A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust by Sally Garcia

Calliope watched Zelda, her face blank as a sheet of paper-impossible to read, impossible to guess what was going on inside.

But Zelda's attitude toward her was nothing like the way she treated Lisette.

Valerian and Horatio saw it too. That had to sting. Who doesn't want their own mother to love them? But for Calliope, it was like her mom had never really cared at all.

For the first time, the boys felt a twinge of sympathy for Calliope.

They'd never really thought about it before. Zelda doting on Lisette had always seemed natural-Lisette was just so bright, so talented, so sweet. But thinking about it now, Calliope hadn't really done anything wrong. Especially now that they knew she might just be even more remarkable than Lisette.

"You told Lisette to apologize to you, right?" Valerian slid onto the couch beside Calliope. "Why'd you back off?"

"Do you really think she'd have apologized if I'd insisted?" Calliope replied, her voice flat. "And if I did make her, wouldn't you guys just feel sorry for her?"

She let out a long, dramatic sigh, dropping her eyes. "My own brother says he's my brother, but his heart's always with someone else. Not much I can do about it."

Her voice was half-mocking, half-resigned. "Guess it's my own fault for not being the favorite. I'm just not as good as her, so obviously nobody likes me!"

Calliope had gotten angry or lashed out, they'd have jumped to defend Lisette without a second thought. But her sudden self-pity just

Calliope continued, gesturing vaguely in Lisette's direction. "She'll probably start crying again if you hang around over

to see her suffer, right?

shouldn't have come. Maybe I'm just ruining your happy family reunion. Maybe I

said

"Nobody's asking you

actually

When's the last

Sunday dinner together with

everyone at the table?"

mind run wild," Horatio chimed

Of course

around the

been about to ask

Lisette stood with Zelda across the room, expecting her brothers to come over and fuss over her, like

invisible.