When They Beg, I Rise!

Lemira lowered her head, covering her mouth as she coughed violently, her slender back hunched over.

Caspian spoke harshly, "Don't think for a second that playing sick will spare you from a lesson. I asked you to look after Eve at school, to fetch her water, and get her lunch. But what did you do? You had her, sick as she was, fetch your lunch! And to add insult to injury, you tripped her. Have you no conscience?"

Lemira, struggling to hold back her cough, replied, "I didn't push her."

"Oh, so you're saying Eve just fell on her own? You expect me to believe such a lame excuse? Are you admitting you did it on purpose?"

Tears welled up in Lemira's eyes as she straightened her back, "I don't admit to that."

With a sharp slap, a hand struck her face, and she was instantly stinging with pain. But the physical pain paled in comparison to the hurt she felt inside; she almost got numb of it. Lucian strode in, grabbing the furious Caspian, "Caspian, what are you doing?"

"Lucian, she's committed such a vile act and won't even admit to it. I don't have such a malicious, impenitent sister!"

the doorway, her hands wrapped in bandages, looking pitiful. With teary eyes, she said, "Caspian, I already said it was my fault. It has

moved to strike again, Orion suddenly pushed back his chair, its screeching

against the table, his gaze icy, "You're her family?" Lucian nodded, "Yes,

has a high fever, possibly an infection, and needs further

sick?" He had thought Lemira was faking

was calm, "Maybe you should get your eyes checked if you

was pale, clearly ill. It was

speechless, "What do

be your adopted stepsister, but if you've taken her in,

as she heard the term

quickly clarified, "She's our biological sister, not

eyebrow, "Hard to tell. If you hadn't said you were