It soon became weeks that we would spend together. Sister Fiona said that if she saw one she was sure to see the other. After that I kind of noticed her following me everywhere I went. Not that it bothered me, in actuality it didn't. I liked her company better than the others'. Truth was I liked being with her. I never really asked her if she was happy being with me but since she was smiling all the time now instead of glooming around I guessed she was.

That was until that time of the month came when Duke Nightray came. The thing was that Sister Fiona never told Duke Nightray that she was here. She was free staying at the House of the White Angel.

I didn't know that...

"Huh?" Claire looked up behind her and saw them. Those pawns from his side. Curiously enough they weren't his guards as I've seen them pass the month before. These were the ones from that guy...Isla Yura.

"Miss Claire, please come with us," one of the two pronounced. I could hear and see the children gathering outside the library door.

"What do you want with me?" she asked standing up to them, trying to be bold but was scared. I could tell.

I stood too and placed myself between them, "What is it that Duke Nightray wants with her?"

"Duke Nighray simply wishes to talk to the child," one responded.

"We will be taking her by force if necessary," the other said grabbing her arm.

"No!" she yelled and kicked his ankle as he let go and she hid behind me.

"You're making this harder than it is," the other called and pushed me aside knocking me into the wall while he picked up Claire by her waist and carried her away followed by the other.

"NO!" she yelled hitting and kicking as much as she could. "Let go of me! Leo! LEO!"

Hearing her clear cries I ran after them. I noticed as I ran out that the kids had disappeared from the doorway and instead were at the playroom with Sister Fiona and the others. Could no one else hear her yell or what? I ran after them careful not to get caught. That's when I noticed we were descending into a cellar that I didn't even know about. Once they were down I stayed behind the corner of the entrance watching them closely. I have to find the perfect timing.

Apparently Duke Nightray was already down there. He was holding a cup in his hands. The two threw Claire onto the concrete floor as she immediately stood up.

Duke Nightray extended his hand towards her, "Here, drink it."

Claire glared at him then at the cup and slapped it away from his hands. "Screw you!" Her mouth had gotten quite big since I met her. "He's telling me you're up to no good. I listen to him. He knows what's best. You're up to something bad! Sister Fiona! Leo!"

"If not the easy way," the duke motined for them to grab her. One her left arm and leg, the other her right arm and leg.

"Let go of me! Leo!" she said trying to break free unable to.

"Then I'll just have to shove it down your throat," he said.

"No!" she cried. "No!"

"No!" I call barely but was cut by her yelling

"Stop it!"

Suddenly a strong gust threw me away along with the other three adults. I felt upon the stairs and hurt myself.

"What?" I heard the duke's voce high as I looked up.

There was Claire who had fainted. But she wasn't lying on the floor. No, a man who wasn't any of them was holding her, almost dradling her in his arms. He had long chocolate brown hair spiked and short in the front and a long, low ponytail hanging behind him. His eyes a piecring silverish grey. He was wearing clothes like that of the duke's. Noble clothing. On his left ear there was a stud earring that was oddly shinning. His glance was upon Claire as he placed her down leaning on the wall. He motioned his hand upon his earring as a small orb of light shone, he took it towards her chest and landed it into her broche, the only thing she has from her past.

He turned to the duke and the two others, "I'm disgusted to see the human race so dependable of our power."

"Your power?" one of the guards of Isla called confused.

"You wanted to place that weak Chain into my Dominion's body and form an illegal contract with it. However she holds already the power I posses. Even if she had drank the blood my contract with her would have annihilated the weaker one," he says galring at them. His gaze suddenly falls upon my own. His frown changes to a smile for an instant as he mouths a couple of words. Take care of her. He quickly glares back at the group as I notice his figure beginning to disappear, "If you ever attempt this little stunt again I will not just appear before you as a fragment of her imagination." He disappeared as his last words hung on all, "I have given my warning."

The next day, after Claire awoke that morning, Duke Nightray came again. This time he took Claire to another room which I had access to hearing. They kept asking her questions as to what had happened yesterday. But she didn't answer. Morelike she had no way of knowing what had happened. 'I don't know' was all the answer she gave them.

"Stop fooling around with us!" the duke called. Claire flinched and her eyes... Oh no. I ran inside and stepped in between him, his guards, and Claire. I spread my arms wide before her figure.

"Please, Duke Nightray, it's clear she knows nothing of what happened yesterday. She has no recollection of it. It is not odd for she has had cases of amnesia before," I try going the logical way out. He imply looks at me with a tinge of disdain before letting us go. For some reason he gives in if I step in.

"Thanks," Claire says once we're inside the piano room. "I really don't remember anything. Just the cellar, the cup, them holding onto me and then there's just blackness."

I held onto her hand tightly, "Don't worry if they try asking you again and you start getting uncomfortable like today I'll stop them."

"I know you will," she smiled.

That was it for that month until December came by. That's when she came to me with a little idea. She had been doing a little ceremony by herself to thank for her goods of the year. She called it the White Flora and she was asking Sister Fiona if we could do it for all the kids this year. In the end we did it and it was beautiful. I liked it. The children did little paper flowers with messages inside them. Claire and I had blue colored paper while the kids had white. She told me that we couldn't say what we had written or it wouldn't be blessed. I wrote down to have another good year with her and thanked for getting to know her. The flowers flew with the gusts of wind outside that night. It was like our little new year's festival.

One night I noticed something was off. While I was sleeping I notced a little noise outside the door. Getting up and trying not to wake up the other boys I exited the bedroom. I glanced ahead and saw her walking over to the piano room. I went in as she left the door open. She was sitting on the windowpane legs over the pane and looking out.

"Hey," she said and I hid back. "I know you're there. I'm not blind nor deaf."

I sighed, I hate it when she's this sensitive. "What are you doing up this late?"

"Trying to find a shooting star," she simply said. "I want our lives to change. To be better. I want to know who I am. I want to know where I came from. I want to meet my parents. I want to go out and explore this world. Somewhere far away from Sablier. Far away from the House of Fiana. Somewhere, out there, I know there has to be someone who knows me. Who knows who I am."

"A lot to wish upon one single star, don't you think?" I ask going and leaning on the windowpane part she wasn't sitting on.

"Wish with me then," she smiles as she points out the stars. I look out and watch the stars.

That's when I see them, "Look! Shooting stars!" And they were. Many tens of thousands falling, probably a meteor shower.

She quickly clasped her hands, cringed her nose, and closed her eyes. I did the same as she said her wish, "I want our lives to change. Better. Happier. More Knoledgable. I want to know. What do you want?" she said.

"I want..." I hesitated. "Whatever you wish for I want to be there with you. I'll be there to protect you and share that happiness with you."

She jumped off the pane and stood facing me. She put her hand out, pinky out. "Forever together?"

I smiled and joined our pinkies, "Forever and ever."

Looking back at that now I think that it was that night when those feelings for her aroused in me. We were little and I mistook them by brotherly love. But the next occurance made me realize the different between the two. Her wish came true. Our lives did change. And that change came in one single word...

Elliot Nightray


Note to Self:

Be careful of what you wish for, sometimes you just end up regret it.