A/N: This chapter is pretty long, but the next three are really short. Just warning ya.

3

Manasi

Her eyes sparkled in the light. I could never tell if they were green, or brown, or gray, or blue. Unfortunately, I had run out of excuses to tell Fintan for meeting Vivian. Hesitantly, I walked into a Neverseen hideout for the first time in days. I encountered Umber and Trix first, who passed me curious glances but said nothing.

My pace slowed as I prepared to meet with Fintan - for what might be the last time. I wasn't lying to Vivian when I agreed to help her; I really did feel bad for her after losing her brother, especially since I had been directly involved with the fire. At this point, I was only trying to protect my family. If Sima and Jex got hurt because of me, my mind would break for sure. But I would have to risk it. For her.

I walked into the room, and stared him in the eyes. I could do this.

"Manasi," Fintan said, his voice dark, echoing off the walls. "I understand from… a source… that you have been taking detours on your scouting missions?"

My mouth went dry.

"No. Nothing of the sort." I tried my best not to sound suspicious. He studied me with an emotionless stare.

"You seem off. Like… you're in love?"

I froze. Even I hadn't understood my feelings toward her yet, but this? This was unexpected. A part of me told my brain that Fintan was right. But the rational side of me wouldn't agree to it. That part wanted to keep things emotions out of it.

If Fintan could sense the anxious thoughts fluttering around my mind, he didn't show it. He smiled his crooked smile. After Vivian had exposed my doubts, I could see the evil in his fractured mind.

"No, why would you think that?" I tried.

"Let's not argue about this any further. Just - remember where your loyalties lie. And know what happens to those who desert the order." He turned, and disappeared into the darkness. There was nothing to confirm that he knew of my inner rebellion, but nothing to deny it either. I had decided. No matter what would happen, my time with the Neverseen was coming to an end. One way or another.

I ran down the halls, trying to keep to the shadows. If I could sneak out just long enough to tell Vivian that I wasn't going back, maybe she could help me figure out how to disguise my sudden disappearance… and make sure nothing fell back on my family. Finding the nearest exit, I ran into Umber, and cursed under my breath. She was tricky to bypass, and even harder to lie to.

"And where are you going?" she snapped.

"Uh…. nowhere." I turned and ran in the opposite direction, hoping she wouldn't follow me. You never knew, with her shadow tricks. She could be right behind me and I wouldn't even know it. Finding the next closest entrance, I dashed into the sunlight, nearly falling off the steep cliff. Right. Pulling out a cobalt crystal, I stepped into the light.

I appeared outside Vivian's shed, and pulled back the fabric, surprised to see it empty. Great, I thought. Where will I find her now? I couldn't afford to waste time. If Fintan found out I had ditched the hideout… I didn't want to think about it. I couldn't put Vivian in danger. The city was huge. Or country, or whatever. The best idea would be to find help.

Looking around the shed for anything that might be a clue to where she had gone, I spotted a piece of paper poking out of one of the journals on the table. Phone numbers were scribbled on it. I didn't know human languages very well, but I could tell it said "Maya", "Lira", and "Prisha". They must be friends, or relatives... or something. I decided to call Maya.

I picked up a cell phone that was sitting on a cushion, then punched in the digits and waited as the phone buzzed.

"Hello?"

"Hi there..."

"Wait, is this Vivi? I haven't gotten a call from you in ages!"

"Sorry, but I'm a friend of … Vivi. Do you happen to know where she is?"

"I don't, I'm afraid. You should check the library. She goes there a lot… Well, she used to at least. Stop for a second. Has my Vivi finally gotten herself a boyfriend?"

"Um…"

"Just so you know, she likes green, cupcakes, and science."

"I'm not her boyfriend!"

"Okay, okay, calm down. But you should be, she needs someone. Check in the library, I have to go now. Bring her around sometime, kay? Bye." The phone screeched like a hawk, then started playing the same annoying tone over and over. I banged it against a chair a few times, then shook it vigorously until it turned off. These human devices. Touching the phone again, I looked through the series of 'apps' and valiantly managed to open something called "Google Maps". I clumsily typed in 'library', and the phone actually talked to me in this weird accented voice.

"The nearest library is zero-point-two miles away," the phone said robotically.

"Um… what's a mile?" I asked. The phone did not reply. I clicked it furiously again. "What is a mile?!"

"Mile," the phone said monotonously. "The mile is an American unit of linear measurement equivalent to 5,280 feet or 1,790 yards, and is standardised as specifically 1,609.344 meters by international measures…"

"Oh, forget it!" I was done now. Looking at the map again, I saw that the library was directly behind the shed. I walked out and around the perimeter, then squinted into the distance. Nothing. But the phone showed it was directly in front of me. I decided to just keep walking straight. Eventually, I would get there, right? Stuffing the phone in one of my cloak pockets, I took a deep breath, then tore the Neverseen insignia off of my sleeve. If I was going to do this, I would do it right.

After ten minutes, I came upon a slightly neglected looking building. It had a thatched green roof, and stucco walls. The door's handles were rusted, like they hadn't been used in a very long time. The door slowly screeched open when I nudged the handle, much resembling the tone of Vivi's malfunctioning phone. I pushed open the door, revealing thousands of shelves packed with books. The stories extended to the ceiling of the rundown building, which was held up with metal bars.

I was so astonished by the number of books, I almost missed a shadow pass behind me. I turned, to find just another shelf of books. But a bright glow shone from behind the shelf. I peeked past the massive wooden structure, to find the last few atoms of a shocked but sneering Umber disappear into the light.

It took me a few moments to realize she had followed me and spied on me since I left the hideout. I did a quick search to make sure Vivian wasn't in the library, then started venting to myself thoughts about where Umber might have gone.

She had just seen me, if she inferred so, betray the Neverseen. People who betrayed the Neverseen had serious consequences, like being burned by Fintan himself.

Or death.

That's when it struck me.

And I knew where I was going.

I fumbled for my pathfinder, and held it up to the light. In those few moments, I felt something touch my back, but I shook off the feeling and disappeared into the light.

I appeared in front of Cloverdale, the home I had left so many years ago. Only it wasn't the same anymore.

Gargantuan flames rose high into the air and draped the mansion like a deathly blanket. Fire raged on as a few trees nearby burned to the ground.

I stared in shock, and thought I heard a tiny gasp behind me, but I brushed it off. I ran to the ash covered double doors and shook them until they cracked open.

The inside mirrored the exterior. Fire covered everything- the tables, the chairs, the crystal chandeliers. I heard screaming upstairs, and silence. Absolute silence. It was eerily still as I ran, taking two steps at a time. Luckily, I was still wearing my fireproof Neverseen cloak, cursing that I was still wearing it but relieved at the same time.

I ran through the halls, and entered a room with a young woman with her back towards me. She was on her knees hunched over something. Or someone.

"Simani?" I whispered.

She wheezed, and I walked over to see what had happened.

Before my eyes then came the most horrifying thing I could have ever imagined.

Jexica, my beautiful little sister, was sprawled across the floor, her limbs bent at awkward angles. Blood lined the sides of her cheeks, and her eyes were clouded marbles.

"Jex," I muttered, barely audible over the crackling of the flames, and collapsed on my knees beside Sima. I hugged Sima as hard as I could, then reached for Jex. I dug my arms underneath her body and lifted it off the ground. A tear trickled off my cheek and landed on hers.

With Jex's fragile body over my shoulder and Sima's hand in mine, I dodged wooden boards crumbling down, almost crushing us each time. I shoved open the door, and collapsed, breathing hard in the grass as my eyes saw a weak Simani shoving a wave of water over Cloverdale, diffusing the flames one by one, before they spread.

When my consciousness came back, I heard a trembling voice call my name.

"Manasi?"

"Vivian?" I didn't understand. How had a human entered the Lost Cities?

"You're okay! Sorry, for a second I thought you were..."

My mind darted back to my sisters, and I jerked my head to them. Both were lying peacefully on the ground, even though they had ash marks, burns, and bruises all over their skin. Jexica's eyes were still lifeless and hazy, even after the the air had cleared up. Her blond hair was spread out around her face like a halo, with a look of peace on her face. She wasn't breathing.

Sima's heaving but steady exhales reassured me that I hadn't lost her too.

Another soft sob escaped my lips, and Vivian put a hand on my shoulder.

"I know how you feel," her ever changing eyes met mine. "I was behind you as you just vanished in that light, and I guess it carried me with you. I'm sorry, ever since what happened with my brother… What I mean is, don't go that way. Everyone approaches the path every once in a while, but only few walk it. And those who do usually never find their way back. Please don't go."

Her words brought me back to reality. But did I really want to stay there? A dark silence deep within my consciousness beckoned me to drown beneath the wave of emotion, to sink to the bottom of an endless ocean and never return again. It was tempting. No more sorrow, nothing to feel. Vivian's hand curled around mine, and I suddenly lost the longing to disappear. I couldn't afford my mind to be broken. I had to hold on for her. She helped me take out my pathfinder. I set it to the right facet.

"Where are we going?"

"The Wanderling Woods." My voice was barely a whisper. Of course, it was illegal to bring a human into the elvin graveyard, or anywhere else in the Lost Cities. But, like a lot of other things, I didn't care anymore. I carefully guided Sima into the light's path first after slipping a fine blond hair into my pocket. She assured me she could leap on her own, and I trusted her. Vivian took my hand, and we stepped into the light.

I stood back and watched the small golden sprout inch its way out of the soil. There had been no planting ceremony. Jex deserved more, but who would want to help a traitor like me? I had betrayed the elvin community, all of humankind, even the Neverseen. Vivian had been watching me the entire time, and I could tell she was both fascinated and as shell-shocked as me. I turned to Sima. We nodded, and I didn't need to be a Telepath to tell she was thinking the same thing as me. It was time to part ways. A single tear slipped and fell off her sharp cheekbone. "Goodbye," she whispered.

I faced the horizon and clasped Vivian's fingers once more. I noticed the tips only slightly paler than they were before, and I wrapped my concentration around her tighter this time, making sure neither of us dissolved in the light as the cobalt crystal glittered us away.

When we appeared on that fateful alley that I had met her on what seemed so long ago, she directed me to the cafe across the street. My eyes naturally adjusted to the dim lights, and I noticed for the first time that Vivian's were red and swollen. It must have been hard for her to witness death again. Both of us pale and shaking, I switched on the Obscurer that I had surprisingly not lost in the fire. Taking my cloak by the hem, I ripped it off my shoulders once and for all. Never again would I fall into that trap. I could feel Vivian's stare, but I did not meet her eyes. How could I face her? It was my fault that Jex died, my fault that countless humans had been killed, my fault that Vivi had lost her brother. Vivi. I guess I had finally reached that status of a 'friend'. It was all ruined now, of course. Everything… My… fault…

As my mind dimmed, I clutched the edge of the seat. No, my mental voice coaxed. You promised. You vowed to fix what you had done. You can't give up now. Do it for her.