was ours and you act like it's fine!"

Adalare drew back her hand like it had been bit, holding it close to her heart. Staring at the younger girl, she sat up and looked her straight in the face, indigo eyes wide with hurt and shock.

"How can you say that, Wendy? They're still us. We're still them..." Crestfallen, she looked at her hands in her lap, wishing she believed her own words. What was it that she had been told? 'Find comfort in friends, every wound they can mend?' She thought about friends. She didn't really have any, not since she had first come here and been so concentrated on finding... She was too isolated, too closed off. They thought she was a weakling because she just couldn't fight like them anymore. Her only friend was her...

"Wendy, please. We have to get back to work. We have to get this done, and done right." The cold water didn't bother her, even if it did chill her skin and make her clothes uncomfortable. Adalare shook her thin, white hands to warm them, and then placed them under her arms, effectively hugging herself. She's just a girl, she'll learn. Oh but I hope not so bad as...

So many thoughts couldn't be completed, they were too hard to think about, too hurtful. Nervously straightening her apron, she looked back to the young girl, voice quiet. "Do it again, Wendy. The staff will care, and while you might have gotten used to beatings, I--" Well, she couldn't say that truthfully, could she? She'd gotten used to far worse... Shaking her head, she scooted back some. "Show me that you can do it right."

"Oh yeah I forgot! We can actually do magic and we've just been pretending not to this entire time. After all we get so much stuff because of it!" The younger passive's sarcasm was biting and Wendy glared at the older girl. Stupid Adalare! You don't know anything! She felt a keen sense of pleasure that came from the other girl's disappointed face.



"It's fine! If you want to rub the floor till your hands hurt then you can do that, but leave me out of it. It's clean enough."



"I could never get used to being beaten for something that's not my fault!" Wendy growled, and then threw the sponge at Adalare's feet. "If you want to work in my place you can go ahead. I'm going to go re-polish the chairs you just did. They're not clean enough." The passive sneered at the other, snatched the rag from the bucket of cleaning utensils, and marched towards the chairs. Let Adalare do all of it if she wants to! I'm not moving an inch.

The older girl looked down at the dark haired passive, disappointment etched into her narrow frame at Wendy''s cruel words. What could she possibly say? Coolness flashed through her as she repeated her mantra for what seemed the billionth time. “We'’re still galdori, Wendy. We’'re just... dangerous. We have to be watched. We'’re still the same as them.” Each time she said it, it lost veracity.

Why do I even try anymore... No! I can't give up! If she gave up, then the kernel of Adalare would die and there would only be Addie, the broken...


Adalare stiffened, looking at the younger girl. She just doesn't understand, she doesn't get it. She can't know, no one can. Shaking her head, she fought to keep the crack in her heart from reaching her voice. Have I really become so brittle? The twelve-year-old's words were getting to her, she could feel the tears gathering at the backs of her eyes.

Pulling herself together, she stood, spidery hands chilled wonderfully by the cold water. Numbness I can live with... “Wendy, it's not done. We all have to pull our own around here. Passives stick together until everyone else figures out we're still just like them. Now come on...” She picked the sponge up and stood by Wendy, waiting for the other girl to take it back.

"No we ain't!" Wendy growled, and then winced. "Aren't." Some of cook's words just sound stupid coming out of my mouth. "Do I look dangerous?! Go on! Matron hits me at least twice every month and I don't explode! If that doesn't set me off I doubt anything will."



She felt like crying again and took a deep breath before marching back, ripping the sponge from Adalare's hands and shoving past the girl, bumping her harder than necessary. She scrubbed just like she'd been taught, and furiously fast so that the spot she had been cleaning was done after just a few short moments. Wendy stood up when she was done and glared at Adalare, "I only did it because you'd tattle. So much for sticking together."

"It's random, Wendy. You just don't know when..." she shook her head, trying to come to any conclusion at all. It's not self defense, that's certain. It's not there to protect us. She was surprised at the bitterness of her own thoughts. She tried not to give into them, but it was hard as a passive, hard as a girl.

The Mona have not forsaken us...

As Wendy completed her scrubbing, Adalare sighed and sunk to the floor, where her own washing was. Pale pink freezing hands dipping into the water, she tried not to think too hard about much of anything.


"Shut up Wendy. Just... uh." She tried to hide the tears that were forming but she couldn't. "Just do what you can." I hate being so alone.

Crius had good rapport with Adalare's Matron, and often on days on which he desired to see her he would bring an apple strudel from the bakery, discuss the weather, the condition of her back. The Matron knew the two were kin, but thought nothing more of him seeing Addie - if anything she had a little pity for him, ashamed by his sister and still wasting time on the scrap out of charity.

Good.

Crius had noted that Matron tended to beat Adalare less often in the week following a gift of confectionery, and he had been subtly reinforcing a dependency on his visits by witholding generosity when she acted out. When he could stay away, at least.

He stopped before the neglected lecture theater door and licked a few pastry crumbs from his fingers and the corner of his mouth. Matron's back was feeling much better today, and Adalare was cleaning the Allsebrook lecture theater for the next week's classes with a young passive. Crius grinned at the though of Matron's face when she said passive - it was clear she had grown much more accustomed to saying "scrap", but refrained for his sake.

How considerate!

He pushed the door open a peek, saw Wendy scrubbing energetically, and his sister looking somewhat dejected. He sighed. Getting rid of the little one was tiresome, but she was too focussed on her pathetic rebellion to pay any attention to Crius most of the time.
He stepped in.

"Sister, I've come to see you! Oh dear, why so sad? Is something the matter?"

He walked up to her, and took a hand from the bucket, pulling her to her feet gently.

"I know what it is, you've missed me."
He put his arms around her middle, and brushed a cheek against hers, pecking a light sticky kiss straight on her lips.
"And I, you."

He twisted his neck to Wendy, who was toiling furiously still.

"And I, you."

The stillness that overtook her frame could only have been described as petrification. Hands still immersed in the freezingly cold water, her mind began to dash about, looking for anything, something, to do. Adalare fought to take in air, shallow breaths making her face feel heavy and her body tremble. She chastised herself for feeling this way; he's your brother, he's your protector. Crius only does things for your own good.

"No, I'm fine Crius." Adalare said his name like it was a title. She stayed on floor until he pulled her up, tough she met his gaze directly. Although he was still a galdor, something she wasn't allowed to forget, she was his twin. Once upon a time they had been equals. Now I'm just a...


The pink that flushed her face ashamed her as much as her own fear. He loves you, it's fine. Running a tongue over her lips as he pulled away, she could taste the sweetness lingering from his kiss. Remember when we used to steal the pastries, Crius? We'd go out behind the climbing tree and eat them, giggling at our prowess. She held on to those days. Clutched them to her, never letting go.


Ignoring the assumption on his part (of course she missed him...), Adalare quivered slightly in his embrace, heart pounding in her chest. Wendy! She silently thanked the goddess the girl was there, at least for the moment.

"We're working on getting this hall clean; we're making progress, but it's hard work. It's a pretty large room, but we should get it done on time." It was meaningless prattle, but it kept her talking and him listening. She grabbed his hand, a pleading, wan smile smoothed across her features.

"We're finally getting into the main bit of the cleaning, brother. It's a going to take us awhile." Please just let me be... the thought wormed it's way into her subconscious and wouldn't leave.

Uh oh. Wendy had already resumed her angry scrubbing when she heard the footsteps of the galdor behind her. She glanced behind her shoulder and then quickly back at her work. Her brother. At some point during her years of servitude, Wendy had decided to take a particular dislike to Adalare's brother. It mainly stemmed out of the belief that Crius attempted to make it easier for the other passive. Later this hate grew to mild discomfort, and even fear (although the little girl would never admit it).

Crius was weird. Ever since she had first met him, when he took Adalare out for walks, and even now as he visited her on at least a weekly basis. Thank goodness I don't have brothers. From the little she'd seen and heard, they sounded like a clocking pain.

It's bad enough I have stupid parents, it'd be worse if I had brothers. She could hear what they were saying over her repetitive movements. Even if they do love you. Her mouth turned down for a moment. Stupid Adalare! She has family. I don't have one...not anymore. I don't have anyone.



She felt his gaze on her, and turned, the emotions on her face ranged from fear to startled anger. Wendy pulled her eyes away from his, feeling a shiver climb up her spine.



Yes. Please get out of here. Wendy pleaded silently, You can even take stupid Adalare on one of those stupid walks you always clocking go on, but go away.

He couldn't help the smile spread across his lips, revealing a glimmer of teeth. He loved to watch her squirm for him. His unblinking eyes flicked over her face.



Crius put an index finger on her lower lip. "Shh, shh."

"I will wait, you know how patient I can be, Addie. Brother will keep you company."



Crius knew Wendy didn't like him. She reminded him of a bander - for some reason wolves took an immediate dislike to him. At times they would bark at him relentlessly, as if they'd seen a hungry ghost. Still, for all their barking, a bander's spine was suprisingly brittle. Crius wondered how strong Wendy's was.
Her distaste for him in this case worked to his advantage - if he wanted her to go, all he'd need to do was stay. He beamed at her, his thoughts invisible.

She quieted under his touch, eyes slipping to a downcast slant. She knew she'd lost whatever play of wills or cunning she had attempted. He's just... so much smarter than me. I didn't really have any hope in the first place. She had previously been very proud of his intellectual superiority. Now it verged more on respect, she told herself, but felt more like fear.


He's not leaving. She wanted to shiver, or cringe, or something. Stop it! He's just doing this because he loves you, all he's ever done is take care of you. Shaking off her discomfort, she forced herself to feel happy at his arrival, until the falsehood became reality.

She nodded at him, head bowed. "Yes... thank you. You're too kind." She turned to survey the room, and realized she had overlooked her duty to tend to Crius. You're worthless, you useless waste of flesh. Damned scrap.Suddenly coming to attention, she curtsied and motioned to some of the desks, including the teachers.

"Can I get you a seat? Anything?" Adalare glanced at Wendy again, seeing the dark haired girl tense. A sudden sort of defensiveness shot through her. How dare she react like that to Crius? He was her brother. He was the only person who tried to better her... without him, I'd still be the scared, stupid little girl who didn't know what 'passive' meant.

Things nipped at the corner of her mind, thoughts squirming like snared animals, trying to free themselves. Memories of... something... after a moment she shuddered and pushed them back. NO! She tucked some brown hair behind her ear and bobbed her head politely to Crius, aware of is eyes on her. He loves me.

Clocking hell! Wendy thought exasperatedly. Of course he wouldn't leave! A little stone of discomfort settled into the back of her stomach. The passive tried to ignore it, moving quickly towards the water bucket. She glanced up again at the boy.



She tried to keep her face neutral, but didn't manage it well at all. She glared at him, and her lips twitched as if she wanted to growl at him. Instead, Wendy bit the inside of her cheek, dipping her sponge into the bucket quickly. The icy water surrounded her fingers once again and she gasped for a moment, before squeezing out the rest of the water and turning, walking with her head down to where she had been only stopping to give Addie a look full of pure unrestrained fury.

"I can finish the rest on my own, if you want to go with him." Wendy hissed, hoping Crius hadn't heard her. As long as both of them-- and more specifically Crius-- were as far away from her as possible...She might even actually finish instead of going straight to her room.

"It's nothing, my dear. I can think of nothing that would give me more pleasure than to spend time with you."



Crius raised a hand.

"You'll do no such thing." He leant himself on the edge of the teacher's desk, arms folded, looking authoritative.



"Oh Wendy you mean it? That would be very sweet of you. I shall not forget it!" He took one of Adalare's cold wet hands in his, and tugged playfully.
"Come sister, I've just the place to show you. I found another one!"
He turned his head to Wendy and assaulted her with another wonderfully genuine fake smile.

Adalare took the compliment with grace, flushing slightly. Yet in her was that tremor of fear, clawing at the cages of her mind. ADMIT ME, they yelled at her, Aknowledge I exist, that you're hurt, that you're in pain. Just feel it...

With a quiver of hysteria, she pushed them down again, locking the cages tighter, putting more pressure on their restraints. Shadows weren't allowed to exist in the mind of Adalare Levent.

Twisting her hair up into the bandana, she turned back to her work, when Wendy spoke up.


"Oh, um! That's totally unnecessary, I mean, what kind of mentor would i be if I left you with all that is, it's simply not feasible..." Before she could form a better argument, she could already feel him beside her, his hand enveloping hers. A small, almost imperceptible sound escaped her, like a hingle's sob.


Looking over to Wendy with startlingly empty eyes, she bobbed a polite bow to the younger girl.

"Yes, thank you Wendy."

She was led from the room easily, relinquishing her movements to Crius. A new one? Adalare wondered if perhaps this was the rumored exit, one of the few they hadn't discovered over the years. "Crius?"

The theater was in one of the larger buildings, and just a short stairway away from the ground floor, where most of their hideouts could be found. Ducking into a servants hall from the back of a dismissed classroom, she noticed that this room was entirely new to her. I thought I'd looked for all the ones here... Then again, he knows where they all are anyway... she looked about for the telltale signs of a hidden door, eyes flicking from floor to ceiling.

"Crius... where are we going?" Trepidation slowly worked it's way through her. This was not a frequented building, and she knew how Crius hated being 'so clocking hushed' when they were together in the more populated ones.

Oh come off it. We both know you want to go with him. Wendy thought, rolling her eyes (This, she'd also learned from cook, who proved invaluable in learning different types of insults).



Wendy stiffened, cringing internally. I would rather you did. She turned just in time to catch the smile and suppressed a shudder. Instead the 12 year old pulled back her lips and showed him her teeth. Her expression wasn't a friendly one.



"Yeah whatever." Wendy muttered, waiting till the pair were out of the room before giving i the old once over with her eyes. Well it wasn't sparkling but it wasn't dirty enough that anybody would notice anything... She grabbed a rag and quickly wiped down the teacher's desk before picking up the cleaning supplies and leaving the room.

Those pig...faces...people won't even notice.

Crius had been studying that morning. Not from a book on the syllabus, nor from one that could be found in the great library. His attention had not been focused on lines of monite but on a detailed map of the campus and the many service tunnels that had been forgotten over the years.
Very few people were aware of their existence, and even fewer knew the original reasoning behind their inclusion in the architecture of the place. Following the directions, no, the footsteps of Kester, Crius guided his sister through the labyrinth to an as yet unvisited hide out.

"Why sister, we're exploring! Don't you miss it Addie? It's like the maze back home. And no one but us knows about it!"

Crius would have skipped along with glee if the ceiling had permitted it, but the passage was a little claustrophobic for that. He loved it when the book came in handy.

"Here we are, right where I knew it would be. Isn't this fun?!"

The room was a storage cupboard. For reasons unknown the main door had been bricked over, leaving the dusty books inside untouched for decades, maybe even centuries. A small hatch like door concealed by a large bookcase was now the only way to get in. Still, the building was well made, and ventilation was good even with the sealed entrance. Crius set down an oil lamp on a side and adjusted it to illuminate the room sufficiently.

"Addie, I learnt something new yesterday, I'm getting good at it. Want to try it?"

It was hard not to remember their maze at home, so many good adventures and epic sagas had evolved in those shrub walls. His excitement was a little catching, though deep in her get she felt like iron. Tremulous hope still tried to calm her, battle the rising tide at the edge of her mind.

"Oh, That's... that's brilliant!" She was trying do hard not to panic, it felt like a battle fought uphill...


The room was decidedly forgotten, however half the draw came from that. Dropping her hand to set the lamp, Adalare stepped forward to look at the books, delicate fingers caressing the dust blanketed spines.

"Oh Crius, this place is lovely! I wonder how old it is? You said you just found it? I wonder if it connects to any of the ones we found as children..." Pulling a book from the self, with quiet reverence opened it carefully, eyes skimming the tiny font.

After a moment she sighed and placed it back on the shelf. "Can't read most of those words. Teach me, brother?" She smiled. The books had set her at ease; he's probably just continuing my lessons! Oh what A fool I was for thinking anything else.


Those words and all their forms scared Adalare, though she tried her hardest not to show it. Yet her hands stiffened at her side, her shoulders drooped.

"...what did you learn, Crius?"

Crius looked about, thinking the same thing. He pulled one or two dusty volumes from their resting places and checked the publication years, and a wide eyed realisation crept over him. The same time! They were from the same time!

Kester often wrote about the previous headmaster, a prudish and puritanical man, who used his influence to ban a whole generation of books on magic, science and philosophy.
Heeadmaster Thanger was greatly unpopular, Kester had said, which was key to his rise to power. While the staff unilaterally opposed him, Kester supported his decisions, leading him to be selected to succeed Thanger. Once in power Kester reversed a great deal of the previous headmaster's policies, and found ways to dispose of any member of staff foolish enough to point out his dramatic switch.

And this was the room, now long forgotten, where the faculty kept their hidden editions of illegal books, until the law could be overturned.



Education was another area of her life Crius commanded, and oftentimes he would teach her to read passages from books, careful to select ones that would foster submission and dependence. He enjoyed teaching her, and it was an ideal reward for good behavior. It wasn't as if anyone else would do it - their parents' abandonment of her saw to that. That, he could never forgive them for, but while they paid his way he could do nothing about it.

Crius removed the book Adalare had picked and read the title to himself. "Anatomia Universale." Flicking through the first few pages it became apparent that it was an outlawed medical book on anatomy. The diagrams were detailed and accurate - it had probably been banned to discourage the dissections and grave robbings that were commonplace in medical science of years gone by.

"Of course Addie! This one?"



"Oh don't look so frightened, you'll love it! It's going to make reading even more fun. The spell, it lets you see through things!"

She nodded brightly, uncomprehending of anything about the book. While she had been on par for a ten year old at the time of her testing, it had deteriorated over the past years. Crius has been the one to suggest restarting her education.

Most of the time it was nice... sometimes it wasn't. She tried not to think about the not nice times. She tried to not think about anything not nice. He was nice, she was nice, they were all nice.

She shivered in the coolness of the hidden room, winter's chill adding a particular frigidness to the uninsulated and unheated alcove. Her dress was damp and clingy, the blue fabric sticking uncomfortably to skin, especially around the knees. Adalare straightened it, but it was a hopeless battle; in a moment, it was back to annoying her.


The young brunette looked up from her skirt, her smile intrigued and hopeful. Today must be a good day!

"There are spells that let you do that? That's- that's amazing!" She drifted over to his side, worries assuaged completely.

She desperately wished she had the ability to cast spells; she could just see herself in the school-yard green, her hair long and flowing, singing with a strong voice the monite that was hers by birthright... She blinked back tears as her hands smoothed her apron, hiding them from Crius. He didn't need to see her cry.

"Well, what should we do, then?" She asked, allowing him to make her decisions like always. I'm a damn fool for not being as kind to him as I ought to be.

It was moments like this that Crius worked so hard for. She belonged to him totally and completely, and he'd invested a lot of time and effort to keep her. Once again it was time for him to get a return on his investment.

Crius pulled out a black velvet blindfold and held it up to her, letting it dangle and waving it to and fro infront of her.

"I'll put this on you, then cast the spell. If it works, you should be able to see right through it! We can see how well it works by practicing reading through it."

Before she could reply, with his free hand he took the other end of the velvet and approached her face with the dark material.

At his advance, black blind in hand, she trembled. Something in his posture, in his eyes, seemed predatory and familiar.

Adalare’s hands flew to her face, a paltry defense to be felled by a word. She wouldn’t stop him, but it she couldn’t disabuse herself of the notion she was being set for a fall. Yet she knew better than to give voice to her fears, knew the punishment was worse than the action... usually.

"Yes, brother." She meekly raised her face to his, allowing him to grab her, smooth her hair while he tied the velvet over her cool face. One second, she was looking up at him, his yellow eyes strangely lit, and the next she sunk into a world of darkness.

The soft fibers tickled her skin, delicate and tantalizing against her eyelids and the crest of her cheeks. She breathed out a shallow sigh, one of anxiety… and anticipation.

Sightlessness enhanced her other senses to a ridiculous degree; she could feel Crius’s nearness in his heat, sense the dust floating in the air against her skin, smell the pages of the book that he held as a perfume. Yet, the realization of this new handicap settled in an instinctual fear. Adrenaline coursed through her, and Adalare was the rabbit caught in the cruelly playful jaws of the fox; helpless and broken. Here in the dark, fears once caged were freed, Pandora’s box of destruction reducing the already subdued girl into a mere semblance of her former self, a shaking simulacra of life.

She stood, waiting, dreading her brother’s next move, a perfectly obedient doll.

Crius stood infront of her and secured the blindfold behind her head. When he was happy it was properly affixed, he let a hand run through brown hair behind her; it was greasy with exertion. Her body was damp and cold, and her pale blue dress clinged in places. He tugged gently to unstick it, but to no avail. Oh what a dirty doll she was!

"My my, you have been working hard. You're filthy!"

He could see her nerves, her quickening breath. The power he held over her was intoxicating, and he was already fully erect. Using what restraint he could muster, he halted his advance and prepared to cast. They were alone now, and he could take all the time he desired.
In his head, Crius recited the passage from Kester's journal concerning the mona, and the attitude one should take.



Opening his eyes again, Crius recited the monite for "see".

The mona was above human concerns like gender and age and sexuality. Crius, for all his cruelty and other imbalances, was an excellent student. His field expanded, pressing in on Adalare in ways that made her nerves fire and her body recoil. Crius could smell nothing, though he rarely did when cast or otherwise. There was a light taste of berries on his tongue but the rest was purely physical. He could feel an exhaled breath on his chest, sliding down...

Adalare felt the mona working like an assault upon her senses. Her vision bloomed bright and painful before dulling again. There was light beyond her blindfold now but it was red and oppressive. Her brother was little more than a shadow, with lights where there should have been eyes. The book shone brightly like a beacon but the words were scattered upon its pages. It could offer her no comfort. She could not read it.

His hands were in her hair, or grasping at her dress, and though accidental, she jumped at every touch, suffocating on small sounds of surprise as she swallowed them back.

At least he was gentle.


The girl only nodded, not trusting herself to speak, her traitorous voice. It was not a passive’s place to correct a galdor, not her place to defend herself. A cool sweat dampened her collar and she shifted in the darkness, tossing her hair. She folded her hands in her lap, neatly as she could, though cold as they were she would have preferred to hide them in the warmth of her legs.

Seconds ticked by where Adalare merely waited, mind simultaneously blank and hysterically active. Bracing herself, she bit her lip; spells could be... painful. In the second before the spell took, her breath caught in her throat as she held on to the small lies she told herself. He loves me. He wants to help me. He’s the only one who cares. He’s all I have.

He loves me.

As the spell fulminated, Adalare gasped shrilly, the pain in her eyes unreal, leaving her with something of a dull ache even after the intensity faded. Crius’s field was just as harsh, forcefully changing things, it's touch like an unwelcome hand, making her cringe away. She felt a sudden sense of vertigo and reached out for support, trying to steady herself.

As she looked out into the murky, eerie redness, Adalare pulled back at the monster her brother had become, fear finally expressing itself. Goddess help me! What is this?

"Crius! Brother, you’re..." She couldn't find the words. She looked down at her own hands, misty white and translucent. She didn't glow. Keeping her eyes away from her brother, she spoke meekly.

"Please undo this, it's frightening."