On the last day of Quarter 2, after our final exam, our teacher hands us each a letter with our names scrawled beautifully on the envelope.

Dear Isabella Swan,

We have been watching you. After many impressive class grades and opportunities with both English Literature and Third Grade, we've decided for the first time ever, to combine the two. You will pilot this new track and provide correspondence on the pros and cons. Whatever you need, we will listen. Because of this, you will be free to choose which Court you (and your future Soul Bond) reside in.

We will be in touch.

Always a pleasure watching you grow and prosper.

-The Royal Court

"Always a pleasure watching you grow and prosper," Alice repeats, making a puking sound at my side. "That's not creepy or anything."

My elbow finds her arm in a harsh jab as I whisper, "I'm sure they're watching right now as we open our letters, Alice."

"True. I was chosen for Tenth year Science. Maybe they do listen." I can tell it's a joke and she doesn't believe, but I don't say anything contrary out of fear. "You can choose any Court to live in; how fabulous. I'd choose Court 1," she jokes, but I pay her no mind. We all know Court 1 is reserved for the Royals and the Royals only.

I wish my parents had a phone so I could call them and let them know my news. Instead, I write to them, letting them know we'll be in Court 6 during Quarter 3 school trips. Alice wants to skip, but I think it's important she understands the environments beyond Court 5.

"I'm going to see if Jasper got his placement," she says, setting her letter on her desk. "Want to come?"

"Are you going to his room?"

"Yeah."

I turn back around and shake my head thinking about Royce. "Definitely not."

"It was one time, Belle!" she argues before leaving.

Arrogant, disrespectful Royce.

Over time, Alice and I have slowly and surprisingly grown closer. Before, I resented her. Now, I appreciate her.

She opens me up to ideas and thoughts I wouldn't typically have, and I hope I do the same for her.

Later that night, with my nose in a book, the shared phone in our bedroom rings incessantly. I'm not used to having a telephone, so the noise makes me want to chuck it right out the door. Nobody ever really calls, so this is odd.

After seventeen long, blaring minutes of nothing but ring-ring-ring, I walk over, take a large breath, and angrily sigh into the phone a desperate, "Hello?"

A pause. A breath. Quiet.

"Hello," a voice purrs like they already know who this is. And I guess they would know it's me if they were calling… but no one I know has a phone or this number.

"Can I help you?" I ask with the same level of agitation. Who does this person think they are calling and calling for no reason—

"I do have a reason, and it's finding my sister. Do you happen to know where she is?"

Edward. And how had he—

"Even after all this time, has she told you nothing?" he asks, playfully flirting.

"She told me some things," I admit.

"And what, pray tell, did my dear sister tell you?" Edward's voice sounds amused.

Suddenly, with no explanation, I can feel him through my ankle. I bypass his question as I reach down and touch the glowing, shimmery band-like drips of glinting tinsel so light now that not even Alice notices anymore.

"Edward, why can I feel—"

"I think I gripped you too hard trying to keep your foot still that night. You're very strong, Belle. I do apologize for that." And he sounds like it. His voice lowers, and he clears his throat. "My research doesn't show a whole lot, but what I could find says it can last a few months."

"Oh."

"It's only happened two other times in documented history. I'm sure the Royals are having an absolute blast with it," he says sarcastically.

"What do you mean?"

"They hate anything that doesn't have an explanation or… policy."

"I kind of like it," I admit, running my fingers around the curve of my skin where my ankle and foot connect. It feels like my skin only different— my skin and magic. It's warm and bright like the few days we get a year in Court 6. No dust, just sun rays heating my body. I feel it in my heart, and my belly, and a warm path traveling up my leg and—

Edward clears his throat roughly, and I stop.

"Where is my darling sister, Belle?"

I swallow hard at his tone. The charm in his words is something like I've never heard. It's a natural charisma that boys like Jake, Mike, and Royce have to work for.

"She's… she's with Jasper."

He laughs like he already knows. "Yes, I figured as much. My baby sister sure does love his company."

"Baby sister? Aren't you twins?" I ask, confused.

"She was born three minutes later, making her my baby sister," he explains.

"Oh, so you're one of those twins."

He laughs before asking, "How's the leg? Need I come to take a closer look?"

When I close my eyes, I can picture him sitting, helping, placing that salve against my wound all those months ago. And when I open my eyes and look down, the lilac polish Alice painted earlier in the week stares back. It's been many weeks since I stopped smelling the random flowers, and I miss that side effect.

"No, I can see now that it's healing well all on its own," Edward says slowly.

"How do you do that?" I ask quietly. "How do you just… see into my mind?"

"It's a gift," he jokes.

"Or a curse."

Quiet fills the line for longer than I'm comfortable with, but then he speaks.

"Where is Jasper's apartment, Belle?" It's clipped. Short. Like he's done with the pretenses.

I know they don't like each other, Edward and Jasper, and I fear the consequences of giving up the information will be… injurious.

"Nothing's going to happen—"

"Can you stay out of my head?" I interrupt.

"Can you keep me out?" he fires back with more anger than I was anticipating.

"I would if I could!" I shoot back.

"Royals!" he breaths in exasperation. "Block me out, Belle. I don't want to be in your mind any more than you want me there."

"How—"

"Block me out—"

"How!"

"Just do it!" he barks.

"I don't have magic!" I tell him harshly, anger ripping through me like a roaring fire. I've never so much as raised my voice at someone, and Alice's brother has me feeling the ignition of fury licking inside my veins.

"Block me out," he repeats over and over until I can feel the blood pulse in my ears as an angry, frustrated groan crawls up through my throat.

With gritted teeth, this is the meanest I've ever felt. Squeezing my eyes, letting the pulse build and build until it stops.

"I. Don't. Know. How," I grind out, exploding quietly.

Silence.

Stillness.

Nothing.

Edward finally breathes.

"That's how you do it," he tells me softly, his voice back to the charming tone I'm used to. "You don't have to be so impolite next time," Edward jokes softly, "but you just need to block me out."

"Huh?"

"The only way to combat magic is with flame. Not literally, but internally. Feel it, fear it, or fight it."

"Oh," I start, thinking about his words. "You know, you were pretty impolite yourself."

"It's hard to teach someone the fire if you done rile their feathers," he explains casually. "Jasper's place?" he asks again.

"It's the red brick building across from the central quad. I think he's on floor two or three—"

"I'll be able to figure it out from there. Thank you, Belle," he tells me sincerely.

Something compels me to ask, "is—is everything okay?"

He pauses before saying, "everything's perfect." I can see that fake, perfect smile in my mind as he speaks.

I don't believe him, but neither he nor Alice owes me anything. I'm sure if something bad has happened, and Alice wants to confide in me, she will. I wonder if we'll see her parents when we go to her Court next semester. And then that has me thinking.

"Hey, Edward, you've been to some of the other Courts, right?"

"I've been to all. Why?"

"All?"

"Well, all that they'd let me in."

Hm, interesting.

"Can you tell me about them? Like the weather, the people, dress code, that kind stuff. Alice and I are invited to the schools in each Court for field observations in Quarter 3, and I'm… a little nervous I won't fit in."

He takes a breath before answering. "Court 4 is lovely. Sunny, warm days. It's a dry heat, so it's bearable. The dress code is no different than Court 5. Court 3 is on the coast and surrounded by water except for one landlocked side. Taking a boat from Court 4 will get you here quickest, but the train ride isn't that bad either. The cliff drops to the ocean are beautiful but be careful because they're incredibly dangerous. I've seen many in the hospital for cliff diving accidents.

Court 3 does have the most beautiful sunsets, though. The world is lit in gold for hours every night. Some of the citizens here complain, but don't let that dull your perception. Every so often, there are random lightning storms. They're not very dangerous, but you want to avoid being stuck outside in one for long periods of time. It'll muddle your senses. The dress code in 3 is stricter, though. Around town, people wear garments similar to Courts 4 and 5, but if you're invited to an event or dinner, there's a specific dress code requirement. The closer the Court is to the Royals, the more regal you are expected to look… and act," he says in annoyance. "Alice can fill you in should the opportunity present itself."

He talks freely, and I close my eyes to picture it. Gold and sunsets and lightning. Things I've only read about in books. Court 5 is beautiful, more so than Court 6, but this Court doesn't have vibrant, colorful skies like he describes of the other Courts.

"Court 7, as you probably know, is duller, grayer. But there's beauty in that too." It's a statement, not a question. I don't voice it aloud, but I agree. Every Court has its beautiful qualities. "Court 8—" he hesitates.

"Isn't Court 8 a wasteland?" I ask, remembering back to high school history class.

He pauses before asking slowly, "is it?"

Confused, I try to explain. "I don't know I'm—"

Edward interrupts. "Court 7 doesn't have your dust, but it does have snow. And a lot of it. Make sure to pack accordingly when traveling."

"What would you be doing in a place like Court 7?" I ask plainly.

"Like you, I've been invited to do some… field experience as well." It's a simple statement, but it says more than I think he's letting on. Edward carries on. "The people in other Courts are… much different than you're probably used to. Stay away from the men in Courts 3 and 4 with the gray eyes. They're… trouble. The girls might feel threatened, but something tells me you'll be protected."

"Why?" I ask quietly.

"So many questions tonight, Lovely Belle." His words turn my stomach, and I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad turn.

While I mull it over, I close my eyes and touch my ankle. Images of bright emerald green, soft brown hair, and strong arms cloud my vision. The internal picture moves like a memory as he slowly paces in a dim room, wearing a white T-shirt, fingers sifting through pages of notes on a desk as he stands over it. The realistic image surprises me, and I let out the faintest gasp. Edward doesn't give me a chance to think it through before saying, "enjoy the rest of your book," and hangs up.

What a strange and odd conversation. If Alice and Edward are both this bizarre, I'm curious what their parents are like.

For the rest of the night, the gold band around my ankle tickles my skin like a caress from inside; like fingers push from inside my skin, sweeping against me, soothing any ache, hurt, or ill-feeling coursing through me.

Alice doesn't come home tonight, not that I expect her to, but there's a weird static in the room, on my skin, and I can't place the feeling. She's not there in the morning when I wake, or when I return from breakfast. She's not there by lunch or when I come back from reading in the quad. She's not there by dinner either. When it reaches a full day that Alice has been gone, I clench the phone in my hand and search her desk for Jasper's number. She left it for me somewhere.

The moment I find it, the phone rings.

"I'm okay, Belle," Alice laughs easily into the phone.

"H-how did you—" I ask, but she interrupts.

"Edward said you were worried."

My head spins. "How would he know? And where are you?"

She giggles like it's funny, but the oddity of this situation truly irritates me. Now he can feel me? He can feel my emotions and worries and—

Instantly, I try to find the fire from within. Maybe what he said last night was right. Maybe I need to fight his magic with fire. His words flow through my bones. Feel it, fear it, or fight it.

I don't want to feel it anymore, so I fight it. I let the heat consume my organs, sizzle my blood, and then there's calm. Alice grows bored on the other end of the call.

"We're going out for ice cream; meet us in the quad in twenty," she says happily, hanging up without so much as my consent.

The calm still hangs above me like storm clouds. Storm clouds. The thought confuses me… shouldn't calm be the opposite? Shouldn't calm feel like a flowing creek, sunlight, ease? If so, why is there an eerie quiet within these walls?

I think about not going. I think about staying in and starting a new book, but the suppressing storm clouds above drive me up and out of bed just in time to meet Alice outside.

I have questions, and they're getting answered tonight.

~!~

I pull my sweater tight around my middle. It's abnormally chilly for a Court 5 evening. When I find Alice, the man at her side isn't who I thought would be there.

Equally as tall but much blonder, Jasper turns his front to face me, and at the same time, he does the strangest thing he's done so far. So strange in fact that I'm halted, paused in the middle of the sidewalk like my feet are rooted to the Earth. Jasper smiles.

He smiles.

And suddenly, I see what Alice sees.

The pained look of discomfort I'm so used to seeing is replaced by delight.

"Hello," he says, tossing an arm around Alice's shoulder.

"Hi," I greet them warily, narrowing my eyes. They both look different, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

"Ready?" Alice asks.

The off-campus ice cream place isn't that far of a walk, and while I am the third wheel, I never once feel like it. Alice practically ignores Jasper even with his hand around her shoulder, guiding her away from people, objects, and cars that drive by. According to Alice, he's overly cautious, always has been, and a sense of disappointment washes briefly through me if they aren't each other's Soul Bond.

But then, Jasper opens the door for us, and I'm greeted by the most intense, sweet aroma.

Alice and Jasper walk over and get in line, but I'm still stuck in the doorway. Coming from Court 6, I have absolutely no idea what this is. Ice cream to me was mixing a few ingredients with some dairy and letting it harden in the freezer overnight.

Alice explains about the different flavors like coffee, cotton candy, and strawberry, and—

"You mean you've never had a strawberry?" Alice asks when I tell her I've never tasted one.

I shake my head. "They don't grow in my climate."

"Well," she starts, fingers grazing my wrist and squeezing gently, "that's not your climate anymore."

And it hits me… she's right. My childhood from Court 6 will no longer carry on into my adulthood. I can choose anywhere I want to go. For once, in this life where choice is never an option, it's all I have.

~!~

I decide on black cherry, and while Jasper and Alice talk spiritedly, I can't force myself to listen. Not when this delicious flavor bursts on my tongue. Not when I'm experiencing for the first time what others take advantage of.

As I finish, popping the last bit of the cone into my mouth, I turn my attention back to Alice and Jasper.

"Why are you different?" I ask Jasper, eyeing him skeptically.

Jasper glances down at Alice, confused.

"She means why aren't you brooding," Alice says.

Jasper smirks up at me.

"Oh, my Royals!" I bounce happily. "Did you guys… are you guys… did you guys kiss?" I whisper the last part.

Alice grimaces. "Uh, no."

"But she did tell me she loves me," Jasper says, gripping her hand under the table.

It's not a kiss, it's not a Soul Bond, but for now, it'll do. For now, for them, they are bonded.

"Your brother called last night," I tell Alice. "He said—"

"I know. He showed up last night."

"I'm sorry," I tell them. "He asked where you were, and it sounded urgent—"

"It wasn't," Jasper tells me seriously.

"Well, it sounded like it. He was very…" I trail off, thinking of an appropriate word to describe last night's call.

"Edward," Alice finishes. "He was very Edward."

I can't help but laugh. "Precisely."

Alice talks around the topic by not giving me a real answer, and I don't want to push her, so we change the subject to field observations in the different Courts next Quarter. Jasper asks where I might want to live in the future since the Royals are allowing me to choose.

"No idea," I tell them. "I guess I'll need to see which Court I fit in the best."

Alice smiles. "I'd pick Court 1."

"That's where the Royals live," I remind her.

"So?"

"I heard Court 2 is nice," Jasper says. "My dad used to say once you go in, you never come out, though."

"What's that mean?" I ask.

"It means once you agree to become a citizen of Court 2, there's no leaving. Ever. You can't see family in other Courts; no one can visit; you're just stuck there."

"Why?"

He shrugs. "They're probably creating something to take over the world—"

"Haven't they already?" Alice asks sarcastically.

"But… I don't think they want to hurt us," I intervene as we stand and walk outside.

"Haven't they already?" Alice asks again.

"Not me, no."

"For eighteen years, you were forced to live in that… in that Court." The words drip off her tongue like mud, as if the thought disgusts her more than anything she's ever said.

I turn to Alice, brows knitted. "But it's all I knew," I explain. "I was never unhappy."

"Can you say the same for your friends? Were they always happy? Didn't they ever want more? Better? Look what they did to me. My brother got chosen to be a doctor, and I'm a teacher. Going from Court 4 to Court 5 destroyed me."

"Do you not think there's a purpose?" I ask quietly, thinking back to Ben the week before graduation. What happened to him? Did he fit into the purpose?

"If there is, I'd love to know."

"Don't you trust them to do what's best?"

Jasper and Alice both scoff. "You're so sweet, Belle, and I love that about you," Alice smiles, grabbing my hand with hers before she continues. "But how could a group of Royals who don't know me or my struggles, know what's best for me? Do you think if I had the choice, I'd pick teacher? Of all the careers, Belle, would you have picked teacher?"

Alice holds my hand in hers like no matter what I say, she's still my friend.

"I never thought about it," I say honestly. "I never thought about what I wanted to do because I knew at eighteen, I'd get that letter and—"

Jasper interrupts. "Say it again. You never thought. That's the point; there is no choice. How can we live with suppressed freedoms?"

Their words coat my skin with tar. It's a heaviness I'll never be able to wash off. And later, when I'm in the shower, I let a few tears slip down my already wet cheeks. And then more. And then my forehead presses against the cool tile of the shower as I let that tar seep in. No matter how much I fight it, reject it, burn it away… the tar sticks to my thoughts, and I'm tainted.

Tainted.

I cry out of fear. I cry out of hurt. I cry out of anger.

"I'm sorry," I whisper aloud. "I'm sorry." I know exactly who I'm apologizing to, but do they even know why? Do the Royals even know how turbulent my thoughts are? What would they say? I feel like a fraud. What would my father say? He'd be so disappointed.

And then the burning in my ankle starts again.

Stop, I tell myself. Stop. Stop. Stop.

And then there's a stillness so quiet it scares me. There's no water beating against my skin or blood rushing in my ears. There's nothing, and I let it swallow me.

My eyes close under the warm spray, and a movie of images plays quickly through my mind— images of gold and shimmer, and Alice's smile, and Royce's arrogance, and myself in the mirror on graduation day, and Jasper's eyes on Alice, and the taste of black cherry for the first time, and Edward's striking green eyes, and the sound of dust against the side of my parent's house, and Emmett's wedding, and Mike's kiss, and the field of wheat I used to play in, and my childhood bedroom and—

"Belle?" Alice calls loudly.

My eyes rip open as I peek my head out from behind the shower curtain.

"Yeah?"

She hands me the phone and walks away confusion drips from her eyes pointed at me like a laser beam.

"H-hello?" I stutter, moving away from the spray of the shower.

"How?" a puzzled voice asks in the receiver. "Ho-how did you do that?"

"Huh?" I ask. "Who is this?"

"How did you… how did you show me that, Belle?"

Edward. His soft voice is less concerned and more curious.

"Show you what?" I ask, confused. "I don't know what you're talking about—"

"You just… in my head… you showed me your memories. I saw them, Belle. I saw them all."

"How?" Embarrassment sets in. All those silly memories. There's no way…

"That's what I want to know. How did you do that? How did you show me?" Edward speaks slowly, like he's figuring out an equation.

"I don't know!" I yell into the phone. He must be messing with me. "Prove it," I say. "Prove that you saw them."

He sighs before saying, "your old house and the dust against it like rain. Some fucking idiot with blonde hair leaning in to kiss you. Jasper and Alice. Purple ice cream. I could taste that one."

"Black cherry," I whisper. "It was black cherry."

We breathe silently into the receiver and wait for the other to explain, but there's nothing either of us can say. We're stunned silent.

"I could feel you before that," he says honestly. "I never want to feel you, Belle; please don't think I'm checking in on you like that. Your thoughts and feelings just come to me. I think it's the band on your ankle. It acts as a tether between us," he explains honestly. "What you think or feel… I always seem to be in the know."

"I never feel you," I tell him honestly.

"No?" he asks. "That's… interesting. Maybe you do and just don't realize. You have very intense feelings, Belle. It's like you scream your thoughts at me. I find it difficult to ignore the tether sometimes."

I sort of laugh at him, sort of don't. It's all very… unnerving.

"Maybe it's because you have so much magic," I explain.

Edward ignores me. "Before you shared the memories, I could feel that you were scared and angry, and then you were crying. I could feel the heat of your tears on my face," he explains. "And I said 'stop' because I was trying to study, and you were freaking the fuck out. Then you did for a minute and—"

"I heard that," I tell him honestly, quietly. "I thought I was telling myself to stop. Then there was stillness. Like absolutely nothing at all. And the memories you saw, all those things sort of just… happened."

Edward's mute. He says nothing, and it scares me. Anytime he's talked to me, it's been nothing but charming and helpful and intelligent. Now? Now he's… rattled.

"Edward?" I question.

After a moment, Edward speaks, and it's like a different person. "Try again," he tells me softly. There's less charm, but it's there.

"How?"

"Close your eyes, Belle," he explains warmly. "Think of the stillness. Find the tether. Send me a memory." His voice washes away with the noise of the shower.

A memory.

So many, and yet I can think of none. Focusing on the tether, I search for the warm heat under my skin and attach to it.

"The one from the field," he says gently, helping me. "Let me see that one."

Closing my eyes, searching for the stillness, I put myself back there. Under my fingers, I can feel the itchy prickles of tiny hairs growing from long, brown stems. The sound of my feet crunching under straw-like stalks and the whirl of the wind plays like music. When the breeze picks up, I spin around in excitement. Jake pulls me into his chest. When I look up, he tries to kiss me, but I look to the side instead. Jake walks past me, and instead of chasing after him, I turn around and run into the field, my long dress catches around my ankles and my laugh breaks my fall. The wheat stalks blow in the breeze, but I'm cocooned and safe. Dust doesn't eat at my hair down here, and I can finally see the gray sky for what it is—protection. Under my head and between the strands of my long hair are bristly stems.

Edward's laugh brings me back to the present, and suddenly the chill of the water hurts my bare skin. Long wet hair drips down my back.

"That," Edward pauses, whispering the last part, "that is extraordinary."

"What did you see?"

"I've never met—" he suddenly stops and clears his throat. "Your magic—"

"I don't have magic, Edward."

"Belle," he whispers, "you are magic."

A/N:

Thank you to all who have favorited, followed, and/or reviewed. I'm glad the story has been received so well thus far, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. As always, leaving a review lets me know you are enjoying this little world, and honestly it keeps me motivated! I love to hear your predictions- they definitely make me smile :)!

Thank you to Fran for betaing!

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