K&L: A shifting story

Year 2: 9/10

"We'll run away! They can't make you go if they can't find you!" The dark-haired girl said, pacing the floor of their shared bedroom.

"Kat," The golden-haired girl sighed, standing in the closed doorway.

"My suitor! We'll write to Prince and tell him we need aid! I think he's noble, surely, he'll have a summer home we can set up in," Kat babbled.

"Kat!" Lily yelled, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips dropping into a frown.

Kat looked up at her sister, startled. They hadn't yelled at each other since they were children. The sun was much lower in the sky than she thought it was. How long had she been trying to think of a solution? Birds no longer called to each other outside, instead she heard crickets singing in the lavender patch outside their bedroom window. Fireflies dotted the mouth of the forest like stars that had fallen to the earth.

"What?" She asked, pausing to look at Lily straight on.

"We can't...I can't just act like it never happened. I am a princess and I have to meet my parents and take my rightful place."

"Your rightful place? Yesterday you were looking for frogs in the creek!"

"Well, that was yesterday...You don't have to come if you don't want to. I know you have a meeting with Prince coming up. I don't want you to miss out on true love for me."

"Lily..."

"I won't be mad! I know it was a lot for you. If you need to go out on your own, I understand. And if you choose to return, I'll make sure you're welcomed with open arms."

"Do you hold it against me?"

Kat regretted the words as soon as they'd passed her lips. What they'd learned changed everything, but knowing whether or not Lily believed her to be a monster could ruin everything. Some things were better left unsaid.

"No," Lily sighed, walking forward to intertwine their hands.

"Promise?"

"I swear on every star in the sky."