EPILOGUE (ARIANNA'S POV)
"I should never have sent you to that blasted school," her mother says for the millionth time, fiddling with a hoop earring, "I knew something like this would happen."
"No, you didn't," Arianna says quietly, crossing out the mistake she'd made and trying to remember the correct spelling for it. Her mother sniffs.
"Who are you even writing to, anyway?" she asks, "You've been going over that letter for an hour now."
"A friend."
"A friend? You have one?"
"Yeah."
"Imaginary, I suppose," her mother says, looking around the room with disgust, "I've not seen a single letter except the ones you write. It's been weeks."
"He's probably busy."
Her mother opens her mouth to make another snide comment but the door slides open to reveal a young strawberry blonde Healer.
"Mrs. Slyvester," he says, smiling slightly, "how nice to see you again."
"Please," her mother says, immediately transformed, "we've talked about this - Eloise, I insist."
"Of course, Mrs. Slyvester," he says, his smile becoming slightly fixed. He walks to the other side of Arianna's bed, sets the clipboard down and casts a few diagnostic spells. "Arianna, how are you feeling today?"
She sets the letter aside.
In the end, it's never sent.