Before Exillium

Chapter One

Okay, I know, I didn't post on Monday. I kinda forgot I had to be in the Memorial Day Parade, and my mom wouldn't let me be on my phone while we watched Stranger Things, and then I was with my dad the rest of the day. Sorry! (And btw, I can't usually post very long chapters)

Tam
I woke up to the sounds of gushing water and a scream from my mom.

Huh. That's weird. I thought. Maybe Linh manifested!

Honestly, I was giddy with excitement. If she had, it meant a new way of annoying our parents! And, frankly, I had always been the favorite child- I was a few hours older. I wanted her to get some credit, and this was perfect! If she manifested, she could finally be in the spotlight for once.
So naturally I changed into a tunic and khakis (maybe? I don't know if they have khakis in the lost cities) and crept to the stairs. I peers over the banister and saw my sister apologizing to our father. And there was absolutely no sign of water on the pristine marble floors, but even the gnomes couldn't clean up that quickly.

Yeah, she definitely manifested, I said to myself.

"Hey, Delilah!" A small gnome turned toward me.

"Yes, Master Song?"

I cringed at the name, but kept talking. "Did Linh manifest?"

She nodded at me, and whispered, "Hydrokinesis."

I figured. She probably had just enough control to clean up the water, and there wasn't much stuff around her that could've left visible "imperfections." So it seemed logical enough.

Anyway, I quietly walked over to Linh's room and slipped inside. I waited for her to come back, and she took another ten minutes to evade Quan's lecture.
When she made it back, she didn't notice me. "Hey, Linh."

She jumped at least a foot in the air. "Tam. Dai. SONG. Don't do that!!"

Yeah, okay, I felt kinda bad. But she had some explaining to do, and I mean ALL the details. Y'know, even emos can be fangirls at heart. Yes, I'm also nosy when it comes to her love life. I just call it "being overprotective."

And with that unnecessary detail, moving on.

She proceeded to tell me what had happened- she'd woken up, courtesy of icy water to her face, thinking it was me. She sped down the five flights of stairs to the ground floor, so that she couldn't ruin anything. Unfortunately, Mai heard her and went downstairs, too, to lecture her. I knew the story from there.

Together, we went to the spacious kitchen and ate mushy, orange, not-so-appetizing fruit for breakfast. In three weeks, when foxfire started up again (this is midterm break of 1st year) she would be starting lessons, while I continued ability detecting. And I was proud of her.