When Lucca woke up extra early that morning, sensing that something was off right off the bat. He wouldn’t have been woken up that early if something wasn’t off.  He sat up in bed and looked out the window to see if he could tell where this sensation was coming from.

It’s got to be coming from somewhere close by. I can always tell when something is off and it seems  like someone is going to have a bad morning. I need to be there for that person whoever it may be. That person’s wellbeing may hang in the balance.

After a few moments, Lucca got out of bed and moved over to the comfy chair beside his bed. He called it his divining chair because it made him hyper aware of what was going on around him or could be going on in the future or the near future.

He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. He felt the fabric of reality around him like a tapestry. Every stitch was a breath of life. Lucca felt a call coming to him like sound waves. He reached out through his psyche so that he could feel the tapestry that was reality, on his fingertips. 

He felt it warm up and he felt along it until he found a cold patch. He followed the trail of cold patches until it ended. The final cold patch warmed up and Lucca heard a voice in his mind: Ella’s voice.

Lucca, Ella’s voice whispered in his mind. If you can hear me then you know I can’t shake the memories of my parents. The memories keep coming back to haunt me and the time has come for me to tell you and the others about what went down eight years ago. Don’t ask me how I managed to connect with your mind because I don’t have the answers myself.  Don’t tell anyone about that part. I’ll see you later this morning. Make sure you bring Andrew.

The connection broke and Lucca jerked up, regaining awareness of his surroundings. He climbed out of his divining chair and crawled back into bed, shaking his head in disbelief.

Ella connected with my mind. It’s rare that someone could do that. We must have a deeper connection than I thought.

He drifted into a half asleep, half awake trance. Divination takes a fair amount of energy. Luckily, Lucca had been training for it since he was a child. The unexpected was expected when one came from a family of diviners.

Lucca’s parents had a path set out for him, one that was traditional as all his siblings have followed the same path: Running for council. Lucca had no interest in becoming a councilman. He wanted nothing to do with that family tradition.

He didn’t want to be in the spotlight. Being in the spotlight would mean hiding his true self from the world. He would be stuck in the closet. He wanted to follow his own path. He wanted to help people hone their strengths and master their powers just like he, Ella, Soren and Andrew are doing for Ailish.

Ella, Lucca thought. I know the reason why you were able to connect with my mind but I’ll never get to tell you. You already have Ailish. You won’t want me.

Lucca couldn’t tell Ella that he was in love with her. He knew he was polyamorous but couldn’t say the same for Ella.

Besides, she might not be bi or pan. I saw her falling for Ailish way before she transitioned. It’s always been Ailish. She probably doesn’t believe it’s possible to be in love with more than one person.

Lucca made a vow to himself: he would stay friends with Ella and Ailish no matter what happened. He won't let his feelings get in the way. He loved her so much, he refused to break her heart.

I will be there for her today. She needs me today. She needs all of us.

On that note, he fell asleep once more. He dreamt of Ella but also of Ailish. He dreamt that the three of them connected telepathically and at the same time, he felt as if both Ella and Ailish’s arms were around him. As he dreamt, he felt a warm, tingly sensation as if the two girls were holding him tight.

I’ve been in love with Ella for years but I never realized until now that I love Ailish just as much. I can’t tell either of them. They won’t feel the same about me.

When Lucca woke up again, the sun came streaming through his bedroom window, emitting a soft light. He sat up in bed for a moment, admiring the sunrise before getting out of bed. 

He picked out his clothes for the day and changed into them. Once he was dressed, Lucca left his room and went to check on Andrew.

Andrew lay in bed with head under the covers. All Lucca was able to see of him was his hair. Lucca walked over to the window and opened it, letting fresh air in. Andrew stirred in his sleep.

Lucca lifted the covers off of Andrew’s head, exposing it to the gentle breeze that drifted through the window. Andrew stirred again then rolled over onto his back, blinking his eyes.

“It’s morning already?” Andrew asked, his voice heavy from sleep.

“Yep,” Lucca replied. “We should get ready because Ella needs us.”

“Really?” Andrew sat up in bed. “What for?”

Lucca gestured in the direction of the window. “She’s ready to tell us all what went down eight years ago.”

Andrew nodded his head, understanding. “Oh.”

Andrew climbed out of bed and grabbed clothing for the day.

“I’ll meet you downstairs.” Lucca withdrew from the room, leaving Andrew to get dressed.

Lucca went downstairs and set the table for two. He busied himself at the counter, cracking eggs into a bowl.

He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't hear Andrew enter the kitchen.

“What’s for breakfast,” Andrew inquired, distracting Lucca from his thoughts.

Lucca shook his head to clear it and remained with his back to Andrew. “Omelette aux fines herbes.”

Andrew poured himself a glass of water. “Anything I can do to help?” 

“Nope,” Lucca replied, still not turning around. “Just smile so wide that everyone can see it across Candaria.”

Andrew grinned so wide that Lucca felt it radiating off his back. “That’s our whole world.”

Lucca smiled down at the counter in front of him. “All of Candaria needs to see your smile.”

“Maybe it could be a secret weapon,” Andrew joked. “We could defeat Ella’s parents with it.”

“Possible but unlikely.” Lucca poured the egg and herb mixture into the pan. “From what Ella’s told us so far, her parents are very powerful. It’s not very likely that a smile would disarm them, unfortunately.

“Oh well,” Andrew sighed. “We can always fall back on it if we run out of options.”

When the food was ready, Lucca and Andrew split it between themselves. They polished the food off and washed the dishes in a matter of minutes.

“Let’s go,” Lucca suggested. “We mustn't keep Ella and the others waiting any longer for all the water in Candaria.”

Andrew nodded in agreement and the two of them headed out the front door. Lucca scouted ahead to make sure they weren’t attracting unwanted attention from Ella’s parents’ spies who could be anywhere for all Lucca knew.

When he saw that the coast was clear, he motioned for Andrew to follow. After a couple minutes, Lucca and Andrew reached the front porch of Ailish’s house; the house at which Ella was staying.

Andrew knocked on the door and stepped back to stand beside Lucca. The door was opened by Jasper who motioned for them to come in. Lucca and Andrew entered the house and worked away at untying their shoes.

“Everyone’s in the living room whenever you’re both ready,” Jasper called over his shoulder before disappearing into the living room.

Lucca and Andrew finished removing their shoes and headed into the living room. Ella, Ailish and Soren were seated on the couch with Ella in the middle. Jasper and Victor sat on the floor. Lucca and Andrew sat down on the floor as close as they could get to Ella and Ailish.

Lucca patted Ella’s knee and whispered “Everything’s going to be okay.”

“You’ve got us,” Andrew assured her.

Ella nodded, swallowing hard. Soren and Ailish each took one of Ella’s hands and squeezed gently.

Ella swallowed a few more times then began speaking. “Thanks all of you for being here.” She bit her lip. “This stuff isn’t easy for me to talk about because it brings back bad memories but it’s important for you to know.”

Lucca gazed at Ella and Ailish, enthralled as Ella continued talking.

“I always knew I couldn’t trust my parents,” Ella explained. “Even when I was ten. I would practice with my powers in secret so I could grow stronger as I knew one day my parents would be my enemies.”

Everyone nodded along, allowing Ella to continue.

“They would test me for magic manifestations every three months,” Ella confessed. “I knew they only did it so that when my powers did manifest, they would be able to use me for their foul purposes. One day, they found out I could do memory magic and they completely blew up about it because they figured out I had been hiding my powers from them. They called me a coward.”

“What you did was the best thing you could have done,” Lucca soothed. “Don’t beat yourself up about that.”

“I won’t,” Ella vowed. “Things got worse though. They told me I was acting and dressing too girly and as they told me to toughen up. They punished me for being who I am and forced me to wear extremely boyish clothes then paraded me around town. I was a laughing stalk among my parents' friends and that’s when I knew I would have to make a break for it as soon as the chance arose. They whisked me away from the only town I felt safe in and I didn’t get to see any of you for a long time.”

Andrew’s eyes glazed over with moisture, as he held back the tears.“I’m sorry that happened to you, Ella.”

“I have more I could tell you all but I think that’s enough for now,” Ella finished.

Heads bobbed up and down in agreement.

Jasper and Victor stood up and  left the room.

Ella’s face brightened as she changed the subject. “We’re going on an adventure tomorrow. It’s a vital part of the training.” She looked pointedly at Ailish as she said this.

“Anything we need to bring for said adventure?” Andrew questioned.

“Anything you would need for camping and scavenging.” Ella’s face revealed nothing. “Everyone in?”

The group nodded their heads.

“Then we’ll meet in the backyard tomorrow morning,” Ella proclaimed.

“Agreed,” everyone else responded in unison.

Andrew hugged Ella, Ailish and Soren in turn. Lucca did the same, taking a little longer over Ella and Ailish. When Lucca and Andrew had said their goodbyes, they headed back to Lucca’s place.

When they got there, they went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Lucca sat there lost in thought until Andrew snapped his fingers in front of Lucca’s face.

Lucca jerked his head back. “What?”

Andrew smirked, laughing. “Somebody’s distracted.”

Lucca groaned. “You caught me.” 

“Wanna talk about it?” Andrew put a hand on his knee. “I think I know what’s going on. That being said, I’d hate to see you break your heart.”

Lucca burst into tears and Andrew guided his head onto his shoulder.

“I know it hurts.” Andrew caressed Lucca’s knee with his thumb and stroked his hair with the other hand. “You love Ella and you know she sees something in Ailish and you don’t want to ruin what you have with them.”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Lucca laughed bitterly. “I’m in love with both Ella and Ailish and I don’t want to ruin what we have. If I say anything to them about it, I’ll only get rejected.”

“Let me get this straight -” Andrew began to say but got interrupted.

“It’s not straight, it’s polyamorous!” Lucca cried.

Andrew burst out laughing.

“Fine.” Andrew poked Lucca in the ribs. “Let me clarify. You love Ella and Ailish and you don’t think they’ll feel the same about you?”

“Exactly,” Lucca confirmed. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Be their friend,” Andrew advised. “Don’t get distant from them. Stay in their life as a close friend and hold onto the hope that they’ll feel something for you one day. You’d be surprised how things might unfold. They care about you, Lucca. You don’t know how things will turn out before you let them happen.”

“You’re right.” Lucca gave him a small smile. “I may be overthinking things but that doesn’t change the fact that they might reject me.”

Andrew smiled back at him. “Give them time. Give yourself time. You’re an easy person to love, Lucca. I don’t love you romantically but I love you as a person. Chances are Ailish and Ella love you but don’t know it yet.”

Lucca nodded. “Thanks for saying all that.” 

“I’m here for you, Lucca.” Andrew patted his shoulder. “I’m always happy to listen. You would do the same for me.”

Lucca stared at his feet. “Absolutely.” He lifted his head to meet Andrew’s gaze, smirking all the while.

Andrew gazed back at him, bewildered. “What?”

Lucca prodded him in the arm, grinning wider. “You couldn’t take your eyes off of Soren while Ella was talking to us.”

Andrew went pink, blushing all the way to his ears. “I see where this is going.”

“Are you going to tell them how you feel about them sometime?” Lucca queried.

“One day soon,” Andrew answered. ‘There’s no rush.”

Lucca nodded. “Just know that when you do tell Soren, I don’t think you’ll scare them away.”

Lucca and Andrew sat in silence for a while then headed upstairs. They packed whatever they thought they would need for the adventure that Ella gave no details about. After a while they both fell asleep where they were.