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Kristen sat at the table with her family, eating steak, potatoes, and cornbread. The typical go-to meal of their family’s choice. At the end of dinner, Kristen’s brothers are sent to their rooms to get ready for bed. As Kristen helps her parents clean up, she begins what she planned to do.
“Hey, mom and dad?” Her dad turns from the sink, and her mom turns from her rag on the counter.
“Yes sweetheart?” her mom asks.
“I have to tell you guys something.”
“Well go on ahead and tell us.” Her dad says as he swings his arm around his wife. Kristen makes an effort to stay on the far side of the counter. Just a gut instinct.
“Well, I’m dating.” Her mind begins to race, and her arm hair begins to stand. Her parents raise their eyebrows expectantly, but their faces remain unreadable. “The relationship I’m in, is with my whole adventuring party.” Her parents drop their monotone faces, directly into disappointment.
“Oh Kristen, I knew that-that school was going to corrupt you.” Her mom says.
“Don’t worry sweetheart. We can get you fixed, real quick too.” They begin walking toward her, as if she was their prey. Kristen ran up the stairs faster than she thought possible, and locked her door. Her heart was racing as she heard her parents’ footsteps trailing behind her. Kristen grabbed her crystal and called the one person she knew would still be awake. It only rang twice before Riz answered.
“Hey Kristen. What’s up?” Kristen could hear him take a sip of his coffee just as her doorknob giggled from a furious invader attempting to get in.
“Riz! I need help! I told my parents!” She whisper-screamed into the device. Eyes going back and forth between her window and the door. He spit out his coffee.
“What?! You told your parents?” She could her Riz set down his ceramic mug.
“I know, I know. Adaine was supposed to text you. And now they’re going to send me away to get me ‘fixed.’” Breathing was becoming harder as someone (presumably her father) started slamming themselves against the door. “I’m gonna jump out the window-”
“What?!”
“-And then heal myself. Can you get everyone else to meet somewhere?”
“Yeah, yeah. I can do that.” Kristen started shoving her things into a backpack. “Basrars or the Black Pit?”
“I should be able to make it to the Black Pit.” Her eyes shift to the door again as the wood starts to snap against the pressure. She zips her bag up, “Ok, I’m jumping” She opens the window, grabs her staff, and looks once more at the cracking door. Kristen steps onto the windowsill, and jumps onto the tree branch outside her window.
“Be careful, ok?”
“Obviously. See you at the Black Pit.” She finds the rope from her tire swing.
“I’ll get everyone. Good luck.” Kristen grabs onto the rope, and prepares for the coming rope-burn.
“Thanks.” Riz hangs up, and Kristen puts her crystal into her bag pocket. And she scales down halfway, before letting go. She lands and spangs her ankle. “Agh” She grits her teeth and casts cure wounds on her ankle and her hands. As she starts brushing herself off, she hears her door finally give in to her parents’ violence. “Shit.” She starts running. Running from her family. Running from her home. Running from everything she thought she knew.
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Fabian wasn’t studying, no, he was looking through the Gilded Coin’s new monthly catalog. His phone began vibrating in his pocket. He let it go, not bothering to look at who was calling him. If it’s important, they’ll call again. Low and behold, his phone rang again. This time, he pulled it from his pocket and saw it was Riz who was summoning him.
“Yes, The Ball?”
“It’s” He breathes, “Adaine and” He breathes again, “Kristen.”
“What’s happening?”
“They’re telling their parents!” Riz speeds through his sentences, “And Kristen is definitely in trouble. We don’t know about Adaine.”
“Where do I need to go?” Fabian says, with more serious than one would imagine could come from the young Seacaster.
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Adaine arrives at the dinner table, sitting down with the same rebellious confidence from earlier. Her family doesn’t so much as acknowledge her presence as she sits herself across from Aelwyn. Her father clears his throat.
“So, Aelwyn. How was your day?” He places his napkin in his lap.
“Well, I was studying all day. So it wasn’t that interesting, but it was productive.” She sipped her tea that the unseen servant just brought out.
“Adaine, were you as productive as Aelwyn today?” Their mother asked, clearly not interested.
“Well, I’d like to think I was.” Aelwyn scoffed at her sister’s response. Adaine fixed her posture and began to talk out of turn, “I’ve taken the day to prepare something for you.” Her father raises her eyebrows, and her mother turns to look at her. Aelwyn simply rolls her eyes. “I am in a relationship.” Aelwyn’s jaw drops, Angwyn’s eyes widen, Arianwen’s face stills in shock. Angwyn and Arianwen quickly recompose themselves, whilst Aelwyn continues to stay stunned.
"And whom are you dating?" This is the life or death answer. Adaine could easily save herself and just say Fabian. They would accept that. A half-elf, who is just as, if not more, rich than they are. No. She said she was going to tell them about all of it, and she will.
"I'm dating Fabian." Angwyn nods, and Ariawen sighs in deep relief. "But, I am also dating Kristin, Gorgug, Riz, and Fig." Arianwen joins Aelwyn in her stunned state as Angwyn's eyes light up in fury. His silence spoke wonders.
"Go to your room. Now."Adaine pushed her chair away from the table, and walked into her room. She shut her door, and a voice whispered in her head.
"Pack." She listened to the voice, deciding she didn't want to live with her 'family' any longer. She didn't have much to pack, but she had her books and her knick-knacks. All of which she was able to fit into her extra backpack. She stuffed her packed bag under her bed once she heard her father coming up the stairs. She sat on her bed, hands in her lap, attempting to hold a panic attack at bay. "Your crystal." The voice called again. She'd nearly forgotten about the crystal Fabian had bought her. She grabbed it off her desk and put it into her pocket. As Adaine sat on her bed again, her door opened, and there stood an emotionless Angwyn Abernant.
"Adaine." He said coldly, hand still gripping her door handle.
"Father." Adaine nodded to him.
"Something is wrong with you. These Solician hooligans have warped your mind. So, your mother and I have decided to bring one of Fallinel's-" He pauses for a moment, considering which term to use, "-doctors to fix you." Adaine begins to stand up, but with a wave of her father's hand, she is sat down again...In a paralyzed state. "Now Adaine. You are to remain in your room until the healer has come. And to ensure you do…" His eyes glow white as he casts a spell on Adaine’s room. A translucent, glittering orb appears inside her room's perimeter. He waves his hand towards Adaine, and her paralysis is gone. "This orb will act as a barrier of sorts. To protect you, of course." Angwyn turns around and shuts Adaine's door. She runs up to the magical wall and bangs her fists on it.
"You can't keep me in here!" She shouts, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. "I'm not some animal you can keep caged up!" The tears begin to cascade down her face, and fall to the floor. Her voice becomes a whisper as her panic attack sets in, “You can’t.”
After 5-ish minutes, Adaine’s panic attack subsides, and the voice from the back of her head calls to her, “Your crystal.” She pulls her crystal out and sees the notification that she missed earlier. She quickly sends another text, and watches the screen intently.
Adaine: I need help!
Fabian: whats wrong?
Adaine: I told my parents
Fabian: we kno
Fabian: kristen told riz, who got us, we are meeting at the black pit
Fabian: sneak out and meet us here
Adaine: I can’t
Fig: wdym
Adaine: my parents have encased my room in magic preventing me from getting out
Fig: ok. After we get kristen safe, we’ll come get u alr?
Adaine: ok
Riz: pack. We wont let u stay there anymore
And so, Adaine went through her bags to make sure she had everything. Not that she had much, but that made it all easier to pack. By the time she had gotten through everything, unpacking and re-packing, neat and tidy, she got another buzz from her crystal.
Gorgug: waiting on kristen be there soon
And so she waited. She waited, for probably another hour, until she got another message.
Fabian: adaine
Adaine: im here
Fabian: we r leaving the car outside ur land
Fig: we r gonna run up 2 ur window
Adaine: ok
Gorgug: can u cast anything?
Adaine: I havnt tried bc i dont want to alert my parents
Riz: prepare dispel 4 when we get there
Adaine: ok
Fig: outside ur window
Adaine, as she gets that text, casts dispel magic on her room and the orb caging her. The 5 bad kids outside of the Abernant Manor see a faint, white light coming from Adaine’s window. After the spell is cast, Adaine opens the window and gives a thumbs up. The 5 on the ground smile.
“Adaine, throw your stuff down!” Fig calls as Gorgug and Fabian prepare to catch her bags. Adaine throws down her school and extra bags. The boys hand the bags to Riz and Kristen to run back to the car. “Gorgug and Fabian are going to catch you, ok?”
“Ok!” Adaine steps on her windowsill and jumps. (AN: I know she can cast fly, but Adaine isn’t in the right headspace to properly think about casting.) She lands perfectly in Gorgug’s and Fabian’s arms. With an evidently, tear-stained face, she gives each boy a kiss. As they set Adaine down, Fig runs over and hugs her girlfriend.
“Hey”
“Hi.”
“Mrs. Gukgak is driving us to Basrar’s” Fig says taking Adaine’s hand.
“And we’ll figure out what to do next when we get there.” Gorgug says as he grabs Fabian’s hand, and places the other hand on Adaine’s shoulder.
“We should go.” Fabian says beginning to pull Gorgug.
“Yeah, before my parents realize I’m gone.” They all take off to the edge of the Abernant’s estate. When the four arrive at the car, Adaine hugs them all, but Kristen the longest. For obvious reasons.
Sklonda drives to Basrar’s, and they get a nice corner booth when they get there.
“So,” Fig pulls out a piece of paper and a pen, “Where do we know that Kristen and Adaine can’t stay?” She writes down everyone’s (except for Adaine’s and Kristen’s) names.
“Well, I can barely fit in the tree, so I don’t think we could fit anyone else either.” Gorgug shrugs and continues to eat his ice cream.
“Okay.” She crosses off Gorgug’s name.
“I don’t know how much room we have in the apartment” Riz says, “With my mom’s office and all.” Fig nods and crosses off his name whilst he eats his coffee ice cream.
“Well, I have plenty of room, and my parents would be happy to have either of you.” Fabian looks to, two of his girlfriends. Fig nods before adding on.
“The other can stay with me and Gilear.”
“Seacastor Manor is farther away from my parents’ house than Strongtower” Adaine tells them.
“Which would work out since the manor is closer to my house.” Kristin adds.
“Ok, so it’s settled. Adaine will go with me, and Kristin will go with Fig.”