Hnng...

  “Stooppp.”

  Ugh....

  “Mari... stay away.”

  So... Hot...

  I awoke gasping for air, escaping from the nightmare. The sheets were damp with sweat, and my chest was still thrumming. I could still vividly remember the freaky dream. Maribelle, chasing me around a giant boratory, blood-colored Aura threads wriggling and ready to string me up and turn me into one of her specimens.

  I tried to sit up, but a heavy weight pulled me back down. It was coiled around me and pinning me to the mattress. I tossed the thick yer of bnkets off, and, lying across my stomach, was a familiar, petite, auburn-haired elf, with her arms wrapped around me like I was a giant teddy bear.

  “Sisterrr...” I hummed, poking at her cheek.

  She shifted and whined but didn’t respond.

  “Elira...”

  She squeezed tighter, still not budging.

  This damn elf!

  “Would you get off me!” I shoved her shoulder.

  One green eye cracked open. “Mmm... morning, sweetie.”

  “Nope, nuh uh, what are you doing in my—” I paused, looking around. This wasn’t my dorm. I was in a massive bed with silk curtains, gaudy furniture all around me, and tall arched windows to top it off. The events from st night flooded back into my head.

  Right. This isn’t my house, it’s Maribelle’s. The tests. The explosions. But that doesn’t expin why Elira is currently using me as a body pillow.

  “Why are you suffocating me while I sleep?” I poked her again. “Actually, what are you even doing here? You weren’t here st night.”

  “Well...” Elira mumbled, closing her eye and snuggling deeper into my belly.

  “Hey!” I shook her. “Don’t fall back asleep!”

  She yawned, sat up slowly, and rubbed her face. Her hair was a frizzy, tangled mess. “Mmph, okay, I’m up, I’m up.”

  “If you’re up, then answer me. What are you doing?”

  “Hm, you were thrashing around in your sleep.”

  “And?”

  “And I was worried,” she snapped, her cheeks flushing pink. “Stop it. Don’t lecture me, Luna. I’m the adult here.”

  “Hahahahaha.”

  A familiar but unnerving ugh interrupted my interrogation. “Elira, at least try to answer her honestly.”

  I whipped my head around. The very object of my nightmare, Maribelle, was leaning against the doorframe, sipping from a steaming mug. For some reason, she looked uncharacteristically energized and put together, with a fresh white coat instead of the bloody mess from st night.

  “Yeah. Answer me.” I shook Elira by the shoulders. But then my brain finished processing my surroundings. “No... Why the fuck are you in here too, Maribelle!”

  She exchanged a look with Elira, held a completely silent conversation, tilted her head, then turned back to me, taking another sip from her coffee with a smug little smile on her face.

  “I’ll answer for the both of us,” she said, breaking the awkward silence. “First. Elira is here because I let her in. She was banging on my front door at sunrise, demanding to see you, looking like a panicked little kitten. Of course, I’d never turn away my third-most-favorite person in the whole world.”

  Ughhhh, gods, she’s monologuing. Way too early for me to be dealing with her bullshit, made worse by Elira’s bullshit.

  “Second,” she continued. When I came to wake you up for breakfast, I found Elira cuddled up next to you. The sight was just so... touching that I had to stay and take it in.”

  “That doesn’t expin any—” I started, then flopped back onto the pillows with a sigh. “You know what? Nevermind. I don’t care. I’m hungry.”

  “Oh? Well, that’s perfect.” Maribelle beamed, cpping her hands together—still holding the mug—and spilling a few drops onto the floor. “Breakfast has been waiting on you all morning.”

  My ears popped as I pushed myself up and stretched my arms. The mattress bounced as Elira finally sat up too, still rubbing at her eyes and trying to regain some sembnce of parental dignity.

  “Sister, your hair’s a mess.” I ran my fingers through her auburn locks, fttening the worst of the frizz. “You shouldn’t have gotten all dressed up just to hop in another bed.”

  “Mmmph. It’s fine, Luna.”

  I swung my legs off the bed and stood, stretching out the rest of my stiffness. Immediately, I felt the air touching pces it definitely shouldn’t.

  I looked down at the nightgown hanging off me. It barely grazed my mid-thigh, yet somehow, to my dismay, the fabric was loose around my chest.

  I tugged at the hem, trying to regain some sense of modesty.

  “Maribelle,” Elira’s voice went stern as she scrambled off the bed, snatching a sheet to cover me. “She’s practically naked! What is this thing?”

  “Yeah, it’s a little... breezy,” I muttered in agreement, taking the sheet and wrapping it into a makeshift skirt.

  Maribelle was still leaning on the door, sipping, entirely unbothered by our combined gres.

  “That’s the longest I’ve got,” she said with a helpless shrug.

  The connections in my brain started sparking. Maribelle’s average-sized—still significantly smaller than me. But if she wears this, it would still be way above her thighs. Why does she own a gown that doesn’t actually cover anything? And this is the longest one?

  My face scrunched, and my spine shuddered. Oh. Ew. Gross. She doesn’t wear them to sleep. She wears them for her husband.

  “Rex, Elira,” Maribelle interrupted my specution. She nodded toward the ornately carved dresser against the wall. “I figured it’d be a little small. Look.”

  Folded neatly atop the wood was a stack of familiar bck fabric, with golden accents, topped with a recognizable emblem.

  “Is that?” I asked, stepping closer to inspect it.

  “Indeed, Luna, that is a fresh school uniform,” Maribelle confirmed. “I had one of the servants deliver a new one for you earlier. Can’t have you showing all the goods before you’re married.”

  I pulled the coat to my chest, checking the fit. “Maribelle, please stop talking.”

  Maribelle cackled.

  This woman has no filter. I just want to strangle her.

  I moved to an easel mirror in the corner and stared at my reflection, holding pieces of the uniform up one by one. It was unmistakably the Aegis Academy Vanguard uniform, but... it wasn’t my uniform. The skirt was way longer—all the way down to my ankles, a cropped coat with a firm colr instead of my usual fshy vest, no mantle, and worst of all, my precious bowtie was missing.

  It was just... so... pin.

  This was the uniform of someone who didn’t need to be seen.

  Like Victoria.

  Elira and Maribelle unched into yet another bickering match behind me about something inconsequential. I continued to judge the uniform in the mirror. Today was the st day of the Summit, there was going to be a closing ceremony, and the uniform was the dress code.

  Guess I’ll have to settle for the generic cadet look. Where did my uniform even go anyway? It’s still at the arena, right? It has to be, I’ll just change out of this ter. I have to stand out when I’m in front of thousands, celebrating my win. Yes. I can already see it. Holding my trophy, looking down on Asher, everyone cheering my name. It’ll be perfect.

  Grrraaaowl.

  My stomach let out the sound of a dying animal, immediately snapping my attention back and silencing the rowdy argument happening in the background.

  “I’m hungry.” I caressed my stomach.

  Maribelle winked at me and gestured to the hallway. “Get dressed, big girl. Let’s go eat before your mother dies from a stress-induced aneurysm.”

  “Can’t I wear something else? I’m just going to change out of it anyway.”

  “Nope,” Maribelle replied, exaggerating the pop with her lips. She plucked the clothes from my hands and set them aside. “Arms up.”

  “Um, I can dress myself. I’m not a damn doll.”

  Maribelle snapped her fingers at me like I was a toddler or something. “Arms up.”

  “No—Elira—HEY! Let go!”

  While Maribelle wiggled her fingers in front of me like bait, Elira had slipped behind me. Before I could counter, she grabbed the nightgown from the bottom and yanked it straight up over my head, stripping me naked.

  Then they teamed up to unch a coordinated assault on my dignity. A few minutes ter and after a whole lot of struggling, I was dressed in a neat, new uniform.

  “Stop fussing with it,” Elira chided, spping my hand away from the colr as we walked through the halls.

  “It’s choking me.”

  The damn skirt was so long that my steps were rigid to avoid tripping over the miles of pleated fabric hanging off my waist. How does Victoria move in this without falling on her face every two seconds?

  “You look adorable,” Maribelle chimed, far too delighted by my suffering. “Now hurry along. Felix has been waiting for us.”

  As we moved through the halls, the house seemed much more lively than st night. Servants paused their tasks to greet us as we passed.

  “Good morning, Lady Maribelle. Major Elira. And...” The maid paused as her eyes found me.

  “Oh, right. This is Luna, my niece. She’ll be visiting often,” Maribelle said, giving me a side gnce. “So please treat her well.”

  “Understood. Enjoy your morning, Lady Luna.”

  Lady Luna. I suppressed a shiver. It sounded weird. Unnatural.

  Warm rays of sunlight kissed my skin with each arched window we passed. Motes of dust drifted through the beams. But what actually caught my attention was the steep angle of the light. The sun was already high in the sky.

  Wait.

  I squinted.

  “...What time is it?”

  Elira cleared her throat. “You slept te.”

  “So did you!” I cried, frustrated with her non-answer.

  “It’s almost noon, dear,” Maribelle said breezily. She’d actually answered my question, but the answer wasn’t what I wanted to hear. She must have sensed my compint coming because she linked her arm with mine to steer me toward the dining room. “You were really knocked out.”

  We eventually reached the dining room, but not before Maribelle stopped to introduce me to each and every person we came across. Felix was already seated at the head of the expansive mahogany table, finishing a cup of tea. He stood as he noticed us entering.

  “Ah, the wonderful dies have finally decided to grace us.” Felix set down his cup and greeted us. He pulled out the closest chair to his right and gestured to Maribelle with a slight bow. “Maribelle, you look lovely this morning.”

  She took his hand as she sat. “Fttery will get you everywhere, darling.”

  Felix then turned to his left, pulling out another chair and gesturing to Elira. “And Elira. A pleasure to have you this morning. I trust the staff attended to your arrival properly?”

  “They were fine, Felix. Thank you,” Elira said, sitting down timidly and immediately fixing a napkin in her p.

  “And Luna,” Felix turned his smile to me, seating me next to Elira. “Our young fighter wakes. I was beginning to worry the guest bed had swallowed you whole. You must be hungry?”

  “Hungry,” I answered, dropping into the chair. “Very Hungry.”

  He rang a small silver bell, and the doors to the kitchen swung open instantly.

  Breakfast was... quieter than I expected.

  Felix asked me about my match from yesterday. What I’d learned. Whether my control felt better. If I was healing up alright. Normal questions. Gentle ones. Elira barely ate. She kept looking at me between bites, like she needed to make sure I was still there. Still solid. Like if she looked away too long, I might disappear. And Maribelle was just... Maribelle. She did her best to say whatever she could to piss me off or make me choke on my food.

  But it wasn’t like I didn’t enjoy it. It was a peaceful moment. The chaos of the past few days was weighing on me just a bit.

  Once the ptes were cleared, Maribelle leaned back and decred, “Alright. I’m done babysitting,” and then immediately started herding us toward the door.

  A white and gold carriage waited outside, sleek and obnoxiously gaudy against the snowy backdrop. The door was already open, like it had been expecting us.

  We climbed in. Maribelle and Elira took one bench. I sat across from them. The door shut, the carriage jerked forward, and for a little while—about five minutes, nothing happened.

  The gentle rock of the wheels, the muffled sounds of the city passing by. I pressed my head against the window, watching snowfkes drift past.

  But then Maribelle spoke.

  “So,” Maribelle said casually. Way too casually. Friendly. “Elira.”

  I straightened. Oh no.

  “When are you going to stop making this girl call you sister?”

  Elira’s hands clenched in her p. “Maribelle—”

  “Not now—”

  “When, then?” Maribelle cut in, gncing at me before turning back. “She’s sixteen. Almost seventeen. When exactly were you pnning to talk about it?”

  “We don’t need to—”

  “She’s sitting right here, Elira.”

  I froze, suddenly very aware of how small the carriage felt. “Um—”

  “Because mothers fail,” Elira said suddenly, her voice cracking. The words came out in a rush, like she’d been holding them back for years. “Mothers are supposed to protect their children. Keep them safe. I watched my mother die in the evacuation. I couldn’t save Ewan and Erya.” Her hands were shaking now. “I’m a soldier, not a parent.”

  The carriage fell quiet. Just the wheels. Stone beneath us.

  “You’re her mother in every way that matters,” Maribelle said, softly now.

  “No.” Elira shook her head. “I’m sending her to war. What kind of mother does that?”

  “The kind who makes sure her daughter survives it.”

  “I’m lying to her.” Elira’s voice cracked. She still wouldn’t look at me. “I tell myself I trust Gideon. That he’s making her stronger. That this is right. But what if—”

  She went quiet.

  My chest felt tight. Lying? About what?

  Maribelle leaned forward. No teasing this time. “Then you tell her the truth. Before she figures it out on her own. Because she will.” She gestured at me. “And when she does, she’ll remember this moment. She’ll remember that you couldn’t even say it.”

  Elira finally looked at me. Her eyes were red. Whatever composure she’d been holding onto was gone.

  “Luna,” she said quietly. “I wanted to protect you. From everything. But I don’t know anymore if I’ve been protecting you... or just keeping you close because I’m afraid of losing you too.”

  I swallowed. My throat felt tight. Words didn’t want to cooperate. “You could never lose me,” I said finally. “Even if you’re being really weird about titles.”

  Elira made a pathetic sound that was between a snort and a sob. “You say that now.”

  “I’ll say it ter, too. Sister. Mother. Whatever. You picked me up, so now you’re stuck with me. Forever.”

  Maribelle cleared her throat, breaking the moment. “Well. That was touching. Now, Luna, be a dear and don’t let this turn into a whole thing before your big match, okay?”

  “You shouldn’t have brought it up then,” I muttered. “It’s already a thing.”

  The carriage slowed, rolling to a stop. Through the window was the mountainside arena looming overhead and the massive stone pilrs marking its entrance.

  A pair of cold hands pressed my face before I could make it out the door. “Before you go,”

  I already knew what was coming. “Eeek! Maribelle don’t—”

  My protests were too te. She got me with yet another slobbery kiss. This one much louder than the st.

  “Yuck!” I shoved her away, scrubbing at the wet spot she left on my face. “Why do you keep doing that?!”

  “Why not?” She asked incredulously.

  “It’s harassment, dammit!”

  A shuffle from behind made me turn. Elira was frowning at Maribelle, fists clenched, cheeks puffed, radiating jealousy. She also reached out, grabbed my shoulders, and yanked me into another kiss, pnted on my opposite cheek.

  “There,” she said, still staring daggers into Maribelle. “Mine.”

  “Y-yours?!” I sputtered. “What do you mean yours? No—why is everyone kissing me?! I’m not a doll, or a pet, or a kid!”

  I bolted out the door before they could turn me into the object of another argument.

  Freedom. Finally.

  One more second in that carriage with those two, and I would have completely lost it. The smothering, the arguments, and all the questions I didn’t have the courage to ask.

  I looked back one st time, they were still sitting there. Elira’s hands covered her face. Maribelle was saying something, probably something insufferable.

  Those two just know how to bring the worst out of each other, don’t they? Seems exhausting. But... mother. I’ve always wanted to call her that.

  I turned away and headed for the arena entrance.

  My final duel with Asher was waiting.