"Have you gone nuts?!" Alden screamed. His cool, calm manner was replaced with a furious monster. His face had gone scarlet red and Fitz thought that it was about to scrunch up like a rotten tomato.

"I'm not nuts! And, I have to go back to my room, Chelsea's waiting for me!" Fitz cried out to his dad.

"Ohhhh, so the creepy girl has a name?" Alden replied in a sarcastic tone.

Of course, the Universe HAD to make Chelsea walk in at that precise, exact moment!

"Hey, Fitz, did something happen?" the girl asked in a slight Italian accent.

Fitz walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulder while ignoring Alden's glare, "Oh, Chelsea, how about we meet tomorrow?"

Chelsea just gave a small smile and nodded, then leaped away...

Once the obnoxious girl (or at least that's what Alden thought about her) was gone, the fuming father grasped his son's shoulder and dragged him into the Winnowing Gala Party Room. Pretty much the best place for this conversation, both Fitz and Alden thought.

Except Fitz thought it sarcastically.

"She's a BAD influence for you. The worst. The absolute worst! Just the –"

Fitz didn't bother to listen to the rest of his dad's lecture. Instead he droned out his voice. But the one thing that he did hear was Alden saying, "What if you end up like her??"

Fitz gasped, then demanded, "WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"I mean, what if you dye your hair? It's the worst crime anyone could commit!" Alden snapped back.

Fitz started laughing, not his usual laugh however. More of a hysterical but still slightly calm laugh. Then he replied in gasping breaths, "Well, you see, I've already been planning to do that. I'm gonna dye my hair red with one green streak! Hmm... or maybe I should do—"

His sentence was cut off when Alden took a bunch of deep breaths and raised his voice, "Young man, you are not allowed to go out on searches to find Alvar anymore. You will only be able to go to Foxfire, THAT's it! Oh, and to double the punishment, you are ALSO GROUNDED!


And no mallowmelt for 2 weeks."

"What?" Fitz gasped, stepping back from his father who even looked surprised that he had said that. But Fitz didn't care, he never got himself grounded before. He only got small punishments but this was something new. "What happened?" chorused two high pitched voices.

Alden ignored them and turned toward him and said in a calm voice, "This Alvar search has messed your brain up, and it will be best for you to stop dating Chelsea!"

"That's not going to happen, I'll run away if you try!"

"FITZ! TO YOUR ROOM!" yelled Alden.

Fitz obediently stomped away as he heard Biana and Della discuss what had happened. As soon as he reached his room, he shut the door and hurled a gadget. That felt nice, he thought. Then he kicked the wall.

"OOOH, you must be really angry!" Grizel teased as she came into Fitz's room.

"Shut up!" He muttered as he flopped on his bed.

Grizel started to say something else, but stopped to turn around and find...


Biana.

Great. The best thing Fitz was going to add to his Great List of Super Awesome Punishments.

"Ok, count me in on whatever your planning. NOW! Spill the beans," Biana tapped her foot against the ground as she waited for him to answer.

Fitz decided that the only way he was going to get through this, was to deny, deny, deny. "What do you mean? I'm grounded, I can't go anywhere, I can't see Chelsea anymore. I can't even eat MALLOWMELT!?" Fitz practically growled. Then, he started banging his head on the crystal walls, which REALLY hurt.

Biana sighed, "Dad's right. You really are messed up."

Fitz lunged toward her and pushed Biana against the wall. Unfortunately, his sister twisted out of his grasp and dodged away. Then, she turned to face him and tackled him. "Aah, just like the old days. Playing tackle bramble." Biana giggled and then her smile morphed into a frown when Fitz did a handstand and flipped over, landing with a gentle sidekick.


Meanwhile, Grizel was staring at them, then she quickly creeped out and bolted to Alden's office.

When she got there, she didn't say anything. Grizel just grabbed Alden by the shoulder and pulled him along with her, Alden yelping through the whole trip. Alden watching his children fight, after Grizel opened the door and shoved him inside. Alden stared in shock before yelling "STOP!" Fitz and Biana stepped back at each other looking at their father with ashamed expressions. "Why are you Fighting?" "He started it." Biana muttered. At the same time Fitz replied, "She started this."

Alden looked at Grizel and she immediately responded, "Fitz." Alden aimed his glare at Fitz and his son shot one back.

Biana quickly whispered to Grizel, "It's a staring competition."

"No, it's just recklessness." Alden nodded his head toward his son.

Fitz teared a hand through his hair and retorted, "Oh, so you're calling me reckless now? Having I had enough torture for one day?"

Alden snorted, "Clearly not. I have already talked to the Council and arranged everything. I know your stressed, and this will clear your mind from the war."

Fitz, with a small grin on his face, asked, "Is it Exillium? Cause, you know that place is like AWESOME now! I'd looooove to go there!"

Biana raised her eyebrows, "Seriously, bro? Seriously??"

"Yeah, cause you won't be there!"

"You won't be going there. And apologize to your sister!" Alden scolded.

After Fitz muttered a apology to Biana, Alden decide to continue. " Fitz, you'll be going the the Forbidden Cities."