Sorry it took so long but here is the next chapter.

In this chapter a new character is introduced.

I hope you enjoy.

A familiar sight

It was raining again. Aida sat on a chair staring out the small window in the attic. Drops of rain slid down the glass. Her eyes followed one until it disappeared, then her eyes would track down another. It had been raining all week almost nonstop. I had promised Aida that I would take her to go visit one of the other towns close by where I would sell my pots at a fair. That isn't going to happen now.

She looks bored just staring out the window. It could get very dreary up here. I opened my mouth to say something but I couldn't think of anything. I wanted her to smile but I knew that it was hard for her. Having to live in the shadows for over two years is harder then it seems. Aida was lonely and I couldn't always be there for her no matter how much I wanted to.

Her hair hung loose and flat. She didn't seem to care that some of it had fallen over her face. It was messy and had small pieces of dirt in it. It reminded me of how she looked when she first arrived here. It had been shorter then.

I folded up one of the blankets I had left up here for her to use. It needed some washing. I smoothed down the fabric and laid it in my straw basket. Narayan had made the basket for me before the purge had begun. Gently, I stroked the straw that had been so carefully woven together. I couldn't imagine the basket ever coming apart but then again I had never imagined that my world would fall so far into hatred and fear.

Aida had magic. Uther said magic was evil. Should I fear her? And yet every day I told myself the answer was no. One person's mistake cost so many their lives but whose mistake was it?

Without a word I descended the hidden staircase behind the cabinet. I made my way to the kitchen but as I was passing my room something caught my eye. Diverting from my original path, I pushed the door to my small room open.

The thing that had caught my eye was a small hairbrush. It had a soft light wooden handle. It was smooth to the touch. Even after all of its uses it still looked almost new. It was a special item, a protector of secrets. The small hairbrush was the only one who knew my secret, my greatest secret that no living soul knew of. How long would it stay that way?

I picked up the wooden brush in my left hand. I put my basket down, forgetting my original reason for coming downstairs. I had an idea.

My feet padded up the stairs to the attic. I found her sitting exactly where I had left her. I smiled, knowing exactly what would lighten her spirits. I walked over to her, lightly tapping her shoulder and showing her the wooden brush.

"Would you like me to brush your hair?" I asked lightly.

A small smile appeared on her face as she looked at the brush. It was almost as if I could see memories dancing across her eyes. They were memories of happier times when there was no need to hide, no reason for secrets. I didn't have to ask. I knew that I was not the first to offer to brush her hair for her. Someone very dear to her had done it before. Someone she missed very much. Her mother maybe, or a sister, maybe even a friend?

She nodded silently and turned back to face the window, rain still pouring from the sky. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The brush ran smoothly through her ginger hair until it came across a few tangled hairs. The brush fought with them, eager to keep going.

I brushed the mud out of her hair and soon it was as smooth as silk. I ran my hands through it a few times to check for any tangled hair that I missed but found none. I took a small ribbon from the pocket of my jacket and used it to put her hair up out of her face. Once I was done she turned around to face me. She looked beautiful with her hair up. There were still a few smudges of dirt streaked across her cheek. I would get to those later.

Thunder rattled the skies. It was so loud that I almost didn't hear the knock coming from the front door. I froze and I could see Aida become rigid before me. We both stayed in silence until another knock came at the door, more insistent this time. Could we not go a week without being scared out of our minds?

If no one answered the door they would think something was wrong, so, as quietly as I could, I left Aida alone in the attic. I tried my best to put the cabinet back into place without making a sound. Without another delay I answered the door to find two cloaked figures standing in the rain, their cloaks not protecting them very well from the cold.

One of them lifted their heads to reveal their identity, Holt. What was he doing here in this kind of weather? The shorter boy standing next to him I did not know. The sight was so familiar. Over two years ago a friend had come knocking at my door with an unknown child at his side. It had been raining then too. The two figures before me though didn't look like they had run a long way.

Lightning jumped across the sky, waking me from my reveries. I ushered them in out of the cold rain. I took their wet cloaks from them. I almost went to the loose floorboard where I had once hidden Magnus' cloak, but I quickly righted my coarse and went to hang them up where they could dry.

"Alright Holt." I said, looking to the tall sixteen-year old. "What is this all about?"

"I have a favor to ask you." He began. "A family I know from a town over was hiding a sorcerer in their basement. Their house was terribly damaged by the rain so they asked for my help."

"What could you do to help them?" I asked, starting to have suspicions about where this was going.

"The family is going to stay with some relatives while their house is being fixed but they couldn't take the sorcerer with them." He continued. "So they asked me if I could find a place for him to stay while they were away." He fell silent as if waiting for me to catch on.

"Why here?" I knew what he was asking.

"You were the first person I thought of and I know you already have things set up because of you know." He was talking about Aida. "Narayan doesn't have any more room and you have the most experience at dealing with this."

I sighed and looked over to the boy he had brought with him. He was younger then Holt by a year, about Aida's age.

"What's your name?" I asked the boy.

"Jasper." He said simply, looking away as soon as he had given his answer. I could tell he didn't trust me. I couldn't blame him though. I was a stranger to him and he must have learnt not to trust people so easily since the beginning of the purge. It was another thing that the purge had ruined. No one trusted each other anymore.

"Well, Jasper." I tested the name on my tongue. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you like."

I could tell he was slightly surprised at my answer. People didn't just welcome sorcerers into their homes with that much ease these days. I barely had to think about it. One look at Jasper and I knew he had to stay here, especially with these circumstances. They were so similar to the night Aida came to stay with me. The boy reminded me of her.

I went to peak out the window to make sure I wouldn't be getting any more visitors. "And no one saw you come this way, no one that would rat you out?" I had to make sure. Their arrival was so similar to that night that I had to make sure that this fact wasn't the same as well. It was like déjà vu.

"I'm sure." The confidence in Holt's voice made me relax immediately.

"You were right to bring him here Holt." I smiled at him.

"I knew I could trust you." He said. "I'm afraid I can't stay long. I need to make a few preparations."

I knew better then to ask what for. We must keep secrets, even from those inside the organization. Holt said he trusted me but I knew that there were some things that needed to remain in the dark. I understood.

I nodded and went to get his cloak. It was still dripping wet but he put it on anyway and made his exit.

"Thank you Red Wing." He said his goodbye and shut the door behind him.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind him I turned back to Jasper. A sweet smile had made its way onto my face. I wanted this boy to trust me. I really did. But he only stood there, warily looking at me as if any moment I would betray him. If he couldn't trust me then maybe there was someone else he would be more willing to trust.

"Follow me." I waved my hand in the gesture. Reluctantly he dragged his feet across the floor after me toward the cabinet. He was confused for a moment when I led him to the tall wooden cabinet.

"Don't worry." I laughed slightly at his confusion. "You won't be staying in the cabinet. You will be staying behind it."

With that I moved the cabinet out of the way. Jasper's eyes widened at the sight of the hidden staircase. It was the reaction I was going for. It was that kind of reaction that kept the attic safe from harm because no one ever went looking for it.

I patted him on the back and shoved him into the opening. He stumbled up the stairs, peaking over the edge as he came level with the attic floor. The chair by the window was empty. The cabinet was secure behind us. I pulled him up the rest of the way.

He looked around. There wasn't much there to look at but there was still a feeling of home that drifted through the air. He took another step into the room, still taking it all in. He seemed to be one of those people who appreciated the small things. I liked that about him.

"Welcome to the attic." I said dramatically. "Now to introduce you to your roommate."

He looked confused. To his eyes the room was empty and we were the only ones there.

"You can come out now." I called out.

Aida melted out of the shadows right behind Jasper. She had become very good at concealing herself in an open room. It was a good skill to have when you played a game as dangerous as this one. You had to be quick and sneaky, ready to run, and ready to hide when necessary.

"Who's this?" She breathed the question down the back of Jasper's neck. He jumped and spun around, fists raised. He had good reflexes but if Aida had been an assassin he would have been dead by now. We were going to have to work on that.

"This is Jasper." I said, laying one of my hands on his shoulder to try and calm him. "Jasper, this is Aida. She's staying here just like you."

Jasper relaxed a little but still looked on edge. Aida looked him up and down for a second then dropped her shadowy façade and smiled.

"It's nice to meet you Jasper." She offered him her hand. Hesitantly, he took it. They shook hands. I could tell they were going to get along.

"Well I will leave you two to become acquainted while I go get you something to eat." I left them there as they began to talk and get to know each other. I saw the smile slowly crawl onto Jasper's face. That's what Aida needed, someone like her. She needed someone who shared the same feelings as she did. Not someone who kept going away and insisted on her staying quiet in the attic.

With Jasper here Aida wasn't going to be bored any time soon. Who knew what the future might hold for these two teenagers. At least, that's what I thought at the time. When I look back now I really should have known.

I should have known.

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What do you think Joone is hiding?