Rising Shards

I thought I heard the clock ticking, but it didn’t occur to me until after we left that Zeta and Kalei’s room didn’t have a hanging wall clock. I just pictured that rhythmic sound as we sat around, none of us really saying anything for a while.

”Hey, random thing,” Zeta said. ”We had to walk with Anastasia for a bit. She was probably lying, but she said she knows what’s going on with you.”

”Yeah,” Kalei said. ”Yeah, she’s so full of it.”

If Lillia was with us when we asked her that time, she probably would have pressed her for more info. But since it was just Zeta and I, we weren’t really sure what to do next. The mood was very awkward and we didn’t have much more conversation until Kalei left. It was like an awkward conversation sandwich with bread made out of silence, which was not a pleasant meal.

After she left it was just me and Zeta alone then in her room, which normally would have been a treat, but again, dour mood.

”I dunno what to make of this,” I said.

”I hope she doesn’t hate us now or something,” Zeta sighed.

”Me too,” I said.

Zeta checked her phone, and saw a reminder pop up.

”Ugh, and the thing with my mom is today too,” Zeta said. ”Are you sure you’re cool coming with?”

”I am! I’m more wondering if you want me there, since this is a family thing,” I said.

”I want you there for everything,” Zeta said. Even though she was understandably anxious about this meeting, and it was clear in her voice, it still warmed me up.

We met with Stella at one of the campus’ conference rooms. She barely noticed me show up, it reminded me of when I had a scene in theater club and was rehearsing what my lines were in my head before going. I could see Stella, a fellow actor, doing something similar while working up the nerve to talk to her estranged mom. I wondered if Dr. Diast or maybe Tik Moonheart would join us, but it seemed like it was just us.

Zeta inhaled, clenching her fists before stepping into the conference room.

”Team Starlight, go,” Zeta muttered. ”Is this really a ’Team Starlight, Go’ type thing?”

”I think it is,” I said.

Stella finally acknowledged our presence when we were seated in the conference room.

”Just a heads up, I didn’t want to bring either of you,” Stella said. ”Because I might get real pissed. I might swear a bunch. I’m sorry if I freak you out or anything.”

”I’ve been around the block a few times, I’m cool,” I’m not sure what I meant by that, because while I’d been in heated situations before, I hadn’t been in any like this.

”Alright,” Stella said. ”If things really do get heated, and I think you both should leave, I’m gonna knock twice on the table. Does that work?”

Zeta shrugged. Her breath was a bit short already, I think the stress of the meeting was starting to grow.

”Oka, if I knock and Zeta doesn’t go, can you make sure to take her?” Stella asked.

”Yeah, definitely,” I said, nodding at Zeta to make sure she was fine with that. She just shrugged again. I think nerves had taken both of these particular Faleur sisters at this point.

I wondered if I’d just be in tense situation after tense situation that day as Octa Kathron arrived, stoic as always, sitting across from us. She had a folder of papers with her that she sorted through, looking up at Stella with an air of annoyance.

No greeting. And she’s just staring like she’s mad she has to be here, ugh. Octa looked so much like her kids, but her demeanor was so different it was like she was an alien. Zeta and Stella were so bright and cheery and animated all the time, while Octa was so still sometimes it looked like she stopped moving completely. She was cold and she felt almost absent from the room even while she sat directly in front of me.

I wanted to reach over to Zeta to hold her hand, but she had both hands clasped tightly in her lap as she fidgeted in her chair.

”So, real fun stuff with you keeping an entire sister hidden from me,” Stella said. Quite the start to this conversation, but Octa didn’t seem like she was going to say anything unless spoken to so I guess it was good to get right to the point. ”Want to explain it? Even just a snippet would be nice. If she’s Zeta’s age, is she a secret twin or something? Did you take her away from us right away?”

”She’s a year older,” Octa said.

”You sure? She’s in Zeta’s grade, right?” Stella said. She strummed her fingers on the table, trying to find the words. Or to not snap immediately.

”Grade placement can get fuzzy at Cani schools,” Octa said.

Stella sighed. ”Sure. And she was away from us because...?”

”She was born while I was on a expedition,” Octa said. ”Anastasia has a condition due to being void born, and needed to remain in the node she was born in. I didn’t want to worry you, when she was very young we weren’t sure she’d survive at all.”

”Oh,” Zeta said softly. I could sense her desire to reach for her phone and look up possible side effects of being void born on that health website she was always checking, but thankfully she didn’t. She wasn’t void born, if Zeta was worried enough her anxiety could probably convince her she was.

”By the time her condition was treatable, we were separated anyways,” Octa said.

”If you’re blaming me for not knowing about her...” Stella said. I could sense a growl in her voice. When they were younger, well, Zeta must’ve been just like a baby at the time, but Stella was probably around eighteen? At that time, Zeta’s parents were gonna take them all into the void, but Stella managed to stop it, ending up with custody of Zeta, too. ”Not saying I did or didn’t do anything there, mind you. Ugh, that sounds, well. Whatever.” Stella rubbed her temples.

”I’m not,” Octa said. Her voice sounded mostly the same there, but there was a hint of something deeper than usual. Maybe like...regret? Honesty? Maybe it was just a bit of vulnerability. Or I was reading too much into it. ”Whether you did or didn’t act in regards to that.”

Stella squinted, processing like someone just told her a strange joke.

”Kay,” Zeta said. ”So why...when Ana did get here...why keep her in the mask? I get not telling us because...we were apart, I guess. But...yeah, I dunno.” She still had her hands clasped in her lap, but her foot was shaking now, that nervous tic when one needs to just bounce their ankle up and down.

”I considered reaching out in some way, but I couldn’t find the right timing,” Octa said. ”And then...someone else beat me to it.”

She didn’t have to say who. Zeta, Stella, and Anastasia’s father, Arctus. When he captured Zeta and put her in some contraption to try and make the ancient evil spirit Endora or whatever reawaken. Zeta said her mom was there, though, but when they spoke before, when we cornered her in a cave and I tried to fight Octa myself, she hinted that Arctus was with a retention sprite. I was surprised Octa didn’t mention anything about my attempted attack, but she had barely even glanced my way.

”On that note, if it turns out that you’re lying and you really were there, I’ll never forgive you, and I’ll make sure you regret that greatly,” Stella said. The venom in her voice, coming from someone who was always so nice and chill, that scared me more than Octa’s coldness.

”I wasn’t there, truly,” Octa said. ”I may have made...regretful decisions in my attempts raising you in the past. But I’d never do that. Only he...” Her lips pursed, as if just speaking about Arctus was like eating an extremely sour candy. ”And it was because of that man that I had to wait until the time was right to ensure it was safe for Ana to go unmasked and with her true name.”

”So until you could all but confirm Dad was holed up indefinitely in some dungeon in the void, well, until Tik and her friends did that, Ana couldn’t be publicly known?” Stella asked.

”So he’d...probably try to do to her what he did to me?” Zeta asked. ”That Endora thing...”

Octa’s silence was probably suitable enough for an answer to those questions. Zeta fidgeted again, now scooting her chair back and forth a bit. I wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take, and was ready to get her out of there as soon as I could.

”With that out of the way, shall we continue?” Octa asked. ”I have a bit more time, I can answer a few more questions about Anastasia.”

”Yes. Let’s.” Stella said.