David remained quiet as I told him everything that had just happened. I looked out at the horizon through the massive window that took up the entire back wall of the apartment, across the cityscape as tears flooded my eyes. Finally, when I had finished, he said, "Alright. As much as I don't get along with your sister, I'll help. You know I will. I'm always here for you, no matter what," as he took a deep breath. "Where to first? How are we going to investigate this?"

     That's where I was stuck. With everything going on, I hadn't yet thought about that. I didn't really know what we should do, how we should go about all of this. Truth be told, this was the first time I would be investigating a murder. The Maji Guard rarely wanted to entrust that sort of thing to a psion such as myself, much less a fifteen-year-old girl. They normally gave me cases involving theft or blackmail, that sort of thing. The biggest case I worked on last year involved a cult conducting rituals trying to release an evil apocalypse god from his Undergrave prison.

     I shook my head. "I really have no idea. I suppose we could try the crime scene first, but they didn't really tell me where that was. So we will have to try to figure that out ourselves. I doubt they would tell us if we went to the station."

     "Maybe I can find a way to get them to tell me. Leave that one to me. Perhaps you should try seeing if you can find her friends. Your godfather said to go 'poking your nose where it doesn't belong,' right? I think that's likely what he meant."

     I thought that over. It made sense. If my sister was involved in something she wasn't telling me, her newfound friends would probably know. But figuring out who her friends were would be the hard part.

     Just then, I looked toward Zoe's room. If there was one place where I might find the answer to that question, it might be in there. I exhaled loudly. The last thing I wanted to do was go in there. It was a disaster, chaos-incarnate, and gave me a migraine just thinking about it. But my sister needed my help. So, regardless, I had to do it. "Alright," I said, looking back at him. "I'll look into it and call you if I find anything."

     As I clicked off the call, I sighed and looked toward the eastern hallway, where I saw Seth peering from behind the corner. He said nothing, however, as I turned toward the western hallway. You had better leave me alone about David from now on, I thought to myself. I wasn't in the mood for that conversation again. I needed David right now, more than ever, and Seth was just going to have to accept that, regardless of his feelings on the matter.

     "Take the help where you can get it," said Seth, stopping me as I looked back at him. "I may not like the boy, but I will admit he takes good care of you and is always there for you when you need it. So. . ." he sighed, as he strained himself to say the words. "You will get no argument from me about him anymore. I am sorry."

     I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. Was Seth finally admitting that he was wrong? Maybe not. But he was finally admitting he was wrong to try to control who my friends were. He was finally conceding that David was a good friend to me. I cracked a slight smile as I nodded. Thank you, Seth. I turned back toward Zoe's room, taking a deep breath. As much as I really did not want to go in there, unfortunately, I had to.

     As I made it to her door, I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether I was doing the right thing, if it was really right for me to be invading her personal space like this. I really hated to invade anyone's privacy, whether it was reading their minds or stepping into their personal spaces, I was always cognisant of people's privacy. That was especially true where my sister was concerned. Slowly, my hand reached for the doorknob, my heart pounding with each second as it did. I knew exactly what awaited me in there, and that terrified me.

     Finally, taking a deep breath, I grabbed the knob and twisted, swinging the door open to reveal the cluttered mess behind it. . . But to my surprise, it actually was not as much of a mess as I expected it to be. I couldn't believe what I was looking at. It was still a little messy, with some of her clothes strewn on the floor, but they were only by her hamper or dresser. Otherwise, her floor was clean for the most part. Looking around, her things were on shelves or in drawers. Though some of her drawers were hanging open, it seemed as though she actually made some attempt to pick things up and to organise them. It wasn't quite how I would have done it, but I respected the effort, though I didn't understand why. Why would she make the effort in the first place when she never had before? Suddenly, I was seeing her in a whole new light. How much was she hiding from me?

     I scanned through everything, looking for anything that might help me determine who her friends were. Anything that might help me figure out this whole mystery and save her from life in prison. . . or worse. I shuddered at the thought, but shook my head. I couldn't think about that right now. Right now, my sister needed me. Whether she wanted to admit it or not.

     That was when my eyes fell upon something I never expected to find here. A diary, lying just beneath her bed. Confused, I leaned over to pick it up. I struggled with myself for a long time about whether I should open it and peer over its contents. This, I felt, was the most severe form of invasion of her privacy I could imagine. This was perhaps worse than reading her mind. What right did I have to be looking in her diary? When did she even start writing in a diary? What else was my sister hiding? While reading her mind was bad enough, this was her innermost thoughts, with context, written down on paper. I felt like I had no right to be looking at this. Though she needed my help right now, and this was how I could help her. But did that make it right?

     My feeling on the matter was that no matter how bad the situation, it never made it right to be invading her privacy to this degree. But if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to help her. Finally, I made my decision as I sat down on the bed and cracked open the cover, taking a deep breath. I am so sorry, Zoe, I thought as I began to read.

     For much of it, I could hardly understand what I was reading. It seemed she got the idea to start writing a diary from a therapist who was helping her to deal with her emotions and her past  — everything that Mom had done to her. When did she start going to therapy? I had no idea, I didn't know that she had been going. To be honest, I remembered her saying that therapy was for losers, or something along those lines. What made her decide that she needed a therapist? It didn't really matter to me, as long as she finally admitted that she needed help and that she was getting it. I was proud of her for taking that step.

     As I read further, my disbelief grew to utter shock, for it seemed that she not only had friends, but she had a crush on one of them. And now I was starting to understand why she might not have wanted me to be looking into this mess she's got herself into. There was a lot more to it than just that she liked someone. Honestly, it would have been silly if that was all it was. However, the person she was crushing on. . . was a girl.

     I didn't care personally, whoever she loved was her own business, and I was happy for her if she was happy. But I figured that what she was most worried about was this information coming to light. Because while I didn't mind it, others didn't hold the same opinion as I did, and there was even a ridiculous law in place in Almahna forbidding such relationships.

     Closing the diary, I stood and took one more look around her room. The name was burned into my mind. It was a Fey girl, a Gelvaran from Evergreen City, Olympus. A girl I knew only in passing, named Fleur Aurora. Now I had a name, as I laid the diary back down on the floor where I had found it, and turned to face the door. It was time for me to go find this Fleur and to get her help to free my sister.

     I stared at myself in the mirror. My glossy coffee-brown hair sat mid-neck length, neatly combed. My narrow olive green eyes were red from all the crying and sobbing I had done. I wiped my eyes with a tissue as I tried as best I could to compose myself. I couldn't afford to keep crying over what had happened that morning. Zoe couldn't afford it. It was time for me to stand up for her. I turned the faucet on and stood there, listening to the soft trickle of water for a moment before I leaned over and scooped water with my hands and splashed it over my ovular face, the water slowly dripping and beading down my tawny skin and rosy cheeks. Turning the faucet off, I grabbed a green towel from the rack and dried myself off. Refreshed, I turned and swung open the door, stepping out into the hallway.

     I made my way to the front door, grabbing my jacket from the hook, and stepped out into the afternoon sun and cool breeze. Or at least it was as cool as it would ever get in the desert sands of Almahna this time of year. I was personally still getting used to it, being an island girl myself. I longed for the Quatrica Islands, the humidity and ocean breeze in the air, the sweet scent of salinity. But this was my home now, and I had to make the most of it. Though I didn't know if I would ever get used to the desert heat and all the sand.

     But I was on a mission. My sister needed me, and it was time for me to woman up and do what I could to get her out of the mess she now found herself in. I still could scarcely believe it. Murder? I shook my head. There was just no way that could be her. She was a lot of things, and sure, she made a lot of threats. But her threats were usually hollow. She was all bark and no bite. She would never do such a thing, I knew that in my heart and soul. There had to be some sort of mistake. I knew that the Maji Guard were known for cutting a lot of corners in order to get their suspects, and they often missed a lot of things along the way. That was particularly why I was brought in to help them with their cases so often.

     I remembered the call Seth had received from the Fae'roh. He had personally called about my abilities, wondering if I might have been able to help right the monumental failure rate the Maji Guard had. It had got out of hand over the last few years and he was under a lot of pressure from the public to do something about it. The people had grown concerned about the number of mistakes the Guard were making, and the sheer number of people who had been falsely accused and convicted, only for the convictions to be overturned later when additional evidence had come to light. I felt certain that this was once again one of those times. It had to be. But to confirm it, I needed to know more about the case. Where did the murder happen? What time did it occur? Is it possible that I could even be her alibi? David would be looking into all of those questions for me. Meanwhile, I would be going to find her friends to speak to them. Maybe they knew something.

     I thought about the name I read in her diary, Fleur Aurora. The way she wrote about her felt to me like she not only had a crush on this girl, but she loved her, whoever she was. It described her as being a Gelvaran from Evergreen City, which tracked with her name. Gelvaran were an interesting people, divided into two distinct cultures: the city Gelvaran and the wood Gelvaran. The city folk were liberal and progressive, they had a democratic society whose leaders were voted on and elected by the people. I thought it was fascinating. On the other hand, the wood folk were conservative and traditional. Fleur, I knew, was a city Gelvaran name. I had no idea what to expect from this girl, but my sister liked her, and that was enough for me. To me, the law forbidding such relationships in Almahna was outdated and backwards. I didn't care who she loved, only that she was happy. That was the only thing that mattered to me. As well. . . If I was being honest, I sometimes questioned myself.

     I walked along the road while I looked up at the sky. The sun was high and glaring into my eyes. I shut my eyes as I pondered. There was a reason I wasn't really interested in dating anyone. And that was because I questioned myself all the time. I knew I found David attractive, that much I knew as a fact. But I also had found some girls attractive too. This was what I had a difficult time reconciling with myself.

     Finally, I made it to the Academy, as the massive pyramid structure loomed over me. It still amazed me every time I looked upon it. I often wondered how such a massive structure could have been built, who were the builders? How did they pull such a monumental feat off? But I shook my head as I looked on at the double doors leading into the building. I had come here on a mission. Though I had classes later that day, I couldn't worry about that right now. Right now I had to worry about my sister. Determined and stoic in my resolve, I pushed forward, charging for the doors.

     But just as I walked up to the doors, they swung open and nearly bumped right into me. "Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry," said a uniquely accented voice. I looked up to see a tall, slender girl with long and luminous golden blonde hair and pointed ears. A Gelvaran. "Hey. . . you wouldn't be Zoe's sister, would you?" she said, recognising me.

     I slowly nodded. I could hardly believe my eyes. This had to be her! "Are you Fleur?" I replied.

     "Indeed, I am. How are you? I'm dreadfully sorry about the door, I didn't know you were there."

     I shook my head. "It's fine. And I'm fine," I responded, as I tried to drag my eyes off her. I could certainly see what Zoe saw in her. She was radiant and beautiful. I had to admit, I was attracted to her myself, though I couldn't admit that aloud. "I was actually looking for you. It's about Zoe."

     Instantly, her gorgeous smile turned serious. "She wasn't in class. Is she alright?"

     I shook my head again. "She's been arrested. For murder!"

     As soon as I said that, she grabbed my arm and pulled me along as she led us around the building toward the back. When finally we were alone, she turned and looked at me. "I was afraid something like this might happen. Let me guess, she never told you about me?"

     "No. I learned of you from her diary," I replied.

     But she looked surprised at that. "Really? She said you were a psion, so I thought for sure you would have just read her mind and known about us that way. . ."

     I shook my head. "As a rule, I try not to. . ." then understanding her meaning, I looked at her with surprise. "Are you two actually dating?"

     She only nodded. But it was her next words that shook me. "She's probably trying to protect me. . ."