Before dawn, the entire palace including the most minor servant knew about Wyni's disappearance. In other words, the palace was the epitome of chaos.

The guards, of course, had been questioned, interrogated blatantly to the point where they doubted their own words. They had heard screams, but had not made it to Wyni's room in time, apparently. They had seen nothing. Guards patrolled the entire palace and its grounds, but nothing had been seen. Much applause to the palace security.

As would be expected, Edward was as upset and inconsolable as any father would be in his situation. He berated the guards with unbelievable harshness, then would go off by himself and weep. Even Mother was upset. As would be appropriate. Her defense of Wyni the prior night, her end of her own chaos long before I had stopped torturing Wyni made her grief necessary. But what did that mean? She herself had admitted to a distaste for her stepdaughter somewhere back along the line. And so she really did care for Princess Sunshine. I should have known that by Mother's later actions in the garden the day of the picnic and the dresses. It still made me feel filthy, the only one insane and cruel enough to go after Wyni. No wonder Mother was so shaken.

As for myself, I was left alone. Being the first one to the room, I was questioned, and I had to repeat my story at least ten times. All I related was that I heard the scream and went to ask Wyni if she had also heard it. After Edward was clear on my story, I was given no more attention. I hid in my own room while the chaos surged outside.

I wasn't sure what to think about Wyni. I suppose I was still in too much shock to concentrate on anything. It made no sense. Wyni had no enemies.

I didn't venture from my room until late afternoon. The palace was virtually desolate. The few people I did see were barely conscious. Everyone really did adore Wyni.

The first people I ran into who acknowledged me were, of all people, Mother and Edward. They were slowly wandering the back halls, waiting for news and talking soflty. I nodded to Edward, but ignored Mother.

Edward tried to smile, but couldn't manage it. "How are you, Kat?"

"Good," I replied, just as dryly. Out of the corner of my eye, Mother sent me a small, hopeful smile.

"Would you like to walk with us?" he asked.

"Is that all you're doing?"

"Yes. It's all there is."

"Dull." But I joined them.

"Did you meet Prince Rowan last night?" asked Edward, a painful effort at calm conversation.

Why were we discussing guests? "Yes." The thought of Rowan, however, did make me momentarily smile.

"A fine young man." Edward went to the point. "He went off to search for. . .her." He couldn't even say his own daughter's name.

I laughed derisively. "Where's he supposed to look?" Inside, I melted. Rowan was sweeter then I had imagined. This was truly risking one's life. Then again, I was Wyni's sister. Perhaps Rowan could have stayed behind to comfort me. I should have been the one to vanish.

"Well, I think it's a wonderful gesture regardless," Mother commented.

I flashed her my deadliest glare before the words were out of her mouth. "And I suppose you think it's wonderful Wyni's gone!"

Edward gaped at me, then at Mother, horrified, and Mother's jaw dropped. Her eyes teared up. 'No, I don't," she whispered hoarsely.

"Yes, you do," I hissed, speeding up to get as far from her as possible. "You hate her and you hate me." It had to be true. Mother couldn't have abandoned me in a game she had started. Her kindness and apology to Wyni while I had laughed at her torn dress. . .. The accusation was my only weapon.

"Now, Kat," Edward warned. "We're all upset-"

"I guess you don't care either!" I yelled.

He froze.

Mother lost control. "You're the one who kept going on, Kat! I'll I wanted were a few harmless tricks! Tricks among friends! You took them as a chance to seek your own juvenile attack!"

My hands clenched themselves into tight fist, only in want of punching something.. I wasn't denying anything. "So you took advantage of me?"

Edward gave a quick nod, neck muscles bulging. "Kat, not another word," he commanded. 'You're not making things any better."

I whirled to face him. "Oh? So now I'm the villain? I bet you hate me, too!"

"No one hates anyone!" Mother shouted. Her hands were risen before her chest, as if she wanted to strangle me.

"Then why did you marry him?" I jabbed my finger at Edward while screaming at Mother. "If you liked Father, you wouldn't have remarried. You hated Father!"

Mother, on the verge of screaming again, slammed her mouth shut.

My own closed, too, stunned at what it had just said. I knew it wasn't true. And yet it was. But the words were out, spoken, heard, and still ringing in the air. Suddenly, though he had been dead for years, I wanted Father to appear and scoop me ups.

My heart aching, I glared at Edward. He was to blame. "He was your best friend!" Despite all my fury, I sneered. "Supposedly! Were you just waiting for him to get killed?"

Edward didn't speak for an eternity. Then he glanced to the floor and bit his lip as he decided what to say. "Kat, get out of here."

What had I just heard? "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Go to your room."

I was being ordered about like a child! It surprised me that I cared. The humiliation fell like a sword blow on the already-accumulated emotions.

But I didn't care. I didn't care one bit. I wanted out of there more than anything.

I looked at Edward, then Mother, then back at my stepfather. Mother was crying. Yet I could see it in her eyes, behind the tears. She hated me

"Fine," I said softly. "I'll be glad to go." I turned around till my back was toward them and darted off. "Just remember that I hate you both!"

Have you ever been in that state of mind where everything, every fact in existence makes, for at least a second, perfect sense, and all you can do is hate that logic?

I lay in my bed, the coverings up only to my waist, staring with complete disinterest at the ceiling, shadowy and cracked. Yet somehow, a small part of me was utterly fascinated by that ceiling. Maybe because it was the one thing that wasn't changing. No, the ceiling would always be there to cover me and allow me to stare at it. Maybe I couldn't see the ceiling in detail with no light, but at least I knew fairly well what it looked like. No, the ceiling wouldn't change, which was more than I could say for so many other things.

The time was past mid-night, yet I lay fully awake, listening to the chaotic thoughts running through my head. Many were thought of the past few days, especially the last twenty-four hours. Wyni's disappearance, her trashed room, Mother, Edward. Then there were thoughts of days and years long gone, yet they were perfectly clear to me. If only they made sense.

I had run to my room after the fight with Mother and Edward. My room had become a place of refuge lately; it seemed I was always there. I could count on my room to be there, with its familiar stone ceiling with the little cracks.

But I could still hear. They had really lashed out at each other after I had left. Thought I couldn't be sure exactly where they were in the palace, they certainly were loud. Every so often the echoes of their fighting would break though my walls: Mother screaming at Edward, Edward screaming at Mother. Their words were unintelligible, but they were angry. In a way, I was rather resentful about their fighting. I was supposed to be the one fighting. In another way, I was glad, for they had every right and reason to be attacked. I didn't care. Whenever either of them came to my mind, all I could feel was hate.

I wiped my eyes on my pillow, hating the tears. Tears wouldn't solve anything. Then I rolled my head back to stare at the ceiling.

The palace was silent, as silent as the night before. Apparently Mother and Edward had gone to bed. Good. I wouldn't have to listen to or look at them. I hated them. I hated them for ruining my life. Everything had been fine until they had married, till I had become a Princess. And not even the Princess. I was the stepsister, the other princess. But that was all right. I hadn't wanted to be a princess, and I had told them that. But they hadn't listened.

I hated being a princess. I hated its life. Nothing made sense. Everything did.

I don't think I will ever understand what I did next. That doesn't matter, I suppose. Nothing made sense anyway. It was simply the outcome of everything: Mother's game, seeing Jonas at the market, and the ball.

The next thing I knew, I was no longer in bed. I was running across the freezing floor and throwing off my nightgown in the process. I flung open the doors of the closet and rummaged through the clothes until I found an old dress from my old life at Aeryn Dova. I put that on. I hadn't worn it since the wedding. It felt good to wear.

I took out the boxed I had bought at the market, the nut-shaped boxes that held so much. Into one I put clothes. Most were not too spectacular, but I included the green dress I had worn to the ball and the blue bridesmaid dress. I put in Wyni's old nightgown. The clothes disappeared into the nut, and when I closed the lid, the box felt only slightly heavier. I put that and the other two boxes into a pouch which I slung over my neck. Then I tiptoed from the room.

I paused a moment outside, the door still in my hand.

"Good-bye," I whispered, half-mocking. "You'll probably change, anyway."

Next, I snuck into the kitchen and filled the second box with food.

It was then that I ran into a problem. Guards were posted at every exit of the palace.

Near the back of the palace at a rather ignored exit, I found a window next to the door. Praying it wouldn't squeak, I pulled the window open and tossed an apple into the bushes. Actually, I had been aiming for a tree, but the apple landed in the brambles under the window.

Luckily, the guard took the short walk to investigate.

I took a deep breath and darted out the door.

I wasn't sure if the guard saw me or not, but if he did and persued me, he didn't catch or me. Or lost me. Either way, I didn't look back or stop running until I reached the stable.

There, I collapsed against the wall, panting for air. The stable was somewhat relaxing. It smelled like horses, the clean smell of horses.

"Falada," I whispered, as soon as I had caught my breath. "Falada!"

My answer was an annoyed snort.

I laughed softly and groped my way towards Falada's stall. She stuck out her head and snorted again, chastising me for waking her up.

"You're a whiner," I scolded, giving her a kiss between the eyes. I opened the gate and let her out into the main floor. "Stay here."

Of course, she took a step.

"Fine!" I said. "Just leave."

Her obstinance kept her still.

I found a saddle and bridle. Edward's best. But as he had already lost his daughter, losing his best horse equipment wouldn't be too much more. I put them on Falada and flattered her on how fine she looked. She didn't seem to care.

Some old blankets were kept in the back of the stable. I put them in the third box. There. We were set. I climbed on the horse's back and we were off.