Happy update day!

Miku's world became a confusing jumble of sensory details. She heard keys jingling and Lily cursing. She felt strong hands pulling at her, the wind rustling her petals against her skin. She smelled earth and impossibly fresh night air.

For a moment, Miku caught a very clear, haunting glimpse of Haku and Neru, standing impossibly tall near the main tent. There was no music, not now that all the guests had left, but they were dancing together. The stars framed them as Neru laid her head on Haku's chest.

Then gauzy gray curtains pulled themselves over the scene, one by one, until there was nothing left to see, hear, or feel. And for a awhile, that was all there was.

But then the gray began to fade, and Miku became aware of things again, slowly. She heard an engine rumbling, felt movement beneath her. She opened her eyes to find her face pressed against glass.

She was slumped in the passenger seat of a truck. Outside, the forest rushed by impossibly fast. Lily was at the wheel, face set and determined.

Miku swallowed, wincing at the dryness in her throat. When she spoke, her very vocal chords seemed to ache. "Where are we going?" Her voice sounded grated and raspy.

Lily glanced over to her briefly as the stopped at a stop sign. "Where do you think? As far away from this fucking place as possible."

Miku should have been thrilled. Instead, her stomach clenched. The forest they were driving so quickly through did not look much different from the one around where the circus pitched its tents. They couldn't have gotten very far.

"We need to get away," Miku agreed, "But –"

"But nothing! You saw what they did to Miki! I don't plan on sticking around to see what they decide to do to us!" Lily gave Miku a scathing look. "Don't forget who got your happy ass out of that cage, flower girl."

Miku's lips moved before her mind had even fully formed a response. "Yes, I know," she said, "And I thank you. But we aren't done with this place yet."

"Well, I am," Lily huffed, slamming on her breaks. "You want to get out of this car and walk back to that cage of yours? Be my fucking guest."

Miku shuddered. "Drive – please," she said.

"That's what I thought." Lily slammed on the gas again. "We have to move fast – put some distance between us."

Miku looked behind her, but the circus tents were out of sight. "I wasn't out for long, was I?" The further they got from the circus, the more anxious she felt. She couldn't explain it, but the feeling of forgetting something was strong.

"Nah," Lily responded. "So we have to make tracks."

Miku felt her skin crawl beneath her flowers, and she tried to figure out why getting further away made her uncomfortable. "But … But what if they find us?"

"It's less likely the further away we get!" Lily looked at Miku with frustration. "Jesus, are you stupid or something?"

Miku didn't know how to explain herself. She didn't know how to verbalize the feeling of wrongness. She thought she'd be relieved as the circus slipped out of sight, but she felt more frightened than ever.

This isn't right. This isn't over. You have a duty …

Miku coughed into her cupped hands, half-wishing that she hadn't exhausted the magic voice during their escape. But she knew, even if she could, that she wouldn't take away Lily's free will like that. The girl wasn't half as kind as Miki, but she had saved Miku.

Which raised an interesting question, now that she thought of it. "Why did you take me with you?" Miku stared out the window, amazed at how fast the scenery rushed by. She couldn't help wishing that the truck was going a little slower – after so long with in the tattered brown tent with only a few glimpses of clearings during moving, she longed for the view.

Lily's voice was tense. "Well, I figured you had something to do with Miki's death. Wanted to know how."

Miku winced. The woman's words sounded too much like a condemnation. "… I'm sorry."

Lily's knuckles were white against the steering wheel. "We don't have time for that right now. We need to move, and that means my ass needs to focus on the road, not …" She gritted her teeth.

Which brought them back to the point. "We do have to get away," Miku agreed. "I don't want to stay in that circus any more than you do. But we can't go far, we aren't …"

"Aren't what? What's wrong with you?" Lily looked at Miku with anger.

"We aren't doing the right thing! Because …" Miku hung her head, closing her eyes. Against the backs of her eyelids, she saw Luka – not the long ago mage, but the high school girl who had no idea that horror waited for her. All at once, Miku realized what she had been forgetting, and she had never felt more guilty in her life.

How did it take me so long? Of course, I have a duty … Even if the sun was to vanish, and every star was to fall from the sky.

"Because I need to protect Luka," Miku said in a quiet voice.

Lily groaned. "Fuck. Of course you fucking do." She didn't stop the car, but she slowed down to a more reasonable speed. "What's her name this time, huh?"

Miku shifted in her seat, petals whispering against each other. "I already told you. Her name's Luka."

"Not the first one," Lily grumbled. "I mean the one who's coming next. You haven't dreamed of her yet?"

"I have," Miku insisted. "Didn't Miki tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Now Lily did stop the car, pulling over to the side of the road.

Miku looked at her in shock. "Lily … Do you know my name?"

Lily frowned. "Why is that important?"

Miku clenched her fists. Why was it important? Her name was hers, the thing that made her more than some flowered freak in a cage. Her name was what she was called by her friends, her parents. How could the others in the circus not see that? Was it because countless teal-haired girls had already passed through?

Your name holds power. Miku was beginning to see what that meant. It was about more than the magic that the original Miku possessed. Her name made her unique in spite of its origins. Her name made her different than the countless divas who had come before her.

She wielded that power now. "My name is Miku."

It had the desired effect. In the glow of the dashboard lights, Lily's eyes widened. "Like, for real? You haven't just … lost your shit because of the dreams, have you?"

"No." Miku tried to speak as calmly and rationally as possible. "My name is Miku, and it has always been Miku. The one who is supposed to … to take my place … Her name is Luka. That means something, don't you get it? I need to save her. It's why …" She trailed off. She was going to say that her name was why Miki had helped her in the first place, but that seemed too cruel.

Lily pressed her fingers to her temples. "Fine. Fine. You win. We'll go a little ways off, take a break, try to figure out how to handle this clusterfuck."

Miku leaned back in her seat. "Didn't you care at all about who I am?" Miki, at least, had seemed to care about who she was as a person.

Lily put the car into drive. "I had more pressing matters on my mind. Now let's go."

Hello, all! I'm currently drowning in midterms homework/studying/stress, but managed to take a little break before an evaluation appointment to get this chapter out to you! It's nice to have a setting other than the circus, for a change, isn't it? Not that a car is infinitely more interesting, haha. But, still!

I can't wait to hear what you have to say about this chapter! Reviews make my day.

- Jillian Maria