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Manda sounded confident. Not as terrified as she had looked in Moenia. Or when I had told her that Alice wouldn’t find out.

And now she was bringing up the cat problem, which didn't make things any better, because the Councils blamed the Senseque for all the slashed cats that unsuspecting people found almost daily at the edge of the forest behind their houses.

“Gloria!” Mother snapped at her. “You have to call me by that name!”

She had pushed the rule through. In fact, as the Head of the Councils' assistant, she had managed to pass a law. Probably because it was a custom from ancient times, when those who had practiced the dark practices had been our greatest enemies and knowledge of degrees of kinship had been a weapon against our people.

Only one voice had been against her. Rosalynd's.

The Domini had no bad intentions, but our mother did not take it well at all.

Now another mug flew. This time past Amanda. She looked at our mother in anger.

“You can throw as many dishes as you want, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re overreacting!”

Our mother's face flushed red and she stepped forward to hug Amanda, but Amanda stepped back.

“Don't touch me!”

“Amanda...” Mother stammered, tears in her gray-glowing eyes.

“You're sick. Go to therapy!” my sister yelled at her.

“Amanda, please...” I said calmly as our mother staggered backward.

“She's going completely crazy!” my sister now shouted at me too.

I took a deep breath. “It's Sylvans fault!”

Manda looked at me in shock, then looked at Mother, who was staring at me as if I had just kicked her.

Within a second, my mother was standing in front of me. Her palm slammed against my cheek, and the first thing I felt when I flinched was pain. Then, finally, the warmth I so rarely felt followed.

Her cheeks were still glowing red, but this time so were the veins in her eyes. The gray-white glow, along with her narrowed brows, threatening.

I heard more dishes flying against the wall and saw Amanda's shocked expression out of the corner of my eye. Neither of us had expected this.

“Don't talk about him!” Mother snapped at me, her hands trembling.

I remember all too clearly how she had backed away, how tears had flooded her face, and how she had ended up running up the stairs. And how Amanda had come to me and taken me in her arms. But the memory of the feeling of her embrace has almost completely faded.

Satin Birds

Abel Korzeniowski

Monday, September 8, 1997

Entry 7

She is so full of life. Once again, my eyes are fixed on her, following her as she walks across campus with Diana, the new Quatura.

A few weeks ago, in the middle of July, there was an accident. Rosalynd just collapsed in the middle of a ritual, during a rite of passage ceremony. She's been in a coma ever since.

I thought Alice would break down on the inside too, but somehow, she manages to carry on with her head held high.

God, she is strong, because even when I ask her about it, she doesn't burst into tears, like that evening when Rosalynd Blair simply fell and Alice dropped to her knees beside her, shock in her eyes.

She is talking openly about how much she wants everything to be okay again, that she is worried, that she even writes letters to her.