Nell returned to his house after another tutoring session with Light Spinner several weeks later. As he stepped up to unlock the door and let himself in, a horrible realization dawned upon him.

He'd gone to class today; the caregiver wasn't here. Dad had been left alone.

Nell inhaled, trying to contain himself. Maybe he's asleep. It was a naïve hope, but it was possible. He already decided Dad could never know he was friends with a Delvalian. Maybe Nell could say he had been at work. But then Luís would ask Mum if that was true, and Mum would expose his lie.

There was no way out of the situation, so Nell turned the knob and walked into the house. His dad stared blankly at the ceiling as he laid on the couch. "Where were you?"

Nell bit his lip. "Class...was running later today. Do you need anything?"

Luís sighed. "No. Just go to your room, boy."

Nell's stomach twisted. It was always son, boy, or Nellith. Never man. Never Nell. Nodding, he went to his room and set his bags down, heart pounding. He tried to calm himself; Light Spinner's voice came to his head. Confidence. Even if you don't feel like it.

Nell shuddered, holding his head high. Dad believed what he'd said; Sember had no way to contradict the lie. It was okay. It was...

Dad called his name in a slur. "Nellith! Get out here now!"

No.

Nell trembled, taking deep breaths. No. No, no, no. He couldn't handle being hurt again, but there was no way out. In Cindel he'd have gone to Doctor Esmeé, but he couldn't go to work – Mum would ask questions. She would know that Nell had been around Light Spinner.

"I won't ask again!" Luís shouted. "Out here! Now!"

Nell forced himself to stand, despite his legs being like putty. Numbly, he walked down the hallway and out into the living room, where his dad leaned against the wall.

His bespectacled eyes scanned the paper. Nell stammered out a reply. "Y...yes, Dad?"

Luís narrowed his matching blue eyes. "Your class ended three hours ago. Where were you?"

Nell was frozen in place. Confidence, Light Spinner's voice said again. Head up, he looked Dad in the eye. "I was...with a friend."

"How did you make friends?" Luís set the paper down. "He doesn't know, does he – what am I saying? Of course he doesn't. No one would want someone as womanish as you."

The insults stopped hurting; all Nell could do was accept what Luís said about him. "Like I'd tell you," he mumbled, going back to his room.

Luís' voice was dangerously quiet. "Come back here."

Deep breaths. Nell turned around, unable to speak. Luís walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. "Did you just backtalk me?"

It didn't matter what Nell's reply was; the consequence would be the same. He rushed back toward his room – if he could get inside, he would be able to lock the door – but Dad, deceptively fast, yanked on his arm and wrenched him onto the floor.

Nell gasped as his glasses clattered onto the wooden panels, rendering him blind. The world was a blur of confusion and pain. He managed to stagger to his knees – black played at the edges of his vision.

Not from the pain. From panic.

Finding his glasses, he glared up at Luís. Tears filled Nell's eyes as he began to whimper. His father curled a lip in disgust. "Do you care to fight?" he snapped. "Just...hit me back!"

Nell couldn't do it. He'd tried already, and buckled every time. Standing, he leaned against the kitchen counter. "I...I can't," he said shakily. "Please, leave me be."

"Alone?" his dad chuckled. "Coward."

"I caught the memo the first thousand times you sent it."

Magic constricted Nell, freezing him in place and squeezing. He felt his bones bend, but not break – yet it was still painful. As quiet tears streamed down his cheeks, he stood immobile.

Nell wished he could be brave, like Light Spinner. He wished he had the strength not to care about someone who hurt him this much.

"Please," he whispered. "Dad, please...I'm sorry..."

Luís narrowed his eyes, obeying. "Fine. But don't forget, boy. One day, I might snap. And you won't even want to be alive then."

Nell looked him in the eye. "Congratulations," he muttered. "You've already made me regret staying alive."

"Have I?"

Nell backed up as his father pulled out a pair of knives. "Sember uses these for cooking. She encourages your pathetic nature. Acting as though you're fine, just the way you are."

Nell bit his tongue, not replying. Waiting for Dad's next move.

Luís had a sad look in his eye. "If you can't be a man," he growled, "you will learn how. Through pain. Just – like – me."

Then he hurled the knives at Nell.

...

On the way home from her evening classes, Light Spinner heard weeping from somewhere nearby. Unable to pinpoint the source of the noise, she walked a distance and dropped her bags, then began singing loudly to alert the crier to her presence.

The noise stopped.

She picked up her skirts and walked quietly backward in her silk slippers. The crying began again. This time she was able to find where the person was – behind a shrub.

Light Spinner walked gently behind the bushes, eyes widening. Nell's pants and hands were bloody. Gasping, Light Spinner dropped to her knees, failing to locate his discarded glasses.

Finally, she spoke. "Nell?"

Nell tensed, but said nothing. So Light Spinner carefully put her arms around him, pressing him close to her. The scent of his tears broke her heart.

"Who hurt you so?" Light Spinner asked.

Nell sniffled. "My...my dad."

Light Spinner gripped him even closer, trying to comfort him. The smell of rosemary reached her nose as she set her cheek in his hair. "Come with me. I'll help you."

Nell gazed up at her, tears streaming down his cheeks. Then he held her back, his voice coming out in a whisper. "Alright." He picked up his glasses, and as they walked toward Light Spinner's house, she realized the blood was from his hands. And the cuts were clean – as if dealt by a knife.

Her stomach twisted, and she bit her lip. Oh, Nell.

I understand you so much better than you think.