I checked to see that the other Kabuki were asleep as I tiptoed towards the door.

Nobody stirred, and I made it safely.

But when I opened the door, someone was there.

"Trenton," I whispered under my breath, "what brings you here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question, Clara," he replied.

Trenton and I were neighbors before my family split apart. I will admit, there was once a little bit of second-grade 'romance' going on between us, but that was eleven years ago.

I mean, we're eighteen now, and we were naive then.

"How did you recognize me?"

Among all of the Kabuki, I'm the one who somehow gets recognized. Wow.

"I would recognize you anywhere, Clara," he murmurs.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go. I have some important business to attend to."

"There's a bathroom in there, you know," he gestures into the Kabuki room, and I roll my eyes.

"Not that kind of business, dimwit," I snap before pushing past him towards the rooms of the Elemental Masters.

I breathe in, trying to decrease all of the stress and worry inside of me. It would be okay. This was going to turn out just fine.

I exhale and reach to knock on the door. It swings open before I can make contact, and I instead slap my brother's face.

"About time you came through, Clara," he groaned.

"Oh my gosh, Lloyd," I frantically whisper, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to punch you..."

"It's okay. You didn't know I was going to open the door."

"Let me in, I can help bandage that up."

"No."

"What?"

"No bandages. Normally, I would jump at the chance, but I was told that I couldn't do anything that made others perceive me as weak."

"Fine. At least let me clean it off for you."

He gives in.

"How long were you planning to stay away from me, Clara?"

I pause, looking at my brother.

"I... I'm so sorry, Lloyd," I choke out before breaking into tears, "I... I meant to do something to you... I started the Tournament... it's all my fault... I wasn't planning on stopping by here..."

"Whoa, whoa, Clara," his voice is edged with concern and sympathy, "don't cry. Please don't cry."

He lets me embrace him until the crying is done, and then we're back to talking.

"I wanted to get you to reconvert to evil," I confide, "so I asked Chen to set up this Tournament. I offered him all of the elemental powers once the Tournament was done... what have I done?"

"Clara, look. You never deserved what you got, okay? You have always deserved so much better than being Forgotten. I missed you, sis, and I know Dad and Mom did, too, but... Clara, did you just say you offered him all of the power?"

I nod.

"What? Clara, why?"

"I needed to give him incentive so that I could get what I wanted."

"But you were thinking on impulse."

"I know, and I'm sorry!"

Lloyd and I have never argued. The scenario from the memory, where I sang him the lullaby as he curled up next to me, was pretty close to the norm in our childhood.

We both stopped, fully aware of what we were doing now.

"Now what am I supposed to do, Lloyd?"

"Clara, you're the one who's eighteen."

"But I don't know!"

"How about a new plan?"

I nod, swallowing.

"That would be a nice start, I suppose."

"Lloyd? Who's in there with you? I heard bickering earlier," Dad's voice floats in through the door.

I flinch. It's been so long. Would Dad recognize me like Lloyd did?

Lloyd opens the door and Dad steps in.

"What's going on, son?"

His eyes skirt the room before finally landing on me. It seems as if time is paused while he stands staring at me and I stare back.

"Clara Marie..."

So he recognized me.

Lloyd explained the whole ordeal to Dad and then showed him our new plan.

"A pretty good-looking plan," Dad comments, "I think..."

"What do you think, Dad?"

"I think we can make it work out."