Sophie found Oralie in the top room of her tower.

The door was ajar, so she didn't knock, knowing that Oralie probably didn't care anymore now that her life would never be the same.

Oralie was collecting all her jewels and garments and beauty things, scooping them into a sad beige bag labelled, Lost. Part of Sophie ached with sympathy for her but most of her knew that Oralie deserved this.

Or did she?

No, Sophie! She mentally yelled. You are not going to think about this ever again!

"Hello, Sophie," Oralie said tiredly. "Come to gloat?"

"Why would you say that?" Sophie growled, meanwhile her brain screamed, YOU WOULD TOTALLY SAY THAT TOO!

"Sorry," Oralie groaned. "I'm a horrible person, so I may as well act like one."

"You're not a horrible person," Sophie said, gingerly approaching her. "You've just made too many mistakes for your daughters to forgive you."

"How did you know about Aurora?" Oralie dropped the bag in surprise. "Did my mother tell you?"

"Yes, actually," Sophie said. "It's kind of funny I had to travel all the way to a completely unknown place just to find that out. Out of all the times you could have told me, you didn't use one of them."

"I already told you I'm sorry, so I don't know what else you want me to say."

Oralie sat down on the only chair left. She looked sickly and pale like she was fading through nothingness and was too tired to get herself out.

"I want to know why you did it!" Sophie blurted. "And not just to me, but Aurora too! You abandoned her! Don't you understand why I'm upset?"

"I'm not looking for an argument," Oralie said wearily. "I'll be happy just staying away from here for the rest of my existence, just like you want me to."

Sophie glared at her icily. There was a strong pulse vibrating through her veins, determined to make Oralie feel some kind of remorse for what she'd done. "There's more to life than power."

"And that's not all I wanted!" Oralie said, standing up defiantly. "There's more to me than my parents told you, Sophie. You're not saying your parents know everything about you, are you?"

"Then who is Aurora's father?"

Oralie suddenly paled. Sophie knew she had hit a difficult spot.

"Well, let's see," Sophie began. "You and Kenric were in love, and you look about the same age. I'm guessing he didn't live in Evarista?"

Oralie looked affronted. She drew back, lip quivering.

"So Kenric was Aurora's father?"

Oralie didn't speak.

Sophie laughed darkly, much unlike her usual one. "I can't believe it! All this time, you knew each other before the Council, you had a child together...I don't understand..."

Oralie couldn't look any more exhausted. She sat back down on her bed, rubbing her eyes, utterly sorry for herself and everything she'd done.

"You chose power over family!" Sophie yelled, angry tears in her eyes. "Why would someone as nice as you do that?"

"I wanted to do something good for the world!" Oralie said. Her eyes flickered to the ground. "I wanted to make a difference! I never meant to have a daughter, but I didn't want to terminate her...and then she arrived and she had an ability that was practically unheard of. I wanted to give her a good future like mine, but by the time I figured that out, I had already gone off and joined the Council with Kenric."

"That's no excuse," Sophie said. "None of it. You were only, what, twenty years younger?"

"I don't know what else you want me to do, Sophie," Oralie said, her voice cracking. "How am I supposed to reverse the past?"

"By helping us?" Sophie said. "Doing something right for once?"

"Like what? I already took your Spyball," Oralie sighed.

"What about the one who tipped off the Council? My stalker?" Sophie grumbled. "You have to know about that."

"I-I- don't know what you're talking about." Oralie's face was so pale and her chest was rising and falling so quickly it was impossible not to stare at her. Sophie rolled her eyes at the former Councilor.

"I'm done with these lies," Sophie barked. "Just tell me the truth, and it'll all be right again, okay? Knowing that you can't tell me what you know, vital information that you know...well, it hurts!"

"And I understand that," Oralie whispered. "But this is too much. It's too dangerous!"

"What? Telling me who my stalker is?"

Oralie gave a breathy laugh. She nodded her head.

Sophie saw red behind her eyelids. She was practically hysterical. Before she continued pressing the subject, she took a few very deep, dramatic breaths. Oralie almost looked afraid.

"I'm going to ask this one more time. Who tipped me off to the Council?"

"I don't know!"

Oralie buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking slowly.

The soft sound of a door creaking open echoed from downstairs. Both their heads snapped in the direction, but Sophie still continued.

"This is your last chance!" Sophie warned.

Oralie wrapped her finger tightly around one of her golden ringlets so that the tip of her finger turned gray. "I don't know who has been telling the Council all of this private information."

Sophie's hands flew up into the air in disbelief again. "Yes you do!"

"You don't have to believe me. But as a Councillor, I have to tell the truth..."

Oralie's voice trailed off as she realized what she'd gotten herself into.

"Oh yeah, like how you never told me or the Council how you were my mother and Aurora's?" Sophie challenged. "Sure sounds like you were telling the truth the entire time."

Oralie's voice caught when she tried to speak. "This...is completely irrelevant."

Sophie raised her eyebrows.

"Sophie, please. I don't know who it was. All I know is that they went straight to Councilor Emery and didn't make contact with the rest of us!"

Sophie looked away. "So, then, I'm just going to have to guess. This is very disappointing, you know."

Oralie rubbed her eyes.

"Hmmm...well, the first time, it was Lord Cassius. So is it Lord Cassius?" Sophie asked her, her voice dangerously quiet.

Oralie shook her head in confusion. "Lord Cassius? No. It can't be."

"Yes it can."

"Sophie, I know he told the rest of the Council how you were trying to find Keefe all those months ago...but he wouldn't do that, not now that he's finally made amends with his son and he is living the best possible life he can."

Sophie sighed. "Then who else could it be?"

"I already told you, I don't know!" Oralie said. "All I heard was their voice."

"And what did it sound like?" Sophie seethed.

Oralie paused when they heard another door open, closer to the top room this time. "I should go. Someone's clearly looking for me."

"What did it sound like?"

"Like...gravelly, low, human?"

Sophie groaned. "I know their disguise! I want to know who's under it!"

"I don't know!" Oralie cried. Her hands flew to her head, an obvious migraine blooming. "Please stop!"

"What is your problem?" Sophie whispered, blocking the door when Oralie tried to leave. "Just tell me who it was and I'll leave you alone!"

"I can't." Oralie shook her head firmly.

Sophie laughed cruelly. "It's someone dear to you, isn't it?"

Oralie froze.

"It is," Sophie smiled.

"No," Oralie insisted.

"You're lying, I can feel it."

"She means me," a voice said from behind the door.

One that used to be warm but had now turned sickeningly cold.

"No!" Oralie shrieked.

But she was too late.

Because someone tall, built like a football player with wavy red hair was standing behind the door.