Emmett lay on the bed in his room, staring at the ceiling. The afternoon sun streamed in through the windows, but it did little to make the room feel less hostile.
The wall had a massive, jagged hole. It was the same spot where Beatrice had been hurled by Eta during their fight, and the damage was so severe that the wall had buckled on the other side.
The sight of it made his skin crawl. It felt wrong, like a fundamental rule of his life had been broken. He had always craved order. This hole was chaos made visible.
Every time he closed his eyes, he could feel it, a physical weight in the air that made a good afternoon nap impossible. He shifted again, the sheets twisting around his legs, and finally, with a sigh of frustration, he gave up. He threw off the covers and rose from the bed.
The urge to sleep was gone, replaced by a growing need to be somewhere else. He made his way to the small balcony connected to their living quarters. The fresh air might clear his head.
He pushed the door open and stepped out onto the cool stone. The courtyard was visible below, a quiet space of meticulously trimmed hedges and fountains that hummed with the gentle flow of water. But his eyes were drawn to the figure already leaning against the railing. It was Briar. Her red hair, a stark contrast against the pale blue sky, was pulled back in a loose knot. She was silent, her head tilted up as she watched something in the distance.
"What are you doing out here?"
he asked, his voice low.
She didn't startle. Instead, she slowly lowered her head and glanced over her shoulder at him.
"Enjoying the view. What about you, what are you doing here?"
He didn't answer. He just moved to the railing beside her and leaned against it, his arms crossed over his chest. He followed her gaze to the cityscape in the distance.
For a long while, they just stood there comfortably.
He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that she kept glancing at him, her eyes flicking to his face and then quickly away again. It was a nervous, furtive motion that he didn't understand.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"The others. Have you checked on them in the infirmary?"
Briar blinked.
"The others? No, not today. Felix went this morning, though."
"Speaking of Felix, where is he?"
"He went out for a stroll. Needed to get out, I guess."
Emmett frowned slightly. It wasn't a frown of disapproval, just one of surprise.
"We're allowed to go out?"
Briar shrugged.
"I guess so. He didn't get stopped, and the doors were unlocked."
Emmett nodded slowly. A stroll. The thought hadn't even occurred to him. The courtyard was not clearing his head, and his room was still a mess. A walk would be good. He turned from the railing and began to head inside.
"Where are you going?"
Briar asked, her voice tinged with a hint of concern.
"For a walk."
He didn't expect her to follow. But as he reached the door, he heard the faint sound of her footsteps behind him.
"I'll come too. I have nothing to do in the manor."
He didn't say anything. They both walked down the long, ornate hallway toward the main entrance. As he reached for the large, brass handle, Briar's hand shot out and gripped the collar of his shirt, pulling him back.
"Hold on,"
she said, her voice a little breathless.
"We need to tell Charolette first."
Emmett sighed, a long-suffering sound. He didn't understand the need for permission, but he followed her to the study where Charolette was seated at a large, mahogany desk, a pair of spectacles perched on her nose as she reviewed a stack of documents.
They both stood in front of her, and Briar spoke up.
"We're going for a walk, Charolette."
Charolette slowly lowered her spectacles and looked at them, a small sigh escaping her lips.
"Be back by evening."
Emmett nodded, already turning to leave, but Briar grabbed his shirt again.
"Wait!"
she said, her eyes on Charolette.
"We need some money, just in case we see something."
Charolette sighed again, the sound laced with a familiar exasperation.
"You two are annoying."
She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a bill with the words "One Hundred Orn" printed on it in an ornate, elegant font. She handed it to Briar.
"Now go. And don't cause any trouble."
They both left the manor, passing through the grand main doors and stepping out onto the sun-drenched streets of Reed. The air was filled with the low, constant hum of steam engines and the soft clatter of gears from the nearby automobiles. People moved with a quiet purpose, their clothes a mixture of dark, tailored suits and more rugged, canvas workwear.
As they walked, Emmett couldn't help but ask,
"Why did you ask for money?"
"I just wanted to buy anything that caught my eye,"
she said simply, a hint of excitement in her voice.
"I've been stuck in that manor for weeks."
They walked for a while, just enjoying the sense of freedom. They passed by various shops, their windows filled with glittering clockwork items, polished brass instruments, and clothing from the latest fashion. The sounds of a nearby market began to grow louder as they approached a small, cobblestone square.
It was there that they saw her. A young girl, a bit older than them, sat in a heavy, wheeled chair made of polished wood and steel. She was looking around, a worried expression on her face, as if searching for something. She looked vaguely familiar to Emmett, but he couldn't place why.
He continued to walk, but a firm tug on his collar stopped him. It was Briar, pulling him back.
"What's the problem?"
Briar asked the girl, her voice soft and kind.
The girl's head shot up. She looked from Briar to Emmett, and a shy smile crossed her face.
"I've just… misplaced my purse. I needed to buy something from the store."
Emmett, his mind already assuming that she was a street scammer, started to turn away again, but Briar pulled him back, her grip on his collar surprisingly strong.
"Is there anyone you're with?"
Briar asked.
"My mother,"
the girl replied, pointing ahead.
"She's waiting for me in an automobile. I just asked her to drop me off here so I could get what I needed."
"We could help,"
Briar offered.
"We?"
Emmett said, the word a flat question of disbelief.
Briar just shot him a sharp look.
"Yes, we."
The girl chuckled softly at their exchange.
"Are you two siblings?"
she asked.
"No,"
Emmett said immediately.
"then are you… lovers of some sort?"
she asked, a curious twinkle in her eye.
Briar's face went crimson, the color spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. She sputtered for a moment, unable to speak.
"No."
Emmett said again, his voice firm.
"We're just friends."
The girl shrugged, still smiling.
"Okay, if you say so. Thank you both for your help."
They led her to a small shop, its windows filled with women's clothes and accessories. Briar handed the 100 Orn bill to the store owner, who took the money and, without a word, handed the girl a small, plain paper bag. Emmett noticed the way the woman's movements were discreet, the way she handed the bag over with a quiet efficiency. He also saw the way the girl handled it, placing it carefully in a side pouch on her wheelchair.
It was an instinct for him to observe, and even with the discretion, he still caught a glimpse of what was inside: a single, white cylinder wrapped in plastic. A tampon.
After they left the store, walking her back toward the main road, Emmett couldn't help but ask the question that had been burning in his mind.
"What's in the bag?"
he asked bluntly.
The girl froze, a flustered look on her face. Her hands instinctively moved to the bag, clutching it closer.
"You don't need to know,"
she said, her voice small.
Emmett stated bluntly.
"We both know what it is, so don't bother hiding it."
he stated simply. "It's a tampon, isn't it? The one women use on their per–"
"Emmett!"
Briar hissed, her eyes wide.
"You don't just say things like that out loud!"
the girl whispered, her face turning red, completely mortified.
"Oh, okay,"
he said, not understanding their reaction.
"I was just curious."
Briar quickly changed the subject.
"What's your name?"
she asked, her voice overly cheerful.
"Cecilia,"
the girl said, her blush finally starting to fade.
"My name is Cecilia."
She then pointed to a black automobile waiting on the road.
"That's my mother. She's waiting."
They walked her over to the car. A woman with long, blonde hair was waiting by the door.
"Thank you so much for helping my daughter,"
she said, her voice full of relief.
Cecilia was then carefully helped into the automobile by her mother, who got in after her. It was almost evening now, so Emmett and Briar began to walk back to the manor.
As they approached the gates, they saw a black automobile already parked outside the main entrance. The baron was just getting out of the car, and he seemed to be in a very good mood. He called everyone who was around—Emmett, Briar, Felix, the twins, and Charolette—together in the main hall.
Corbin, Beatrice, and Rhys were still in the infirmary, so they were absent. The baron stood in front of them all, a wide smile on his face.
"I have news for you all,"
he announced.
"I have returned from the capital, and I would like to introduce you to two very special people, who should arrive any time soon."
Just then, a black automobile they had just seen pulled up to the manor. Emmett and Briar watched, their expressions identical, as a woman with long blonde hair and a girl in a wheelchair exited the car.
The baron's smile widened as he gestured to the two newcomers.
"Everyone,"
he said, his voice full of pride.
"Meet my wife and my daughter, Cecilia."