01: Majique Mansion

Branches Of Sunshire

Chapter 1 Majique Mansion

The orange glow of sunset cast down on two cloaked figures as they approached the Victorian mansion perched on the cliff. Tall elm trees lined the street, and the hum of cicadas filled the warm air like a song of the season.

Man: “Are you sure this is it, Branch?”

The taller figure spoke in a deep voice, narrowing his deep cerulean eyes with scepticism. He had an olive-tan complexion, long ombre hair, and an oval face. The short, plump figure turned to him with bright cerulean doe eyes. They shared the same olive-tan complexion and lighter ombre hair with a side fringe and round features. They resembled cats, with their curved mouths and wing-tipped eyes.

Branch: “Yep! He told us, “The beacon of light is at the highest peak in the valley of the moon!”

They spoke in a feathery voice and pet their fluffy tabby cat nestled in their cloak.

Man: “There must be some kind of mistake. He can’t have lived here.”

He folded his arms across his chest, and they peered through the iron gate, drinking in the view of towering crimson walls and verdant green. Tall pine trees and an overgrown garden shrouded it, like some hidden secret with tales of the past. It resembled a tower, its turrets set on either side of the gabled roof, with a round stained-glass window at the centre.

Branch: “Selene Valley IS the valley of the moon, and this IS the highest peak, Lake!”

They smiled up at the golden sun, its reflection on the glass like a beacon of light.

Branch gingerly opened the gate, revealing the sun mark on their thumb.

Lake: “Branch! Wait!”

He protested and followed after them up the stone pavement. Large boulders sat along the cliffside with gardens nestled between the levels. They ascended the wooden stairs and stepped onto the porch. Wisteria draped across the veranda, swaying in the warm breeze.

Lake: “How can you be so sure of that?”

He exclaimed. Branch traced their fingertips across the stained-glass windows, feeling the textures and admiring the craftsmanship of the ornate roses.

Branch: “Look at the craftsmanship here. It's just like Dad's.”

Lake paused and tugged at a chain around his neck, pulling out a rusty key.

Lake: “Well, there’s only one way to find out…”

He slid the key into the keyhole and twisted it with anticipation. They both lit up at the click of the door unlocking.

The door creaked open, greeting them to a grand entrance with crimson celestial wallpaper and a wooden stairwell. A large chandelier hung above them from the second-floor ceiling, and the stained-glass windows cast warm lighting around them. Branch shivered as their bare feet stepped onto the cold, black tiles with light, ornate patterns.

Branch: “Oh my stars! It’s amazing!”

They gasped as they stood at the crossroads of wooden archways and stairs, each veering off in a different direction. They ventured down the main hallway through the archway beneath the stairs, with sconces on the wooden-panelled walls. On their left was an archway leading into a large, spacious room with a music player, a wooden bar, and a dusty old grand piano. Their footsteps echoed across the herringbone floors and tall ceilings, and the light beamed through the arch windows. There were archways on each side of the room, leading into other rooms.

The large archway led them into the dining room at the end of the hall. A mahogany dining table and chairs sat under the chandelier at the centre of the room, with a fireplace on the back wall. Arch windows with ruby drapes offered a view of the wooden patio with a pool.

Lake: “...So, this is what he left behind for Sunshire?”

Branch’s smile dipped into a frown, and they embraced themself.

Branch: “Why can’t we go back, Lake?”

They knit their eyebrows.

Lake: “It’s not safe for us anymore…”

He sighed.

Branch: “When will Mum and Dad be here?”

They pleaded. Lake paused.

Lake: “I don’t know…”

His voice trailed off, and something unexpected caught his eye.

Lake: “Huh, that’s odd?”

He quirked an eyebrow at the googly eyes stuck onto random objects around the room. Branch chuckled.

Branch: “Oh, I didn’t know he had a sense of humour!”

Lake paused.

Lake: “It seems there was a lot we didn’t know about him…”

He pensively observed their surroundings.

Branch: “Aww, look, someone gave us a welcome home gift!”

They beamed at the freshly cut herbs on the table.

Lake: “That doesn’t make any sense… This house has been abandoned for over twenty years…”

He gaped at them.

Branch: “Maybe Ravi came by and gifted it to us?”

Lake’s face crumpled.

Lake: “Ravi? That’s not possible…”

His voice trailed off.

Branch’s eyes lit up at the kitchen across from the dining room. They brightened at the deep green hues and checkered marble floors that led into the greenhouse.

Branch: “I’m gonna bake a cake!”

They chirped and tiptoed over to the vintage, ornate fridge. Branch beamed at the milk, eggs, meat, and vegetables filling up the fridge.

Branch: “Oh wow! It looks like they stocked the fridge for us, too!”

Lake’s face turned pale, and before he could form the words, an unfamiliar voice answered.

“Ooh, what cake are you baking?”

A dopey woman replied.

Branch: “I was thinking cheesecake!”

They beamed up at the tall and slim woman with long-flowing crimson hair and rose porcelain skin. She had droopy blue eyes with long lashes beneath them, and she wore a headband. She was dressed in a blue paisley blouse, jean shorts, and bare feet.

Lake: “WHO the hell are you and what the hell are you doing here?!”

He glared up at the woman, standing protectively in front of Branch.

Woman: “Wow, cool, I’ve never met ghosts before! I’m Juniper!”

She chuckled. Branch tilted their head.

Branch: “...Ghosts? We’re not ghosts?!”

They gasped.

Juniper: “Oh, then why are you dressed like that?”

She smiled dumbly.

Branch: “Oh, we’re from Sun–”

Lake covered their mouth with his hand.

Lake: “This is our father’s house!”

He exclaimed.

Juniper: “Oh wow! Me too!”

She smiled dumbly.

Lake: “...What do you mean by that?!”

He gaped at her.

Juniper: “This is also my father’s home!”

Branch and Lake turned to each other.

Branch: “...Wait, he’s your dad, too?!”

They tilted their head in confusion.

Juniper: “Whoa, you’re my siblings?!”

Lake looked at her, then at Branch.

Lake: “The fuck is going on here?”

“JUNIPER! What did I tell you about bringing vagrants into our home?!”

A woman hissed from behind them. They turned to see a Korean woman in a black lace dress, her dramatic black eyeliner and white eyeshadow. She wore her shoulder-length raven hair in an uneven A-line cut with white ombre on the ends. Her violet eyes were the only colour she wore.

Lake: “Vagrants? YOUR home?! This is OUR home! Our father owns it!”

His fury soared. Branch knit their eyebrows.

Juniper: “They're not vagrants, Nari! They're my ghost siblings!”

She waved her finger at her. Lake gaped at her like she had three heads. Nari narrowed her eyes at Branch and Lake.

Nari: “You don’t look like Kovalenkos to me.”

She scoffed.

Lake: “Kovalenkos?”

Juniper smiled and waved.

Juniper: “That’s me! I’m Juniper Kovalenko!”

She waved at them. Branch smiled and waved back at her.

Lake: “I never heard of any Kovalenkos.”

He folded his arms across his chest. Nari gaped at him.

Nari: “Seriously?! Do you live under a rock or something?!”

Branch: “No, we lived in the woods! We’re from–”

Lake covered their mouth with his hand. Nari observed their suspicious behaviour.

Nari: “How curious…”

She stroked her chin.

Suddenly, they heard meowing coming from within Branch’s cloak, and all eyes were on them. A third woman’s voice cooed from behind them.

Woman: “IS THAT A KITTY?!”

She rushed into the room, over to Branch. They turned to see a chubby woman with a blonde wolf-cut shag and violet eyes. She was dressed in a lace moss-green dress with coat-hanger fairy wings attached to her back and a crown of daisies on her head.

Branch: “Yep, that’s my kitty, Stella! Ooh, are you a fairy?!”

They chirped. The woman fixed her gaze on Branch, enamoured by their delicate features and curious about their manner of dress.

Woman: “I sure am! I’m Madelyn!”

She exclaimed, petting Stella’s head. Branch smiled.

Madelyn: “Who are your friends?!”

She glanced over to Nari and Juniper.

Nari: “They're intruders!”

She hissed at them.

Lake: “No, you're the intruders! This is our father’s home!”

He snapped back.

Nari: “They’re clearly lying!”

Juniper rubbed her feet up against Branch and Lake’s feet and inhaled deeply. Branch shivered and giggled.

Lake: “HEY! What are you doing?!”

Juniper exhaled deeply.

Juniper: “They’re not lying, Nari. I can feel they are telling the truth!”

She smiled. Branch’s eyes widened at her. How did she know that from our feet? They wondered.

Lake “THANK YOU!”

Juniper: “Which means they are my siblings!”

She smiled dumbly. Branch tilted their head, and Lake gaped at her. Nari rolled her eyes.

Nari: “I think your feet are broken, Juniper!”

Madelyn observed them closely.

Madelyn: “If they’re telling the truth, how come they don’t look like you?”

She laughed and sat up on the bench, munching on cereal.

Lake: “Clearly, we’re talking about different fathers! Her father must have stolen it from our father while he was away!”

He huffed and glared at Juniper. Madelyn’s violet eyes lit up as something dawned on her.

Madelyn: “Oh my god… IS YOUR FATHER THAT BUSINESSMAN?”

She gasped, putting down her cereal.

Lake: “Businessman?”

Branch tilted their head.

Branch: “...What is a businessman?”

The women all turned to gape at them. Juniper laughed, thinking they were joking.

Nari: “You really did live under a rock.”

She clicked her tongue and shook her head at them.

Madelyn: “The guy who lived here before Juniper’s family was some famous businessman! I saw his stuff in the attic!”

Branch and Lake looked at each other.

Branch: “Ooh, show us!”

Madelyn led them back down the hallway towards the stairwell. They followed her up the large wooden staircase and up to the second floor. Branch leaned over the rails, getting a full view of the floor tiles and round carpet from above. Crimson panelled walls surrounded them with sconces along them. A passage around the stairwell led to a balcony behind the stained glass door and windows that lit up the stairwell. There were two rooms on either side of the balcony passage.

Madelyn tapped Branch on the shoulder.

Madelyn: “Up here!”

She exclaimed as she gripped the wooden railing of the spiral staircase behind them. Beside the spiral staircase was a long, dark hallway leading to various rooms. Madelyn held her hand out for Branch.

Madelyn: “You go first!”

She grinned.

Branch: “Oh, okay!”

They chirped and stepped onto the wooden step. Madelyn smirked up at the view of their feet from below the stairs, and she pulled out a feather, tickling Branch’s foot, between the steps. Branch gasped and clung onto the railing with a peal of giggles.

Branch: “H-Hey! HAhahahahahahahHahaah!”

Lake glared at Madelyn and snatched the feather from her.

Lake: “What are you doing?!”

He hissed.

Madelyn: “Aww, I was just having fun!”

She poked her tongue out. Branch reddened and giggled.

Lake: “I will go next!”

He pushed ahead, following after Branch. Madelyn: “Aww, you're no fun.”

She laughed and pouted.

~

They reached the top of the spiral staircase into the attic space. Branch looked around the room and the view from above with awe. Dusty clutter filled the dark space. At the centre was a triangular room inside the gable roof, perched at the top of the house. The sunlight cast a warm glow through the round stained-glass windows. There was a stack of dusty old boxes piled up in the nooks and corners.

Madelyn scurried over to the boxes, pulling out a dusty portrait of a man with cerulean-blue eyes and dark, slicked-back hair, dressed in a grey suit, posing against a grey backdrop. Lake and Branch fell silent as they gazed upon his portrait.

Lake: “...That’s not him!”

He twisted his mouth. Branch reached into their hood, pulling out an old family photo. It depicted them and Lake as children with their parents, sitting together under a large mystical tree dressed in ivory clothing with sun markings. Their mother had long platinum hair, olive-tan skin, and amber eyes with catlike features, and their father wore his dark hair tied in a ponytail and a rugged beard. His cerulean blue eyes matched the sky and were unmistakable.

Branch: “...Yes, it is, look at his eyes.”

They stroked their fingertips across his face behind the dusty glass and held the photos side by side in the sunlight through the window. Madelyn peered over their shoulder with intrigue at what she saw.

Lake: “Put that away!”

He grabbed the portrait off Branch, tucking it into his cloak. Madelyn gazed at them curiously. Who are they? Where are they from?

Nari peered up from the stairs.

Nari: “So, your father was Nikolai Sabatini?!”

Lake and Branch both turned to her.

Branch: “Huh? No, his name is River, and he only has one name!”

They titled their head.

Nari: “Interesting…”

She stroked her chin.

Lake: “...Why do you know that name? What do you know?”

He pressed her.

Nari: “I’m more curious about how you don’t know. The disappearance of Nikolai Sabatini is a well-known case. He disappeared in the year 1960, which was twenty-five years ago now…”

She declared.

Branch: “Oh, Lake was born in 1960!”

They gasped at Lake. Lake froze.

Nari: “...Lake?”

She laughed and quirked an eyebrow.

Lake: “Blake! They said Blake!”

He said quickly. Branch titled their head.

Lake: “Would you excuse us? We need to talk in private.”

He urged the women. Nari clicked her tongue.

Nari: “Sure, whatever.”

She drolled, climbing back down the stairs, signalling for the other two to follow. Lake turned to Branch, closing the latch door behind them and pushing a box over it.

Branch: “What was that about?!”

They gaped at him. Lake pressed his forefinger against his lips.

Lake: “Non possiamo fidarci degli sconosciuti!” (We can’t trust outsiders!)

He said firmly.

~

The three women stood below the spiral stairs, listening in.

Nari: “What are they up to?”

She narrowed her eyes through the crack of light in the floor above as she heard them switch languages.

Juniper: “Oh, they’re up in the attic!”

She smiled dumbly, pointing up at the ceiling. Nari rolled her eyes.

Nari: “Yes, and that is suspicious. They're up to something…”

She stroked her chin. Madelyn leaned up against the panelled wall, thinking of that strange family photo.

~

Lake paced around the attic as the sunlight grew dim and night was about to set.

Lake: “Se lo sapessero, prosciugherebbe la tua fonte di energia!” (If they knew, they’d drain your energy source!)

Branch knit their eyebrows and recoiled.

Branch: “Si… Ravi ci aveva avvertiti…” (Yes… Ravi had warned us…)

Lake held up the portrait of Nikolai in his suit.

Lake: “Dobbiamo integrarci nel mondo esterno. I nostri nomi attireranno troppa attenzione su di noi e rivelerebbero troppo!” (We need to blend into the outside world. Our names will bring too much attention to us and reveal too much!)

Branch smiled at him and nodded. Branch pondered for a moment. They didn’t feel like a Brandy or a Brandon. They flicked their gaze to a cat collar on the floor with the name ‘Ashley’ engraved on it.

Branch: “Oh, voglio quel nome!” (Oh, I want that name!)

They chirped. Lake glanced at them.

Lake: “Ashley?”

Branch eagerly nodded.

Blake: “Alright, Ashley, it is.”

Ashley smiled.

Ashley: “Alright, Blake!”

They winked at him.

Blake: “Ora, dobbiamo farli uscire da casa nostra!” (Now, we have to get them out of our house!)

Ashley sighed and bowed their head.

Ashley: “But where will they go?” (Ma dove andranno?)

Blake: “That's not our problem. I only care about protecting you!” (Non è un nostro problema. A me interessa solo proteggerti)

He assured them. Ashley sighed.

~

When the women heard the latch of the attic click open, they scurried away like cats. Blake descended from the attic as Ashley followed him.

Juniper: “Ooh, what are you up to, Blake and Ashley?!”

She smiled at them. Ashley tilted their head. Blake lightly nudged their arm.

Ashley: “O-oh, right, that's me, haha!”

They chuckled.

Ashley: “Wait… How did you know my name?”

They gaped at her. Blake drew a breath.

Blake: “Because they were eavesdropping.”

He folded his arms.

Juniper: “I can hear you with my feet…”

She bent forward, glancing down at her feet. Blake arched an eyebrow at her. What a strange woman, he thought.

Ashley: “OH! Can your feet understand Italian?!”

They gasped. Blake gaped at them both.

Juniper: “No.”

She shook her head in confirmation.

Blake: “Good.”

He deadpanned.

Nari: “Something you don’t want us to know, huh?”

She slowly folded her arms across her chest. Ashley froze.

Blake: “Mind your own business! We don’t have to tell you anything!”

He countered, standing in front of Ashley.

Nari: “You do when you’re in our house.”

She stood between Madelyn and Juniper.

Blake: “It’s OUR house!”

He fired back, gesturing to himself and Ashley. Nari narrowed her eyes on Blake.

Nari: “If we can’t get answers from you… Perhaps we can from Ashley…”

She flicked her violet gaze onto Ashley, who froze.

Ashley: “M-Me?!”

They stammered, gesturing to their chest.

Blake: “Don’t tell them anything!”

He exclaimed to Ashley.

Ashley: I won’t!”

They covered their mouth with their hand. Nari narrowed her gaze on Ashley.

Nari: “I have my ways of making you talk…”

She smirked and stroked her chin. Ashley’s eyes widened.

Blake: “...What is that supposed to mean?!”

He huffed.

Nari: “Bind them!”

She commanded, clicking her fingers. Madelyn removed the crown of daisies from her head, and she twirled around, facing North as she blew air onto the flowers. Suddenly, they transformed into a daisy chain rope. Ashley’s eyes widened.

Ashley: “Ooh! How did you do that?!”

Madelyn chuckled and swung her daisy chain rope above her head, throwing it around Ashley and pulling them into her arms.

Ashley: “O-Oh, my stars!”

They gasped breathlessly.

Blake: “HEY!”

Suddenly, he was encumbered by Juniper’s arms around him in a firm grip.

Juniper: “Don’t worry! I got you!”

She beamed and rubbed her feet against him, and suddenly, he felt like his feet were bound to the wooden floorboards like roots of a tree.

Blake: “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

He rasped as he tried to move.

Juniper: “I grounded you to the earth.”

She smiled and clasped her hands together with a deep inhale. Madelyn threw another daisy chain around Blake, tying him up.

Madelny: “Boop!”

She poked his nose and laughed. Blake glared at her. Ashley: "Oooh, I think they might be witches!" They beamed excitedly.

Nari: “Bring them into the crypt!”

She placed her hand to her mouth and chortled dramatically. Ashley swallowed hard and knit their eyebrows, and Blake’s fury soared.

~

The three women dragged Ashley and Blake back down the stairs to the entrance. They approached another staircase, descending into a dark room with a dim glow of purple lights.

Ashley: “T-The crypt?! That doesn’t sound good!”

They whimpered as they entered the darkness and cold stone walls.

Blake: “What are you going to do to us?!”

He huffed and eyed the door by the bookshelf with a sliver of light to the outside.

Nari: “We’re going to torture you, of course!”

She laughed, dragging them deeper into the darkness and over to a large iron door.

Ashley: “Oh no!”

They cried and clung to their cat.

Blake: “WHAT? You wouldn’t dare!”

He rasped and struggled in his bonds.

Nari: “Oh, I would dare!”

She kicked the door open, leading them into a dark room with mirrors on the walls. Ashley eyed the furniture with curiosity and apprehension. It was not like anything they had seen before. Swinging chains were hanging off the ceiling, and there was a plank of wood plastered on the wall like a trophy with holes in it. There was a large black leather chair with straps, accompanied by wooden stocks at the base of the chair. A black glass cabinet sat in the corner of the room with books and what looked to be potions.

Blake: “What the fuck?!”

He gaped. Ashley nervously huddled into themself.

Madelyn: “Aww! Don’t be scared!”

She petted Ashley’s head. Ashley swallowed hard.

Nari: “NO! Be afraid! Be VERY afraid!”

She taunted, grabbing Ashley by the daisy chain rope and dragging them over to the large black chair. She strapped Ashley into the chair with cuffs around their wrists and ankles. Ashley gasped as their heart thundered in their chest.

Blake: “BRANCH!”

He gasped with panic written across his face.

Blake: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET GO OF THEM!”

He rasped and glared at her.

Nari: “...Branch?”

She quirked an eyebrow, looking around for a branch. Blake froze when he realised what he slipped out. Ashley shifted their eyes, looking around the room.

Ashley: “...O-oh, that’s not a branch, that’s a chain…”

They laughed awkwardly at the chain hanging off the ceiling. Nari blinked mutely.

Nari: “Get out of here, you fool!”

She waved her hand at Blake. Blake glared at her and tried to lunge forward.

Blake: “GET AWAY FROM ASHLEY!”

He struggled in his daisy chains. Nari folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

Nari: “Ugh, that’s enough out of you! Take that one to the other chamber.”

She clicked her fingers and pointed to the room adjacent to them. Juniper smiled and nodded, skipping over to Blake.

Juniper: “Okeydokey! Come along now!

She sang as she dragged him by the daisy chain. Nari twisted her mouth.

Nari: “You’re supposed to be menacing, Juniper!”

She hissed at her.

Juniper: “Oh, right! Ooohhohoooooo! Come along nooooowww!”

She hollered in a ghost impression, dragging Blake out of the room. Nari heaved a sigh and rubbed her forehead.

Nari turned to Madelyn, who was petting Ashley’s head like a cat and holding their tabby cat in her arms.

Nari: “What are you doing!?”

She gaped at her.

Madelyn: “Petting the kitties!”

She beamed.

Ashley: “Meow!”

They chirped and relaxed to her touch. Nari sighed again.

Nari: “Go watch Juniper! I don’t trust her alone with him!”

She pointed to the door. Madelyn frowned and put Ashley’s cat down on the couch.

Madelyn: “Aww, fine, but it’s not Juniper I don’t trust…”

She pouted and sauntered out of the room. Ashley tilted their head.

Nari heaved a sigh and shook her head.

Nari: “Now, where were we?”

She smirked at Ashley and inspected the cabinet. She pulled out a potion bottle and swirled it around, chanting over it as it turned a deep shade of purple, matching her eyes.

Nari: “Let’s see if you can survive my most powerful potion.”

She hummed. Ashley’s heart sank.

Ashley: “W-Wait, what do you mean by survive?!”

They gasped with a mix of fear and confusion. Nari placed her hand over her chin and chortled.

Nari: “Oh ho ho ho! You will see!”

She cackled, pouring the potion into Ashley’s mouth. Ashley shrieked as they felt their entire body convulsing, and a glittering purple glow enveloped them.

Ashley: “W-What’s happening to me?!”

They cried and stammered as they felt a tingling sensation swarm around their feet, shooting up to their legs and to their tummy. It felt as if the purple glitter particles were tickling them all over.

Ashley: “Hahah haHAHA HAH AHEHEH EHEH EHEEEE! W-WHAT’S GOING ON?! WH-WHAT DID YOU DO TO MEEEEHEHEHEHHEEHE?!”

They screamed and squirmed as the tingling sensation shot up through their neck and took over their entire body. Nari pulled out her black feathered fan and fluttered it against her reddened face.

Nari: “Oh my, we haven’t even begun. I’m not even touching you.”

She teased, and something caught her eye. Her eyes immediately darted to the sun marking on their thumb.

Nari: “Oooh, what’s this now?”

She took their hand, caressing her fingertips over their markings.

Ashley: “O-oh, uh, nothing!”

They stammered and shivered.

Nari: “I’ll just have to punish you until you tell me!”

She commanded as she tickled them all over with her feathered fan. Ashley threw their head back with a mighty gasp.

Ashley: “HAHAH AHA HAH AHAAHAH HAHAHA HOHOHOHOOHOHHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEE HAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAAH HAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAH AHAHA HAHAHAH! OH-OH-HOHHHOHOHOHOHOHOGOD! OH OHOHOHEHEH AHAHAHAHAHAHA EHEHEEHEEEEEEE!”

They scrunched their toes and flopped in their bonds, gasping for air.

~

Meanwhile, Blake was tied to a chair in an empty stone room. Madelyn and Juniper sat on either side of him.

Blake: “ASHLEEEEEY!”

He hollered out, thrashing in his daisy chains as he heard Ashley’s cries through the walls.

Juniper: “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get your turn, too!”

She teased and trickled her fingers across his feet.

Blake: “HaHAAHAHAahahaha STOP THAT!”

He snapped and glared at her.

Madelyn: “Who are you? Where are you from? What’s with the tree and the robes?”

She asked him, tugging at his robe.

Blake: “I’m not going to tell you that.”

He huffed.

Madelyn: “I’ll make you talk then!”

She teased, blowing air onto his daisy chains, shifting them into feathers to tickle him.

Blake: “HAHAHahah hAHAHAHhah DON’T! HAHHAHAHA STOP IT!”

He rasped between laughter.

Juniper: “Oh, they’re sole-wielders!”

She smiled and waved her hand. Blake and Madelyn gaped at her.

Madelyn: “...Sole-Wielders?!”

Her eyes widened.

Blake: “Great. Bra–Ashley told you.”

He huffed. Juniper shook her head.

Juniper: “No, your soul told me! I told you! I can read energy with my feet!”

She exclaimed, holding up her foot. Blake drew a long breath.

Blake: “...Your friend was right, your feet are broken!”

He said quickly.

Madelyn: “WOW! Sole-Wielders are real?!”

She gasped, poking at him and tugging at him.

Madelyn: “Where have you been all this time?!”

She pressed him. Blake sighed and bowed his head.

Ashley: “SUNSHIRE!”

Ashley cried out from the other side of the wall between breaths of laughter.