The streetlights become the only thing that tells you you’re going the right way.  You’re blindly rushing as fast as you can, following the way your head tells you that would eventually take you to your house.

Finding the familiar outer view, you jump over the gates and knock fervently on the door.

“Chanyeol! Chanyeol are you in there?”

No answer.

“Chanyeol-ah!!”

Still no answer.

You curse as you round up at the back of the house, finding your room’s window.  You climb up quickly and with your knife successfully unlock the window with careless fingers.

“Chanyeol-ah!!!”

You burst through your own door and find—

“Why are you so noisy!?”

“Yeol?” You frown in bewilderment and leap to his side, searching his face for injuries and his body too.  “You’re okay?”

“Well, aside from getting left behind by you while you get to live in the castle, I’m perfectly fine,” He says, rolling his eyes at you.  But seeing the expression you have on your face, he frowns and holds you by the shoulders in concern. “I’m fine, what’s wrong?”

“It’s—“

You stop your words as you eye the shards of a ceramic vase by the window.  It was cleaned with haste, which is why it left little pieces of itself.

“Someone broke in, didn’t they?” You search the house in panic.  “Did they take anything? Did they threaten you?”

“I’m okay, sis,” Chanyeol stops you by setting a hand on your shoulder.

You grab his arm in reflex and try to twist it as you turn around to face him, but find yourself unable to do it.  Not because you’re holding back, but because he’s keeping you from doing it.  Instead, Chanyeol takes your arm and lock it behind your back, making you cry in pain.  You could stop him from doing so, but that was a bit unexpected.

Okay, that was extremely unexpected.

“What the—?”

“Sorry,” Chanyeol grimaces as he lets you go, letting you face him.

“You,” You narrow your eyes at him.  “What have you been getting yourself into?”

Seeing that he could no longer hide anything from you, Chanyeol pulls a chair for you and himself, plopping down with a sigh as he gestures for you to follow his example.

“I know how to do a few things, here and there,” He shrugs.  “Hey!” He flinches as you glare at him.  “Really! I don’t know how I would explain that!”

You drop your arm and put your hand to your temples.  “How?”

“Just—“ He eyes you and shrugs again.  “I don’t know, I had it in me since a long time ago but I’ve never gotten the chance to actually use it against someone until some guy from the Rebellion came in to terrorize me,” Chanyeol  scratches the back of his head.  “Didn’t do a good job of it, either,” Carefully, he glances at you and slumps.  “I know about what you’ve been doing too,”

“You know about Silver?” You refer to your other persona and move slightly away as he nods.  “And I’m not a monster?”

“Of course you’re not,” He takes your hand in his and squeezes it reassuringly.  “Of course you’re not,” Smiling, Chanyeol adds, “Hey, I can at least defend myself, I'm the guy, you know,"

You chuckle along with him, running your thumb across his knuckles.  “I’m glad you’re okay,”

“I am, and everything is going to be alright,” Chanyeol tops your hand with his.

“Amara!!”

You jump as two people burst in through the doors, panting hard and frantic eyes.

“Luhan? Baekhyun?” You stand up.  “What are you guys doing here?”

“Idiot, you think—“ Baekhyun wheezes.

“You think seeing you run out like that doesn’t freak us out?” Luhan finishes for him, dropping onto the floor to catch his breath.

“Yeah, speaking of which, how did you know about this?” Chanyeol frowns, looking at you.

“Just, you know,” You clear your throat.  “Some gut feeling,”

“Liar,” The three of them says in unison.

“I don’t know!” You throw your hands up in frustration, making your way towards the stairs.  “Baek, can you take Chanyeol into the castle too?”

Baekhyun nods in response and you dip your head in a thank you bow, mounting the stairs.  “I’m going in for a while, okay.  Chanyeol, pack your things, we’ll go in 10,”

You close the room’s door behind you and begin to look for the thing that nags at your mind.  Under the bed, in the drawers, in the cupboards, under the carpet, everywhere.

You trace the wood’s linings with your fingers and look for a flaw on the polished surface, something that’s not supposed to be there, something that would at least give you a clue.  You find a strange piece of wood right beneath the window and pull at it, wondering if it opens.  Seeing that pulling doesn’t work, you push, and jump as it falls into the wall with a quiet creak, leaving you with a dark, rectangular space.

In which you find three things; a silver ring, a black card, and a note.

Touching the ring, the rush of memories come at you and you shut your eyes to supress the burst of emotions running through your head, as if saying “Not now,”.  You slip the ring into your finger and twist the card between your fingers, knowing where the piece missing from the castle’s files about your mother is now.

You study the note next, and find it written in tidy, looped handwriting.

It said:

‘Amara, my dear, if you find this, know that what you’re looking for is indeed within the castle.

I love you, sweetheart, and no matter what, you were, are, and will always be my daughter.

I’m sorry,’

You bring your hand to your lips as the tears line your eyes.  Stopping it from trickling down your cheeks, you stuff the note into your boots and pull the wood back up, exiting the room quickly.

“Let’s go,” You rush towards the door and run ahead towards the castle.

If everything is going to be alright, why are you so lost?

Why is your mother apologizing?

Why does Chanyeol have that look on his face?

What is it that you don’t know?