Hali stood, fists clenched, nails digging into her palm. She watched Max and Amara walk towards the edge of the cliff, their silhouettes illuminated by the stars.

As much as she wanted to confront Max, she willed herself not to move toward them. The confrontation would be ugly and Amara shouldn't have to see that. Amara was good; there was no reason she should suffer for the actions of her older brother.

Before she could change her mind, Hali turned away, the leaves from overhead brushing her face. She had hardly taken a step when the darkness exploded with a blinding flash of light. As soon as she was able to open her eyes she instinctively looked behind her to be sure that Max and Amara were alright. But they were gone, with only the bright white light left where they had stood.

Still she looked, certain that they must be there, that her eyes were playing tricks on her. As the brightness began to fade, Hali gasped.

The swirling circle of lights in the air was unmistakable, and she finally understood what had happened.

She rushed to the cliff's edge, but too late. They were gone, and the portal blinked out of sight as well, only allowing her a glimpse at what was beyond, a hint of smoke and stone.

As she attempted to process what she'd just seen, a devastating conclusion arose. No one would go after them. They had disappeared and no one would go after them.

She sunk to the ground, the sky blurring in front of her, the lacy purple clouds warped and indistinct. Her heart ached for Amara, the only reason that she hadn't murdered Max yet. She was fine with him being trapped there. It didn't matter to her whether he survived or not. In fact, she'd rather he didn't. But Amara needed to.

She stood, shaky on her feet, and began to walk back into the woods. She stumbled, though, grabbing onto a nearby branch when she realized what Max being stuck meant. She would never get her redemption.

The people would never find out the truth. They would always doubt her. More than doubt her, hate her. No one would ever trust her again. Especially not her family.

Now that Max was gone, there was no hope.

Nothing would ever be the same.

In that moment, with everything adding up, she was tempted to go after them. For Amara, for her recovery in the eyes of the people. Each of those would've been enough to send her on her way, but for Max.

She couldn't risk finding him, bringing him back, and having him betray her again.

She couldn't risk finding him, forgetting what he'd done to her, and befriending him again.

She couldn't risk falling in love with him again.

Hali forced herself to get up, to turn around, to walk home. She didn't look back. She'd made her decision. Unwavering, she reached her house.

Standing outside the door, She heard lively conversation, and exuberant laughs through the heavy oak. The joyous sounds struck her. They loved her brother, Sev, in a way they had never loved her, even before everything happened.

Hali rapped on the door, the swift, sharp sound cutting through the air, and instantly silence filled the room beyond. Slowly footsteps padded over to the door, and the curtain rose above the transom. Yellow eyes peered down at her, and darkened upon seeing her face.

"Hey, same to you, pal." Hali muttered under her breath as the door swung open. Her father towered over her, and filled the doorway, his hulking figure not allowing passage.

He held his hand out.

Hali sneered. "And what do you say?"

He made a growling sound deep in his throat, a clear answer.

She reached into her pack, and pulled a jar of leaves out, placing them in his outstretched hand. They helped with the side effects of forced bonding, but were difficult to find. Their price for her to enter the house.

Forced bonding had been a common practice in her parents youth; being able to pick which animal you would have the characteristics of for the rest of your life had seemed like a good option. But there were side effects that, though often nothing more than a slight annoyance, could derail someone's life. Not only were the side effects potentially harmful, but they caused a strong addiction, and could lead to a spiral of Leviathan leaf use. On top of that, natural bonding was, well, natural. It would guarantee that the animal you bonded with would be a good fit, and it was deemed far better for the environment.

He sniffed the leaves, making sure it wasn't a hoax, before moving aside and allowing her inside.

Her brother started to say something, but her mother widened her eyes at him and he stopped. Hali scowled, and turned to leave, sick of the silent treatment.

She walked up the stairs to her room, and, reaching under her bed, grabbed a box of letters, the only thing that reminded her of the love that her mother had once held for her.

Eleventh moon, Reditus Sphinx

Dear Hali,

Today is your very first Bonding Day, though of course that means nothing to you. Your big brother Kirin is naturally excited, because at 7 he is allowed to attend the ceremonies, and in only 8 years (A long while, but it seems short to him, I suppose) he will be attending his own. But at three-and-a-half moons and barely eating solid food, I doubt you've even noticed the festivities.

You tend to leap away from me, and seem to be trying to fly, before crashing down to the ground. What is odd though, is that you never cry, but simply get back up, and move to do it again, until I hold you in place. I certainly hope you find an animal that flies on your bonding day.

I figured out that you were coming early one morning, and I went into Kirin's room and told him the news; he was the first, besides you and me, to know.

You love to vocalize. You can call it singing, talking, screaming, or screeching, but you do love to make your presence known. Sometimes it seems as if you are really trying very hard to tell us something, other times you are just clearly enjoying the sound of your own voice. Hali, you are loud. And we love it.

And since it is a special day, little baby, I will tell you just how much I love you. You and your brother are such a joy to your papa and to me; your sweet dimpled smile and your big eyes (blue for now, later – who knows?) melt my heart.

-Elanie

Eleventh Moon, Reditus Sphinx

Dear Hali,

It's your four-moon-birthday today! Kirin said that he would make you your favorites, mallin cakes. And they were delicious, melting in your mouth in the perfect way. (And very lopsided, though that only made them cuter) You love him so much. (Sometimes I think more than you love me) Whenever you fall it's him your hands are reaching out for. You guys are so close, he loves you more than anything.

Max came to visit you today. His five-moon birthday was just a few days ago.

-Elanie

First Moon, Reditus Manticore

Dear Hali,

Big news! You said your first word, and in the time it has taken me to write this letter, it seems as if you may have said your second and third as well. I had been quietly hoping for my own name but I am unsurprised by the word "Kirin" I didn't realize how much time you two spent together, for you to learn his name that quickly. It's certainly much more complicated than Mama. You were placed in his room so you wouldn't wake us, but I suppose you'll return to us now. We love you so much, little one. Papa was likely disappointed as well, but there is no mistaking it. Kirin picked you up and you reached your little hands up to his face, grasping at him, as though worried he would slip away from you, and you quite clearly said his name. He feels the same about you, always reluctant to relinquish you to our arms, holding your chubby fingers for as long as he can before he leaves for school.

A game that you currently love to play involves you carrying around a wooden snake of Kirin's and shaking it in our faces while saying "hisss", which tends to sound much more like "shh, shh, shh", in what I imagine is intended to be a frightening way. You never seem to tire of this game, and, to be honest, it is so completely comical that neither do we.

-Elanie

Hali put the three letters she'd picked out back into the box. Some days, like today, it was too painful to be reminded that her mother had once loved her as blindly as she did Sev. The memories of Kirin hurt the most. She wished he hadn't left her, but after his bonding he was never the same.

* * *

That night, her mind racing too fast for her to fall asleep, she considered Max and Amara's situation, thought about them. She knew that she wouldn't be thinking about them this much if she wasn't truly tempted to go after them.

She knew she should, with almost every fiber of her being. She knew it was the right thing to do. But she couldn't help but feel that this was karma of sorts, for Max. Wouldn't it be the perfect revenge to leave him there?

She knew that she was only going around in circles, repeating the same arguments.

As she stared out at the night sky, she guessed that night was setting there as well, wherever Max and Amara were. They were lost, and scared.

But so was she. And she had been ever since what Max had done. They could stand it.

She would leave them there. It was cruel, but it felt right. For a moment. Hali could feel herself wavering, and she pulled a blanket over her head, trying to block out any light in the room.

Against the darkness, the circle of light seemed to flash, still burned into her eyes.

She shook her head, growling under her breath. Hopefully her head would be cleared by the morning, and she could finally decide.

The last thing she saw before she drifted off to sleep was the drawing on her ceiling. Max had drawn a simple sketch up there, two stick figures holding hands, one slightly taller, when they were younger. She had been unable to remove it, both emotionally attached to it (though she denied it, even to herself), and because he'd drawn it in permanent pigment. Normally, she covered it with a swatch of cloth, but, reaching out, she felt the cloth next to her. Her eyes fluttered shut and she slept, knowing she'd be dreaming of Max.