I don't like her. She is mean and she glares at me like I am nothing. It makes the skin on the back of my neck prickle with heat and a sort of irritation to bury itself within me. I had never been irritated before but staring into her hateful eyes it is easy to find. I did not want her to bully her brother, even if Abel kept going as if she did not phase him. She was a black stain on the crippled boy, the kind of shadow that would drag him down and suck out his soul. If that was the case then I would be the light, the angel to give him strength when his flagged.

Still, I look away from her with a pointed snapping of my eyes to Eden, not wishing to intrude if this WAS a family affair. I can hear Keturah chastising him, demanding he continue - didn't she see that he was? That she didn't need to come and dog him when he was already trying so hard? I felt restless, wanting to take myself to the dune and begin my own training because her words might be directed at Abel but they burrowed beneath my skin. I was weak at times, not that she would know it, and I wanted to be proud of myself too.

My tail wags as Abel calls out to me, seemingly pleased at my presence, so I spun around to see him patting the ground and raced towards him with a grin on my face. Abel turns from me and strides up to his nasty sister to claim he would throw her down the hill. While I secretly felt proud of him I also worried it my spur on retribution so I run past him up the hill. "C'mon Abel!" I call in a sweet voice, ignoring his sister as I felt my legs dig into the hill and I caught my breath, the pressure of climbing digging in quick. I wouldn't falter either - me and Abel, we would be strong.