Ember ran her pencil over the paper. She drew curves, lines, went over the sketch of the woods and the morning she had spent with the Sergeant. Her heart pounded with a sense of warmth every time she thought back to the feel of Ferun's hand on her shoulder. So different from when it had been Alpes who had touched her. It did not take her back to the memories she was trying to escape.

As she drew, Ember cut herself off from the rest of the world. She was lost in her own imagination, existing in another reality. A reality without chains, without fear.

She did not register the sound of footsteps running towards her until two shadows appeared projected on the paper. Two heads, close together, one tube-shaped because of the long, straight hair, the other resembling a match head. Instinctively, Ember clutched the paper to her chest to hide it from their view.

"Hey, Emmy!" Ciel sat down on the boulder next to her. A little too close. She gave her a friendly tap on the shoulder. "What are you up to? I didn't know you were such a good artist."

Viola stood and shook her head, as if judging her friend's cheeky behaviour.

Ember clutched the paper closer, the pencil still between her fingers. "It's no big deal," she said, looking down. If she had turned around, she could have seen every pore of Ciel's skin, because she was so close to her. It made her uncomfortable. Because it meant that Ciel could notice all those details about her, too.

"It's the sacred wood, right?" asked Viola.

Had she recognised it? "Yes."

"Cool. That place gives me the creeps." Ciel patted her knees, her clothes neatly pressed and spotless. "I went there by myself once, took two steps before I crapped my pants and ran."

Viola traced the outline of the wound with her fingertip. "Why did you go into the woods alone? Are you crazy?"

"A boy gave me a date there."

"You're reckless. You risk your life for a guy?"

"Hey, he was hot."

Ember controlled her breathing in order to relax. As the tension left her body, her muscles began to complain of fatigue. She found it hard to understand why these two had chosen to talk to her. Could it be that they wanted to befriend her?

Alpes asked them. You wouldn't think they were doing it of their own free will.

Viola slapped Ciel's wrist with a giggle. "You're the usual perv."

"Hey, look, we all are, underneath it all. But at least I admit it." Ciel wrapped her arm around Ember's shoulders and pulled her close as if they had been friends forever. "Isn't that right, Emmy?"

Viola huffed. "Please don't give her a hard time."

Ember didn't know how to act. People didn't usually approach her like this - partly because she didn't want them to. Ciel's touch did not trigger flashes of the past, but it made it hard for her to concentrate. Not in the same way that Lightara's proximity blocked her brain. It was not too much emotion, but the desire to slip out of her grasp and keep a safe distance. But she could not, for that would have meant offending Ciel.

So she stayed where she was, jaw clenched and every fibre of her being squealing with the urge to wriggle free. "Did the boy fool you in the end, or did he really show up?" she asked, to at least avoid the problematic question.

Ciel rested her head on Ember's shoulder with a dreamy sigh. "Who knows? I didn't last long enough to find out."

"At least you're only three-quarters crazy," Viola said. "But sorry, you didn't talk to him again to find out?"

"Who do you think I am? Of course I didn't. I've been avoiding him ever since."

Ember raised her eyebrows in confusion as Viola laughed. "You've been avoiding him?"

Ciel pulled away from her just enough for Ember to breathe again. "Yeah. I mean, can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to talk to him again? No, no, thanks but no, thanks. He might be hot, but better not to score than to regret a shitty figure for the rest of your life."

"You know you're an idiot, right?" Viola sat down on the other side of the boulder. Ember found herself caught between the two girls she knew little or nothing about, and she couldn't help but wonder how it had come to this.

Until a few days ago, everyone had ignored her. Well, everyone except Mark and Jason, sadly.

The daytime atmosphere of the gardens was very different from the night. The colours of the lilies conveyed serenity, as did the presence of the other cadets and officers. Most of them were walking around in small groups. Ember had chosen to sit on a boulder in the middle of the grass, hidden by the foliage of the bushes. But they had found her anyway.

For the first time, Viola gave her her full attention. "How come you drew the woods? Please tell me you didn't go there alone like that dumbass." She pointed at Ciel with a quick nod of her hand, and the other girl lifted her chin in response with a broad smile.

"No, I wasn't alone," Ember replied. The memory of the Sergeant's gaze on her as she spoke words of encouragement, in that ever so slightly distant tone of hers, made her feel a warmth in her neck. She hoped the others would not notice.

Ciel, however, quickly jumped up and elbowed her. "Oh, don't say anything. You had a good time, didn't you? Who is he, tell me."

Ember shook her head quickly. Damn it, she had to keep her mouth shut. "No, no, it's not what you think. I was with the Sergeant." She realised how ambiguous the sentence sounded and waved her hands. "I mean, I was, uh, she was training me."

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They noticed. Now they will leave in disgust.

Viola whistled. "Wow. What guts, letting the ice queen train you in private."

"You have to admit it must be fascinating, going alone with the Sergeant to a mystical place like the sacred wood," Ciel said instead.

"Is there anyone you don't have a crush on?"

"I don't have a crush. But the Sergeant is a beautiful woman and you can't say no. Right, Emmy?" Ciel winked at her. She understood. She understood, all right.

But she did not judge her; if anything, she supported her. Ember couldn't tell if she was just doing it out of kindness, to make her feel less strange, or if she was being sincere. Whatever the answer, a spiral of light and shadow twisted in her stomach.

With her arms still holding the drawing to her chest, Ember lowered her head. Her hair fluttered from her forehead. "True," she murmured, but the burning she felt in her face said enough.

Viola huffed and shook her head. Then she gave her a smile. "Well, that explains why you didn't seem at all convinced by your answer the other day."

Ember opened her eyes wide. "Huh?"

"In the library. About the hottest officer. You answered Phoenix, but you didn't seem convinced."

Because she wasn't. And once again the others had seen through her mask, despite all her efforts. Ember wondered if she was really wearing one or if it was just an illusion.

"Actually, now that I think about it, Ferun does have her charm," Ciel said, resting her chin on her hand. "Although I still prefer Phoenix. I'm not a fan of people who are too unfriendly. But hey, you have a good eye, Emmy."

Viola nodded. "Better than those who chose Alpes, for sure."

Ember laughed. The others looked at her as if they had just seen a tame Velanthra purring.

"Then you laugh sometimes." Ciel rubbed her back with a hand, as if petting a puppy.

Was that how others saw her then? As a girl who never laughed?

"We just had to find her weakness," Viola said.

"But why a private practice?" Ciel asked.

Ember lifted her shoulders. She felt squeezed between them, though in a way the feeling of being part of a small group was starting to go to her head. "I asked her. I was falling behind everyone and I was hoping she could help me catch up."

Viola whistled again. Apparently it was her way of showing respect for a brave and foolish decision. "My compliments. I thought Ciel was the craziest one here. It looks like that title is now rightfully yours."

Who knows why everyone always judged the Sergeant as the meanest of all officers. She was just doing her job.

Ember hid a giggle behind her fist. "Come on, she's not that bad."

"If you say so."

"By the way, how are you getting on with the new equipment?" Ciel leaned forward to meet Viola's gaze.

"Fine. It could be better. I keep picking up dust and pebbles instead of useful stuff."

"It's not the best for me either. My new bow should be easier to aim, but instead I almost killed the Colonel yesterday."

Ember rested the drawing on her lap. The trees on the paper, with their mournful atmosphere, seemed to her little more than the fragmented memory of a dream. As if that moment in the morning had passed who knows how long ago.

She had not considered that her companions might also be struggling with their new equipment. That she might not be alone. Living in the isolation of her own mind made her believe that she was the only one facing certain challenges. Even though it was not true.

Who knows how many other false beliefs she had.

Ciel and Viola stayed with her for an indefinite amount of time. In the end, Ember got so used to them that she was hurt when they left. But she kept the feeling to herself and greeted them with a barely there smile.

She would have liked to be able to call them 'friends' one day. Even if Ciel was too clingy and Viola pretended to judge everyone else's actions, they were fun to have around.

For all you know, they might be the traitors.

It was impossible to ignore that voice inside her. Ember did not have the freedom to trust. Not that she ever had.

She rose from the boulder to stretch her arms and legs. She picked up her drawing - this time she remembered, the question of what had happened to the one she had left on the bench days ago still haunted her sometimes - and made her way to the dormitory. The cadets mostly used this hour for recreation and distraction, while the more diligent ones went over the techniques in the boot camp. The dormitories were mostly empty.

Ember entered the women's dormitory. Her head was somewhere else, her fingers brushing the communication bracelet on her wrist. She had no idea when the Sergeant would call her to continue the investigation. Part of her hoped it would be soon, the other part dreaded the thought. They had almost been caught last time.

As soon as she put her hand on the doorknob, she realised something was wrong. The door was ajar. From inside came noises of various kinds: cloths being thrown on the floor, drawers being opened. Ember froze, her heart rising in her throat.

Could it be that the traitor was after her?

What if they were waiting in there to kill her?

Ember removed her hand and took a step back. She had to warn the Sergeant. Yes, it was the only sensible thing to do. She fumbled with the bracelet, her fingers desperately searching for the right place to touch it to activate it. She was shaking too much.

Pathetic.

The door opened. Ember squeezed her wrist between her fingers as if looking for an anchor. She had no idea who to expect. Who would come out of her own room, hands outstretched, ready to grab her throat? Oblam? Alpes? Ciel and Viola?

Out stepped a tall, broad-shouldered figure with long, dark hair. Jason met her eyes, his features drawn into a grim expression. Ember held her breath, expecting Mark to leap from behind his friend's shoulders and take the opportunity to smash her head against the wall. To die at Mark's hands, how ironic.

But Jason slammed the door behind him with such force that the walls shook.

Pull yourself together, you idiot. Or are you just going to stand there like a desperate housewife?

"What... What are you doing in my dorm?" Ember asked, her voice shaking.

Jason approached her, each step a silent threat. He grabbed her shoulder, fingers squeezing until it hurt. He wanted to keep her still. He bent over her, his lips brushing her ear. "Stop playing hero."

"What?"

He added nothing more. He let her go and lifted his heels.

Ember stood and stared at Jason's back until he had disappeared around the corner. Jason, so different from the way he acted when Mark was there, too. More confident. Dark, like a creature of shadow, ready to strike. A much more dangerous person than just a bully.