“They’re not trying to harm anyone!” Rowena recognized Martha’s booming voice as they entered the square at a run.

I hate running, Rowena grumbled inwardly as they sped towards the source of the commotion.

“Tell that to Ayla!” a woman’s voice snapped defensively. “Look at my daughter!”

Rowena looked at the situation and felt unnerved by what she saw. Martha stood in front of a cowering Mattie and defiant Sorel, though Sorel’s face also betrayed some distress. The very tall girl gripped a staff in both of her hands.

Across from them, Tabitha stood with her wife Senna in her arms. Their six year old daughter, Ayla, sat on the ground cross legged next to them, hands curled up in her lap as she looked at the commotion expectantly. There was something odd about her, Rowena thought, but couldn’t quite place it.

“It’s no actual harm done,” Martha said firmly, keeping her broad body between the family and her students.

Around them, a few individuals had stopped to watch from a distance. Rowena could see Eleanora peeking out from the Three Sigils Inn across the square. With a grimace, she tried to tuck her truncheon behind her back. In that moment, she wished she’d chosen any Proficiency but a weapon, or at least that she had a proper sheath for it so people wouldn’t think she was an aggressor. Very few individuals in Tunehlan carried weapons at all, and certainly not openly in their hands, and here she and Sorel were with their truncheon and staff out for all to see. That was asking for suspicion and trouble, two things they really didn’t need more of right now.

“They’re freaks!” Senna’s voice cracked and she tried to pull herself out of her wife’s arms.

Tabitha looked a little alarmed at her wife’s intensity, so she held her closer and whispered something in her ear that seemed to calm her down a little. Despite that, she also looked angry.

Martha held her hands out towards Tabitha and Senna imploringly. “It’s true we still need to… to figure some things out. But you know these girls. You’ve known them all their lives! They’d never try to hurt Ayla or Senna.”

Senna paused and then nodded hesitantly, her mouth tense.

Tabitha responded firmly, “We’d never think they’d do anything intentional, but that doesn’t mean they can’t hurt people by accident.”

“We’ll… we’ll work on control,” Martha said. She had attempted a reassuring tone, but Rowena could hear fear underpinning her voice. She and Tabitha both glanced nervously at the Heartstone in the center of the square. “It was an honest mistake.”

The Heartstone no longer glowed, but the cracks where the orange-red rivulets had formed remained, an eerie reminder of the strange Selection week that had just passed.

Senna broke free of her wife and picked up Ayla, clutching the little girl tightly. With a start, Rowena realized what was strange about her: her hair was at least twice as long as it had been when she’d last seen her, and her eyelashes and eyebrows were unnaturally long, as well. When the little girl reached her arms around her mother, Rowena noticed in horror that the girl’s fingernails had also grown freakishly long.

What the– Rowena thought with a frown, and hurried up to Martha and her friends as Tabitha steered Senna and Ayla away.

“We’ll be discussing with Jacob what needs to be done, because something must,” Tabitha said as they left. “This isn’t over yet, Martha Stonemason!”

Kieran knelt next to Mattie. “Hey, what happened? What was that about?”

Mattie looked even paler than usual, her freckles standing out against her white skin. They were overshadowed by the glow of her eyes, which glistened even more with the addition of the tears she was failing to keep from falling. She just shook her head, unable to speak.

Rowena looked at Sorel, who just grunted and crossed her arms, still standing protectively over Mattie.

“Martha?” Rowena asked.

“I— I’m not really sure,” Martha said, her usually vibrant voice hesitant. “I heard a commotion and came outside. Senna was trying to get at Mattie and Sorel had done… something… to push her back. Tabitha was livid, but I tried to make everyone take a breath.”

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“She’d gotten a nasty little scrape on her arm,” Mattie said nervously. Her voice was tinged with fear and horror. “Ayla. She fell. She was crying, and Senna was crying, and panicking because she thought Tabitha would be mad at her for not minding Ayla closely enough. You know how anxious she can be. I just thought– one of my Abilities is Regenerate.”

Understanding dawned and Rowena looked at Mattie with a little fear. “So you tried to grow back the skin on her arm– and her hair and nails grew, too?”

“Woah,” Kieran said with too much excitement in his tone for Rowena’s taste.

“Senna was furious. She lost her mind! I don’t blame her.” Mattie added quietly. “It was sort of terrifying until I figured out how to stop it.”

Martha let out a deep breath. “So Senna attacked you.”

Mattie nodded, absentmindedly tracing a design on the cobblestones. “I don’t even think Sorel meant to use an Ability, but… Senna bounced away from us and fell to the ground. That’s when Tabitha showed up, and Martha. And then you two,” she looked up and smiled a little at Rowena and Kieran.

Sorel had nodded affirmation as Mattie told the story, but didn’t say anything. Rowena could understand why– if she’d used a defensive Ability against an unarmed person, Jacob would certainly have something to say about it.

Rowena could understand how the girl felt. Suddenly, with their eyes and their… strangeness… she, too, felt like an outsider with anyone else.

“We’ll have to… to teach you all how to control yourselves. The Heartstone must have… you must have more of its power in you than would be the usual,” Martha thought out loud with another glance at the obelisk. Her voice was heavy and unsure.

Rowena eyed Martha carefully. The large woman was looking rather gaunt– she’d clearly not been eating. Probably from her distress at losing her husband only the week before.

We can’t put this burden on her, she thought, and then realized that Martha had been the only one in the town to stand up for them. She looked around the square, and saw a bunch of people she’d known her whole life acting like total strangers, carefully avoiding them.

With a sigh, Rowena knelt next to Kieran and grabbed one of Mattie’s hands. “Mattie, do you still… do you still want to come with me and Kieran? Sorel told me you’d discussed it.”

Mattie looked at her and blinked in confusion. “I thought you didn’t want us to come.”

“I didn’t. This is our home, and if I didn’t have to go, I wouldn’t. But still…” Rowena bit her lip. Was it home any longer, really? “It might be safer if you come. We can… support each other.”

“Or at least keep ourselves away from others while we figure this all out,” Mattie looked downcast.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Martha protested, but Rowena could see a little bit of relief in her eyes.

She stood, and brushed herself off. The cobbled streets were always so dusty and she hated the mess. “We’re going to Arcania after my brother’s murderer. After Mason’s murderer.”

“Oh, my dear,” Martha cupped a hand around Rowena’s cheek like she had some days before. “They’re gone, love. Going after some stranger isn’t going to change that, or make you feel better.”

Rowena knew on some level that Martha was right, but the thought of just staying put after everything– after she’d given up her future as a Merchant– was unbearable. So, too, was the thought of staying in her father’s house, especially without Tommie.

“Well, we kinda have to go now,” Kieran grumbled. He, too, stood, and offered a hand to Mattie, who accepted it and pulled herself up.

“What do you mean?” Martha asked.

“It’s a long story. It all began when–” Kieran started, gesturing broadly as though he were beginning a dramatic play.

“Not now,” Rowena said, and turned to Sorel. “Are you still in?”

Sorel looked at Mattie and nodded, arms crossed. “Yes.”

“I’m coming, too. You said– you said you’re going to the University? Maybe they can figure out what’s wrong with me,” Mattie whispered. She still looked a little haunted and looked at her hands as though they were weapons.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Kieran said. “Or any of us. We just need… a little practice.”

“Preferably away from people,” Rowena said with a raised eyebrow. She looked around at her three friends. She didn’t like the idea of potentially putting them in danger, but this seemed like the only reasonable course of action. “Alright. It’s settled. Martha–”

She looked at the woman who’d been such a support to them both before and after the incident. One of the only people who still made eye contact. One of the only people who could understand the pain of her own loss.

She didn’t really know what to say, so just went with a simple, “Thank you.”

Martha nodded, and then gave each of them a huge, all encompassing hug. “You be safe,” she said firmly, gently wiping tears from her eyes. “And you tell me if you need anything.”

“Oh, sure,” Kieran said with a grin, and Rowena swatted his shoulder. Mattie looked like she wanted to cry again, and Sorel simply nodded.

“With Sorel defending us, we’ll be fine,” Rowena said with a wry smile. “Now– let’s go to the shop. We can grab a few things before we go back to The Jellied Eel.”

“The Jellied Eel?” Mattie said with wide eyes.

Kieran slapped her on the back and drew her away, chattering as they headed towards Rowena’s shop. “It’s a long story. It all began when–”