Where's Casper?

Spill the tea

I'm going to have a sibling. I'm going to be an older sister. Again. For a 3rd. I don't want to.

Not many things have changed. My new stepmother's name is Agnes, and she's only five years older than me. I'm not pleased with that, but I like her. When she talks about me, she uses "he" or "him." Never have I ever liked a woman more.

My sister, Eveline, is 14 now. She's already considered lady, and I'm afraid my father arranged her marriage. As I said, she's a true beauty, and she will go for the highest ranking boys she could possibly get. He never arranged a marriage for me. He never thought about me marrying a man, probably imagining I would end up with a butcher or something like that.

I'm not happy with how my room got renovated so Agnes could stay there before she gets married to my dad for real, because here you can't sleep in the same bed with a person you're not at least engaged to. Japeth broke that rule a few days ago, but nobody will find out.

I carefully sew the little flowers on my dress. My brother is taking care of his suit, too, sewing black pieces of fabric besides me. He is more skilled than I am, even though I'm a lady. I don't give a shit about what a lady is supposed to do, but it could've been useful now. I want to do something I would have liked to buy when I went to the dresses and suits shop with Caspar. 

My brother smiles, continuing to hum something. I'd lie if I'd say I don't hate him, but it's natural. Siblings always hate each other.

"Did you enjoy it?" He asks, stopping for a moment. He notices my confusion. "I imagine you've visited several places, going into Tetral's tournament. I heard they visit the whole world in one year." He adds, but he makes the question harder to answer to. "Is it true you've gone past all of the empires? Is it true Legend is, actually, older than the three empresses together? Is it true he knows how to escape this world? Is it?"

I don't know the answer to even half of those questions, but I nod, trying to process all of the questions he asked in one breath. He's a tall, blonde boy with a strange laugh, and, from what we know, he's actually the son of a duke and a cook. The duke didn't accept him. My father, who was a very kind man at the time, offered to take care of him. He has big, brown eyes, and he usually gets mistaken for our sister's biological brother, and I get mistaken for the adopted one.

"We haven't gone in any crazy kingdom, but I think he had some "exotic" representors. Have you ever heard of Shazabah, Gavaldon, or Bloodbrook?"

He sighs, thinking about it. I know what his answer will be. No, I haven't. Me neither. We were in the same class, so we studied geography together. He's passionate about it and maybe too passionate because he spends whole nights with his maps on our dinner table, trying to find ways to contact people from the other side. That's what he calls it. Where no map in our land reaches. The other side.

"No, I haven't. Have you asked them about it? Do you know more? Tell me!"

I giggle. I haven't asked anyone about it yet, and I'm not curious to find more out. I just know bitches come from Gavaldon, pretty ladies come from Shazabah, and my love comes from Bloodbrook. Or he used to come.

"I will tell you more if you help me sew these butterflies." I say, and he drops his suit, rushing to me. This is his weak spot. He'll do anything if you offer him information. I sigh, leaving him the piece of fabric.

"I liked this boy. His name was Aric." I start, and he turns to me, smirking. "He came from Bloodbrook. You know, people in Bloodbrook believe in this entity who calls young women in isolated places and eats their heart out. Anyway, a lot of bullshit, I'd say."

He speeds up the sewing, correcting the mistakes I made. I look down. He didn't say anything about his girlfriend since I came here, and I feel like I should change the subject. 

"And there was this girl, Sophie, who I consider a pain in the ass. The lion tamer. Yes! And, oh. I forgot to mention. I've met one of my cousins, and I think he likes me. I mean... likes-likes. And Legend's name is..."

Why did I stop? I try to say "Dante," but it just won't come out. I know his name, but I can't say it. It's like my tongue twists and turns whenever I try to even say the letter it starts with. He seems confused, and I try again. Nothing. It's torture. My vocal cords hurt. I feel the world spinning, and I take a deep breath.

"Dinosaur." I say, and he frowns. "Dandelion. Dent. Dontavious."

Well, it's an upgrade. I manage to say words and not stutter. 

"Well, I clearly want to see this Dinosaur-dandelion-dent-dontavious."