Each day was easier for Alex, and by the end of the Festival Days, she felt like one of the family. It was like she was never gone.

By nightfall, she would be plagued with those terrible head aches, but she didn't care. It was worth the pain, being with her family. She knew it would be more painful to be away from them than any migraine.

However, she felt a little guilty. Since her arrival, all the attention had been on her, something Matthew encouraged, something Eli didn't mind, and something Joan was definitely not accustomed to.

Although Joan didn't try to be the center of attention, it was predictable that, being the youngest child, she would be getting most of the attention from Derek and Odette. When Alex returned, this abruptly stopped, and Joan had been inadvertently forgotten about.

But of course, Derek and Odette were human, and they naturally gravitated toward Alex, wanting to know everything about the life they had missed for so long. Eli was a different story. Although he didn't hate his younger sister, he did hold her in a kind of contempt. In some ways, he blamed her for Alex's kidnapping.

And Joan was starting to feel it. It was to the point where Eli would barely talk to her. He avoided her a lot of the time. And the more it happened, the worse she felt.

She had been told since she was old enough to understand what had, in theory, happened that fateful night. Derek and Odette never tried to keep Alex a secret from Joan, considering Joan did have a right to know. At first they had merely told her that Alex had disappeared. Then they added in a new detail; she had been kidnapped. Next, they told her that Zelda was the culprit. The last piece of the puzzle came when Joan learned that Alex had been taken in her place.

The entire story had been strung out over a course of twelve years.

And through those twelve years, Joan remained the apple of her parents' eye. Eli had never really taken to her, but Odette and Derek understood why, and although they tried their best to help him get along with Joan and deal with the loss of Alex, Eli's contempt remained.

One afternoon, the day the festival ended, Eli had been challenged by Matthew to a contest on the obstacle course before it was taken down for the year. Alex, of course, had been invited to watch the two show off.

Joan, who had been standing very near by, didn't receive any kind of invitation until Alex bid her come along.

As they were on their way, Eli turned to Alex, who was walking behind him and Matthew with Joan, to say something, but, upon seeing Joan tagging along, turned around and said nothing.

At first, Alex thought nothing of it. She knew siblings – or anyone living in close quarters with each other, for that matter – didn't always see eye to eye. So it came as no real shock when Eli wasn't completely warmed up to Joan.

Watching Matthew and Eli run – and jump, climb, and swing – the obstacle course was amazing. Eli had the advantage right until the end, but at the last moment, Matthew took the lead, finishing first, earning himself a congratulatory applaud from Joan and Alex.

As they walked over to Alex, Matthew and Eli didn't speak a word to Joan. Of course, Matthew's reason was plain to everyone – save for Alex, who refused to believe it. He was quickly falling for her, and thus, she held his attention at all times.

But Eli's shunning his sister was a little more complicated for Joan to understand, let alone accept.

Together, they walked back to the castle, only for Matthew and Eli to be turned around by Derek, who wanted them to help take down the obstacle course.

As they were walking away, Alex looked to Joan, who looked saddened.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Joan replied, shaking her head, as if to shake the problem away.

"And yet, it's something. Come on, what's wrong?"

"Eli, I guess."

"What about him."

Joan sighed. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for a rather long story. "Well, it's like this; he barely ever talks to me. He never really has. It's like he's hated me for years, and I didn't even know what I did until Mother and Father told me what happened to you, that you had been taken in my place. It's like he blames me for your kidnapping, and there's nothing I could have done! But he won't listen to reason, and he's been ignoring me for as long as I can remember. Then, you come along, and suddenly, he's so social. In one week, he's talked to you more than he has to me in twelve years."

Alex was a little taken aback by this. She knew Eli talked to her a lot more than he talked to Joan, but she didn't know that he had been ignoring her for twelve whole years. "I don't think he blames you for what happened to me."

"But he does, Alex. I've never seen him so happy. He certainly likes you a lot more than he likes me"

Alex sighed. "And now that I'm back, you've been ignored by everyone, haven't you?"

"I can expect it from Mother, Father, and even Matthew. But Eli has never been so kind to someone. I know he doesn't mean any harm to me personally, but it feels like"

"Like he's been taking out his grief and frustration on you," Alex finished.

"Yes."

Alex looked up at the sky, seeing several dark clouds in the distance. "I'll talk to him, the next chance I get. I'm going to fix this, I promise."

Joan smiled half heartedly. She had heard that promise from her parents, but she didn't bother to mention that to Alex. "Thanks."

After talking for a few more minutes, Alex could see Eli headed over to her. Without even looking at Joan, he began to speak.

"Alex, they're lighting fireworks. Do you want to watch? It's great fun."

"Sure," she replied casually. She looked at Joan, who had only just been saying how much she loved the fireworks at the end of every festival. As she walked away with Eli, Alex winked at Joan. "I'll talk to him," she whispered.

Joan watched for a moment or two as Alex and Eli took off, talking casually, something she and Eli had never done before. A sudden and intense sadness took over Joan, and she started to cry. Afraid of others seeing her tears, she started to walk into the forest, away from Swan Lake.

XxX

"Eli," Alex said in between bursts of light from the fireworks, "there's something I want to ask you."

"What's that?" he asked, not expecting anything important. He prepared himself to explain something about the family or tell her another memory about their parents or something along those lines.

"Why don't I ever see you talk to Joan?"

He jerked his head toward his elder sister and stared for a moment. He wasn't prepared to answer this. "I-I talk to her, Alex."

"Not really. Why didn't you invite her to watch the fireworks with us?"

"I… I don't really know. No, that's wrong. I do know. I guess, in a way, I've always sort of blamed her for what happened to you. I know it's not really her fault, but I can't help but think that if she hadn't been around, you would have been here."

"I know you've missed me for so many years, and that you feel like you've been cheated out of an older sister, but she needs an older brother right now. She needs you more than you need me because she needs you to be her friend. Eli, she's lonely, and she wants to be loved by you like a brother should love a sister. Let's face it; I've done all the growing I can do, so I don't need a role model as much as she does. And Eli, I don't know if I'll ever have to leave again, and if I do, she'll need you."

"I've been selfish," Eli sighed, feeling guilty for all the years of neglect he had put his little sister through. "I want to make things right."

"Then talk to her. Apologize. She'll understand, I promise."

Just as he said this, thunder began to sound off somewhere in the distance.

"Come on," Matthew called over to them. He had been watching the fireworks from another place, giving the siblings their privacy so Alex could talk. "Let's get inside before we get wet. Your mother wouldn't want you two to get sick or anything." The last was said with a caring glance at Alex, who played it down to herself.

When they were safely inside, Odette, who seemed to be looking for something, walked over to them.

"Have you seen Joan?"

Eli and Matthew shook their heads negatively.

"She didn't come here?" Alex asked.

"No. I assumed she was with you. She loves the fireworks."

Alex gasped, slapping a hand to her forehead.

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked.

"I'm such an idiot," she groaned, sprinting toward the door. She grabbed a cape from a nearby coat rack and was out the door. "I'll bring her back!" she called.

Alex dashed around outside, desperately trying to find Joan before the rain came down. Years around children had taught her at least one thing; staying outside in rain like the kind that was threatening to pour down at that moment meant sickness.

By sheer luck, Alex began to search in Joan's direction. She caught a glimpse of Joan's white dress in the woods.

Not wanting to be too hasty, but at the same time not wanting to waste too much time, Alex sat down next to Joan.

"How'd you find me?" Joan asked. She had no real idea where she was herself.

"Luck," Alex said simply. "Why are you out here?"

Joan shrugged. Alex sighed.

"I'm really not good at all this big sister stuff, now am I?"

"What do you mean?" Joan asked.

"I mean that I should have invited you to come along when Eli wanted to see the fireworks, whether he wanted you there or not. I should have given him an example to follow."

Joan shrugged. "It's not like he'd care." At that precise moment, the rain poured down, cold and hard.

"Au contraire," Alex said, raising her voice above the noise of the rain, "he wants to talk to you, Joan. He wants to apologize."

"He does?"

Alex nodded. "He barely realized he had been ignoring you, but he feels bad about it. He wants to make it up to you."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." Alex draped her cape over her little sister's shoulders, leaving herself exposed. "Now come on, before you get sick."

Together, they ran back to the castle, not stopping until they were safely inside.

Odette, who had been waiting, rushed over to them, looking them over, making sure they weren't harmed in any way.

The only damage done was to their dresses, which were now soaked. Alex and Joan stood in the foyer of the castle, drenched and shivering, their hair wet and their hands cold.

"Oh Joan," Odette cooed motherly. "Are you alright?"

"Just wet, Mother," Joan replied, her teeth chattering as she spoke. "Alex found me and brought me back." Joan cast a thankful glance at her sister. Odette joined in, proud of her eldest daughter.

While Alex had been out looking for Joan, Eli had explained everything that had gone on that afternoon to Odette, whose heart swelled with pride for Alex, who had fixed a problem that she and Derek had no idea how to settle.

"Okay then," Odette said. "Why don't you two go get out of those wet clothes and dry off alright?"

"Agreed," Alex said as she passed by.

Joan took off to her own room, not wanting to wait a moment longer, as a dry dress would seem like heaven at that moment.

"And, Alex," Odette began, pausing as Alex turned toward her. "Thank you."

Okay, okay, okay. You got me. That was such a "filler episode." But I thought Joan deserved to be presented into the story. No character left behind!

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. Hey, I'm an attention junky, I like that kind of stuff :P