She wanders in the woods for a long time after that, for a while even trailing Nolan. She watches from behind a tree as the two of them stop before her house. Nolan bends down even as she stands on her toes to whisper something, and he gives her a small nod before he walks back, leaving her to enter the house. She thinks he is going to his own, but to her surprise, he walks straight back to the forest- the place he should be farthest from after sunset. She hurries after him, speaking without further thought, for the thought of her friend getting into trouble is a little too much to bear.

"Do not go back now. It is too dark."

He looks around quickly, trying to find the owner of the voice.

"Why not? I can hardly be in any more danger."

She knows she has guessed right. She has not been forgiven yet.

"And yet you sought me for a reason. There can be creatures far more dangerous than I, Nolan. If there is something you have to tell me, I am here to listen. If not now, then you know where to find me. I will be there."

He does not say a word as he walks back to his house. She half expects him to walk into the forest just to spite her, but she is glad that he listens.

That night, Nolan does not find his rest. Hearing the wails and screams of the banshee, it troubles him not only to know that he is to lose someone from his family, but that the banshee was someone he had once trusted as a friend. The next morning, he sets off early, telling only Aodhán of where he is heading to. He knows that Aodhán will bring Aoife later. All he asks of his brother is that he get some time for himself before she comes over. Aodhán is the only other in his family who now knows that something is truly off about Cara, yet he trusts that after today, Nolan will tell him all that there is to be known.

He is slow to enter the woods, his feet almost reluctant to move ahead of their own accord, yet he knows it is only right to give her a chance. That is the only thing Aoife asked of him the previous night. She had told him she would explain herself, yet the only thing she had asked of him was not to forgive her, but to speak to Cara. He does not know when his little sister became the wiser of the three, yet in the name of familial love, he will accede to her request.

He walks up to the clearing by the willow and calls out, his posture rigid and tense.

"Cara! Aoife thinks I need to speak with you. Are you here?"

"I never left, Nolan."

"Why not? I suppose you had to wait and see the fulfillment of your ulterior motives?"

"I have told you already- there are none."

The unsaid plea for forgiveness that he finds in her words leave Nolan silent for a while, as though swallowing his own words. Indecision flickers across his eyes before he speaks again, but this time, his tone is different. It is still too curt for her liking, but it is a change nonetheless.

"Forgive me."

Cara's voice is only filled with defeat when she speaks again.

"It has never been my place to either take offense or forgive, has it, Nolan?"

It is only now that Nolan wonders if he has judged her wrongly and harshly. She is a monster. She is playing you, says a voice inside his head, but even he knows that to offer friendship means to listen to someone completely before cutting them off. To do anything less would shame the term 'friend'.

"It is my nature to distrust people easily," he begins by way of explanation. "Perhaps you will understand if I tell you what made me so, though this does not, by any means, mean that I have forgiven your deceit."

"Very well, I shall listen, but know that I have neither deceived you nor lied. I said so before I told you the truth. Whether or not you take my word is up to you."

"Like I said, Aoife still thinks I should talk to you and that is the only reason I am here. I don't think I can change my opinion of you until you explain everything to me. Every single bit.

If you really need to know what changed that day, then know this- your kind is the reason our family was separated all these years. The reason I grew up without my sister, and Aoife without her brothers, is you, so you must understand that it is hard to just believe that you are an epitome of good deeds.

All these years, I grew up treated like an outcast- all for what, because we refused to believe that banshees existed? I never had many friends to begin with, but with aíntin's death, the few I had spurned me. Do you know what it feels like, to almost believe that you are worth nothing? Father is mostly away on his business, trying to feed all of us in times of famine, but do you know how hard it is to watch the other boys have a throng of friends while all you ever face is betrayal? Trust is most important to me, Cara. I wanted to be someone you could trust, but see where that got me!

I spent so many years watching my sister from afar, not knowing what to say. Do you have any idea what it feels like? I lost those years of innocence. I lost the days of my adolescent cheer. If you were in my place, would you take kindly to being forced to face those feelings once more?

All I ever had was Aodhán, yet even his views would differ from my own. I got no opportunity to even make myself feel like I was worth something. As I grew older, people refused to give me a good job because we were no better than outcasts. Now tell me, do you still claim that I am being unjust in my views?"

Cara does not bat an eyelid before she replies. She did not hesitate to speak to him before, and she will not begin with that now. There is no rage in her voice- just overwhelming grief- but it is cold and steely.

"Yes! Tell me Nolan, has it not occurred to you that I have felt every bit the same? Am I not treated as a monster by all save your sister? Were you not my only friend before you turned away? Do not tell me Aoife was one-way both know that we see her as a child to be cared for. Do I not look at the people of your village from afar knowing that I am bringing it to ruin yet do nothing to save it? Have you ever thought that your actions could be considered the same betrayal by me? Have you thought, even once, that you are inflicting upon me the same pain you claim I caused you? What makes you think I am any different? The fact that I am dead?"

Nolan hangs his head with regret. He knows he should not have let Aodhán's words get to him, yet he knows he cannot lay blame on his brother. He knows he cannot help but fear Cara for who she is. He cannot change the way he looks at her now. Things have changed between them and unless he tries to understand, what had started as an unlikely friendship would end up forgotten. His façade cracks as he opens up to her once more, as desperate to mend their broken trust as she is.

"I am confused, Cara. I do not know what to make of you anymore. If you truly want me to be your friend once more, tell me. Help me understand you. Show me that you still are and have always been Cara- my friend."