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!"

eyes, she said, "Caspian, I already said it was my fault. It has nothing to do with Lemmy." "Eve, you're just too kind. I have to discipline Lemira today, or she'll never

pushed

gaze icy, "You're

a high fever, possibly an infection, and needs further examination. And she's showing

had thought Lemira was faking

get your eyes checked if you couldn't

was pale, clearly ill. It

was momentarily speechless, "What do you

said coldly, "Exactly what I said. She might be your adopted stepsister, but if you've taken her

with scorn as she heard

our biological sister,

eyebrow, "Hard to tell. If you hadn't said you were her family, I'd be calling the police