"Are you out of your mind? What did you think you were doing?" Damien yelled.
Wendy winced. "I-I had to. She was furious…who knows what she'd do." She tried to pull herself up from the floor, but her legs would not stop trembling. "I have to…I have to go."
"Snap out of it!" Damien grabbed onto Wendy's shoulders, and she met his eyes, startled. "You can't go after her," he growled. "You'll be taken with Winston to the Garden. Isn't that what you ran away from in the first place?"
Wendy clenched her fists. "I…I don't know what to do."
"You need to think for yourself."
"I don't know how to."
"Then learn. There are only a few weeks left until we go to the Garden." Damien's voice grew quiet and bitter. "Even if you've spent your whole life listening to others, at least make these weeks left your own."
Wisteria returned from the kitchen with a handkerchief in hand. She proceeded to wipe Wendy's tears away. "Come on. You have no time for crying," she said gently, an angelic smile on her face. "Your life starts now."
"Wow…" Damien said slowly, "You really like cake, don't you?"
Wendy stopped, fork still in her mouth from when she shoveled another bite of the decadent, sweet angel food. She felt her cheeks burn as she realized how fast she was eating, and started to actually chew the food in her mouth.
"Sorry," Wendy said in a quiet voice, ducking her head as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "It's just that I haven't had cake in so long." Absentmindedly, she reached to unite the necklace around her neck. "Mother used to bake cakes every other week." She took out the cork of her necklace. "But ever since school was let out last year, all she's been thinking about is making preparations to enter the Garden."
Wendy pulled out a tiny slip of paper from the vial, with the words "have cake" scribbled on it.
"What's that for?" Wisteria asked.
Wendy studied the slip. "I wrote this a while ago when I wanted cake, but…I don't need it anymore." She ripped the slip in half, letting the pieces fall onto the table.
Damien frowned, a puzzled expression on his face. "Since last year? Why didn't you just tell your mother you wanted cake? Or go buy it yourself?"
Wendy lowered her head, unable to look him in the eye. "I don't know how to," she mumbled.
"So every time you want something, you don't say it?" The volume of his voice was starting to rise until he was yelling. "You just write it down and hope it comes true someday, like magic?"
"Damien, that's enough," Wisteria said sternly.
Damien reached over the table and grabbed Wendy's hand, and she flinched. "How can you even call yourself a person with free will?"
Not knowing what to do, Wendy burst into tears.
"Damien!" Wisteria shouted. That seemed to make him realize what he was doing because he immediately let go of her hand.
"I'm sorry, I don't have a filter," he apologized, his voice softening as it returned to a normal volume.
Wisteria rushed to Wendy's side, hugging her as she wiped away her tears. "Look what you've done! Ignore him," Wisteria said to her. "He always just says whatever he wants."
Wendy sniffed, her voice caught in her throat but still struggling to talk, feeling as if she had to explain herself. "I guess…I guess I always thought I'd have more time. You know, when you grow up and move away. I always thought I'd be able to do whatever I want then, so I'll listen to whatever my family wants now."
Her words were met with silence. Wisteria gave her a sympathetic nod, and Damien cleared his throat.
"Well," Damien crossed his arms. "You're free now. What do you want to do?"
'What do I want to do?' Wendy reached for her vial, having trouble taking out a slip because of how much her hand was shaking. "I want to…" she squinted, trying to read the chicken-scratch handwriting she had when she was in primary school. "See the northern lights."
"Well, obviously you can't do that." Damien rolled his eyes.
Wendy lowered her head, fiddling with the ends of one of her braids. Wisteria shoved him, and Damien's eyes lit up in panic.
"Did I do it again? I'm sorry," Damien rushed. "Here, choose again." He reached for the necklace, pulling a piece of paper out. "Watch the sunset," he read aloud.
Wisteria's face brightened with a smile. "That's more than doable. We could take her to that place!"
Damien raised his eyebrows. "'We?'" he repeated incredulously.
"I don't want to trouble you, especially after how much you've helped me," Wendy rushed.
"Ignore my brother, he's always such a downer," Wisteria said, elbowing him. He let out an "ow!" and glared at her, but she paid him no mind. "It'll be fun!"
Wendy checked the clock on the wall. "There's still a few hours until sunset."
Wisteria took her hand. "No, we have to leave now if we want to make it."
Now? But the sun was still high in the sky. "Where are we going?"
Wisteria smiled. "We're going to get closer to the sky."