The Falling (Book I)

The House

Melanie

"You should buy that one; it suits you better." Mikayla pointed to a light blue dress.

I disinterestedly pulled the dress off its rack and studied it for a minute before shaking my head. "No, I have this one in green. Remember? Father bought it for me for our birthday last year."

"Oh, yes. He got you that dress and a bracelet for me." She wrinkled her nose. "Honestly, he knows I dislike bracelets."

I saw no point in telling her he could barely tell us apart, let alone remember our likes and dislikes. He was home infrequent enough he never knew us.

She and I were out shopping for the upcoming ball celebrating Lin's birthday. I did not mind wearing one of my dresses back home, but Father insisted we "update" our dresses for the ball. I knew he hoped the king would court one of us. My heart sank when I realized which of us Lin favored.

"I already found my dress; we are still here because of you," Mikayla grumbled.

"Sorry, I am picky," I said unapologetically, sifting through the racks.

I was bored, too, so I grabbed a random purple dress and held it out so she could see it. "What do you think?"

She stared at it critically, before humming in approval. "Lovely, it may not the latest style, but it is better than nothing. And purple a good color on you."

We took our dresses to the counter to buy them. The worker told us the price and Mikayla dropped the coins into his hand. He bagged the dresses and handed them to us.

"Thank you," I said as I followed my sister out onto the street and into the waiting carriage.

"Zane has been behaving strangely as of late," she said when we were settled.

"I am sure he has much on his mind. Father has started to pass household duties to him." I waved a dismissive hand.

"No, it is not that. He seems nervous about something, and I have caught him muttering to himself."

I rested my chin in my hand. "Maybe he was talking to Kopa?"

Mikayla gave me a dubious look. "Can he not do that silently? He is hiding something, and I want to find out what."

I hoped he was not still anxious about my involvement with William. There had to be something else that was bothering him, too, if he was acting dodgy enough Mikayla was noticing. Her words made me uneasy as well. Her familiar was a small scorpion. She often shifted to eavesdrop. It was always ironic to me she was the stronger of us two and her familiar was a useless little scorpion. At least my crow could open doors.

"I do not know what to tell you, Kay. I have not noticed anything different." I sighed.

"Of course you have not noticed," she sniffed, "you are never home anymore. Honestly, Melly-bean, where do you sulk off to all the time? You used to be in the library, but I can never find you there now."

"I like taking walks in the woods," I answered.

"Hmph. When is the last time we sparred?" Her beetle black eyes glinted mischievously.

I grimaced. At that point, I had my fair share of sparring. Father was right: I was a lousy fighter. I did not believe I would ever improve my skills. I had always been better at evasive maneuvering than Mikayla and Zane, but weaker in terms of strength and battle tactics. I just lacked the mind for it. Father said I was "flighty at best and a coward at worst."

"Not long enough. Use Zane as your punching bag; it has only been a few months since I fought two angels. I am done fighting for a while."

"Oh, Melly-bean, you should brush up on your skills! Come, when we get home, we can go at it on the training ground! I can give you some pointers!" She leaned forward excitedly.