"No, no, no, no," I whisper, snatching a leaf from the ground and frantically wiping it across Calix's neck, trying to wipe the poison off.
"Yikes, that looks bad." I hear Draco's voice as he comes over to stand behind me.
"At least he's not dead," Funneh points out. Normally I would have agreed, but not when we're talking about Calix. Never about Calix.
"Let's get him help," Rainbow says, pulling her phone out.
"That nasty woman harmed Lunar too. Her forehead's been poisoned." Gold's cold hands feel my forehead. Now that she's mentioned it, I can feel the tiredness taking over me again.
I lean back, allowing my eyes to close for a quick moment. Only 5 seconds, I think to myself.
The steady bump of wheels against the ground rouses me. I feel the bones of someone's shoulder under my cheek, and I jerk up in alarm, eyes blinking wearily. I can feel a familiar headache forming.
"Shh, it's okay, it's just me." Gold says gently. I see the darkened sky, tainted briefly at the edge by the rising dawn, outside the car window.
We're in Rainbow's car, driving along an empty road.
"Is Calix okay? What happened? Where are we?"
"We just got out of the nearest hospital," Rainbow speaks up from the driver's seat. "They said your poison wound wasn't too deep. We're driving home right now."
"But Calix—"
"He's fine, Lunar. They decided to keep him at the hospital for a few days to be supervised."
"He seemed to be in a lot of pain when they were cleaning—" Draco says from beside me, but is quickly cut off by Funneh.
"Draco!"
I spin to face Draco, so quickly that my vision blacks out for a few seconds. Not that I can see much anyway; it's pitch dark, with only the occasional passing street lamps to light the way. "What do you mean? He woke up?"
Draco nods. "Yeah. Funneh, Kyran, and I were watching him. The nurses were cleaning his wound and he started—"
"Alright, Draco, that's enough." Rainbow's using her stern, you-better-not-disobey-me voice.
"No, continue, please. I can handle it." I'm practically begging him.
Draco darts a quick glance at Rainbow and Funneh in the front. "Well, he just started to make a lot of groaning noises. But they injected something in him and he stopped."
"Injected something?" My voice is about 3 pitches higher than normal.
"They sedated him," Gold translates quickly, and my heartbeat slows down. Just a little.
"Is he all alone at the hospital? What if he wakes up?"
"Kyran and Alec offered to stay with him," Gold reassures, giving my hand a squeeze.
"Lunar, please stop worrying about that boy. You almost died!" Gold's voice is strained; I've never heard it that stressed before.
"But I thought Rainbow said—"
"She was trying not to stress you," Gold sighs. "The doctors said you almost didn't make it, but the poison wound wasn't even fatal." She turns to me, eyes glittering in the moonlight. "What are you hiding, Lunar?"
I swallow. 16 years. 16 years of hiding the truth. Am I ready to tell them?
"Please, Lunar. My littlest sister almost died today, and I wouldn't have known why." Rainbow says softly from the front seat, and I see Funneh reach over and squeeze her shoulders.
I take a deep breath. "Hold on tight to the steering wheel, Rainbow."
So I tell them. I tell them everything, starting from when I was a baby and suddenly realized my ears were growing pointy, my eyes were lilac, and my hair was teal. I tell them about my ability to use illusions.
"I remember when you started growing hair and they were teal. Mom and Dad freaked out, and the doctors couldn't figure out why your hair was teal," Rainbow lets out a dry laugh. "Then, one day, your hair magically turned brown! We thought it was a miracle, but I guess it was just you finding out how to use your magic, huh."
When I get to the part about my ability failing, and my concern that my life is failing, my siblings all turn to give me worried looks. "It's fine, guys. I'm still alive, aren't I?"
"Barely," Draco says between fake coughs, which I promptly ignore.
I tell them about meeting Abigale, her interest in me, and then the Cleansing ceremony.
"I thought she looked familiar; I've seen her outside the store before, just sitting on the bench. I even gave her free tea once." Rainbow shakes her head in disgust.
Wow, it feels good to not have to keep secrets anymore. I've forgotten how freeing it is.
"So... you guys aren't shocked by my magic?"
"No, we kinda figured out there was something special about you." Funneh turns and gives me a dimly-lit grin.
Special.
I've never been called that before.
But something doesn't click. "How did you guys know where I was, earlier tonight?"
"Calix texted me, saying you followed a suspicious-looking figure into the forest. He said he's going to follow you, just in case." Rainbow glances at me in the rearview mirror again. "I'm guessing Abigale found him following you guys?"
"No... he could've stayed hidden," I whisper. "But he didn't."
Gold's hand gives me a reassuring squeeze. " It's not your fault, Lunar.
That was his choice."
"That boy is crazy," Funneh says, shaking her head.
"Crazy in love with Lunar," Draco unnecessarily adds. I would've kicked him, but I feel drained after confessing. I let my head fall on Gold's comforting shoulder again.
I must've drifted off again, because when I wake up, we're parked outside our apartment building.
"We're home," Gold whispers, opening the car door and helping me out. My legs, weak from disuse, betray me and I fall on my knees. My world is spinning too fast, and I shut my eyes closed, forcing them to steady.
Alarmed cries rise from my siblings. Not wanting to worry them, I force myself to stand up. "I'm fine. My legs were asleep, that's all." I give them a weak smile.
Still, Funneh and Gold insist on supporting me, which I'm grateful for. I don't know if it was the fact that I haven't slept all night, or that I have been poisoned, but I feel oddly tired.
I don't even change out of my dirty clothes before flopping down on my bed. Rainbow, for once, doesn't protest.
The bedroom door closes and I'm instantly asleep.
The headache is gone next morning, leaving only the stinging pain of the poison wound. The urge to check my reflection in the mirror makes me sit up quickly, and my world turns black for a few seconds. By the time my vision is back, I remember that I don't have to hide from my family anymore.
I look down at my hair. Yep, they're definitely teal.
I reach up and touch my ears. Yep, definitely pointy.
I splay my hand in front of me and imagine one of the fingers disappearing. Nope, my ability is still broken.
Gold's sheets are folded and her bed is clean. Her alarm clock shows it's well past 1 pm.
Oh damn. I've almost slept the whole day away.
Opening the bedroom door, I see Draco sitting on the couch on his computer. He looks up and sees me.
"Good morning," I say, shuffling to the washroom to check my reflection.
My eyes are lilac. They don't cause me panic this time though, and I swivel my head around, seeing how they change shades under lighting.
"Where are the others?" I ask, coming out.
"Rainbow drove them to the library early this morning."
"For what?"
"To research."
I frown. I'm about to ask for what, but the front door clicks open. Rainbow, Gold, and Funneh are standing there, looking like a trio of studious scholars.
"We found a story. The Tale of the 9 Dames." Rainbow announce