The cottage had been so quiet that evening, inside and out. Lost in their own company, neither Adea nor Eran noticed Lyda emerge from the cellar. She made her way to the kitchen, looking around as if to make sure that she would not run into anyone. As usual, she was not in the mood to interact with anybody. After pouring a small cup of milk for herself, she headed back down the foyer, but before she could turn the corner to retreat back down into the cellar, something caught her eye.Lyda looked up, stopping in her tracks when she spotted Adea and Eran through the glass window of the front door. It was dark outside, but she could clearly see her sister standing there, locked in Eran’s arms and kissing him. There were no thoughts going through her head as she watched, only instincts; shameless instincts of roiling jealousy at the sight of her sister,

The atmosphere was cheery as ever when they made their way down the mountainside and into the village. As often as they came here, Adea never got used to the excitement of the village market plaza, lined up and down the road with kiosks and pavilions purveying everything from produce to various trinkets, from the mountains and from the Outside as well. It was not often that the Valley received goods from the Outside, and it always fascinated Adea to learn of the cultures beyond their borders.“Look at what women wear in the Outside,” Adea said as she approached a small pavilion displaying old colonial gowns, corsets, shoes, and other feminine attire not at all like anything she and Lyda had in their wardrobes.“Ugh,” Jay muttered in disgust. “None of that looks comfortable at all. I guess that means Lyda would like it.” Every

Eventually, Iris managed to convince Lyda to walk with her around the mountains just outside the Valley for a few hours, just the two of them. Before they left, Iris went back to the campsite her family had set up to collect a small bag of food as well as supplies she always took with her into the wilderness. Her husband and son were not there, and she guessed that they must have still been out in the plaza, but she shrugged it off, assuring Lyda that it wouldn't be a big deal if she disappeared for a while. With that, they made their way back up the mountain path and out of the Valley.For much of the first hour, Iris tried to ease the tension in Lyda's system by simply asking her what she had been up to since the last time they had seen each other. This only fueled Lyda's stress even more as she finally confessed that she had not felt like herself in years. This caught Iris' attention as she asked when L

What was meant to be a fun trip to the Valley turned into a nightmare in one day. Adea was more than shaken by her sister’s actions. Manipulating her into doing her bidding or inflicting terrifying dreams upon her in her sleep was one thing, but Adea never thought she would have the capacity to cause her such physical harm. Adea spent the next two days recovering from her injury. By the time her parents arrived at the Valley, she was well enough to leave the campsite, but they could see that something was wrong with her. Still, something in Adea’s mind was keeping her from spilling exactly what Lyda did to her. Fear? Pity? She did not know, but when they pressed her to tell them what happened, all she could say was that it was an accident.Nobody had seen Lyda again until later that day. Adea was apprehensive at first, but like every time some

“Did my father give you an answer?” Adea asked as she and Eran sat on the front porch of the cottage. The sky had fallen dark blue and the stars began to peek out.“No,” Eran replied with a swallow. “Not yet.”“What did he say to you?”“Well,” Eran began rather nervously. “He said he would consider my proposal once you’ve taken your vows.”Adea giggled softly. “Don’t let him get to you. That’s just his way of testing your patience.”“I’m not bothered. I’d wait for you as long as I must.”Adea smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder. She had never felt