Gilbert and Alexis fidgeted angrily under Duke Barma's observing eye. His attention had immediately gone to them the second they entered the study, ignoring everyone else. The Duke easily spotted the contempt in both teens' eyes. "I see you two have had quite the experience today," he teased. When the two didn't give him any response, he frowned. Barma wanted to see for himself the psychological change they had undergone.

"Well, we've brought them as you asked," said Break, "and I assume you have found a way to change them back." Barma, with his face blank, looked over at Break. "Of course, despite taking a little longer than expected, I have found a way to reverse this." The duke made his way over to what everyone assumed was an adjacent library. He stopped, however, when his hand grabbed the handle. Without turning, he announced, "Only Miss Alexis and Raven are to come with me. Everyone else is to wait here." Oz looked reluctant and was about to say something when Alexis stopped him. "It'll be alright, Oz, don't worry," she assured him, Gilbert nodded to reflect his similar feelings.

Barma opened the door and Alexis and Gilbert followed him in…

"No, not again!"

Alexis shot up, gripping sheets in her hands. She suddenly felt a harsh pounding in her head, as if a hammer were repeatedly hammering away in her skull. She fell back on what she soon realized was a bed. She also realized that her muscles were terribly sore; even landing on the bed hurt.

"Alexis, are you alright? How are you feeling?"

The Rosewood daughter pulled her hands away from her forehead and half her face just enough to peek at the door. A bed-headed Oz was standing in the half-open doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His eyes widened when he focused on Alexis. "You're back to normal!" he blurted out. It took a second for his words to sink into Alexis' pain-ridden head. Momentarily forgetting the pain, she quickly sat up again. "What!?" She jumped out of bed and dashed over to the mirror that stood by the closet. Before a wave of pain hit her again, she saw the body of her twenty-four year old self, clothed in her nightgown, looking back at her.

Alexis wobbled to the bed and collapsed on it. Oz walked over and brought with him a glass that was on a table near the door. "What exactly happened after we last saw you before going with Duke Barma?" she asked as Oz offered her the glass. As Alexis accepted it and sniffed the anonymous drink, he sat next to her. "Well, you and Gilbert were with Barma quite a while, and when he finally came out he told us that you guys needed rest and you wouldn't be back to normal until morning." Oz frowned as he continued, "Although none of us were too happy when we found both of you unconscious."

As Oz explained what happened, Alexis was trying to figure out what exactly Oz had handed her. The drink didn't smell bad or look shady, so she decided to try it.

She regretted it instantly.

Alexis just about gagged the second the liquid entered her mouth, and Oz, not surprised by her reaction, handed her a handkerchief. "What is this!?" she cried out as she wiped her mouth. "Something for your head and muscle aches," he explained, "Barma gave us a list of herbs that was in the footnotes of the spell." Alexis concluded that the drink was her best bet on getting better and quickly gulped it down.

Oz watched his friend shudder and struggle not to throw back up the concoction. "You know, this is probably Duke Barma's way of apologizing," he suggested. Alexis turned to him with a look that asked if he was crazy. "Well he didn't have to give us the list," he clarified. Before Alexis could say anything, she could feel the pain lessen a bit, not much, but it was something. "Maybe," she reluctantly agreed.

"Do you know how Gilbert is?" Alexis asked as she put the empty glass on the nightstand. Oz shook his head. "No, he hasn't gotten up yet. But he should be waking up soon."

"No, no, no!"

The two looked to the door. "Well, he is now," Alexis said with a half-smile at having a good idea of what Gilbert had been startled awake from. "First you and now Gilbert wakes up screaming. Does this have anything to do with how you two were returned to normal?" asked Oz. Alexis frowned, but it seemed more of a pout to Oz. "All I will say is that I recommend not bringing it up with Gilbert unless he does," she suggested. Oz chuckled.

With the promise to come back later, Oz left to check on Gilbert. Alexis fell back on the bed, feeling her head and muscle aches calming down more. She was glad to be back to normal, but her thoughts seemed to roam to a certain set of twins.

"No"

"But—"

"Stop"

"What if—"

"Gilbert!"

Alexis had had it and snapped her head around from the window. Gilbert had been trying to talk her out of their visit to Lutwidge Academy—and failing miserably. He still seemed to be hanging onto a small thread of hope that Alexis would change her mind and tell the Rosewood family driver to head straight to their destination. She had told Gilbert that they were going to meet up with Oz and Alice at the Rainsworth villa they would stay at from time to time, which they technically were after a detour to Lutwidge.

"I want to see how Elliot and Leo are doing. And I'm sure they would like to know how we are after that kind of day," explained Alexis. "Don't you want to see your brother?" she added as an afterthought. She wondered if perhaps in his state of uncontrolled emotions as a teenager again he said something he now wished he hadn't.

Gilbert fidgeted. He hadn't told anyone what happened with him and Elliot, and although it shouldn't be something to worry about, he felt… well, he couldn't really describe it. "Well, whatever it is," Alexis interrupted his thoughts, "You're going to have to deal with it head on." He looked over to her window and saw the walls of the school.

The library was cool and quiet as usual, and the occasional click of a student's shoes echoed through the large room and bounced off of the many bookcases. Elliot Nightray stood in front of a shelf where he believed was a book he needed.

"Have you found it yet?"

The Nightray son frowned and didn't turn to face the asker. "Not yet, give me another minute." He heard a sigh as his companion stepped closer. "For the last time, Nightray, an anthology of poems is going to be on the other side."

"No, that's where the biographies are."

"The biographies are where you probably think the play transcripts are."

"I know where anything is in this library! Unlike some people, I read and study!"

"If I recall, I have higher marks in over half the classes we have together!"

"My, my, I never realized you two had become so chummy~"

"Shut it, Leo!"

As Elliot spun around to face his valet, he noticed three others with him. One of them detached from the group and headed for the very person he had been arguing with. "When I said to try to get along with people, Ash, this isn't what I had in mind." The boy scoffed, "It's not my fault Nightray doesn't know where to find a book of poems, Aaron."

Elliot seemed to have a retort on the tip of his tongue, but was interrupted by one of the other two that had come with Leo. "Elliot, you know how I feel about vinegar," she teased. The boy bit back the comment and looked genuinely concerned at them. "Alexis, Gilbert, how are you two doing?" The young woman quickly waved off his concern. "No need to worry, everything is fine," she reassured him. Elliot turned to his adoptive older brother, "Gilbert?" The older brother didn't say anything, but smiled to reassure him.

Alexis felt eyes on her, and looked up to see the twins staring at her. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "So sorry, no," apologized Aaron. "But have we met before?" asked Ash. The young woman wasn't sure how to answer that. Technically speaking, yes, yes they had met before—but she couldn't exactly say that.

"I don't believe we have. Perhaps you met my young cousin, we look a lot alike," she lied. The twins seemed to believe the tale.

"Elliot, is this the book you were looking for?"

No one had realized that Leo had gone off into the rows of bookshelves. The valet stood a few shelves down and held out a small volume. Both Elliot and Ash's mouths hung open. "You found it there!? No way!?" They dashed over to him, leaving Aaron, Alexis, and Gilbert alone.

"Well I'm glad to see they're still doing well since we last saw them," commented Alexis. "However," she tapped Gilbert's arm, "I believe you have something to talk to your younger brother about. I know you haven't said a word for a reason." He was about to say something, but Alexis stopped him. "Just go," she urged. Gilbert looked from her to the where Elliot and the others were, and back to her. Without a word, he went over to his adoptive brother.

"I never knew the Rosewoods were quite the mediators."

Alexis glanced at the Aster twin that stood next to her. "Your cousin," he continued, "she helped us, me and my brother. She helped us understand that how we were before meeting her wasn't good for us." She couldn't say how glad she was to hear that. That had been exactly what she had hoped for.

"Well, whatever that was, I'm glad you and your brother are working through it," she said. Aaron nodded, "Thank you, and, if you see her, would you please give her our thanks. We haven't seen her since that day." Alexis could feel the corners of her mouth twitch up. "I'll be sure to tell her."

Gilbert stood at the end of the isle as he watched Elliot and Ash, amusingly dumbfounded, stare at the shelf that Leo had found the book they had been looking for. "You two should have remembered that this part of the library is slightly rearranged as the walls are being redone later this week," Leo reminded them. Elliot harshly sighed before thrusting the book at Ash, who was also his project partner. "Let's just get started," he said. Ash rolled his eyes and walked over to where they had set up their things.

Leo noticed Gilbert standing behind Elliot. "Well, I'm off to work on my project," he excused himself before walking away. Elliot raised an eyebrow at his valet's sudden departure.

"Hey, Elliot."

The Nightray son looked over his shoulder. "Gilbert, is something up?" His eyes widened and suddenly rushed over to him. "Are you going to tell me that you and Alexis were covering up how you guys are really doing after that ordeal!?" There was a hint of anger, but also worry in Elliot's voice. Gilbert subconsciously leaned back. "N-no, we really are alright, I just…I just wanted to say thanks for helping…and that I'm sorry for yelling at you."

The apology seemed to diffuse Elliot. "Sorry…? Why are you apologizing? You weren't exactly yourself," he commented. Gilbert's eyebrows furrowed with a serious look in his eye. "But that doesn't make it right," he explained. Elliot parted his lips to say something, but stopped. A second later, he said, "Don't worry about it, I understand." The corners of his mouth slightly perked up, mirroring a playful smirk. "Don't go thinking I'm mad at you or something."

"Hey, Nightray, are you coming?"

Elliot looked over his shoulder and said, "Give me a second, Ash," before looking back at Gilbert. "Really, don't worry about it, Gilbert." He turned around to return to his project. Gilbert smiled after his brother, feeling as if something had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Do you think it was the right time, Leo?" asked Alexis as she browsed the shelves with the valet. "I didn't push him too soon?" Leo shook his head. "No, today seemed a good a time as any, Miss Alexis," he reassured her. "Although he may not really look it, Elliot has been concerned about the two of you since he last saw you." The young woman smiled.

Leo slipped a book back in its place on the shelf before pulling out another. "May I ask something, Miss Alexis?" She looked up from the book in her hands, "Of course."

"Your height at fourteen was average, why were you so upset over it?"

Alexis' eye twitched, but then a forced cheery smile replaced her irked expression. "You tell me, Leo~" The young valet turned to her with a strained smile and slightly tilted his head. "Oh~?"

The two of them really did like to push each other's buttons.

It's done! I hope you all enjoyed this story of mine! And a personal thank you to Senna Bluefire for giving me the extra push to finish.