Sophie didn't come back to them, keeping herself locked in her room the whole morning. She briefly came downstairs and grabbed some breakfast, then, without even thanking Grady and Edaline, she immediately stomped back upstairs to the room and slammed the door.

Edaline seemed to be nearly choking on her tears every time Sophie made such an obvious objection to her parenting, and Lily barely managed to keep her mind of it by helping her care for the animals, and of course Edaline would fuss and tell her it was alright, that she'd do it on her own. But caring for the animals was something Lily enjoyed.

"I'll need to take you and Sophie to Mysterium today," Edaline murmured a little anxiously. "Elwin waned you to have some medicines, to better cleanse your body of the toxins."

"Oh." Lily glanced upstairs.

"Yeah." Edaline bit her lip. "Do you think you could maybe ask Sophie to.... Come down? She'll need to, yeah..."

"Uh... Okay." Lily started going up the stairs, and when she got to the top, she gently knocked on the door.

"What?" Sophie's annoyed voice asked.

"We need to go to Mysterium to get some medicine," Lily explained.

"I don't need medicine, and besides, if Petty-line has the list, she doesn't need me, does she?" Sophie demanded irritably.

Lily stiffened when Sophie called Edaline Petty-line, since Edaline was definitely nothing of the sort. "Sophie--"

"Shut up and leave me alone. Mom and Dad didn't infect us with toxins, okay? We should just go back to them! Weren't you happier there, with them?"

No. No, she had been neglected there. Sophie had gotten her turn to shine in the human world, her every movement perfect, flawless. And that was why she wanted to go back. To be that top student, the parents' favorite daughter, and let Lily be hidden away in the shadows again.

"I mean, we were happy," Lily lied, but Sophie cut her off.

"See? You were happy! Let's go back, because I'm miserable here!" Sophie snarled.

Lily deliberately decided not to mention that Sophie was probably the one making her own life miserable.

"Who are you to argue with me anyway? I'm the smarter one," Sophie added.

Lily almost argued but her tongue froze, not letting her say the words. Because deep in her heart, she knew Sophie had always been the better one. Wasn't that why she was so recognized and respected in the human world, even with the attitude she had?

Sophie finally opened the door. She flung Lily's things into her arms. "Sleep on the sofa tonight. Tomorrow, we go home."

"How?" Lily asked, unable to stop herself. Questioning Sophie was not a good idea, but... Really? Go back to... All that darkness? The neverending feeling of being alone?

But maybe Sophie wouldn't torment her as much if she was happy.

"We'll go take Alden's funny blue thing. It's what he uses! We turn the dial to San Diego, and light leap. We've both got a nexus. We'll live."

Lily shifted uncomfortably. "This doesn't change the current Mysterium issue."

"You're dim, aren't you? Go to Mysterium without me. If we're going back to San Diego tomorrow, we won't even need these medicines. I'll contact Fitz, and get him to invite us over - or actually, you can do that with Biana - and then we'll go to Everglen, and get out of this death trap, and we can steal his Pathfinder and get home."

It sounded like a half-baked plan to Lily, but who was going to tell Sophie that?

".... Sure," she managed eventually.

"Great. I'll contact Fitz right now," Sophie said pompously.

"Wait - what? You need to go to Mysterium," Lily protested, grabbing her twin's arm.

"Get your filthy hands off me. I don't need medicines, what I need right now is a friend." She said it in a flirty tone that almost made Lily believe that Sophie wanted a boyfriend at twelve years old.

"So... What do I tell Eda-"

"You can tell Petty-line that I won't be coming, and to go and get those stupid medicines herself. After all, you'll be coming over to the Vacker's, won't you?"

"Not now!" Lily snapped. "After Mysterium!"

"Fine. I'll tell Fitz tomorrow morning, then. You can go get your stupid medicines that I most certainly won't be drinking, and then we can get out of this death trap."

Lily didn't like how ungrateful Sophie sounded for how hospitable the Ruewens had been, but she had no choice but to just go down the stairs in silence.

"She's not coming," she informed Edaline briefly.

"Okay," Edaline responded in her timid voice. "Let's go, then."

She took Lily's hand an raised a Pathfinder to the light before they light leaped away to Mysterium.

"Not so many capes here?" Lily asked, looking around.

Edaline shook her head. "Mysterium is a working class city. People with simpler jobs dress accordingly."

"Oh." Sounded like prejudice to her, but at least no one was homeless here. "Okay."

"Here we are." Edaline weaved through the crowds, and Lily caught a few whispers of,

"Edaline Ruewen? I thought she never left the house."

"What's she doing here, do you think?"

Edaline ignored them, but she did shudder once they were out of sight.

Lily wisely chose to remain silent. She supposed Edaline hadn't gone out much since Jolie's death.

Edaline entered the shop, Slurps and Burps'. She walked to the counter. "Eda!" the orange-haired man exclaimed.

"Hello, Kesler," she responded.

The man laughed. "Haven't seen you out in years, and all you've got to say is 'hello, Kesler'?"

Edaline shrugged. "I need to get some medicines for Sophie and Lily," she said.

"Those don't sound like ordinary names," Kesler frowned.

"That's Lily there." Edaline gestured to Lily.

Kesler glanced at her. "She looks like a normal elf," he said, taking in her deep oceanic blue eyes.

"My eyes used to be green," Lily explained.

"Oh. And your sister's?"

"Brown, and they still are."

"That will make it difficult for her to fit in," Kesler mused.

Lily shrugged. It wasn't like Sophie to fit in. She stood out, all the time, everywhere.

"I need to get some medi-"

The door burst open and an unhappy-looking woman rushed in with a girl about Lily's age wearing a hood.

"Vika," Kesler said in some surprise.

Vika ripped off her daughter's hood, revealing a bald head. "Got an explanation for this, Dizznee?"

"We don't sell balding elixirs, Vika," Kesler said mildly.

At this moment, a boy, probably Kesler's son - he looked about Lily's age as well - peeked his head out of the counter, choked on his own laugh and straightened up.

The bald girl screamed and pointed at him. "This is all your doing, Dizznee!"

The boy grinned. "Have you always been bald, Stina? Or did you shave recently?"

She flushed furiously. "It was your stupid balding elixir!"

"Like I said, we don't sell balding elixirs here," Kesler responded evenly.

"That doesn't mean you can't make them," Vika spat.

"You're in my shop, so don't accuse me of anything," Kesler snapped.

"Fine. I wouldn't have expected more from a Talentless and his family anyway." Vika stood up. "Come on, Stina. I'm sure we'll have better luck at any pharmacy."

Kesler's eyes burned with fury, although Lily wasn't quite sure why. Was Talentless like a joke, a teasing insult, or something very real?

Was a 'Talent' all these abilities they had, and Kesler or one of his family members didn't have one? What did the Lost Cities do to the Talentless?

Worse...

If Sophie somehow escaped to the human world and brought their family here... What would the elves do with them?