I've been here for a month already, and I am already adapted. Not fully, but at least I am getting used to the things going on around here, such as waking up as early as the break of dawn and going down to breakfast with the rest of Dungeon 52. They also let me take a thirty-minute shower at least three to four times a week - situated just two floors up - since they need to keep us all under their watch, and they can't do that when the whole prison takes a shower. I even interact with some of the detainees here, but so much as I interact with Edgar, because for one, he is my only company. Besides, I kind of agree with him when he stated that the creatures here are friendlier than the so-called delinquents - despite being one myself. I mean, I have already learnt the names of the elves in the kitchen.

Edgar and I become quite close. It is kind of bizarre to me, to have someone to talk to everyday, as I never talked much back in my hometown. With Edgar, everything seems more natural, more serene. What I have come from this might just be the fact that I've never had friends before. Maybe I have, but the people from my school were hardly my classmates. I always shut myself off, due to the fact that nobody seemed to want to socialize with me. Well, either that, or maybe it's merely the tense vibe that radiates off of me. But Edgar here is different. He simply doesn't care. "Laid-back" should be the correct term for me to describe him. That is why I am getting more comfortable and lighter to talk to him.

Because I've also realized that, due to my anger issues, I tend to keep my mouth shut. And when I don't keep it shut, I will simply rage on like a never-ceasing firework. With Edgar here, I can finally learn how to properly control it; it takes one look at his bright, green eyes, and it is enough to extinguish what little fire is starting to develop from the pit of my stomach when I feel like it. He is, after all, the only real company I have left. Other than him, I'm as still as a coal.

Edgar makes me feel safe.

He's also quite humorous. There are times when I am almost at the verge of my usual outbursts, and he will have this little twitch at the corner of his lips that reaches his eyes, and I'll look at his eyes, and I'll calm down. As a result, I hardly ever snap at him like I had been doing during the first week of my dwelling. It isn't because he's just a year older than I am (he said he had just turned seventeen), or he's taller than me by an inch, or he's been here longer than I am; rather, it's because he knows how to cool me down without actually doing anything, and nobody has ever done that before. All in all, Edgar has broken the record.

One night, Edgar shakes me awake. When I open my eyes, I am momentarily puzzled on why it is still dark outside. The cell is dimly lit by the glow from his eyes - as usual. "Raine," he is saying to me, poking me with something. "Raine, oi. Wake up."

I turn on my mattress to find him sitting back on his heels. I blink.

Because there's an eagle owl perched on his shoulder, staring at me with its huge, yellow eyes. My eyes focus on the owl, and I realize that I recognize the little scar on the side of its left eye. This causes me to sit up at that very instance.

"What is it?" I ask Edgar, not taking my eyes off the owl. I've seen this owl a lot back home ...

"This owl came through that window and carrying this envelope-"

"What envelope?"

"This," and Edgar holds up a small envelope between his fingers that he has used to poke me just now, to which the eagle owl tries to nip at it.

I take it and pull out the letter from inside. My heart gives a leap as soon as I see the handwriting, and I can already feel my eyes brimming with tears. Because now I remember to whom this damned eagle owl belongs, and exactly whose handwriting this is:

Dear Raine,

It's me, Kayla. I don't know where you are, Raine. I'm just hoping Fripples will find you, wherever you are, as she's always a really smart owl.

Raine, I'm still alive. I came back to consciousness the day before the funeral. I thought the others will, too, but they didn't. Raine, it's just you and me now, okay? Again, I don't know where you are. I sought out to find you all over the place, but nobody tells me a single thing! It's been a ruckus here. I'm even staying at this little pub at the outskirts of our town - remember that? They just said you ran away out of cowardice after your actions. But Raine, I know you. I'm your sister. You're not a coward.

And it's not entirely your fault that our parents and Tanya died. You didn't make it happen under your will. I know it, Raine. You couldn't control your temper and couldn't even control your magic, so everything just exploded - like your mind, I guess. No offense, though.

I don't have my wand, just so you know. So if you have one, maybe you can produce some magic you've learnt at school to send me an instant reply or something. Please, Raine, I hope you're okay - wherever you are. They don't allow me any access towards any of the local newspaper, so I'm here doing it all by myself - with the help of Fripples, of course. I just want to tell you everything. So, Raine, if you're reading this, please, I want to see you, I want to make sure you're okay. I have a feeling that you've been locked up. But I can't be sure. But, again, if you're reading this, then at least tell me you're okay.

Again, I'm not upset with you. And please don't be upset with me. It's just us, wherever we are at the moment. I miss you, little brother.

Love, Kayla.

(P/S: it's Halloween here. I know you hate it, but happy Halloween, even know you're reading this when it's already over)

I'm numb again at the inside. When I meet Edgar's gaze, he is already looking intently at me with the same apprehensive look he always has on his face when I fail to utter a word. I hand him over the letter. Gingerly, he takes it and reads it by himself. His eyebrows draw into a frown, but when he's finished, they rise up higher on his forehead. He looks back at me. Wherever you are ... wherever we are ...

"Kayla?" he says.

"My sister,"

"She's alive?"

"Apparently so,"

"Raine ..." he starts to say, but nothing else.

"I knew I was going mad that week," I start, staring into the distance. "I should've left the house and gone to school as early as possible. But she and Tanya, my little sister, were bickering on some stuff. You know, the usual family arguments. But they were honestly getting on my nerves. And our dad started yelling, causing my mum to spill tea all over me. And that hit the trigger. I was screaming my head off, just flinging my hands everywhere. And ... and my mum said something ... and I don't know how it happened, but everything exploded. I didn't know I could do that, and I didn't like it. I couldn't control my emotions. Soon, I was standing alone in the middle of the ruins. I couldn't think, Ed. All I could say to myself was 'You caused this, Raine - you bloody well killed them!' and I was in a daze. Heck, I don't even remember the last thing I said to my mum or dad or-"

I choke on my words as I feel the hot tears rolling down my cheeks. I wipe them angrily with my thumb and say nothing else, because I know I will choke again, and I know I might as well start bawling. This is the first time I've ever told him everything. We never mentioned our background stories, because we know it'll make us miserable. Edgar scoots closer to me and wraps an arm around my shoulder, so I lean into him, wanting to feel safe and vulnerable again. Because I am. Just like a burnt coal. Fripples is trying to nip at me, but Edgar shoos her away.

"Hey," he says softly at me, bringing his face arouns so his eyes are training on me. "Your sister's alive. She made it."

It sounds funny to me that I let out a laugh. Kayla did make it out alive. I didn't kill her, but killed everyone else. After a while, I say, "Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you so calm?"

He chuckles. "Because, Raine," he says, "I'm innocent."

"You're-?"

"Innocent, yeah," he says coolly. "Those nitwits really set out a good trap for me to get caught. They did their brilliant job by actually murdering the ... uh, well, my 'one and only'."

"Your one and only?"

"Anyway, I don't know what business it was with them who I went out with," he gives a shrug. "But I guess they were just being arses. I was really upset - like you - when I found out they'd killed him. I couldn't think straight. I was going mad when they sent me here, because those gits were spectacular at doing their jobs. I still don't know what was wrong with them, to set me up like this. But eventually, I got over it and moved on. Yeah, I'm quite good at controlling myself."

I try not to question the fact that his "one and only" was a "him". This is also the first time I've ever heard of his story. So I say, "You should've made a distinct report,"

"Already did,"

"And ...?"

"Failed, clearly," he huffs, spreading one arm around the cell. "Turns out those blokes have some 'evidence' and whatnot. And I've been stuck here for nearly four years now. What can they do? I'm innocent."

"How long is your sentence anyway?"

"Oh, right, I have actually been discharged a couple of months ago, because they found out who the real culprits were," he laughs.

"Why didn't you go, then?"

"There's nothing - or nobody - out there for me, mate," he says. "Besides, I love the elves."

"That's not a real answer,"

"Apparently, it is," he says. He then stares at me. "Are you going to find your sister?"

A light bulb flicks on inside my head. "You don't happen to know the secret way out, do you?"

He snorts. "Discovered it ages ago," he tells me airily. "Didn't escape, though, because I don't want to land myself into trouble - not to mention in a new cell where there is no access to the kitchen."

I cock an eyebrow at him. "So you do know the way out," I state.

"I can plan it out tomorrow, don't worry," he smiles at me. "In the meantime, let's just sleep."

And we do.

And there is one point in the middle of the night where I wake up from a nightmare. I lay there, facing the wall, trying to even out my breathing. And I start thinking of Kayla, who's still alive. She's bloody well alive! I can't write her a reply; there's no quill or parchment anywhere here. Fripples has left, and I feel really lonely again. But she's alive.

I let that sink in, feel the relief wash me for the first time tonight. I also notice that the cell is glowing a bit, so I know that Edgar is still awake. I can feel his presence close behind me. I'm okay, Kayla. I'm safe. I'm with a friend. And I will look for you.