ꜛꜜ𝓐𝓵𝓽𝓲𝓽𝓾𝓭𝓮ꜜꜛ

ꜛꜜ𝓢𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷ꜜꜛ

"How do you think you did on that quiz?" Aspen asks as we file out of the Landing at the end of the day, the bright sun casting long shadows across every building.

"I don't know what he was thinking. That was too easy," I say, shaking my head. Aspen nods in agreement. We make our way to a bench in the school's front courtyard and wait for our siblings. Syra and Nathan walk out together, smiling and laughing, and I study them carefully. Syra's face is flushed with a slight pink, and Nathan seems to stand up a little straighter around her. They make their way over, Nathan's face flickering with some ill-intended emotion at the sight of us before he turns back to Syra and proceeds to ignore us entirely. Aspen makes a sound low in her throat before rising to her feet.

"See you tomorrow, Finch!" She says exasperatedly, grabbing Nathan by the arm and dragging him away. Syra makes a surprised sound, watching the pair weave around the crowd occupying the crowded courtyard. She turns to me and opens her mouth to speak before closing it and crossing her arms.

"You know, I wouldn't trust Nathan so much if I were you," I begin, standing up and matching her pose. "If you knew anything about what he did-"

"I don't want to hear it." She interrupts me. "You don't know anything about him. He's-" She searches the sky for words and ends up clamping her mouth shut. "You know what, I'm not going to argue with you." She starts off without me, and I let her get ahead before heading in her direction. I catch up quickly, my long strides working in my favor. Just when she's thought she lost me she lets out a breath, and jumps at my sudden appearance beside her. She swears at me under her breath. As we near our house, Syra stops in front of me, looking down at me like I'm an inferior child.

"I don't want you to say another word to me about Nathan. Do you understand?" I roll my eyes.

"Geez, okay, mom, sure." She narrows her eyes and turns without a word, entering the house. I catch the door behind her and shut it quietly, heading off to my room. I sink into my desk chair, feeling the weight of the past few days lift off my shoulders and fly into the air.

ꜜꜛ

"Aspen." I hear my father call from the kitchen soon after I hear the front door ring, signaling his entrance. One word. Just my name. I know he's summoning us when I hear him yell Nathan's name a second later. Suddenly, my bed has never felt more comfortable, which I catapulted myself on the second I arrived home. I groan and sit up, the mark of my face indented into the pile of blankets under my head. I scoop up the blankets and deposit them at the foot of my bed so I can fold them later.

I stride into the kitchen, fixing my hair as I go. If I don't always look presentable, there could be an unexpected guest, and what would that do to our presentation as a family? Clearly nothing positive. The familiar tap tap of my father's shoes suggests he doesn't want to wait any longer. I lengthen my strides and take my place on one of the island stools. The pristine white marble glistens in the crystal light of the tall chandelier overhead, the vaulted ceiling reaching around twenty feet. The lights spiral down from a single mounting point, chasing each other with glimmering valor. Nathan slides into the room very inelegantly, almost bumping into the island in the process. He sticks his hands out just in time and jumps onto the stool, clasping his hands in front of him. My father draws in a sharp breath and closes his eyes, shaking his head. His foot continues tapping.

"As you both know," he examines us both now, eyes open, "a false tip led the authorities to finding out who set the Massfire yesterday afternoon." His gaze falls on Nathan now, dissecting him with his eyes. "Though I'm sure we all know who it really was." Nathan opens his mouth to speak but decides quickly against it.

"And on that note, setting a Massfire is viewed as arson, which is punishable by banishment." I gasp as the room starts to blur.

"But Father!" I say against my better judgment. He narrows his eyes at me. "An innocent- an innocent person shouldn't be punished for something stupid Nathan did!" I choke out, his eyes boring holes into my skull. He laughs a humorless laugh.