A Marecal Reunion

Gisa POV

I moved along the hallways, my footsteps silent after all the practice of trying not to be seen. It was easy before, just a girl from the market, but then Mare got famous, and now people everywhere notice me.

As I turn onto the hallway of Summer's room, I make loud steps and try to cry, thinking of people coming home from the war and surprising their family. They always make me cry, especially because I know what it feels like to be the unknowing family member. I was for Shade, Bree, Tramy, and Mare. Sick with worry, but never important enough by myself to get first-class information.

My eyes start to tear up at the thought of Shade, actual tars of sadness with thoughts that distracted me so much I didn't notice Summer standing outside her door until I literally ran into her.

"What are you doing?" She asked me accusingly.

I faked surprise and mortification of being caught, fake steadying my voice and wiping away my tears and playing with my hands. "Oh, um, just," Fake sniff, "Going for a walk."

"You okay?" That would have been nice had she not sounded like she was asking the gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe how it was doing. I chose to ignore it.

"Yeah, of course," I said purposefully unconvincingly, trusting her curiosity into Mare and my life to keep asking.

"You're crying," she stated as if she was saying the sky is blue.

"Yeah, it's just. You can't tell anyone okay?"

Her eyes lit up at that, finally some reaction, and she said, "Of course not, here come inside and have some sweets."

I followed her into her room, hiding my ecstasy. "So what's up?" She asked, somehow making it feel like an interrogation.

"Oh, it's just my sister and Cal."

"They'e fighting?"

"No, it's so much worse than that!"

"How could it be worse than that?" She asked, sounding like she thought that was the best thing in the universe and how could anything be better.

"They're with each other like all the time. I never get any sister time anymore!"

"I am so sorry... Gisa." She forgot my name. Typical, but whatever. I pretended not to notice as I just nodded and let a tear fall down my cheek.

"It's fine, I just... Why does she have to ignore me? For him?" I said, getting fake riled up. "I am her sister, and I always have been! And suddenly he's just better than me?! I wish they would just break up!"

That got her attention really fast. Then her face lit up as if she had an idea.

"Hey, I have an idea. I can help you break them up, if you want."

"You would do that for me?"

"Of course! No one should ever feel less than they are," and for some reason when she said it she sounded sincere. "But, you would have to tell me things. About them. That you learn."

"Like a spy?"

"Don't think of it like that. Think of it like telling your friend about your life, parts that just happen to include your sister and her relationship, as that is what's causing the pain."

"Okay. I guess. It still feels wrong."

"It's not, I promise."

"Okay, then yeah. Sure."

"Great! Now let's wipe your tears, eat a couple sweets, and then we can watch whatever you want okay?"

"Really?" I asked, actually surprised she wouldn't be picking.

"Yeah why not?" She said, standing up and going over to the cabinet, bringing out trays of sweets, and laying it on the table. "Here you go! Oh sorry and here's the remote. Just, watch in here, I have to go do something really quickly. Okay?"

"Sure."

Summer POV

I was waiting for Tyton to come, but he was late and I was impatiently tapping m foot against the floor. Finally he appeared around the corner, and I sighed and said,

"It's been six minutes. Where were you?"

"On my way here."

"I don't even know why I bother with you."

"Because you need to use me to get close to them."

"No! I don't need anybody! And I certainly don't need you! I don't need you, much less want you! You are only a distraction! So that they won't see what's truly coming."

"What do you mean?"

"You think I'm jealous of Mare? Well, I am. You think it's because of Cal? That's where you're wrong! Sure, he's attractive, but that's all there really is to him. I honestly don't get what Mare sees in him! He's just a ploy," I started getting really into it, not even realizing how much I was revealing. "But I am jealous of Mare. Not because of her boyfriend, or her friends, or her family, but because she has so much. Multiple people have found themselves infatuated with her, and she doesn't even try! She just tosses their affection away like it doesn't matter! She's an idiot! She doesn't deserve anything that she gets, she steals it from others! I am sick and tired of it. So yes, we will break them up, but not to get them to ourselves. But to make Mare feel so desperately and utterly alone that she doesn't want to live anymore. That way, it's not murder. It's suicide."

"You want us to drive Mare to suicide?"

"That's exactly what I expect to happen. An If you don't help me, and if I find out that you are working against me or not giving your fullest, then I will take every shred of happiness your pathetic half life has ever known and rip it away from you! Do you hear me?"

"Yes. Loud and clear." He was terrified of me. He should be.

"Good. Now, just to be clear. This is your role. I have a real secret spy who is closer to them than you." Not mentioning she just walked into my life seven minutes ago. "You're just the ploy. I want you to be obvious that you're up to something, but make it seem like you don't want them to know. And if they ask anything about it, deny, deny, deny."

"Okay. Who is the real secret spy?"

"Someone you'd never guess. Someone who doesn't want Mare dead at all, but is very good at responding to threats concerning the people they love."

"You're threatening everyone they care about?" No, I wasn't. But I would. I couldn't explain they walked in or he would guess who it was.

"I am willing to kill to get what I want, Tyton. Don't go forgetting that. I have a long list of victims. I have no problem adding one more name to that list. We're good here. You can leave."