Fae felt uneasy as she pressed the send button.

She was passing on what she heard from Vi. According to her, the killer should have a burn mark on one of his hands. It wasn’t much, but with other evidence, it might be enough to catch them.

Of course, she had no way to know what the people involved with the Clock Link page would do with the information. That wasn’t reassuring, but she didn’t want to risk contacting the police herself. This was the best she could do.

“Thank you for letting me use your phone,” Fae said, handing it to Minerva. Hers was completely ruined yesterday.

Everything was ruined yesterday.

“Oh it’s quite alright,” Minerva smiled a sort of vacant smile. “I really don’t mind sharing.”

With only the two of them in the living room, Fae didn’t exactly feel comfortable. Minerva staring at her unblinking didn’t exactly help either.

“And thank you again for letting me stay here,” Fae felt herself avoiding eye contact. “I really… don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Nowhere else to go…” Minerva sighed.

Fae wondered what her parents were thinking. Were they worried? Had they called the police? If so, would they know that she was involved with what happened yesterday? Would they think she was some kind of killer?

“You must be tired,” Minerva spoke up again, still refusing to blink. “Are you comfortable? Too cold? Should I order a pizza?”

Was this Minerva’s attempt at being hospitable? She was certainly being much nicer to her than the first day they met.

“Oh, no, that’s alright,” Fae said. “I’m not hungry. Honestly, I don’t even remember what it feels like to be hungry anymore.”

“Well I’m gonna get some.”

“…Okay.”

Minerva suddenly jumped up from her seat. “Hmm… Yes, that’s right,” she moved over to Fae and circled her. “The demon girl. Quite a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

Demon girl. That’s right, she wasn’t human. Not anymore. Now that she felt what it was like to lose control, there was no denying it anymore. She was some kind of monster.

If something like that happened again, would she be able to stop herself from killing someone?

Fae finally let her eyes meet with Minerva’s. “Are you… not scared?”

“Of the pizza delivery girl?” Minerva tilted her head. “Of course I am. She’s terrifying.”

“No,” Fae shook her head. “I mean… aren’t you scared of what’s going on here? Does none of this bother you?”

“Bother me?” Minerva twirled a strand of her long jet black hair. “Not especially.”

“You’re a magician, right?”

“I suppose.”

“What does that even mean?” Fae asked, desperation starting to come through in her voice. “Do you have any idea who’s behind all this?”

“All this?” Minerva smiled.

“The murder, the attack,” Fae’s voice came out quiet. “Someone turned me into this.”

“There’s someone pushing the limits,” Minerva gasped, clutching at the top of her dress above her breast. “Someone intent on going past the gate. Someone who doesn’t know not to kick the hornet’s nest. Or perhaps someone that hopes to have others kick it for them.”

“I don’t understand,” Fae said. “What are you talking about? What limits? What… ‘gate’?”

“My dear demon girl, there’s no need to worry your little head over things that are far beyond your capabilities,” Minerva smiled, her eyes almost glowing. “I’ve already set the bait and they’ve taken it. It won’t be much longer. It’s only a matter of time.”

“What’s… only a matter of time?”

Just then, the sound of a door opening echoed from the hallway. Soft footsteps followed, and then Yune was standing at the entrance to the living room.

“Yune…” the name slipped from Fae’s lips. This was the first time she had seen her since the fight at the café. “Are you… okay?”

“I’m just fine,” Yune said in her usual soft tone. “Good as new.” She partially lifted up her shirt and pointed at the spot where she had been injured the previous day. The skin looked smooth. There wasn’t even a scar.

Fae knew that she wasn’t okay. How could she be? Based on what Vi told her, that was the first date she had ever been on. Things turned out so bad that she could only imagine what was going on in Yune’s head.

“Are you going to make us lunch?” Minerva’s serious expression was already gone. She walked back away from Fae and sat back down on the couch.

“It’s still a bit too early for that, Miss Minerva,” Yune said. “Perhaps in a bit.”

“Pizza it is,” Minerva went limp, leaning back against the back of the couch.

Yune giggled and walked into the kitchen. She opened up the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, placing it up against her cheek.

“Yune, I’m sor-“ Fae started, but Yune quickly cut her off.

“More importantly, how are you feeling?” she ran her fingers through her long blue hair. “You went through quite a lot yesterday.”

“I’m okay,” Fae said. “Who were those people yesterday? The ones that tried to arrest you and Vi.”

“I can’t be sure, but I would say that they were either magicians,” Yune daintily chewed her bottom lip. “Or they were some kind of magic detectives.”

Magic detectives? This was like something out of her novels, but with fewer love triangles and a serious lack of any handsome men.

“Have you remembered anything?” Yune walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Minerva. “Anything that may have to do with what’s… happening to you now?”

“There was a voice yesterday,” Fae said. “In my head. It kept telling me to kill the people we fought.”

“Those were just orders from your master,” Minerva said. “Very boring. No help at all. Blegh.”

Yune gave a sympathetic frown. “Is there anything else?”

“There is,” Fae hesitated. “But it’s kind of hard to explain.”

“Please try,” Yune gave her a reassuring smile.

Fae took a deep breath. “Ever since I was a kid, my brother and I could feel each other’s emotions.”

Minerva shot back up, leaping to the other couch directly next to Fae. “Really?” she asked, her eyes curious like a kitten’s.

Fae reflexively recoiled at the violation of her personal space.

“Miss Minerva, get back over here this instant,” Yune said, seemingly trying to sound stern. “You’re scaring Fae.”

“But… but…”

“No buts.”

“Okay,” Minerva stood back up awkwardly and scurried back next to Yune.

“You were saying?” Yune put out her hand, offering for Fae to continue.

“I’ve never told anyone this, but I could feel how he felt,” Fae tightened her grip on her knees. “It was like his emotions wanted to be my own. If he was mad, I got mad. If he cried, I started crying. It didn’t matter how far away we were. It always happened, and I had no idea why.”

Minerva looked like she might jump up again, but Yune placed her hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

“After a while… it started to feel like I stopped being my own person,” Fae twisted her skirt in her hands. “No… it was more like I had never been my own person in the first place.”

Fae reached up to her face and pulled off her glasses.

“I’ve always been the ‘smart girl’,” she looked down at them in her lap. “The quiet girl with straight A’s… But that’s it.”

Silence set in and the sound of the clock in the room grew louder to fill it. She tried to keep herself calm, but her body shook with every breath she took. Finally, her voice found a way back out of her throat.

“It sort of feels like these glasses were all I had going for me. My personality,” her eyes were dim with tears. “And now I don’t even need… to wear them anymore.”

With that, she started crying. She put her head down, holding her glasses tight against her chest with both hands.

She immediately felt a coldness envelop her body as Yune embraced her.

“I can’t say what kind of person you were before, Fae,” Yune used her finger to bring Fae’s chin up. “But you can be whoever you want to now. You can always start again.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Fae said between sobs. “Vi said that I’m someone’s slave now. How am I supposed to be who I want to be?”

“We can help you, sweetie,” Yune said.

“But how?”

“Make no mistake,” Minerva stood up, and hint of excitement in her voice. “I will end them.”

Fae didn’t even need to look to know. Minerva was exerting something from her body. It was like the air had suddenly been made thick like sludge. Yune let her go and they both turned to look.

“But… won’t that… kill me?” Fae choked out.

“As long as she kills your master, Miss Minerva can take over for them,” Yune said, patting Fae gently on top of her head. “She can start supplying you mana same as she does for Vi and I.”

“Really?”

“It really isn’t difficult,” Yune smiled.

“Yes,” Minerva sat back down and the air returned to normal. “It’ll be quite the party.”

Fae wanted to believe there was still a chance at a life for her. It was only now sinking in that these women might be her only hope. Was this really it? Would ‘normal’ be over for her forever?

“Do you really think you can kill whoever did this?” Fae asked. “Didn’t you say that you weren’t even sure how someone did this to me?”

“The ocean is much deeper than you think,” Minerva leaned back and looked straight up. “The mountains in the distance much farther, the darkness… much darker.”

Fae had no idea what she was talking about.

“I’m going to order pizza,” Minerva flopped over and rolled off the couch. “Extra salami, here I come.”

Fae let out an exhausted sigh and wiped her cheeks. It felt good to cry. It felt like the first time in years that she had cried from her own emotions alone.

Her own emotions alone. She almost forgot.

“I can’t feel them anymore,” Fae mumbled.

Yune turned to her. “Hmm?”

“My brother’s emotions. I haven’t felt them since I turned into...” she stared down at her sharpened fingernails. “This.”

“That’s strange,” Yune crossed her arms and wrinkled her eyebrows.

“What is it?” Fae asked.

“I don’t want you to panic,” Yune said. “But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those two things happened on the same day. Miss Minerva?”

Minerva looked up from her cellphone. “Uh-huh?”

“Have you ever heard of a familiar being overly sensitive to its master’s emotions?”

“Hmm… I’ve never encountered anything like that,” Minerva said, looking back at her phone.

“Do you think it may be possible?”

“It might be?” Minerva put extra emphasis on her upward inflection. “Do you think that I should get green peppers or roasted red peppers? Are those different?”

Yune ignored her pizza related question and brought her attention back to Fae. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”

“For… what?”

Yune placed her hand on Fae’s. “I think we might have to consider the possibility that your brother did this to you.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Fae said. “Jaden isn’t a magician. He… isn’t.” Even if he was, was he really capable of doing something like this? Could he turn his own sister into a magical familiar? She didn’t want to even think of it.

Sure, Jaden was self-centered. In fact, he was a complete jerk to her. He was a jerk to everyone, really. He was immature, but that didn’t mean he was a monster. Right?

“I understand,” Yune went on, obviously being careful with the words she chose. “I just don’t want to rule out any possibilities. That’s all.”

Fae nodded her head, but refused to look up at her. As much as she disliked Jaden, there was a part of her that took an attack on her twin as an attack on her.

“Fae, I don’t think you’re being fair with me,” Yune said, her delicate voice attempting to sound stern. “I’ve never met your brother, so I have no idea what kind of person he is. I’m just trying to help you.”

“You’re right,” Fae sighed. “I’m sorry… I just don’t know how Jaden would have been able to do something like this.”

“It’s just a possibility,” Yune said. “Don’t worry about it for now.”

“Okay.”

About an hour later, the pizza arrived.

According to Minerva, it wasn’t the usual delivery girl.