I fall back into my chair with a loud thunk, my mouth slightly a-gape before I remember my manners and close it. "Half Lumien?" I whisper, half to myself half to my father. He nods solemnly and takes a bit of squash. "Remember," he says once he's finished chewing, "You must not tell anybody, understand? If word got leaked that you were half Lumien, there would be chaos." I feel lost for words and stand up, stuttering, "B-but... who was she? Is she alive?" I ask and this time Shade shakes his head. "I have already told you I cannot reveal anymore," he says, dropping the barrier. "NO!" I shout, "That's not fair! You have to tell me more!" I pick up my plate, turning around and intending to finish the meal in my room. "Zirconia, you mus'nt tell-" "Anyone! I KNOW!" I scream, whipping around and throwing the plate at my father. I take off running as I hear it collide with something, a guard looks around the corner. "Is everything alright?" She asks but I'm already down the corridor, running to the palace gardens. The paintings I've always thought beautiful and admired looming over me like monsters, the kind faces now leering and nightmarish. I throw open the wooden doors and lose myself in the flowers and trees of the garden, a few stray tears slide down my face as the cold wind whips my face. Once I've gone far away from the main palace I find my favourite tree, a cherry blossom, older than the palace itself. I trace the grooves on the bark with my index, thinking about what happened earlier. Aslet. I think, I must tell him. He has to know otherwise I'd be betraying our friendship. But not yet. I want to relax and enjoy this feeling of peace. I lie back slightly away from the tree so I can watch the stars, the constellations of Libra and Scorpio shining the brightest. The moon is almost full, another thing that will happen in two days. Why me? Why did it have to be me who was born at the wrong place, wrong time, wrong parents? I sigh and here the soft crunching of leaves under foot and close my eyes. "If my father wants me to see him, tell him I'm not currently speaking to him at the moment." There's a pause and then a soft sort of chuckle. "I would love to see his face if you said that." The voice that follows is familiar and soothing. Stretching out an arm, I pat the grass beside me and I hear the person come and stretch out next to me. "So what is it this time Zira?" Aslet asks and I turn my head towards him, opening my eyes to see a concerned look on his face, I roll over onto my stomach so I can see him better. "Well you know, a normal conversation at the dinner table," I start and end up explaining in detail what went down earlier. "And then he said she's my mom! And I'm half Lumien!" Aslet looks at me quizzicaly and nods. He hasn't said a word the entire time I talked, which is unusual. "I can see it, Shade never talks about your mother and if anyone mentions her they are punished, plus you have blond hair which is super uncommon for Obscurians." He gestures to his own hair, black with a shining, silver tint. I frown at him. "You're just gonna go with it? No uproar or freaking out or insisting we tell someone?" I ask and he just smiles crookedly at me. "No, it can be our secret." He suddenly flushes red and looks away for a moment. "Aslet," I murmur and sidle closer to him, I feel his body move towards mine, whether it's a conscious live or not. "Beautiful night." He says, obviously trying to change the subject. I sigh softly and for some reason I feel like my heart deflates a little. "Yeah it is, almost a full moon." I answer and Aslet, still on his back, moves his arms behind his head as a pillow. "So, I heard a rumor that it's someone's birthday in two days." He says and glances he me, mischief in his blue eyes. After a minute I realize I haven't responded and that I'm staring. I tense up,"Sorry, it wouldn't be mine would it?" I apologize and ask the question innocently. "Maybe," he laughs and I relax a little. Suddenly I yawn and then giggle. "Sorry, I must be tired," I say and Aslet snorts quietly. "That's twice now you've apologized for nothing, but I guess it is getting late and we should probably," "No," I protest, "Just for a few more minutes, like you said, it's a beautiful night and we should enjoy it while we can." I smile at him and he returns it, making my heart beat a little faster. "Just a few more minutes."
