Every Ice Blue Cloud Has a Silver Lining

Morning! Ready to go on a Dangerous Mission?

Tam woke up the next morning with cold determination in his eyes, and a hint of fear in his low, deep voice. Before Tam could rush over to shake Keefe awake, he rolled over to him.

"How are you feeling?" Keefe said. His blond hair brushed against the carpet, and his piercing, icy eyes showed no readable emotion. The flecks of the different shades of blue glittered from the warm sunlight pouring through the broken window. His voice was lower than normal and had a morning emptiness to it.

"I don't know," Tam admitted. "She's my sister, my twin and I thought she was in Exilium but now finding out she's in the organization I've been wanted to escape forever?" Tam tilted his chin to his chest, as his eyes travelled to his feet, covered by his rough cloak. The weather had not been merciful.

"She doesn't like it here." Keefe reminded.

Tam sighed. "I know, but it still feels weird." Tam sat up on his mat but changed his mind a moment later, the side of his body crashing to the ground to preserve the warmth.

Keefe laughed airily. "Come on, sleepy head." Tam loved the sound of his voice with his accent. The way he said his o's had Tam blushing. Tam guessed it to be Australian (How did he know? That was an adventure he'd rather not recount).

Keefe hummed a melody, low and sad. He was sitting up now, the sun shining behind him circled his body, making him look like a Greek god.

"I thought you wanted me to get up," Tam mocked complaining. "And now you're singing me lullabies?"

"Just admit you like my voice." Keefe teased.

No, I will never. I'd never hear the end of it. "Psh, when you stop screaming and start singing, I will consider it."

"Are you guys ready yet?" A familiar, loud voice asked, three short and clumsy figures trailing behind them.

"Nearly done blondie!" Keefe yelled out. Marella huffed.

"Which is why you two are lying on your mats, looking like a mess right?" Marella smirked. She hesitated before adding mess, clear as day wanting to say something else. Tam was glad she left it at that.

Tam blushed a deep shade of red. He turned away from Keefe and the rest of the group. No more time for platonic-romantic banter.

Keefe cleared his throat and turned to himself. He tore his hands through his hair a couple times, grunting when he reached a tangle, and pushing further. He popped something in his mouth and flashed his signature smirk and turned to the rest of them.

"Ready!" He said, pumping his fist. Tam rolled his eyes and did the same as Keefe (Except for the smirking at the end. He had a reputation).

"Ready." He said. His voice came out flat, but there was so much more he was feeling.

Fear

Hesitance

And Hope.

So much hope.

Tam slipped the clock on his shoulder, and the hood on his head, and turned to the Black Swan. The cloth draped over his eyes seemed to cover most his vision too.

"Okay, so, I have a plan." Marella said, her mouth and nose the only visible part of her body. "Maruca, you're going to put a force field up for us. Try and keep as little light out of it as possible, we don't want to draw attention.

Maruca hummed in agreement.

"Dex has already disabled the location in our trackers." Dex nodded and grunted in acknowledgement.

"Wait, trackers?" Keefe said. Tam mentally slapped himself. How did he not think of that?

"Yes. They're also an entry through certain doors. You two," Marella's gloved finger swept between Keefe and Tam. "Probably don't have any other authorisation than your room, and the lessons that you go to, because you haven't been in the order for enough time. The three of them probably have slightly more authorisation, think storage rooms and whatnot. But I," She pointed to herself. "Have authorisation pretty much everywhere. Including Linh's room. Anyway, Tam, I need you next to me, with me, to do any shade tricks if things don't go our way. And Keefe, I need you to walk with us for some of it, and then leave to talk to some Neverseen member, guard or no, about where your next lesson is, and get them to take you there, and Tam," she said, before he could ask. "I got my dad to cancel your lesson today. Told him that you were practicing on your own and that an audience is probably the worst idea ever. I need you to be at level shadowflex by the next lesson, even by only a bit, 'kay?" Tam nodded. "Biana, I need you to vanish all of us, at the same time, so no one sees us, does that work?"

Biana sighed. "I could try, but it takes a lot of energy to do that, and for a ton of people. I'll be able to do it, but not anything else."

"That's good. Everyone knows what they're doing?" Marella asked. Everyone nodded. Tam took a deep breath. Time to save his sister.