Unicorn Academy - Honorary Siblings

Chapter 4 - Your New Brother

Rory - "Hey, Talulah!"

Talulah - "Huh? Oh, hey, Rory!"

Jumping off of Storm and walking over to Talulah, Rory through an arm over her shoulder and gave her a toothy grin. Talulah hadn't known Rory very long, but she could already tell the smile on his face meant nothing but mischief. Valentina came over and protectively stood between Talulah and Rory, leaving the princess confused.

Valentina - "Rory, whatever prank you're thinking of pulling, forget about it. The teachers told us to make Talulah feel welcomed here, not the butt of a joke."

Rory - "Relax, Valentina! I was just gonna ask our new friend here if she's interested in taking the Newcomer Trail!"

Talulah - "The Newcomer Trail?"

Rory - "Yep! It's a trail the teachers took us after the first week of school, with all kinds of fun twists and turns!"

Ava - "Ooh! You're gonna love the Newcomer Trail, Talulah! It's so adorable, it hurts!"

Talulah - "Okay, lets go!"

Following the rest of the riders down the Newcomer Trail, Talulah felt her thoughts being divided between the fluffhoppers and gemstone hedges, but also the consistent check ins from Rory, who kept asking if she was having fun almost every two minutes. Misinterpreting his intentions, Talulah felt scared that the students were checking to see if she'd lost her posture and dignity. With her head held and a fake smile, she ignored Feather's concern as well as the rest of the group's questions about her strange behavior, thinking they were testing to see if she'd let her guard down. Moving to a more open part of the trail with a pond, the riders let their unicorns take a break while they took the time to converse. Rory, noticing how Talulah kept herself away from the rest of the group, walked up ready to explain his plan for her when Feather jumped in front of her.

Talulah - "It's okay, Feather! It's okay."

Rory - "Yeah, hold your horses, Feather! Hey, Lulah, we're friends, right?"

Talulah - "Uh, yeah...? Why do you—"

Rory - "Great! And as your friend, I've decided to take it upon myself to help you have fun!"

Talulah - "...Have fun? But I'm already—"

Rory - "Yeah, sorry to break the illusion you have going on here, Lulah, but everyone here can tell you're hiding something."

Talulah froze and looked away from Rory, her eyes darting around in a panic as she tried to find a way out of the conversation. Rory noticed her shutting herself out, so he stepped forward and pulled Talulah into a side hug, ignoring the way Feather neighed in disapproval. Talulah only let herself look at Rory when she realized that he was looking at her through the reflection of the water.

Rory - "...You know, you don't have to put a facade on for us, right? We're your friends!"

Talulah - "Yeah, yeah, I know that...I'm sorry...I just—"

Rory - "Hey, you're alright, Talulah. I just wanna know why you're always so closed off all the time."

Talulah - "I'm sorry...I think it's just a piece of me still thinking I'm in Eqeoneian, trying to make myself act like the princess my parents expected of me...It sounds dumb, I know."

Rory - "Hey, it doesn't sound dumb at all! I get what you're saying, and I wanna help!"

Talulah - "Help...how?"

Rory - "Talulah Adeline Fortuna Fairchild, as of today, I make it my mission to teach you in the art of fun!"

Talulah - "...I'm sorry, what?"