Lewis

That was weird.

I watch my sister storm away. When she approaches Raoul for a new fighting partner, I shake my head and look back down at my book.

Drama queen.

She just doesn't get it. She's always been better at action than thinking things through. Our life with Mum and Uncle Peter might not have been easy — and I'm definitely not okay with the lying and secrets, either — but they were just trying to keep us safe. They did the best they could.

Right?

I've been staring at the same page for several minutes, but the words don't seem to be lodging in my head. The sound of a throat clearing catches my attention. I look up.

A girl about my age stands over me. She's dressed differently than the rest of the soldiers — long beige sleeves, a high collar, full-length pants tucked securely into her boots. Her hair is covered by a light scarf wrapped tightly around her head and secured around her neck. She wears light gloves. Only her very white face is visible, glistening with a thin sheen in the sunlight. Her eyes are covered with large, smoky lenses in a pair of thin metal spectacles. It doesn't look like she even has eyebrows.

Her shockingly pale, not-quite-pink lips smile politely. "Hello."

"Hello."

"I'm sorry to bother you, but may I sit?" She gestures to a shady patch of grass next to me.

I nod and set my book aside, using my hands to scoot over and create more space for her in the shade.

The girl sits and tucks her legs to the side. "My name's Nova." Her voice is soft and light.

"I'm Lewis."

"Thank you for sharing your tree with me." She reaches up and dabs the hem of her sleeve carefully against her pale forehead. I can see now that she does have eyebrows. They're pale, snowy white. "I can't stay out long in the sun. I have to take breaks in the shade often."

"That doesn't seem conducive to military training."

She laughs. "It's really not." She folds her hands together in her lap and smiles softly. "Mother wanted me to stay in the forge with her, but I didn't want to. She has my brother and sister to help her. She doesn't need me." She turns her head to watch the soldiers in the training circle. "Besides, this part isn't really the training I care about." She lowers her voice to a whisper and turns to face me. "I'm just in it for the archery and horses."

"Those are my sister's favorites, too, actually." I pause. "Or they were, anyway. She seems to be much more interested in swords recently."

"Which one is your sister?"

I huff. "Rose. The wonder girl."

Her white eyebrows rise over her dark spectacle lenses. "Oh. She's the one who's always sparring with everyone. She fights with that faun a lot, right?"

I nod. "Talla, yeah. And anyone else who will try her." I shrug. "She's good at fighting, I'll admit. I just think she gets a little too excited about it sometimes."

Nova looks back out at the soldiers. "They're all young and new. They haven't seen a real fight yet."

"Have you?"

She brings a hand to her mouth. "Oh, no. I've never actually fought before. Not even in training."

"Are you new?"

"This is my first day coming to this training circle, but I've been in camp for several days. Like I said, I'm really only here for the archery. But I wanted to get out of the forge today. Feel the fresh air, meet some new people. It's a lovely day."

I look up at the sun filtering through the thick greenery above us. "The weather is beautiful."

"If you don't mind my asking... why are you out here? I don't mean to be rude. I couldn't help but notice your leg."

I shrug. "I used to train with my sister and Raoul before my injury. I guess I just kept going with the routine. It gets me out of my tent, at least. I think Rose likes me to come watch. At least she used to."

"You had a bit of a disagreement earlier."

"Yeah. I guess she did get pretty loud." I rub the back of my neck. "I wish she hadn't made a scene like that."

Nova smiles and leans her head back against the trunk of the tree, her headscarf barely brushing against my hair. "Siblings can be the worst sometimes."

I laugh. "You've got that right."

We're both quiet for a minute. I feel better about Rose, having someone to talk to. Maybe I shouldn't have been so critical of her talking to Talla. "You said you have a brother and sister?"

Nova sits up and nods. "Yes. An older sister and younger brother. They both work with my mother in the forge. That's the real reason we're here. The king's army needs weapons, and they didn't want to leave me at home alone." She shrugs. "I'm not complaining. I have a real chance here to work on my shooting, and there are plenty of horses to ride, too. This is much better than any opportunities I could have found at home, even if the circumstances are unfortunate. I do have to be careful of the sun, though."

I hesitate before asking, "Is that why you're dressed like that?"

She nods. "I was born with an unusual condition. My skin and hair are white as a bone, and my eyes are... weak." She pauses before smiling. "But I manage. Mother made me these spectacles for going outdoors, and a special glass for reading or seeing details. I keep as covered as I can to protect myself from the sun, and we have rice bran oil for the skin I can't cover." She gestures to her face.

"That's why your eyebrows are white? And why your mother didn't want you coming out?"

She nods. "I'm different from the others, but with a little effort I don't have to act so different."

I chew on the inside of my cheek. "I've always been different, too. I never thought about it much until we came here."

She's quiet, waiting for me to say something.

"My sister and I, we were born... a long way away from here. A very different place from Narnia or Telmar. And our family was a little different, and had to move a lot and keep secrets to stay safe. But then we came here, and found a lot of things out, and I don't think either of us really knows what the right thing to do is anymore."

"That sounds difficult."

I nod and swallow hard. "I wish Rose could understand that Mum was just trying to help us. But at the same time, I'm still a little angry with her too. She hid so much from us. We could have had such different lives than what we did. But would that really have been better? How could we ever know?"

"I often used to wish that I had been born normal, like my brother and sister. That I could have healthy eyes and dark hair and spend as long as I wished in the sun. Certainly the others in the village would have been kinder." She looks down at her hands, clasped in her lap. "But wishing and wondering never helped me. All I could do to feel better was take the life I'd been given and make it better myself." She gestures to her outfit. "So I did. I wear different clothes, and cover my skin and hair, and wear spectacles, and carry oil. I still look different, but at least now I can do the things I like and not wish my life were... something else."

"I don't know how to make the life I want. I just wanted to be a family." I pause. "We came here to find our dad, actually. And we did. But he wasn't who I expected. And now I don't know who or what I'm supposed to be. A part of me wishes I'd just stayed in England and never tried to find out more. It's so dangerous here, and everyone expects so much-" I stop. Nova seems nice, but we just met. I don't want to tell her too much.

"I wish I could help. You seem like a very nice person facing some very difficult choices."

"Thanks. You seem like a very nice person, too."

She smiles. "I should probably return to camp now. I promised Mother I wouldn't stay out too long. Will I see you again, Lewis?"

I nod. "I'm here every day. And maybe I'll see you around the camp. It was nice to meet you, Nova."

She stands and offers a clumsy, exaggerated curtsey. At first I wonder if she already knows who I am, but then she giggles and I think maybe she's just trying to cheer me up. "The pleasure was mine, Lewis. Enjoy your book!"

She waves with a gloved hand as she walks away, back in the direction of camp. I glance to the training circle and see Rose going hand-to-hand against a Telmarine. I sigh and open my book, trying to focus again on the page.