a/n: double updated because i feel terrible about last chapter (not that this one is any better)

LINH SONG

Plop. A tear falls to the floor beside my floor. I stare at it for a moment, then call it to my hand.

The moisture in the air slowly forms into a question mark, and I tilt my head at it, blinking slowly.

"I don't know what's going on, Tam," I murmur, looking down at Tam's empty bed. I'm in our room at Tiergan's house, staring down at Tam's abandoned belongings … again.

"Marella … she kissed me." I laugh softly. "Wow, I said that out loud! She kissed me and then she ran away." I look to the window, clear as a still lake, imagining that Tam was listening from wherever he is, sitting in some Neverseen hideout with a scowl on his face and his eyes hidden behind his bangs, but beneath them they're sparkling because he's secretly amused at my predicament. And he's probably ecstatic, since he's finally together with the boy that he's been babbling about nonstop since they met. How annoying and irresponsible and absolutely dumb-witted Keefe is. I'd thought the tide of Keefe would never end. It always amused me how clueless Tam had been about his obsession with Keefe, but now?

Maybe … it makes sense.

At least now that Keefe has visited Tam and everything has happened, Tam has Keefe to think of in the middle of his horrible predicament. Tears flow from my eyes once more as I think of how lonely Tam must be, how scared …

But he's Tam. He's strong. He will be fine. He always has-

"Linh?"

The soft voice startles me from my stupor and I turn to face a blonde female in the doorway, eyes wide as they meet mine. I quickly evaporate the tears and question mark and step towards her.

"Sophie? W-what are you doing here?"

"Sorry, I…" Sophie glances behind her, tugging at her eyelashes. "Um, she said she lost her temper and leaped to a random place, which turned out to be Havenfield and-"

"Wait." I hold up my hand to cease the flow of confused words coming from Sophie's mouth. "Slow down … who? When?"

"Marella," Sophie says, and I can feel the heat rushing to my head and blooming in my cheeks. "She leaped to Havenfield on a whim, so I thought I'd take her to you."

"S-she's here?"

"Yeah." Sophie opens the door a little wider, then hesitates and meets my eyes. Her voice fills my head as she transmits, She's kind of panicking and stuff, so be gentle - ah, what am I saying, you're Linh. See you later.

"Wait, I-" Before I can finish, Sophie disappears and there stands a petite elf with straw-blonde hair tucked into so many ropes of gold, eyes glittering like thawing ice and hands knotted together in a frenzy of nervous energy. It's like my tongue is suddenly frozen, and I can only blink at Marella Redek in stunned silence.

"Linh, I …" She swallows and looks away, her gaze unfocused. "I, uh-"

It's clear she's in distress, if the small flames peeking out from between her twisting fingers and the way she fidgeted and shifted her weight didn't communicate that, I can see the panic bright in her eyes, and the sight of Marella Redek so out of control unfreezes my body.

"It's okay," I say quickly, running to her side and pulling her into a hug. She stiffens and tries to pull away, unclasping her hands to keep them as far from me as possible, but I refuse to let go.

"Linh!" Her voice is strained. "Let go, stupid, I don't want to burn you!"

I reach for the moisture in the air, and blanket it softly onto Marella's hands, extinguishing the fires.

"It's okay. See?" I smile at her and hug her closer. "It's okay, Marella."

She doesn't reply, but her arms slowly wrap around my shoulders, and eventually she leans into the embrace.

We stay there for a moment, quiet and still, but I can feel her quivering slightly. Finally I pull away to meet her eyes.

"Why are you shaking?"

"I-I …" Marella shakes her head vehemently. "I'm just being an idiot. That's all."

I frown at her, gesturing for her to sit down on my bed. When she slowly obliges, I plop beside her and lean on her shoulder.

"You're not an idiot," I reply finally. "Everyone loses control sometimes. Even the strongest people do." A droplet of water floats into the air and splashes Marella's nose. "Actually, especially the strongest people."

Out the corner of my eye I see her roll her eyes.

"I'm anything but strong, if that's what you're saying. I'm not like you and the moonlark and the Vackers. I never really wanted to be caught up in all these grand schemes and adventures. I just want to have a normal life and let everybody be safe."

"That doesn't mean you're not strong, or brave, or whatever else. There's no shame in wanting a normal life." I sit up, tilting my head to meet her icy eyes. "If I could, maybe I'd want a normal life, but that was just never an option as a twin. And you, with your ability…" I grab her hands. "You are strong, Marella, even if it's not easy to see for you."

Pink stains her cheeks and she ducks her head.

"I'm glad I have you, Linh."

a/n: it's 3am, this chapter is trash but i haven't updated and i need to, so i'll just end this here before i drag it into filler eternity. hopefully i will update sooner, but i apologize in advance if it takes a long time. thanks for sticking with me; i love you !