Chapters
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"You have no conception of how important this meeting is, Hayden. Never in your life has more hinged on how your next few hours resolve themselves. If ever you've devoted yourself to the service of Shaymin House, this is the time. If you hope for dispensation in the future, now is where you earn it." Lady Gracidea stalked around the bathroom, occasionally stopping to check on what the servants were doing with her hair. From the moment she'd woken up, Hayden was given no control over her…-
169.6 K • Completed
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Hayden couldn't hold still so easily in the air, not with the wind buffeting her to either side. Even on a relatively calm day, the clouds beneath her began to drift, taking her with them. She'd be riding them wherever they went, with very little ability to resist. Liz tucked up against her dress again, though this time it was more than just being shy. What would happen if the little mew got caught up in a gust of wind and blown away? They could think of few more painful ways to die. Her dress…
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169.6 K • Completed
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Life wasn't exactly easy at Shaymin House after that. Passing one test for Lady Gracidea only meant raising the standards for the next one. By the next day, she was right back to her usual schedule of education, right beside Eleanor. Mrs. Boylston was far less lenient with her since her transformation, subjecting her to exhausting training in every craft a noble lady needed. She spent endless hours learning how to walk, or do her hair, or assemble a properly dignified outfit. When she wasn't…
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169.6 K • Completed
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Weeks passed. Eleanor didn't go back to coming to morning lessons every day. But sometimes she came, and other times she was there in the early afternoon when they were done, and Hayden was released. Their relationship remained tense—at one moment, Hayden's ignorance about her own body might provoke Eleanor's compassion and sympathy. But then Hayden would do something else, turning her cold with anger or envy. It was still better to have a sister sometimes than not at all. With her around,…
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169.6 K • Completed
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Mrs. Boylston did not arrive the next day. Hayden did, as much out of spite as fear for what her adoptive mother would do. Part of her—or maybe part of Liz—wanted her to try and attack them again. Lady Gracadia hadn't technically told them they couldn't fight back, after all. They wouldn't have to break any instructions. But the tutor wasn't there. She waited in her seat, while the mew drifted lazily through the room, trying and failing to contain her boredom. She wasn't sure…
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169.6 K • Completed
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That next week passed in a blur. Once Hayden learned what was planned, it didn't matter what else happened after that—nothing could take her mind from the prospect of seeing her family again. Even fear over the purpose of that meeting couldn't phase her. So maybe there was a boy in another region who thought she was a princess. Maybe when she was older, they would give her away and expect her to do whatever noble ladies did for their husbands. But none of those heavy responsibilities would find…
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169.6 K • Completed
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Hayden was on the train again. She still remembered her last time in one of Shaymin House's private cars, frothing with nervous energy and fear over her first encounter with her adoptive family. But that Hayden was a different person, and not just because he was a boy. While that version of herself was ignorant and afraid, her new self was a little less of those things. Yet, the nervous energy wasn't any different. She couldn't sit still on the train for more than a few minutes. Now that…
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169.6 K • Completed
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It wasn't as easy as Hayden anticipated to convince Holland to take her home. With every minute they spent arguing, she lost another minute she could've spent with her family. So, she threatened to teleport straight there, and he finally caved. The honored ancestors had beat the danger of deception into her—but that only applied to Mew House. Eevee house only had two members who could do that. Of course, she was disguised, so she couldn't sense the resentment and anger radiating from him…
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169.6 K • Completed
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For the first time since she settled, Hayden slept comfortably. It didn't matter if the bed was small and she had to share it with some goo, it was much nicer than any hotel in the whole world. But then came a knock on the door. The sky outside was still dim, with only distant street lights peering in through the cracks. It was Holland, his voice low and urgent. "Hayden? I'm sorry, you need to wake up. We have to get back to the hotel before sunrise." She yawned, then floated up out…
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169.6 K • Completed
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Hayden clambered into the carriage, taking the only available seat opposite its sole occupant. She posed as best as she remembered, keeping her hands in her lap and eyes down. She couldn't avoid seeing what was right in front of her, no matter how afraid she felt. The woman wore a gown very similar to her own, except that it fit far better, and there was much more to show. Hayden knew on paper that the woman must be old, though there was no sign of it in person. Her skin was radiant, her hair bright…
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169.6 K • Completed
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