Giselle drew in a lungful of tobacco smoke, stifled a cough, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Before her, the entire city of Pharus was laid out like a tableau of light and concrete. She stood on the lip of a brick rooftop, toes inches from the edge, hair fluttering in the wind. It was a five-hundred foot drop to the bottom, enough to kill even the most skilled of Guardians. Yet Giselle didn’t care about anything right now, least of all her own worthless life.

    I’m being an idiot, Giselle thought, sniffling, bringing the haphazardly rolled cigarette back to her lips with a trembling hand. I’m acting just like Winter.

    At the thought of her foolish younger sister, another torrent of sadness smashed into Giselle, and she crouched, allowing the cigarette to drop from her fingers. Down it fell, cascading into the sea of asphalt below. Giselle’s tears followed the tiny orange ember, as if chasing it down, attempting to extinguish it before it hit the ground. Why did she have to cry now? She’d remained staunch in her collected demeanor, even as she watched the retreating back of her younger sister storming away. Had continued to do so as she searched the entire library, even when the sun had already set, even when Ningning admitted they should probably give up. The walk back to their dorms hadn’t been a problem, either. Giselle had even been able to smile at a few children as they passed her by.

    But when she was alone, of course the darkness crept up on her. The sadness, the pain, the loneliness. The unspoken words. The memories. Her argument with Winter had only made things worse. Now the dark wonderings that normally plagued Giselle were warranted, no longer just a vague sense of unease that haunted the periphery of her thoughts. Her little sister was in real danger, way over her head with forces that neither of them knew anything about. 

    “What are you doing up here, Aeri?”

    Giselle spun at the sound of her real name, and was met with the soulful eyes and concerned expression of her closest friend.

    Wordlessly, Giselle stepped down from the lip of the roof. With her head bowed, she marched forward until she felt the comfort of Ning’s arms wrapping around her.

    “I knew you were upset,” Ning whispered as Giselle tucked her head into the younger girl’s shoulder. “I was wondering where you’d run off to.”

    Giselle sighed and shut her eyes, inhaling the strikingly familiar scent of Ning’s body. For the first time since she’d come up here, Giselle felt relaxed.

    Ning rubbed Giselle’s back, and her Crest purred as she reveled in the comfort of it. “You smell like alcohol and cigarettes.”

    “I… I know,” Giselle muttered, “I’m being really stupid tonight, aren’t I?”

    Ning pulled back, guiding Giselle by her shoulders, then bringing her over to one of the wooden terrace benches near the opposite end of the roof. There, they had a full view of the Council Building, as well as all the skyscrapers around it. A magnificent sight on most nights, but tonight, it just made Giselle sadder.

    “You’re not being stupid,” Ning whispered, wrapping an arm around Giselle. “You’re just worried for your sister.”

    Giselle inhaled a ragged breath, trying to find the emotional clarity to center herself. It didn’t come. Her Crest - and her emotions - were too fitful right now. They couldn’t be tamed, and they resonated deeply within her, making her want to blubber and sob like a child.

    Luckily, there was a pair of strong arms to hold her, and even a pair of soft, moist lips to kiss her weary head.

    “It’s alright,” Ning said between each short, fluttering kiss. “It’s okay, Aeri…”

    “She doesn’t know what she’s getting into,” Giselle moaned, clinging hard to her Ningning, melting into the younger girl’s embrace. “That Karina woman literally brainwashed her. Placed a stamp on her to make her fall in love. Stole my sister away.”

    “Winter spoke with the High Council leaders,” Ning said softly. “You heard what Winter said about that. Master Kang will teach her how to control it. She’s going to be even stronger because of it. Isn’t that what you guys wanted?”

    Giselle remained silent. Yes, Ning was right. When she and Winter had joined the Moonlight Guardians, they’d done so in order to become strong. To follow in their parents’ footsteps, to venture out into the land beyond the walls, to battle the demons that waited there. To protect the innocent civilians of Pharus.

But they were supposed to do it together. If Winter went to train with Joohyun and Seulgi, that meant she would no longer be part of their squadron. She’d be off on clandestine, too-important missions, putting herself in the gravest of danger. Fighting off those monsters of smoke and mist with no one but a stranger at her side. Without Giselle to protect her.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Giselle muttered, hating herself for the path her thoughts were taking, but unable to deny them. “But I think I’m jealous of Winter.”

Ning chuckled, reverberations of the sound playing out against Giselle. They