As she made her way to the front porch of the mansion, dusk had already settled. A butler took care of her belongings, while she stared at the white house that rose out of the ground in front of her.

"Not all peasant after all..." she muttered, observing the large building with a single pointy tower rising up into the night sky. Located at the outscirts of the city the Trafalgar estate was surrounded by a large park that touched on the southern border of Flevance forest. A couple of squirrels crossed the driveway and the girl's smile faded. "Taking that back..."

The doctor made his way quickly to the front door and Savenna followed him with growing annoyance. The woman she remembered form the party waited at the door and gave her a welcoming smile. Savenna smiled back gracefully despising every step she was making toward her new home.

"Come in, come in", the doctor's wife insisted and Savenna stepped into the hallway. "I really have to say your mother has a gift for throwing parties. You have to tell her that we all enjoyed the evening very much."

The girl stiffened when she realized she wouldn't see her mother or Magdalena again for a long time. But then she relaxed. "I will, Dr. Trafalgar!"

"Please call me Mary."

"Thank you, Mary. My mother will appreciate it," the girl replied. Suddenly the woman's face was flushed with concern. "You don't have to pretend. I know about your sickness and please, if you need anything don't hesitate to tell me," she said.

"I will," Savenna replied politely, after she recognized a sad smile spreading on the woman's lips. Don't give me that! If she had been honest, she would have preferred Law's mother to be an awful hag. That way she wouldn't have a guilty conscience for hating her and the whole situation as much as she did. The woman was as elegant as the last time she had seen her, wearing a plain black dress with her hair assembled into a tight knot at the back of her head. Savenna had to admit that she envied her beauty. In spite of her young age, she couldn't help but compare herself to every pretty woman she met. Either she convinced herself that she wasn't a match for her, or she turned green with jealousy. And even sick with Amber Lead she held on to old habits.

Mary took her gently by the arm and led her further down the hall, where a couple of servants were setting the table for dinner. Behind them she heard the doctor closing the door and rushing away. But as her eyes fell on the two figures waiting at the bottom of the stairs, her fake smile froze. Law and a little, whiny looking girl stood there stiff as two broomsticks. She felt Law's gloomy gaze upon her but she pretended not to. His watery eyes followed her from under the rim of that ridiculous hat while she smiled at Mary with provocation. Savenna waited for him to say something but he didn't. His mother started talking instead. "Law, there you are! You wouldn't miss your friend's arrival, would you?" Then she turned to the little girl.

"Lamie, this is Savenna," she said. But the plain looking girl was just staring at the stranger with wide eyes, admiring the shiny fabric of her dress. The woman cleared her throat. "Remember what I taught you about greeting your guests?"

Lamie's turned red before managing a shy curtsy. "That's right! Now, I know that this must be hard to hear but Savenna is quite sick." The little girl gasped for air and examined the guest with an anxious look in her eyes. The older girl frowned with hidden disgust.

"You must understand that she suffers form a very special illness and I need you be kind to her," Mary went on. "She will be staying with us, so that your father can take care of her until she gets better. Also she won't be able to attend school for the next few months, so I would appreciate if you could make sure she gets her homework. Would you do that, Law?"

The boy nodded, suddenly looking up. His features had lightened up with shock. "What is it you have? Are you not feeling well?" he asked with an agitated voice, immediately turning toward Savenna. She wanted to back away but her feet didn't move.

"I..." she attempted to make up a decent lie but Mary interrupted her swiftly.

"Where are your manners, young man? That's not a matter to discuss in public!" Law muttered an excuse and lowered his gaze again. Savenna felt suddenly so confused, she didn't even object as the woman shooed her up the stairs. She was shown to a dim room occupied by a large bed and expensive looking furniture. It must have been the best in the house, given to her to ease the doctor's guilt. Mary opened the window letting in a cool evening breeze. The suitcases were unpacked at her orders while Savenna stared into empty space.

"Dinner will be served in a half an hour. I hope you have brought some hunger with you," the woman said with a smile, but as she looked at the girl it vanished. "What is it, darling?"

"I think I will stay upstairs tonight. I don't feel so good..." Savenna murmured.

"I'll be right right back with my medkit. Or shall I call for my husband?"

"No, it's all right. I will lie down and get some rest."

"Right...", Mary mumbled. "Call if you need anything." The girl nodded and the moment she closed the door behind her, Savenna threw herself on the bed and wept into the fresh linen. This wasn't the future she had in mind. Being trapped in a house with all those people she never wanted to meet again. Suddenly she missed everything about home. She missed Magdalena yelling at her and her fathers stories. She even missed getting up in the morning to make fun of the narrow-minded kids at school. The parties, the music and dancing, now it was all over. She would never get away from these plain and boring people, who kept her hostage because they didn't want to lose their face in public.

For the first time she felt truly sick. Her heart was bursting in her chest, while a throbbing sensation invaded her temples. The room started spinning, her mouth felt dry and her limbs heavy. She couldn't care less if the poisoning killed her that instant. Instead everything turned dark and she fell asleep.

She woke up late. Savenna groaned and rubbed her forehead. Strange dreams had been haunting her all night, but she couldn't recall a single one. Somebody must have entered the room while she had been sleeping and closed the windows. Also a glass of water was waiting on her bedside table.

She stared at the ceiling and sighed. Then she decided to pull back the blankets and to swing her legs out of bed. Her homesickness had disappeared over night and she was ready for a new battle. Slowly, she lumbered toward the mirror. Her hair had come undone during the night and fell in honeyed layers over her shoulders while the white spot on her chest glowed like an ice floe over her heart. She turned away without much concern. At least it did not get bigger.

She looked at herself and smiled. Her looks had survived yesterday's diagnose. Before getting dressed, she flung the window open and watched the people on the street. Obviously the Trafalgar mansion wasn't as central as her own but she still could contemplate the noisy carriages and the morning hurry from the second floor of the house. With a sting of jealousy her eyes followed the women heading into city, dressed in expensive hats with flowers and ribbons. It would take a long time until she was among them again.

But what did it matter? Each battle started out small, she said to herself. For now it would be enough to show Law and that shivering little sister of his that she was playing in another league. Then she would head for a bigger victory. Amber Lead or not, she was still the prettiest and most powerful girl in town.

Savenna waited for her servant to come but after sitting on the bed for half an hour, there was still no sign of a maid. Savenna cursed and finished unpacking her suitcases by herself. Of course those peasants weren't able to take care of her needs, she thought, deciding to send for a personal servant first things this morning. Her self-confidence didn't fade even before her pitiful attempts to make herself presentable without Magdalena's help. Savenna cursed again when her hair got knotted around the brush while she pulled it with force through the rough passages. She refused to admit that her annoying governess was in fact irreplaceable, so she decided to make the best of the situation. After the hair was done she chose a black gown, knowing that she even the plainest color would make her shine more than the women under this roof. After another hour she was convinced that she looked more dashing than ever and swept out of the door.

Hoping to make a glamorous appearance she swayed down the big staircase ready to be received. But the hall was completely empty. Confused she sneaked through the dining and living room but her hosts were no where to be found. After she had managed to get hold of some servants she figured out that both doctors had already rushed off to work and the children attended school during the day. However, the doctor had told the kitchen maid Sophia, to take care of Savenna while he was gone.

"So why weren't you there to help me dress this morning?" Savenna wanted to know and frowned at the maid who was preparing her breakfast. Unlike Magdalena, she was a small and skinny woman with a pale face. She was quite unimpressed by the girl's complaints. "I'm here to take care of you in case you feel sick and the doctor's not here. The rest is up to you," Sophia answered absent-mindedly.

How rude, Savenna thought.

"When can I call for my own maid, then? I'm sure the doctor would want me to feel as comfortable as I did at home."

The servant shrugged. "The Trafalgars may be rich, but they are very modest people. We don't tend to any of the children to teach them how to take care of themselves. And I doubt an exception will be made for you," she said dryly, putting a plate of scrambled eggs in front of the girl. Savenna could hear the mocking tone of her voice and gave her a condescending smile in return. "We'll see about that." Then she looked at her plate.

"No way I'm eating my breakfast in the kitchen!", she exclaimed but Sophia couldn't care less. "I'm not dressing the big table just for you. If you want to eat in the dining room you have to set it yourself," she replied. Savenna's eyes narrowed. Then she rose, stuck her tongue out at the maid and left the kitchen without touching her food. She most certainly wouldn't give that woman the satifaction of obeying. But then she found herself in the empty living room not knowing what to do next.

Savenna's day was a quite lonely one. First she read in the living room until she got bored. Then she tried to convince the butler to play the piano for her so she could dance. Unfortunately the butler had never played a note in his life, so Savenna had to play the waltz herself, to the displeasure of Sophia who didn't have an ear for music, and considered her talent as nothing more than annoying noise. The girl slammed the lid shut and strutted upstairs. Although it wasn't her house she had no shame exploring it by going through the owners' things, as long as it entertained her.

The first room she explored was Lamie's but Savenna didn't spend much time in it. Children's toys bored her even more than servant talk. After noticing that the doctor's cabinet was locked, she opened the door to the parents' bedroom. The decor was plain and went perfectly well with the rest of the house. She went directly toward the large wardrobe and swung the doors open.

Mary Trafalgar's clothes were less extravagant than her mother's and way less expensive, but nonetheless the woman had taste. Savenna spent the next hours working herself through the closet, trying on different dresses and nightgowns and turning vainly in front of the mirror. Imagining how she would grow up as pretty as the woman owning these things was amusement enough. Next she went to the dressing table and tried on different lipsticks, blowing kisses to an invisible audience. After she had explored every drawer she danced back into the hallway, where she noticed that one bedroom was missing.

After turning around aimlessly, she finally found a small staircase leading to Law's room. It resembled a servant's staircase, although she hadn't seen any of them go up to the third floor. Driven by sudden curiosity she grabbed her skirt and walked up the stairs. The way up was long and at the end of the stairway she was forced to climb using both hands and feet. Finally she had arrived at the door and turned the knob. The door wasn't locked.

With careful steps she entered the room but backed away instantly. She wanted to climb back down and run but she wasn't able to mov. The darkened walls of the attic were papered with images of skeletons and objects that she recognized to be human organs. Despite herself she advanced inside. A row of test tubes occupied the floor, glowing threateningly in the dark. The shelves and the narrow bed were crammed with books. Arriving at the desk she felt like throwing up. Next to the usually sharpened pens and shiny flat knives laid one of the squirrels she had seen in the park the day before. Now it's empty eyes stared at the ceiling, while a long, precise cut showed her the inside of its belly. She had no idea how long it had been dead but it looked life someone had cut it open just a few hours ago.

She swallowed, knowing suddenly that she shouldn't have come. Everyone in this house was either rude or completely crazy. The day she had first met the boy she had known that he was a bit off the rails but she couldn't have known how far. That was when she noticed something odd. The candle on the desk had burnt down spreading wax over half of his notes. He must have worked through the night. What on earth had he been looking for? But Savenna would get the answer quicker than she hoped.

"Father has told me some things about your illness yesterday." Law's voice let her turn around immediately. She had completely forgotten the time and hadn't heard him enter. His mushroom head cast a shadow into the room. If it were anyone else, she wouldn't have cared being caught spying. But never had a boy frightened her more but she forced herself to face him, pretending to listen to what he had to say. He put the small backpack down and scratched his neck. He didn't appear angry and went on talking, "I wanted to know more about it. But don't worry, it doesn't seem very serious," he said.

She backed away as he approached her.

"And that squirrel, did you kill it?" she wanted to know, her voice uncertain.

The boy shrugged. "Father told me your illness had something to do with the island's ecology, so I wanted to know if it did the same with animals. Didn't help much, though... I have caught another one today. Do you want to see? We can cut it open together if you like." He stretched out his arm, holding a second squirrel in his hand. The animal was paralyzed with fear. Law smiled and reached out for her hand but she set out a scream.

"Don't touch me!" she cried. Knowing she had to protect herself from him, she said: "I'm contagious!" He seemed surprised but not frightened. Instead of leaving her alone he came another step closer. "Really? How come? I must tell father then," the boy said with a sorrowful look on his face.

Savenna didn't listen. She stumbled backward as her back touched a skeleton hanging on the wall and set out another cry. Law was too caught up in his thoughts to notice her despair. Then he put the squirrel down and his gray eyes went back to her. "You really don't have to worry. Everything is going to be fine. It doesn't matter if the squirrels don't tell me anything. My father is an excellent doctor, he will find a way to make you well again!"

Savenna didn't care for his nonsense. As soon as she had regained her ability to speak, her eyes hardened. "Just keep away from me, you monster!" And with that she stormed away from him a second time.

"But your homework..." Law muttered after her, the extra notebooks carefully placed in his backpack. But it was too late. She had already disappeared.

Law made several attempts to bring her the homework but she avoided him expertly. She pretended not to hear his knocks on the door and kept on brushing her hair every time he passed by. The dead animals and the skeletons on the walls were the only things she could think about. Law wasn't a handsome child, but now he seemed like a monster straight out of her father's horror stories. Savenna feared the room on the third floor and never spoke of that incident to anyone. But the longer she stayed alone, staring out of the window, the more she found his gruesome occupation interesting. Of course, she didn't take him seriously. His father was the doctor, he himself was just a child playing with dead animals. He would never be able to help her. He could be a decent villain, though...

On the next day she was called into Dr. Trafalgar's practice for another examination. He was sitting in a large chair, his head buried in paperwork as Sophia opened the door. He turned around and gave her a little smile. "Please take a seat, Savenna."

She did as she was told. He asked her how she was feeling, she told him fine, except for being bored to death and the suffering from Sophia's rude behavior. She didn't know if he took her seriously, for he proceeded immediately to the medical part of their appointment. She coughed and stretched her arms for him, gave him blood and swallowed some pills. Even though she didn't quite understand what he was doing, he seemed very concerned.

"What is it? Am I getting better?" she finally asked with impatience. He didn't answer, making some notes into one of his books. But when he felt her eyes on him he turned around.

"I think it's time for me to make an appointment with your parents. We have some matters to discuss..." he said with a lower voice than usual. Savenna's heart skipped a beat.

"Why? What is it you can't tell me?" she wanted to know. Trafalgar looked at her with a slight astonishment. She sounded calm and firm at the same time, not like any child he had ever treated. He sighed.

"Usually, I don't do this. A girl your age shouldn't be bothered with this... But you live under my roof and you seem like you would understand what I'm saying, so I will make an exception."

Savenna nodded, waiting for the doctor's verdict. She sat perfectly still when he took up where he had left off. "Your vitals seem fine. Sophia tells me you're eating well and with no fever or pain, you might be in very good health." He saw her eyes lighten up and found it even harder to continue. "However, there is something that worries me."

"What is it?"

"The marks. They're spreading." She knew about the first one. She had seen it two days ago while putting on her dress. The mark over her heart had grown bigger and covered a large part of her chest in an irregular circle. But as the doctor gave her a mirror she noticed with shock that the same icy color had spread over her lower back. "What does this mean?" she asked her eyes glued to the spot.

"I suppose it means that the poison is spreading in your body."

"How long will it take until it's all white?" she asked. At his sudden silence she figured that she probably wouldn't live long enough to find out. She tried to distract her thoughts from this unfortunate conclusion.

"Is the same thing happening to my father?" she inquired then but Trafalgar shook his head. "I don't know why that is," he said, "but the disease spreads slower the older the patient is. And that doesn't only apply to the case of your father. Some of my other patients complain about headache and fatigue but to tell you the truth, I've never seen the marks grow as fast as yours do. "

Silence filled the room. Both of them were lost in their thoughts. "I will inform your parents as soon as I can," he decided. She didn't reply.
"Savenna, are you listening to me?"

"What will happen to me? I mean, if the poison keeps spreading?" she wanted to know. Her gaze seemed strangely expressionless, almost as if the doctor was looking into his son's eyes. He had to be honest with her. He knew that she would find out if he wasn't. And no matter how young, she was his patient after all. He cleared his throat and said, "I can't guarantee you anything. But as far as my research goes, you might start feeling dizzy, loose your appetite and suffer from occasional joint pain. Your body temperature might rise and you will have trouble getting up in the morning."

She nodded slightly. "Will there be a way to stop it?"

In her mind she was picturing herself turning completely white. Then she thought about Magdalena. Savenna had always been an insatiable and selfish child, a challenge only her governess could handle. In her cruelest moments, however, even Magdalena had lost her temper. It hadn't happened a lot but Savenna could remember the night she refused to go to bed, even though her governess had been sick and had trouble keeping her feverish eyes open. "You can't imagine how sad I am," she had said, "having raised a child without any love or compassion! If it's that what you're becoming, I don't know if I want to come back to you." Eventually she did, after Savenna had thrown her arms around her neck and cried out how sorry she was. But she had never forgotten her words. And maybe, this time she would have to pay.

But as the doctor's voice filled the room, she was brought back out of her dream world. He too was watching her with tired and feverish eyes. "I made a promise to you and I will keep it. If there is a cure for the Amber Lead, I will find it."

She smiled at him and he smiled back. "It's the same promise I've made to my son, you know." The doctor sighed and leaned back in his chair. " You getting well means a lot to him and as stubborn as he is, he will try to help you despite the things he doesn't know. Even though he might seem unfriendly sometimes, he has a good heart. So please think of what we've talked about."

That explained why he hadn't told his father anything about the lie she had told him. He was trying to solve the mystery on his own. Savenna feeling less strongly about the dead squirrels. At the end of their meeting, he gave her an arsenal of pills and filled Sophia in on the medication before he released his patient.

Weeks passed and it was as if their conversation had never happened. Savenna looked as pretty as always, sitting at dinner and chatting about politics and town gossip. A suitable dress covered her marks and she was cautious to wear gloves every time she was around people to keep up the story about her contagious disease. Mary was far too fond of her, since she proved to be as quick-witted as any of her adult friends. Meanwhile, the doctor avoided eye-contact as if it would the situation less strange. The little girl Lamie was always too shy to participate at the dinner talk and watched everything around her with big gray eyes. But as fulfilling her and Mary conversations were, no dinner happened without her talking about Law and his achievements. His progress in medical school and his good grades. While the father never talked much, the mother could barely stop.

Savenna's jealousy compass began changing directions. She liked to pretend that Mary was her mother, never judging or correcting her. But with Law in the flash light, that wasn't possible. Law this, Law that. She was the one who was sick and needed attention! Suddenly he was the one getting everything she wanted. A mother who was proud of him, a home of his own and the possibility to go wherever he wanted. As she sat there concealing her irritation, she never noticed the look the boy gave her through the labyrinth of glasses and candles.

One time after dinner the children were to help Sophia and the other servants in the kitchen. Savenna wasn't fond of this particular house rule but she had no choice than to obey. However, as she was leaning out of the window doing nothing like most of the time, she heard familiar steps approaching. "You shouldn't be standing here without a coat. The wind in the North Blue can be really cold," Law said with a dish in his hand. Savenna turned around and sighed.

"Why don't you stop telling me what I should or shouldn't do? You sound like my mother."

He shrugged. "I don't want your illness to get worse, that's all." Then he gave her a grim look form under the mushroom-hat.

"I can see for myself, thank you. I've lived here as long as you," she replied and took a towel for the glasses she didn't intend to dry. Somehow she enjoyed fighting with him. It was the only possibility to express her feelings under this roof. Law sighed and waited until Sophia and Lamie were out of sight. Then he said, "You should really take your condition more seriously. It won't help catching a fever now. And the teacher said that if you don't turn in your homework, you will have to repeat class next year. I can help you if you like, I've already done all the assignments."

The moment she realized that he was giving her the responsibility talk, her irritation reached its peak. "I will be just fine. I'll tell Madgalena to do it for me. You can go back to killing animals in your torture chamber."

"That was just an experiment! I didn't mean any harm!" Now Law started to grow angry as well. Savenna could barely conceal her satisfaction.

"Really?"

"Really! I bet you're just too stupid to understand!"

Savenna gritted her teeth and the glass she was holding fell on the floor. "How dare you call me stupid! At least my head contains more than just mushrooms, you idiot!"

"At least I do all of my homework myself and spend time with more important things than my looks! I am way smarter than you and that's why you're always so mean to me! You're just jealous!"

"Take that back!"

"Make me!" That he didn't need to say twice. She forgot her vanity, eager to protect her pride. In no time she was on him, pulling his hair, trying to punch him like the pirates in her adventure stories. He wasn't prepared for this and landed flat on the kitchen floor. First he hesitated to hit back since he was fighting a girl, but as soon as he received another punch he successfully forgot. He pulled her hair, she bit his arm while they were rolling around the kitchen like two animals fighting for their territory. As someone kicked the leg of the table, the dry plates fell to the floor and shattered into pieces. None of them noticed until Sophia cried out on entering the kitchen.

"What is going on here?!" she yelled and with the help of another servant she managed to separate the two."Are you out of your mind?"

"From you I would expect such a behavior," she said looking at Savenna whose lion mane had freed itself. "But you!" she turned to Law who stared at his feet. "What's the matter with you? You're such a good boy! Shouldn't you know better than to pick a fight with this one?"

"That's not fair! He was the one who started it!" Savenna cried out trying to free herself from Sophia's grip.

"Liar!" the boy protested when Sophia pulled him by the ear. "I don't care who started it! We're not under pirates here and that's certainly no behavior I will tolerate in this house, understood?"

None of them said anything, while she thought of the right way to punish them. "The two of you will help me in the kitchen for the rest of the week and no backtalk! Is that clear?" she decided. Savenna lowered her eye-brows and hissed, "I will tell the doctor. He won't allow it!"

"Feel free to try!" The servant grumbled. "And now go to your rooms! I don't want to see you again tonight." Then she started picking up the pieces of the broken tableware cursing silently.

"Why can't you just do as you are told for once?", Law asked his hands still clenched to fists.

"Because I'm not my mother's little baby, that's why!" Savenna snapped back. This time it was Law who lost his patience. "Take that back!" he said as if he hadn't heard anything the maid had said. He seized Savenna by the arm and pushed her. She caught hold of herself in time, but just as she wanted to hit back, she set out a painful cry.

A sting in her heart made her lose her breath. Suddenly the sting turned into excruciating pain. She was shaking and started to lose balance. Law's mushroom-head blurred in front of her eyes as she tried to loosen the knot of her dress, gasping for air.

Lamie hid behind her kitchen door and followed the scene stiff with terror. When Sophia managed to grab her, it was too late. The girl had already sunk on the floor, whining in pain. Law knelt next to her in shock. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to...", he repeated until he got pushed out of the way.

From that day on, Savenna's health began to deteriorate. The girl withered within days, as if the poison had just waited for a moment of weakness to strike. The marks spread over her entire back, her arms and neck. The first spots on her face appeared the day the fever rocketed up dangerously. Despite of its icy color, her skin was burning. Sophia was trying to cool it down, sitting day and night the girl's side. However, several days after attack, she had still barely regained consciousness and when she did, she didn't recognize anyone. Her parents came and left without her noticing and Magdalena watched over her, while she tossed and turned in dreadful fever dreams.

When she started to recover, the governess barely recognized the girl under the heavy blankets. For the first time she looked as sick as she was. With her strength her beauty faded. The honey-colored locks turned dry and her skin felt rough where the disease had spread. She kept losing weight since she didn't eat anything and her big eyes fell into shady holes.

Without her knowing, the servants and the doctor danced around her with something between shock and concern. Trafalgar couldn't explain what was happening. Her condition was more violent than in any other case he was working on. He started doubting his own power.

That wasn't the way Law saw things. With a guilt he had never felt before, he hid in the hallway trying to catch a glimpse of Savenna every time someone entered the room. But even if he had the courage to see her, Sophia wouldn't have let him inside. He was a kind and patient boy and the maid couldn't understand how Savenna had managed to infect him with her bad temper. However, he believed it was all his fault. If he hadn't lost his nerve with her, she would be suffering the way she was. If he hadn't pushed her, nothing would have happened. That she had been asking for it, he completely forgot.

He watched the door day and night. He saw the parents crying, Sophia sighing when she thought she was alone, but most of all, he saw his father failing. His father was the best doctor he knew and he always found a way to make things better. Only this time it was different. He seemed helpless, running around, browsing through his books and skipping meals.

Law wondered if he should be disappointed. But to his surprise he was just scared. Scared of waiting and scared of having caused a death instead of preventing one. Being a quiet, solitary boy, Savenna was the closest he had to a friend. So he swore that he wouldn't rest until she was pretentious and pretty again.