Rana stared at Helios for a full minute before she collected herself. She removed her hands from Shane.
"That doesn't surprise me," she said trying to sound calm. "Maybe a bit. But I haven't really expected it."
Rana looked again at Helios and asked him.
"When's the trial?" she asked.
"It's scheduled next month," he answered directly. "It'd be the fifteenth."
Rana expelled a deep breath.
"Guess, I have to pay the consequences of my thoughtlessness," she muttered to herself and looked down at her blankets.
"I'll be there with you, Rana."
Shane automatically said trying to hold her hands again.
Rana clasped her hands and looked at him and gave him a smile.
"Thanks, Shane. I really appreciate that."
"Don't worry, Enara," said Helios putting a smile on his face to ease up the situation.
"We'll all be with you. We'll do our best to help you out."
Rana mustered another smile on her face as she looked at Helios.
"Gee, thanks, Helios."
Shane rose from where he was sitting and stood beside Helios.
"We'll leave now and come back tomorrow," he said and bid Rana goodbye.
He and Helios left her room.
Rana stayed on her bed and tried her best not to think about the upcoming trial. She heard a knock on her door and saw Ethiara standing by the door.
"You didn't have to knock," she said looking at her older sister. "You just come in."
"But you were miles away, Enara. And I didn't want to disturb you so I knocked on your door."
Ethiara said as she sat at the edge of her bed.
"I'll bring your food later but I wanted to ask how you feel about the news Helios told you," she said looking at Rana with concern on her face.
Rana lifted her gaze to her sister.
"I didn't expect that I would be punished for leaving Lunara."
She said in a low voice.
"I don't regret looking for Enos ten years ago and leave this place," Rana said not looking at her sister. "I'm glad he has returned."
"You didn't think this would eventually happen, did you?" asked Ethiara.
Rana shook her head.
"I never thought there would be grave consequences. One I wasn't prepared for."
"Mom and Dad will help you," said Ethiara sounding reassurance.
Rana stifled a laugh. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"I doubt that, sister," she said looking at the silver eyes of her big sister. "They don't even bother coming to my room to see me if I'm okay."
"It's a different matter, Enara."
"Well, it's my fault, anyway. Have to face the consequences of my actions."
Rana said hoping to not sound somber.
In truth, she didn't really expect that she would be punished by law for searching for Enos. She thought it was already a plausible excuse for leaving the place. Should she have asked the council then to give her that special mission to search for him? Maybe the elders would have allowed her. Maybe her parents…
Maybe not.
Rana shook her head slightly.
At eighteen, her parents were adamant and tight about her actions. Restrictions were played against her. That's why she rebelled and defied them and chose her own path to go looking for Enos even when she had no idea where to start.
But now, it appeared her brash actions of the past have now caught up with her. And this time she must pay for what she owed.
Even when Enos has already returned safe and sound back to Lunara.
Rana felt Ethiara's hands on her shoulders.
She looked up at her.
"Hey," said Ethiara softly. "I'll do my best to give you the least possible punishment for breaking law, Enara. I work for the Council. So, I'll try my best to have my voice heard."
Ethiara squeezed her shoulders lightly.
Rana looked at her big sister and smiled at her gratefully.
"I know you will, Ethiara. You always look after my best interest."
"You're my little sister, Enara."
Ethiara rose from the bed and turned to leave her room.
"I'll bring your…" she said but Rana interjected her before she can finish her sentence.
"I'll eat with you downstairs. It's time I speak with mom and dad."
Enara went downstairs and tried to walk on her feet as best as she could. She found Ethiara, her mom and her dad in the table. They haven't started eating yet. Anisa and another servant just brought the food on the table.
"You're finally here, Enara," her dad said looking at her though she could detect displeasure in his voice. "Why did you not allow Ethiara to bring your food upstairs?"
Rana found one of the seats on the table and sat beside her sister. Her father sat at the head of the table while her mother sat on the opposite edge of the table facing her and Ethiara.
"I wanted to talk to you, Mom, Dad."
Rana said looking at her parents.
"Talk about your foolishness ten years ago?" asked her father derisively.
"Dad!" Ethiara said sharply looking at their father.
Framir looked at Ethiara before continuing his speech.
"You left this house without even saying goodbye and went off to some God-knows-where and left us beyond worry and anxiety. We already considered you dead, Enara," said Framir harshly. "The day you left this house."
Rana kept quiet at the admonition of her father. Then, she looked at him.
"I'm not sorry I left this house, ten years ago, dad," she said with willful determination in her voice. "But I'm sorry I left you and mom angry at me. I'm prepared to face the consequences of my so-called foolishness."
She said as they started to eat. She wanted to have an appetite to eat with her family again but she didn't expect that she will find this kind of treatment instead. So, that was why they have deliberately allowed her to eat in her room.
Rana held her fork and spoon tightly in her hands. She will not show weakness to her parents. They can be as displeased as they are with her but she is still part of the family.
She took the bowl of rice in front of her and silently scooped some and put it on her plate. Then, she took the pork meat from the bowl and quietly joined in eating with them though occasionally her mom, dad and Ethiara exchanged conversation while eating.
When they were done eating, Rana rose from her chair.
"Are you going to join us tomorrow for breakfast, honey?" Amara asked as Rana was about to leave the table. Her face was rather hesitant while looking at her.
Rana looked at her mother.
"Yes, mom," she answered immediately. "Don't bother bringing me food upstairs. I'll come join you during the meals. I won't be left out again, mom, dad."
She said pointedly before she left the room.
Before Rana went to sleep that night, Ethiara came to her room.
"Enara, I'm sorry about dad earlier. You must have been shocked by his behavior," she said worriedly.
"Don't worry, sister. I'll try my best to win back mom and dad's affection."
She said with a determined smile.
"I'm no longer the foolish eighteen-year-old Enara that they used to know. I've grown up."
Rana shared about her life in New York to Ethiara.
"I actually owned a vintage and antique shop in Avenue Street in New York City," she started. "I've lived quite an independent life there. And I shared a flat with my bestfriend, Julienne Rosewood. She's a blonde woman with golden eyes. They were the ones who found me when I came in the city. They adopted me into their family. But her mom died in the accident. Eventually, Julienne followed her mother's footsteps and also worked in the museum."
She had a misty look on her face as she took about her bestfriend.
"You miss this Julienne, don't you?"
Ethiara asked with knowing in her voice.
Rana looked at her and nodded.
"I've been so accustomed to having her around, it feels weird without her anymore," she openly admitted to her sister.
"I wish I could help you with that sister," said Ethiara thoughtful. "Maybe once your trial is over, we can find a way to see her back."
Days passed and weeks flowed and Rana re-adjusted to her old life back in Lunara. Her sprain had successfully recovered but her heart had a harder time. For even though she could say she was already home, home back in Lunara was now very different. She struggled to win back her parents' affection to her. Although her mom talked to her, she could feel the frost somewhere whereas her dad despite talking to her sometimes though not very frequent always had that displeasure in his voice as if he was irritated to seeing her around, so Rana decided to keep out of their way as much as possible but she would join them during meal times.
Ethiara was her constant ally in the house. She couldn't really called her house home now for it was colder than it was before. Shane and Helios would come to visit her every day bringing foods or fruits or anything to cheer her up. They did their best to bring up her morale. Ethos would also drop in as he pleased.
But Rana missed one person she had been inseparable since.
Julienne. She had terribly missed her. She had always been around her best friend. Julienne was the sunniest person she had ever known aside from her friends and family. And to be quite honest, Julienne is the only ever normal person who had loved her uncaring if she was a wolf monster.
For now that she has returned home and regained her inner demon magic, every time her father spoke, Rana could feel that she wanted to fight him. She actually did on several occasions already but Ethiara and her mother would stand up against them and before things heated up, she will be swayed out by Ethiara.
Rana would immediately feel her fox tails emerging after she was removed from the room and she would stay by the garden until her temper deflated.
When the fifteenth of the month came, her strongest struggle was put to test. Rana together with Ethiara came to the Council Room where her trial was held. The older people of the council were highly displeased with her irresponsible actions back ten years ago.
That moment inside the trial room, Enara's case wasn't going well.
"But she's my sister. You can't do that."
Ethiara said and she was arguing with the elders of the council.
"But she violated the law of our tribe. The law of our kind. She must be punished."
The eldest of the council spoke. Her voice was decisive.
"Then, punish her, Elder. Just don't kill her."
Ethiara said fighting for her sister.
"Ethiara, I know that you love your sister very much but she violated multiple codes of misconduct because of her irresponsible decision. By law, her punishment is death."
Rana was left speechless by the verdict. She remained quiet in her seat.
Ethiara was standing in front of the jury of the council.
"She left Lunara without notice. She lived under a different name. She was gone for so long without even reporting her whereabouts."
The other elder spoke. Her voice was loud and clear.
"It's not her fault if she lost her memory back there. How could you blame her for that?" Ethiara reasoned. She tried to sound as reasonable as she could. She tried her best to let them see reason. This deeply stoic group of old people who could only see past their noses.
"Still it was her responsibility when she decided to get out of the portal. Anyone who gets through the portal and past it is responsible for their lives. No one is above or below our law, Ethiara."
"I digress, Elder.She left Lunara on the case of searching for Enos who had been missing for ten years back then. She only searched for him that's why she delayed in coming home."
"She's already a persona non grata in this city. She's a runaway criminal with various criminal charges filed against her."
The head of the Council stated.
"The decision is final."