Unmarked

Chapter 48

Lavina slouched on the couch with her arms crossed. Then she stood up and walked up to her room. She scratched her head and then clenched her teeth. Then she walked back down the stairs and to the patio door.

"Where are you going?" Ophelia said, looking at her from the kitchen. Lavina stopped and turned around to look at her.

"When did you get there?"

"Uh- a few minutes ago, I suppose."

"I thought you were with my mother."

"I was, we just got back." Lavina rolled her eyes.

"Forgetting something?" Amilia said, looking at her.

"Huh?" Amilia pointed to her neck.

"Your dog tags? Who told you you could take them off?"

"I don't like to wear them when I sleep, they're uncomfortable."

"That's fine, but just remember to put them back on in the morning." Lavina rolled her eyes again. "I mean it, I don't like getting these letters from your school. At this rate you won't be attending that nice school of yours next year." Amilia looked at her. "You still want to attend that school, right? That's the one you chose." It was silent.

"I don't know." She said, "So much has just-just happened."

"I understand, you don't have to if you don't want to. Just let me know when summer scrolls around. Were you going somewhere?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I was going to go down to the palace."

"The palace?!" Unora pipped. "Can I go with her, Amilia? Oh, please? I'll be good."

"Uh-oh, I don't know, Un-ophelia" She corrected herself.

"I will go to the palace and back, I promise!"

"What makes you so eager to go?"
"Oh, well, I'd like to see everyone get along. I haven't been anywhere but to the school and back, and well-"

"It's annoying?"

"Yeah."

Amilia laughed. "I suppose you can, but nowhere else." Amilia looked at Lavina. "So long as you can get your sister to wear her dog tags."

"What?!" Lavina exclaimed. "I don't need those things!"
"You can either wear them or not go, it's up to you."

Lavina sighed and then went up the stairs. She went into her room and grabbed the tags from her dresser. She put them on and then paused a second to shake her head. She got up and went back down the stairs, stopping in the kitchen. "Sorry." Lavina started. "But they really do hurt to wear at night."

"It's alright. You mide as well get going." Lavina smiled and then looked to Unora. "Come on." She started to the patio. She opened it, and walked to the wall. They walked through the Market and to Catalin, making their way to the castle.

"You look like you've never seen any of this before."

"Not like this. Never like this."
"What do you mean?"

"Lavina, everyone is everywhere."

"Yeah?"

"There's a troll selling- something, and there is a Goblin and an Elf!"

"Yeah? It's been that way."

"Not when I was a kid." She started. "When I was a kid all I ever saw here was Marked. It's amazing to see everyone getting along."