I stared at my phone ringing on the table and didn't move to answer it.

We'd eaten breakfast and relocated to the library to decide on how to handle everything. Maible confessed that her mother was planning on telling her father everything, which is why she'd left the house. We'd just begun to dissect the reasons for and against telling Devland and, as if sensing himself being the topic of conversation, he called.

"I say we tell him we know," Maible said, ignoring the ringing. "I want him to know that I am unbound so that I can practice openly, and Nora can stop cloaking me."

"I say no," I said. "It's better to keep things need-to-know, and Devland doesn't need to."

"I agree with Nora," Calin said.

"Of course, you do." Maible rolled her eyes and then looked at Islene. "What do you think?"

"Well, one of the reasons to hide it before was because we didn't know who was responsible," Islene said. "I have to believe—or I want to, at least—that Devland wouldn't hurt Nora, but we don't know what he's capable of."

"Yeah, well, I remember the charms he gave me to help me continue to forget," I said. "That was harming me, and we don't even know why he did it."

"I told my mom to tell him," Maible said, raising her chin in defiance. "I want him to know everything, and I told her that you unbound my abilities before I came here, so it's too late to hide it anymore."

I looked at Calin beside me and then Islene.

"Maible, we should talk about this more," Calin said softly, coaxing. "Will you call your mom and ask her to hold off talking to Devland?"

"No." Maible shook her head. "I won't go back to acting powerless now that I know the truth, and I want Nora to stop cloaking me. I've spent my whole life learning about the Craft, remaining dedicated even when I couldn't practice it. It isn't fair that I can't use it now that I have it."

Wasn't fair?

Obviously, I was the older sister.

I looked down as my phone began to ring again and sighed when Devland's name popped up on the screen.

"Answer it," Maible said and stood. "I have to call Brant and cancel lunch plans."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning on telling him too?"

"Eventually, but not over the phone." Maible picked up her cell phone and walked out of the library without looking back.

I sighed and grabbed my phone, hitting answer in frustration. "What?"

"Is that any way to answer the phone?" Devland asked through the line.

"Depends on who is calling, so yeah. In this case, it's the perfect way," I said.

"When are you coming home?"

"When I turn eighteen," I said quickly, thinking of my mother's house in Briarville.

"Nora—"

"What? You asked." I rolled my eyes at Calin.

"When are you coming back to the Manor?" Devland asked. "We need to talk."

"About what? Maible?" I asked, cutting to what I knew he wanted to discuss. There was no other reason he would call since I couldn't remember the last time that he had.

"You know?"

"Know what?"

"Nora."

"Yes, I know. I am the one who discovered it, Devland," I said. "I know you bound Maible to hide your transgressions. Is that why my mother left you?"

"No." He sucked in a breath. "It was a mistake and your mother didn't know."

"You were trying to make sure no one knew, but don't worry," I said, smiling as I put as much sweetness into my tone as possible. "You wanted me to use my abilities, so I put them to good use and unbound Maible. I truly hope that the Council questions your abuse of power. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bond with my sister."

"Wait. Nora, I—"

"—can explain? I sincerely doubt it." I rolled my eyes and hung up the phone before gazing between Calin and Islene.

Calin smiled. "What happened to trying to keep things hidden for now?"

I shrugged. "I figured that I might as well have fun with it if I wasn't going to be given a choice, though I forgot I have to head back for more clothes if I do plan to stay away from the Manor."

"I'll drive you," Calin said quickly.

"You don't mind?"

"Are you kidding?" He smiled and stood. "Come on. Besides, your car is at the Manor and no matter what you say, it's too far for you to run."

*****

On the way to the Manor, we detoured to Celestial Java. With one look at Luna, she smiled and told Calin to man the register as we went to the back room to talk. I shrugged at him as we passed, though he didn't look worse for wear as he took his post.

Taking off my shoes, I went into the room and settled onto a mound of pillows. Luna stood at the door, appearing relatively normal in a pair of capris and off-the-shoulder sweater with a white tank top peeking out. Her white blonde hair hung loose and straight. I looked up and met her gaze, raising my eyebrow.

"What?"

"You seem different," she said, remaining standing beside the closed door.

"I just found out my friend is my sister. Wouldn't it be weird if I didn't seem different?"

"It's more than that." Luna paused, looking me over for a moment. "I can sense changes in you, Nora. With your powers and your emotions."

Ignoring her, I asked, "Did you know that Devland was Maible's father?"

"No."

"Would you have told me if you did?"

"I—don't know." Luna finally stepped away from the door towards me. "I would have wanted to tell you, sure. But there are things that are safer left unknown. If Devland bound Maible to keep it a secret, I'm sure that was a secret he didn't want anyone to know. You just retrieved your memory. I don't think I would have been comfortable telling you something that could put you in harm."

"Hmm." I looked down and twirled my fingers, thinking. After a moment, I glanced back up. "Well, it's out in the open now, and I'm not the only one who knows. I guess that means that he can't retaliate against just one of us."

"You hope."

I shrugged. "Well, if he plans anything, I'm sure I'll feel it beforehand. I can't go anywhere without my shield now. The only thing that makes it feel better is when I lower it and release the tension by using magic. Even then, if anyone is around, I feel what they do, and I... It's getting stronger."

"What do you mean?"

"I..." I cleared my throat and looked back down to my fingers twisting in my lap. "I think that my empathy or whatever it is I developed has mutated."

"In what way?"

"I'm getting visions," I whispered and slowly looked up to see the moment of shock in Luna's expression before she masked it with her ever-present calm. "At least, I'm pretty sure I am."

"Nora, I don't think—"

"I saw flashes of Devland with a book I'd never seen him with, Luna," I said quickly. "Plus, I ran into Meighan and made her tell me what happened during my accident. It was like I was there while she was explaining it! I didn't just see it—I felt it."

"I really don't think that your empathy—which seems impossible on its own—could have turned into visions or else you would have had them sooner," Luna said and crouched down beside me. "What if you saw things during your relapse that are just now emerging? The fact that you felt what happened during your accident while it was explained makes sense since you were there."

"No." I shook my head, remembering the anger I'd felt emanating from Duvessa in the scene that had played out on the boat. It was more than I would have noticed within her determined expression whilst in so much pain from enduring her shock treatment.

"There must be something else that is triggering your new powers and we haven't discovered what it is," she said. "I don't get it. Magic has always had rules. Strong, unchangeable rules, Nora. I don't understand how you are breaking them."

"Then I guess we have some things to research, huh?" I rolled my eyes, this time recalling the twisting metal I'd seen and all-consuming pain I'd endured as it happened. I had never been through anything like that, and I didn't want to envision what had happened to the one person I knew who had. "I know what I felt. I saw things and it wasn't based on a dream because there were other things, Luna. Things I don't want to talk about and that I should never have seen."

"About your mom?"

"I—I don't know." I swallowed. "But I need to find out."

"Oh, Nora." Luna sighed. "If you really are getting visions, I don't think you want to find out about your mom that way. I told you—"

"—she died horribly." I nodded. "I know." I licked my lips and nodded again as though it reaffirmed my determination. "That's why I have to find out what happened, Luna. My mom was too strong to have been taken by some random accident like that, especially if Opal and Zach were there to help protect her. Something happened, and I am going to find out what it was. I told you that I would start after I sorted out the problems with Maible and Devland, and I plan to stick to that."