Disney turned out to have more to learn than I had anticipated. The first day, we marched in a parade in front of Epcot Center and then went to explore. We adopted Christine into our group, and with her came Ricky. I didn't know what the story was with him, but he was always with Christine, it seemed. But I finally got her alone - in the ladies' bathroom.

     "I think he's the one," she said with a smile. "I really think it's true love. I loved him before, in middle school, but I managed to convince myself I had been too young to know what love was. And then there was Adam, anyway...But I think I do love Ricky. And as you can see, he's completely in love with me. The only problem would be getting him to convert to my beliefs. We once went to the same church, but that was before I became a free-thinker and discovered the Truth."

     "And what is the truth?" I asked.

     "A bathroom is no place to talk of such things!" she said in an appalled tone, and the conversation ended.

     That night, however, she came to my room. "What is your religion?" she asked.

     "Well...I don't know. I was baptized as a Catholic, but I didn't know much about any religion at that point. I've since strayed from it."

     "Do you believe in one all-powerful being or many?"

     "Actually, I believe in many. Is that wrong?"

     "No. I am going to tell you about the true deities that govern our world. There are many, but you need only know about the main ones right now. There is Thaddeus, the Supreme God. He is the god of law and justice. His mate is Nerissa, the Mother Goddess. She protects women, especially sorceresses and the sword-sworn. I work in her service and no other's. Lafeau is her brother, the Golden Warrior but also the Peacemaker. The final main god is Leontes, Thaddeus' brother. he is the god of Death, the Shadow Lover, but do not fear him. He wears a gentle face and comes peacefully to bring you to a worl where there is only joy." Then came a question: "Do you believe what I'm telling you?"

     And I answered truthfully: "On my soul, I believe every word."

     The next night, Christine again came to my room. "I have had a vision from Nerissa, the Star-Eyed One, and she says we must become soul sisters," she announced.

     I looked at Christine. Indeed, she looked paler than usual (if that was at all possible, since she's practically ivory white all the time) and her eyes were big. "What are soul sisters?" I asked.

     "Two daughters of Nerissa who are bonded together by the will of the Mother, vows, and sorcery."

     "Does she agree?" Corey interrupted, using the English Samantha was teaching him.

     "I don't know," she replied. "She obviously doesn't know what she's getting into. Christine isn't a full sorceress, and a binding spell is dangerous with years of practice. I wouldn't even consider it."

     Obviously, I had no idea what I was setting myself up for. Even if I had, I probably would have agreed. As I've said, I had complete confidence in Christine. And I obviously survived long enough to write this diary.

     So I agreed, and we set out looking for a fireplace in the hotel (fire was essential to the spell and at this time, fireplaces were rare, especially down in Florida). We finally found one in an abandoned maintenance room, and while I built up the fire, Christine looked over the spell. Once the fire was ready, she drew a circle of protection around the area in sand. Then she sprinkled vervain on the fire and it slowly turned a dark green. She stood over it, muttering words in an alien language. Then she took out a pocket knife and cut a crescent shape on her palm while saying her vows in English:

     "I swear I will never misuse my bond with my soul sister, bidden by the Star-Eyed Goddess Nerissa. I invoke it, and all crimes land on myself. By blood-oath we are bound, held by more than mortal bands."

     Then she turned to me. I never faltered, although I was inwardly shocked that Christine had shown no sign of pain. But as she made the same mark on my hand, I felt no pain, only a slight shiver from the cool blade. I then repeated my vows:

     "I swear I will never misuse my bond with my soul sister, approved by the Star-Eyed Goddess Nerissa. I support it, and will share half of everything my partner feels. The vow we swear is crowned by god-fires upon our hands."

     We joined hands and held them above the fire, letting the combined drops of blood fall onto it. One, two, three...The fire roared upward on the third drop, enveloping our hands. "We are more than friends now. We are bound, and yet we are free," we chanted together. The fire rose higher, and then it went out. I looked at my hand, where a white scar of a crescent moon was.

     We were walking back to our rooms, slowly because the spellcasting had wearied Christine, when she collapsed. Luckily, we were right near a phone, so I called the first number I thought of: Christine's room.

     "Hello?"

     I was familiar enough with Christine's friends to know it was Jenn. "Hi, it's Lynne. Is Christine's sister around at all?"

     Soon, I was talking to Katie. "Hi, I'm down on the first floor near the...dining hall. Christine's passed out."

     "She passed out? Why?"

     "She was casting spells," I said quietly.

     "Oh, she was eating chocolate? She knows she's not supposed to eat it." Very clever of Katie, I must say. Everyone knew Christine was allergic to chocolate and it made her pass out. The actual truth was that all sorceresses were allergic to chocolate, it had some reaction with their magic. But if anyone was listening (as Jenn probably was, since it was her room) and they didn't know the exact truth about Christine, they would think something else had happened that happened quite frequently. Katie doesn't lose her head in situations like these.

     Soon enough, Doug, Frank, Katie, and many of Christine's friends had come to help. A few of them carried her up to her room. We made quite a sight when we came onto our floor, but recieved absolute cooperation. Instead of putting her in her own room, though, they put her in one of the Katie's and some other chaperones' room and Katie slept in Jenn's room. I didn't think it was right to put her in a room with two males (Matt and Adam, their names were, and I later found out Adam was the other guy she had been in love with), but Katie and Doug both seemed to trust them. After all, her sister had spent two nights in the room with them, and they were sure to give Christine as much rest as she needed.

     I still wasn't sure what being soul sisters would mean, but I got at least part of an answer our last night in Disney. We had just gotten back from one of our performances. I was in my room, talking to Aimee, when I heard a heart-wrenching sound. I automatically fell to my knees from the pain that came with the sound. Aimee looked at me in a weird way, and I faintly realised she didn't hear it. "Christine's...mother..." I gasped, and then the sound subsided - but the pain was still there. It was the pain I had felt when Andy had died. I stumbled out into the hallway and made my way to Christine's room with a clumsiness that would have surpassed Hamilton's. When I opened her door, the intensity of the pain remained constant, but then I saw Christine's face, and Katie's. From a table dangled a phone.

     Christine ran over to me, and I held her in my arms while she sobbed into my shoulder.

     *My mum's dead.*

     "I know, sister, I know. I felt it."

     There was a while of comfort, and then I left to tell Doug. Although it wasn't easy, he eventually found two tickets aboard a plane that was leaving that night. Then he made the announcement to the band, and although most looked sad (everyone who knew her had liked Mrs. Haskell, and those who didn't know her at least felt bad for Katie and Christine), I only saw a few people crying outright: one of the drum majors named Jeff, Adam, and Matt. I didn't see Ricky at all, but then I guessed he was with Christine.

     I later helped Christine and Katie pack, and along with Ricky, Adam, Matt, and Jenna (not Jenn), went to the airport with them. Until they got home, their brother would be alone. And as much as I wanted to comfort them, Christine especially, I wouldn't, no matter the pain of losing Andy. There's something different about losing a parent, especially after losing the other two years ago. Even I couldn't understand it.

     I went home the next day, and she called me the night after that. I learned her mother had been killed in a car crash by a drunk driver. Then I learned some other news that I had not thought about.

     "They're spliting us up," she sniffed.

     "Who? How?"

     "The authorities. It's quite simple, horribly legal and evil. Both of our parents are dead, Scott and I are both underage. Right now, there's a lady being our temporary guardian."

     "What about Katie?" I asked. "Can't she be your guardian?"

     "She's only nineteen. According to the law, a person cannot become a legal guardian until the age of twenty-one, unless it's their child by birth. And, since I'm seventeen, they're just going to let me rot in an orphanage until my birthday, but Scott will be sent off to live with another family. You'd be surprised how many families want a child in his early teens, since they're already out of the bratty stage."

     And then her "guardian" made her get off the phone because they "mustn't rack up the phone bills." We both said "Goodbye, soul sister" and hung up. Then I thought. Soul sisters were supposed to help each other out in times of need and be just like birth sisters. If Christine didn't need help now, who did? I quickly ran down the stairs as fast as I could.

     I attended the wake, which the entire D-R marching band attended (most f them, they told me, remembered her father's wake all too clearly). My parents dropped me off, and I after went to Christine's house, a courtesy allowed by her guardian as her soul sister (actually, I just think the old lady was afraid of Christine turning her into something slimy if she said no), and then we went to the funeral the next morning. I didn't tell her of the plan I was forming: it would work better if she was surprised.

     That same week, Christine and Scott were sent to the orphanage (which was conveniently on Aquidnick Island, but in Portsmouth, not Newport). Christine left most of her stuff, since she would be returning in six months (Katie had inherited the house and kept it for all three of them), but Scott brought a fair load of his clothes (which were all black, and not because of mouring) and other things. I could just imagine their guardian's relief now that she no longer had to look after them. I can tel you she hadn't liked that assignment one bit.

     As soon as Christine stepped (or rode) onto the island, I Felt her presence in my mind stronger than I ever had. It had been growing steadier with every minute, and I felt it could become no firmer. So I sent out a little "thread" of thought:
*Christine?*

     *Lynne? Gods, this place is dreary! I'm sure glad we have this contact. Otherwise, I don't think I'd be able to stand a week here!*

     *You're an artist, improve it!*

     *It's not just the appearance, although that is awful. It's the atmosphere and everyone's gloomy attitude. And it's no wonder, since the place itself is gloomy. We're not allowed to do anything on our own. That old lady that acted as my guardian told them about my "abnormalties", so I'm watched even more. I'm not allowed to do any magic. How am I supposed to achieve great powers by my eighteenth birthday if I can't practice?*

     I was sympathetic, but cut off the conversation to talk to my parents, who were on their way out. They were dressed up and very professional-looking. My mother smoothed her skirt and asked me, "Do I look stern enough?" My mother usually wore a soft face, but at the moment there was only firmness. She always had me approve of her look for work, since it was one that would melt anyone into obedience.

     "A little too stern," I told her. "Try to show a little compassion. You don't want them to think you're heartless."

     And then they were gone. They came back a few hours later and said they had filled out a bunch of papers and would be returning in a week. As it was, they ended up getting a phone call two days later, and we came home with two other happy faces.

     Here's what happened: my parents obviously knew about Christine's plight, and they also knew how close I was to her. So I had approached them on behalf of adopting Christine and her brother. My parents are very sympathetic and caring, so they agreed to my plan. First, they got a letter from the commander of the navy base, stating ho well-qualified as parents they were (or something like that). Then they went to the adoption agency and filled out a lot of papers as to what type of child they wanted (they said "a boy just entering his teen years and in need of moral guiding", thinking it wouldn't look as suspicious to get Scott and find Christine as well). The agency told them to look toward their call in about a week, but as I suspected he would, Scott started making rouble that night (there was a fuss over his clothes) and they decided he was in desperate need of guidance. So they called back sooner than they had said, and my parents and I went to see if he was "suitable". I contacted Christine while we were on our way (that bond comes in handy) and thus, she and Scott were ready.

     When we were led into the common room by a nun (the whole orphanage was run by nuns), we found the two siblings on a couch, talking quietly. The nun called Scott over, but Christine stood and demanded, "Where is he going? I go wherever he goes."

     I wasn't listening to their quarrel. All that was going through my head, as it always did when I saw Scott, was how much he looked like Andy had when he died.

     "You go where we decide you go," the nun told her, and then turned to my parents. "She's even worse than her brother, seems to run in the family. Odd thing is, her sister was class valedictorian, and then these two came after her. Must think they have to prove they're not like her."

     "Do they come together?" my father asked, pretending to look a little nervous.

     "Oh no, her eighteenth birthday's in a few months, so we decided it would be best to keep her here to teach her a few manners. Plus, they'd be too much trouble together. It's no doubt you've brought up your daughter well," she nodded to me. I was playing the part of the perfect daughter in a bright sundress. "These two would be too much to handle, though. And you must think about your daughter. There are many evil things that girl could teach such an innocent."

     "Well, someone must show her the error of her ways," my mother said. "If not, she'll just take up her habits as soon as she becomes an adult. Parents can teach her morals. She won't see how awful drugs are if she's cooped up in here, she'll just go through withdrawal."

     "Oh, her problem isn't drugs, ma'am," the nun said. "She's of a religion that worships the Devil, and seems to think he gives her magical abilities in return for her service."

     My mother managed a faint smile as I tried not to laugh. "Well, that's a bit easier to deal with. Perhaps she has turned her back on God because he has taken away her parents? Once she gets some parents who care for her and are very much alive, she'll see He still cares for her. I am even more convinced to take the pair now."

     "Honey, are you sure?" my father asked, still looking nervous. "Do you really want Lynne consorting with such a girl?"

     "Perhaps some of Lynne's good sense will rub off on her. And you're too intelligent to let her influence you, aren't you darling?" my mother asked me.

     "But Mother," I whined, "I don't want a sister, especially not her. She's too...scary."

     "Appearances can be decieving," she said as Christine mentally laughed at my description. You wouldn't have known to look at her, though, just as you wouldn't have known I had put my parents up to adopting her and Scott.

     "So it's settled," my mother decided. "We'll take them home today, if you don't mind."

     "Where will they sleep?" my father asked. "We only set up one room for the boy."

     "Well...the girl can share Lynne's room for the night, and tomorrow we'll convert the other room into a bedroom." I pretended to pout at the decision of Christine sleeping in the same room as mem, although I know it wouldn't be the case. "The other room" was actually the attic, and had already been turned into a bedroom for Christine. Really, there were three rooms in the attic, and two were used for storage. The third was really just an empty, spare room that came in handy in situations like these.

     And so my parents filled out more forms, and we piled into our car and drove home. It was a little squished in the back seat, but we were all so happy we didn't mind.

     The next day, we hired a moving van and went to Dighton, where we packed up a good majority of stuff in their house, including numerous bookshelves on Christine's part, and more books than would fit on them. Then we set everything up in our house, and it remained unchanged for about a day and a half until Christine felt like part of the family and started suggesting changes.

     "What are those other two rooms for?" she asked at dinner (she was all excited that we ate dinner together, for her family never had).

     "Well, they're mainly for storage, but we don't have much to store," my father replied. "Why?"

     "I was thinking how nice it would be to have a library," she said. "I can see how you never got elaborate before, but now you're stationary and it would be nice to be a little fancy. The biggest room could be a library, and the other a study...What few storage items there are could go in the basement."

     And so it happened, but not quite exactly like that. The large room in the attic did become a library, but the room adjacent to Christine's became my bedroom and my bedroom on the second floor became the study. Then Christine, using her magic, created a door in the middle of the wall connecting our rooms and added fireplaces in all of the rooms (she said it would save on the electricity bills in the winter). The work only taxed a little of her strength, to my surprise, but she said she was gaining more power and energy every time she did even the simplest of spells.

     My parents quickly learned about her passions, and soon she was again taking equestrian lessons. I also took lessons, but just to learn the basics - Christine had warned us that very soon, horses or our own two feet would be the only modes of transportation.

     In August, marching band started again. I had been busy over the summer and seen not much of anyone, so they were surprised at seeing Christine. She quickly found a place in everyone's hearts, or those she didn't at least respected her. She earned a clarinet solo in one of the songs, although she really played flute. And soon, everyone learned that she knew a lot about marching and thus had the priviledge to yell at anyone who made a mistake, even the drum majors. But Christine rarely yelled, she only corrected with a quiet and soft voice that everyone still listened to.

     A week after school started in September, Frank made an announcement similar to one the year before. "We're going to Canada. And with us will be the D-R Marching Band." Nobody was more joyous over this than Christine. She wasn't as excited as I thought she'd be at seeing "her" band again, but she more than made up for it over going to Canada. We didn't know why or where we were going in Canada, but it didn't matter to her. She had two places she longed to go to: Canada and Great Britain. She said it was in her blood, since her father's grandmother was from Canada and the rest of her father's family was from Scotland. But I really know she wanted to go there because of the bands she liked, which probably were in her blood.

     And so, plans were again made for our get-togethers with the D-R band. Then we found out more news: We would be going during April vacation to the Halifax Spring Fair. Even more joyous was Christine, for Sloan had just annonced their new tour dates (once again, only in Canada) and they were also playing there. The fair was a week-long event, and we would be there the entire time, playing two shows, one competition, and the opening parade. That should give Christine plenty of time to stalk Sloan, I remember thinking to myself. And, of course, I would be stalking them right alongside her. I didn't need my soul sister's magic to predict that part of the future.

     We held our get-together in December, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. A heavey snow had fallen the day before, leaving the island shrouded in winter's white cloak. Our theme was a winter ball (Christine's idea) that resembled the beautiful winters of Canada. It would have been a shame had it been sunny like the past five winters, but Christine said she would use her weather magic if she had to. As it turned out, she didn't have to and it turned out perfect.

     This time, there were many more pairings between the two bands for the ball, including Christine. She, of course, went with Ricky. They had not become a pair, due to the many miles between them and, I suppose, the conflicting religionous beliefs, but they outshined every other couple there. And I, her beloved endren'da (it's a term for soul sisters), enjoyed msyelf as much as she did.

     The winter months passed by under the cover of snow, at least feeling like a true season. "I'm glad," Christine said one day, "because winter is my favourite season, but it's always too warm. Winter shouldn't be warm, it should be buried under cold angel dust and emerald evergreen trees. The tufted titmouse should be greeting us with its song, not the lark. I haven't seen a tufted titmouse since I was little. It's a true bird of winter, and thus spends most of its time in the North end of Canada. But it used to come down here for the winter. I wish it would again." We saw a tufted titmouse, a small grey bird, the next day.

     Christine's love of the cold further proved she was a child of Scotland and Canada. Heat was her greatest fear - she flinched away from anything that was hot, especially the oven if someone had been cooking in it. I did the same thing, but for an entirely different reason. It often puzzled me as to why she wasn't afraid of her own fires, but they were magical and contained. She brough them into being by magic, and could easily extinguish them the same way if she chose.

     The greatest example of this that I ever saw was on Christine's eighteenth birthday - the night she came into full power. She had pulled me away from the party held in her honour to walk on the snow-covered beaches (we were having an actual winter that year, to my endren'da's delight). There, on the edge of the dead grass, rose a column of orange-red fire. It shone like a beacon in teh dark night and I shied back a little, but Christine walked straight ahead. *I must go,* she whispered in my mind, and she vanished as the fire consumed her. And suddenly, all presence of her vanished from my mind, and I fell and wept upon the snow.

     A beautiful young lady found me when the moon was directly overhead. "What ails you?" she asked in a soft voice.

     "My sister has vanished and I can't find her," I sobbed. "I fear something has happened to her."

     "Nothing has happened to her, or at least nothing harmful. She is only undergoing a test that will determine her place in life," the stranger said.

     "But our bond is missing..."

     "And for very good reasons, but that is only temporary. You would not like to break her concentration, or experience what she is going through, would you?" I shook my head. "You are wise, my child, and you care for your endren'da. But now rest."

     Nerissa (for that was who She was) disappeared, and a numbness crawled across my mind and body. I didn't register anything for hours until the sun's rays faintly touched the ocean water. Then a sudden warmness embraced me. I didn't have to look up.

     *I am here,* Christine whispered in my mind.

     *You're alright?*

     She let go of my shoulders and drew herself up. "I am an Adept," she said proudly with a smile. To prove this, she sketched a design in the air with her hands, and then pointed. Above the sea shone a silver emblem, like a million tiny stars gathered together over the sun. It showed a majestic unicorn standing perfectly still except for teh free movement of mane and tail, as if the sea wind also moved it.

     We walked back in silence, the extreme joy needing no words to be expressed. There were many ranks to magic, the main being hedgewitch (not powerful, but useful in potions and Earth-magic), journeyman (although this was a step of learning such as it had been for Christien, many did not venture past it), Master (complete with schooling and usually powerful) and Adept (highest-ranking sorcery among mortals). For Christine to reach Adept status so young was a feat no one else had ever accomplished in our world.

     The next day, I stepped into Christine's room to see a change - not a drastic one, just enough to notice. Her entire necklace collection, made up of a lot more than anyone should own and most were magical, hung on a wall, spread out enough so that she could easily see a necklace and pick it out without disturbing any others. On another wall hung her father's sword, a weapon she was determined to master. She stood staring at it, completely oblivious to everything else.

     Finally, she spoke, without turning or giving any previous hint of knowing I was there. "I've mastered sorcery," she said in a flat voice. "And still, that is not enough. She wants me to learn the way of fencing. No one has ever done both, nevermind at my age, but no one had my desire to do both. But how shall I do it? She knows lessons are not cheap, but expects me to find the very best teacher. And there's my education to think about, and my future... Yet I know my duty to Her comes before anything else." She sighed, sounding much older than she had just turned. "And there is nothing more I want than to pick up my father's sword and be able to use it. There simply isn't enough time for it, though." Then she turned and looked at me. "Endren'da, why are there only twenty-four hours in a day?"

     "Perhaps so you won't overexert yourself," I answered. "If there were thirty-six, you would find thirty-five activities to do in one day. Nerissa knows how ambitious you can be with things you want. If you had the power, you'd be searching all the Navy contacts for the perfect sword master to teach you."

     I had not been exaggerating. When I returned home from an errand after school, a spotless many in a white Navy uniform was walking up to the doorway. I hurried to open it for him, white uniforms being a form of high rank in the Navy.

     "Are you Christine?" he asked, evidently looking me over as I set my bags down on the kitchen counter.

     "Hardly, sir. Christine's my adopted sister. I'm Sarah Peclan, but everyone calls me Lynne." We shook hands. "If you don't midn me asking, why are you here?"

     "I heard she was looking for a weaponsmaster to train her. Although, I'm surprised you're not going for training, you're just the build for it..."

     "If you think I'm good, wait until you see Christine. She's practically a sword herself. I hope she's not keeping you waiting, she should be home soon-"

     Just then the back door opened, and Lynne could hear her "sister" talking through the halls. "You won't believe this, Lynne, they got the most intelligent horse at the stables, and she's for sale. Sure, I won't be able to afford her in my whole lifetime, but maybe someone at the stables will buy her and I can visit-" She stopped in mid-sentence as she came into the kitchen and saw the guest. "Sir," she said as she bowed at the waist, "I did not know you were here already. I am sorry if you've had to wait..."

     "It's okay, Christine," the man said. "I had only just arrived myself."

     *Christine, who is this man?* I asked.

     *He's Leutenant Steven Mendon, currently the only shanach - that's "sword-lover" - member of Nerissa's followers.*

     *I thought male warriors served under Lafeau?* I asked, still unsure of the religious customs.

     *Usually, but not the shanach. They take a vow for Nerissa, and in return they're basically sexless. Not a fate I would choose except under extreme conditions, althoguh I don't think he wanted anything else.*

     Our exchange only took a few seconds, breaking it off before Steven noticed anything. But then it was too late for me to look him ove, so I carefully tried to be inconspicuous as Christine and the man held a brief interview.

     "How did you know I needed a teacher?" my oath sister asked.

     "Nerissa approached me last night and told me," he answered. "I suppose you will not be shanach?"

     "No, I am just devoted to my magics, and have no time for everything. Plus, although I have complete respect for the shanach, it is not a life suitable for me. I have - other desires."

     He nodded. "Will your equix be joining us?"

     "Lynne is not my equix, only my endren'da."

     "My mistake. But you are mind-bound, are you not?"

     "Yes, but that does not make us equis," she replied. "Two humans cannot be equis." Then she turned to me. "Will you be joining us?"

     I tried not to stare as I tried to figure out what an equix was. First I had thought it was a mate, but then Christine said it couldn't exist between humans. So I put it in the back of my mind to ask about later. "No thank you, I have to prepare for work."

     *Equis is mind-mates, endren'da,* Christine whispered in my mind. *It occurs between a human and a magical creature, without a spell.* So much for asking later. Then she said something in that language they'd been half-speaking, and they left, presumably to find an empty room big enough for a fencing court.

     It was not long before Christine started tutoring me in Fa'narsh, the language of the followers of Nerissa. It was not entirely hard to master, since I knew most of it by the time of our Canada trip. And what a trip that was! Christine had spent the months leading up to it preparing for her first ever Sloan concert. She spent hours on the phone with Ricky, making plans. Although she didn't have to, she cautioned him that if Patrick Pentland offered her his hand in marriage, she'd leave Ricky behind. That was common knowledge.

     A week before the trip, Chrsitine's friend Jamie from Virginia came up to visit - which resulted in Christine (she's from Rhode Island) coming to see Jamie. That resulted in them taking the two extra seats on our plane and coming to Canada to see Sloan and their friend Sarah. We left on early Sunday morning, flew seven hours Northward, checked into our hotel - and proceeded to the cafe to be on the lookout for Sloan.

     "Can't you just Sense them?" I asked over a light meal.

     "Or you could," Christine replied. We had been researching thought-magic and concluded that I had it, since not even other endren'das had been able to communicate so clearly. "But you'd find that it's hard to find a certain person's mind if you've never actually talked to them, unless they have magic. And if they have thought-Sensing, they'll be carefully shielded and you won't be able to find them anyway. With my training, I can Sense..." she hesitated slightly, "one other person besides us with magic in this building, and that person's shielded so much, I can't even tell if they're male or female!" So instead, we explored the hotel by foot but found no trace of Sloan. Of course, they weren't playing until the next night, so they might not have been at the hotel yet.

     From the cafe, we could see the hotel entrance - for a reason, of course. But even before I saw anything, Christine had jumped up and run to the doors in an instant. And then she was being picked up, bags of luggage at Ricky's feet as they reunited. The rest of the band poured in around them, ignoring the happy couple.

     "Despite her vows, I can't see her leaving him even for Patrick," Christina replied.

     "Good, then that leaves him for me," Jamie said. I don't think she was joking.

     "What about mullet boy?"

     "He's no Patrick Pentland," was her reply. "Mullet boy" seemed to be a joke between the three girls. He was actually Jamie's boyfriend named Adam, but they never called him that. It was always mullet boy. "Nor is he even the original mullet boy."

     "Hey Lynne." I turned around to face Jenn. "I haven't seen you in a while." Then she sighed. "Aren't you so jealous of them? I am."

     "I think she has a right to be happy after all she's gone through," Jamie replied.

     "Oh, I know, I'm just jealous. Actually, my name's Jenn."

     "This is Jamie, and Christina," I introduced.

     "Oh, so you're the infamous Jamie that corrupted Christine. Well done, although I think it was a little too thorough." She smiled. "I think she has a mild distraction, though," she commented as the couple walked over. There was another round of hugs as D-R members came to greet their friend, and then they left to unpack.

     It was not long after that Sarah made her entrance. I'm not sure anyone was expecting it but suddenly, someone was standing at the front of our table. She was freckled and had extremely frizzy, brown hair. The first thing she said was, "Hello, is this the Sloanee table?" I suppose we had been fairly obvious, wearing what we were and carrying around every Sloan possession we had. But still, she surprised us.

     So we all introduced ourselves and got to talking, telling Sarah that there had not been any Sloan spottings yet. Ricky joined in on the conversation; although he didn't talk about how adorable Patrick was, Christine had "corrupted" his just as Jamie had corrupted her. They were quite the pair when it came to music.

     Eventually, Ricky and Christine went off to entertain themselves. One of the things they did was talking - their relationship was founded on talking. At this point, it was hard to say what their relationship was. It had certainly advanced from the Disney trip, but they still weren't official. They had their reasons, but everyone else thought they were being ridiculous. Most figured they would be married by the end of the summer. Others thought they should be married by the end of the summer but doubted it would hapen. I was in the minority, I knew Christine would not marry until finished with all of her schooling, having done deeds for Nerissa and, most of all, getting Ricky to believe in her religion. It was unlikely that any of those would happen by the end of summer.

     I often underestimate how long tiem is. When Christine finally returned to her room that night, she was beaming. I could Feel her smile in my mind. So, I asked her what was so great, and she said she had spent the entire evening telling Ricky about her secret life and religion - and he had accepted it. No questions or anything, he just accepted it. And at that point, something had opened up between them - a keshira, a lifebond. Lifebonds are rare and happen between two completely compatible people who are always honest with each other. Christine's dream of finding true love had happened.

     There was no denying it, they were an official couple by breakfast the next day. After breakfast, we marched in the opening parade and then had the rest of the day to ourselves. The festival was not like the lame ones back home, so there was plenty to entertain two marching bands with. I can still smell the cotton candy and hear the laughter of children as I write this. I was walking with Christine when I Felt someone touch my mind, just a brush of fingertips as someone walked by. I turned around, and found myself face-to-face with Patrick Pentland.

     "Hello, thought-Sensers," he said with a smile. "I wanted to meet who else had such gifts, but could find no other way. I hope you didn't mind."

     "Not - not at all," Christine replied. "I'm just shocked that - well, not shocked, but surprised, that you have magic - and your control is incredible!"

     "Well, I learned from teh Van'iras," Patrick told her. "So, you're Christine, and this is your endren'da Lynne? I saw your performance and was entirely captivated."

     "Thank you," Christine said. "We await your performance this evening."

     "Then I shall look for you while I'm on the stage," he promised. "And what of you?" he asked, turning to me. "Do you talk?"

     I blushed despite knowing it didn't help my complexion. "Yes, I do," I replied, "but my endren'da has been talking too much for me to. She claims she is shy, but I have seen no proof of it in the time I've known her." It was too bad Christine never blushed and although her eyes did become a shade ligther, Patrick didn't know what that meant, if he noticed. Christine's eyes were like a dragon's, changing color with emotions, but mainly staying in the green range.

     "It seems you have stunned her into silence right now, so you should talk while you have the chance," Patrick said after a moment of which only the usual carnival sounds were heard.

     "No, she had nothing to do with it. I was just wondering if you truly trained with the Van'iras," she said.

     "Yes, I spent many summers with them," he answered. "They are usually secluded, but one came across me when I was twelve and making chaos without knowing it. He took me under his wing, and here I am today." He paused for a second and then said, "I'm sorry, but my equix is reminding me that i have an interview with a radio station in five minutes. Ke'hara, Lynne and Christine."

     "Goodbye," we said together, and he vanished into the crowd. "Well," Christine said, "I guess there's nothing else to do except get ready."

     So we went back to the hotel, where we told the others of our encounter and spent hours finding the perfect outfits. Christine ended up wearing a completely stunning outfit - a blue tye-dye tank top, a short purple-flowered skirt, hot pink fishnet stockings, green knee socks under her stockings, and orange sneakers. Nobody can "unmatch" as well as she can. I opted for more typical clothes - blue jeans, a pink tank top, and black platform shoes. Jeans were a single luxury I never realised I would miss so much. The others dressed in a range between myself and Christine - not quite as drastic as my endren'da, but not as simple as me. For instance, Jamie wore fringed rainbow toe socks, a black t-shirt that said clearly, "I dig scrawny pale guys" and blue plaid shorts. Christine wore tight black pants, big platform shoes, and a t-shirt she had picked up at a second-hand shop somewhere. Sarah wore the same, except bright blue pants and a pink jacket of snake skin print. And Ricky was dressed as plainly as I was - tan khaki pants and a grey t-shirt.

     The concert was the best I'd ever been to, and would have been even if Patrick had not called Christine and myself onto the stage. Together we sang "Sugartune" and I managed to get through it without crying, as I had done every time I'd heard it since Andy left. Then Sloan did a spectacular rendition of Mercedes Lackey's song "Magic's Price". After the concert, the whole group was invited backstage and the party continued until we absolutely had to be back at our rooms.

     That night, I dreamed entirely about Patrick Pentland.
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