“Oooh I’m SOOO EXCITED!” Neovora screeched happily bouncing up and down. “Calm down Nene,” Marishka sighed staring at her nails. “Oh Mari, you’re so boring.” Nene muttered jumping on Mari’s bed and sitting next to her. Mari pushed her off. “No you’re just too hyper, it’s only a meeting.” She muttered glancing out our huge window at the dark sky of smog. “ONLY A MEETING?!?!” Nene screamed picking up a pillow that had fallen on the floor during her earlier bed hopping. “It’s only the most important meeting of our LIVES!” she said hitting Mari with the pillow. “Nene calm down! Someone might hear you!” Verona hissed from her reading perch above us. “How can I when Mari’s being so STUPID!?!” she said lowering her voice to a hissing whisper. “Stupid? I’M being stupid? You’re the one jumping around, EXCITED about this. I mean who wants to be segnato anyway? It just means that you have to get bonded to dude you don’t even know and rule over the underworld, dealing with everyone’s problems and complaints, ick.” She said scrunching up her nose.

“Mari!” Verona gasped. “I’m just saying, it just doesn’t sound so cool anymore, now that we’ve gotten past the ordering people around, and onto the arranged marriage.” She said sitting up. Verona sat up too and jumped down her wigs expanding and catching the draft before she hit the ground. “How could you say that Mari? Being the empress of the underworld was our dream when we were little. And it is always an honor for our family to have a queen in our bloodline.” Ver said, her feet gently touching the floor. “I just hope your queen Ver, because I think I would run away if I was chosen. No fricken way am I gonna be a queen.” She said crossing her legs.

“You mean run away from your duty like dad did?” I snapped. Everyone looked at me in shock; sadness carved into their faces. “How could you say that Alle?” Nene whispered, her eyes filling. I kept my gaze level, but on the inside I was holding back tears. I never liked to make Nene cry, and I knew that what I had said was out of line, but they had all been thinking it too. “She’s right,” Ver said in a wavering voice. She was always the strong mature one, she had to be, she was the eldest. “But she didn’t need to say it,” Mari snarled getting up and wrapping her arms around Nene’s shoulders, glaring balefully at me. “Why? We were all thinking it; someone had to say it out loud. And we can’t keep pretending it didn’t happen.” I said defensively. Mari stayed silent but continued to glare.

“Mari you know she’s right, get over your pride and accept it.” Ver said. “No, that’s why our last name means pride in Italian, we have too much of it to get over it easily.” Mari muttered. “You just don’t want anyone to know that you’re not perfect!” I yelled my anger kindling. “Alle!” Ver gasped. “That’s not TRUE!” Mari yelled back. “You’re scared mom won’t love you as much if you’re not one of the ‘perfect Orgoglio girls’.” Her wings snapped open and she bared her fangs at me. “EVERYONE has to go through that! I’m not the only one! You with your emo poetry! And Nene with her being happy all the time to cover up her other emotions! And Ver being stiff and not showing any emotions at all!” “And you with your rage!” I screamed back.

Nene stopped crying and looked between us in astonishment. “No, no, don’t fight!” she said in a desperate voice. “SHUT UP!” we screamed together. “You’re such a CRY BABY!” Mari yelled. “And you’re spoiled. Just ‘because you’re the youngest and you can bat your dark eyelashes at mom and get anything you want doesn’t mean it’ll work on us!” I said. Her eyes started filling again. “If I remember correctly, you guys were the ones who taught me to bat my eyelashes.” She whispered closing her eyes and turning her head away from us. Her wings snapped open and she ran away from us and towards the door. Leaping into the air she soared out of the room and out of sight.

We all stared after her in shock. “Great, now look what you did.” I muttered. “What I did?!?” Mari growled looking at me. “You’re the one who started this!” “But you…” “SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Ver yelled at the top of her lungs, her wings still extended. “Mari! Get out.” She snarled. “But,” “NOW!” Ver yelled pointing to the door. “Go find Nene.” She ordered. Mari turned sullenly towards the door, her wings drooping.

“YOU!” Ver said after Mari had lifted off the floor and flown down the hall where Nene had disappeared. I looked at her, my eyes wide. “WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?” she snapped. I flinched. It was almost impossible to get Ver angry, and when you did it took a while to calm her down. “First you make Nene cry, then you piss off Mari, then you BOTH make Nene cry…what’s wrong with you?!” she said her big amethyst eyes boring into me. I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue ranting. “ANSWER ME!” she screamed. I jumped. “W….well…um…I’m just stressed, and irritated.” I said quietly, my eyes downcast. “We’re all stressed, we’re all irritated. Mom’s cool is hanging by a breaking thread. I mean have you heard of what they’re saying about dad? We can’t go anywhere without everyone turning to stare at us and whispering. She’s falling apart. Mari’s more irritable than ever. Nene’s miserable. She doesn’t even sing anymore. You’re getting meaner, saying nasty things to people that you have no business saying.” She muttered running a hand through her curly orchid hair nervously. “And I’m….I’m absolutely getting crushed with the responsibility mom’s putting on me. ‘Is Vera here? Well go get her please I need to talk to her about something.’ ‘Verona, my darling, can you please go check on my roast in the kitchen, I’m getting hungry.’ ‘Are the Lussurias’ here yet? Well go greet them please and show them to the sitting room would you?’.” Ver said impersonating mom’s voice. When her voice was her own again she snorted with an annoyed expression on her face. “Why can’t she do her own errands? She has legs. Just because dad left doesn’t mean that she can to completely shut down. I mean he was our dad, but do you see us sulking around in his study, crying over photos of their bonding ceremony?” she fell backwards onto her bed, sinking into her comforter and pillows.

“Why does it have to be me? I’m just a kid. Why can’t she let me be a kid?” she groaned rolling onto her stomach and burying her face into the comforter. “Like I said before, we’re princesses, we’re supposed to be able to deal with extreme stress, it’s in our blood or something.” I murmured sitting next to her and rubbing her back in between her now folded leathery wings just the way she liked it. “But it isn’t FAIR! Why can’t we just be kids, instead of the little perfect adults everyone expects us to be? And you know what’s crazy? They were in the same exact position we’re in right now. They probably said what we’re saying too. That they’d never be like their parents. But then here they are, 20 years later, doing exactly what they said they wouldn’t.” she muttered. I didn’t have anything to say to that, because it was absolutely true.

“Allera?” she asked after a moment of silence, rolling onto her side to look at me. “Yeah?” I asked warily, Ver had tears in her eyes, she almost never cried. “don’t you ever think sometimes, that you don’t…that you don’t want to be a princess anymore?” she asked, looking at me with wide desperate eyes, silently begging me to tell her she wasn’t alone in her doubtful thinking. “Yeah, all the time.” I whispered. She visibly relaxed.

“But you know what Ver? I think it all turns out to be worth it…all the pinchy shoes, all the etiquette classes, the council meetings. Cause we’re happy like this. Our family is together, and we learn and do things that regular down worlders don’t. And you know you love being able to eat anything you want at anytime and not having to cook it yourself.” I smiled and she grinned back. “You know it.” She said whipping away her tears with the back of her hand.

“And the being able to fly around the house,” I grinned. She rolled her eyes. “That was daddy that let us do that, mom HATES it when we do, she’s afraid we’ll knock something over that’s ‘priceless’ and break it.” She sighed. “But we did. Remember that picture ‘dragon’ by M.C. Escher?” I asked. “Yeah didn’t we break it?” “Well technically, no. we just broke the frame and the glass in it, the piece wasn’t harmed, thank goodness.” “Wasn’t that an original?” I pursed my lips, thinking. “Yep, mom isn’t the kind of demon to buy fakes.” We giggled. “What about ‘humanity’?” she asked. “Remember, we broke it playing hockey.” She smiled. “Mom was pissed.” “what about, uh…’modern art’?” she asked. “Didn’t great auntie Mai puke on it?” I said thinking back. “I’m pretty sure she did, isn’t it so convenient that that happened to be mom’s favorite picture, and that this happened a few days after mom insulted her decorating skills in her own home?” we laughed. “Dad always told her it wasn’t wise to insult her…”

That sobered us up. I glanced at Ver’s straight face after a moment, knowing she was thinking the same thing I was. “I wonder where he is now…” I whispered. “I wonder if he still thinks about us…” she whispered her thoughts far away from our home. “Of course he does Ver! We’re his crown jewels! He said so himself!” I said, my eyes going wide with shock.

“Really Alle? Because last time I checked you don’t leave your crown jewels unprotected.” She said in a hard voice. “That’s not true!” I gasped, though I had been thinking the very same. “We have mother, she’s kept us alive this long.” I muttered. “Barely. If we didn’t have all those servants to go out and buy food we’d be dead. And since we’re never allowed to go out of the estate without an escort, and never on shopping trips we can’t do it ourselves. Cause I know mom sure as hell won’t do it.”

“Don’t be so hard on her Ver. He was her bonding mate. They were supposed to stay together as long as they lived. And even if one of them died, they were supposed to never be bonded again.” I whispered, remembering the many pictures of mom and dad’s bonding ceremony.

Mom, in her beautiful custom made dress with a purple ribbon-like pattern down the front. But the beauty of the dress was dull in comparison to her face. Her attendants had completely made her up; her eyes had been darkened by mascara and black eyeliner. They had even taken glittery purple eye shadow and made raccoon tracks all around her eyes and to the side of her face. And on her cheek was the bonding insignia of our family, a circle with the spokes leading to a waxing gibbous moon and a purple circle. And on the back of her hand was the engagement sign of our family, a peace sign with pentagons all around it and stars. Dad looking similar, but wearing a strapping purple two piece suit instead of a dress.

The customs of bonding were that the bondess and groom would invite their whole family to attend, and gather in the grande sala, or grand hall. And the whole wedding’s color pallet was based off of the bride’s last name. Orgoglio-pride- was purple, so that was the color of mom and dad’s bonding. And upon bonding, the bondess and groom would have the bondess’ family insignia permanently marked on their right cheek. Then the families would all say ‘benedetto è questo legame per sempre e sempre.’ blessed is this bonding forever and always. When these words were said the bonded couple’s hair and eyes would turn the color of the bondess’ last name. then something magical would happen. The male would turn into whatever species the female was. Mom was a Figli di volo, so dad grew lavender wings too, and his canines got sharper. If the couple were to have children, their hair, eyes, and wings-if they were Figli di volo- would be that color as well.

I focused back on Ver, who was zoned out as well, thinking of something. “I know you remember the song daddy taught us when we still had little bat wings, the one he would sing to us when he and mom would be gone away to secret consiglio meetings, and we were all alone with the servants,” I whispered, pulling her from her daydreams. She stared at me for a moment. “Yes, I remember.” She whispered. The song had always been one of comfort. It made me feel like dad was still with us, though we couldn’t speak to him or touch him. “Do you remember your part?” I asked. “Of course.” She said, smiling a bit. “Sing it with me in English.” I said smiling too.

On an unspoken signal I began my part. “As you go through life you'll see, there is so much that we, don't understand. And the only thing we know is things don't always go, the way we planned.” I sang. “But you'll see every day, that we'll never turn away, when it seems all your dreams come undone. We will stand by your side, filled with hope and filled with pride, we are more than we are, we are one.” Ver sang, finishing the first section.

“If there’s so much I must be, can I still just be me, the way I am? Can I trust in my own heart, or am just one part, of some big plan?” a voice sang from the doorway. Nene walked in with Mari and sat on the bed next to us. We all grinned at each other.

“Even those who are gone are with us as we go on. Your journey has only begun. Tears of pain, tears of joy, one thing nothing can destroy, is our pride deep inside we are one.” Mari sang and we all looked at her in awe. We could never get her to sing anymore. “We are one you and I; we are like the earth and sky, one family under the sun. All the wisdom to lead, all the courage that you need, you will find when you see, we are one.” We all sang in harmony.

There were a few moments of silence between us as we all stared at each other with small smiles on our faces. “You’re voice is still as beautiful as I remember.” I sighed running my fingers through Nene’s hair. She giggled happily and her face brightened. “I didn’t think you’d want to sing that anymore Mari.” I said looking up at her. “Course I would, that’s our special song. And we promised daddy we’d stick together and protect one another didn’t we?” we all nodded. “Promettiamo, we promise” Ver said sticking her hand into the middle. “Per rimanere, to stay,” Mari said stacking her hand on top of Ver’s. “Insieme per sempre, together forever,” I said putting my hand on top of Mari’s. “Sorelle fino alla fine, sisters till the end.” Nene finished, putting her hand on top. “And let Satan himself strike us dead if we don’t.” Mari grinned and we all laughed, the mood between us lightening.

“About earlier Mari,” I said sobering. She held up her hand. “You’re already forgiven, and I was stupid for snapping at you like that and insulting your poetry. You’re really at your best when you’re sad.” She smiled. I beamed; a genuine compliment from Mari was rare. “And you come up with you best comebacks when you pissed.” I said. We smiled forgivingly at each other. “Sorry Nene, for making you cry,” I murmured looking at her guiltily. “We didn’t mean what we said, we’re all just stressed.” Mari finished. Nene beamed up at us. “It’s ok! I know you didn’t mean it, and I am kinda a cry baby, I’ll try and work on that,” we both sighed happily; Nene could hold a hell of a grudge sometimes.

“If,” Nene continued, holding up her finger. We looked at each other worriedly. “You guys promise, to stop fighting.” She finished. We raised our eyebrows. “That’s it?” I asked relieved. “No doing all of your antiquity homework for you?” Mari checked. “Nope, not today at least.” She smiled evilly and I pretended to shiver. “Promise.” She said seriously. “What'd ya think Mari? You think we can go a while without arguing?” I asked. She pursed her lips, taunting Nene. “Well…” she said trailing off. “I guess.” She laughed.

“Do the sacred promise handshake!” Ver laughed. I rolled my eyes and grasped Mari’s hand as if to shake it. “We solemnly promise to not argue until mistress Nene gives us permission to do so.” We said using our promise handshake to emphasize our words. “Yay!” Nene yelled when we finished.

“And, we’re all sorry Ver…I’m sorry for saying your emotionless. You just have better self control than we do.” Mari whispered looking at her. “Yeah, I’m sorry you have to deal with our bickering all the time.” I muttered. “And I’m sorry you have to comfort me all the time.” Nene said her eyes downcast. “But what we’re all sorry for is that you have to take care of us all the time, because we’re not responsible enough to do it ourselves.” I said sadly. Ver was silent for a moment as it sank in.

Finally she snorted. “Don’t you think these apologies have been due for a while now?” we all looked down guiltily. “Why do you all look so guilty?” she smiled and we all looked up in shock. “I don’t mind taking care of you guys. You’re my responsibility too, not just mom’s. And…as weird as it sounds…I don’t mind taking care of you. Even though you do get on my nerves sometimes.” She said sheepishly. “Really?” Nene grinned. “Yeah, and I’m proud to call you my little sisters.” We paused for a second and the Mari screamed, “Aw, GROUP HUG!!!!” and we all pounced on her in a mass of white skin and purple hair. “Noooo!” she yelled as we tackled her back onto the bed. When we were all holding onto Ver we giggled. “I love you my little soldiers.” Ver whispered stroking our hair. “We love you too Ver.” Mari sighed.

We stayed like that for a few moments, relishing in the warmness of each other’s bodies, until a small nervous cough drew out attention to the door. “Excuse me, but the Mistress has told me to tell her daughters that the council meeting will start soon, and that she requests you prepare and meet her in the foyer in precisely fifteen minutes.” Vera murmured quietly curtsying. “Thank you Vera, we’ll be down in a few minutes.” Ver smiled. The servant nodded quickly and curtsied again, excusing herself. Ver nodded her head, permitting her to take leave. Vera left, closing the door behind her quietly.

We sat there for another moment, none of us wanting to break the mood, but mom was always a bit early or on time to the council meetings, and would get hopping mad if we were late and had to take seats in the back.

I untangled myself and stood, stretching out my wings to their full length, my fingers reaching for the sky. I popped a few vertebrae as I twisted this way and that. Slowly the others stood as well and stretched making their way around the room changing clothes and getting ready.

“Ow…” I muttered as I relaxed my wings. “My wings are sore…” I groaned as I reached behind me to massage the area where my wings connected to my back, but I couldn’t quite reach. “They look sore…they’re drooping.” Mari murmured, coming up behind me. “Massage, please.” I said. In response she started to press rhythmically on the skin around my left wing, gently kneading the sore spots. I groaned. “That feels sooooo good, you have magic fingers Mari.” she laughed, and started to massage around my other wing. “Better?” she asked when she was done. “Much.” I grinned, turning to face her. “Thanks.” “You haven’t been doing you exercises.” She muttered in response. “I forgot…” I muttered sheepishly, wondering how she knew. “Well what have we learned today?” she said sarcastically. “To always wash up before dinner or mom will kill me,” I laughed. “To jump on your bed when you’re out on the garden.” Nene laughed. “And to always sing to you early in the morning.” Ver grinned. Mari just rolled her eyes. “And if you do that stuff ill do exactly what I did yesterday.” We all cracked up. “Hey Alle, you know I love you right?” Mari smiled. “What do you want?” I asked flatly. She grinned bigger and turned, her back facing me. “Can you pull my wings through please?” she pleaded. “Fine, pull your shirt over your head.” I muttered. She did, pulling the red cloth as low as she could without hurting her wings, and I took it from there, gently bending and folding her wings this way and that trying to slide them through the slits the servants had painstakingly cut into all of our clothes to specially fit us. When I had finally gotten them through I pulled her shirt down, the hem hovering three inches above her belly button. “You sure mom’s gonna let you wear that?” I said doubtfully. “Course, she’s the one who bought it for me.” she said grinning over her shoulder at me.

“Oh, and one more thing my favorite sister in the whole wide world.” She said fluttering her eyelashes. “What now?” I groaned, wary she’d ask me to do something crazy for her, like get her sexy red heels and put them on her feet, she always did. “Don’t look so glum chum, I was just gonna ask you to lace up the back of my skirt.” She said innocently. “Fine.” I sighed again. She grabbed her skirt off the edge of her messy bed and slipped it over her hips, holding it up in the front while I wound the strings through the loops in the back, making an ‘X’ pattern to her waist, and tying a knot at the top.

“Thanks Alle!” she sang “Whatever.” We could be at each other’s throats sometimes, but we still loved each other, and we were supposed to fight, we were sisters. Ver cleared her throat. “Well, if our mushy moment of sisterly love is over, I’d like to get you looking decent before we go downstairs.” She said to me. I rolled my eyes and released Mari. “now come over here so I can fix your hair, it’s a mess.” She said clucking her tongue. I walked over to where Ver stood next to our vanity and sat on the small bench in front of the mirror.

“What are you gonna wear?” Ver asked as she pulled the ponytail holder out of my hair. “Uh, can you grab the red strapless dress that has the poofy skirt, Nene?” I asked. Nene disappeared into the huge black hole we called a closet, her outfit already changed. “So how do you want it today Alle?” Ver asked drawing my attention back to her. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, thinking. “Um what about that hair style that Madam Vero had at the market?” I asked curiously. “Well, your hair’s longer than hers, so it’ll be a little harder, but I’m sure we can manage.” She reasoned, picking up a black brush that was sitting next to my arm and running it slowly through my hair.

Nene was back in minutes with the black and red dress hanging on a hanger. “Here you go.” She said happily, hanging it from a post on the vanity. “Thank you.” Ver said. When Ver was finished brushing out my hair, she paused ordering me to get dressed.

When I was finished she sat me down again and rolled my hair into a smooth bun against the back of my head, then pulled out pieces of my bangs and curled then around her fingers, leaving them out in the front. She added two red and black hair sticks before shooing me away and starting on Nene’s hair.

By the time Ver was done with Nene, Mari and I were dressed; Mari just needed her hair styled. Mari took Nene’s place at the vanity and Nene added the finishing touches to her outfit.

Finally Ver was finished with Mari’s hair. She quickly slipped on her four inch black heels and started putting on her jewelry as she rushed us out the door.

“What about your hair Ver?” Nene asked as Ver practically pushed us down the stairs. “It’ll be fine; I can comb it out with my fingers.” She said putting on a dangly chandelier earring. Nene didn’t look convinced, and ducked quickly around Ver’s arm dashing back upstairs as soon as she saw an opening. “Neovora!” Ver hissed in a whisper, not wanting mom to hear us. “I’ll be right back you need to brush your hair.” I heard Nene’s voice whisper back from the landing. “Come Neovora, NOW!” she hissed, sounding like mom. Nene didn’t answer, and Ver started to go back up when we heard mom’s voice call out on the first floor. “Verona, Marishka, Allera, Neovora, come my darlings, we’re going to be late…” her voice was getting gradually louder as she approached the foyer, the quiet patter of many footsteps behind her; servants.

Ver looked at the landing, then at us, then at the bottom of the stairs quickly, unsure. “Coming mom.” She said after a moment, turning to walk down the stairs. We went down as slowly as we could, giving Nene time to hop down the stairs and join us just before we entered the light and view of the first floor, the brush swinging from her fingertips by a small chain.

There was a collective sigh as we all stepped onto ground level gracefully. Vera, Jance, Seeker- as we called him, stood in a group slightly apart from mom, all of their eyes wide and ogling. “Beautiful,” mom sighed. “They do clean up well don’t they?” she said. The servants all nodded quickly and Seeker grinned behind mom’s back, winking. We smiled, holding back giggles. “Venire, come, we’ll just make it.” Mom said heading towards the rear of the mansion, all of us trailing behind.

We walked briskly past the front door and the hall that lead to the kitchen; I could smell one of the servants cooking roast turkey, and down one of the many corridors, past pictures of the past kings and queens of the underworld that our family had been close to. We passed another scarcely lit hallway that lead to mom and dad’s bedroom, and dad’s study. I shivered and looked at Seeker, who was eyeing Marishka. I looked at her too. Her exposed middle was covered in goose bumps; whether from the cold draft or the unnerving sense of foreboding knowing we were about to be initiated into il segnato ceremony, I didn’t know.

“You look very nice in that Marishka, but isn’t it a bit short?” he murmured walking up beside her, she jumped a bit from his sudden presence, but soon relaxed when she saw it was him. “If mom thinks it’s ok then I’m wearing it. This was just too cute to feed the moths.” She grinned up at him. “Well you look beautiful… just try not to swing your hips so much, or you’ll give those old men at the meeting a heart attack.” He whispered in her ear. She blushed scarlet in response, and he continued walking back and forth, complimenting the four of us until he got to me, in the very rear of the group. He slowed his pace to match mine, as he grinned down at me. I glanced ahead of us just in time to see Ver snatch the brush from Nene and run it through her quickly, and then set it down on a small hallway table, her hair now smooth.

He made a low whistle as he looked me over again and I giggled. “You can be my mistress,” he said in an overly seductive voice and we laughed quietly, not wanting to let mom hear us laughing. She didn’t believe in servants + mistress = friend, relationships, so we all kept it secret. We even played cards with all the servants in the small basement under the stairs sometimes. Vera could burn you real bad in Poker.

“Thanks,” I murmured, my cheek flaming. I was wearing one of my favorite dresses. It was red with three black stripes and a bow across the top. The bottom of the dress was flared outward with a black and red fishnet trimming, stopping mid thigh, a pair of three inch heels topping the outfit off.

“Aw, don’t be embarrassed padrocina, you know I was kidding…. kind of.” We grinned again. Suddenly there was a brightening at the end of the hall. We entered the Dom Camera, named appropriately, because of the huge skylight that filled the room with a bright yellow glow, about 24ft up. Dad had even had a small balcony built into the walls under it so the servants could keep it clean safely.

We avoided the scattered comfortable but worn leather couches and end tables, making our way towards the almost hidden hallway on the far end, ignoring the hallway that lead to the servant’s wing and another hall that lead to the main basement where we had our exercise and training facility complete with an indoor and outdoor Olympic size pool and indoor track with a flight obstacle course.

I inhaled deeply, and smelled the comforting aroma of lilac and a hint of mocha latte. Dad. I thought, thinking back to the hours we had all spent in here, even mom and all of the servants, just laughing and telling stories. This was where I learned to read…I thought with a pang of sadness as I remembered the happy easy times when we were all together. One big happy family in the truest sense.

I glanced at everyone’s face; they were copies of mine, full of sadness and reminiscence as they looked around the spacious bright robin’s egg blue room.

Even mom averted her face from the beautiful black and white family pictures that lined the walls and showed the six of us, and sometimes just the four of us growing.

And then we were in another hallway that seemed overly dark in comparison to the Dom Camera. Mom seemed to visibly relax. Obviously it was hard on her nerves to walk through dad’s favorite room in the house; it was for all of us.

“So…”I said casually, tired of the silence. “Can’t wait to hang out with Mari can you?” I asked, smiling slightly. He just smiled a knowing smile, and I knew there was a lot more going on between them that should remain unsaid.

We entered the guest wing, passing many empty rooms, the beds made up and the rooms spotless for any last minute visitors.

Mom stopped walking and turned to face us. Everyone immediately shut their mouths, ending all quiet conversation that had been going on. “Vera, I expect dinner to be on the table when we return.” She said in a callous voice. “Yes Mistress.” Vera said bowing her head. Mom turned away from us and drifted to the far wall that had been left completely bare. The four of us automatically drifted after her. “Bye sweetheart, good luck.” Seeker murmured and I followed mom. “Be good, girls.” Jance said grinning “As good as they can be.” Ver muttered grinning. We all smiled and stood behind mom.

Placing her hand on a small indentation in the wall in the shape of a hand she said in a sober voice, “In nome di Orgoglio aprire questa porta,” in the name of pride, open this door.

The wall under her hand began to ripple, like dropping a pebble into a still pond. She withdrew her hand when the rippling had spread to the entire wall. She glanced back at us, and then faced forward, walking into the wall. It seemed to swallow her as she disappeared. The wall continued rippling, as we stared after her. “See ya.” Ver smiled at the servants and walked through. We followed, Nene grasping my hand tightly.

Instead of feeling the cold, hard, dry wall I felt a warm liquid surround me, gently lapping at my skin like the waves in the oceans that I had seen on Earth through the mondo Watcher.

When we emerged on the other side my eyes fluttered open, but I quickly squinted them, the sudden light hurting my eyes.