Mirror, Mirror

2.15 Moral

The Ice Princess is a trap. Did you know the seasons used to cycle naturally, winter into spring, spring into summer, summer into fall, and fall back into winter again? Humans decided to play god and tamper with it. They wanted to banish winter by having a single person hold all of it in her body. A noble sacrifice.

Nothing compares to the way I feel knowing I'm bringing you into the world.

❖

The next several days, Starla sunk into a dark fog without her cousins, who were avoiding her. She spent most of her time with Ri-Yu. A few times, Rayvin tried to make conversation with her, but she was too busy with her Ri-Yu and cousins drama to pay as much attention to him.

She and Ri-Yu were cuddling in Starla's bed, when Starla finally asked the question again that had been plaguing her mind.

"Ri-Yu, why are you here?"

Ri-Yu, whose back was pressed against Starla's chest, untangled herself from Starla's embrace and turned around to face her.

"I missed you," Ri-Yu said, cupping Starla's jaw lightly.

"I missed you too," Starla said, feeling silly for even asking. Her mind went blank as Ri-Yu drew her into a deep kiss. They had started kissing. Starla told herself it didn't count. Ri-Yu was just having fun before she was "locked down" like she said, right?

"But why are you here? Why now?" Starla insisted after they'd broken apart. A look Starla didn't understand flickered across Ri-Yu's features.

"Why are you here, Starla? Helping a princess take your place? Vying for the love of a man who doesn't give two shits about you?" Ri-Yu laughed. A beautiful and vicious smile broke across her face.

"I'm needed here. And my family is here," Starla said, trying to concentrate as Ri-Yu stroked her hair.

"And do you think they're going to keep you around once you've fulfilled your purpose of passing off your role to Miss Rayna?"

"Poppy-Anne and Riv care about me," Starla asked, her throat tightening. "And their moms too."

"Do they?" Ri-Yu asked. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Starla said, panic knotting in her gut. "They said I'm their chosen family."

"Sweetheart, I haven't seen you talk to any of them in days," Ri-Yu said. "Sooner or later, they're going to realize how little you mean to them."

"Why would you say that?" Starla's voice wobbled, and a tear trickled out of the corner of her eye despite herself.

"Oh, don't cry," Ri-Yu murmured, wiping the tear away gently with her thumb. "You were always an ugly crier. I'm just trying to protect you, Starla. The world hates people like us; we have to look out for one another." Starla didn't respond, just closed her eyes and willed the emotions to pass.

"Give me your hand," she heard Ri-Yu say.

"What?" Starla blinked her eyes open.

"Give me your hand," Ri-Yu said again, and Starla complied. Ri-Yu took Starla's hand gently. Then, she removed the ring from her finger and slid it onto Starla's. Starla didn't understand what was happening.

"Marry me," Ri-Yu said softly. "There's nothing left for you here. Come with me, and you could be a princess again."

"Marry you?" Starla balked. "You're engaged."

"I'll call off the wedding," Ri-Yu said, holding Starla's hands in her own. "I'll tell my father I refuse to marry anyone unless it's you. I'll find some way to convince him. If I promise to take a man to bed to have a child, maybe he'll be OK with it..."