There was only two days left before the trial when Keller burst into the front door, startling Lydia who was on the couch, deep in conversation with Willow while they were sorting through all the notes and still scouring the books she had found.

“Um, hi?” she greeted.

Keller’s blank face lit up when he greeted her back and looked around. “He said he is coming right over and to wait for him.”

“Terrance?” he nodded face resuming its blank look when he wasn’t speaking.

Terrance showed up rather quickly and had a sour look on his face. “Why did I have to rush over? You couldn’t just link me?”

“Guess who is on their way?” Terrance did not react. “Seriously you are no fun. Jarone from Winterfur.” Still nothing. “Are you listening? This situation really has you pushing your limits, doesn’t it? Last spring, he took over being caretaker for Elder Gouyen.” The comprehension spread, albeit slowly.

“It was supposed to be Elder Tisquantum,”

“Yes, well apparently there was a shared dream last night and four different Elders now know that Elder Gouyen has been asked to oversee this event by the Goddess herself.”

Terrance could barely form words, so Keller continued, “An eagle spoke to them and said that Winterfur would ‘greet and direct the voice of the wind’ in Cedar Glade.”

“That’s what Darryl said some old lady called Willow last spring.” Lydia interrupted.

“What?” They both turned on her.

“Yeah, something about she said he had to bring her the container for the voice of the wind, and something about a cave. He told me that he thought it was Willow and I. When he was in my mind, wind is how he met Willow and learned her name.”

“He did say something like that right after we got news about your test. I guess the Goddess is on your side Lydia, and sent a neutral party if nothing else. The lady may be a bit senile, but Elder Gouyen of the Winterfur pack is never swayed by the opinions of those around her. This is a better option than we had before. Still a loose cannon, but much better!”

Lydia disagreed; this was the best news she had received since she met Dominic. It meant that what her and Darryl had planned would be much, much easier to do. She pardoned herself and raced from the room. Last she saw Darryl he was wandering upstairs while reading on her phone.

Lydia came slamming into the partially closed bathroom door with no warning, body spinning slightly with her unexpected change in direction when she spotted him from the corner of her eyes in the mirror. Darryl was leaning against the sink with her phone inches from his nose. He looked over it, brown saucers taking her in as he lowered her phone in an exaggeratedly slow motion.

Lydia’s eyes flicked to the mirror behind him out of curiosity and upon seeing the screen went wide, almost matching his in size, “Are-”

“No!”

“Was-”

“No!”

“But-”

“No!” Darryl frantically tried to put her phone into a non-existent pocket and Lydia got a spark of mischief in her eyes, she whirled, remembering his strange behavior at the library during their last visit. She turned on her heels and almost fell as she flung herself out of the bathroom.

“Lydia!” Darryl frantically cried, clamoring after her. His door managed to stay on its hinges in her excitement, but the plaster gave in slightly when his door handle swung into it. However, the two did not notice as Lydia tore through Darryl’s backpack in search of the book she saw him shove deep when they returned home, after he had had strangely covered in his satchel when she approached the counter with her own research material.

“Is this why you were so jumpy that day when we separated out my books?” she asked, upending the bag onto the floor. He said nothing but his eyes flit to his bed and back to her. Realizing the error he made, they both lunged for the bed at the same time, but while Darryl was taller, she had been closer, and she tore the book from beneath the pillow with a cackle.

She immediately spotted the half-naked man on the cover that sported a sappy romance novel title. They tussled on the bed as she turned it over with much effort and began reading the synopsis of the Boy Love: Enemies to Lovers novel.

Darryl was protesting loudly, his hand slamming over her mouth when stomping footsteps could be heard coming towards them. Lydia heard the whimper as his heart clenched and she saw the fear turn his pupils to pinpricks so she shifted her grip ensuring her hand would cover the book cover just as Terrance stormed in.

“What in the name of The Goddess is going on in here?” he boomed, doing a double take when he saw them tangled on the bed. Darryl was shrinking back, folding into his submissive pose. Lydia fought that urge and tilted her chin defiantly while she carefully lowered the book into her lap.

“I was just teasing Darryl for reading a cute book I would have read in middle school.” She lied flatly.

When Terrance’s brows arched, she continued, “A book in a series about kids solving mysteries while babysitting,” she held it by the spine and waved it slightly, making sure the cover stayed out of view. “It was rude of me, we know he will read anything on the recommendation shelf, even if he wouldn’t pick it himself.”

Lydia smiled apologetically as she tucked the book back into her lap.

While Darryl was sliding to the floor, Sara popped her head over her husband’s shoulder, standing on her toes to do so. “I read those books too! It is a strange pick, I agree, but I can see why they were on the recommendation shelf, a series like that keeps the girls returning for the next book through the summer months. The Librarian made a good call, but Darryl must have finished more books than usual this month to resort to that one,” she patted Terrance on the hip and turned to leave. “Don’t forget to review everything I highlighted!” she called as she left, referring to a section of the notes Lydia had just been reading in the living room.

Terrance gave them each a pointed look. “You are lucky it was only Keller that was visiting! Don’t forget no one else knows that you’re siblings! Don’t get caught being so close or we will draw too much attention. Especially from Dominic!” They nodded, and Lydia gave her most diligent chastised look.

When he left, Darryl gave her thigh a deep pinch and she yelped, but he was the one with tears in his eyes. “He can’t know! No one can know!”

“That you read gay romance novels?” she asked under her breath, chest tightening at his panicked sorrow. She regretted her act of fun deeply. His confused look made her double check the back cover again, but then she realized her error just as he began to hope she did not understand. “Oh, you mean your orientation?”

Though already as crushed as Lydia had ever seen, Darryl’s face managed to fall further as he nodded microscopically. That last change in him, the life leaving his eyes, and the weight of coming clean bearing down on him, the terror filling the spaces left empty, compressed Lydia’s entire chest cavity until she could not breathe in and her heart hurt. Throwing herself off the bed to lay astride him, she grabbed for his face. Pulling his forehead in close in their familiar way. Her eyes peering into his soul.

“I may have teased you, but it was all meant in good fun. There is absolutely-” she said this last word with clear and measured enunciation, “nothing wrong with you. There is absolutely-” she drew it out again, “nothing to be ashamed of. I will absolutely-” she sat up, pulling him up with her, heads still touching. “positively keep your secret and you safe. And I will absolutely-” this time she drew it out even further, repeating herself. “absolutely love you no matter what type of body you are attracted to.” She got a smirk for a moment, “In fact,” she leaned back slightly. “now I have someone I can oogle over boys with!”

“Men.” His voice could have belonged to an ant.

“What?”

“I don’t like boys, I like men,” he whispered, eyes beginning to dilate to their usual size.

“We are adults now,” Lydia smirked before falling into a serious smile. She drew her brother into a hug, whispering into his ear. “There is nothing wrong with you.”

“It’s not me I am worried about,” he murmured, and the culture shock Lydia had been adapting to roared with new meaning and implications.

“Oh, no, no, no,” she breathed, understanding pulling the air from her lungs yet again. Willow was brushing against her and calling for Lapu, but they didn’t have the link opened. “You guys, my parents they would take you, they would help. I know Terrance and Sara wouldn’t hurt you, but if anything ever happened and you needed time. A place to hide from the others-”

There was a woosh of air and Darryl started trembling in response to his fears being voiced aloud. “I need to sit here a moment and process.” She suddenly fibbed for his sake. “Just stay like that and let me know when you can’t handle being still anymore. My eyes are even closed so I can think.” Lydia gently stated. She did close her eyes patiently while she waited for the now violent but completely silent trembling to diminish, just as Lapu had done for her, long before she knew who he was.